Chapter 42: Fellow Daoist Lu, Let’s Get to Know Each Other Again

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation     Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“It’s been nine thousand years; he must have experienced so much…’

Cheng Lingzhu held her blanket, a bit worried in her heart. “Could he have forgotten about me?”

After all, so much time had passed.

Their separation after an argument seemed like a breakup.

After absorbing the spiritual energy of a Red Dust Immortal, Cheng Lingzhu’s memories from her past life awakened.

In those fragmented memories, during the process of “becoming” Cheng Hongtan, she felt the soul aura of Lu Xuan.

That meant he had entered her soul world and now knew her true identity.

Cheng Lingzhu looked at the closed door of her room, feeling inexplicably anxious about meeting him soon.

In the guest room, there was a dressing table. Cheng Lingzhu sat in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection.

Cultivation was the best beauty treatment; even without makeup, the girl was incomparably beautiful.

“Being beautiful is of no use, though.”

Cheng Lingzhu thought to herself that she was also beautiful in her previous life, but still ended up in the hands of a treacherous disciple. Now, reborn, she was uncertain how to face him.

Sigh…

Cheng Lingzhu looked at her reflection in the mirror, sighed softly, and her expression was filled with distress.

Her youthful beauty was radiant.

Although her looks were not inferior to her previous life, her temperament was completely different.

After a long while, as if having made up her mind, she walked towards the door.

Outside the Guest Room.

Lu Xuan hesitated for a long time but finally approached the door.

Cheng Lingzhu… or rather, Cheng Hongtan, must have already awoken by now.

Regardless of her thoughts, he should at least seek clarity.

Lu Xuan was not one to shy away from challenges; he was determined to take this step forward.

Just like when he confessed to Cheng Hongtan, it was he who had taken the initiative.

Otherwise, with the reserved nature of his master, piercing through that barrier would have taken an eternity.

Lu Xuan extended his hand, about to push open the door.

With a “creak,” the door opened.

Cheng Lingzhu had opened it herself.

Lu Xuan’s outstretched hand froze for a moment, before quickly withdrawing back into his sleeve.

He was preparing to probe with a few words, but Cheng Lingzhu stepped out directly.

She greeted Lu Xuan with a bow, her expression calm:

“Greetings, Daoist Lu.”

Lu Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Cheng Lingzhu would call him “Senior Brother Lu.”

Cheng Hongtan would call him “Xuan’er” or “Husband,” and in certain situations, use other special titles.

But now, referring to him as “Daoist Lu”…

This title was too polite, too distant.

Lu Xuan felt as if something had pierced through his heart.

It was agonizing.

Unexpectedly to Lu Xuan, Cheng Lingzhu bowed again before earnestly saying:

“Senior Brother Lu, I am Cheng Lingzhu of the Dushi Sword House. May we get acquainted again?”

Lu Xuan was stunned.

Before him, the girl’s lips curled into a bright smile, her eyes reflecting his image.

Before opening the door, Cheng Lingzhu had also pondered for a long time.

How she should face Lu Xuan.

She recalled their past experiences together.

When she was with Lu Xuan in the past, she was the more dominant one.

Looking back now, “the bearing of a Mahayana stage cultivator” had brought many obstacles to her romantic life—

Especially after the end of her Mortal Transformation Phase.

Wanting to act coquettishly, but realizing it was inappropriate for a senior like her to throw herself into her disciple’s arms, she abruptly stopped herself.

Wanting to say “I love you,” but feeling it frivolous for a millennia-old Mahayana cultivator to talk of love, she held back her words.

Wanting to sleep together with her disciple, but burdened by the demeanor of a master, she was too embarrassed to speak.

Fortunately, Lu Xuan could understand her.

He would wrap her in his embrace, voice his affections freely, and draw her into his chamber, playfully suggesting that his cultivation had hit a snag and sought her guidance.

A tinge of guilt shadowed Cheng Hongtan’s thoughts. Love, a journey meant for two, had found her lagging behind, burdened by her own reticence.

Cheng Hongtan’s efforts were ceaseless, a struggle between millennia-old habits and a love that had blossomed only recently. Change is a relentless tide, not a sudden shift.

Yet, to Cheng Hongtan, her newfound love held immeasurable weight.

For her and Lu Xuan, the chasm of age was but a superficial divide. It was the depths of their lived experiences, the variances in their souls’ journeys, that truly set them apart.

She fondly reminisced about her Mortal Transformation Phase. It wasn’t just her cultivation that underwent a metamorphosis; her entire perspective on life shifted, revealing new horizons.

Now, upon awakening,

When Cheng Lingzhu sifted through the remnants of her “past life,”

A realization dawned upon her – her heart no longer beat to the same rhythm as before.

Freed from the weight of worldly attachments that had settled upon her soul through the centuries, she felt a newfound agility in her thoughts, a vivacity untouched by time’s weary hand.

Before the mirror, she made a vow.

In this second chance at life, she would shed the mantle of Cheng Hongtan and embrace the essence of Cheng Lingzhu.

The mantle of a “venerated senior” was a weary load to bear.

Cheng Lingzhu’s path was clear now.

She yearned to leap into Lu Xuan’s arms without a care, to declare her love without restraint, to lead him to her room with a promise of a night where only love would be their pursuit, not the arduous path of cultivation.

Nine thousand years ago, she lamented meeting Lu Xuan too late in life.

This time, she desired a fresh chapter of romance with him.

Observing Cheng Lingzhu before him, her features sculpted with delicate grace, Lu Xuan was momentarily lost in a whirlpool of memories. He remembered the day, years ago, when their paths first crossed. Taking a measured step back, he introduced himself anew:

“I am Lu Xuan, honored to meet you, Daoist Cheng.”

“Our reunion today must be a thread spun from our past lives’ tapestry,” Cheng Lingzhu replied with a solemn grace.

“To encounter Daoist Cheng today is a serendipity spanning lifetimes, ” Lu Xuan responded, his voice laced with earnestness.

A gentle smile played on Cheng Lingzhu’s lips as she extended her hand towards him.

Without hesitation, Lu Xuan clasped her delicate, porcelain-like hand, their fingers interlocking in a silent promise.

Just as Cheng Lingzhu had expressed, a rekindling of acquaintance was her wish.

Lu Xuan now understood the depth of her intentions.

“Then let’s embark anew,” he thought.

“On our first meeting, wouldn’t you grace me with a gift?”

Cheng Lingzhu teased, her eyes twinkling, as she tilted her face up, inching closer to Lu Xuan.

She rose on her toes, their faces a breath apart.

But Lu Xuan, out of the romantic dance for nearly nine thousand years and having forgotten the art of courtship, was slow on the uptake.

Pondering, he offered:

“Would the immortal’s robe from the Secret Mystical Realm suffice?”

…It’s someone else’s attire, I’d rather not wear it,” Cheng Lingzhu playfully pouted.

All she wished for was a simple kiss from Lu Xuan.

“Then, I shall unravel the fabric and craft a sword tassel for you. Let’s adorn it on the Phoenix Blood Sword, and I’ll ponder over another gift,”

Lu Xuan suggested.

…That will do,”

Cheng Lingzhu agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

She harbored no blame towards Lu Xuan; it was her prolonged absence that had rendered him so reserved.

So be it. This time, she would be the one to kindle the flame of their love..