Volume 2, Chapter 27 – Stirring Feelings (Double-Length Chapter)

The situation had temporarily settled. After thanking Bai Xiang, Han Li immediately took out his radio to start redeploying personnel.

The reason Bai Xiang could sense those four remaining people was because of her divine-soul ability—her soul was naturally very sensitive to all kinds of similar stimuli, including gazes.

Judging by the feedback she got from those four lines of sight, they shouldn’t be enemies on the level of that “lizard-man.”

And since all of them were inside buildings, all they had to do was seal the stairwells and watch the windows—that would be catching turtles in a jar.

Sis Xiang’er…

After the group temporarily moved from the collapsed tunnel into the school, Bai Zhuqing sat a little dazed on the edge of a flower bed, staring at Bai Xiang standing in front.

She could tell Bai Xiang was in a bad mood.

In the past, even dueling someone like Liu Mengqing, Bai Xiang wouldn’t strike the corpse again after winning.

But just now, after she killed the lizard-man with a single sword, the bloody sword Qi chased it down and shredded it, not leaving a single intact organ behind.

Was that… because of me…

Bai Zhuqing pressed her lips together.

In normal circumstances, Sis Xiang’er would definitely have gone straight after those four people.

She hadn’t. She’d chosen to stay. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to go, but because she was worried that while she was gone, there might be more danger here.

In the end, she had become a burden.

Truly feeling that, Bai Zhuqing’s heart felt awful.

Ever since she’d glimpsed Bai Xiang’s resolve, she’d been putting all her effort into patching up her own shortcomings.

She didn’t complain about sword practice anymore, and she’d stopped playing on her phone at night, insisting on going to bed early.

Even with all these scenes that made her stomach churn, she’d been forcing herself to get used to them—killing chickens, killing fish, even searching for freshly leaked “crime scene photos” online to desensitize herself.

But how was she supposed to catch up to her?

It hurt.

The moment she thought that she couldn’t stand at her side, her chest began to feel tight and suffocating.

Bai Zhuqing didn’t realize that while she was submerged in this oppressive feeling, her sword—and her body—were undergoing some mysterious change.

“Vmm—~~~!”

“Crack!”

A sharp sound rang out, drawing everyone’s gaze, Bai Xiang included. They turned just in time to see Bai Zhuqing’s whole body trembling, and the Sword-Student Wooden Sword clenched in her fist vibrating at high frequency—splitting and shattering apart!

She’s Entered the Dao?

Bai Xiang blinked, then quickly put it together. Bai Zhuqing must have taken a psychic hit, finally stepping over the threshold just now.

That was how the Know the Self realm worked.

This past month, even though Bai Xiang had been guiding Bai Zhuqing every day—improving her understanding of force, timing, and how to apply and redirect strength—those parts didn’t actually help that much with Entering the Dao at Know the Self.

She had to work it out herself, see clearly, think it through. Only by gaining an elevation in her spirit and soul could she awaken the seed of her heart-aspect.

Good.

Seeing Bai Zhuqing finally enlighten, Bai Xiang’s mood lifted a little.

This little sister’s talent wasn’t bad. Once she Entered the Dao, she could start cultivating body and mind, and only then truly bring out the core essence of Shenming Sword.

It would also let Bai Xiang study whether the situation with her really was “reversion-to-ancestor” from monster blood manifesting.

“Whump!”

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Bai Zhuqing suddenly glared at the empty air, a faint bloody tint stretching through her pupils. A small vortex rose around her feet, scattering dust and fallen leaves.

Hm?

What’s going on here?

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Bai Xiang immediately went over and put a hand on her little sister’s shoulder.

But Bai Zhuqing had fallen into some strange state and didn’t recognize her at all. Her eyes held no focus. She twisted her shoulder to dodge Bai Xiang’s touch and even grabbed her wrist in return.

Huh?

Now Bai Xiang was truly surprised, because at the exact moment her wrist was caught, she felt a subtle vibrational force traveling back along her meridians—exactly, down to the last detail, what she herself had taught.

That’s… Return to the Innate?

This level of vibration was nothing in the face of her remodeled heart meridians. Bai Xiang wasn’t affected at all. She simply added her other hand and pinned her “rampaging” little sister with ease.

“She hit a snag Entering the Dao. I’m taking her to a classroom for a bit.”

She called a quick explanation over to the bewildered Hu Hu and Chen Jing, twisted both of Bai Zhuqing’s arms behind her back, bent down to hook her legs—and in one swift motion, scooped her up in a horizontal carry.

“Waaah~”

Hu Hu cupped her cheeks with both hands, looking completely “fed.”

Little Senior Sister and Senior Sister… Why do they look so perfect together?

She’d wanted to ask Little Junior Sister Chen if she felt anything too, but when she turned her head, she found the girl’s face blank, as if she didn’t feel even a shred of joy at having survived.

Was it what the lizard-man had said?

Mm…

That, and worry for her mother, probably.

Thinking that, Hu Hu quickly shuffled over to Chen Jing and started gently patting and rubbing her back, soothing her in a low voice. “Don’t take what that kind of human trash says to heart…”

“Inspector Han said they’ve already sent people to East Ring Road, remember?”

“Your mom’s definitely going to be safe. Don’t worry.”

“Mm…” Chen Jing answered in a daze, her mood easing just a fraction.

But Hu Hu still hadn’t guessed the whole picture. The blow Chen Jing had taken was far heavier than she imagined.

Because their “silencing” theory had just been confirmed. Which meant hope was gone.

Her father, Chen Zhien, really was probably never coming back.

“Hu Hu.” Chen Jing looked at Bai Xiang’s departing back.

“Hm?”

“I suddenly… honestly… kind of want to learn the sword a little…”

Elsewhere, Bai Xiang found an empty classroom at random and kicked the door in with one solid blow, carrying Bai Zhuqing into the shadows inside.

It was already dark out, but she couldn’t be bothered to turn on the lights. In the gloom, she could see her little sister still struggling in her arms.

For most people, Return to the Innate only lasted ten-odd seconds. Why was she still not coming out of it?

Even having Entered the Dao, Bai Zhuqing’s heart-aspect and body hadn’t yet begun to really cultivate. There was no reason she should be able to achieve this kind of performance.

Don’t be fooled by how easily Bai Xiang was restraining her, like holding down a chick. At this level, if they sent Bai Zhuqing back to deal with Jiang Haojing—the one who’d come picking a fight at the dojo before—she could absolutely one-punch him into paste. He might even be vibrated to death.

Her control of force.

Her use of vibrational power.

Bai Zhuqing was already pushing both to the limit of what this body could do.

Is this natural compatibility…

Bai Xiang thought silently.

Even before she Entered the Dao, Bai Zhuqing had shown a special affinity for the original Shenming Sword. Back then, Bai Xiang had already suspected that this little sister might have “monster blood manifesting.”

“Monster blood manifesting” referred to the way a human cultivator’s body would be gradually tainted and influenced by demonic power as their cultivation deepened.

This was different from the demons’ own Stain-the-Body Stage. For humans, it was passive, built up over many years, and subtle.

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If we say the demonic power poured in during a demon’s Stain-the-Body was like a great river, then the demonic power that seeped into a human cultivator was just a single drop of water, so tiny in amount.

And yet, mysteriously, even that drop could cause strange phenomena like “monster blood regression” and “monster blood manifestation.”

There were records of all this in some of the scriptures stored in the Bai family estate.

Holding her struggling sister down, Bai Xiang sifted through those memories and became even more certain this was the only explanation.

It might even be regression and manifestation occurring together. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Bai Zhuqing had lost her sense of self in the Return to the Innate state.

Losing oneself—that was regression.

Greater control—that was manifestation.

Overlay the two, and instead of collapsing, they had actually helped Bai Zhuqing reach a subtle balance.

To know is to break it.

And to be ignorant… is also its own form of completion.

It was something like the Daoist Five Dragons Method—that kind of “beyond form, beyond words” mysterious state.

This can’t go on.

As time dragged on, Bai Xiang’s expression grew more solemn.

For most people Entering the Dao, Return to the Innate meant a few seconds, maybe ten or so at most. Bai Zhuqing had almost been in this state for two minutes now.

Yes, Return to the Innate was the dream of the Sword, Dao, and Buddhist paths alike. It even brushed up against the mysteries of reincarnation and the womb.

But lingering too long in that state right after Entering the Dao could kill you.

Because energy didn’t appear out of nowhere.

When Bai Xiang Entered the Dao, she’d only experienced Return to the Innate for ten-odd seconds, and just that had burned through a massive amount of her body’s energy. That was why, after beating up Zhou Ji’s group, she’d eaten so much beef and noodles—her body needed to replenish its reserves.

There were even historical cases of people stumbling into Return to the Innate and staying there for a long time. Almost without exception, they had their essence and blood drained dry by their own divine souls and died on the spot, smiling in bliss as they dropped dead.

The moment she imagined Bai Zhuqing having her blood unconsciously sucked dry by her own soul, shriveling into a skeleton and dying, Bai Xiang felt as if someone had grabbed her heart and squeezed it hard.

She’d felt this once before, when she’d left Shenming Dojo. Just not this intensely.

Because back then, she hadn’t been sure that Bai Zhuqing would die.

Staring at her little sister’s twisted features in the darkness, images rose in Bai Xiang’s mind.

Bai Zhuqing dressed in pure white, asking her questions.

The two of them arguing over right and wrong in the streets and alleys.

And their everyday life—scenes that never failed to include this little tagalong, always stuck to her, calling her “Sis Xiang’er” one moment and “Auntie” the next, even hugging a Buddhist scripture to read at the side while she practiced sword.

Is it the fused memories’ influence?

Or have I just gotten used to her?

After a brief hesitation, Bai Xiang came back to herself.

First thing: she pulled a small strip of cut tablets from her pants pocket, popped one out, and shoved it toward Bai Zhuqing’s mouth.

Nurture the Spirit Pacifying Tablets.

A cultivation aid even those at Transforming Qi could benefit from—she’d kept a stash. It should at least help replenish what was being burned.

But Bai Zhuqing was still under the control of that “regression consciousness” and wouldn’t take the medicine.

Thinking it over, Bai Xiang shifted her weight to pin her more firmly, freed a hand to pry open her jaw—but her tongue thrashed wildly and the tablet wouldn’t go in.

Time was tight. Bai Xiang simply put the tablet into her own mouth and used an extremely special method of feeding it over.

“Grrk…!?”

Bai Zhuqing’s consciousness was still hazy. She didn’t know what was happening. Bai Xiang had to be delicate, feeling her way through the technique, doing her best not to hurt her in the process.

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Finally, the tablet went down Bai Zhuqing’s throat.

Bai Xiang breathed out in relief, then quickly rose, summoned her divine soul, and began feeding vibrational force into Bai Zhuqing’s body to trace out the routes of her heart meridians.

Her thinking was clear: right now, Bai Zhuqing was being controlled by the instincts triggered by her monster blood, stretching out this Return to the Innate state under that control. To wake her up, she first had to strengthen her heart-aspect seed.

Your heart-aspect is your true self.

And the strongest heart-aspect method she held in her hands was Transforming Qi.

It was a bit risky, but Bai Xiang had no choice.

She began a high-pressure maneuver: using vibrational force to constantly map her sister’s heart meridians, drawing them as a reference in her divine-soul vision, and at the same time calculating how to revise that circulation pattern in her mind.

But how was she supposed to actually do it…

She could pull this off with herself because she had a divine-soul ability—any rule involving her own body could be forcibly rewritten.

But Bai Zhuqing’s body wasn’t “herself.”

Her divine-soul ability couldn’t get inside.

Scattered thoughts pressed in. Bai Xiang forced herself to push them down.

Noticing that Bai Zhuqing’s cheeks were looking a little sunken, she hurriedly took out another tablet and again fed it to her, mouth to mouth.

By the third time, Bai Xiang suddenly realized something was off.

Every time she gave her the medicine, the unconscious Bai Zhuqing would cling to her, their tongues tangling. Her own divine soul would go hazy, her body heating up as if all the blood in her veins was rushing to her head.

“Grrk… Sis Xiang’er…”

Eyes half-closed, Bai Zhuqing let out a soft murmur.

And in the next instant, she completely changed before Bai Xiang’s eyes.

If, before this, feeding medicine to Bai Zhuqing had been like Bai Xiang visiting someone else’s home and lingering in the entryway, exchanging pleasantries with the host…

Then now it felt like there was nothing blocking the way in at all.

Bai Zhuqing had opened herself fully to her. Her meridians, her heart-aspect, even her divine soul were actively presenting themselves to Bai Xiang.

A mysterious state dropped over them. Bai Xiang’s confusion lasted only a heartbeat before she immediately began rousing her divine-soul ability, trying to enter her little sister’s… enter her body.

She suspected she might be the first person ever to stumble onto and exploit this marvel.

Return to the Innate plus complete unconsciousness turned the body into blank paper—an ownerless vessel that was naturally compatible with anyone . Even her divine-soul ability could slip inside.

She had no doubt that she could seize this chance to clamp her divine soul around her little sister’s heart-aspect, wipe out her consciousness, and refine her into an avatar.

But of course, Bai Xiang wasn’t about to do that.

She kept herself calm and working fast, experimenting on the meridian map in her divine-soul vision until she finally found a circulation pattern that would work. She immediately set about remodeling Bai Zhuqing’s meridians.

She had no idea how long had passed before Bai Zhuqing finally woke in the darkness.

It was pitch black, but for some reason, when she opened her eyes she could see the outlines of desks and chairs everywhere.

“Sis Xiang’er… Auntie?”

Her voice was hoarse as she sat up, and she saw a slender shadow sitting at a desk opposite her.

She recognized Bai Xiang’s figure at a glance, and once she was sure, she frowned in confusion. “Auntie, did you do something to me? Why do I feel like my body’s a bit…”

Her body felt strange.

Why did her muscles, skin, and bones all feel itchy… as if they were being nourished all at once?

“Your monster blood regressed and manifested,” Bai Xiang cut her off.

“Your true-self consciousness got suppressed by the regression consciousness. To save you, I had to change your method. You’re walking my original path now.”

Her tone was calm, but inside, Bai Xiang’s feelings were mixed.

She didn’t care about the effort she’d spent to set her sister on a path to success, nor did she care if her sister found out she’d created a new cultivation method from scratch.

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What she cared about was that, through this rescue, she’d confirmed that Bai Zhuqing did in fact hold a special place in her heart.

As for why , she honestly still had no idea.

Why?

Was it really just habit from all those cries of “Auntie”?

“Original!”

Bai Zhuqing clearly had no idea how outrageous this was. She was only purely delighted. “Then I’ll be walking the same path as Auntie from now on?”

“Yes.”

“And it’s not like any other Sword Dao, right?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean you’ll be the only one who can teach me from now on?”

“…Yes.”

“Then Auntie can never abandon me again, right?”

“If you don’t listen,” Bai Xiang narrowed her eyes, “I won’t teach you the later stages.”

“Auntie wouldn’t have the heart!”

Flush with the joy of Entering the Dao and this unexpected bonus, Bai Zhuqing was in too high spirits to worry about the sweat all over her. She scooted over to Bai Xiang, kneading her legs and pounding her back.

“Auntie~”

“Heehee~”

“Auntie~!”

Bai Xiang couldn’t be bothered to respond. Bai Zhuqing stuck to her like taffy, wrapping around her, each “Auntie” sweeter than the last, punctuated by little giggles.

Suddenly, Bai Zhuqing noticed her bare feet dangling in the dark.

“Auntie walked around barefoot earlier. Your feet must be dirty.”

Talking as she moved, she instinctively reached out and grabbed both of Bai Xiang’s feet, rubbing and scraping at her soles with her fingers.

Bai Zhuqing could swear that at that moment, nothing strange was going through her head. She was just playing “master-disciple games” with Bai Xiang, planning to wipe away the dust from her feet.

“Let go!”

Bai Xiang’s expression changed sharply, and she yanked her feet back in a flash.

Bai Zhuqing froze, standing there stupidly, at a total loss.

This was the first time.

The first time Bai Xiang had snapped at her.

“No time left…”

Maybe she felt she’d reacted too strongly. After a brief pause, Bai Xiang stepped down from the desk.

“Let’s get back.”

“Otherwise Grandpa’s going to worry.”

Watching Bai Xiang leave with her sword, Bai Zhuqing frowned, lost in thought.

Sis Xiang’er never used to mind when I touched her feet. Now she does.

Could it be that…

Her eyes lit up, and she hurried after her.