All The Female Disciples Want To Kill Me

"The weather is so nice today. I need to go out and buy a sword sheath, as the Qingping Sword is without one."

Su Bei casually straightened his clothes, ready to step out of the courtyard.

AHEM.

"Um, Master, I just can't seem to master Sword Four! Could you give me some guidance?"

Xiao Ruoching chose an inconvenient moment to approach, tugging on Su Bei's sleeve.

"Master needs a sword sheath? How about I serve as Master's sword sheath?"

A faint smile touched the corners of Mo Li's mouth as she stepped forward, looking at Su Bei meaningfully.

Su Bei laughed heartily. His disciples were still so fond of clinging to him. He waved his hand, saying, "It's fine, don't worry. I'll be back in a jiffy..."

THUD.

Hearing the sound, Su Bei turned to see the Sword Maiden had fallen and was struggling to get up.

Su Bei stepped forward to help her up. He carefully dusted off her clothes and looked at the bloodstains on her fair, smooth knees. "How could you be so careless? How could you fall over like this!?"

A gentle flow of Spiritual Energy covered the injury, and the traces of blood gradually disappeared.

He didn't see, however, the sly smile that spread across the Sword Maiden's cheeks.

Her face turned red. This was the first time she had ever lied, and to the most important person in her life, no less.

"Speaking of which, while I was injured these past few days, how has your cultivation been progressing?"

He could clearly feel the feedback of Spiritual Energy within his body increasing slowly; it seemed they had been quite lazy.

Xiao Ruoching's expression stiffened for a moment. Beside her, Mo Li said indifferently, "I have been cultivating diligently; the Golden Core is within reach."

Su Bei raised his eyebrows and looked at Xiao Ruoching again. "And you?"

Xiao Ruoching stammered, not saying anything.

The silver-haired woman beside her—Mo Li—sneered, "All she does is sleep every day. It would be an achievement if her cultivation hasn't regressed."

Xiao Ruoching's face flushed crimson, and she retorted, "And how much have you cultivated? Want to compare?"

As the two of them seemed about to start arguing again, Su Bei snorted coldly, his hand raised high.

SLAP.

The sound was crisp.

"What Mo Li said is true. Just looking at you, you don't seem like you've been cultivating."

He slapped his prodigal disciple hard, his palm feeling a plump, elastic touch.

"Oof—" Xiao Ruoching cried out, her hands flying behind her to protect herself. Her face instantly flushed as red as a sunset cloud, reminding Su Bei of the phoenix crown and crimson wedding flowers from his dream.

"I really have been cultivating..."

Her shy, alluring appearance made Su Bei once again entertain that impractical thought.

"Now, all three of you, go and cultivate for me immediately!"

"I'm just going out to buy some things and will be back in a while..."

Seeing Su Bei's determination to go out today, Xiao Ruoching bit her lip. "I want to accompany you too, Master."

Su Bei scoffed. Ignoring her pleading, pitiful eyes, his tone was unyielding and left no room for argument. "Even if the Jade Emperor himself came today, it would be futile! Sit here and cultivate!"

Xiao Ruoching's heart was in turmoil. What would happen if Su Bei went out and learned that the Sword Sect was to fight Wuhua Palace tomorrow?

At that moment, Mo Li, who was beside him, spoke up, "Master, I wish to go."

Su Bei was taken aback, looking at her.

This wasn't something she would usually say. Thinking it over, he realized he had indeed never gone out alone with this disciple.

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Alright."

"Ruoching, Sword Maiden, you two cultivate diligently here, understand?"

"I'll check your homework when I return!"

Su Bei left the courtyard with Mo Li.

Besides buying a suitable sword sheath for himself, he also needed to get a hundred boxes of preserved fruits!

Key Smoke had helped him greatly in the dream. As the saying goes, "A bond forged, even if brief, creates lasting gratitude." Although their time together was only in a dream, everything they experienced still lingered in his mind.

This led Su Bei to wonder, what's the difference between reality and illusion?!

Everything they experienced together had become memories. So why get hung up on whether those memories belonged to reality or illusion?

The streets were bustling with people. Su Bei was still thinking about the 500,000 Spiritual Stones he'd wagered at the gambling house. Would the owner of the Multi-Bao Pavilion turn hostile after he, Su Bei, had essentially swindled so much money from him?

"Li Er, which sects are fighting today?"

Mo Li replied, "Today, it's the Star Moon Sect versus the Buddha Gate."

A peculiar look crossed Su Bei's face. The Sword Sect had a bye. Did that mean tomorrow Wuhua Palace would fight the Dao Sect?

Mo Li walked alongside Su Bei, a complex look in her eyes.

Towards Su Bei, she had never abandoned the thought of imprisoning him and then...

But as time passed, the panic in her heart grew, and her reaction was particularly strong when Su Bei was injured this time.

The various complex feelings she had for him seemed to be slowly erased by his gentleness.

At least from the moment he accepted Sword Maiden as his disciple, her heart was completely lost in confusion.

Su Bei's behavior had no pretense; everything came from the heart. How could his former self in the previous life possibly accept Sword Maiden as a disciple?

In her mind, Su Bei's image underwent three significant changes.

The first transformation occurred on the night of the fireworks at Sword Sect, the night she became his disciple, and he smiled at her.

The second change happened on the high platform of the Sacred Sanctuary when he accepted Sword Maiden as his disciple in front of everybody.

The third change was his punishment of her, saying goodnight every evening.

Unconsciously, she realized that the deep-seated hatred that she thought was irreparable was being consumed bit by bit. The love and hatred etched into her marrow was tilting on that balanced scale towards the side she least wanted to see.

"What are you thinking about?"

Su Bei's voice suddenly sounded beside her ear. Mo Li stopped in her tracks, bumping into him.

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Su Bei, then she quickly lowered her gaze, composing herself. "I was pondering over a cultivation technique."

"I see…" Su Bei murmured to himself.

This stubborn disciple of his had much deeper thoughts than Xiao Ruoching.

In her startled gaze, Su Bei took her hand and headed to a shop he had once visited with Dan Wulan.

The counter was in its familiar spot, unchanged.

"Please wrap up this pair of gold-plated Phoenix hairpins for me…"

After receiving the hairpins and paying the Spiritual Stones, Su Bei examined them carefully.

—These were brand-new hairpins.

"I once found a hairpin, exactly like this one."

Under the light, the phoenix plumes on them shimmered.

As she watched with a complex gaze, Su Bei carefully inserted both pins into her silver hair.

He still didn't know what had happened that night, or perhaps he didn't want to know.

But Su Bei was sure that the hairpin left on the bedstead indeed belonged to her.

"Don't lose them next time…"

If it really was her that night, how should he face her?

—He hadn't figured it out yet.

However, Su Bei knew that if he really figured out how to face her, then the barrier in his heart when facing Xiao Ruoching's deep affection for him would probably be crossed as well.

Mo Li didn't speak. He didn't press the issue, and neither did she want to.

"Thank you, Master…"

Su Bei smiled, but cursed inwardly: Damn these chaotic emotions…

Su Bei didn't buy a new sword sheath but, after much hesitation, he bought a Sword Box instead.

A Sword Box had so much more style! It could hold many swords at once. He could place it on the ground, stand with his hands clasped behind his back, and let the swords fly out from the box to fill the sky...

The thought of such a grand display excited him.

His Storage Ring was now filled with preserved fruits.

The rest of the way passed without incident, and Mo Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was already afternoon, and the battle between the Star Moon Sect and the Buddha Gate was nearing its end. As they passed the Multi-Bao Pavilion's gambling house, the surrounding chatter grew louder:

"Tomorrow's battle is really going to be something to see…"

"Yeah, Wuhua Palace's old rivals."

As if drawn by the excitement, Su Bei peeked inside, feeling puzzled.

Is there bad blood between the Dao Sect and Wuhua Palace? Why are they considered old rivals?

"Though Wuhua Palace is sure to win."

"Not necessarily, perhaps…"

Mo Li suddenly coughed loudly. Looking at Su Bei, she pointed towards a nearby stall and, blinking her eyes, said, "Master, that stall over there looks interesting."

The wind was strong, and her cough seemed to have drowned out what sounded like "...elder...", so Su Bei didn't hear it clearly.

"Something interesting?"

But his mind was still puzzled; Wuhua Palace sure to win?

Can Lin Duo even defeat Tong Xiu?!