When Su Luowei's hair was about seventy to eighty percent dry, she suddenly said, "That's enough."
Meng Shuying immediately stopped what she was doing, put the towel aside, and moved to stand beside her, lowering her head to meet Su Luowei's gaze.
"You still haven't said why you came over so late. What's the matter?"
"I..." Meng Shuying hesitated, suddenly unsure of how to begin.
Su Luowei didn't rush her, simply watching her in silence.
"Senior Sister, I... I want to cultivate." Once she started, the rest came more easily. Seeing that Su Luowei's expression hadn't changed, Meng Shuying gathered her courage and continued, "I heard that the Wenxiantai is about to open."
Su Luowei's eyes seemed thoughtful. "So... you want to cultivate?"
For some reason, Su Luowei sighed and asked softly, "Is staying here with me not good enough?"
Afraid that Su Luowei might misunderstand her intentions, Meng Shuying quickly explained, "No, staying on Inkstone Peak is wonderful. It's just... as a mortal, my lifespan is no more than a hundred years, and I... I want..."
I want to stay with Senior Sister forever.
But Meng Shuying couldn't bring herself to say those last few words aloud because Su Luowei spoke again, "Do you understand that the path of cultivation is long and fraught with countless hardships?"
"I understand," Meng Shuying replied firmly.
She knew that cultivating was not easy—it meant struggling against the heavens and competing with others.
Whatever she was thinking, she lowered her eyes and added in a small voice, "I'm not afraid."
How could she be afraid if it meant being with Senior Sister?
Su Luowei sighed again.
Meng Shuying didn't understand why she sighed, only that every time she heard it, her heart tightened.
Senior Sister doesn't want her to cultivate?
She clenched her fists, feeling a bit lost.
If Senior Sister doesn't like the idea of her cultivating, then she could... not cultivate.
As a whirlwind of thoughts swirled through Meng Shuying's mind, Su Luowei stood up.
She gently lifted Meng Shuying's chin with her fingertips, making her look directly at her.
Her fingertips were cool and carried the scent of lilies.
Her lips were rosy, with an enticing shine.
Realizing she was staring at her Senior Sister's lips, Meng Shuying's face flushed with embarrassment.
"If you want to cultivate, then go ahead..."
Su Luowei's soft lips moved as she spoke, but Meng Shuying couldn't focus on her words.
"But you must promise me, no matter what happens, you must always stay true to yourself."
…
As soon as Meng Shuying left, Xiao Ba immediately jumped out, speaking seriously, "What you just did was very risky. If you're not careful, the system might flag it as a violation. Violating the rules can lead to punishment!"
Having spent so much time with Xiao Ba, Su Luowei was used to its overreactions. She reassured it, "Don't worry. I've gotten a good grasp on the boundaries. I know what I can and can't say."
But Xiao Ba wasn't placated and persisted in scolding her, "Don't try to find loopholes in the system. Altering the plot too much could have serious consequences. Meng Shuying is destined to become a villain."
Su Luowei's brows furrowed slightly, but she said nothing more.
She had been in this book for three years, and during that time, she had been carefully testing the system's limits, trying to subtly alter the storyline without triggering any punishments.
For instance, in the original timeline, Meng Shuying was supposed to be mistreated and looked down upon while staying on Qingxu Peak. But instead, Su Luowei, under the guise of humiliation, brought her to Inkstone Peak, where she taught her to read and write.
The books Meng Shuying read were carefully chosen by Su Luowei, most of which emphasized virtues like righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.
Su Luowei hoped that even if she couldn't directly guide Meng Shuying, she could still influence her subtly, steering her away from the dark path laid out for her.
But was everything she had done in vain?
…
Meng Shuying left Senior Sister's room, feeling dazed.
Instead of returning to her room, she went to the courtyard and sat on a stone bench under the peach tree.
The night wind was cool, and the mountain breeze caressed her skin, but it couldn't cool the burning sensation on her cheeks.
What was she thinking just now?!
Meng Shuying covered her face with her hands, trying to calm the heat in her cheeks.
She must have been out of her mind, daring to harbor such thoughts about Senior Sister.
Had all the books she'd read gone to waste?
Besides… Senior Sister and she were both women.
They couldn't possibly…
Her mind was a chaotic mess of thoughts, and her face alternated between red and white.
She sat under the tree for half an hour before the heat in her face finally subsided.
After bathing and changing into clean clothes, Meng Shuying lay down on her bed, but she couldn't stop thinking about what Senior Sister had said.
Senior Sister had told her to always stay true to herself, no matter what.
But what was her true motivation for wanting to cultivate?
Was it…
Meng Shuying tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Finally, she got up and sat by the window, opening it to look towards Su Luowei's room.
There were no lights on in Su Luowei's room; she had probably gone to bed.
The young girl sat by the window, lost in thought. Outside, a gentle breeze scattered fallen peach blossoms across the ground.
Her heart was like the ripples on a pond disturbed by the wind, spreading endlessly and never settling.
Wenxiantai was set to open on the seventh day of the tenth month.
Early in the morning, Meng Shuying bathed, lit incense, and changed into a white martial outfit, tying her hair up high.
Her limbs were long and slender, giving her a spirited and heroic appearance.
Xie Hanzhu arrived early. Seeing Meng Shuying dressed like this, she clicked her tongue in approval and said, "You're the one Senior Sister recommended. This concerns both our reputations, so no matter what, you must make it to the sixty-sixth step, even if you have to crawl."
Meng Shuying nodded, then turned to look at Su Luowei.
Today, Su Luowei was dressed more formally, wearing an inner robe embroidered with blooming flowers and an outer robe with intricate cloud patterns. A gold and white jade hairpin was pinned at an angle in her hair.
Not that she wasn't always beautiful, but she usually dressed simply, with little adornment. Seeing her like this was like a breath of fresh air.
Su Luowei was also looking at her. When Meng Shuying's gaze met hers, Su Luowei smiled gently, reached out to straighten Meng Shuying's collar, and then took off a white jade pendant from her waist, fastening it to Meng Shuying's belt. "Just do your best. No matter what happens, I'll be here for you."
When Meng Shuying arrived at Wenxiantai, the open space in front of the platform was already crowded, with more people arriving from the mountain path.
The people gathering here were all participants who would be ascending Wenxiantai with her.
Meng Shuying quickly scanned the crowd and estimated there were over a hundred people.
The crowd was made up of both men and women, all young, and dressed similarly.
Some of them, probably from wealthy families, were adorned with strings of gold and jade, their movements accompanied by the tinkling of jewelry.
At the appointed time, a disciple of the Qingxu Sect appeared and led them onto Wenxiantai, distributing a jade token to each of them.
"When you ascend Wenxiantai, if you feel you can't continue, just crush the jade token in your hand."
Once the token was crushed, the formation within Wenxiantai would teleport the person out.
"The rules are simple: anyone who reaches the sixty-sixth step will be admitted to the Qingxu Sect as an outer disciple. However, there is one condition—fighting is strictly prohibited on Wenxiantai. Regardless of the reason, anyone who raises a hand will be expelled from the platform."
After explaining the rules, the disciple moved to the side of Wenxiantai and pulled out two high-grade spirit stones from his sleeve, placing them on the formation that controlled the platform.
Meng Shuying felt the ground beneath her tremble, and after the shaking subsided, a staircase appeared out of thin air.
The staircase was pristine white, wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It connected one step to the next, as if carved from a massive, flawless jade.
One end of the staircase was anchored to Wenxiantai, while the other disappeared into the clouds.