Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

The first light of dawn broke through, dispersing the lingering layers of haze, and sunlight fell upon the ruins and broken walls.

Su Mi stood amidst the wreckage, watching the spot where the Mountain Lord had dissipated. It was as if countless specks of starlight had suddenly scattered, drifting away into the horizon.

A flicker of guilt flashed through her heart. For a moment earlier, she had thought the Mountain Lord was charging at Wanqi Yue, her shout then had been intended more as a deterrent to stop her.

After all, she had always viewed the Mountain Lord as the existence of “another person,” yet she had forgotten that the Mountain Lord was, in fact, also Wanqi Yue.

Su Mi walked slowly through the settling dust toward Wanqi Yue. The latter’s expression had been one of dazed shock since the moment she saw the Mountain Lord’s face, and she seemed unable to recover her senses for a long time.

Wanqi Yue’s ink-black eyes moved slightly. She looked up at the Eldest Senior Sister standing before her, her lips trembling soundlessly: “Eldest Senior Sister…”

Su Mi leaned down, kneeling on one knee before her, and reached out to hold her gently. “It’s over now.”

“Eldest Senior Sister, did you know all along that she was… ‘me’?” Wanqi Yue’s chin rested on Su Mi’s shoulder, her soft words whispered right against her ear.

“Yes,” Su Mi replied. “That was you from a certain future moment, but it is no longer the case now.”

Hearing this, Wanqi Yue suddenly buried her face in the crook of Su Mi’s neck. Her long eyelashes brushed against the skin, causing a slight itch.

“She… the last thing she said to me…” Wanqi Yue spoke halfway, her voice choking up as if she could no longer go on. “She said my luck was better than hers.”

Su Mi felt a dampness against her neck. She closed her eyes and held the girl even tighter.

When the others arrived after dealing with the remaining demonic cultivators, this was the scene they encountered.

The two figures amidst the ruins had both just endured a fierce battle. Countless wounds, large and small, marked their bodies, and the smoke of war had not yet fully dissipated around them. At this moment, they held each other in a quiet embrace.

It felt as though nothing could ever tear them apart again.

Although no civilians were killed in this battle, the city suffered significant damage, especially the area where Su Mi and the others had fought, where the surrounding shops and streets were almost completely leveled. When the residents returned to see their devastated homes, they were moved to tears. On one hand, they felt this was an undeserved calamity, on the other, they felt that without these immortals, their lives would likely have been forfeit.

The acting city lord wanted to allocate funds to appease the people, but the compensation for the victims of the “Medical Immortal” incident had already overextended the budget. For years, the city’s accounts had barely broken even, this event plunged them directly into the red, leaving no money left to distribute.

Deeply troubled, Fang Yun took up her pen and wrote a letter to Qingyang Mountain, relaying the news of their battle with the demonic cultivators.

When the news arrived, the Sect Leader was tasting her newly brewed wine. She was initially tense upon hearing of her disciples’ fierce struggle, but breathed a sigh of relief when she learned no one had died.

“Your disciple is injured, yet I don’t see you showing any concern or telling them to hurry back and recover,” remarked the Deputy Sect Leader, who had once again been dragged along to taste wine.

The Sect Leader waved a hand grandly. “What does a little injury matter to youth out in the world? As long as they aren’t dead, it’s fine. Besides, she always loves staying in her Qingshuang Courtyard, it’s good for her to get out more. It might even temper that arrogant personality of hers. Plus, your little disciple is there too, and I don’t see you acting nervous.”

At that moment, the disciple delivering the message held out an envelope with both hands: “Sect Leader, there was another letter included with the report.”

The Sect Leader drained her wine in one gulp, took the letter, and opened it. After reading just a few lines, she spat a mouthful of fragrant wine onto the accounting ledger.

“That rebellious disciple!!! Quick, tell those brats to get their asses back here immediately!”

The Deputy Sect Leader said nonchalantly, “Not going to let them ‘temper’ themselves anymore?”

The Sect Leader shook the paper, making it rustle loudly as she gritted her teeth. “Temper my foot! I’m afraid the entirety of Qingyang Mountain isn’t enough to pay for their damages! And don’t you think you’re getting away, your little disciple had a hand in this too! Both of you, go to the Affairs Hall and handle sect business to pay off the debt!!!”

The city had long since returned to its usual tranquility. The injured Su Mi had returned to that small courtyard once again. However, this time, she and Wanqi Yue weren’t the only ones hurt. Fang Yun and several other disciples had sustained varying degrees of injury, making the limited rooms in the courtyard feel quite cramped.

Wanqi Yue naturally stayed in the same room as Su Mi. In truth, there was another daybed in the room that could have accommodated one more person, but no one dared to enter.

Even Fang Yun, after a moment of silent hesitation, shook her head and refused, preferring to squeeze four people into one room rather than squeeze into that one.

It wasn’t just because of Su Mi, but also because they had never seen the Eldest Senior Sister like she was that day.

Those who usually loved to gossip didn’t dare to now. After all, the gossip of the past was about the “sisterly bond” between the Eldest Senior Sister and the Junior Sister, mostly meant in jest. But now… something felt different.

However, in a place they couldn’t see, inside the room, Wanqi Yue was turned away from everyone, refusing to speak.

Su Mi pursed her lips, which were still somewhat pale from blood loss. Everything had been fine when they returned yesterday, she had even held the girl as they slept last night. But from the moment she opened her eyes this morning, Wanqi Yue had been like this. The numerical value above her head was stuck at 93, down two points from its previous peak.

She had tried to ask the reason, but Wanqi Yue kept a cold face and wouldn’t talk to her. When she tried to press for answers, Meiqiu (the system) said that persistent questioning would likely cause annoyance.

So Su Mi stayed silent for half a day, trying to give Wanqi Yue some peace, only to find the value had dropped another three points.

Consequently, Meiqiu was heartlessly thrown out by her.

Afterward, Su Mi tried to talk to Wanqi Yue again, asking exactly what she had done to make her angry. She didn’t expect that asking this would only make Wanqi Yue look angrier.

“Are you blaming me for not telling you the Mountain Lord’s identity?” Su Mi frowned, reflecting on her actions.

After a while, Wanqi Yue muttered, “No.” If it were before, she certainly would have, but after knowing who the Mountain Lord was, she couldn’t blame the Eldest Senior Sister anymore.

“If it’s not that,” Su Mi walked over and sat beside her, “then what is it?”

“It’s nothing,” Wanqi Yue said, though her voice clearly betrayed her unhappiness.

“Is it the array?”

Wanqi Yue gave a soft “humph,” seemingly indifferent but not denying it.

Su Mi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had found the breakthrough. “At the time, things were urgent. I couldn’t explain too much. I didn’t mean to lock you away on purpose. Besides, the array was very safe, if you hadn’t opened it accidentally.”

Wanqi Yue suddenly scrambled up from the bed, her bright eyes glaring at her with a hint of anger: “So, Eldest Senior Sister, you are blaming me for breaking your ‘most complex array’?”

“I didn’t mean it like…” Before Su Mi could finish, she saw Wanqi Yue roll over to the very inner edge of the bed.

It seemed they were back at square one.

When Qiao Wuyu arrived, Su Mi was the one who opened the door. Her original intention was to have the Junior Sister go with her to fetch some things, but Su Mi stated she would go instead.

Along the way, Qiao Wuyu tried her best to play the mute, but she wasn’t blind. She could see that something was off with the Eldest Senior Sister.

Once they reached their destination, Qiao Wuyu couldn’t help but ask: “Eldest Senior Sister, did you and Junior Sister… have a falling out?”

Su Mi glanced at her. After weighing it in her mind, she asked, “Do you know how to coax someone?”

Qiao Wuyu perked up instantly upon hearing this. “Are you trying to coax Junior Sister?”

“…Yes.” Su Mi’s face felt slightly warm.

Thud…

The sound of something falling over came from inside the room. Su Mi immediately turned to look.

Seconds later, two disciples slowly emerged from the back room, their faces etched with awkward embarrassment.

“What a coincidence! We… we were just looking for something here.”

Fang Yun also walked out from the back, holding a jar. After a thought, she explained, “I came back to get this.”

The group stared at each other in silence; no one wanted to speak first.

“Actually… Junior Sister has a good temperament. She’s easy to coax.”

Su Mi looked at the person who spoke, who then became a bit nervous. The person beside them followed up: “But the current situation is different, isn’t it?”

Qiao Wuyu suddenly spoke: “I know this. I’ve seen this kind of plot before.”

She suddenly opened her storage pouch and started rummaging through it. One by one, slightly yellowed books were pulled out and tossed onto the table, piling up.

“Fifth Senior Sister, surely you don’t spend your nights studying these?”

“Wow, these are out of print now.”

Fang Yun picked one up, looked at the title, and put it back down with a twitching eyelid. She made a move to leave, but Qiao Wuyu stopped her, insisting she should join in and learn as well.

An hour later, Su Mi walked out under the expectant gazes of the group.

She looked at the book in her hand with skepticism, then frowned and continued walking until she reached her door. She pushed it open and walked in.

Wanqi Yue, who had been worrying about why the Eldest Senior Sister had been gone so long, heard the noise and quickly turned her back again. Looking at the bed curtains, she wondered if she was being too much. Maybe she should just take the hint and let it go when she was approached.

The room was silent save for Su Mi’s light footsteps. She sat by the bed, her hand moving restlessly. Then, as if reaching a decision, she propped herself up and leaned toward the person facing away from her.

Feeling someone approach, Wanqi Yue was already prepared with how to “forgive” her, but she didn’t expect her waist to tighten. Suddenly, she was hauled over. Before she could open her mouth to speak, she was kissed thoroughly.

Su Mi felt the warm softness on her lips and pulled away reluctantly, her nose brushing against the other’s. “Are you still angry?”

As she spoke, her eyes remained fixed on Wanqi Yue’s pale pink lips, only glancing up at her eyes after she finished.

Wanqi Yue was caught in a daze of shock. “I….”

Su Mi lowered her head again to kiss her. This time, she took advantage of the slightly parted mouth to engage in a lingering, tangled dance. Their breaths became ragged, carrying a hint of romantic tension.

Wanqi Yue finally understood. A flush crept onto her face, and her voice carried a shy anger: “You’re cheating!”

Finding that the method actually worked, Su Mi smiled. “This ‘cheat’ only works on you.”

Wanqi Yue’s eyes widened. “Do you want to do this to anyone else?”

“No. Only you.” Su Mi answered.

This answer calmed the bristling Wanqi Yue. She suddenly hugged Su Mi, her voice slightly raspy. “Eldest Senior Sister, I dreamed of her.”

Su Mi knew who the “her” in Wanqi Yue’s mouth was. She held her and turned slightly so they were lying on their sides facing each other. “What did you dream?”

“In the dream, I saw a completely different life. Countless people died because of ‘me,’ and ‘I’ could only watch helplessly,” Wanqi Yue closed her eyes and leaned closer to Su Mi. “Eldest Senior Sister, it was painful just to watch.”

Su Mi patted her back gently. “It’s okay. That wasn’t you.”

“If it weren’t for her that day, I might have lost you just like in the dream.” Wanqi Yue’s grip tightened, and her voice carried a hint of a sob. “I know you put me in the array for my own good, but… I am truly afraid of losing you.”

Su Mi held her in silence. “Okay. I’ll remember that next time.”

The two held each other in silence for a while before there was movement.

“Do you want to kiss more?”

“…Yes.”

Just as their lips were about to touch, Qiao Wuyu’s voice came from outside.

“Eldest Senior Sister, Junior Sister! The Sect Leader sent a message back, telling us to get our ass…uh, telling us to hurry back!”