After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 40

“Will all disciples be returning?”

Zhou Zhixue spoke.

Her voice was cool and clear, like ice falling from the eaves in winter—pleasant to the ear, but lacking a certain liveliness.

This was the drawback of cultivating the Path of Ruthlessness.

Having seven emotions and six desires makes one human, but the Path of Ruthlessness insisted on twisting a person into a ruthless and desireless being. Now that she had cultivated to the fifth layer, she was not only oblivious to many things but her entire being exuded an icy, snow-like coolness from the inside out.

It was much like her Ice Spiritual Root—cold and unemotional.

It was enough to plain annoy people.

Zhou Zhixue herself was aware of it. She pursed her lips and stopped speaking.

Fortunately, Feng Ning didn’t seem to mind much and simply picked up the conversation: “By rights, they should all return.”

Zhou Zhixue nodded, indicating she understood.

A secret joy gradually sprouted in her heart. She curved her lips slightly, her voice rare in its excitement.

“Since that’s the case, I should probably go back and clean my room first.”

With that, she made to leave.

Feng Ning didn’t stop her. Instead, she watched Zhou Zhixue’s retreating back and, after a long while, whispered to the person in the wheelchair: “Didn’t you say something was off about her?”

“Just now on the stage, did you notice anything strange?”

The person in the wheelchair rubbed their forehead, complaining, “I merely mentioned it casually, and you had to leap up and challenge her to a match. Thankfully you weren’t hurt. What if you had been?”

Feng Ning giggled: “Wouldn’t I still have you then?”

Feng Ying glared at her: “If you really got hurt because of that, I wouldn’t care for you.”

After joking around for a bit, Feng Ning sobered up, asking seriously, “You mentioned before that Zhou Zhixue seemed a bit strange. Was there an issue with her cultivation?”

She wasn’t actually concerned about Zhou Zhixue; she was genuinely curious, as this person’s path was different from theirs. It was the Path of Ruthlessness—the unique Path of Ruthlessness of the Sword Sect, and she was the inheritor of the Long-Joy Sword.

That was the Long-Joy Sword of the Immortal Venerable Wuguo, known throughout the Xuan Tian Realm. Most of their generation grew up listening to the legends of Immortal Venerable Wuguo saving the world.

Putting everything else aside, her rapid cultivation speed alone was enough to make everyone envious.

If she had such a cultivation speed, she probably wouldn’t be far behind.

“It’s not that there was an issue with her cultivation…” Feng Ying mused, carefully recalling Zhou Zhixue’s reactions just now. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but she certainly doesn’t look like someone who has severed all emotional ties.”

Feng Ying frowned, resting a hand on her temple as she fell into thought. “But she’s only eighteen and has never left the Sword Sect. It shouldn’t be…”

“Sigh, Junior Sister Zhou’s swift cultivation is truly enviable.”

Feng Ning sighed, a hint of admiration in her eyes. “To ascend from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul in just ten years—it’s truly beyond reach.”

“What, do you want to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness too?”

Seeing her expression, Feng Ying knew what this person was thinking.

“The Path of Ruthlessness isn’t something you can cultivate just because you want to. You covet her cultivation speed, but don’t forget, the Path of Ruthlessness requires severing all kinship.”

“If you truly want to cultivate it, I won’t stop you. How about I just commit suicide in front of you today, and you can properly cultivate your Path of Ruthlessness.”

Perhaps speaking in haste or out of anger, as Feng Ying’s voice trailed off, she uncontrollably began to cough.

She coughed like autumn leaves rustling, her face flushed, yet her furrowed brows told others she was currently seething with anger.

Feng Ning quickly begged for mercy: “My dear grandaunt, how dare I? Please don’t be angry.”

“I was just curious, why are you getting angry? Be careful not to make yourself sick again.”

She took Feng Ying’s hand and pressed it against her cheek, soothing her gently: “Don’t be angry, alright? You know I care about you, so how could I bear to abandon you to cultivate some Path of Ruthlessness?”

Feng Ying’s expression finally softened.

But she still sneered: “You’re different now. You are the Chief Disciple of the Sword-Wielding Peak, the future sect master successor, and I am just a cripple. How could I bother you with such attachment?”

Just as she finished speaking, she felt a slight sting on her wrist.

Feng Ying looked up and saw that the person who had just been gently stroking her hand had now bitten down on it.

When she released, a distinct circle of teeth marks was clearly visible on her wrist.

The bite was quite deep, looking like it would turn black and blue in a few hours.

Feng Ying was furious: “Why did you bite me?!”

Feng Ning blinked her innocent eyes, turning the bite into a kiss, lightly kissing Feng Ying’s long, slender white hand. As she kissed, her words changed: “Putting a mark on a certain stubborn little sister so that when she goes out, she sees the mark and knows what should and shouldn’t be said.”

Feng Ning spoke with righteousness, her kissing sounds growing louder: “I wonder if a certain little sister still wants to watch the competition?”

They were currently sitting in an inconspicuous corner on the edge of the martial arts stage. After Zhou Zhixue left, there was a new match on stage, mostly disciples sparring with each other. It wasn’t very exciting, but it helped pass the time.

Feng Ying’s ears turned red from her kissing. She forcefully pulled her hand out of the grip of the certain chief rogue and snapped: “Let’s go back!”

What was there to watch?!

It was simply too annoying!

Feng Ning hummed triumphantly and pushed the wheelchair away.

That night.

Zhou Zhixue tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She thought, in three days at most, her Senior Sister would return.

If Senior Sister came back, what expression should she have, what should she say?

Should she say, “Senior Sister, it’s been years, I’ve grown up now”?

Or should she say, “Senior Sister, where have you been all these years?”

Senior Sister must have seen many things outside, unlike her, who had stayed on the Hidden Snow Peak for ten years, doing nothing but cultivating.

She hadn’t seen the wind and snow outside, and she didn’t have much contact with her fellow disciples.

In ten years, she hadn’t made any friends.

Zhou Zhixue curled up on the bed, still clutching the damaged white clothing.

This was a habit she had developed after her Senior Sister left; without this piece of clothing, she couldn’t sleep well.

But the scent of her Senior Sister on the clothing was growing fainter. Zhou Zhixue unconsciously crumpled the clothing into a ball. She buried her face in it and sniffed deeply, raising her head with a look of disappointment.

There was no trace of her Senior Sister’s scent left.

She hadn’t changed much in the room, keeping it the way it was when her Senior Sister left, only occasionally picking up a duster to wipe away the dust in her leisure time.

But even so, the traces of her Senior Sister were growing shallower.

Well, it had been ten years already.

Zhou Zhixue sighed softly, then simply rolled over and turned towards the inside of the bed.

Her heart was in chaos, and she couldn’t sleep no matter what.

She simply sat up and unfolded the clothing she had crumpled into a ball.

This thin shirt was what Qin Qingyi had taken off after she was punished and injured her back, and then had to change bandages. It hadn’t been dealt with at the time and was hanging by the bed.

She had long washed the bloodstains off, and due to her year-round touching, the already delicate fabric had become thinner and softer.

Touching it felt like touching a layer of skin.

“Senior Sister…”

Her hand gently brushed over the gown. Zhou Zhixue bit her lip, her lowered eyes filled with murky emotions.

She seemed to feel ashamed of her next actions. A faint flush rose on her neck, spreading to her earlobes.

Within the dimly lit bed curtains, Zhou Zhixue slowly slipped off her nightclothes, then put on the thin shirt.

The moment the soft fabric touched her skin, it elicited an almost inaudible sigh of satisfaction.

“Senior Sister…”

Zhou Zhixue called softly. The thin shirt hung loosely on her shoulders. When she slightly turned her head, her long hair fell loose, just enough to hide her exposed skin.

She tilted her head back to breathe, her face a flush of unnatural redness. She bent over several times, then abruptly tensed her spine.

A hazy light filtered through the bed curtains, making it impossible to clearly see what was happening inside.

After a long time, Zhou Zhixue was breathing heavily. Before her breathing could steady, her hands trembled as she slowly took off the thin shirt.

Her gaze fell upon the slightly gleaming crystal substance on her fingertips. The sticky feeling made her frown instantly. She used a spell to put her clothes back on, and only then did she lie down on her side.

No one knew that on many nights of hard cultivation, she had used her most intimate Senior Sister’s clothing to pleasure herself.

“Senior Sister…”

Zhou Zhixue gazed longingly at the thin shirt she had just taken off. As the lust in her eyes faded, her gaze became filled with longing. She traced the thin shirt with her fingertips.

“I miss you so much…”

Three days later, in the Demon Realm.

“Mother! I said I want to go back!”

Qin Qingyi looked up at her mother on the high throne, the Demon Empress of the Demon Realm, feeling helpless and annoyed.

Two days ago, she had received the decree recalling the Sword Sect disciples. She figured she had already indulged in debauchery in the Demon Realm for ten years, and it was time to go back and take a look.

But to her surprise, she was immediately stopped within the Demon Realm. She ran headfirst into the Demon Realm’s barrier, making her eyes water with dizziness.

She couldn’t even leave the Demon Realm’s barrier. Qin Qingyi covered her dizzy head and went to ask the Demon Elder guarding the barrier. Only then did she learn that it was her mother who had issued an oral decree forbidding her from leaving the Demon Realm.

Qin Qingyi returned to her mother in a fit of pique, wanting to argue her way out, but no matter how she tried to persuade her, her mother, the current Demon Empress Qin Boruo, would not let her go.

“What is the point of going back to that hellhole? To continue suffering?”

Qin Boruo scoffed at her prodigal daughter’s insistence on returning to the Sword Sect.

“You refuse to be the perfectly good young lord and insist on being a servant for someone else. When did a donkey kick your brain?”

Qin Boruo was exasperated. She took a few steps down from the Demon Empress throne, pinched the soft flesh of Qin Qingyi’s cheeks, and began to pull them apart: “I gave birth to you and raised you this big. You don’t want the vast Demon Realm territory, but you are eager to go to the Immortal Sect to suffer? This time, just listen to your mother, stay in the Demon Realm obediently, and don’t go to that darned Sword Sect.”

Qin Qingyi mumbled: “I don’t want to be the young lord. Having you is enough for the Demon Realm. Can’t I just do something I want to do? Right now, I just want to go to the Sword Sect and be an Immortal Sect disciple.”

Qin Boruo was angry: “You child!”

“What is so good about the Sword Sect? Who has bewitched you, forcing you to cause a ruckus to return? You haven’t left the Demon Realm in these ten years. I thought you had decided not to go out. The outside is so dangerous! The Demon Race is rampant now, and there are massacres committed by them everywhere. Why do you insist on going out? To be a sacrifice for the Demon Race?”

Qin Qingyi retorted: “What kind of talk is that, Mother? I already have Nascent Soul strength. How could I be considered a sacrifice for the Demon Race?”

Qin Boruo angrily pulled her ear: “You are good at talking back! The last time you sneaked out, what happened? You were chased and beaten by the Demon Race and almost died outside! And you still say you’re not a sacrifice? If you hadn’t luckily been picked up by Venerable Wenqing, you probably wouldn’t have kept your life! You still want to go out, still want to go out. Do you have to give the remaining half of your life to the Demon Race to be satisfied?!”

Qin Boruo’s words were faster than her thoughts. By the time she realized what she had said, the words couldn’t be taken back.

She felt she had misspoke and immediately stopped, but the look in her eyes toward Qin Qingyi now carried a bit of exhaustion and careful consideration. She finally sighed: “Qingyi, you are my only child. I just don’t want to lose you.”

In that moment, Qin Boruo seemed to have aged several years. Her normally straight back slumped, and she no longer had the spirited, decisive look of the Demon Empress she had just displayed.

Qin Qingyi lowered her head, tears dripping onto the ground one by one, her voice muffled: “It is daughter’s fault for being unfilial and causing Mother trouble.”

Qin Boruo reached out and pulled her daughter into her arms, gently persuading: “Stay in the Demon Realm, alright? Just this once, listen to your mother’s arrangement and be an obedient young lord.”

She harbored a sliver of hope, wanting to keep her daughter.

Unexpectedly, Qin Qingyi, who had just been sobbing in her arms, immediately raised her head upon hearing this, wiped her tears clean, and sniffled her refusal: “No way!”

“I have to go back to the Sword Sect.”