NOVEL WEB chapter 174
174. Are They Kindred Spirits?
From the current situation, Liu Shuqin had already deduced that Wu Yingge was Lin Nuo, all that was left was for him to respond.
However, it was unlikely she would confront him with “You’re actually my junior brother Lin Nuo,” since he intended to conceal it and would never admit it.
Moreover, since he chose to hide his identity and appear under another guise, there must be a reason. As his senior sister, she should support him, not deliberately expose his identity to show off her own intelligence.
She knew well that one should not appear too clever in front of a dominant man, lest it annoys him.
Sometimes, feigning ignorance can lead to greater gains. Besides, perhaps Lin Nuo was aware that she had guessed his identity, leaving room for maneuver. If she were to deliberately expose him, it would be fruitless and only serve to annoy him, a loss not worth the gain.
Silently supporting him was the most sensible decision. Based on his preferences and way of handling things, it was best to offer help and assist in concealing his identity.
But now there was one issue that greatly concerned her.
Who is Udon Noodles?
That young girl, who outwardly claimed to be the junior brother’s disciple, naturally, it made sense for the junior brother to take on disciples given his strength. However, Xuan Yun Sect had a rule against secretly recruiting disciples; the elders and honored teachers must be informed, and creating a new faction was even more forbidden, a grave sin of betrayal.
Given the junior’s recent accumulation of great merit, it’s clear he wouldn’t commit an act of betrayal against the sect.
Moreover, what kind of sect has only two people? With the junior’s strength, recruiting disciples would be a piece of cake.
Thus, there’s only one possibility.
The junior is deliberately playing a risky game with this sect rule. The more he appears to violate the sect’s code, the less likely he is to be exposed.
In fact, Udon is not his disciple at all. It’s very likely that she’s a female immortal or a female cultivator from another sect who has some connection with the junior. They are probably carrying out a special mission right now, needing to disguise themselves as master and disciple, or perhaps they’re worried about being targeted after completing the mission, so they’re using false identities.
For instance, eliminating the “Poison Bee.” After all, such assassins are backed by a vast force. They fear bringing trouble upon themselves, so they adopt fake identities. Once the mission is completed, they return to normal life, and all fame becomes as fleeting as clouds.
While everyone else is eager to build a reputation and gain fame, they regard it as fleeting clouds, concealing their identities and taking on heavy responsibilities. In comparison, I truly fall short.
That’s why I’m starting to worry.
Because the two of them are hiding their identities to carry out the mission, they share a heart indifferent to fame and fortune, which seems like a meeting of minds.
If that’s really the case, then…
The more Liu Shuqin thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She was confident in her own magnanimity; she felt that even if she had feelings for Lin Nuo, she wouldn’t mind him carrying out missions with other female cultivators or immortals.
But now, she seemed like a narrow-minded person. They were just carrying out a mission together, so why was she becoming increasingly intolerant of them?
Liu Shuqin, what’s wrong with you?
She was becoming more confused about herself, her growing possessiveness making her overthink every little thing.
It wasn’t like this before.
Like that last campaign, when she went to her hometown of Wutu City, that rebellion, and then to Hucheng, the meteor from beyond the heavens, and her own bitter battle against the alien army. Lin Nuo descended from the sky, swept through the enemy ranks, led her to safety, and guided her out of her confusion, making her feel reliant on a man other than her father for the first time.
Even though she was the direct disciple of Han Xianzi of Xuan Yun Sect and the senior sister, always ready to take responsibility, willing to shoulder everything herself, even the most strong-willed and stubborn people hope to have someone to rely on.
Relying on her junior brother, it would be embarrassing to spread the word, but she was willing to rely on him.
Because he was powerful and profound, it’s no exaggeration to say that compared to the revered elders of Xuan Yun Sect, she yearned for Lin Nuo more.
After all, she was still a girl, and longing for a strong partner is only natural.
Unbeknownst to her, Lin Nuo had already finished the perfect meal. Liu Shuqin had arranged everything thoughtfully, placing a napkin on the top of the plate for him to wipe the grease from his mouth.
Hot soup and fruits were all available. Lin Nuo hadn’t had such a sumptuous feast in a long time, especially since all the dishes suited his taste, giving him the feeling of a full Manchu Han Imperial Feast.
Sigh~
He took a long breath, contented. This wonderful backyard, coupled with the grand master’s chair, was perfect for lying down after a meal, so comfortable.
Lin Nuo had just finished eating and thought that Liu Shuqin wouldn’t be back for a while, so he planned to take the plates to the kitchen himself, to spare her the trouble later.
But who would have known that Liu Shuqin, as if on cue, came lightly walking down the corridor right after Lin Nuo finished his meal.
“Is Master Wu satisfied with the meal?” Liu Shuqin came with a light laugh, sitting opposite Lin Nuo.
“Quite good, Miss Liu’s cooking is excellent.”
Lin Nuo quickly wrapped his face with the cloth napkin, careful not to forget to disguise his appearance while eating.
“You flatter me, Master Wu. It’s just a simple home-cooked meal. It’s my honor to satisfy you. Master Wu, do you have any matters at hand? Could we chat for a bit?”
“Not now, but there will be later. We can chat for a bit.”
Lin Nuo didn’t refuse her request. After all, one tends to be soft-spoken after accepting others’ kindness. If it were anyone else, he would have just left, but this person was his senior sister. To eat and run would be somewhat hurtful to her feelings and pride.
He was well aware that Liu Shuqin had been feeling insecure and lost before. If he showed any disdain for her, it might just push her into seclusion.
After all, he preferred facing a confident senior sister, not one who constantly doubted her abilities, saying she wasn’t good enough or capable. Being around someone with low self-esteem could rub off on you, making you think, “Ah, I can’t beat Su Kexin, I’m just a villain fated to be killed, I won’t survive till the end.”
On the contrary, being around confident people can boost your own confidence, making changing your destiny seem like a piece of cake.
Liu Shuqin, the paragon of confidence, you better not fall.
He had kept an ace up his sleeve. If things went south, he’d make his escape.
“May I ask, Young Master Wu, how long has it been since you established the Wu Yao King Sect?”
“Not long, just three months ago.”
Lin Nuo casually used his rebirth date as the founding date of the sect. Claiming it was established too long ago wouldn’t work; if he said five years, no one had heard of it, who would believe that?
Listening, Liu Shuqin roughly guessed the meaning.
It was likely that he had been on a mission as Wu Yingge for three months, and this fictitious sect had also been maintained for that duration.
“So, Young Master Wu, I presume you founded the sect when you took in Miss Wu as your disciple?” Liu Shuqin continued to inquire.
“No, I took her as my disciple less than a month ago. Before that, it was just me in the sect.”
“Oh, I see.”
That meant they had been working together for less than a month; before that, it was just him on the missions.
“Young Master Wu, could you share why you decided to take Miss Wu as your disciple?”
“Why?”
Lin Nuo thought for a moment and replied, “Because she bears some resemblance to me, and she’s also a promising talent, so I took her as my disciple.”
“Resemblance?”
Could it be that they are both individuals indifferent to fame and fortune, united by common aspirations?
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