After Being Cursed, My Cold Senior Sister Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 2

Jiang Rulian wasn’t exaggerating; it was bitterly cold outside.

The biting wind, indiscriminate in its targets, seeped through every crack and crevice, stealing every last bit of warmth from the skin it brushed against.

Despite being a cultivator, Qing Qian’s physical constitution was actually weaker than an ordinary person’s.

Jiang Rulian had been worried since leaving home that morning.

She feared Senior Sister wouldn’t adjust to the dry heat, and that the Monster Bureau wouldn’t take proper care of her. Rushing back, she insisted on seeing her Senior Sister in person before she could feel at ease.

Qing Qian remained expressionless. “There’s no need. Someone’s coming to pick me up.”

Her rejection was swift and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. It was clear she had no intention of accepting Jiang Rulian’s kindness.

Jiang Rulian visibly wilted, her spirits deflating like a punctured balloon.

Frowning, Jiang Rulian spoke with a hint of resentment, “I haven’t seen Senior Sister in thirty years. When she came to the Monster Bureau, she didn’t even tell me. She doesn’t wait for me after work, and she’s never taken the initiative to contact me all this time—”

She listed the grievances one by one, each detail etched clearly in her mind, as if she were counting them on her fingers.

Qing Qian’s expression remained cold. When Jiang Rulian reached the part about “worrying so much about Senior Sister every night that I can’t sleep,” Qing Qian finally interrupted, “Enough.”

Jiang Rulian immediately fell silent, turning to look at Qing Qian with a pitiful expression. Her eyes, now warm and brown, looked like those of an abandoned puppy—helpless and sorrowful.

After a moment, Qing Qian gently bit her lip, turned sideways, and made way. “Let’s go. Weren’t you going to drive me home?”

Jiang Rulian quickly stepped forward to lead the way, her lips curling into a smirk when Qing Qian wasn’t looking—the smug look of someone who had outwitted someone else.

Ten minutes later, an unassuming SUV drove out of the underground garage and headed straight for the outskirts of the city.

Jiang Rulian divided her attention between driving and stealing glances at the rearview mirror inside the car.

In the mirror, Qing Qian leaned against the soft cushions, her gaze fixed absently on the scene outside the window.

“What are you looking at, Senior Sister?” Jiang Rulian asked.

Qing Qian lowered her eyes. “This used to be farmland. Thirty years is enough time for even the most dramatic of transformations.”

“Exactly. Spiritual energy is growing increasingly scarce, and new Demons are becoming rare.”

Tingyun Mountain, nestled in the outskirts of the city, was a chain of small mountains that had gained some fame as a scenic tourist spot.

Jiang Rulian gripped the steering wheel as the car wound its way up the mountain road. “Meanwhile, the Human Race thrives, swarming everywhere.”

She glanced at the rearview mirror again. Even driving at night, she couldn’t help but keep an eye on Qing Qian’s movements.

Perhaps because they had returned to familiar territory, Qing Qian visibly relaxed, her eyes half-closed, her soft white hair draping loosely by her ears, left unbrushed.

Her slender, fragile figure, impossible to conceal beneath her clothes, contrasted sharply with her icy, unforgiving tone: “So, why did you set the fire?”

Jiang Rulian’s hand trembled, nearly sending the car off the cliff. How does Senior Sister still remember that?!

She slowed the car, but her words came out hurriedly. “I didn’t do it on purpose! Don’t listen to Yanyan’s nonsense.”

Wasn’t I almost hit?!

“I was genuinely scared,” she explained, fearing Qing Qian’s misunderstanding. “You know how there’ve been all those demon attacks lately? Well, I finally caught one today—a Rabbit Demon.”

“Rabbit Demons are cowardly and rarely attack humans.”

Jiang Rulian nodded. “Right, but that one bit a hiker. Before I could even ask it anything, it suddenly convulsed and died on the spot.”

“And then…” Jiang Rulian’s expression grew uneasy, as if recalling a gruesome scene.

Qing Qian, however, was completely focused, leaning forward slightly, hanging on to every word.

Jiang Rulian hissed softly, then steeled herself to continue. “A creature crawled out of the Rabbit Demon’s mouth—a long, black insect with pincers, and red spots on its head.”

Just the image of the creature emerging made Jiang Rulian wince in disgust. The feeling intensified when she realized it was scuttling towards her.

A shudder ran through her, instinct kicking in before reason could catch up.

Phoenix Fire erupted, radiating outward from the creature’s position. The air distorted violently as the flames spread.

The area was incinerated completely, leaving only a small pile of black ash and a person destined to have their memory blurred by time.

In the end, Jiang Rulian’s trip had been a waste, yielding no useful information.

Even now, recalling the incident sent a chill down her spine. “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” she said. “It wasn’t a demon, but something more like a Gu Insect or some other evil entity. Have you ever encountered anything like that, Senior Sister?”

Qing Qian closed her eyes again and said calmly, “Let me think about it.”

Seeing this, Jiang Rulian fell silent, obediently driving and waiting. Little did she know that this silence would stretch on indefinitely.

Tingyun Mountain stood tall, its nights cold and windswept. As they ascended, the lights grew sparser, leaving only the bright moon suspended on the horizon to illuminate their path.

Further up lay the territory of the Sect, but Jiang Rulian pulled the car over to the side of the road.

She ventured cautiously, “I’d like to invite Senior Sister to be our Vice Captain, responsible for supervision and management. Would that be okay?”

“…”

Only the sound of crickets answered her.

At some point, Qing Qian had curled up against the window, clutching the thin blanket Jiang Rulian had provided, her eyes closed in peaceful slumber.

Jiang Rulian froze. The woman’s breathing was steady, unbroken even as Jiang Rulian leaned closer. She appeared utterly harmless.

Moonlight cascaded over Qing Qian’s features and white hair, quietly filling the car’s interior.

In Jiang Rulian’s eyes, she was an priceless gem, meant to be taken back and cherished according to tradition.

She extended a finger, slowly inching toward Qing Qian’s face. But just inches from the skin, she flinched back as if electrocuted.

No, no! I can’t act so sneakily. I’m supposed to uphold human moral standards as a honest Phoenix, and secretly touching someone’s face is immoral!

Jiang Rulian took a deep breath and was about to withdraw her hand when she saw Qing Qian’s eyelashes flutter. In the next instant, her eyes opened.

Silently, her clear, light eyes contrasted sharply with Jiang Rulian’s stunned expression.

Reacting quickly, Jiang Rulian pulled the blanket upward, trying to conceal her true intentions. She muttered, “I was just tucking Senior Sister in.”

Then, without looking back, she slid back into the driver’s seat, smoothly inserting the key and fastening her seatbelt, her heart pounding with silent alarm.

That was close! Senior Sister was awake the whole time!

Now too afraid to sneak any more glances, she focused on driving. Qing Qian also adjusted her blanket and closed her eyes, as if the whole incident had been nothing more than an inconsequential interruption.

Finally, Jiang Rulian dropped Qing Qian off at the boundary marker of Tingyun Mountain. Beyond this point lay the territory of cultivators.

She hesitated before speaking, her voice barely audible and trembling with uncertainty: “About what I said earlier, regarding the Vice Captain position…”

Qing Qian hadn’t answered when she was awake earlier, and Jiang Rulian braced herself for a similar response now.

As expected, Qing Qian turned around. The cold moonlight flooded the floor, and her eyes reflected no human figure.

“No,” she said.

In that instant, Jiang Rulian realized her mental preparation had been as fragile as a crumbling edifice, crumbling at the slightest touch.

“Why not?”

“There’s no need, and I’m unwilling.”

After a brief silence, Jiang Rulian suddenly smiled. “Alright, then I won’t disturb Senior Sister.”

With that, she reminded Qing Qian to close the window at night as if nothing had happened. Only after the familiar figure had vanished from sight did she wander home alone.

She had grown up with Qing Qian, and they were clearly close senior-junior sister disciples. Yet now they interacted like strangers.

The root of this likely lay in Qing Qian’s disdain for demons.

Jiang Rulian always felt that Qing Qian cared for her solely out of duty as her Senior Sister, nothing more.

Yet Jiang Rulian loved Qing Qian, hopelessly and irrevocably, even without reciprocation.

To yearn and never receive… It truly pained a demon.

******

Early the next morning, the receptionist at the Monster Bureau was preparing hot water in the break room.

Just as she lifted the kettle, she caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.

It was an unmistakably striking face, even in its most casual moments. Her phoenix eyes were half-closed, as if she hadn’t fully woken up.

The young woman trembled, her fluffy ears twitching, frozen in a daze so complete she didn’t even notice the water spilling.

Isn’t that Captain Jiang? Why is she here so early?

Seeing the hot water about to spill on her, Jiang Rulian reached out and steadied the kettle. “Careful.”

“Ah! Oh! Thank you, Senior—” The receptionist snapped out of her daze, stammering her thanks.

Jiang Rulian checked her hair in the mirror and casually asked, “Has the Consultant arrived yet?”

“Just a moment ago.”

“Good.” With a warm smile, she instructed, “Please prepare a cup of tea with this tea leaf and deliver it to my office in half an hour.”

The young girl fumbled to catch the tossed tea bag and nodded.

After giving instructions to Jiang Rulian, she quickly strode back to her office. Once inside, she confirmed the door was closed before collapsing dramatically onto her desk with a wail: “Waaah—”

That night, the Phoenix hadn’t slept a wink. The first half was spent so restless that her feathers became disheveled, while the second half was spent meticulously reordering them due to her obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Senior Sister rejected me again!

She slumped into a defeated heap, pondering what excuse she could use today to approach her Senior Sister. Only when footsteps echoed down the corridor did she snap her head up.

The footsteps drew closer, finally stopping at her office door.

The door swung open, and Jiang Rulian froze, speechless.

It was Qing Qian.

Clutching her books, she stood with her crisp white blouse impeccably pressed, its buttons fastened all the way to the top, revealing a slender swan-like neck.

Her stern, unsmiling face and icy, piercing gaze complemented her pristine appearance.

“You reported my name,” Qing Qian stated, her voice unwavering.

Realizing the situation was dire, Jiang Rulian steeled herself and admitted, “Yes.”

Her sharp eyes caught sight of the document on Qing Qian’s book—a transfer order signed by the Monster Bureau’s director.

The bureau’s director was an old friend of her Master. Knowing her Senior Sister’s deep respect for her teacher, she wouldn’t embarrass him, so her presence here was inevitable.

Qing Qian tightened her grip on the book, the edge biting into her fingers and leaving a red mark. “Since you were prepared, why bother asking me again?”

Even her anger was restrained, befitting her icy, refined demeanor.

The air around her grew oppressively heavy, her eyes dark like the sea before a storm.

Jiang Rulian’s hand trembled, regretting her impulsive action.

Before she could explain, Qing Qian suddenly frowned, tilted her head, and began coughing violently.

The coughs wracked her body, her cheeks flushing an unhealthy crimson, her back arching, and her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

“Senior Sister!”

The coughs sounded like death’s knell. Jiang Rulian, forgetting everything else, stepped forward and forcefully pulled Qing Qian into her arms.

Her touch was icy cold, as if she were holding not a warm, soft person, but a piece of chilled jade.

Jiang Rulian’s heart froze completely. How could a normal person have such a low body temperature?

She gently patted Qing Qian’s back, trying to comfort her, and soothed her with tender words: “Senior Sister, don’t worry. If you don’t like it, just let it go.”

At such close proximity, the warmth of her body seeped through their clothes, sending a tingling sensation through Qing Qian’s skin.

Suddenly, Qing Qian went limp, the books in her arms scattering across the floor. With her free hand, she pushed at Jiang Rulian and hissed, “Jiang Rulian, let go!”

But she lacked the strength to push her off. Her breathing was ragged, the corners of her eyes tinged with red—this frail appearance posed no threat to Jiang Rulian.

Jiang Rulian shook her head. “No, let me take your pulse first, Senior Sister.”

The earlier incident had already put her on edge, and knowing Qing Qian had suffered severe injuries before, her anxiety only intensified.

But the moment she grasped Qing Qian’s wrist, a startled gasp came from the doorway.

“Ah?!”

Both women turned simultaneously. A young girl carrying a tray of tea stood frozen in the doorway, her cheeks flushed crimson and even the tips of her hair standing on end.

“Senior Jiang… tea… tea…”

Oh no, will Senior Jiang silence her for this embarrassing scene?!

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