Chun Xin is the last disciple of Lu Jingxi, the Sword Venerable of Yunya Sect.
On the eve of her master's seclusion, Chun Xin was caught secretly keeping a portrait of him and punished by being assigned to care for the spirit pets.
At first, she looked after every spirit pet with great care. Later, a stunning white swan caught her eye, and she made no effort to hide her favoritism.
The white swan grew closer to Chun Xin day by day, and sometimes even blushed.
Chun Xin assumed it was a shy young lady, and never thought twice about hugging and carrying it around.
One day, while grooming the swan's feathers, Chun Xin was so entranced by its beauty that she leaned in to kiss it.
To her surprise, the spirit pet spoke in a man's voice. The first thing it said to her was, "Will you take responsibility for me?"
Chun Xin reflected deeply on her actions, then confessed everything to her master on the day he emerged from seclusion, carefully explaining all she had done while caring for the spirit pet.
At the end, she declared that she wanted to take responsibility for a white swan and begged her master to help them be together.
Her master refused, even more sternly than he had when he discovered her secret portrait collection.
"Why take responsibility for a spirit pet? As a disciple of the Sword Sect, cultivation must come first."
Her master became the first person to stand in the way of their romance, so Chun Xin looked for every opportunity to get him to relent.
No matter how well she behaved or how hard she tried to please him, she always steered the conversation back to the white swan, pleading with her master by every means possible to let them be together.
After one failure after another, Chun Xin got drunk and cried to her master:
"I used to like you, but you said no, so I gave up. Now I like a spirit pet, and I haven't broken any sect rules. Why are you still against it?"
Chun Xin passed out in her master's arms. She never saw the white swan come to visit him, nor did she know that, after taking human form, the swan looked exactly like her master.
"Let her be with me, or don't blame me for telling her about the feelings you keep hidden in the dark." The white swan made its demand with absolute confidence. "Since we share our senses, you must know better than anyone that I'm serious."
Chun Xin's inner thoughts: What's wrong with falling for someone else after being rejected?
Master's inner thoughts: What do I do when my rival knows me inside out?
White Swan's inner thoughts: Hah. Let's see how long you can hold out.
Reading guide:
1. The white swan is a swan, with snow-white feathers from head to toe.
2. The white swan is the master's avatar, and they share their senses.
[Blurb published and timestamped on August 13, 2023]
Theme: Recognize your heart and face yourself.
