Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 37

“Xu Huan, Hua Rong?” Su Jin’an took a long moment to process before asking.

Ji Weining explained to her, “It must be a face-changing technique.”

“Then what about the original Xu Huan?”

“Not entirely sure.” Ji Weining shook her head. “One possibility is that she died. Another is that she disappeared. The most likely scenario is that she fell into demonic cultivation.”

“Based on the investigation into the Pleasure Pavilion these past few days, the establishment was founded by Xu Huan herself. Tan Yan is one of the people she saved. She was likely a cultivator in the past, but her spiritual power has dissipated, allowing Lele to be born.”

“Lele?”

“Probably Xu Huan and Tan Yan’s child.” Speaking of which, the child really did resemble Tan Yan, Ji Weining recalled the child’s appearance.

Two women? Su Jin’an had never heard of such a situation and hesitantly asked, “The two of them can also?”

Ji Weining nodded.

Su Jin’an’s mind went blank for a moment before she finally managed to ask, “Then, Senior Sister, do you like children?”

Ji Weining answered bluntly, “No. They may be cute, but most of them are noisy.”

Other people’s children were always cuter. Remembering the children she had seen seeking treatment at Qingheng Mountain in the past noisy, extremely noisy.

And those alchemy furnaces that exploded because of Liu Xiling’s childhood antics, the neatly arranged items that she had to reorganize all over again, the crumpled scrolls, the spilled rice, the shattered bowls.

The only child she found somewhat endearing was Taotao, whose survival and current whereabouts were unknown.

“What about you, Junior Sister?”

Su Jin’an also shook her head, she didn’t like them either.

Thinking of the array and the final words Hua Rong had spoken to Ji Weining, Su Jin’an asked again, “If Hua Rong continues like this, will she die?”

“Perhaps.” Ji Weining didn’t know what she was hiding. The fact that so many people were unaware of her actions was somewhat commendable. She claimed she wanted to save Taoyuan Town, yet Ji Weining couldn’t think of anything that could threaten the town so quickly. However, the accumulated issues in Taoyuan Town couldn’t be resolved overnight.

“If we don’t want those things, would she still act this way?”

“Even without the Demonic Transformation Array, she would have other methods, and the harm to her might be even greater.”

There were other arrays for demonic transformation besides the Demonic Transformation Array, but the Demonic Transformation Array was the most effective, causing the least harm while yielding the greatest power. It also confirmed that the demonic entity was either powerful or had a wide range of influence.

“If she is a mortal and accumulates enough merit in the future, she may be reincarnated as a human.”

“Reincarnation?”

Legends spoke of the Heavenly Dao, governing the rules of the living, and the Netherworld, ruling over the dead.

“Don’t overthink it. Everyone has their own fate.” Ji Weining patted her head, not wanting her to carry too much burden.

“Even if you want to save her, Junior Sister, you must first obtain the Spirit Pearl.”

That made sense. One must be strong themselves to help others.

Su Jin’an asked, “Why doesn’t Senior Sister stay?”

If she stayed, she would surely find a better way to prevent all this from happening.

“She has undoubtedly set up preparations there. I must go with you. Her real target is me.”

She had calculated that, given the choice between Su Jin’an and herself, Ji Weining would not choose her.

And the secret Su Jin’an wanted to know was only this one time, I actually wanted her to have her wish fulfilled. I really don’t know when she started setting all this up; it was so well calculated. I absolutely hate dealing with people who have eight hundred tricks up their sleeves.

Annoying.

If I hadn’t come, she probably would have used another array. Calculating it, the entire building would have been sacrificed along with her.

“Then tomorrow morning, as soon as we finish the banners, let’s head to the Qiu family early. I want to see the message she left for me. I want to try and see if we can make it back in time to save her,” Su Jin’an shared her thoughts.

“Don’t you want to participate in the New Selection Tournament anymore?” Ji Weining had considered it too, but the best course of action was still to return directly to Qingheng Mountain.

“If you miss it, you’ll have to wait another four years. I can only guarantee that if you return before the first two rounds are over, you’ll still be able to secure a ranking. But if you miss the final round, you’ll truly have to wait another four years.”

“As long as there’s hope, what does waiting another four years matter?” The New Selection Tournament had no age restrictions. Su Jin’an was only worried that unforeseen variables might affect her search for that answer, the cause of her death.

What Ji Weining worried about was Hua Rong destroying the message along with the Spirit Pearl. Given her reckless behavior, it was entirely possible. If they missed this Spirit Pearl, Su Jin’an would likely have to wait a long time to repair her body. The further she advanced in her cultivation, the more strain it placed on her body.

That Spirit Pearl was indeed her best option, along with the message she wanted to know.

It must be about that person. At least my junior sister’s thoughts are easy to guess.

I really envy that person for having been part of her childhood. Back then, she must not have been disliked, she must have been deeply cherished.

“Let’s go, back to sleep. We’ll finish quickly tomorrow.” Ji Weining took Su Jin’an’s hand and led her back to the bedroom.

By now, they had grown accustomed to each other’s company. Habitually, Ji Weining placed her hand on Su Jin’an’s waist, holding her close. Su Jin’an, in turn, nestled her head against Ji Weining’s chest. The night deepened and then brightened; to them, what they had to do tomorrow made no difference.

They had been waking up unusually early these past few days, and today was no exception. As if her body had made an agreement with her mind, she opened her eyes right on time and noticed that Su Jin’an was awake too.

“You’re awake.” Ji Weining gently ruffled her hair and asked softly, “Are you scared?”

“If Senior Sister isn’t scared, why would I be?” Su Jin’an remained lazily curled in her embrace, still somewhat drowsy.

Ji Weining sat up and noticed her still squinting. “Want to sleep a little longer?”

“No, I want to watch Senior Sister draw the Demon-Subduing Array one more time.” Su Jin’an tugged Ji Weining’s hand, pulling herself up.

Ji Weining chuckled at her sleepy expression. “Using your senior sister as a tool to wake up now, are you?”

“Of course not.” As soon as she sat up, she leaned back into Ji Weining’s arms. Waking up this early was just too agonizing.

“Is there any water?” Su Jin’an lifted her head, struggling to keep her eyes open. “I need to wash my face.”

“Sleep a little longer. I’ll call you when I’m done drawing.” Ji Weining gently guided her head back down and whispered by her ear, “Get a bit more rest. Once we go to the Qiu family, we might not get to sleep at all.”

The thread of consciousness that had been straining to wake Su Jin’an finally snapped. Sleep today was the last day.

Most ordinary cultivators would forgo sleep to practice, so it seemed she was just too lazy and enjoyed sleeping a bit more. And right now, her junior sister’s body truly needed more rest, if she were in better health, she wouldn’t be as worried as she was now.

Seeing Su Jin’an drift back to sleep, she felt reassured. Picking up the cloth banners and brush, she began painting as Hua Rong had instructed, just as she always did.

The last banner was no different from the previous ones, all bore the same array. The only thing left was to position them correctly.

The sun rose quickly. She lifted the brush nothing unusual and set it down again, just like any other time.

With all twelve banners painted, she stepped inside. Su Jin’an had already tidied up and gathered the things she wanted to bring along.

“Actually, if we go, it should be to refine the spirit pearl,” Ji Weining speculated. She had never used a spirit pearl before but knew it could temper the body.

Ji Weining paused. “Then there’s no time to study the arrays?”

She hadn’t finished learning the arrays yet, only grasped the basics enough to manage for now.

“Well, should we bring them along?” Ji Weining took out her Qiankun pouch and packed them inside. Glancing at the sparse contents, she asked, “Should we buy some things in town?”

Su Jin’an couldn’t think of anything they needed to prepare and stared blankly back. “What should we buy?”

“Then I’ll take these banners over.” Ji Weining packed everything back into the original bag.

“Should I buy some things outside?”

Ji Weining pulled out another Qiankun pouch. “Alright, here’s some silver.”

As she spoke, Ji Weining wrapped an arm around Su Jin’an’s waist and whisked her off to town, setting her down near the shops close to the Joyful Pavilion. She then tied a red string around Su Jin’an’s wrist.

“What’s this?” Su Jin’an raised her hand to examine it.

Ji Weining explained, “So I can find you later.”

Prompted by her words, Su Jin’an immediately noticed the spell on it, a tracking spell. She nodded and wandered into a nearby shop.

Ji Weining quickly used her magic to bring herself to the Joyful Pavilion, following the same route as last time. Tan Yan was waiting at the entrance.

Calmly approaching, Tan Yan extended her hand. “Give them to me.”

“Is she inside?” Ji Weining casually handed them over and asked.

Hua Rong, who had been waiting for a while, set down the book she was reading. “The immortal master has arrived.”

Ji Weining took a deep breath and confronted her. “If I hadn’t come, were you planning to let the entire building be destroyed?”

Hua Rong inside remained silent.

She pressed on, “Did you even ask if they were willing?”

“All of us were saved by Xu Huan. We all want to save her,” Tan Yan replied with a strained smile, struggling to answer her question.

Ji Weining continued, “What about Lele?”

“Using bloodline bonds to transfer demonic energy was that also a method you considered?” Just like the approach she had once intended for Tao Tao, if she could think of it, it wasn’t impossible for others to come up with it too.

Tan Yan didn’t deny it. “Yes, but she rejected my plan the day she saw Lele.”

She had genuinely considered it, but after Lele was born, the day she held the child and looked at her, she said she would kill her herself.

“You’ve hidden her well. Do as you see fit.” Ji Weining let out a bitter laugh, momentarily at a loss for words.

“We didn’t hide her, she hid herself.” Tan Yan was holding a folding fan today. Using the fan to cover her face, Ji Weining heard the sound of her tears falling.

“Enough, you should think it over yourselves.” Ji Weining didn’t press further. They were already more aware of these matters than she was.

After leaving the Hehuan Pavilion, it suddenly began to rain outside, dampening the previously sweltering weather.

Oh no, my junior sister doesn’t have an umbrella.

Ji Weining rummaged through her Qiankun bag for her own umbrella, reached out to sense Su Jin’an’s location, and headed over to find her.

“Senior Sister.” Su Jin’an was in a shop selecting candies when Ji Weining closed her umbrella and stepped inside.

“You must be Immortal Ji, right?” The shop assistant glanced at Ji Weining, then turned her gaze to the various types of candies Su Jin’an had picked out and asked, “Are you preparing for the Gathering Joy Festival?”

Su Jin’an looked over with a puzzled expression. “Gathering Joy Festival?”

The assistant enthusiastically explained, “Immortal, you don’t know? It’s a festival held once every ten years in our Taoyuan Town, happening in just ten days. Legend has it that an immortal brings blessings to Taoyuan Town, and during this time, everyone in the town gathers together.”

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