77

"Senior Sister, stop talking…" Meng Shuying didn't want to cry, but the tears kept falling. Her voice was hoarse as she swallowed her sobs, trying to sound lighthearted. "You're just too tired… Rest for a while… When you wake up, we'll go back to Yanmo Peak."

Su Luowei gently closed her eyes, as if she could see the peach blossoms in full bloom at the front of Yanmo Peak.

Those three years on Yanmo Peak were some of the few truly peaceful days she had.

In Meng Shuying's eyes, everything seemed to slow down infinitely. She saw her Senior Sister's eyelids flutter, and a tear slipped from the corner of her eye. It trailed down her cheek, dripped from her chin, and splashed onto the ground, scattering.

Her Senior Sister's eyes slowly closed.

She seemed like a paper kite with a broken string, her body light and frail. After her Golden Core shattered, there wasn't a trace of spiritual energy left in her body.

But Meng Shuying refused to believe that her Senior Sister would leave her like this. With trembling hands, she placed the Revival Pill into her Senior Sister's mouth. Her Senior Sister's lips were as rosy as cherries, but the pill had no effect.

No matter how much Meng Shuying tried to activate it with her spiritual energy, the pill didn't dissolve into her Senior Sister's mouth.

The Revival Pill could pull a Golden Core cultivator back from the brink of death, but it couldn't save her Senior Sister.

Meng Shuying couldn't believe it.

Hadn't her Senior Sister promised to stay with her forever?

How could she break her promise!

Why did she have to burn her spiritual sea to save her?

Meng Shuying wished she had been the one to die instead.

A streak of light flashed across the sky as someone flew in on a sword. It was Wen Miaomiao and Jian Xuehan. Behind them were Xie Hanzhu and the disciples of Yanmo Peak.

Meng Shuying's mind was in chaos, and she didn't react to their arrival. She just held Su Luowei tightly, softly kissing her cheek and hair while murmuring, "Senior Sister…"

Jian Xuehan had already heard about what had happened from Wen Miaomiao. Wen Miaomiao had omitted the part about Meng Shuying falling into demonic cultivation, saying only that Meng Shuying had been injured during the tribulation, and Min Lanmeng, for some reason, had gone mad and tried to kill her.

Jian Xuehan had been clashing with Min Lanmeng for a long time, and she knew better than anyone that Min Lanmeng had been stuck in the Nascent Soul stage for centuries and was nearing the end of her life.

Min Lanmeng had always seen herself as extraordinary and would never accept dying without a fight.

Jian Xuehan was aware that Min Lanmeng had been secretly practicing several forbidden techniques, but she hadn't expected Min Lanmeng to go as far as to target her own disciple!

On the way there, she had already made up her mind. If Min Lanmeng was determined to continue down this path, she wouldn't hesitate to act, regardless of their ties as fellow sect members.

But she hadn't expected to see this scene upon her arrival.

Looking at Su Luowei, whose lips were stained with blood and eyes tightly shut, Jian Xuehan's body swayed. She closed her eyes, then opened them again, her voice trembling as she asked, "What… happened to her?"

Meng Shuying lowered her head in silence. Wen Miaomiao stepped closer, and after just one glance, her face filled with sorrow. "Senior Sister… is gone."

Everyone was stunned.

Xie Hanzhu couldn't accept what had happened and screamed, "You're lying! There's no way Senior Sister is dead!"

All eyes turned to Meng Shuying, and not far behind her, lying on the ground, was a blood-stained sword.

The person who had been pierced by that sword had taken advantage of Meng Shuying's distraction to escape.

Tears welled up in Xie Hanzhu's eyes as she rushed to Meng Shuying, reaching out to grab Su Luowei's body. "I don't believe it! I don't believe Senior Sister is dead. Meng Shuying, what happened?"

Wen Miaomiao quickly raised her hand to stop her, preventing her from acting recklessly.

Xie Hanzhu didn't understand why they could remain so calm when their Senior Sister was dead. Overcome with grief and anger, she lashed out, "Wen Miaomiao, what do you mean by this? Did you have something to do with Senior Sister's death?"

Wen Miaomiao's eyes were filled with deep sorrow. She shook her head gently and said softly, "Everyone here is heartbroken, Xie Hanzhu. Please calm down."

"How am I supposed to calm down!" Xie Hanzhu drew her sword and pointed it at her. "Move aside! Today, I have to get to the bottom of this."

Only Meng Shuying knew what had truly happened, but she seemed like a lost soul, holding Su Luowei tightly and refusing to speak.

"You're blaming Shuying for nothing," Wen Miaomiao said, her voice choked with emotion. "It was Min Lanmeng who tried to kill her. Senior Sister must have sacrificed herself to save her… Senior Sister went through so much to save Meng Shuying. I can't let her efforts go to waste."

Xie Hanzhu stared at her for a while, then turned to Jian Xuehan, tears streaming down her face. "Master, you have to avenge Senior Sister…"

Meng Shuying ignored the noise around her. She held Su Luowei's gradually cooling body, kissing her face gently.

As if trying to wake her with her kisses, or hoping that her Senior Sister would respond to the warmth, open her eyes, and smile at her, teasing her with a gentle "Meng Shuying, stop fooling around."

"Senior Sister…" Her voice was hoarse, soft, and tender, like a whispered dream.

Jian Xuehan suddenly approached, her expression as cold as the ice on Kunlun Mountain. She forcefully took Su Luowei from Meng Shuying's arms.

When Meng Shuying clung tightly to Su Luowei's body, unwilling to let go, Jian Xuehan mercilessly struck her with a powerful palm. Meng Shuying didn't resist or evade, enduring the full force of the furious strike from a minor-stage cultivator.

Blood trickled from her mouth, but her eyes never left Jian Xuehan. She refused to back down, not even an inch.

"Let go. I'm taking her to Yun Fei," Jian Xuehan said through gritted teeth. Only after Meng Shuying reluctantly released her grip did she summon her sword and take off.

It was the first time anyone had seen Jian Xuehan so furious.

Her anger silenced even Xie Hanzhu, who had been sobbing uncontrollably.

Of course. How could they forget? The sect leader was Su Luowei's aunt, who had always doted on her. If anyone was most heartbroken by Su Luowei's death, it was her.

Jian Xuehan's figure quickly disappeared on the horizon. Xie Hanzhu summoned her sword and immediately followed. Meng Shuying's eyes lit up with hope, and she tried to follow as well, but as soon as she summoned her sword, her body wavered, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Wen Miaomiao quickly supported her, helping her toward the Yuguang Hall.

Yun Fei had been in her alchemy room, nearing the final stages of refining a pill when the door was suddenly kicked open. Normally, she couldn't stand being interrupted while working and immediately shouted, "Who dares…"

But when she saw Jian Xuehan and the lifeless Su Luowei in her arms, she swallowed the rest of her words and quickly cleared the clutter off her bed. "Put her here."

Su Luowei still had the Revival Pill in her mouth. Yun Fei leaned in to examine her, then straightened up and shook her head. "It's no use."

After a moment's thought, she added, "She burned her spiritual sea, and her Golden Core is shattered. Not even a god can save her now."

Meng Shuying, who had just arrived at the door, heard this and stumbled, coughing up more blood before fainting.

In a daze, caught between dreams and reality, Meng Shuying heard someone crying.

The person sobbed as they spoke. "If I had known this would happen, I would have done everything to stop Senior Sister from going to the woodshed that day."

"She was so dirty, but Senior Sister didn't mind at all. She carried her out and even dressed her wounds herself. Senior Sister never did anything like that for anyone."

"When we climbed the Wenxian Platform, too, such a large water mirror, and Senior Sister only had eyes for her…"

"Later, when she had to choose between you and her, Senior Sister chose you… She never said it, but I knew she always felt guilty toward Meng Shuying. Whenever I visited her during her seclusion, she would always tell me to take care of Meng Shuying… I once asked her why, if she cared so much about Meng Shuying, she didn't bring her to Yanmo Mountain instead. Senior Sister said that everyone has their own destiny. I didn't understand. Was it Senior Sister's destiny to sacrifice herself for Meng Shuying?"

"And those jars of wine buried under the peach blossom tree—Senior Sister wouldn't let me touch them. I know she was saving them for Meng Shuying…"

Another voice gently comforted her, much calmer. "Yes, I know. Senior Sister cared for her deeply. When we went to the Ten Directions Blessed Land, Senior Sister was about to leave but turned back to find her. At the Five Sects Conference, too, whenever she couldn't see Meng Shuying, she was always worried something might have happened to her…"

"Senior Sister cared so much for her, even willing to sacrifice herself to protect her. Hanzhu, when she wakes up, please don't be too hard on her… She's already hurting inside."

Xie Hanzhu leaned against Wen Miaomiao's shoulder, sobbing quietly. The more she cried, the more her heart ached. She wiped her tears with trembling hands and said, "There's one more thing. I don't know if you knew this. After Senior Sister formed her Golden Core, the sect leader once asked her if she was interested in meeting some of her acquaintances' juniors. But Senior Sister told her… she already had someone in her heart and would wait for them to return."

"Anyone could see that Meng Shuying liked her. I thought that when Meng Shuying returned from her training, they'd be together… Senior Sister was so pitiful…"

Inside the room, tears flowed from Meng Shuying's tightly shut eyes, soaking the pillow beneath her.

Senior Sister… Senior Sister…

So, Senior Sister had never abandoned her.

All those years she had held onto that grudge, thinking her Senior Sister had chosen Wen Miaomiao over her, leaving her behind.

But it had hurt Senior Sister just as much.

The wine under the peach blossom tree had always been meant for her.

Her Senior Sister had been waiting for her to return.

She had known about the demonic technique in Meng Shuying's possession but had steadfastly believed she hadn't used it.

She had said that Meng Shuying would always be her Junior Sister and that she would protect her forever.

But she didn't need her Senior Sister's protection.

She just wanted her Senior Sister to be happy, safe, and content.

And to be with her, for a long, long time.

Meng Shuying's heart twisted in sorrow, and she curled up, biting down on her arm to keep from crying out loud.

She couldn't remember the last time she had cried like this.

When she was younger, she had cried in front of her Senior Sister many times. Even as a child, she had known that her Senior Sister had a soft heart. There had been times when she had cried on purpose, to gain her sympathy.

Sure enough, whenever her Senior Sister saw her cry, she would give in, her eyes filled with helplessness as she wrapped her arms around her, holding her gently.

As she grew older, she cried less and less in front of her Senior Sister. Even when she was truly hurt or wronged, she chose to endure it silently.

Because she didn't want her Senior Sister to see her as someone weak, someone unworthy of being relied on.

But now, all those tears she had held back over the years poured out like a flood.

She was still injured, with wounds from the tribulation, from Min Lanmeng, and even from Jian Xuehan.

With her Senior Sister gone, no one was there to tend to her wounds.

Without Jian Xuehan's permission, no one dared to act on their own.

Her ribs were probably broken, and every breath hurt.

Her spiritual sea was dry, and her tiny Nascent Soul sat weakly on its dim lotus throne, lacking the will to heal.

The pain in her body was a welcome distraction from the pain in her heart.

Meng Shuying cried silently until she lost consciousness.

From now on, she really was all alone.