Volume 2, Chapter 94 – Result (Two-in-One)

A swordswoman who goes over every battle afterward to review and reflect on her shortcomings—could someone like that really be unaware of how her own feelings are changing?

The answer, of course, was no.

The shifts in her feelings for Bai Zhuqing had gone through several distinct stages before finally reaching their current level. No one understood that better than Bai Xiang herself.

At the start, she had felt nothing at all for this little sister. Sometimes she had even found her annoying—the clearest example being that night she was dissecting The Scripture of Returning to Origin and Transforming Qi . She’d been able to say, with a straight face, “You stand guard for me, I’ll let you rub my feet.” The fact she could say that at all already proved she “didn’t care.” She hadn’t thought of Bai Zhuqing as someone she might actually build a relationship with, so she could be that calm and casual about it.

And Bai Zhuqing was quite interesting in her own right… She had clearly seen through Bai Xiang’s attitude back then, yet she had still turned down that condition. That alone showed her feelings were at least a level above pure desire—she was willing to give up a moment’s pleasure for the sake of genuine emotion. That was a very rare thing.

Especially considering she had still been a real child at the time.

She hadn’t yet understood the difference between children and adults; she hadn’t yet seen why Bai Xiang held a special status in front of Bai Shengju. At that age, she was the sort who acted purely on emotion, without overthinking things. Very few people her age could distinguish that line as clearly as Bai Zhuqing had.

So where had the first turning point come?

Probably that day she’d returned to the side room, seen the plate of fresh grapes her little sister had left on the table, and from the message realized Zhuqing might be walking into danger.

It was then that Bai Xiang realized she had already grown used to it—used to having this little “tagalong” at her back, always “Auntie, Auntie” and pestering her.

That habit, of course, wasn’t enough to shift her heart away from the path of Dao. But it was like a wedge, prying open the faintest of cracks.

Then came Bai Zhuqing’s entry into the Dao, the mouth-to-mouth feeding of medicine that sent ripples across the lake of her heart for the first time. Bai Xiang might not have paid it any mind in the moment, but once she wrested her sister’s life back from Death’s hands, she knew something had changed.

The clearest sign of that change was that she no longer wanted her little sister touching her feet.

That meant she no longer saw her only as family; something had shifted.

Then came Bai Zhuqing’s “awakening speech,” Bai Xiang’s scolding… and finally, the confession she’d just made after the truth came to light.

Having lived two lives, Bai Xiang had tasted the warmth and coldness of human relationships. She had met many kinds of girls, and many had left a deep impression on her.

Passionate ones.

Indifferent ones.

Lofty, untouchable ones.

And those who wore sympathy and pity like a mask, just to satisfy a fundamentally selfish compassion.

Girls of the new century were too changeable. Bai Xiang couldn’t find a neat way to summarize them, and she didn’t want to. While so-called experts and scholars chattered endlessly on screens about “xx rates” and “why these changes are happening,” Bai Xiang felt she’d rather save that mental space for mountain-climbing and skiing… She’d rather put herself through more grueling meditation training than bother analyzing the real reasons behind society’s problems.

She knew perfectly well why that was—because she was simply too arrogant.

A useless, ruined body, harboring a heart more proud than anyone else’s. If that fact were made public, it would definitely be the stuff of jokes.

Just a cripple, and she actually dares to think like that?

That’s exactly what they would say.

And even if a few rational voices existed, they’d be drowned in a tidal wave of mockery.

Bai Xiang wasn’t afraid of being laughed at. She could even understand them, because dignity had been the cheapest thing in her past world; almost everyone tried to sell it off for profit. Bai Xiang had long since grown accustomed to that atmosphere.

The reason she never said any of this out loud was also because she was too arrogant.

There was no need.

No need to tell anyone.

There had been a time when she’d doubted herself—wondered if she really was abnormal, really was, as those doctors had claimed, “a mind somewhat distorted by years of fighting disease.”

But—after coming to this world and fully grasping what that so-called “abnormality” meant for her, that doubt multiplied a thousandfold, ten-thousandfold, and transformed into the ultimate form of “self-confidence.”

Without that arrogance, she never could have gathered the will to wrench her body open, nor become Earth’s sole mental-type esper, able to use thought to interfere with reality.

Her arrogance wasn’t wrong. There was never any need to question herself.

Bai Xiang knew herself very well. Precisely because she understood all this, she had allowed Bai Zhuqing to stay by her side from the very beginning.

Back then, maybe she’d looked at the girl with a mix of mockery and expectation.

She’d wanted to know: How long can such a pathological attachment last? When she learns I’m not Bai Nianchan reborn, not even the exact Xiang’er-sister she yearned for—what kind of face will she make?

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But time and again, Bai Zhuqing had shattered those expectations.

In every way, all this girl showed her was pure, unadulterated adoration.

Bai Xiang didn’t care about worldly opinions; she didn’t care about that sort of thing at all.

Maybe before Bai Xiang had crossed worlds, that affection had only been an extension of a mother-complex. But after Bai Xiang arrived—after Bai Zhuqing sensed all those differences—it leaped forward in an instant, triggering the most fatal kind of curiosity: a girl’s curiosity toward another girl.

And then she’d simply fallen deeper and deeper… Most likely even she herself didn’t know when, exactly, her feelings had truly transformed.

This… was something Bai Xiang had never seen before.

Could this kind of pure longing and love really end in happiness?

In her past life, every voice in society had laughed at such things.

Bai Xiang had never laughed.

So she didn’t think Bai Zhuqing deserved to be laughed at either.

She had to admit: when Bai Zhuqing had thrown all caution aside and blurted those words to her in the middle of the street, Bai Xiang’s heart had been stirred.

But she still felt resistance.

Still felt unease.

It all felt far too coincidental… She prided herself on never falling for anyone, regardless of gender or excellence. All appearances and souls were worthless in her eyes; from her last life onward, the only person she’d ever truly respected was herself.

So why, of all people, did there have to be a “Bai Zhuqing”…?

Why was it this kind of pure feeling—the very thing society most loved to ridicule—that also happened to be the only thing that resonated with her? It felt almost too neatly arranged. She even found herself wondering if there really was a Heavenly Dao, quietly orchestrating everything, deliberately sending such a girl into her life to disrupt her Dao-heart.

So… am I still going to turn her away?

In a hundred years, a thousand years… if I truly succeed on the path of Dao, when I look back on today, will I say: the only mistake she ever made was that she loved me?

The moment that thought appeared, Bai Xiang knew she had to confirm a few things with Bai Zhuqing.

That entangled, shivering heartbeat.

What had happened after feeding her medicine… what would it be like if they did it again while fully awake?

She needed a clear answer before she could decide.

And so everything unfolded as naturally as water flowing downhill. In that moment, the sisters’ shadows leaned together, overlapped… Even the darkness pooled in their silhouettes couldn’t stop them from feeling each other’s violently pounding hearts. In that silent, clinging intimacy, they were both being eroded by the other, both coming to recognize their own feelings anew, and both reshaping themselves into something new.

That’s it?

The moment they parted, that thought popped reflexively into Bai Zhuqing’s mind.

It had been an incredibly novel experience. Even if they’d only had the barest taste of it, it was enough to let her savor the exquisite sweetness that brushed against the soul.

“It feels really strange…”

She heard Bai Xiang murmur softly.

Does Auntie not like it?

The girl’s heart clenched at once.

I’ve never… done that with anyone before. Am I too inexperienced? Did I leave her dissatisfied?

“But… it wasn’t bad.”

Lowering her head, Bai Xiang saw her little sister’s pale, tender face, tight with anxious worry.

Following her own heart, she gave a simple compliment, then added, “A little sweet.”

Boom!!!

Bai Zhuqing went straight into overheat mode, her face so hot she felt like she could boil water with it.

“Let’s not waste any more time.” Bai Xiang left her there and started rummaging through the room.

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“We still have people to save… Come help me look. Don’t just stand there spacing out.”

Oh… oh!!!

Bai Zhuqing scrambled to answer in her heart, hastily trotting after Bai Xiang and helping her turn every drawer and cabinet inside out.

The whole time, she kept sneaking glances at Bai Xiang, wondering what that move just now had meant.

She hadn’t said what it stood for … but she’d still been willing to be intimate with her. Did that mean she’d basically accepted her?

I… I was pretty straightforward with what I said outside. If she was willing to do… do that kind of thing with me after all that… doesn’t that mean she doesn’t dislike me?

Does this count as us… starting something?

Bai Zhuqing desperately wanted to ask Bai Xiang outright, but she didn’t dare, afraid she’d get the other answer.

It reminded her of a case she’d read in a book recently—about a girl who, out of fear of losing someone, never confessed and carried that secret to her grave.

Because as long as she never made things clear, she could at least stay beside the other person as a friend.

But if she did make things clear—then even if they got together for a while, a lifetime was long, life itself was long. She was scared that one of them would change their heart someday, and then they’d be forced into a final break, forced apart.

Bai Zhuqing’s thoughts were a bit too easy to read—at least when it came to Bai Xiang. She practically wore every feeling she had on her face.

Bai Xiang glanced at her dazed little sister, said nothing, and dragged a black case out from under the bed, something that didn’t match the room’s decor at all.

It was neither wood nor metal nor plastic; it was made of some new material.

The moment she saw it, Bai Xiang understood—this had to be the gear the Demon-Suppressing Bureau had stored for her.

It was locked…

Hm, Yu He never told me the password…

After thinking for a moment, Bai Xiang entered “10544”—her ID number in the Bureau’s internal network.

With a crisp click , the case sprang open on its own, revealing the items inside.

The first thing to catch her eye was a sword scabbard.

It was made of the same sort of material as the case, with a fine, matte texture to the touch.

Bai Xiang lifted the scabbard out, drew Feixiang Heaven, and slid the blade in. At once, she felt a marvelous sense of perfect fit, of seamless unity.

It should be able to withstand stronger impacts… Was this custom-made for me?

She tossed the sword onto the bed and kept unwrapping the rest. Soon she had all the gear laid out.

They were, respectively—

A large-caliber, sleekly beautiful high-tech handgun.

An automatic rifle said to be capable of switching between armor-piercing rounds and explosive rounds.

A tactical dagger with a vibration function that could be activated by pressing a switch.

A high-tech combat suit not too different from the Blackwatersnake Max, but equipped with more armor components.

And that wasn’t all…

If it had only been these, Bai Xiang wouldn’t have been surprised. But as for the outfit currently spread out on the bed, she honestly didn’t know… what to make of it.

It was a pseudo-ancient robe-and-skirt set.

Pale blue as the base color, adorned with white-gold and green patterns… The overall style was more streamlined, with shorter sleeves, while still keeping plenty of length in the skirt.

The teal waist sash and white boots with gold patterns were still within “normal” expectations. What really caught her off guard was the “inner lining”—which turned out to be an even more form-fitting black bodysuit.

Honestly, if the material of that bodysuit hadn’t felt so unusual to the touch, and if its color hadn’t been so deep and opaque, with no hint of see-through, Bai Xiang would have seriously started to doubt what it was for .

She checked the manual—oh, so it was a close-fitting combat underlayer designed specifically for noblewomen.

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It also had high-temperature resistance, waterproofing, bulletproofing, and radiation shielding. Compared to regular tactical gear, it was more flexible and lightweight; worn snugly under robes, its concealment factor was high, enough to mislead would-be assassins.

Bai Xiang carefully read the manual and learned that this high-tech women’s combat outfit, called “Flowing Water, Drifting Clouds,” came from a famous Yujing designer. That thin little bodysuit, in terms of bulletproof performance alone, actually surpassed standard tactical wear.

Then I don’t need this.

Picking up the black bodysuit, Bai Xiang turned and fixed her sister with a questioning look.

Bai Zhuqing froze, snatched up the heavier combat suit beside her, and shook her head like a rattle drum.

Is she embarrassed?

Bai Xiang had just opened her mouth to speak when Bai Zhuqing said earnestly, “Auntie, you’re going out to look for them in a bit, right?”

“That’s right.” Bai Xiang nodded, walking over to the window as she spoke and lifting the curtain for a look outside.

This safehouse was very close to where Yu He and the others were hiding; she could see the area around the food processing plant directly from here.

She’d already checked the traffic flow around them—everything looked normal, and the pedestrians weren’t acting strangely either. That meant Yu He and the others hadn’t been exposed yet. Otherwise she would never have been leisurely examining gear here.

“Then Auntie plans to leave me here?” Bai Zhuqing asked again.

Bai Xiang didn’t answer aloud. She just nodded, more firmly this time.

The safehouse was good—part of a high-end hotel, with tight security downstairs.

Most importantly, she didn’t know what tricks the Demon-Suppressing Bureau had used, but when she’d slammed the door earlier, she’d clearly felt it wasn’t wood—there seemed to be a thick layer of metal inside. Even the walls and ceiling had that same substance. Bai Xiang guessed this place might even withstand a missile strike.

Leaving Bai Zhuqing here was the safest choice.

Get Yu He and the others out first, then come back here for Bai Zhuqing.

“Then Sis should wear the better one.” Bai Zhuqing’s gaze fell on the lighter, more ornate outfit, and her eyes were nothing but calm and clear.

“At a time like this… of course efficiency comes first.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Thinking that it would be best to present herself as a “traditionalist” out there, Bai Xiang didn’t argue further. She tossed the black bodysuit onto the bed and simply started shrugging off her clothes.

Bai Zhuqing: !?

She’s not… going to the bathroom to change?

“Saving time.” Bai Xiang stripped quickly, then held a hand out to her sister. “Give it here.”

With her back to the window, the evening glow spilled over her, leaving Bai Zhuqing staring at nothing but the haloed outline of her body.

Mind blank, Bai Zhuqing numbly handed the bodysuit over and watched Bai Xiang pull it on—her curves instantly becoming even more defined.

Wait… what kind of outfit is this? How can it have that kind of effect??

Bai Xiang slipped into the bodysuit and robe in quick succession, thinking to herself that this was one hundred percent Tao Shuohua’s twisted sense of humor at work.

Her discount master had once bragged that clothes combining defense and beauty did exist, and that once they got back to Yujing, she’d fill a whole wardrobe for her.

And as the daughter of the Hantian Dao Lord, Tao Shuohua naturally had the connections to buy such “battlewear.”

Thankfully, she had at least some conscience and had thrown in a standard combat suit for Bai Xiang as well.

What she definitely hadn’t predicted was that Bai Xiang would show up at the safehouse with someone else in tow.

Once she’d finished changing, Bai Xiang tied her loose white hair back into a ponytail with a jade-green ribbon, shook out her sleeves, and belted on her sword. Dignity and grace mingled with heroic sharpness as they rolled off her in waves, leaving Bai Zhuqing openly dazed at the sight.

Especially that bodysuit… It extended all the way up her neck, sealing off every patch of skin the robe might have exposed, wrapping her so tightly that not a hint of flesh showed. That level of modesty and restraint only amplified Bai Xiang’s already stern and awe-inspiring presence. She looked absolutely perfect.

“Do you know anything else about Yao Qingyuan?” Bai Xiang picked up a boot and inspected it as she casually asked.

Basically, everything that had happened in the Chilong Circuit could be traced back to that man’s schemes. But Bai Xiang didn’t know enough about him and wanted to see if Bai Zhuqing did.

After all, Bai Zhuqing liked to read idle books in her spare time. Asking her might yield something.

“I don’t even know how old he is…” Bai Zhuqing sounded a little regretful.

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“Oh, right.” Then she suddenly remembered. “I once saw a rumor online! It got deleted pretty fast… but it might really be onto something!”

Bai Xiang paused. “What rumor?”

“Auntie, do you know how the current Imperial House inherited the throne…?”

Bai Zhuqing glanced around, then lowered her voice to almost nothing as she spoke to Bai Xiang.

Bai Xiang made a random guess. “Father to son?”

“Yes!” Bai Zhuqing nodded hard.

“The last Human Emperor was the father of the current one. That much is for sure!”

And she’s telling me this obvious nonsense why?

Bai Xiang turned to look at her.

Could she mean…

“But the generation before that wasn’t like this.”

Bai Zhuqing’s voice dropped even lower.

“Rumor has it… the last Emperor inherited the throne because… the one before him—the Emperor’s Emperor—was his elder brother…”

Oh…

Bai Xiang’s thoughts whirled for a second before the pieces clicked.

So that’s it.

No wonder Yao Qingyuan wanted to rebel.

Coming back from that line of thought, Bai Xiang lifted her foot, boot in hand, about to pull it on—then looked up to see Bai Zhuqing staring fixedly at her foot.

To be fair…

Even if it wasn’t actual stockings, the bodysuit’s effect on her feet was almost the same.

The feel would be similar too—that same smooth, silky texture.

So—

“Want to touch it?”

“Huh?”

Bai Zhuqing blanked, unsure she’d heard right.

“I asked if you want to touch my foot.”

Bai Xiang fixed her gaze on her sister and asked in a very calm, very serious tone.

“Auntie…!?”

It was like Bai Zhuqing had taken a critical hit. She stood there, stunned, unable to recover.

“If you want to, you can.”

Bai Xiang honestly had no idea what the most appropriate thing to say was right now, so she could only speak exactly what was in her heart.

“Only you can.”

“So…”

She lowered her head slightly, and her falling hair hid her expression.

“…do you still want to touch my foot?”