Chapter 72: Xue Lingxi is what now? (2)
An hour ago.
Inside a dark alley of the Outer Sect, the dim spiritual stone lamp flickered from time to time. Because of this, hard and dark shadows appeared on Mei Xueyin's and her friend's faces, giving off an eerie look.
"Have you lost your mind, Mei Xueyin?" Mei Xueyin's friend, who had stepped in when she was about to use the Truth Poison Needle on Xu Mo, questioned her.
"But... You saw, didn't you? How he admitted he was a hypocrite, and also when I used that artifact to temporarily create an artifact," Mei Xueyin gritted her teeth and completed her sentence, "And you saw his attitude, didn't you?"
"Hooo... Our princess has finally lost her mind," Mei Xueyin's friend massaged her forehead. "You can't jump to conclusions. You don't even know if that Xu Mo and that other female disciple were strangers or acquaintances. How could you take such drastic measures, and in front of a whole crowd of disciples, no less?"
"Look, Mei Xueyin, I've never questioned why you go around punishing male disciples because the ones you punished or attacked were guilty of their crimes. But this time, it's different. You're being emotional, and I don't even know for what reason." She stopped and turned to face Mei Xueyin, grabbing her shoulders and making her look at her.
Slap—
Mei Xueyin slapped her friend's hand away and said in a cold tone, "Stay away from me. It is up to me to decide who should be punished and who should not. If you try to interrupt me again, I will have to think twice about our friendship."
After saying what she wanted to say—and not caring about her friend's advice—she walked away in the direction of her residence.
Behind her, Mei Xueyin's friend looked bewildered. She started shaking. First, she tried to shake her head left and right, but it seemed like she had been hurt more by Mei Xueyin's words than the slap on her hand, which had now turned red. It felt like someone was grazing her heart with a dull knife. As the pain and realization hit her—that her first friend in the sect, her best friend, had just cast her aside—the pain increased slowly.
She tried to hold back her tears. She ran off towards her dormitory, which was in the opposite direction of Mei Xueyin's house. There was a vast difference between an average disciple like her and Mei Xueyin, the goddess who ruled the hearts of the Outer Sect disciples and was soon going to become an Inner Sect disciple.
Haha...
A small laugh escaped her mouth. It was not meant to insult others but was a self-deprecating laugh at herself. Her dorm mates had warned her to stay away from Mei Xueyin, as their statuses were miles apart. While one was an eagle soaring through the sky, tearing the clouds apart to climb higher, she was just a pigeon—one who had been living in the illusion that she was the best, only to realize she was nothing when she encountered true geniuses who could fly far higher than her.
Sob- Sob-
She covered her eyes with her arm and ran off, unaware that Mei Xueyin was hidden away in a dark corner, sitting on the dirty ground, her knees tucked against her chest. Though she was not crying, her shivering body from time to time told a different story.
"Sorry, sorry, Lan Ruoyan... I didn't mean to, but I had no other option left," Mei Xueyin whispered in a barely audible tone. There was a reason she had done what she had done. She gripped her knees tighter against her chest.
Back to the present.
What?! How did Xue Lingxi reach the peak of the Qi Condensation stage?!
I stood there with a blank expression. Because Xue Lingxi's screen was far bigger than Jin Meiyu's, I was unable to read the whole thing in one go and only managed to glance at it briefly.
"Break through quickly. One should only depend on their own strength," Xue Lingxi spoke in circles. As I tried to understand her, she continued, "I will ask again. Are you not going to participate in this year's tournament?"
I nodded while rubbing my neck, confused as to why she was so fixated on making me participate in the secret realm. Now that I was more awake than before—since the pill's side effects had left me a little tipsy lately but now I had become accustomed to the pain—it seemed more like concern than a scheme or trap.
[No.]
I showed the flashcard that said "No." A flat reply, as I really had no interest in going to any secret realm or any other place while being surrounded by such monsters. If I unintentionally got on the bad side of any of these big shots, even the Head Elder, the Sect Master, or the Ancestor wouldn't be able to figure out how I died.
I lowered my head slightly after replying to her, feeling guilty for not being able to fulfill her wish of me participating in the trial.
She also no longer said anything. She nodded at me one last time, but before walking away, she said something that made me feel naked under her gaze.
"Let's meet in the Inner Sect... True Successor."
She deliberately said the last part in a low voice, just for me to hear.
I looked up at the thick white clouds in the night.
After coming here, I had become a question-asking puppet, always asking how, what, who, where, why, etc.
Well, it wasn't like I couldn't counter-attack by asking, "Hey Xue Lingxi, how long does the Cocoon Phase last?" But what use was crying over spilled milk? Her two words had left me shocked, and I lost my composure, which meant I missed the best moment to counterattack.
On second thought, it was also for the best. She was someone who had an awakened physique. Though I didn't know what use it had, for now, it seemed she might be better than Jin Meiyu, who was still unawakened.
Creak—
I disabled the formation outside by placing my identity token against the gate's surface. For a moment, my token started emitting small light particles before dissolving into the thin, translucent barrier, causing it to open a gap wide enough for two to three people to enter.