After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 145

Lips met and parted immediately.

After the kiss, Zhou Zhixue seemed shy, directly wrapping her arms around Qin Qingyi’s neck and burying her head deep into her chest.

But Qin Qingyi was still recalling the words Zhou Zhixue had just spoken:

“When I grow up, I’m going to marry you.”

After a slight moment of surprise, Qin Qingyi recovered and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Has her dear junior sister already become so enamored with beauty at such a young age?

The soft laughter passed through her chest and into Zhou Zhixue’s ears, deep and muffled.

She became even more embarrassed, feeling as if she wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide in, when suddenly, she heard the beauty whisper close to her ear: “Then you must remember my name, I am… Qin Qingyi…”

The beauty dissolved with the wind, and Zhou Zhixue suddenly lunged into empty air. She fell forward, hitting the thick snow, the coldness and the snow covering her head and body jolting her awake.

“Miss, how did you get out here?”

An anxious and concerned voice came from behind her; it was Wu Ma, her personal attendant.

Wu Ma helped her up from the snow, gently brushed the snowflakes off her, and her voice held a hint of scolding: “Miss, you ran off without a word. This place is full of displaced people fleeing the disaster. What if there were bad people…”

Zhou Zhixue gradually came to her senses. She recalled the fragrant embrace from earlier and interrupted Wu Ma’s nagging: “Wu Ma, I think I just saw an immortal.”

Wu Ma was startled, then laughed at her: “Is Miss bored from reading those storybooks? In this freezing weather, how could there be an immortal?”

Zhou Zhixue insisted: “There really was an immortal. I even hugged her just now.”

She kept the quick, fleeting kiss a secret.

Wu Ma stroked her head to soothe her: “Alright, alright, our Miss saw an immortal. That truly is good luck, blessed by the heavens.”

As she spoke, Wu Ma looked at the refugees around them affected by the snow disaster, her eyes filled with pity. She sighed: “If there really were immortals, why don’t they come and save us? If this snow keeps falling, people will all die.”

Zhou Zhixue followed Wu Ma’s gaze. As they traveled, the number of refugees dwindled. Even if they hadn’t died in houses crushed by the snow, they had frozen or starved to death during their escape.

By now, less than half of the people who set out remained.

Fortunately, Wu Ma was only complaining casually. After speaking, she took a deep breath and led Zhou Zhixue towards the Zhou family’s carriage.

With a natural disaster upon them, they had to hurry to the capital to preserve their family’s assets and prepare for a resurgence.

Qin Qingyi hadn’t left; she was merely hidden elsewhere, watching the two figures silently.

The dark pendant was still warm, scorching her palm. Qin Qingyi looked down, and as she did, the surrounding scenery changed again.

When she looked up again, the scenery around was dilapidated, with smoke and fire rising everywhere.

Sounds faintly drifted from a manor house not far away.

Qin Qingyi walked towards the source of the sound.

“The Emperor is incompetent, and heroes have risen everywhere. We who live in these chaotic times should follow the prevailing trend and strive for the world together!”

Through the bamboo fence, Qin Qingyi saw many people and horses inside. Counting them, there were over a hundred.

The soldiers all looked excited and fanatical, their eyes fixed on the silver-armored young general speaking at the very front. Their voices were passionate and resounding: “We swear to follow the Young Master until death!”

Qin Qingyi looked at the familiar face of the silver-armored young general and smiled lightly.

It was her Junior Sister.

She had grown up, seeming to be sixteen or seventeen years old.

Had so much time passed with just that one glance?

The training inside had finished. The soldiers separated into groups for training, and the silver-armored young general finally had a moment to rest.

Qin Qingyi did not speak, merely watching her silently.

Her Junior Sister, in this illusion, seemed completely different from before. She remembered that at Hidden Snow Peak, Junior Sister always had a stern expression and spoke little, constantly in a state of tension.

But here, she seemed… at ease, even though she was about to raise a rebellion. She looked remarkably comfortable.

It was the Sword Gate that had confined her.

Qin Qingyi couldn’t help but wonder if, had it not been for the troubles she faced in her youth, her Junior Sister would have been as carefree and unrestrained as she was in this illusion.

The gaze was especially tender, so much so that the other party noticed something, raising her eyes to look in Qin Qingyi’s direction.

Clang—

A teacup fell to the floor.

Zhou Zhixue stared blankly outside. That figure, the graceful figure that appeared in her dreams every night, entangled with her.

The immortal who she had only met once, and who then vanished from her life for decades.

She rushed out suddenly, completely disregarding the astonished looks of the soldiers under her command.

But when she got outside, the person was long gone from the doorway.

Only a handkerchief remained, fluttering gently into her palm.

It still carried a familiar, soft fragrance from her memory.

“Immortal! Immortal!”

Zhou Zhixue clutched the handkerchief, searching anxiously in the surroundings.

But she couldn’t find the beautiful woman’s silhouette.

“When you ascend to the throne, I will naturally come to see you again.”

The light voice fell into Zhou Zhixue’s ears, instantly sweeping away her despondency and making her eyes light up.

“Immortal, just wait for me! In less than ten years, I will surely conquer the Central Plains!”

Her ambitious declaration echoed between heaven and earth.

Ten years passed in a flash.

On the eve of her enthronement, Zhou Zhixue sat in the grand temple, quietly alone for a long time.

She reflected on the past ten years: leading armies to fight everywhere, with warlords vying against each other. She was fortunate to gain a foothold among them, and in just six years, she stood in opposition to another powerful warlord. Then, she spent another four years internally disintegrating and splitting his forces, swiftly striking when he was weak.

This battle allowed her to completely unify the nation.

She had done what she said she would.

Zhou Zhixue felt nervous. She looked at her hands, scarred and calloused from wielding a sword in endless campaigns, which now held that silk handkerchief.

Ten years had passed, and the handkerchief was still the same, only the scent had faded.

Tomorrow would be the ten-year appointment.

Would that immortal come?

Outside the door, the loyal ministers and generals who had accompanied her through all the battles until the complete unification of the nation were whispering nervously.

“What’s wrong with the Sovereign?”

“The enthronement ceremony is tomorrow morning. Why is the Sovereign not seeing us now?”

“Could something have happened to the Sovereign?”

They were anxious outside the door. Someone couldn’t help but knock, but received no response from inside.

Until an ethereal voice sounded behind them.

“Everyone, please step aside.”

The many officials turned back in surprise, but were utterly stunned the next moment.

As if an immortal had descended to the mortal world.

In that instant, this was the only thought in everyone’s minds.

This was the site of the Emperor’s grand sacrifice, heavily guarded by thousands of elite soldiers. How could an ordinary woman find her way here?

Moreover, when they turned around, they had seen her robes fluttering, slowly landing under the moonlight.

Now that she walked before them, they felt even more that her beauty was peerless, beyond that of a mortal. Her temperament was extraordinary, like a pure blue lotus, untouched by dust.

If not an immortal, what else could she be?

In just a moment, these battle-hardened generals and officials instinctively moved aside, clearing a path for Qin Qingyi.

They exchanged glances, pushing each other until a young woman gathered her courage and stepped forward, asking softly.

“This… Immortal, are you here to see our Sovereign?”

Qin Qingyi looked at her, recognizing her as a loyal subordinate who had been by Zhou Zhixue’s side since the start of her rebellion, having blocked many visible and hidden attacks for her Junior Sister. She was someone who cared deeply for her Junior Sister.

She broke into a smile: “Your Sovereign and I had a ten-year appointment. Now that ten years have passed, I am naturally here to find her.”

The woman was momentarily stunned by Qin Qingyi’s smile, instantly blushing and unable to speak coherently. She could only take a slight step back and respectfully say: “Please, Immortal.”

Qin Qingyi didn’t say anything more to them and walked straight toward the door.

The door was bolted from the inside. They were about to remind her, but then saw the immortal simply lower her gaze slightly, gently point a finger, and the door opened with a soft sound.

Their hearts skipped a beat.

She was indeed an immortal, possessing the magic of opening doors remotely.

Thinking of this, the officials and generals present exchanged glances, their hearts burning with fervor.

Their Sovereign was to ascend the throne tomorrow, and now an immortal was visiting.

Could this be a sign of heavenly mandate?!

Qin Qingyi was unaware of their hidden thoughts. She simply wanted to see her Junior Sister one more time before the demonic energy in the pendant was completely depleted.

Since she entered this illusion, the demonic energy in the pendant had been continuously consumed, and the closer she got to her Junior Sister, the faster the consumption rate.

To stay longer, she had to keep her distance from her Junior Sister, wandering through the chaos and learning about her movements from others.

Ten years ago, with heroes vying for power, the Zhou clan also raised an army. The young commander quickly captured her first city, becoming the lord of a territory.

She then expanded her territory year by year, her land growing little by little.

Of course, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Sometimes, she would hear news of a defeat. She would also get injured, and occasionally when her life was in danger, Qin Qingyi couldn’t help but go see her, using small tricks to help her recover faster.

However, most of the time, Qin Qingyi stayed far away.

Only now did she not need to watch her Junior Sister from afar anymore.

She had come to see her.

Qin Qingyi stepped lightly inside. The door closed behind her again, cutting off the view from outside.

The faint movement was noticed by the person in the hall. Zhou Zhixue frowned in displeasure: “Didn’t I say not to allow anyone to disturb me?”

Although she hadn’t yet been crowned, ten years of campaigning had imbued her with both lethal intent and authority. Ordinary soldiers, hearing her displeasure, would have already knelt and begged for mercy.

But today, there was no sound of alarm or pleas for forgiveness behind her.

However, the rustling sound had indeed stopped.

Stopping not far behind her.

Inside the darkened chamber, there was silence.

Zhou Zhixue had not lit any lamps in the hall. It was pitch black, with only a small amount of moonlight shining in, illuminating the small area.

The silence behind her finally made her react.

Perhaps the person who came was not her subordinate?

But rather—

Thinking of what day it was, Zhou Zhixue’s breathing quickened.

Could it be… her?

But she dared not turn around.

She was afraid it was all a figment of her imagination.

She had been sick for a long time, critically ill.

Since their first meeting in the heavy snow of her youth, she had lost her heart and soul.

For the past ten years, she had constantly missed the goddess who had captivated her very soul.

Whenever she went out to campaign, launched a surprise attack, or engaged in battle with opposing armies, she would always keep the handkerchief the goddess had left her close by, as if doing so would grant her the goddess’s protection, making her invincible.

And it was true. In ten years of warfare, she rarely suffered a defeat. During the few times she was severely wounded and critically ill, in her grogginess, she always saw the goddess’s figure appear beside her.

And after waking from her dream, she would quickly recover.

Tomorrow, she would perform the grand sacrifice here and become the true ruler of the world.

So now, had the goddess come to see her?

Zhou Zhixue dared not turn around. She was afraid that what she was currently thinking would turn out to be nothing.

She was also afraid… afraid that her encounter with the goddess was merely a beautiful dream from her youth.

“I have come to find you as promised. Are you unwilling to see me?”

Seeing that she refused to turn around for a long time, Qin Qingyi chuckled softly.

The Junior Sister who dared to express her feelings directly in her youth, why had she become so timid after a few years?

Hearing the voice that had appeared countless times in her dreams, Zhou Zhixue could no longer suppress her excitement. She abruptly stood up, completely devoid of the usual authority she displayed toward her subordinates.

The immortal had arrived!

“Goddess?!”

Zhou Zhixue hastily took two steps forward, wanting to touch her, but withdrew her hand just as she was about to make contact.

She was afraid of defiling the goddess.

Qin Qingyi saw her caution and the love in her eyes.

“Goddess, after so many years, you are still as you were at our first meeting…” Zhou Zhixue felt inferior. The goddess before her was still radiant, but she…

She looked down at her hands, which were covered in scars and calluses from years of fighting. She also had many scars on her body, and even a long scar running from her side face down to her jawbone. Although not very noticeable, a close look revealed that her face was marred.

She began to feel self-conscious.

She no longer deserved the goddess.