My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 12

If Xue Shuyan truly insisted on holding a grand wedding with Du Yunge, no one could actually stop her.

The phrase “the student has surpassed the master” was perfectly fitting for Xue Shuyan, a true martial arts prodigy. Under the joint tutelage of Winter Guardian and Feng Chengchun, she had long surpassed both her masters in both martial skills and knowledge. Moreover, she had rightfully won the martial arts contest to win Du Yunge’s hand by defeating He Zhenzhen. In other words, whether through force or reason, whether by coercion or by rightful claim, she had every justification to marry Du Yunge.

But Xue Shuyan simply couldn’t bring herself to do such a thing.

Admittedly, if she chose to marry Du Yunge first, she could try to let affection grow over time. However, when Feng Chengchun mentioned the word “wedding,” Xue Shuyan clearly saw a flicker of panic and fear in Du Yunge’s eyes.

Since Du Yunge had unconsciously shown fear, Xue Shuyan didn’t want that kind of affection born of prolonged companionship.

The human heart is the most fickle thing, yet also the most sincere. Especially for a girl like Du Yunge, if you treat her with ten parts kindness, she will return ten parts kindness to you. If you pretend to be affectionate and trustworthy even while secretly despising her, she will wholeheartedly respond with genuine closeness and dependence.

From this perspective, it would be all too easy to guide such a young girl into “developing feelings over time.” As long as you were consistently good to her, according to her principle of repaying kindness and reciprocating affection, she would undoubtedly fall in love with Xue Shuyan after a long period of companionship. But if Xue Shuyan were to take advantage of this.

The upright and self-disciplined Xue Shuyan truly couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Such “affection born of time” could never be a true joy, as it would always carry a hint of intentional or unintentional manipulation. In that case, Xue Shuyan would rather spend more time waiting, silently accompanying Du Yunge without doing anything that might mislead or tempt her, and leave it to fate only after Du Yunge had come to understand her own feelings.

If you truly love someone, even a long and tedious wait can become a joyful experience. Besides, if Du Yunge never left Mount Wangyou, she would never meet anyone else. It was unlikely that anyone on Mount Wangyou with looks, character, or martial prowess surpassing Xue Shuyan would appear even in a hundred years. So Xue Shuyan was quite confident in her choice.

Xue Shuyan never fought battles she wasn’t prepared for, nor would she gamble with high stakes on uncertain outcomes. Until she could be sure whether Du Yunge, after marrying her, would mistake companionship for love or amplify that unnoticed fear to the point where they could only remain awkward strangers, she refused to bet on such a vague and fragile “affection born of time.”

She would wait until Du Yunge had truly awakened to her feelings, and only then turn this so-called affection born of time into a genuine, enlightening realization.

But it shouldn’t be this way. Why was Du Yunge afraid?

If a person fears something, there are only a few possible reasons: first, a complete lack of understanding of the matter, where the unknown breeds fear; second, having witnessed others suffer because of it, leading to a shared sense of dread; or third, having personally stumbled badly over something similar in the past, as the saying goes, “Once bitten, twice shy,” making one overly cautious and eager to avoid anything related.

However, Du Yunge had lived her entire life on Mount Wangyou and had never once descended the mountain. The Miaoyin Sect had always been devoid of men, so there was no possibility of her having “stumbled badly over something similar” before. Whether it was the Four Great Guardians of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, Xue Shuyan, the twelve branch leaders, or the remaining ordinary disciples, they had all always cherished Du Yunge deeply, doing their utmost to shield her from anything unpleasant or unsuitable. Everything she heard was carefully curated to be positive, and even the storybooks Xue Shuyan occasionally sneaked up from the foot of the mountain for her were carefully selected to be appropriate. Thus, the reason of “lack of understanding” was also impossible.

That left only one remaining possibility: “She had stumbled badly over something like this before.” Yet, this was even more implausible.

In truth, Xue Shuyan herself knew that Du Yunge had never even begun to understand matters of this nature. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said to Feng Chengchun with such mixed emotions, “Yunge is still childlike at heart, Guardian Chun, please don’t take her seriously.” Yet, the fear Du Yunge displayed was genuine, undeniable, and inexplicable.

However, it was clear that pressing the issue further wouldn’t yield any answers. So, for the time being, Xue Shuyan set aside her doubts and turned her attention to another, more urgent matter:

“Yunge, go back to your room first to remove your makeup and change your clothes. Guardian Chun and I have important matters to discuss.”

Du Yunge had always been obedient to Xue Shuyan, as Xue Shuyan had never once harmed her and had long been the one to shoulder the blame for her. Moreover, Xue Shuyan’s cold demeanor and decisive, unyielding tone made even Du Yunge who dared to act coyly in front of the Four Great Guardians hesitate to try and fool her. So, she nodded and said:

“Then I’ll head back first.”

After Du Yunge obediently followed the maid back to her room to change, Xue Shuyan went straight to the point with Feng Chengchun:

“Why didn’t the person we arranged for show up today? Guardian Chun, there must be something wrong with this.”

So much had happened tonight. Feng Chengchun, whose attention had been largely diverted by the shocking realization that “Xue Shuyan actually has feelings for Du Yunge,” finally refocused on the matter at hand under Xue Shuyan’s reminder:

“Thankfully, Shuyan was there as a backup. To be honest, if it were He Zhenzhen, that person really wouldn’t stand a chance. But even if they had no chance of winning, they still should have shown up?!”

The more Feng Chengchun spoke, the angrier she became. As a native of Liaodong, she was straightforward by nature and prone to working herself into a rage, especially over such a major blunder. “Whose subordinate was this anyway? They really don’t know how to handle things properly. Even if they couldn’t win, they should have informed us! What if Shuyan hadn’t been available at the time? What then?!”

Xue Shuyan pondered carefully for a moment before confirming:

“They are under Autumn Guardian’s command.”

Only then did Feng Chengchun’s anger subside slightly, as Autumn Guardian’s subordinates, much like herself, were known for their strict adherence to rules. They were meticulous to the point of scrutinizing every step they took, ensuring every responsibility within their purview was firmly under control. For instance, in the case of the current martial arts contest to choose a spouse, Autumn Guardian, who was primarily responsible for organizing the event, had arranged everything months in advance. Even someone as inexperienced as Du Yunge could smoothly manage the contest by following the checklist Autumn Guardian had prepared.

Given this, it was unlikely that something had gone wrong without reason, there must have been some unforeseen circumstance. Moreover, it was unlikely to be a life-threatening emergency. After all, the Miaoyin Sect had been passed down for centuries, boasting abundant resources and martial arts that drew from the strengths of numerous schools. Furthermore, they were on their own turf Mount Wangyou. Aside from a rare few formidable enemies like He Zhenzhen, there was little reason to worry about anyone’s safety except Du Yunge’s.

“Have that person come to me and explain the reason.”

Before Xue Shuyan could relay the order, hurried footsteps were heard outside. Feng Chengchun, who was all too familiar with the sound, raised an eyebrow and remarked:

“People say ‘speak of Cao Cao and he will appear,’ but this isn’t Cao Cao, it’s Cao Song.”

Cao Song was Cao Cao’s father, and since the disciples under each guardian were personally trained by them, the saying “once a teacher, always a parent” applied. Following this logic, the visitor must be Autumn Guardian herself.

Sure enough, the newcomer rushed toward them in great haste, dropping to one knee with such force that the impact against the bluestone floor produced a grating sound. It was clear she was overwhelmed with regret and panic, as she had not even spared her vulnerable and crucial kneecaps areas unprotected by inner energy from the hard ground.

“Please calm your anger, Sister Chun! Allow me to explain!”

Xue Shuyan quickly stepped aside to avoid accepting this gesture of respect, as hierarchy and seniority dictated that Feng Chengchun was the one deserving of such deference, not her.

The visitor was indeed Autumn Guardian.

The four guardians Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter were all orphans taken in and raised by the former sect leader of Miaoyin. However, they were found at different ages, with Feng Chengchun, the first and eldest, being only a few years younger than the sect leader at the time. The order of the guardians was not based on ability or age but on the sequence in which they were found though no matter how it was arranged, Feng Chengchun would always be first. Moreover, Feng Chengchun had been specifically entrusted with the care of the late sect leader’s orphan. Thus, whether in terms of seniority or the level of trust placed in her, the other three guardians were right to show her the utmost respect.

Elder Qiu’s full name was Qiu Yueman, derived from the line “Meeting under the autumn moon, accompanied by the glow of fireflies.” Her weapons of choice were a pair of hooks, and she was responsible for all internal affairs of the Miaoyin Sect. She excelled at arranging everything meticulously in advance, to the point where she might as well have tied a banner to her forehead with the words “Meticulous in Strategy” and “Stingy as a Miser” as a constant reminder. However, at this moment, the usual composure on Qiu Yueman’s face had completely vanished, replaced by sheer panic.

“The last time I saw that girl, she said Shuyan had assigned her a task to compete in the arena. I told her to take the key and fetch a better, more suitable weapon from the armory. But when I returned to my room just now, I found the key hadn’t been touched at all!”

Feng Chengchun had to interrupt Qiu Yueman: “How could you tell the key hadn’t been moved?”

Qiu Yueman widened her eyes, baffled by Feng Chengchun’s question. “I tied a strand of hair to the keyring and the hook! After all, there’s so much money in the armory not a single coin can go missing!”

Feng Chengchun was left speechless: This penny-pincher truly doesn’t spare even a single strand. I’m in awe.

Qiu Yueman continued, “And from what Sister Chun just described, it seems the girl didn’t show up at the martial arts contest? But I didn’t see her in her room either. Where could she have gone?”

She left the rest unspoken, but everyone understood what Qiu Yueman had swallowed back:

Could it be that someone took advantage of the chaos during the contest to cause trouble right under the Miaoyin Sect’s nose?

Amid the commotion, Xue Shuyan still found a moment to feel relieved that she had sent Du Yunge back to sleep earlier. If Du Yunge had found out, wouldn’t she have been so shocked that she’d be at a loss, unable to regain her composure for a long time?

But it seemed Xue Shuyan had used up all her luck for the year during the martial arts contest. The moment she finished that thought, Du Yunge’s voice came from the entrance of the meeting hall:

“Senior Sister Xue? If I heard correctly just now, who’s gone missing?”

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