My Demon Lord Junior Sister Is Pretending to Be Good to Seduce Me - Chapter 36

Qi Shiyu stopped, the faint smile on the corner of her mouth slowly fading, and her expression turned cold. She turned around, looking towards the source of the voice.

The person said, “You’ve been in Ten-Mile Peach Blossom for twenty years, why did you come down the mountain today?”

“None of your business,” Qi Shiyu said flatly.

“Qi Shiyu!” The person’s staff struck the ground, and several beams of golden light shot towards Qi Shiyu.

However, Qi Shiyu showed no sign of panic. She simply lifted her eyelashes, and the golden beams paused in mid-air, slowly scattering into golden dust, turning into smoke and dissipating.

“What is the matter, Sect Leader?” Qi Shiyu lowered her eyes, staring blankly at the ground.

“Sect Leader?” The person scoffed self-mockingly, “Do you still hold me, your mother, in any regard!”

“Of course I do,” Qi Shiyu’s tone was devoid of emotion, yet full of disdain. “If I didn’t hold you in regard, would I have missed her? Would I have let her fall for your scheme? Would I have watched helplessly as she married someone else?”

Sect Leader Qi didn’t argue further, but instead asked, “Why did you come down the mountain today?”

“Since I am the future Sect Leader of White Emperor City, don’t I have the right to come down the mountain?”

Sect Leader Qi sighed, leaning on her staff as she walked back, her eyes filled with regret.

Qi Shiyu turned around, her peripheral vision catching the lonely, stooped figure behind her, her heart filled with complex emotions. She took a deep breath and steadily walked down the mountain step by step.

Very close to the courtyard where the Seven Great Immortal Families resided, there was a small courtyard. Qi Shiyu had someone clean it out and moved in alone.

The first thing she did upon entering the house was hang a portrait on the wall. The person in the portrait wore a cyan robe, a long sword strapped to her back, and her brows held a hint of heroism.

Her fingertip traced the face of the woman in the painting, as cautiously as if touching a bubble, afraid it would burst under her touch.

Qi Shiyu said softly, “Do you know how much I miss you.”

Suddenly, she frowned, and her eyelids drooped again, saying, “I know, I don’t deserve to miss you.”

She no longer dared to look at the person in the painting, choosing instead to leave the room and sit alone in the courtyard, drinking wine.

A butterfly flew past, its inky wings sprinkled with blue gold, constantly flapping, only to plunge into the brazier.

“So fragrant!” Lin Yumo closed her eyes, shaking her head as she savored the aroma of wine drifting into the courtyard—rich, sweet, and… bitter.

This kind of layered wine, she probably couldn’t brew it even in this lifetime.

She stood up, dizzily following the scent of the wine.

A pale blue sword light shot towards Lin Yumo. Lin Yumo was suddenly startled, quickly drawing the Kunwu Sword to clash with the Drunken Immortal Sword.

Qi Shiyu, however, sat calmly in the courtyard, seemingly unaware of the sudden “guest,” swallowing bowl after bowl of bitter wine.

The single sword was enough for Lin Yumo to deal with.

The clash between Kunwu and Drunken Immortal carried a strong sense of understanding; in fact, Lin Yumo felt that with every move and stance, it wasn’t she controlling the sword, but the sword controlling her.

Suddenly, the Kunwu Sword slipped from Lin Yumo’s hand, uncontrollably engaging the Drunken Immortal Sword, and the two swords fought back and forth with great rapport.

Lin Yumo was stunned. She had never known the Kunwu Sword to have its own sword intent before.

The flame in the brazier gradually shrank. The ink-blue butterfly flew out of the brazier, winding around until it reached Lin Yumo, brushing past her hair, and flying towards the distance until it merged with the night.

After an unknown number of exchanges between the Kunwu Sword and the Drunken Immortal Sword, a thin layer of mist shrouded the Kunwu Sword. The mist condensed into frost and ice, instantly freezing the Drunken Immortal Sword.

“Heartless Sword Intent.” Qi Shiyu’s hand holding the wine bowl trembled, spilling the wine until only a little was left at the bottom. She placed the bowl on the table, and with a gentle shake, the Drunken Immortal Sword broke free from the ice and returned to her back.

Lin Yumo also regained her senses at this moment, “Qi…”

She choked for a moment, genuinely unsure what to call the “Wine Immortal” in front of her.

Calling her Jade-Faced Hermit was too distant, calling her Miss Qi seemed to mess up the hierarchy, and calling her Sect Leader Qi, she didn’t seem to be one yet.

So she simply omitted the title, bowing and saluting directly, “This disciple followed the scent of wine and unintentionally intruded here. I apologize for the disturbance and hope for your forgiveness.”

Qi Shiyu looked up at her and said, “It’s fine.”

Lin Yumo maintained the bowing posture and retreated two steps, intending to take her leave immediately.

After all, the temperament of this ‘Immortal’ was not something she could fathom.

“You,” Qi Shiyu said the word heavily, stopping the retreating Lin Yumo.

Her voice suddenly softened, “Can you sit with me for a while?”

Let me look at you.

Lin Yumo looked up with a confused expression, awkwardly approached Qi Shiyu, her palms sweating. She looked at the seats around Qi Shiyu, feeling uneasy and unsure where to sit, standing there at a loss.

“Sit across from me,” Qi Shiyu said.

It’s easier for her to look at her, and also look at her.

The ‘her’ without the mask looks so much like her mother.

Lin Yumo sensed the subtle atmosphere and spoke first, asking, “May I ask, why did you call me over?”

Qi Shiyu poured a bowl of wine and pushed it towards Lin Yumo, asking casually, “Who taught you the Heartless Dao?”

Lin Yumo answered truthfully, “My master said my mother entrusted her to teach me the Heartless Dao.”

“Your master?”

“Yes,” Lin Yumo added, “My master is the Fourth Elder of Mount Xuanling, known as the Cloud Shadow Immortal Venerable.”

“Oh, so it’s Qingyi,” Qi Shiyu laughed softly in self-mockery. Her gaze fell on the landscape bracelet on Lin Yumo’s wrist. “But your Dao heart is unstable; you don’t have the temperament to cultivate the Heartless Dao.”

Lin Yumo followed her gaze and focused on her bracelet, her fingertip gently rubbing against the characters ‘Yu Mo’ etched inside the bracelet’s wall. “My master also said that.”

“So she’s not in a hurry to urge my cultivation.”

Qi Shiyu nodded, though it was unclear if she truly listened. She changed the subject, “What about your mother?”

“Is she doing well?”

Lin Yumo’s hand resting on the bracelet tightened. “My mother…”

“She died of depression and committed suicide.”

“What did you say!” Qi Shiyu suddenly stood up, slamming her delicate hand onto the table. The marble table cracked into seven or eight lines under her hand.

The person who was usually as still as an immortal turned crimson-eyed. In an instant, tears streamed from her eyes, dripping onto Lin Yumo’s hand.

Lin Yumo flinched, startled by her. She suddenly remembered where she had seen this woman before.

In her mother’s study.

Xu Mo’s study had always displayed a portrait of this Wine Immortal.

When she was little, the entire study was almost filled with portraits of Qi Shiyu—whether hung up or rolled up and put away, there were many, many.

But as she grew up, the portraits in her mother’s study gradually decreased.

She had several times witnessed Xu Mo coldly tossing the portraits into a brazier. Though she cherished them so much, she insisted on burning them.

Until not long ago when she went to Qingzhou, there was only one portrait of her left in the whole small fortress-like building.

Lin Yumo looked at her own bracelet.

Initially, she thought the name engraved inside the bracelet was hers, a name carefully chosen by her mother, representing her mother’s expectations for her.

Now, she was startled to realize that ‘Yu’ was the ‘Yu’ of Qi Shiyu, and ‘Mo’ was the ‘Mo’ of Xu Mo.

What about her then?

Only now did she understand.

No wonder her mother, Xu Mo, indulged her so much when she was little, but it wasn’t the usual indulgence of a mother to her child.

That indulgence carried a sense of detachment, even aversion. Perhaps it was because she was too lazy or unwilling to discipline her, which was why she indulged her.

That was why when she played alone until late at night in Qingzhou, Xu Mo never came to look for her, and when she cried from a hot burn, Xu Mo only said, “No crying.”

Lin Yumo looked at Qi Shiyu with red-rimmed eyes.

It’s all because of her.

Mother died of depression because of her.

Lin Yumo’s amber pupils were tinged with hatred, and she was speechless for a moment.

“I have disturbed the Immortal Venerable today; I hope the Immortal Venerable will not take offense,” Lin Yumo said hoarsely, quickly finishing her sentence and running away.

The loquat tree in the courtyard rustled loudly in the wind. Crickets chirped in the grass. A frog jumped onto a lotus leaf, letting out a croaking whimper. All of this served as a reminder that Qi Shiyu was a joke.

A joke who had bitterly waited for her lover for over twenty years.

Qi Shiyu was sitting on the chair but lost her balance and tumbled onto the ground. The cold stone slab beneath her back stung her nerves.

The Jade-Faced Hermit, once remote and high on the altar, now lay on the stone slab, her hair messy, completely disheveled.

She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to stifle her sobs. Tears constantly rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the stone slab and spreading outwards.

Xu Mo, Xu Mo, why weren’t you willing to come find me?

You were the one who told me to wait for you. You were the one who married first. You were the one who abandoned me. Why did you commit suicide?

Leaving me alone to suffer this torment of longing.

The pain of not wanting to live.

“Zhuli, have you seen my senior sister?” Mu Xuewei asked.

“No, I haven’t,” Shen Zhuli walked towards Mu Xuewei. “Is something wrong? Should I go ask Master?”

Mu Xuewei frowned. Based on her understanding of Lin Yumo, her senior sister would definitely not leave without a word.

Besides, the first battle of the Deer-Chasing War was about to begin tomorrow; she couldn’t have gone too far.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Senior Sister Lin is highly skilled in martial arts; nothing will happen to her,” Shen Zhuli comforted her.

Mu Xuewei nodded, walking alone towards the outskirts of White Emperor City. She looked up at the night sky several times—it was pitch black, and the place where the night sky met the ground was filled with loneliness.

She tightened her grip on the Yangshan Snow sword, pursing her lips, probably knowing where her senior sister had gone.

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