Simultaneous travel: I am a talented person in all the worlds

Chapter 217 Han Lin'er of the White Lotus Sect
After finishing her morning exercise, Zhou Zhiruo dragged her heavy heart and walked unsteadily back to her bedroom.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she sensed something was amiss.

A strange aura permeated the air, faint yet clearly discernible.

"Who? Come out!"

Zhou Zhiruo's pretty face darkened. Her already depressed mood was now aroused by her anger. With a flash of cold light, her three-foot-long sword was drawn, its tip pointing at the shadow in a corner of the room.

From the shadows, a tall, slender figure slowly emerged, clad in a white lotus robe, her long, snow-white hair cascading down like a waterfall. The robe clung to her, outlining her graceful curves, resembling a blooming white lotus, exuding a sense of holiness and mystery.

Zhou Zhiruo's pupils trembled slightly, the tip of her sword quivered, and she blurted out, "Uncle Han, you are not..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly stopped. The figure was much younger than Han Shantong in her childhood memories, with less of the vicissitudes of life and more of a delicate appearance.

More importantly, the iconic pink and white lotus mark does not extend from the right chest to the right cheek, but rather meanders up from the left chest and adorns the left cheek, like a petal growing in reverse.

"No, that's not right..."

"Zhiruo, it's been a long time."

The handsome "young man" spoke, his voice deep yet carrying a hint of feminine softness.

Although the voice was unfamiliar, the image of a person appeared in Zhou Zhiruo's mind.

"You are... Han Lin'er? Sister Lin'er?"

The person who had long since passed away in her memory now stood vividly before her, their white lotus robes swaying gently in the morning light, like a dream.

Zhou Zhiruo's sword fell to the ground with a crisp, light sound. She stared blankly at Han Lin'er, unsure of what to say, her throat choked with emotion, barely able to utter a sound.

"No, it's not Sister Lin'er, it's Brother Lin'er!"

The gentleness in Han Lin'er's voice suddenly disappeared, replaced by a deep and steady tone, just like the dignified Uncle Han Shantong in Zhou Zhiruo's memory.

"you?"

Zhou Zhiruo's pupils trembled slightly, her mind a complete blank, unsure of where to begin her question.

Han Lin'er chuckled, raised her hand and waved at Qingfeng on the ground. The long sword flew into the air and landed steadily in her palm.

The sword spun lightly between her fingers without any resistance. Only a first-rate master could release their energy, but to do it with such ease was far beyond what an ordinary first-rate master could achieve.

She stepped forward slowly, sheathed the longsword in Zhou Zhiruo's scabbard, and gently stroked Zhou Zhiruo's face with her slender hand. Her fingertips were warm, which made Zhou Zhiruo's heart skip a beat.

"Zhiruo, you must have heard that my father is dead." Han Lin'er's voice was low and tinged with bitterness. "Father had a chance to be resurrected, but it was me, this useless person, who woke up. The thing he couldn't let go of most in his life was his unfinished mission. I want to help him achieve it, Zhiruo, come and help me!"

She looked directly into Zhou Zhiruo's eyes, her gaze intense and earnest.

Years later, she was still half a head taller than Zhou Zhiruo, her figure upright under her robes, like a white lotus standing against the wind, resilient and proud.

Zhou Zhiruo looked up to meet her gaze, her heart filled with complex and indescribable emotions.

Zhou Zhiruo looked up and met Han Lin'er's eyes, who was half a head taller than her, her heart filled with complicated emotions.

She and Han Lin'er have been close friends since childhood. They share similar backgrounds, family feuds, and national hatreds, and their visions for the future are also the same.

But the problem is.
"How can I help you?"

Zhou Zhiruo's voice carried a hint of bitterness. Being watched by everyone in the main hall and forced to have her virginity tested, the sense of powerlessness felt like a knife cutting into her heart.

"In terms of martial arts, I am merely a martial artist who has acquired skills; in terms of status, I am just an ordinary disciple of Emei. I have neither strength nor background, and helping you... would probably only be a burden to you."

Han Lin'er frowned; Zhou Zhiruo's dejected look made her heart clench.

She keenly sensed that something must have happened to Zhiruo, but she didn't press the matter directly, as that would be tantamount to reopening old wounds. Han Lin'er sighed softly, her tone softening slightly:
"To save me, my parents used their own primordial spirit to repair mine. My father used a secret method to seal the life force in my body every day and infused it with cold energy. Now the power in my body is no weaker than my father's, but I am limited by my shallow technique and cannot fully exert it."

She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a hint of domineering arrogance: "Even so, I can easily crush any martial artist below the Grandmaster level! Sister Zhiruo, if you have any grievances, just speak up, and I'll stand up for you!"

"I"

Zhou Zhiruo opened her mouth, almost blurting out her confession.

But then she thought that with Sister Lin'er's fiery temper and her current strength, if she really knew about this, she would probably rush to the Golden Summit to settle accounts with Abbess Miejue.

Both of them held immense importance in her heart, and she didn't want to see either of them hurt.

In this matter, Abbess Miejue's approach may seem ruthless, but it was actually the best way to handle it.

The only flaw, perhaps, is that she did not punish Ding Minjun, the one who spread the rumors.

However, Ding Minjun's words were not entirely false. Zhou Zhiruo did indeed go to Mo Yu's room after returning to the mountain yesterday and stayed overnight. She did not even insist that the two had an affair, but only asked Zhou Zhiruo to prove her innocence.

Zhou Zhiruo felt emotionally resentful that her master hadn't protected her, but rationally she couldn't bring herself to hate her.

The only person she hated was Ding Minjun, who insisted on exposing her in public!
If it truly concerns the reputation of her sect, she could simply report it to her master in private, and what harm would there be in privately verifying her virginity?

However, Zhou Zhiruo did not intend to let Han Lin'er avenge her; she would have to do it herself.

If Han Lin'er, an outsider, were to attack Ding Minjun, Abbess Miejue would not stand idly by, no matter what.

In the end, she could only sigh softly:
"It's nothing, I've just been in a bad mood these past few days, I'm not upset."

Han Lin'er frowned, her gaze shifting across Zhou Zhiruo's face. Zhou Zhiruo's restraint made her increasingly uncomfortable. Just as she was about to offer further advice, Zhou Zhiruo changed the subject:
"Let's not talk about me, let's talk about Lin'er... Brother."

Zhou Zhiruo composed herself and forced a faint smile:
"With such strength and Uncle Han's prestige in the sect, Brother Lin'er should have no problem gathering the White Lotus Sect members. Why do you look so worried?"

Han Lin'er was taken aback upon hearing this.

She was frozen in ice from a young age, and her mind is as innocent as a young girl's, making her easily distracted.

At this moment, she scratched her head, looking slightly troubled:

“I actually only recently woke up. My parents spent a year repairing my primordial spirit. By the time I found the White Lotus Sect, Liu Futong had already succeeded as the sect leader. He didn't deny my identity, and even made the followers call me sect leader, and shared some power with me, but…”

“Zhiruo, as you know, I’m not good at these kinds of scheming and intrigue, and my followers are very disappointed.”

She paused, her delicate shoulders beneath her robes trembling slightly. "And then there's the strongest personal guard left by my father—the Lotus Petal Maiden. Due to the 'same-sex repulsion' of the Divine Travel Technique, I can't use her. This has caused my prestige within the sect to plummet... alas..."

Han Lin'er trusted Zhou Zhiruo completely, revealing all sorts of secrets that couldn't be known by outsiders.

Zhou Zhiruo listened quietly, and her mind gradually became clear.

Lin'er's predicament can be summarized in three points:

First, she was cold and naive from childhood, and was completely clueless about politics, so she desperately needed a capable person to assist her.

Second, despite possessing skills comparable to a grandmaster, they lack practical combat experience and are unable to unleash their true fighting power.

Third, in order to gain acceptance from her followers, she lied and claimed to be a man. However, due to the "same-sex repulsion" of the "Great Law of Spiritual Travel Beyond the Material World," she was unable to control the lotus petal ladies, which severely damaged her prestige.

Zhou Zhiruo lowered her eyes in thought, a languid yet unfathomable figure appearing in her mind.

If that person were willing to lend a hand, perhaps... all three problems could be easily solved.

"Brother Lin'er, do you believe me?"

(End of this chapter)