Chapter 40

After finally enduring until she returned to her room, tears fell drop by drop from Song Zhixia's eyes. Afraid of letting Song Weizhi know, she could only suppress her crying and sob quietly on the bed, her mind in chaos. 

Senior Sister never wanted her. It had always been her wishful thinking. Thinking about this, tears streamed down even more, wetting a small area of the bedding. 

On the other side, outside the small courtyard, Tian's disciples scattered, and Song Ruohai also returned to rest with the support of He Qingmei. After this incident, Song Ruohai lost his son, was injured by Song Weizhi, and was forced to recuperate in his room. He seemed to have lost his fighting spirit. 

Many disciples of the Song family, seeing the true face of their admired Head, chose to leave and join other sects. With Song Ruohai absent, Tianming was burdened with all the trivial matters in the sect, causing him to be overwhelmed. 

In these few days, Song Weizhi sent out Wei Zhao to gather information. She wanted to leave Linhai City early with Song Zhixia. However, due to the remaining Soul Fragment in Linhai City, she had to continue staying. However, in these few days, she felt that Xia Xia's attitude towards her was a bit strange. At first, it seemed like she was avoiding her, but later, everything returned to normal. Song Weizhi suspected it was just her imagination. 

But soon, Song Weizhi didn't have time to think about these matters. After several days of investigation, Wei Zhao found that Song Ruohai often went to the ancestral hall of the Song family for worship. The hall was built very discreetly, not allowing anyone else to enter on regular days. There was nothing unusual besides that. 

Song Weizhi followed Wei Zhao into the ancestral hall, hidden in a secluded corner. It seemed to require some technique to open, so Song Weizhi set up a barrier here. Under the cultivation level of Nascent Soul, no one could sense any movement here. She then used the Li Shuo Sword to break the barrier and instructed Wei Zhao to stay outside and guard. 

Stepping into the ancestral hall, Song Weizhi couldn't sense anything unusual. Rows of tablets greeted her eyes. She summoned the system in her mind, and under its scanning, quickly located the second Soul Fragment. The Soul Fragment was in a wooden box on the top beam of the ancestral hall. Song Weizhi tried to break the restriction on the top of the ancestral hall using her spiritual qi but was hit by a stronger force, crashing into the wall. 

Song Weizhi, originally fair-skinned, became even paler. Blood oozed from her lips, and her ears were ringing. She underestimated the restriction. 

Wiping the blood from her lips with her fingertips, she steadied herself against the wall. Inquiring the system in her mind, she asked, "What's the situation with this restriction?" 

The mechanical voice of the system echoed in her mind, "This restriction was set up by a Soul Separation realm cultivator and requires sufficient spiritual qi to break." 

After taking two pills, Song Weizhi continued to input her spiritual qi into the restriction on the top of the ancestral hall. Once again, she was bounced back by the restriction. She continued taking medicine and tried to break the restriction… 

As the sky turned from white to black, Song Weizhi repeated the process of breaking the restriction tirelessly. She didn't know how many pills she had taken or how much blood she had vomited. Finally, just before midnight, she broke the restriction. She used the last bit of her spiritual qi to take down the wooden box from the beam. Thinking that she had finally found the second Soul Fragment for her little girl, a faint smile appeared on Song Weizhi's pale face. However, now her spiritual qi was depleted, her vital energy was weakened, and she even stumbled while walking. 

When Song Weizhi came out of the ancestral hall, Wei Zhao was startled, "Mistress, why is your complexion so bad? Are you injured?" 

Song Weizhi covered her chest with one hand, feeling a surge of qi and blood in her mouth. After a moment, she replied, "It's fine. Take me back." 

Not daring to delay when she saw her Mistress injured, Wei Zhao used her spiritual weapon to carry Song Weizhi back. 

Back in the room, Song Weizhi took several pills and began meditating to recover. After a whole day, her face showed some color, and her spiritual qi had recovered to about thirty or forty percent. 

Taking out the box, Song Weizhi opened it, revealing a pale yellow mist. Closing the box, she prepared to give the contents to her little girl. It had been several days since she last saw her little girl. She used to be so attached, but these days, she hadn't shown up. Thinking about it, Song Weizhi realized that she missed her little Xia Xia. 

On the other side, Song Zhixia had been cultivating in her room these past few days. She was gradually recovering, but she still didn't know how to face her Senior Sister. Every time she thought of Song Weizhi, she felt that Senior Sister only treated her as a younger sister, and the feeling was uncomfortable. Yet, not seeing Song Weizhi for several days made her worry. 

Soon, a series of knocks echoed. Song Zhixia's heart fluctuated with the sound. In this small courtyard, only Senior Sister would come to find her. However, she still didn't know how to face Senior Sister, feeling a bit resentful that Senior Sister didn't like her but had kissed her, giving rise to many inappropriate thoughts. 

Taking a deep breath, Song Zhixia stood up to open the door. At first glance, her gaze didn't want to move away. Whether it was her misconception or not, she felt that Senior Sister's complexion didn't seem too good. Stepping aside, she let Song Weizhi enter. 

"Senior Sister, you're here." 

"Why? Can't I come to see Xia Xia?" Song Weizhi said softly. There was a hint of weariness in her voice, and her face was paler than usual, causing Song Zhixia's brows to furrow. Was Senior Sister not feeling well? 

"Senior Sister, are you feeling unwell? Please have a seat first." Song Zhixia, seeing that Song Weizhi had already forgotten the previous issue, had her heart solely concerned for the person in front of her. 

"It's nothing. Open this and take a look." Song Weizhi's lips curved with a smile as she handed a dark-colored box to Song Zhixia. 

Following her instructions, Song Zhixia opened the box, revealing a faint yellow gas inside. 

"Senior Sister, what is this?" Song Zhixia felt a strange familiarity with this substance. 

Song Weizhi's eyes and brows curved as she said, "It's your Soul Fragment." 

Song Zhixia's eyes flickered. Her first Soul Fragment was obtained by Senior Sister at great risk from the dragon. This second one must be no easier to find. Song Zhixia anxiously grasped Song Weizhi's hand and placed it on the table. 

"Senior Sister, did you get injured again for this? No wonder your complexion is so pale, and all for my sake." Song Zhixia felt a bit distressed. On one hand, she was worried about Senior Sister, and on the other, she felt useless, as if Senior Sister got injured every time because of her. 

Ripples appeared in Song Zhixia's eyes, tears hanging but not falling. Seeing this, Song Weizhi hurriedly tried to comfort her, "I'm fine. Look, I'm perfectly fine, right?" 

Song Zhixia looked up at Song Weizhi. She saw Senior Sister's pale face still maintaining a forced smile. Song Zhixia's heart tightened. Senior Sister was always so gentle with her, even when she suffered severe injuries, she would still comfort her. 

Closing the box in front of her, Song Zhixia pushed it back toward Song Weizhi. "I don't want this Soul Fragment. Senior Sister, you always get hurt for my sake. I don't want this thing anymore." 

Song Weizhi sighed, wondering how she managed to make her little girl cry again despite promising to protect her. 

Reaching out, Song Weizhi held one of the small hands of the crying girl and rubbed it gently. The other hand wiped away the tears from Song Zhixia's eyes, her fingertips stained with her tears. Song Weizhi felt the warmth of the tears through her fingertips, and her heart ached for her little junior sister. 

Softening her soothing voice even more, like a gentle breeze between the mountains, Song Weizhi said, "Why not? This is a gift from me to Xia Xia." 

Song Zhixia sat there, tears flowing more and more. Hearing Song Weizhi say this, she shook her head repeatedly, "I don't want it. Senior Sister got hurt for this thing, so let Senior Sister keep it." 

Seeing the crying little girl in front of her, Song Weizhi just wanted to comfort her first. Later, she would coax her to refine the Soul Fragment. It wasn't just for the mission; in these days of getting along, Song Weizhi's actions for Song Zhixia were almost instinctual. She hoped her little girl would become stronger and happier, wishing for Xia Xia to have a bright future. 

Seeing that the little girl wouldn't listen at all, Song Weizhi had to carry her. Feeling the lightness under her, Song Zhixia realized she was being held by Senior Sister. She sobbed, "Senior Sister, you still have injuries. I'm afraid I'll crush you. Please put me down." 

"I'm not that weak. Be good, let Senior Sister hold you." Song Weizhi lifted the little girl and placed her on her lap, supporting her back with one hand, and using the other to wipe away Song Zhixia's tears. 

Originally, Song Zhixia was genuinely concerned about Song Weizhi, but when she realized Senior Sister was holding her and sitting on Senior Sister's lap, she became shy. Although she was only slightly shorter than Senior Sister, being held and comforted like this made Song Zhixia feel both sad and shy. By her ear, she heard Song Weizhi's gentle and soothing voice, "Xia Xia, don't worry. Next time, I will protect myself, okay? Seeing you cry makes me feel so sad." 

Seeing that the little girl still couldn't stop sobbing no matter what, Song Weizhi suddenly remembered the kiss in the secret realm that day. The little girl couldn't be comforted no matter what, but after kissing her, the little girl's attitude had softened. 

Looking at the trembling little bunny in front of her, Song Weizhi leaned in slightly and imprinted a kiss on the girl's cheek. The girl was a bit stunned; two teardrops were about to fall but were abruptly stopped by Song Weizhi's sudden action, cutely hanging on her eyelashes. 

Seeing that this trick was effective, Song Weizhi's lips curved slightly. Anyway, they were sisters; another kiss should be fine. Song Weizhi looked at the girl's peach-colored lips and unconsciously swallowed. She wanted to taste the flavor of her Xia Xia. 

Song Weizhi felt a moment of confusion. Was this the feeling sisters should have? But she didn't have time to think further; she was captivated by the peach color in front of her, and in a moment of absent-mindedness, she kissed her unexpectedly.