The Black Lotus Stole The White Moonlight [Rebirth] - Chapter 2

Sitting on the roof beam, Bai An’an watched the entire exchange between the master and her two disciples from beginning to end.

Only after Song Qiyu and Zhai Anyi had left, leaving Mu Tianyin alone in the sleeping quarters, did Bai An’an leap down from the beam.

Strictly speaking, Mu Tianyin was currently at the late stage of the Out-of-Body realm. She was only one step away from reaching the Spirit Division realm.

Bai An’an, even at her strongest, was merely at the Nascent Soul realm.

Therefore, even though she was currently in spiritual form, she ought to have been more cautious instead of acting so arrogantly and running rampant simply because no one could see her.

After all, Mu Tianyin was a full realm above her. If Mu Tianyin sensed that something was amiss, forget taking revenge—whether Bai An’an could even keep her little life would be another matter entirely.

The only reason Bai An’an dared to behave so boldly was because of her bonded artifact, the Soul-Devouring Bell.

As its name suggested, the Soul-Devouring Bell devoured souls and spirits.

Aside from being a deadly weapon capable of consuming other people’s souls, it could also conceal the aura of its owner’s soul.

Of course, if Mu Tianyin currently possessed the cultivation of the Spirit Division realm, even this divine artifact would have no effect on her.

Bai An’an raised her chin and crossed her arms over her chest, circling Mu Tianyin once.

As she examined the woman, she clicked her tongue repeatedly.

Her spirit was as clear as autumn waters, her bones as flawless as jade—a peerless beauty who stood aloof from the mortal world.

Bai An’an had to admit that no matter how many times she looked, she could not help marveling at just how outstanding Mu Tianyin’s appearance was.

If Mu Tianyin had been a decrepit old woman with white hair, wrinkled skin, and one foot in the grave, Bai An’an would never have wronged herself by trying to seduce her.

Then again, if that had been the case, that scumbag Song Qiyu probably would not have fallen for Mu Tianyin or treated her as the white moonlight she yearned for day and night.

Bai An’an imagined Song Qiyu staring infatuatedly at a disheveled old woman with sparse teeth. She immediately shuddered from head to toe, goosebumps rising all over her body.

If Song Qiyu’s tastes were truly that unusual, Bai An’an would absolutely abandon her revenge and instead wish Song Qiyu and her master a joyful, happy life together.

With all these absurd thoughts running through her head, Bai An’an suddenly stopped in front of Mu Tianyin and stared directly into her eyes.

“To put it bluntly, Song Qiyu only loves your face and lusts after your body!” Bai An’an planted both hands on her hips and snorted coldly. “But you’re her master. The more she can’t have you, the more she wants you, and the more she wants you, the more unattainable you become. Of course she buried those feelings in her heart until they turned into an obsession.”

Looking as though she had seen through the truth of everything, Bai An’an stroked her own cheek and muttered to herself. It was impossible to tell whether she was speaking to Mu Tianyin or merely trying to salvage her pride.

“So I didn’t actually lose to you, understand? You may be the number-one beauty beneath the heavens, but I, Bai An’an, am hardly unattractive!”

While admiring Mu Tianyin’s beauty, she was also secretly comparing herself against her. Her feelings were truly complicated.

Mu Tianyin’s brow moved slightly, and she raised her eyes.

Their gazes met.

Bai An’an instantly froze in place. Her heart gave a violent thump, and she did not even dare breathe.

Spiritual energy was scarce in the current age, and the mighty cultivators of ancient times had fallen one after another. Even so, Mu Tianyin was still the foremost leader of the righteous path and possessed cultivation at the Out-of-Body realm. It was not entirely impossible for her to detect Bai An’an’s presence.

Mu Tianyin stared in Bai An’an’s direction for a long time, until cold sweat nearly began beading on Bai An’an’s forehead.

After a while, Mu Tianyin frowned, withdrew her gaze, and turned back toward the couch.

Only when Mu Tianyin stopped looking in her direction did Bai An’an finally exhale heavily. She patted her chest and swallowed.

Since she had already decided to seduce Mu Tianyin, Bai An’an secretly began devising her plan.

But she soon discovered that while her spiritual form prevented Mu Tianyin from seeing her, it also presented a considerable obstacle.

If the woman could not even see her, how was Bai An’an supposed to seduce her?

Therefore, she needed a physical body.

But that brought up another problem.

Where was she supposed to find one?

Her soul had three options. The first was to return to her original body in the Demon Realm. The second was to return to her puppet body. As for the third…

Bai An’an twirled a lock of hair around her finger and narrowed her eyes slightly.

The third method was rather insidious: she could find an ordinary mortal body and seize it for herself.

Unless she was left with no other choice, she would not resort to the third method.

It was not because she was softhearted. Rather, the cultivation world placed great importance on karma.

If she made one careless mistake and became entangled in grave karmic sin, that would hardly be pleasant.

That left her with only two options for now.

She could not return to the Demon Realm yet. The Youdu Demon Lord was still eyeing her like a tiger stalking its prey. That left returning to her puppet body as her only path.

At that thought, Bai An’an remembered the puppet body and Spirit-Calming Jade that Song Qiyu had taken from her. Gritting her teeth fiercely, she turned and left the sleeping quarters.

Song Qiyu had already been imprisoned at the Cliff of Reflection. Since this was a punishment, she naturally would not be allowed to keep her artifacts with her.

Song Qiyu’s storage pouch and all her other treasures had been confiscated by the Discipline Hall and placed inside Mingxin City’s treasury. They would remain there until her punishment ended, at which point she could retrieve them.

Bai An’an searched both the Cliff of Reflection and the Discipline Hall, but she could not find the entrance to the treasury. In the end, she could only return dejectedly to Mu Tianyin’s sleeping quarters.

She was in no hurry. She would obtain a physical body eventually.

Bai An’an stroked her chin. Why not use this opportunity to observe Mu Tianyin carefully and sound her out?

If she could uncover Mu Tianyin’s weakness and expose the hypocrisy beneath her mask, that would be even better!

However, Bai An’an’s investigation ended up lasting three months.

After observing Mu Tianyin every day for three months, Bai An’an discovered that Mu Tianyin was both unbearably dull and astonishingly diligent.

Mu Tianyin’s daily life consisted of approximately three things.

Handling sect affairs, instructing her disciples, and cultivating. That was all.

In Bai An’an’s words, this woman was simply an emotionless workaholic.

She knew Mu Tianyin cultivated the Way of Indifference, but wasn’t she taking indifference a little too far? This woman had absolutely no personal time of her own.

Bai An’an was nothing like her. Even while living in the bloody, treacherous Demon Realm, where intrigue and deception were everywhere, she had still cultivated a small hobby of making things by hand.

She worried about her plan, yet at the same time, she was eager to try.

After all, what challenge could possibly be more thrilling than making Mu Tianyin fall in love?

Mu Tianyin sat meditating on the couch while Bai An’an sat brazenly on the other side, propping up her chin as she studied her.

Suddenly, Bai An’an turned her head. Her gaze fell beyond the window, and a contemplative expression appeared on her face.

Just now, she had sensed the fluctuations of a familiar spell.

Someone was refining a puppet—and they were using her technique.

Bai An’an’s lips curved upward, delight lighting up her face.

What did it mean to be handed a pillow just as one began to feel sleepy? This was exactly it!

Bai An’an gave Mu Tianyin one final look and sent her a playful, flirtatious wink. “Beauty, wait for me.”

With that, she rose without hesitation and formed a hand seal. Her body transformed into a streak of white light and flew out of the room.

A moment later, Mu Tianyin opened her eyes. Her gaze remained cold and clear as she turned her head and swept her eyes across the room, but she discovered nothing.

Meanwhile, Bai An’an appeared on Anqi Peak, where the servant disciples resided.

She stood atop a green pine towering into the clouds and looked down with great interest.

In a secluded area behind the mountain, she saw a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl dressed in a brown, close-fitting outfit. The girl’s eyes were tightly closed as she chanted under her breath.

A scattered pile of rare materials and heavenly treasures lay before her.

Soul-Severing Wood, thousand-year Copper Essence, a Blazing Fire Pearl…and all manner of other treasures had been arranged haphazardly on the ground.

Bai An’an took a closer look and exclaimed in surprise.

Wasn’t that her cultivation notebook lying in front of the girl?

Judging from the words the girl was muttering, she was clearly reciting the incantation Bai An’an had written in that notebook—and she was reciting it incorrectly.

The notebook was nothing particularly important. After losing it, Bai An’an had only grumbled a few times before forgetting about it. However, she could not help becoming curious about how it had ended up in this girl’s hands.

The girl opened her eyes. When she saw that the formation before her had not reacted in the slightest, she let out a soft sound of confusion and murmured to herself, “What’s going on? I refined it exactly according to the notebook. Where did I go wrong?”

Seeing the girl’s troubled expression, Bai An’an covered her mouth and snickered.

She had more than enough treasures, but as for her cultivation…

Bai An’an shook her head regretfully.

With a sweep of her sleeve, a fierce wind abruptly surged through the forest and swept away every treasure on the ground in an instant.

When the wind stopped, the treasures had vanished without a trace.

The girl stood there stupidly, staring dumbfounded at the empty ground. Then she abruptly clutched her head and released a piercing wail.

“My money! This young lady’s money!”

Heavens! Those were treasures she had purchased with the spirit stones she had painstakingly saved and through every connection she could find!

Bai An’an took pity on her. Remembering that the girl had done her an enormous favor, she had a thought and infused her voice with spiritual power, transmitting the correct incantation directly into the girl’s ears.

The girl heard an aged female voice that seemed to echo across the vastness of eternity, and her entire body immediately trembled.

Wild delight suddenly spread across her face. She dropped to her knees with a thud and shouted, “Thank you for your guidance, Senior!”

Naturally, she would consider those treasures a gift to Senior upon their first meeting.

She might not possess much else, but she had plenty of money.

Although the loss made her heart ache, if it allowed her to establish a connection with a mighty expert of the cultivation world and cross the threshold into immortal cultivation, then losing those treasures would be well worth it.

Bai An’an found the girl amusing, so she transmitted a few more words of instruction before sweeping her sleeve and departing.

She found a secluded location and began refining the puppet.

According to Bai An’an’s plan, the puppet absolutely could not be ugly.

After all, humans were shallow creatures. Cultivator or not, everyone naturally preferred beautiful things.

While in the Demon Realm, Bai An’an had never shown others her true appearance. Therefore, even if she made the puppet look exactly like her, it would not cause any problems.

However, Bai An’an’s face was as radiant as fire and brimming with wicked allure. One glance was enough to tell that she was no good. If she wanted others to lower their guard around her, she would need to make a few minor adjustments.

The face Bai An’an sculpted was nearly ninety percent identical to that of her true body. The only difference was that she softened the slightly upturned curve at the corners of her eyes, making them rounder.

The striking seductiveness of her features disappeared, leaving behind only complete innocence and sweet naïveté.

Combined with the puppet’s petite figure, she looked radiant with youth.

Everything was ready—all that remained was the final step!

Bai An’an chuckled softly, spun around, and transformed into a streak of white light that entered the puppet’s body.

A moment later, the petite puppet slowly rose to her feet.

Bai An’an moved her hands and feet, familiarizing herself with her new body.

She covered her chin with one hand and contemplated how she should approach Mu Tianyin.

Based on her observations, Mu Tianyin almost never left the City Lord’s residence.

The City Lord’s residence stood atop Guangzhao Peak, the tallest of the Five Peaks. It was several peaks away from Anqi Peak.

However, Bai An’an knew that Mu Tianyin had a habit. At the beginning of every month, she would leave the City Lord’s residence, disguise herself as a mountain-guarding disciple, and patrol the Five Peaks.

Perhaps this could be counted as one of her very few hobbies?

Bai An’an stroked her chin, her eyes rolling as a plan formed in her mind.