Everyone was momentarily stunned.
Bai Li Chang Yue suddenly stood up, exclaiming in shock, “Ge Lin!”
The girl was also stunned. She slowly turned around, gazing at Bai Li Chang Yue. After a long moment, she suddenly smiled and said softly, “My goodness, am I dreaming?”
Everyone stared at the girl before them in utter amazement. The image of the carefree, constantly chattering girl from five years ago flashed before their eyes, so different from the charming young woman now standing before them. Though her features were very similar, her expression, demeanor, and aura had completely changed.
Bai Li Chang Yue quickly stepped forward, opening her arms and embracing her tightly, her voice trembling, “Ge Lin!”
She hugged her so tightly that the familiar scent in her arms finally made Bai Ge Lin realize this wasn’t a dream. She suddenly startled, staring at Chang Yue for a long time before saying in a very low voice, “Sister?”
Ye Ye, also unable to contain his excitement, strode to her side. He seemed about to raise his hand to tap her forehead as he used to, but seeing the graceful young woman before him, no longer the naive little girl from five years ago, he withdrew his hand. He looked at her with great joy and after a while, said softly, “You little rascal…”
Bai Ge Lin narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at Ye Ye for a long time before saying even more softly, “Ye Ye?”
Bai Li Chang Yue was so moved that tears streamed down her face, wishing she could meld Ge Lin into her own body. Ge Lin was touched and gently wrapped her arms around Chang Yue’s neck, her face once again showing the gentle expression from when they parted five years ago. She said softly, “Sister, you’ve become such a beauty. Haha, and Ye Ye has become so handsome too. Seeing you all feels like a dream.”
“It’s not a dream!” Chang Yue choked, “I’ve finally seen you!”
Bai Ge Lin laughed heartily, looking up to examine each of the five people before her. When she saw Li Fei, she paused for a moment, her gaze inquisitive. Finally, as if realizing something, she smiled and said, “Li Fei?”
Li Fei was filled with shock and emotion. She said softly, “You… recognized me?”
Bai Ge Lin slowly walked over, linking arms with her, and smiled sweetly, “Silly, your eyes haven’t changed a bit. How did you become so beautiful? I’m almost jealous!”
Li Fei chuckled, “You’re the real beauty here! And these clothes are gorgeous!”
“You like them? I’ll send you each ten sets later,” Bai Ge Lin said airily as she twirled in front of everyone, smiling like a blooming flower. “How did you all come here? Weren’t we supposed to meet next year? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Many cultivators from the Central Plains have come to compete with us sea faction disciples, to see who’s better. Miss, as a proud sea faction disciple, how can you be so friendly with mountain faction people? Lowering morale before the big battle isn’t good, you know!” a male disciple from Guang Sheng Hui suddenly interjected.
Bai Ge Lin glanced at him with a sweet smile, causing the male disciple’s face to instantly redden. He lowered his head to drink, not daring to speak again. Ignoring him, she said, “It’s too noisy here. Let’s go somewhere else. I’m quite familiar with this area, I’ll take you to a nice place.”
“Who are you calling noisy?!” A female disciple from Guang Sheng Hui, seeing Bai Ge Lin’s flower-like smile and charming demeanor captivating several male disciples at the table, couldn’t contain her anger.
Bai Ge Lin seemed not to hear, lifting the door curtain and walking out first.
The female disciple angrily exclaimed, “Don’t you guys have any backbone?! Letting people from Wan Xian Hui show off on our Guang Sheng Hui’s turf?!”
The lead male disciple said in a low voice, “She’s just a young woman. How can we bully her when we outnumber her? Let’s sit down and drink.”
The female disciple instantly flared up, saying coldly, “Lustful thoughts! What nonsense!”
Bai Ge Lin turned back and smiled at the male disciple again, making his heart blossom with joy. He stood up and said, “Miss Ge Lin, I’m Shi Cheng Tian from Guang Sheng Hui!”
Before he could finish speaking, the beauty had already vanished into the distance.
After walking for a while, they indeed came upon an even larger tavern. It was already filled with many guests, and at a glance, they were all cultivator disciples, both from mountain and sea factions.
Bai Ge Lin was somewhat surprised and mused, “So many people did come. Before I came, Master only mentioned that we would be competing with Guang Sheng Hui and others. Could it be that they want the mountain and sea factions to compete together?”
“Did only you come from the East Sea Wan Xian Hui?” Li Fei asked curiously.
“Of course not,” Bai Ge Lin ordered some snacks and brought out a jar of wine. “There are some senior and junior fellow disciples too. I just came out for a stroll on my own.”
Ye Ye exclaimed in admiration, “To think that the sea faction’s immortal sects would have such mortal cities. It’s indeed very different from the Central Plains.”
“These places are just like disciple quarters and dining halls, open for anyone to come and go. Those places with dense spiritual energy that mortals can’t see are the cultivation areas. Disciples aren’t allowed to stay there after they finish cultivating,” Bai Ge Lin took out six large bowls and filled them with wine. “Come on, let’s drink! I never dreamed I’d see you all here! Let’s down this first bowl!”
Everyone drained their bowls of wine. Seeing that Bai Ge Lin no longer seemed to fall asleep after just one cup like before, Bai Li Chang Yue stroked her hair and said gently, “So you’ve become a heavy drinker now?”
Bai Ge Lin laughed, “Sister, you don’t know, but in the East Sea region, everyone, men and women alike, can drink. A woman who can hold her liquor is considered a good woman here!”
Everyone laughed at this. As they drank and shared stories from the past five years, they unknowingly went through three or four jars of wine. Li Fei saw that these people, unseen for five years, had all become heavy drinkers. She couldn’t keep up and had to set her wine aside, feeling her face burning hot.
“Drunk?” Lei Xiu Yuan’s hand suddenly touched her cheek. Li Fei nodded silently, unconsciously leaning on his shoulder, and said softly, “Xiu Yuan, drink for me. You can hold a thousand cups without getting drunk.”
Without a word, he drank her bowl of wine in one gulp, letting her lean on his shoulder. One hand continued to pour wine, while the other gently caressed her face, which was indeed burning hot from the alcohol.
“Take a nap,” he patted her.
Li Fei shook her head. She quietly watched Bai Ge Lin across from her. Chang Yue had been gazing at her with loving and joyful eyes, and she silently accepted this gaze. Ye Ye was joking with her, and perhaps because he had drunk too much, he was flicking her forehead like when they were children. She just let him do it, smiling.
Li Fei had imagined many scenarios of their reunion. She thought Ge Lin might cry loudly in excitement or laugh happily, but her current joy seemed perfectly measured, as if deliberately controlled within a certain range, not exceeding it by even a bit. She seemed much more sophisticated than the Ge Lin from five years ago who had forced a smile.
As she watched, Li Fei began to feel uncomfortable. Their sudden arrival didn’t seem to bring Ge Lin happiness but rather seemed to disturb her peace. Her emotional knot was much deeper than Li Fei had thought, not easily forgotten with just a few letters or jokes.
Just as the drinking was reaching its peak, the tavern’s curtain was suddenly lifted, and a tall man from the East Sea entered. He had dark skin and slanting eyebrows, looking very imposing and masculine.
Seeing his extraordinary bearing, people in the tavern instinctively looked at him twice. Bai Ge Lin spotted him immediately and waved with a smile, “Senior Brother Lu, you’re here too?”
Was this Ge Lin’s fellow disciple? Everyone looked over together. The man glanced at Bai Ge Lin, then coldly turned his head away as if he hadn’t heard her.
“Senior Brother Lu!” Bai Ge Lin gracefully walked up to him, taking his sleeve. Her voice, already alluring and soft, now became even more gentle, as if dripping with honey, “Would you like to sit with us?”
The man pushed her hand away without any consideration, saying coldly, “No need. Please mind your manners, Junior Sister Bai Li.”
He walked straight into the depths of the tavern. Bai Ge Lin tilted her head, watching his back with an ambiguous smile. Seeing everyone looking at her, she giggled and said, “That’s Senior Brother Lu Li. He has a bit of a strange temper. Since he doesn’t want to join us, let’s forget about it.”
As she spoke, she lifted the door curtain to go out. Chang Yue hurriedly asked, “Where are you going?”
Ge Lin made a gesture indicating she needed to use the restroom. Chang Yue sat back down reassured, but after a moment of reflection, she said, “She’s changed a lot.”
Ye Ye was a bit drunk, supporting his chin as he smiled, “How has she changed? Isn’t she still causing trouble like before? She even made that senior brother of hers unwilling to deal with her.”
Li Fei could no longer sit still. She suddenly stood up, swaying as she said, “I-I need to use the restroom too.”
Ignoring the others’ reactions, she stumbled out of the tavern. Outside, she saw a nearly full moon in the sky, as large as a silver basin. The distant mountain silhouettes were dark, while nearby, every building was hung with lanterns, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day. Bai Ge Lin was leaning against the wall, her eyes fixed on the tassels swaying in the wind beneath the lanterns.
Seeing Li Fei come out, she smiled lightly, “You came to use the restroom too?”
Li Fei was feeling the effects of the alcohol, her heart pounding wildly. She steadied herself and suddenly said, “Ge Lin, I’ve missed you so much.”
Bai Ge Lin said softly, “Ah, I’ve missed you all too, every day.”
She turned her head to look at the dark mountain silhouettes in the distance. After a long while, she said in a low voice, “If only there could be two identical people in this world.”
Was she referring to Ye Ye? Had she not forgotten anything?
“Li Fei, I’m all alone here in the East Sea, knowing no one, unfamiliar with everything. Do you think that’s pitiful?”
Li Fei shook her head, “It’s not pitiful… Ge Lin, I just hope you can be happier.”
Bai Ge Lin sighed deeply, “My sister, Ye Ye, and I are family, but in this family, I feel more alone than I do here at the East Sea Wan Xian Hui, always by myself. I always thought I should be the good little sister my sister wants, the troublesome little girl that always worries Ye Ye. But you know, that day when Ye Ye jumped down, willing to live and die with my sister, I understood why I always felt so alone. Today, seeing my sister and Ye Ye, I suddenly realized that these five years seem to have left nothing for me. I’m still alone. Why isn’t there another person in this world that I want? I keep searching, but I can never find them. I think I like those men, but I can easily discard them. Am I a bad woman? Yes, I’ve already become a bad woman.”
She suddenly looked up and smiled at Li Fei, “Li Fei, it’s good that you’re here to listen to my nonsense. I’m so glad you could come together.”