My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 22.2

Hearing this, Du Yunge looked at Xue Shuyan with shock and doubt, thinking to herself that she had never known her senior sister to be this formidable.

It was true that Xue Shuyan was exceptionally skilled, but Du Yunge understood the saying, “Even ants can kill an elephant when there are enough of them.” Moreover, human abilities had limits. Once a person reached a threshold that only a handful of masters could attain, further progress became exceedingly difficult. Unless one encountered a miraculous opportunity like the kind only found in legends, such as “an elder suddenly transferring decades of cultivation” or used rare, heaven-defying treasures to forcibly break through that barrier, one’s peak would remain fixed. As age advanced, maintaining one’s martial arts level was already an achievement; advancing further was nearly impossible, a faint hope at best.

Yet the Xue Shuyan standing in Du Yunge’s mourning hall had clearly crossed that incredibly difficult threshold. If the Xue Shuyan Du Yunge had known before was like a perpetually frozen iceberg, perceptible yet formidable, the current Vice Sect Leader Xue’s martial prowess could only be described as “unfathomable.” Her aura, cold and tinged with a faint despair and madness, resembled a vast, barren ice field where nothing grew.

Xue Shuyan finally reacted to He Zhenzhen’s words. She sheathed her blade, merely thrusting the entire sword forward. The surge of her energy stirred a powerful gust of wind that shot straight toward He Zhenzhen. He Zhenzhen sidestepped, barely avoiding the blast. Startled by Xue Shuyan’s sudden surge in power, she stared at her in disbelief:

“Vice Sect Leader Xue for the sake of this foolish girl, you’re willing to risk your life? Have you truly gone mad?! And to think the holy maiden of the Wuzhaka tribe could tolerate you!”

Xue Shuyan didn’t even glance at her. She merely raised her blade, pointing toward the door, and said coldly:

“In front of Yun Ge, I refrain from killing, lest I taint her path. Get out. I have words to say to my junior sister.”

“He Zhuangzhuang’s master, He Zhenzhen, listen well. Once I bid farewell to Yun Ge, it will be your time to die.”

He Zhenzhen slowly retreated a few steps, a drop of cold sweat trickling down her temple. “Deputy Sect Leader Xue, such bold words! Let’s see how long you can last, driven to madness and at the end of your rope!”

Threats had to be made, but knowing when to back down was just as crucial. After putting on such a show, why wait for Xue Shu Yan to actually chase her down and strike? Having delivered her empty, imposing threat, He Zhenzhen slipped away as if greased, swift as the wind. When it came to recognizing the situation and escaping, few could rival this young master of He Manor.

However, Xue Shu Yan had no intention of pursuing her further. After watching He Zhenzhen flee the mourning hall as if for her life, she finally released the breath she had been holding. Staring blankly at the new, still-glossy memorial tablet for a long moment, she suddenly leaned forward, planting her long blade heavily on the ground, and then coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The blood was a vivid, almost ominous and tragic shade of crimson. Du Yun Ge had just read about such a condition in a book earlier that day. It seemed that He Zhenzhen, who took pleasure in wickedness and never spoke a word of truth, had actually been right about one thing this time:

Xue Shu Yan had fallen into demonic deviation.

If that were the case, then Xue Shu Yan’s sudden surge in martial prowess could be easily explained. Most who fall into demonic deviation lose all their martial skills and have their meridians severed within a short time, becoming cripples. But for someone whose cultivation had reached Xue Shu Yan’s level, before losing all their power, they would first experience an unparalleled surge in strength. The only question was whether Xue Shu Yan had willingly embraced the demonic path or if she had been forced into it by the relentless traps set by He Zhenzhen, causing her true energy to go astray.

Seeing that bright red blood, Du Yun Ge felt her heart ache unbearably. Ignoring that she was merely a disembodied, invisible, and unheard ghost in this dream, she sobbed and pleaded with Xue Shu Yan repeatedly:

“Senior Sister! Senior Sister Xue, quickly regulate your energy and leave at once! Don’t waste your strength fighting He Zhenzhen! The most important thing now is to protect yourself. As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Why bother confronting such a person at this critical moment Senior Sister Xue! Please, go now!”

The more she spoke, the more she felt how utterly useless she had been in her past life. It seemed not everyone in this world was truly good, nor did everyone repay kindness with kindness. Moreover, pouring out all your love wouldn’t necessarily warm the hearts of those filled with poison and ice:

“I failed to see people for who they were, deceived by He Zhenzhen’s sweet words. Ending up dead and dismembered is my own fault, and I accept it. I am more than content knowing you mourned for me beyond the Great Wall. Why must you seek justice for someone as undeserving as me?!”

Xue Shuyan remained completely oblivious to Du Yunge’s heart-wrenching cries of regret. She pulled the dark amber rhinoceros horn hairpin from her hair and inserted it into the incense burner which held not a single stick of incense, a clear sign that He Zhenzhen couldn’t even be bothered with superficial formalities. What kind of mourning hall had an incense burner with nothing burning in it? then bowed deeply before Du Yunge’s memorial tablet.

Once the rhinoceros horn hairpin was removed, Xue Shuyan’s waterfall of black hair cascaded down her back, accentuating her gaunt frame to an almost alarming degree. When she rose after a long moment, her body trembled faintly, as if from overwhelming grief. Yet this brief display of emotion was as fleeting as morning dew or an evening epiphyllum gone in an instant, leaving one to wonder if it had been a trick of the senses:

“Yunge.”

“Today is your seventh day after passing. You must, must remember to come back and see me.”

She took a deep breath and bowed once more. When she spoke again, her voice had regained its usual composure, but this calmness was now tinged with despair and emptiness, like the desolate silence and ashes left in the wake of a raging wildfire:

“In life you were truly too kind. You weren’t foolish, don’t believe what others say it’s just that people in this world are overly cunning. For every bit of kindness shown to you, you trusted and repaid it in full, unaware that this world is filled with honey-mouthed but dagger-hearted schemers who betrayed your pure, innocent heart, leaving you unable to even die with clarity.”

“In your next life, you must be wiser. It would be best if you became so cold-hearted that others keep their distance. Even if someone loves you, cherishes you, respects you, or misses you, do not let your heart be moved. Betray ten thousand others if you must, but never betray yourself again.”

“If you can do that, then my coming to see you off one last time will not have been in vain.”

Just as Du Yunge was nodding fervently in agreement, Xue Shuyan spoke again:

“Do not believe the nonsense He Zhenzhen just spouted. How could I possibly defy ethics and morality to marry my own blood relative?!”

This statement shocked Du Yunge so much that she abruptly stopped her frantic nodding, nearly snapping her own neck in the process.

Stunned by the truth revealed in those words, Du Yunge almost jolted awake from the dream. Yet, still concerned about Xue Shuyan, who had fallen into despair, she resisted waking, struggling against her own consciousness to catch one last glimpse of Xue Shuyan.

She watched as Xue Shuyan picked up the sheathed sword. When she drew the blade, even Du Yunge could feel its biting cold, a chill that seeped deep into the bones. Without hesitation, Xue Shuyan reversed the blade and sliced through her own long hair. The jet-black locks fell cleanly at the root, the sound like tearing silk, yet carrying an inexplicable air of finality and resolve.

Xue Shuyan tied the severed hair to Du Yunge’s memorial tablet, bowed once more before it, and then, with a faint smile curling at her lips, tucked it into her robes:

“The He Manor is no place for you, Yunge. I’m taking you away from here.”

Before Du Yunge could even process why Xue Shuyan had done this, she was completely dragged into the boundless darkness likely because she was about to wake up. Just before she fully escaped this terrifyingly realistic dream, the last thing her peripheral vision captured was Xue Shuyan stepping forward with her blade drawn, confronting the endless horde of He Manor disciples charging menacingly from outside, weapons in hand.

Inside, the hall was filled with stark white mourning decorations, while outside, the vast daylight stretched endlessly. Xue Shuyan stood there quietly, holding her memorial tablet, her long blade held horizontally as if carving out an insurmountable chasm. With her intimidating aura alone, she cowed the hundreds of people present. Not a single one dared to make a sound in the presence of this god of death, let alone take another step forward. In the vast expanse of He Manor, only Xue Shuyan’s cold, resonant voice could be heard:

“Xue Shuyan, Vice Leader of the Miaoyin Sect, has come to escort our leader’s soul.”

“Back to her homeland.”

Support