After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 92

Hearing Feng Ning say this, Qin Qingyi was unable to calm down for a long time.

She had previously simply assumed that Feng Ying was the one who took the compass, but she never expected that Feng Ying was the compass itself.

This was truly somewhat shocking.

However, thinking of what Feng Ning had just told her—that she was afraid she couldn’t protect Feng Ying herself, afraid that the Heaven’s Will Sect would take Feng Ying back in the future—she hoped that Hidden Snow Peak could offer some protection to Feng Ying for her.

“But, she is inherently the Heaven’s Will Sect’s… ‘possession’,” Qin Qingyi stumbled slightly mid-sentence. She thought that using “thing” to describe Feng Ying seemed a bit improper, so after a moment of reflection, she settled on “possession.”

This made it seem less heartless.

Yet, Feng Ning’s reaction was still intense.

“She has her own thoughts and soul; she is not just the existence of a compass. She is a vibrant, and to us, no different… person.”

Feng Ning specifically emphasized the word “person.”

Qin Qingyi was not angered by this. Instead, after thinking, she asked another question:

“Does she know your decision?”

Qin Qingyi looked at Feng Ning, trying to get an answer from her.

Feng Ning was solely focused on shielding the other person, but had she ever asked for Feng Ying’s own opinion?

As she said, Feng Ying was now a “person” indistinguishable from them, so she must have her own thoughts. Could Feng Ning’s thoughts represent Feng Ying’s thoughts?

“She doesn’t like staying at the Heaven’s Will Sect. Xiao Ying has gained human consciousness and doesn’t want to spend her days boringly in the dark, sunless閣楼 (pavilion/loft) of the Heaven’s Will Sect.”

“She has never caused trouble at the Sword Gate. She is now an independent individual and should have the right to decide where she is.”

Feng Ning became more agitated as she spoke, and she started coughing repeatedly.

Qin Qingyi was at a loss, but finally, Feng Ying, who was watching from a distance, noticed something was wrong and rushed over, giving Feng Ning a pill, which helped a little.

Watching Feng Ning cough until her cheeks were red, yet still stubbornly clutching Qin Qingyi’s hand.

“Can you promise me?”

Qin Qingyi looked at her, her eyes extremely complicated.

Feng Ning looked back with persistence.

After a long while, Qin Qingyi gave in.

“I promise you.”

If the Heaven’s Will Sect were to demand Feng Ying back in the future, she would stop them.

With her promise secured, Feng Ning visibly relaxed. She let go of Qin Qingyi’s tightly held hand and sincerely thanked her: “Thank you.”

Qin Qingyi’s lips moved slightly: “You’re welcome.”

With that said, Qin Qingyi couldn’t bear to stay any longer. She practically fled in a hurry.

Behind her, Feng Ying watched her retreating figure, then slowly lowered her head and leaned closer to Feng Ning: “What did you say to her? Why is she in such a state?”

She was far away and couldn’t hear what Feng Ning said to her, so she was completely unable to understand why Qin Qingyi’s face was so unpleasant.

Feng Ning, having stabilized her mind, smiled gently. She stroked Feng Ying’s hand and softly replied, “Nothing, just idle chat.”

Feng Ying clearly didn’t believe her: “Just now you wanted her to promise you something. What did you ask her to promise?”

Feng Ning, however, remained silent. No matter how much Feng Ying questioned, she refused to say anything more.

“Boring.”

Feng Ying finally commented.

Feng Ning merely smiled. After a while, she suddenly thought of something and looked at Feng Ying with interest:

“Xiao Ying, now that I’ve lost my spiritual power and can no longer cultivate, becoming just the most ordinary mortal… will you find staying by my side very boring?”

She spoke cautiously, and her eyes held a timidity that wasn’t there before.

In the past, as the Chief Disciple of the Sect Master, although not the most gifted disciple of the Sword Gate, Feng Ning had advanced steadily, step by step. She was very confident in her own abilities.

But now that she had become like this, she couldn’t even shield someone, and had to ask others to protect the person she wanted to protect. This feeling brought a sense of powerlessness over Feng Ning.

She could no longer protect Xiao Ying.

Feng Ning clearly recognized this point.

For Xiao Ying, she seemed to have become a useless cripple.

When she was little, she could give Xiao Ying a spirit root. Later, she could protect Xiao Ying. But now, she had nothing left. Her Dantian was shattered, and her meridians were broken. Nothing remained.

“No.”

The next moment, Feng Ying’s emotionless voice sounded.

What?

Feng Ning, who had been lowering her head, suddenly looked up at Feng Ying.

“Xiao Ying, what did you just… say?”

Feng Ying was very patient: “I said no.”

She looked at Feng Ning and answered calmly:

“I won’t find it boring. You are interesting, and this place is also interesting.”

“Being by your side, I feel very happy.”

Feng Ning couldn’t believe it: “Even though I am a cripple now?”

Feng Ying frowned: “Why say that?”

She couldn’t quite understand Feng Ning’s thinking. “You are still alive, and you are by my side. That is enough.”

“But I have nothing left, no spiritual power, and I still need you to take care of me.”

“That’s fine too,” Feng Ying said without hesitation. “It was always you who took care of me before. Now it’s my turn to take care of you. It’s a fresh experience.”

Seeing Feng Ning’s half-believing look, Feng Ying was silent for a moment, knowing that she wasn’t entirely convinced by her words.

“If you want to be able to cultivate, I can give the Earth Spirit Root back to you.” Feng Ying said this very calmly, as if it was as simple as “What shall we eat tonight?” to her.

“Although your Wind Spirit Root was destroyed, the Earth Spirit Root is still with me. As long as you want it, while it may not be as good as the Wind Spirit Root, it won’t be much worse.”

Feng Ning refused without even thinking.

“No, if you give it back to me, what will you do?”

Without the support of a spirit root, what would Feng Ying do?

Her original form was a compass. She was forced to reveal her form to save herself at that time, but she couldn’t sustain it for long. Now, she relies entirely on that one Earth Spirit Root for support. If the spirit root were gone, she would likely immediately revert to her original compass form.

Feng Ying didn’t even think: “I’ll turn back into a compass. You can just carry me.”

She seemed to have long anticipated this outcome, so she showed no hesitation.

Feng Ning was surprised by her idea and was so agitated she almost stood up from her wheelchair: “How could you have such an idea?!”

Feng Ying paused, thinking Feng Ning was unwilling to carry her. She frowned and contemplated for a moment, about to say that it was fine if she didn’t want to carry her, when she heard Feng Ning’s excited tone:

“What about me if you turn into a compass?”

“Who will take care of me?”

Feng Ying wanted to say that after returning the spirit root your body would naturally get better, but Feng Ning didn’t give her a chance to speak. She immediately covered Feng Ying’s mouth, pretending to be fierce:

“You are not allowed to think about giving the spirit root back to me! Don’t even think about this idea ever again!”

“You still have to take care of me; you must take care of me until I fully recover!”

“Did you hear me?!”

Feng Ning feigned aggression, and only after saying these words did she release her hand from Feng Ying’s mouth, allowing her to answer.

Feng Ying blinked and nodded: “Okay.”

——————

After returning, Qin Qingyi had a sleepless night.

Although she couldn’t fully comprehend the complex feelings between Feng Ning and Feng Ying, she felt a sense of empathy.

Her relationship with her Junior Sister…

It was equally hard to speak of to others.

“What is Senior Sister thinking about? Why are you tossing and turning?”

A soft body pressed against her, and an arm reached for Qin Qingyi’s waist, pulling her into an embrace.

It was Zhou Zhixue.

The familiar sensation made Qin Qingyi instinctively move within the embrace, settling into a comfortable position before stopping.

She closed her eyes and answered Zhou Zhixue’s question.

“I’m thinking about Feng Ning and Feng Ying.”

It was fine until she mentioned it. As soon as she did, Zhou Zhixue felt a bit jealous, and the arm around Qin Qingyi’s waist tightened a bit.

“Why is Senior Sister thinking about them?” she asked.

Qin Qingyi didn’t know where to start. After a long silence, she could only sigh: “Let’s sleep.”

“In the future, we should look after them more.”

Having said that, Qin Qingyi closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

Leaving Zhou Zhixue confused in the darkness.

Look after… who? Feng Ning and Feng Ying?

Feng Ning was fine; she indeed needed more care. But Feng Ying… did she really need to be looked after?

However, Qin Qingyi was already asleep. Even though she wanted to ask, she didn’t want to wake Qin Qingyi up.

She would ask tomorrow.

Thinking this, Zhou Zhixue held Qin Qingyi tightly, and the two of them slept pressed close together.

But the next day, Zhou Zhixue woke up and completely forgot about the matter.

She scratched her head, somewhat annoyed.

What did she want to ask Senior Sister?

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember the thing she had forgotten.

“If you can’t remember, then let it go. It probably wasn’t anything important,” Qin Qingyi advised her.

Zhou Zhixue thought about it. That was true; if it were very important, she surely wouldn’t forget it.

So, she stopped trying to remember.

Qin Qingyi found a moment to visit Shangguan Yu again, subtly inquiring about the future arrangements for Feng Ning.

She had promised to look after the person for her, but that was for the future. Since Feng Ning was still here, it was naturally not up to her to decide yet.

“She is my disciple, and she lost her spiritual root and cultivation for the sake of eliminating demons. As her Master, I naturally won’t just stand by.”

Shangguan Yu had never thought of abandoning Feng Ning like a mere pawn. The Sword Gate would not allow such a thing to happen, and neither would she herself.

“I have already contacted all the Sword Gate elders outside, asking them to pay more attention to methods that can heal Feng Ning.”

Saying this, Shangguan Yu sighed.

“I had intended for her to guard Cliff Mountain, so she could gain some merit. Then, when I passed the position of Sword Gate Sect Master to her, no one would raise objections. But I didn’t expect…”

“She is a good child, and I don’t want her to simply accept reality so easily. A child who was once high-spirited is now kneeling before me, saying she asks for nothing but to remain in the Sword Gate, even if only as a miscellaneous disciple.”

Thinking of Feng Ning kneeling before her a few days ago, speaking humbly, Shangguan Yu felt a wad of cotton blocking her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

“She is my only disciple. How can I easily give up on her?”

A parent’s love for their child plans for their distant future. In the mortal world, where blood ties matter, elders will do their utmost to pave a smooth path for their children. However, in the Xuan Tian Realm, those who embark on the path of cultivation are more or less destined to have weak familial ties. What is more solid and reliable than blood ties is the bond between master and disciple.

Immortal Qingwen previously protected the four children of Hidden Snow Peak more than her own eyes. Before ascending, she even left important messages and bequeathed all of Hidden Snow Peak’s assets to her disciples.

Shangguan Yu admitted that she couldn’t be as genuinely emotive as her Junior Sister, but Feng Ning was her only disciple after all. The effort she had invested in Feng Ning over the years was no less than what she invested in herself. Now that Feng Ning’s spiritual power was completely gone, it felt like her heart was being carved out.

Shangguan Yu closed her eyes, trying to temporarily put the matter out of her mind.

She then asked about something else: “Regarding your mother… I heard that the Demon Clan has also been in turmoil recently. Is this true?”

Qin Qingyi nodded, her expression unpleasant.

The last time Yan Li told her about this, she quickly sent a message back, stating that the risk was extremely high and that the Demon Clan should temporarily hold back. It wouldn’t be too late to investigate the truth first.

But precisely…

A few Demon Clan elders who were skeptical secretly tried it themselves and died on the demon race’s territory.

After several consecutive deaths, the remaining Great Demons, though still unwilling to give up, dared not try again easily.

But the Demon Clan was thrown into chaos because of it.

“My mother said she’s almost unable to control those who are restlessly moving. She wants me to go back.”

Qin Qingyi was somewhat conflicted.

She knew what her mother’s intention was. It was simply because her status in the Sword Gate was somewhat special. If she brought the reputation of the Sword Gate to bear, even if those people still had some minor actions, they wouldn’t dare to bring them into the open.

But she was unwilling.