My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 18

In the past, if Du Yunge couldn’t keep up with Xue Shuyan’s moves after just a few exchanges, she would likely set her sword aside and start finding excuses to slack off. But today, not only did Du Yunge persist, she even performed exceptionally well, not sheathing her sword until she had flawlessly executed the entire set of sword techniques. This drew repeated nods of approval from Feng Chengchun, who was watching from the side:

“If the sect leader can persevere like this day after day, even if she doesn’t become one of the top martial artists in the martial world, this sword technique alone will be enough to keep her safe. It will also allow her to better coordinate with Shuyan in their dual-sword partnership. Then, I won’t have to worry about her anymore.”

Yun Anxue glanced at her and spoke calmly:

“I doubt it.”

Feng Chengchun’s heart skipped a beat, thinking Yun Anxue had somehow discerned Xue Shuyan’s hidden feelings. But after calming down, she reasoned that this martial-obsessed companion of hers couldn’t possibly be that perceptive and asked, “What do you mean?”

Yun Anxue gave Feng Chengchun a strange look. “There will be plenty more for you to worry about in the future. The martial arts contest to choose a spouse didn’t work out this time, did it? So, you’ll have to put in more effort from now on.”

Feng Chengchun felt an overwhelming urge to look up at the sky in speechless despair. She was now truly experiencing what it meant to be “the only sober person in a world of fools.” If not for fear of startling Yun Anxue whose mind was filled only with her treasured sword techniques and, at most, her two disciples Feng Chengchun would have grabbed her by the collar and poured out the explosive news:

“Stop overthinking it! That perpetually stoic disciple of yours won’t give me the chance!”

Logically, after the two had finished sparring and sheathed their swords, there wasn’t much left to say beyond a simple “Thank you for the guidance.” But for some reason, just as Du Yunge was about to utter those words, her thoughts drifted elsewhere:

Her senior sister Xue had said, “Only a sword free from external constraints can move unbound, following the heart’s desire.” But was Xue Shuyan’s sword truly unbound?

Leaving aside whether Xue Shuyan’s vow to “remain in the Miaoyin Sect forever” counted as a constraint, He Zhenzhen had once claimed in a past life that “Xue Shuyan married the saintess of the Wuzaka tribe beyond the frontier.” Given Xue Shuyan’s upright and self-disciplined nature, she would never marry someone she had no feelings for. Moreover, Xue Shuyan wasn’t the type to fall in love at first sight and rush into marriage. If He Zhenzhen’s words were true, then Xue Shuyan’s decision to stay in the Miaoyin Sect, upon closer reflection, didn’t bring as much joy and reassurance as it once had. Instead, it filled Du Yunge with endless guilt. She wondered, Am I holding senior sister back?

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, she blurted out:

“Senior sister, if one has someone they care about deeply, will their sword become dull because of it?”

Xue Shuyan raised an eyebrow slightly, as if surprised by the question. After a moment of contemplation, she replied earnestly:

“No, it won’t.”

Her answer was so certain that it made Du Yunge doubt her own judgment. Moreover, the news that “Xue Shuyan married the saintess of the Wuzaka tribe” had come from He Zhenzhen, which made the already unlikely story seem even more implausible. But at the time, Du Yunge was on the verge of death, why would He Zhenzhen lies to her then? Could it have been to torment her one last time before she died? Thinking about it this way, it did make some sense.

With her mind filled with all sorts of conjectures, Du Yunge finally snapped back to reality, only to hear Xue Shuyan speak again:

“If one day, Yun’ge, you have someone you wish to protect or someone you care about.”

Her words trailed off there, with no follow-up for a long while. Curious, Du Yunge turned to look at her, her clear, bright eyes filled with trust:

“What would happen then, Shijie?”

Xue Shuyan happened to look down at her at the same moment. As their gazes met, a faint yet unmistakable sense of intimacy and ambiguity arose between them, so subtle it was almost imperceptible but impossible to ignore. In the end, however, Xue Shuyan quickly averted her eyes, unwilling to startle her little shimei, who for some reason still seemed afraid of something. Even so, she felt that every day she could see Du Yunge was like bathing in the warm spring sunlight. Even as they walked side by side along the corridor, where a chill was gradually setting in, it did nothing to diminish her joy:

“Then the sword in your hand will become unstoppable, advancing fearlessly.”

By the time Du Yunge returned to her room and began changing her clothes, she was still mulling over Xue Shuyan’s words. The more she thought about it, the more she felt there was something elusive about them, something she couldn’t quite grasp no matter how hard she tried. This subtle feeling was as fleeting as petals skimming the water or the first mist of the night, it was undeniably real, yet the more she tried to seize it and understand it, the more it seemed to slip through her fingers.

The maid who was helping Du Yunge comb her long hair noticed that her mistress seemed troubled. As she styled Du Yunge’s hair into a bun, she asked softly:

“Does the Sect Leader have something on her mind?”

This maid had been on Wangyou Mountain for quite some time, assigned to serve Du Yunge. Within the Miaoyin Sect, she was considered a senior. If she hadn’t lacked the talent for martial arts, just like Du Yunge, she would have likely risen to the rank of one of the Four Guardians or become a senior disciple under one of the Twelve Helm Masters. That said, being the personal maid of the Sect Leader might actually offer better treatment than serving under a Guardian or Helm Master.

Given all this, Du Yunge had no reason to doubt the loyalty of this maid, who had been by her side for so long. After all, the maid had no motive to betray her. But Du Yunge had already lived through death once and was no longer as open and trusting as she had been in her previous life. She thought to herself, While it’s not appropriate to casually discuss matters between Shijie and me with others, something like what He Zhenzhen said in my past life could be mentioned. So she began to speak:

“It’s not exactly troubling, but I just read a rather bizarre story and there’s something I can’t quite figure out.”

“Tell me, if someone tells a dying person something that would cause them great distress, what could their intention possibly be?”

The maid answered Du Yunge without hesitation:

“Isn’t it simple, Sect Leader? She wants to torment that dying person.”

“If these two people had a good relationship no, they wouldn’t even need to be close, as long as there’s no deep-seated hatred like the murder of a father or the theft of a wife, such a thing would never be spoken. That person is about to die anyway, so why tell them this? Just to add one more burden to make their journey to the underworld more difficult?”

Du Yunge truly couldn’t understand why He Zhenzhen had always hated her so much. They had no interaction at all before the wedding, so how could He Zhenzhen harbors such intense hatred? If it were all because of that treasure map, it seemed highly unlikely. Yet, matters involving spirits and ghosts weren’t something she could discuss in detail with others. She could only vaguely ask:

“What if there’s some kind of irreconcilable enmity between these two people? How credible would this matter be then?”

The maid sighed with a smile. “Our Sect Leader truly has a kind heart and is unwilling to speculate about these dirty tricks only used by despicable people.”

“If I were to guess, I’d say this matter might not have happened at all. It could simply be a lie fabricated by that person to torment someone. Since the goal is to cause suffering, why bother with truth or falsehood? Naturally, they would say whatever would make the listener feel the most anguish.”

Du Yunge pondered for a moment, waiting until the maid had finished styling her hair and selected her daily attire, before finally making up her mind and saying:

“Go check if my Senior Sister Xue is in the outer chamber. I need to see her, there’s an important matter I must discuss.”

Support