My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 14

Before everyone could even begin searching for the missing unlucky girl, she herself stumbled back from some forgotten corner, covered in mud and withered grass, looking utterly disheveled. Without even catching her breath, she hurried to the council hall. Standing under the brilliant lights, facing the esteemed leader of the Miaoyin Sect, the two guardians Chun and Qiu, and the perpetually expressionless Senior Sister Xue, the girl’s voice trembled as she spoke:

“Please punish me, Sect Leader. I truly did not mean to be late!”

Xue Shuyan subtly stepped half a pace forward, positioning herself between Du Yunge and the girl, a habit born from years of unwavering protection. It was an instinctive move, not requiring conscious thought, just her body reacting naturally to shield Du Yunge.

Feng Chengchun cast a faint glance at Xue Shuyan but chose not to comment, instead deferring the questioning to Du Yunge:

“Let the Sect Leader decide.”

Even though this disciple belonged to Guardian Qiu’s faction, and the guardians shared deep bonds with their disciples, none could overstep the authority of the Miaoyin Sect Leader, Du Yunge, in handling matters. Though the four guardians had quietly shouldered all the arduous tasks behind the scenes, as long as Du Yunge stood there in person, they were bound by protocol. Only Feng Chengchun, who had been entrusted by the former sect leader to care for Du Yunge, could occasionally speak a word or two before her, but even that had its limits.

If even the most diligent Feng Chengchun could only say so much, then guardians like Qiu Yueman, who held a slightly lower rank, could only bow their heads in silence, no matter how anxious they felt, and await Du Yunge’s inquiry and judgment.

This was the first time in both her lifetimes that Du Yunge was independently handling such a significant matter. In her previous life, she had been lazy and unambitious, and the four guardians had indulged her, planning to find a suitable partner from Wangyou Mountain to assist her in managing the sect once she reached the age of budding romance. But to their shock, Du Yunge had been led astray by He Zhenzhen in that life, and one misstep led to another. After arriving at the He Manor, Du Yunge, who had never established any authority of her own, found herself even more powerless in that unequal marriage. Thinking back, this was truly her first time making decisions that required her own judgment in Miaoyin Sect affairs.

Du Yunge slowly organized her thoughts, carefully considering before speaking in a measured tone. She directed her first question to the girl still kneeling before her:

“Tonight, you were supposed to be on the stage to intercept any victor I did not wish to marry. Senior Sister Xue and Guardian Qiu both informed you of this, correct? Given that, why were you late or even absent only to reappear now?”

Her pace of speech was neither hurried nor slow, her enunciation clear and deliberate, carrying a tone of utmost seriousness and gravity. Though her voice still held a touch of youthful softness, under the influence of her earnest demeanor, it didn’t come across as overly sweet or cloying. Instead, it evoked a sense of endearing innocence.

The same words, when heard by different people, produced entirely different effects. Xue Shuyan inwardly frowned, thinking that Du Yunge’s voice was simply too pleasant truly wasted on this negligent, absent, and belatedly arriving girl. Feng Chengchun, with the mindset of a doting mother who only sees her own daughter in the best light, thought with relief, “The sect leader is already capable of handling matters on her own step by step. It seems she has truly grown up or perhaps she’s become more sensible because she doesn’t want to marry. Either way, this is a great thing.” Qiu Yueman, as the master and superior of the girl in question, kept her eyes lowered, still scrutinizing the bluestone floor, not daring to lift her gaze, and thus revealing no emotion. As for the girl Du Yunge had questioned, she had truly taken the word “cowardice” to its extreme.

The moment Du Yunge finished speaking, the girl’s face turned deathly pale, sweat pouring down like a fountain. Her voice had already been trembling as she spoke, but now her entire body began to shake uncontrollably. The chattering of her teeth even took on a rhythmic quality, making Du Yunge wonder if she had been too harsh or asked too tricky a question. Why else would this girl act as if she were facing some irredeemably evil villain?

But what Du Yunge never expected was that the girl’s next words would send a shiver down her own spine as well:

“Sect Leader, please see clearly, there’s a ghost in our Miaoyin Sect!!”

This exclamation was truly earth-shattering, instantly capturing the attention and focus of everyone present. Du Yunge, who had always been deeply afraid of supernatural matters, felt her legs go weak. If it weren’t for Xue Shuyan’s quick reflexes pulling her back, she might have collapsed right then and there, kneeling face-to-face with this clearly mentally unstable girl:

“What did you say?”

Seeing that Du Yunge hadn’t immediately scolded her for spouting nonsense but seemed to be pondering carefully, the girl poured out everything else in one breath:

“I originally intended to grab my sword and hurry to the arena, but as soon as I entered Guardian Qiu’s room to get the key, I saw a white shadow flash by. Right after that, I passed out. When I woke up, I was already lying in the back hills. It took me forever to find my way back!”

Noticing the half-believing, half-doubting expressions on the faces of those around her, the girl suddenly felt that “only the Sect Leader is the best, willing to listen to me.” To strengthen the persuasiveness of her words, she laid out all the evidence she believed could prove “there’s a ghost in Miaoyin Sect”:

“The black hills are so far away. If it weren’t a ghost, how could that white shadow knocks me out at first sight, move me to such a distant place, and do it all without anyone noticing?”

After being startled by her, Du Yunge quickly calmed down, her lips pressed tightly together, almost forming a straight line. After a long pause, she reached out and gently comforted the terrified girl:

“Don’t be afraid. Go back and rest for now. We will investigate this matter thoroughly, step by step.”

After the frightened young woman had been comforted and escorted away, Du Yunge turned around and spoke resolutely to the two guardians, Feng Chengchun and Qiu Yueman, who were awaiting her orders:

“If what she just said is true, then it cannot possibly be a ghost.”

Qiu Yueman questioned, “If it’s not a matter of ghosts or spirits, then what could it be? Could the sect leader be implying that there is a traitor within our Miaoyin Sect?” After she spoke, both she and Feng Chengchun laughed, clearly finding the idea too absurd and utterly impossible:

“Sect Leader, there’s no need to worry excessively. Although the distance from here to the back mountain isn’t long, those with poor lightness skills would still need at least half an hour to traverse it. Only a handful of individuals with exceptional lightness skills could come and go freely, and even they would have to disappear from the front mountain for a short while. If we intend to investigate thoroughly, we need only detain everyone on Wangyou Mountain and identify who among them possesses such martial prowess, as well as where these individuals were before the gathering began. Then, we can determine who was absent from the martial arts contest for marriage and what grievances those with lesser skills might hold against us. That should reveal the truth.”

Truly worthy of the one responsible for most of Miaoyin Sect’s internal affairs, Qiu Yueman analyzed the situation as if an invisible abacus were before her, clicking away with crisp efficiency:

“Since I took charge of the sect’s internal affairs, every new disciple brought in by our colleagues has undergone at least a dozen identity checks before ascending the mountain. Once they arrive, they are expected to sever all ties with the mundane world below. To prevent outsiders from infiltrating, we travel incognito. Even when we take in impoverished women in need or girls with martial potential, we leave no trace of Miaoyin Sect behind, nor do we allow anyone the chance to follow us. The current generation of disciples is loyal and of impeccable background. Miaoyin Sect has always been isolated from the world, making it impossible for outsiders to successfully bribe any of them.”

“If anyone had contact with outsiders before ascending the mountain.” Qiu Yueman ran through her mental calculations once more and suddenly chuckled:

“The only ones would be the four of us and Shuyan.”

Her laughter was carefree, and her round face radiated warmth and harmony. When not being stingy, Qiu Yueman was quite approachable, true to her name like a full moon, round and amiable:

“Look at this, look at this. I’ve dug my own pit and jumped right into it, even implicating myself.”

Du Yunge slowly clenched her hand, feeling a cold sweat in her palm. The chill seemed to penetrate deep into her bones, as if a layer of unmelting frost had formed over her heart. The fear she had felt earlier from the ghost stories, which had slightly subsided, began to rise again, making her heart palpitate so violently she felt she might faint at any moment:

The reason was simple such tricks of feigning ghosts and spirits had always been He Zhenzhen’s favorite.

The He Manor had never been righteous from its inception, which led to the current generation’s manor head also disbelieving in ghosts and spirits. Otherwise, in Du Yunge’s previous life, she would not have desecrated the dead by sending someone to impersonate Feng Chengchun to test Du Yunge.

If Du Yunge were to believe that He Zhenzhen had nothing to do with this, she would sooner die than accept it. Otherwise, how could it be that the Miaoyin Sect had remained peaceful and undisturbed for over a decade, only for supernatural disturbances to begin precisely during the few days she had come up the mountain?

Yet, how could she possibly voice an even more absurd and terrifying reason that she had been betrayed by He Zhenzhen in her previous life, so this couldn’t possibly be a ghostly affair?

Just as Du Yunge’s thoughts and words tangled into an unsolvable knot, rendering her unable to utter a single syllable, a hand gently reached out from beside her and softly grasped hers. Immediately after, Xue Shuyan’s cool yet inexplicably reassuring voice whispered quietly by her ear:

“Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m still here, Yunge. Nothing can harm you.”

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