Chapter 47: If It Were Me!

Wang Ling was a person accustomed to following her own whims. It was said she created Liu-Li Island solely to thicken her backing; after all, if a lone wandering cultivator acts out, people will argue with them sternly or simply drive them away.

But when you are a powerful Island Master, others will show some restraint for the sake of public face, maintaining the atmosphere of harmonious coexistence between cultivation sects.

Yiling Ke woke up and, upon hearing this, said in shock: "So that’s how it is! No wonder everyone says joining Liu-Li Island is equivalent to becoming the Island Master’s hired thug!"

A disciple gossiping nearby nodded in agreement with a complicated expression: "But they have money. Liu-Li Island disciples have so much money."

Yiling Ke: "I heard they once got beaten up by her because the Island Master accepted a gift and openly despised it, taking her anger out on them."

Disciple: "But they have money. Medicine cultivators compete to treat their injuries and illnesses."

Yiling Ke: "I heard Liu-Li Island always does something to draw public ire just when they are about to become the fifth major sect, getting into brawls with other small sects. This results in many disciples' cultivation being damaged, and the matter of raising the sect ranking just falls through."

The disciple hummed a few times: "But they have money. They just use money to buy the ranking. Although they aren't on equal footing with the four major sects, they are still the fifth sect, just one head lower."

Yiling Ke fell silent for a long time.

Zora caught a bit of this and asked: "They are so rich, are they nobles?"

"Junior Sister Zora, what are you saying?" that disciple laughed. "Royal nobles? Not at all. Many leaders of different countries aren't as rich as Liu-Li Island."

Vane, who clearly had a thorough understanding of several important sects in the cultivation world, said: "It's because beneath their Liu-Li Island, it is full of rare plants, countless gold and silks, and infinite pearls and things from the Western Regions."

The disciple didn't know this and was dazed: "Ah? Where did they get so many treasures?"

Vane: "Because Liu-Li Island is situated in the middle of a major merchant shipping route; passing by requires giving them money. Also, back when Liu-Li Island was uninhabited, many merchant and pirate ships wrecked there. Things were left on the island, and over time, a lot accumulated."

Disciple: "............"

The other disciples marveled that Junior Brother Vane was indeed knowledgeable, capable, and kind to others—truly a famous genius of the new generation.

A few disciples also awkwardly approached to praise Zora.

"Junior Sister Zora as well... I heard about the Great Competition. It was truly brilliant; your sword moves are divine, and your cultivation is advancing at a tremendous pace. It’s admirable."

Everyone knew the famous few from the competition, especially Zora. Sword cultivators were very formidable with strong martial power, but geniuses only appeared sparingly every few hundred years; they were incredibly rare.

In the outside world, some already called her the successor to Lord Wanghua, believing she would one day sit in the position of Sword Sovereign and become the new cornerstone of the December Sect.

There were even male disciples who approached hesitantly, their eyes sparkling: "I wanted to ask where Junior Sister Zora usually practices? Could we spar, or go on missions together?"

Youthful infatuation was exceptionally simple; seeing Zora standing there was enough. Sunlight enveloped her, and the title of "Natural-Born Sword Cultivator" surrounded her, plating her in layers of radiance. But seeing her, it was as if everything else was forgotten—the girl’s face and figure were just that vivid.

Oh dear.

Yiling Ke peered secretly at Vane.

The youth in black remained expressionless, seemingly unaffected. His long lashes hung low, and his dark eyes shifted slightly to look at Zora beside him.

Zora said: "Falling Rock Forest. No."

The blunt answer made the disciple freeze for a moment before he reacted, laughing: "Alright, alright. Then if Junior Sister Zora has any questions, you can come and ask me."

This time Zora gave a hum of acknowledgment.

The friend beside that disciple nudged him with an elbow while making faces. The disciple didn't even look, pushing him away. Then the disciple bid a lingering farewell. On the way out, he seemed to be teased by his friend, and he immediately chased the person down to hit them.

Those were the excellent disciples of the cultivation world.

Vane watched their retreating backs peacefully. After a while, he withdrew his gaze.

Yet his knuckles were tightening.

He naturally had no right to stop it. That disciple was expressing his like for her openly and admitting it openly. Moreover, compared to those dark thoughts, what he felt more of was actually a sense of shrinking back.

...Shrinking?

...Shrinking from what?

Vane was dazed for a moment, almost in disbelief. A chill rose from his bones. His heart was bound and enveloped by spiritual power, yet he suddenly discovered it was beating just like normal. Spiritual power flowed through the youth’s body in a helpless and lost manner, not knowing how to curb the feeling or how to eliminate that faint, complicated bitterness.

Black Dust seemed to sense something, resonating with its master and vibrating within the storage bag.

Zora hadn't noticed the disciple's budding infatuation at all. Yiling Ke gossiped: "Did you really not notice that person wanted to get close to you?"

When Yiling Ke asked, she also glanced at Vane, but found he wasn't looking over at all. He still stood there coldly with his arms crossed, and she could only see a bit of his profile; he seemed truly indifferent.

Had she guessed wrong?

Yiling Ke wasn't as sensitive to emotions as the awakened Turi Qi and was successfully fooled by Vane’s cold behavior.

Over here, Zora thought about Yiling Ke’s meaning and said directly: "He wants to do

that

sort of thing with me?"

Yiling Ke was thoroughly shocked and stammered: "Probably... not... but also not quite right, it includes but is not limited to... I mean, are you always this blunt!?"

Zora: "I don't want to."

Yiling Ke: "...Alright, alright."

Vane listened uncontrollably. His spiritual power settled down because his state of mind had returned to its original state following her words. He deliberately guided himself to think of other things, yet his brain involuntarily replayed that scene of Zora talking with the other disciple over and over.

She had only spoken a few words, yet he had been so shaken. She was clearly unaware and unconcerned, and he was despicably unable to control himself.

Amidst the chaos, a thought flashed through his mind in an instant.

—He was practically peeling back his own skin, proactively and pleadingly, letting her hook his organs and red flesh, stirring and playing with them as she pleased. Yet, she wouldn't look at him, wouldn't like him, as if his blood were no different from anyone else's.

...

Wang Ling left, and many disciples walked away talking and laughing. The entrance to the December Sect returned to quiet. The Sect Leader seemed to have sent a talisman for Turi Qi to come over; she said a word and left on her sword.

Yiling Ke was busy going back to repair her arrays and left in a hurry too. Song Zhihuai stood for a while, realized there was nothing for him to do, and nodded his farewell.

The person who had posted the mission to collect scrap iron approached Zora sneakily; he was actually a disciple of Liu-Li Island.

"Thanks."

A large, heavy bag of money was placed in Zora’s hand, and the disciple quickly returned to the Liu-Li Island group.

Zora put the bag away. Finding herself with nothing to do, she thought of the Wang Ling in the original book. Although the relationship between Lord Wanghua and Turi Qi couldn't be brought to light in the early stages, Wang Ling had still discovered it keenly. She was unwilling to break the engagement and didn't care if Lord Wanghua loved her.

—

"As long as you are the number one Sword Sovereign, I will not cancel the engagement for a single day."

The Sword Sovereign had not yet reached a level of strength where he could truly do as he pleased, leading to the main characters going through several more "angsty" plot points. Finally, with the female lead's help, the male lead obtained a secret treasure, broke through his realm, and his strength increased greatly, allowing him to cancel the engagement directly.

Wang Ling was also incredibly stubborn; she turned around and invited the two to a Liu-Li Island banquet as if nothing had happened, hinting to the outside world that although the engagement was canceled, she had not fallen out with the Sword Sovereign—in fact, their relationship was still very good.

Regardless, Wang Ling just wanted to fleece their fame to open up business for Liu-Li Island.

Zora thought for a moment and asked: "Can becoming Dao companions with someone also benefit the faction behind you?"

Vane was silent for a moment. He finally looked at her.

"...Yes. It is more like using the various powers of a Dao companion to expand your own influence."

Though it wasn't obvious, Zora noticed that compared to his usual tone, his words were now more stiff.

"..." Zora glanced at him, examining him for a moment. "You're unhappy?"

"..." He should have answered "no" as he had before, but Vane’s lips parted slightly, and he said nothing. He didn't want to say "no," but he was also ashamed to admit "yes."

Zora: "I've said it before: if you don't speak clearly, I won't know what you're thinking. If you're unhappy, just say it once; I can listen."

Vane finally spoke: "I do not know... if you will look for a Dao companion."

He added a sentence as a cover-up: "After all, I am your servant. A Dao companion on equal footing with you would be considered half of my... master."

When the youth reached that last word, even though he was faking a polite remark, his emotions couldn't help but twist for an instant, carrying a thick killing intent. Becoming someone else’s servant, taking orders from another—and having Zora’s things plundered and shared. At the thought of such a possibility, he wanted to torture and kill the person.

Zora frowned and said: "What do you mean, if I find a Dao companion?"

As she spoke, her River Snow vibrated. The girl had no killing intent, but her sword reacted truthfully. Vane was dazed for a few heartbeats, then he pursed his lips tightly, staring at her.

They locked eyes.

At the thought of that possibility, Zora couldn't help but be on high alert.

"What if he wants to kill me?"

"If you were with... another person as Dao companions, it wouldn't be because of coercion, but because there is love."

The topic was shifted. Vane, who noticed it, had no reaction. He suppressed his repulsion toward the hypothetical, prioritizing Zora’s question. He followed her words with a normal tone; his usual silver tongue had become a mere decoration, as he had no intention of pulling the topic back. He was extremely obedient and submissive.

"Is there a conflict?"

"...What?"

Zora said seriously: "Is there a conflict between having love and wanting to kill the person you love?"

"..." Vane’s dark pupils moved slightly. He suddenly realized something, and only after a long while did he say: "...No."

Zora nodded and stopped talking. The conclusion they both reached was the same. Zora felt the topic had ended and been turned over, completely forgetting she had originally intended to listen to her servant talk about his unhappiness.

She thought for a moment and decided to go take a look outside the Immortal-Seeking Hall. Vane followed behind her. The youth’s sleeves fluttered, and his dark eyes reflected the girl’s back.

He possessed a mind of seven apertures and was incredibly intelligent; even in a moment of inner turmoil, he could keenly grasp human nature. He clearly realized what lay behind Zora’s thought. She was so vigilant not only because of a lack of trust, but because of one other point.

—She was that kind of person.

She was the kind of person who could kill the other party even if she loved them. Thus, she naively assumed others were the same.

Thinking this, the youth’s heart beat rapidly for another moment. In the air, he forgot for a time to control it with spiritual power. This was the real her, and possibly only he knew it.

...Only he understood.

The vibration in his chest was intense. Vane actually agreed with her answer wholeheartedly—not because he could do the same. In fact, he was the exact opposite of her. He was simply thinking of the scene where she would kill the person she liked.

If the other party truly liked her, then what did it matter if they were killed by her? Zora would certainly have a reason; the other party must have become a threat to her. Since one has become a threat to their Dao companion, failing to eliminate oneself is already ungratefulness and a betrayal; Zora killing them is very normal and logical.

While he couldn't help but feel a subtle joy and relaxation at the fact that she "wouldn't look for a Dao companion," he also uncontrollably thought about the thing that had never happened: her "killing a Dao companion."

After thinking much, amidst his complex emotions, the youth finally revealed his true thoughts unconsciously. A fantasy flashed through his heart.

—

...If it were me, she wouldn't even need to lift a finger.

—

If it were me.