The Bad Girl's Quick Transmigration System: Traveling Back and Forth

Chapter 727 Star Emblem: The Awakening of the Priest's Bloodline (Page 12)

The afterglow of the setting sun, like melting gold leaf, gently spilled onto the cobblestone alleyways. Lin Muxue took a deep breath; the air was filled with the familiar aroma of food and the scent of herbs drying in the sun, carried by the neighbor's grandmother. After being away from home for half a month to participate in the "Spirit Awakening Ceremony" held for her by the clan, she returned now, feeling both a longing for home and a subtle mix of trepidation and excitement.

She pushed open the familiar wooden door with its brass rings, its soft creak breaking the tranquility of the courtyard. Inside, her mother, Liu Yunxi, was wearing an apron, bending down to scoop water from the stone vat beside the well, preparing to wash vegetables. Hearing the door open, she straightened up, her face habitually breaking into a gentle smile, ready to greet her late-returning daughter.

However, when her gaze fell upon Lin Muxue standing in the doorway, her smile froze instantly, replaced by astonishment and a barely perceptible hint of panic. The water ladle in her hand clattered back into the stone vat, splashing out a ripple.

"You...who are you?" Liu Yunxi subconsciously took a small step back, her voice trembling slightly. She carefully examined the girl in front of her. The face was indeed her daughter Mu Xue's, with delicate features and fair skin, but...what was she wearing?

Lin Muxue's attire today was completely different from the obedient girl she was when she left home half a month ago, dressed in a simple cotton dress and with her hair in a simple bun. She wore a close-fitting leather armor, the leather supple and gleaming with a healthy sheen. Most striking were the five-pointed stars of varying sizes and shapes inlaid with silver thread and some unknown, shimmering blue mineral on the chest, back, shoulder, and arm guards. The largest star, about the size of a palm, was located on her chest, its sharp edges and shimmering light seemingly containing some mysterious power.

Her lower body was clad in leather shorts of the same material, reaching only to mid-thigh, revealing her shapely calves. On her feet were a pair of lace-up leather boots, the boot shafts adorned with small silver five-pointed stars.

That wasn't all. Around her neck hung a necklace made of blue crystals and small silver rings, which swayed gently with her breath, making a soft, clinking sound. On her wrists and ankles, she wore several silver rings of varying sizes, which jingled melodiously as she moved. Even in her hair, two silver star-shaped hair ornaments were pinned up, partially tying back her originally smooth, long hair to reveal her smooth forehead and slender neck.

In Liu Yunxi's eyes, this outfit was simply...rebellious! It was full of a wildness and arrogance that she couldn't understand. Especially the tight leather armor, which outlined the girl's budding curves, was, in her eyes, utterly indecent and irrefutable proof of "going astray"!

"Mom, it's me, Mu Xue." Lin Mu Xue was a little flustered by her mother's reaction. She took a step forward and tried to explain, "I'm back."

"Mu Xue?" Liu Yunxi's voice trembled as she looked her daughter up and down, her brows furrowed, her face filled with disappointment and heartache. "What...what are you wearing?! Where have you been? How did you become like this? Did you go astray with those shady people?!"

A barrage of questions rained down on Lin Muxue like hail. She hadn't expected her mother's reaction to be so intense, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond. The "Spirit Awakening Ceremony" she had participated in was a secret passed down through the Lin family for thousands of years, concerning the awakening of the priest's bloodline. Her mother wasn't entirely unaware of these things, but she seemed never to have connected them with such "peculiar" attire.

"Mom, I haven't gone astray, this is..."

"You haven't gone astray?" Liu Yunxi suddenly raised her voice, her eyes reddening. "If you haven't gone astray, why are you dressed like this? Bare-chested and covered in all these jingling things, what kind of appearance is that! Although our Lin family isn't a wealthy and scholarly family, we are still a well-mannered and educated family! Your sister Weiwei has been sensible and well-behaved since she was little, how could you..."

Liu Yunxi became increasingly agitated as she spoke, her chest heaving violently, clearly deeply angry. She had always thought her youngest daughter, like her eldest daughter Lin Wei, was a quiet and reserved girl. How could she have become like this after only half a month away? Had she been bewitched by some bad people? Or had she come into contact with some shady "gangs"?

Seeing her mother's agitated state, Lin Muxue felt both wronged and anxious. She knew her mother was traditional and would find it difficult to accept such a radical change in appearance, but this really wasn't her own desire to be different; it was a tribal rule, a symbol of her priestly status!

"Mom, please let me explain, it's not what you think..." Lin Muxue said urgently.

"It's not what I think!" Liu Yunxi interrupted her, her tone stern. "Tell me! Where did you get this outfit? What have you been through these past two weeks? Did you meet some bad friends outside and pick up those gangster habits, dressing like this... this incongruous thing!"

Just as the mother and daughter were locked in a stalemate, the atmosphere so tense it seemed to freeze, a gentle voice came from the main room: "Mom, what's wrong? Why are you speaking so loudly?"

As the voice spoke, a young woman in a light blue dress, with a gentle and quiet demeanor, stepped out. She was Lin Wei, Lin Muxue's older sister. Lin Wei was four years older than Muxue, calm and well-mannered, and Liu Yunxi's pride and support.

Lin Wei was taken aback by the scene at the door. When her gaze fell on her younger sister's peculiar attire, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. Noticing her mother's excited expression and her sister's aggrieved look, she immediately understood what was going on.

"Mom, calm down first, don't rush to scold Mu Xue." Lin Wei stepped forward, gently took Liu Yunxi's arm, and softly advised, "Take a closer look at Mu Xue's outfit, especially the star patterns and these ornaments..."

Reminded by her eldest daughter, Liu Yunxi subconsciously looked again at Lin Muxue's five-pointed star leather armor and ring ornaments. She had previously thought these things were garish and improper, but Lin Wei's guidance had forced her to calm down and observe them carefully.

The five-pointed star pattern, with its smooth and dignified lines, was not a random scribble. The blue crystal, radiating a soft and pure light, was by no means a cheap or vulgar object. The silver rings, exquisitely crafted and interlocking, produced a sound that was not harsh but rather possessed a strange rhythm.

“Stars…rings…” Liu Yunxi murmured to herself, her brows still furrowed, but the anger in her eyes was gradually replaced by confusion. “Is there…is there any explanation for this?”

Lin Wei smiled slightly, gave Lin Muxue a reassuring look, and then turned to her mother to explain, "Mom, do you remember when we were little, Grandpa would occasionally mention the origins of our Lin family?"

Liu Yunxi was taken aback. The origins of the Lin family? She had been married into the Lin family for many years and knew that the Lin family's ancestors seemed to have produced some remarkable figures, seemingly related to "sacrifice" and "inheritance." However, due to the passage of time and the early death of her father, her grandfather had only mentioned it vaguely a few times and had not gone into detail. She had always thought it was just an ancient legend and had not paid much attention to it.

"Grandpa... I think he mentioned something, something about... priests or something?" Liu Yunxi said uncertainly.

“Yes!” Lin Wei nodded. “Grandpa said that our Lin family is not an ordinary family, but a descendant of a priestly family that was responsible for communicating with heaven and earth and worshipping the stars in ancient times. However, as time has passed, the bloodline has gradually become thinner, and many traditions have been lost, leaving only some legends and specific rituals.”

She paused, then turned her gaze to Lin Muxue, and continued, "Muxue's departure from home this time must be for the 'Spirit Awakening Ceremony' held for her by the clan, right? I remember Grandpa once mentioned that in our Lin family's priestly bloodline, every few generations, one person will awaken. After awakening, they must learn the priestly tradition and assume the corresponding responsibilities. And the priest's attire seems to be... with stars as emblems and jade pendants as symbols."

"Priest... attire?" Liu Yunxi's eyes widened slowly as she stared incredulously at Lin Muxue's five-pointed star leather armor and the rings adorning her body. "You mean... Muxue's attire isn't because she's gone astray, but... but rather the traditional attire of the Lin family's priests?"

“That must be right.” Lin Wei nodded affirmatively. She looked at Lin Muxue and asked, “Muxue, is what I said correct? When you went back this time, did you awaken the bloodline of a priest, so the elders of the clan dressed you in this priest’s robe?”

Lin Muxue nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly reddening, and tears of grievance finally streamed down her face: "Yes! Sister! That's it! The clan elders said that I am the only one in this generation to awaken the pure priest bloodline, so I must receive the inheritance. This leather armor is called the 'Star Emblem Armor,' and the five-pointed star on it is the symbol of our Lin family priests, representing communication with the power of the stars. These rings are called 'Spirit Rings,' used to assist in sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and guiding power. These are all things passed down in the clan, I didn't just wear them randomly, I didn't go astray, Mom!"

Hearing her younger sister's tearful explanation and seeing the change in her mother's expression, Lin Wei gently patted Liu Yunxi's hand and said softly, "Mom, did you hear that? Mu Xue hasn't gone astray. This isn't some indecent attire; it's the traditional clothing of our Lin family's priest clan, a symbol of status! This shows that Mu Xue is special, inheriting the oldest and most sacred bloodline of our Lin family. This is a good thing, an honor!"

Liu Yunxi stood there, stunned, processing this sudden information. Priest bloodline? Traditional clothing? Glory? These words, along with the "unconventional" attire she had just witnessed, clashed violently in her mind.

She recalled her father-in-law's occasional expressions of nostalgia for the family's glory, and the vague, ancient legends. She had always thought they were just stories, never imagining that they would actually happen to her own daughter!

The leather armor and ornaments before her no longer seemed so glaring. The five-pointed star seemed to be shrouded in a sacred halo; the tinkling of the pendants seemed to have become melodious. Looking at her daughter's familiar face, tears welled in her eyes. This time, it wasn't anger and disappointment, but excitement, disbelief, and a hint of… lingering fear. She had almost wronged her daughter and damaged this precious tradition because of her ignorance and prejudice.

"Is...is that so..." Liu Yunxi's voice was a little hoarse. She stepped forward, stretched out her slightly trembling hand, and carefully touched the largest blue five-pointed star crystal on Lin Muxue's chest. It felt warm to the touch, and seemed to have a faint warm current flowing from it.

"My child... I've wronged you..." Liu Yunxi's voice choked with sobs. She pulled Lin Muxue into her arms and hugged her tightly. "It's all my fault. I didn't understand. I misunderstood you... You've suffered so much..."

Lin Muxue was hugged by her mother, and all the grievances and anxieties she had accumulated along the way vanished instantly. She couldn't help but hug her mother back, her tears soaking her mother's clothes: "Mom, I'm not wronged. I know you're doing this for my own good."

The mother and daughter embraced and wept. The previous misunderstandings and estrangement quietly melted away in the face of the truth of blood ties and inheritance.

Lin Wei stood to the side, watching the mother and daughter embrace and weep, a relieved smile on her face. She sighed softly, happy for her sister and also feeling a strange excitement about the continuation of this ancient family's bloodline.

After a while, the mother and daughter gradually calmed down. Liu Yunxi held Lin Muxue's hand and carefully examined her, her eyes filled with tenderness and curiosity.

"Come on, let's go inside and talk." Liu Yunxi wiped away her tears and warmly greeted her daughter, as if she wanted to make up for her guilt just now. "You must be exhausted from the journey. Are you hungry? Mom made your favorite sweet and sour fish and mushrooms with greens."

"Yes!" Lin Muxue nodded vigorously, a bright smile finally appearing on her face, the gloom from before completely gone.

Lin Wei followed behind with a smile, helping her younger sister pick up a small bag that was placed by the door.