My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 20.3

She reached out to gently tidy the slightly disheveled black hair at Du Yunge’s temples, then rang the bell to summon a maid to clear the room of bathing utensils. Guiding Du Yunge to the outer chamber, she poured her a fresh cup of Lushan Cloud Mist tea. For a moment, the two sat in silence, feeling as if all worldly distractions faded away in their shared gaze. Simply sitting together wordlessly, in quiet companionship, brought them more joy than any earthly pleasure.

But things of great beauty are seldom long-lasting.

Just as the cup of Lushan Cloud Mist in Du Yunge’s hands was gradually cooling, an anxious female voice suddenly called from outside the door:

“Senior Sister Xue, oh Senior Sister Xue, is our sect leader with you?”

Xue Shuyan glanced outside the door and said to Du Yunge, “She’s a disciple under Spring Guardian’s tutelage.”

Du Yunge: “…Just from that Liaodong accent, thick as cornmeal porridge, I could tell she’s one of Spring Guardian’s disciples.”

The saying “One takes on the color of one’s company” holds quite true at least within the Miaoyin Sect, it perfectly applies to the disciples. Whichever guardian they follow, they inevitably pick up some of that guardian’s traits. For instance, disciples under Winter Guardian Yun Anxue would, in time, surpass the disciples of other guardians in martial prowess. Those studying under Autumn Guardian Qiu Yueman would gradually become as meticulous and thrifty as she is. Summer Guardian, being shy and reclusive, influenced her disciples to speak with exceptional gentleness and softness, a stark contrast to Spring Guardian Feng Chengchun, whose speech carried the distinct flavor of Liaodong.

“I’m here,” Du Yunge replied, setting down the barely sipped cup of warm tea on the table. She addressed the disciple outside the door, “What brings you here?”

“Heavens, I’ve finally found the Sect Leader!” The disciple’s voice came in a hurried rush from outside, clearly indicating something of great importance must have occurred to warrant such urgency. “The Emei Sect Leader has sent a personal letter, delivered by her very first disciple! Spring Guardian requests your presence to hear the message!”

The Emei Sect and Miaoyin Sect had always maintained good relations. Situated in the north and south, west and east respectively, each occupied one edge of the Central Plains martial world, neither interfering nor influencing the other, yet exchanging greetings and gifts during festivals, a classic example of a gentleman’s friendship. However, a letter arriving at this time, when it was neither an important birthday nor a holiday, inevitably raised suspicions.

Du Yunge exchanged a glance with Xue Shuyan and said, “Senior Sister Xue, would you accompany me?”

Without a word, Xue Shuyan immediately used her inner energy to dry her hair and took a black cloak from the nearby coat rack, draping it over Du Yunge’s shoulders. “Given the urgency, there’s no time to fetch your own cloak. I apologize for the impropriety.”

Du Yunge nodded briefly, not giving it much thought, and stepped out wearing the cloak that clearly reflected Xue Shuyan’s style. “It’s fine.”

By the time Du Yunge and Xue Shuyan arrived side by side at the main hall, it was nearly full. At the very least, the four guardians of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, along with their prominent disciples, were all present. The moment Du Yunge and Xue Shuyan entered, they drew everyone’s attention. Feng Chengchun, at the forefront, nearly choked on her breath again:

Why are you wearing your senior sister’s clothes?!

Once Du Yunge and Xue Shuyan had taken their seats, the Emei Sect Leader’s first disciple, who had been waiting, stood up and bowed deeply, saying, “Our sudden visit has surely disturbed the Sect Leader and Senior Sister Xue.”

Du Yunge raised her hand slightly with a smile. “You are too courteous.”

Knowing that the Forget-Worry Mountain was exclusively inhabited by women, the Emei Sect had also sent a female disciple, the very first disciple whom the Emei Sect Leader relied on most. This not only upheld propriety but also considered the Miaoyin Sect’s sensitivities. It seemed the Emei Sect members were not entirely the rigid, rule-abiding, and socially inept figures of popular imagination.

“Reporting to the Sect Leader, the Four Great Guardians, and Senior Sister Xue, our Emei Sect Leader has a letter to be delivered to the Four Guardians of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.”

Logically speaking, if the Emei Sect Leader were to write a letter, it should be addressed to Du Yunge, the rightful sect leader of Miaoyin Sect. Although who actually ends up reading the letter is another matter, on the surface, it should be written to Du Yunge, the young Miaoyin Sect Leader who stands as her equal. Therefore, this direction was quite perplexing. What kind of letter would require the Emei Sect Leader to bypass Du Yunge and specifically address it to the Four Guardians of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter?

“Although the Emei Sect has always maintained friendly relations with our Miaoyin Sect, it is quite rare for them to send a letter at such an ordinary time, without any special occasion.” Feng Chengchun exchanged glances with the other three guardians Xia, Qiu, and Dong before smiling and opening the letter:

“Let’s see what she wrote.”

As soon as the letter was opened, all four guardians fell silent. Feng Chengchun, in particular, seemed to have a bellyful of words but was as if her mouth had been glued shut with malt sugar used for sacrificial offerings. Their eight eyes darted back and forth between Xue Shuyan and Du Yunge, making even the usually slow-to-react Du Yunge suddenly sense something amiss:

“Guardian Chun, may I ask what the Emei Sect Leader said?”

“She said…” Feng Chengchun hesitated for a long while before summarizing the contents of the letter:

“‘Since your sect’s martial arts contest to choose a spouse had no winner, that means the Miaoyin Sect Leader remains unmarried. Though unworthy, I wish to act as a matchmaker. I have met the founding disciple of the Wudang Sect, a young and talented man of upright character, who has long admired Sect Leader Du. He is willing to marry into the Miaoyin Sect. I hope the Sect Leader will give this due consideration.’ That’s roughly what it said.”

As soon as Feng Chengchun finished speaking, Xue Shuyan, seated beside Du Yunge, silently and imperceptibly crushed the protruding carved design on the armrest of her redwood armchair into dust in a corner where no one could see.

Du Yunge, unaware of Xue Shuyan’s unusual reaction, grew increasingly agitated as she listened. For a moment, she felt a deathly chill throughout her body, as if the pain from the long sword in her chest, the sound of gushing blood, and the agony of being discarded on a snowy night and torn apart by wild dogs leaving her without a whole corpse had all converged upon her at once. After a long silence, she suddenly pushed herself up from the table and coldly addressed the four guardians, the Emei disciple, and Xue Shuyan, who were still awaiting her response:

“I will marry no one!”

When she usually smiled carefree, she was universally acknowledged as the number one beauty in the martial world, with scholars and poets praising her “radiant beauty” that “banished all worries upon sight” though the idle scholar who had written those words had been personally beaten down Mount Wangyou by Feng Chengchun. Yet no one could have imagined that her cold, stern expression held an even more unparalleled elegance, like a translucent snow lotus atop a perpetually snow-capped mountain peak both cold and beautiful, even carrying a hint of Xue Shuyan’s aura. It seemed there was some truth to the joke secretly circulating within the Miaoyin Sect: “Stay near vermilion, and you’ll turn red; stay near ink, and you’ll turn black; stay near Senior Sister Xue, and you’ll eventually become as cold as an iceberg.”

“How can you say there’s no winner? Are you all looking down on my Senior Sister Xue like this?!”

The head disciple of Emei Sect bowed once more and said, “If that’s the case, I shall convey Sect Leader Du’s intentions to our sect leader.”

Seeing Du Yunge seemed thoroughly angered, the disciple hurriedly explained, “Sect Leader, please calm your anger. Our sect leader anticipated such a situation and specifically instructed me to deliver a message.”

Only then did Du Yunge’s temper cool slightly. Returning to her seat, she picked up her teacup, indifferently skimmed the floating tea leaves, lowered her gaze, and said in a deep voice:

“Speak.”

The Four Guardians of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter exchanged horrified glances: Had their sect leader truly become like Xue Shuyan, speaking in clipped words and phrases? Was she really this angry?

The Emei disciple faithfully relayed the Emei Sect Leader’s words: “‘It’s not that I don’t value Young Hero Xue, but rather that Young Hero Xue is excessively upright and honorable, seemingly completely detached from matters of romance. Moreover, if Young Hero Xue truly intended to marry Sect Leader Du, given their years of companionship, they could have simply wed on Mount Wangyou. There would be no need to hold a martial arts contest to find a husband to announce to the world, only for her to step forward and claim victory herself that would be superfluous. If I have offended, I apologize profusely, and beg Sect Leader Du not to misunderstand.'”

After delivering this message, the Emei disciple could only stand waiting for Du Yunge’s response. After a long pause, Du Yunge let out a light laugh, tinged with an elusive meaning that only made others more curious:

“If that’s the case. I won’t take offense.”She still held her teacup, clearly signaling the end of the audience the classic ‘tea sending off guests.'” The Emei head disciple knew their visit had been rather discourteous. However, that lovesick disciple from Wudang Sect was already critically ill from missing Du Yunge’s martial arts contest. The fact that “Xue Shuyan won the contest” had given him a glimmer of hope. His master, who was also his biological father, had pleaded with the Emei Sect Leader. Faced with such a life-and-death matter, the Emei Sect could hardly refuse and had no choice but to send someone to inquire.

Not only did they fail to get a satisfactory answer, but they also received an unprecedented cold shoulder from Du Yunge, who was renowned worldwide for her perpetually gentle temper. They could only seize the opportunity to quickly apologize and take their leave.

As soon as the Emei delegation departed, the Four Guardians began gossiping. Qiu Yueman was the first to laugh and say:

“People, the older they get, the more they love matchmaking. Even a distinguished figure like the Emei Sect Leader is no exception.”

Feng Chengchun had also heard a little about “the Wudang head disciple lovesick and gravely ill.” She could only try to smooth things over:

“She didn’t mean to meddle unnecessarily. It’s just that Emei and Wudang have always been on good terms. If that Wudang head disciple truly admires our sect leader but can’t come up to Miaoyin Mountain, and is dying from lovesickness, he could only turn to the Emei Sect Leader for help.”

Faced with this situation, the Emei Sect Leader had no choice but to grant this favor after all, a human life was at stake. Moreover, our actions had likely left many bewildered, and the Emei Sect Leader was probably not the only one confused by it all.

Yun Anxue noticed that although Du Yunge had not left, she had remained silent the entire time, so she asked, “Sect Leader, what are your thoughts?”

Qiu Yueman added, “Sect Leader, there’s no need to worry too much. Only those women who lack martial arts skills and have not established themselves in life would cling to the shallow notion of marrying early, fearing that they’d become ‘worthless and unmarriageable’ if they waited too long.”

She picked up an abacus handed to her by one of her disciples, clicked through a series of calculations, and then laughed, “Our Miaoyin Sect has been passed down for centuries, with deep roots. Although we may not yet have achieved the ambition of our founding sect leader to become the ‘Number One Sect Under Heaven,’ we are still one of the top three most renowned sects in the Central Plains martial world. Given time, whether it’s the dowry we can provide for the Sect Leader or the potential spouses be they wives or husbands they will undoubtedly be of exceptional quality.”

“If the Sect Leader does not wish to marry, then there’s no need to force it.”

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