Wuxia Across the Heavens: I Collect Side Effects

Su Xin didn't exchange many pleasantries. He walked straight forward, took out the Heaven-Slaying Sword from his bundle, and handed it to Ji Xiaofu, saying calmly, "I'm returning it to you as is. Check it and see if there's any damage."

However, Ji Xiaofu did not take the Heaven-Slaying Sword. Her gaze was fixed on Su Xin, and her eyes no longer held the stubbornness and aloofness of the past. Instead, they held a hint of tenderness that was hard to detect.

Such a gentle gaze was truly rare for her. She spoke softly, her tone filled with a hint of joy and anticipation: "You've come."

Su Xin nodded slightly, his tone calm yet warm: "Yes, I'm here."

"I..." Ji Xiaofu opened her mouth, but the words she had been preparing in her heart for a long time were swallowed back when they reached her lips. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked a little flustered, not knowing how to speak for a moment.

She wanted to say thank you, to express gratitude for your companionship during this time, and to convey the indescribable feelings in her heart, but when the words reached her lips, she was too shy to speak.

Su Xin noticed her awkwardness and had already guessed what was going on. He quickly spoke up, deliberately interrupting her thoughts, his tone slightly teasing: "You shouldn't have come."

Ji Xiaofu froze, the gentleness and awkwardness on her face instantly turning to ice. Her almond-shaped eyes stared at Su Xin, full of confusion and grievance: "..."

She was completely puzzled; what did those words mean?

What do you mean by "shouldn't have come"?

Does he intend to continue borrowing the Heaven Sword and not return it?

Or is it that he simply doesn't want to see me?

All the emotions I had been building up were instantly shattered by that one sentence, and a strange bitterness welled up in my heart.

Seeing her like this, Su Xin couldn't help but laugh. The teasing in his tone disappeared, replaced by a more candid one. He gently placed the Heaven-Slaying Sword into Ji Xiaofu's hand, waved his hand, and turned to leave: "Just kidding. I'm returning the sword to you. I should be going now. If fate allows, we'll meet again in the martial world."

Ji Xiaofu gripped the cold Yitian Sword, her gaze fixed on Su Xin's departing figure, her mind flashing through scenes of their time together.

The misunderstanding and clash at their first meeting, the sense of security she felt when she subconsciously thought of him in danger, her heroic spirit when sparring with her master, his unwavering support as she fled with him while being chased by the Ming Cult, the ambiguous feelings of climbing mountains together in the snow and spending a night together in a cave, his gentle care when she was sick, and the sense of security brought by his steady and warm back when he carried her down the mountain...

Unbeknownst to her, she and he had gone through so much together. Those seemingly dangerous and embarrassing times now seemed warm when she looked back on them.

Her heart gradually warmed with these memories.

But this warmth was soon replaced by a hint of bitterness.

Yin Liting involuntarily came to mind.

The gentle and refined Wudang disciple to whom she was engaged, the one she had only met a few times, yet was destined to spend her life with.

Without much hesitation, she knew clearly that her heart was no longer with Yin Liting, but had quietly fallen for the figure that was now gradually disappearing into the distance.

However, as a disciple of Emei, she was bound by a marriage contract and had no choice in the matter. This feeling was destined to be buried deep in her heart and could not be expressed.

Ji Xiaofu also knew that Su Xin had always acted freely, and after this parting, with the world so vast, they probably wouldn't have many more chances to meet.

Thinking of this, the bitterness in her heart intensified, and her eyes reddened slightly. She gazed at Su Xin's retreating figure, her voice soft as a murmur, filled with endless regret and melancholy: "I was already married when you were born. It seems that I can only repay you in the next life."

On the other side, Su Xin unconsciously quickened his pace, and the smile on his lips faded slightly.

He was well aware of Ji Xiaofu's strange gaze, but he knew in his heart that Ji Xiaofu was a married woman, engaged to Yin Liting, and there should be no entanglement between them.

He thought to himself: What does Ji Xiaofu mean by that look in her eyes?

He's definitely not the kind of treacherous Cao Cao who steals other people's love; we absolutely mustn't get caught up in that.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Anyway, after this parting, the chances of meeting again are slim. Let's just wish each other well.

His thoughts drifted away, and he couldn't help but think of Yin Li in the Kunlun Secret Realm, and his aunt Su Ying. He had been away for so long, and he wondered how they were doing now, whether they had encountered any danger. A sense of concern arose in his heart, and his steps became more hurried.

He desperately wanted to return to the Kunlun Secret Realm and settle down to cultivate the Five Poisons Primordial Chaos.

Su Xin's figure gradually disappeared at the entrance of the inn. Ji Xiaofu held the Yitian Sword and stood there for a long time until she could no longer see him. Only then did she slowly withdraw her gaze, and the melancholy in her eyes was gradually replaced by determination.

She took a deep breath, suppressed all her romantic feelings, turned and left the inn, embarking on her journey back to the Emei Sect.

After a long and arduous journey, Ji Xiaofu finally arrived at the gates of the Emei Sect.

Unlike the chaos when she left, the Emei Sect, though shrouded in grief over the loss of its leader, remained orderly.

It turns out that before her death, Abbess Miejue had already formally announced Ji Xiaofu as the next leader of the Emei Sect in front of all the disciples of the Emei Sect, and solemnly entrusted the position of leader to her.

Although Ji Xiaofu was prepared for this, she was still somewhat moved.

She was different from Zhou Zhiruo later on. When Zhou Zhiruo succeeded as the sect leader, she had no foundation and relied entirely on the dying wish of Abbess Miejue to barely hold on. As the senior sister of the Emei Sect, she had diligently cultivated for many years, had upright character, and enjoyed high prestige among the disciples. In addition, with Abbess Miejue's public entrustment, she was rightfully and without question as the sect leader.

As for her marriage to Yin Liting, Abbess Miejue had already sent someone to negotiate with the Wudang Sect before her death to resolve the matter properly.

Knowing what Ji Xiaofu was thinking, and unwilling to let her disciple be bound by a loveless marriage, Miejue simply put an end to this matter, allowing her to take charge of Emei without any hindrance.

As soon as Ji Xiaofu stepped into the main hall, a voice tinged with resentment and a hint of probing called out, "Sect Leader!"

Ji Xiaofu looked up and saw Ding Minjun standing at the front of the crowd, her expression complex. Although her tone was respectful, a hint of resentment lingered in her eyes. She nodded slightly, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Hmm."

Ding Minjun gritted her teeth, finally unable to suppress her doubts and dissatisfaction, and said bluntly, "Sect Leader, I heard that you lent the Heaven-Reliant Sword to an outsider. The Heaven-Reliant Sword is the most precious treasure of our Emei Sect. How could it be lent to others so easily? Please give the disciples an explanation for this matter!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples in the hall began to whisper among themselves, their eyes filled with doubt.

Seeing this, Ding Minjun was secretly pleased, thinking that she could use this to control Ji Xiaofu and shake her position as sect leader.

Ji Xiaofu's expression remained unchanged; she merely glanced at Ding Minjun with a cold and sharp look.