My Green Tea Junior Sister Smells So Good - Chapter 2

Shen Qingyi accidentally stumbled upon Jiang Linchuan holding Du Yuanluo’s hand, gently blowing on her wound to comfort her. “Yuanluo, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for failing to protect you.”

“It has nothing to do with you, Brother Jiang. We are both women. I understand Fairy Shen’s feelings. If I had her talent, I wouldn’t allow anyone else to snatch you away either.”

“Sigh… Junior Sister never used to be like this.”

“I’ve heard of the affection between you and Fairy Shen. It was my mistake. Blame it on the fact that I am just a common mortal woman who believes a husband must be followed for life. If Fairy Shen is angry, let her take it out on me. As long as I can stay by your side, I’ll endure anything.”

This dialogue at once sweet and bitter, made them seem like a pair of star-crossed lovers sharing life’s hardships, while Shen Qingyi was the cruel club beating the mandarin ducks apart.

Ever since Du Yuanluo arrived on the mountain, Shen Qingyi had been burdened with a foul reputation. It was clearly Du Yuanluo who had disgusted her, clearly Shen had done nothing…

Listening to their conversation, Shen Qingyi could no longer restrain herself. Since she already bore the infamy, she might as well make it a reality.

Slap! Slap! Two crisp, loud slaps landed on the faces of this “adulterous pair.”

When the words “adulterous pair” popped into her mind, even she was startled. To think a celestial maiden of the Yunyin Sect had actually been dragged down into such a vulgar confrontation.

The consequence of those two slaps was that Shen Qingyi was placed in solitary confinement.

Before her confinement, Jiang Linchuan and Du Yuanluo were still “bitterly” pleading for her mercy. However, Shen Qingyi no longer appreciated their gestures, it was simply too nauseating. Du Yuanluo used this tactic to win over almost everyone in the Yunyin Sect, but Shen Qingyi didn’t buy it.

She took the chance to sever her ties with Jiang Linchuan: “Since Eldest Brother and Miss Yuanluo are in love, you must protect her well. Do not let others bully her.”

“Qingyi, you misunderstand…” Jiang Linchuan tried to explain, but Shen Qingyi brushed off his sleeve.

Cultivation partners should come together by following heaven’s will and their own hearts, she, Shen Qingyi, would not swallow this half-cooked, bitter rice. She dove straight into the cave to reflect on her “sins.”

The Sect Leader had originally only sentenced her to seven days of confinement, but once Shen Qingyi entered, she never came out.

She discovered that the cave was actually better for peaceful cultivation. The outside world was full of people and matters that disturbed her mind, it was far inferior to this small slice of heaven within the cave.

She didn’t know how many years had passed when a disciple knocked on the door, reporting that the Sect Leader had ascended to immortality and requesting the Second Senior Sister to end her seclusion.

Among the many cultivators in the world, those who truly achieve the “Great Result” and ascend are one in ten thousand. While the Sect Leader’s ascension was a joyous occasion for the Yunyin Sect, it left the sect without a leader.

Inviting Shen Qingyi out wasn’t specifically to have her inherit the position. Though she was the Sect Leader’s only daughter, the leadership of Yunyin was never hereditary, it went to the most capable. This emergence was merely for the routine tournament.

Shen Qingyi didn’t care much for it. Since childhood, she had always been a step behind Jiang Linchuan. Having spent these years “building a car behind closed doors” without the Sect Leader’s guidance, she feared she might now trail behind him by a significant margin.

The first person Shen Qingyi encountered upon exiting was Du Yuanluo. Because all the disciples were preparing for the tournament, and Du Yuanluo was the only one who wasn’t a sect member, the task of welcoming the Second Senior Sister back was given to her.

Shen Qingyi felt she had been in seclusion for a long time, yet the spiritual paradise of Yunyin Peak hadn’t aged Du Yuanluo at all. Instead, she had gained a touch of immortal elegance. At first glance, Shen Qingyi almost mistook her for a new cultivator.

Although Shen Qingyi had been in seclusion, the news of the grand wedding of Jiang Linchuan had reached her ears. Now the partner of the Eldest Brother of the Yunyin Sect, the woman was still unmotivated to progress. Shen Qingyi could see no cultivation in her and felt a surge of annoyance at her lack of ambition.

As soon as Du Yuanluo’s eyes met Shen Qingyi’s, she looked away in a panic. Holding a set of new clothes above her head, she bowed and said, “Please change your attire, Fairy Shen.”

Shen Qingyi took the clothes, only to see Du Yuanluo trembling all over. Truthfully, Shen had long since moved on, but seeing Du Yuanluo’s pathetic display made her blood boil.

“Du Yuanluo, have I ever hit you?” “No… No.” “Have I ever scolded you?” “You haven’t.” “Then how have I bullied you? Why do you act like this every time you see me?” “Fairy Shen has not bullied me. It is all my fault.”

Though she said “not,” her tone was filled with the insincere grievance of one forced to lie.

Years had passed, and she was still exactly the same. The spiritual energy of Yunyin Peak hadn’t washed away her petty, low-brow schemes. Shen Qingyi angrily threw the clothes back at her. Du Yuanluo took the opportunity to kneel, piteously kowtowing in apology.

Back then, Shen Qingyi was the Sect Leader’s daughter, so people kept their resentment to themselves. Now, the Sect Leader had ascended, severing his mortal ties, and the new leader would likely be Jiang Linchuan. By then, this powerless Du Yuanluo, who only knew how to please people, would be the Sect Leader’s wife.

Whether out of a sense of justice or a desire to flatter the future “First Lady,” someone spoke up for Du Yuanluo.

“Second Senior Sister, so many years have passed. In the mortal world, several lifetimes would have gone by. Why do you still cling to the past? You seek trouble for Yuanluo the moment you leave seclusion. What exactly have you been cultivating all these years?”

“Exactly. You haven’t been to the mortal world, so you don’t know their rules. A life-saving debt must be repaid with one’s body. She had no choice but to follow Eldest Brother. Mortal women value loyalty, if Eldest Brother didn’t want her, she would have no way to live. She only wanted a way to survive, what did she do wrong?”

“Yes! And Yuanluo said from the start she only wanted to stay and be your servant. It was you who couldn’t tolerate her. You know better than anyone how hard her life has been.”

“We all know you hate her for ‘stealing’ Eldest Brother, but you were the one who rejected him first. You can’t expect Eldest Brother to stay single forever, can you?”

“You didn’t want him then, and now you’re back to bully Yuanluo out of jealousy. What’s the point?”

Listening to these discussions, Shen Qingyi felt her ears filled with filth. When did this pure land of spiritual cultivation become infested with such vulgar, worldly gossip? It was Du Yuanluo. By her own strength, she had turned the entire Yunyin Peak into a mundane marketplace.

Shen Qingyi didn’t want to stay for another second. she wanted to return to her cave to find peace, or even leave Yunyin Peak entirely, the place where she was born and raised.

Yes, leave. After the tournament, she would leave this place of right and wrong, and leave these tiresome people behind.

Shen Qingyi held her breath and struck. Her sword was like lightning, forcing Jiang Linchuan into a steady retreat. With a final heavy blow, she sent Jiang Linchuan tumbling off the cloud platform, coughing up blood.

Shen Qingyi looked at her palms in shock. She hadn’t realized her cultivation had progressed so much during those years. Jiang Linchuan couldn’t even last ten moves against her.

Du Yuanluo cried as she helped Jiang Linchuan up, then kowtowed to Shen Qingyi. “Fairy Shen, please show mercy! The fault was mine alone back then, it has nothing to do with Brother Jiang. If Fairy Shen wants to beat or kill someone, take my life, but do not vent your anger on Brother Jiang!”

Du Yuanluo’s wailing caused the crowd to whisper. Though Shen Qingyi couldn’t hear them clearly, she knew they were slandering her. But because Shen had defeated Jiang Linchuan and was now the new Sect Leader, the criticism remained private.

“Second Senior Sister, fellow disciples should stop at the point of contact. How could you strike so ruthlessly?”

The speaker was the Fifth Junior Sister. She was straightforward and upright. Shen Qingyi used to admire her the most, they had often stood up together against the Sect Leader and Elders and been punished together. They had considered each other soulmates. But after Du Yuanluo arrived, the Fifth Junior Sister had repeatedly accused Shen of being domineering and abusive. Shen had no way to defend herself, and they had gone their separate ways.

Even knowing Shen Qingyi was to be the Sect Leader, the Fifth Junior Sister still rebuked her publicly.

Shen Qingyi hadn’t expected her own cultivation to be so much higher than Jiang Linchuan’s. In her moment of triumph, she let her tongue slip. “How was I to know Eldest Brother is now so fragile? It seems the mortal saying is true: ‘Lust is a knife over the head.’ This knife really can erode one’s soul and bones.”

The words were pointed, but as she was now the Sect Leader, no one dared to argue.

Shen Qingyi herself was startled. She had always been one to speak plainly, where had she learned this kind of insinuation and sarcasm? Who else? Du Yuanluo. That woman had a knack for slowly staining untainted immortals into people just like her.

Shen Qingyi hated Du Yuanluo for turning her Yunyin Peak into a mess, and she hated herself for becoming a person she despised.

Therefore, her first act as Sect Leader was to expel Du Yuanluo from the sect.

But she had underestimated Du Yuanluo’s influence. When the order was issued, not only did Jiang Linchuan beg for mercy, but all the disciples of Yunyin Peak knelt together. Even the reclusive Elders spoke up.

Despite being the Sect Leader, Shen Qingyi dared not provoke public wrath. Everyone from top to bottom was on Du Yuanluo’s side, she, the Sect Leader, felt more like a hermit.

Fine. If I can’t kick you out, can’t I at least handle you?

Shen Qingyi had suffered enough at Du Yuanluo’s hands. She might not have gained “scheming” skills, but in the face of absolute power, what did schemes matter?

You acted humble and wanted to be my maid to secure a place for your Brother Jiang? Fine, come be a maid.

You hinted to everyone that I hit and scolded you? Fine, since I already have the bad reputation, I’ll show you what it’s like when a Sect Leader actually hits someone.

Everyone says I should know how “bitter” your life is. I didn’t before, but I do now.

From then on, Shen Qingyi returned every bit of the unvoiced grievance she had suffered back to Du Yuanluo. She drifted further and further down the path of becoming the person she hated.

Shen Qingyi was undeniably a good Sect Leader. She led the disciples in researching cultivation methods and protected the peace of the lands below. She was more accomplished than her father had been in his youth, possessing the ancient style of the immortal sects. Everyone said Shen Qingyi would be the next from Yunyin to ascend.

Yet, as a hundred years passed in a flash, and even though Shen Qingyi’s cultivation far exceeded that of the previous leader, she never ascended. People said it was because she had an obsession in her heart that remained unbroken.

Shen Qingyi was perfect in all matters, except for her harsh treatment of Du Yuanluo, which drew constant criticism. Just as Du Yuanluo was loved by everyone, she could never win Shen Qingyi’s favor. The two were like an unsolvable knot, torturing each other.

Of course, Shen Qingyi never imagined that after centuries of glory as the Sect Leader, she would eventually die at the hands of the Demon Sect and she certainly never imagined she would die in the same place as Du Yuanluo.