My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 24

“Since the Sect Leader is awake, Shuyan, come with me.” The land of Sichuan had always been rather indifferent to affairs of same-sex love, possessing a laid-back attitude of “as long as it doesn’t affect me, do whatever you want, it’s not my place to manage you.” Xia Yecheng had seen many pairs of men and women living together devotedly since she was a child. Seeing Xue Shuyan’s rare emotional display today, her heart suddenly sank with a “thud,” and her tone involuntarily stiffened:

“Wait outside while I prepare a calming prescription for the Sect Leader. You can take it to be decocted.”

It wasn’t without reason that Xia Yecheng and Xue Shuyan had never gotten along. After all, the downfall of Xia Yecheng’s family was inextricably linked to the southwestern Hu people who invaded Sichuan that year. The tragic sight of a once-great family collapsing in a single day, with its women being traded like goods, was truly unforgettable. Even though Xia Yecheng had left her homeland for many years, and Xue Shuyan’s Hu ancestry came from the grasslands beyond the Great Wall completely unrelated to the southwestern Hu people, it couldn’t erase the deep-seated resentment in Xia Yecheng’s heart. Their ability to coexist peacefully over the years was entirely due to Xue Shuyan’s remarkable self-restraint and propriety, never showing the slightest hint of impropriety. Now, with just a slight display of closeness to Du Yunge, Xia Yecheng bristled like a bird puffing itself into a ball:

“Let’s go, let’s go. What are we still doing here?”

“Senior Sister, wait a moment.” Du Yunge, feverish and dizzy, hadn’t let go of Xue Shuyan’s hand all this time. This made it impossible for Xue Shuyan to leave not that she had any intention of doing so she took the opportunity to sit back down by Du Yunge’s bedside and pleaded with Xia Yecheng:

“Guardian Xia, please let me talk with Yunge a little longer.””

Xia Yecheng’s expression shifted repeatedly, finally settling somewhere between “I truly didn’t know you two had become so close” and “Just you wait, I’m going to report this to Sister Chun.” Then, with a flick of her sleeve, she spoke indifferently:

“Then make it quick, and come out to give me a hand afterward.”

Du Yunge had so many things she wanted to ask. After finally dismissing the crowd of worried maids, she tugged at Xue Shuyan’s sleeve. But when she met those calm, unrippled black eyes, like a frozen deep pool, she suddenly felt a bit timid. After hesitating for a long while, she finally asked:

“Senior Sister Xue, do you have a younger sister?”

Xue Shuyan was taken aback, her gaze toward Du Yunge now tinged with genuine confusion so genuine that Du Yunge began to doubt whether her dream had been too absurd:

“No.”

Du Yunge thought, as expected, dreams are unreliable. But then Xue Shuyan seemed to remember something and added:

“But I do have a cousin.”

Her tone when she said this was somewhat strange, carrying a hint of gritted teeth, though it wasn’t very obvious. To anyone else, it might have been mistaken for the minor squabbles between close sisters. If Du Yunge hadn’t spent so much time with her, she might not have recognized the deeper meaning behind this emotion:

For Xue Shuyan, the earlier genuine emotional display was already quite rare. This slight “gritted teeth” emotion, translated into normal terms, would be something like “I’m so annoyed with her, just get away from me.”

The thoughts of a sick person are always the simplest and most direct. For instance, Du Yunge, in her dazed state, thought, “Anyway, my Senior Sister Xue would never get this angry with me.” Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have dared to act so presumptuously even with ten times the courage. And those who act presumptuously often need to do something concrete to prove their status. So, Du Yunge, still dazed, tugged at Xue Shuyan’s sleeve and whispered:

“Then, Senior Sister, tell me about your cousin?””

Xue Shuyan looked at her in surprise, her lips moving several times without uttering a word. Finally, all her unspoken words condensed into one sentence:

“There’s nothing worth saying.”

To avoid upsetting or misleading Du Yunge, she hurriedly added:

“Anyway, she’s not a good person. You should definitely stay away from her.”

After saying this, Xue Shuyan quickly left Du Yunge’s bedside and said to Xia Yecheng, who had somehow silently reappeared at the door, peeking in:

“I’m coming out now.”

Du Yunge slowly closed her eyes, watching Xue Shuyan’s hurried departure. She thought, why is Senior Sister Xue leaving so quickly today? It almost seems like she’s fleeing in panic.

And indeed, Xue Shuyan was fleeing in panic.

Xia Yecheng watched as Xue Shuyan emerged in a sorry state from the inner chamber. She moved her lips but ultimately said nothing more, simply stuffing the still-wet ink prescription into Xue Shuyan’s arms:

“Go to the medicine hall to get the herbs.”

Xue Shuyan took the prescription and shook it, finding it consisted of three or four pages. Startled, she asked:

“Does Yunge’s fright require this much medicine?”

Xia Yecheng was silent for a moment: “One of them is for you.”

She pointed at Xue Shuyan’s back from a distance: “Take a good look. Isn’t that the warming and nourishing prescription you take every winter? This year is particularly cold, so start taking it early.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Shuyan bowed deeply: “Thank you for your trouble, Guardian Xia.”

“Don’t mention it.” Xia Yecheng let out a light laugh, though there was little genuine pleasure in it:

“If you don’t cause us trouble, I’ll be the one thanking you.”

As Xue Shuyan headed to the medicine hall with the prescription, Feng Chengchun also received news of Xia Yecheng’s return and intercepted Xue Shuyan in front of the medicine hall. As the most senior and experienced of the four guardians, she naturally knew about the deep-seated hatred between Xia Yecheng and the Hu people. She understood that such enmity couldn’t be resolved with a few words from an outsider like herself. Under normal circumstances, it was already quite good that Xia Yecheng could coexist peacefully with Xue Shuyan; one could even praise Xia Yecheng for being broad-minded and not holding grudges. To expect Xia Yecheng to support the budding feelings between Du Yunge and Xue Shuyan would require the sun to rise in the west, the Yellow River to flow backward, and the Big Dipper to become the Southern Dipper.

And currently there was another matter that was likely to set Xia Yecheng and Xue Shuyan’s relationship back significantly.

Feng Chengchun looked with deep affection at Xue Shuyan, who stood before her with bowed head. She thought that if she had adopted a child from the Futian Orphanage back then, the child would probably be about this age now. But fate works in mysterious ways. Although she hadn’t been able to adopt a child, she had ended up with two disciples who were even more worrisome than biological children. Truly, “every bite and sip is predetermined.”

“Shuyan, this year’s mountain sealing is being moved up.”

Xue Shuyan nodded. Every winter, the Miaoyin Sect would seal the mountain for a period to prevent wild beasts from the back mountains from coming down during the food-scarce season. This had been a tradition of the Miaoyin Sect since its founding. Normally, this matter should first be reported to Du Yunge, and after she made a decision, Xue Shuyan and the four guardians would carry it out. But currently, Du Yunge was burning with such a high fever that you could probably cook a quail egg on her forehead. So, they had to act according to circumstances and let Xue Shuyan handle it temporarily. Xue Shuyan could follow this logic:

“Understood. But why is it being moved up?”

Feng Chengchun took a deep breath. Knowing that a long pain is worse than a short one, she quickly said:

“After the Frost’s Descent, winter truly begins. This winter is particularly cold, and it’s likely that both Hu territories will suffer from severe snow disasters. Although our Miaoyin Sect is located in Jiangnan, and even if the Hu people really breach the passes, they probably won’t reach us. But to be safe, it’s better to seal the mountain early.”

Xue Shuyan was momentarily stunned, then nodded: “Alright.”

Feng Chengchun sighed and gently patted Xue Shuyan’s shoulder:

“Don’t overthink it, Shuyan. Sister Xia she’s all sharp tongue but soft heart. After she came to complain to me, she specifically reminded me to tell you not to go down the mountain around the time of the sealing. Otherwise, the outsiders below will definitely not see you in a good light and will give you trouble.”

“Ever since you left the Wuzaka tribe against all odds and came to the Miaoyin Sect, you’ve had no further connection with them. From then on, you are a member of the Miaoyin Sect in life, and a ghost of the Miaoyin Sect in death. Pay no mind to that nonsense about ‘Hu and Han never interacting.'”

Xue Shuyan said softly: “The seniors of the Miaoyin Sect have shown me great kindness, giving me a new lease on life. As long as I live, I dare not forget it for a single moment. Guardian Xia is only acting out of concern for Yunge. How could I overthink it?”

Feng Chengchun looked at her in surprise: “You’ve really been talking more lately. That’s a good thing.”She patted Xue Shuyan’s shoulder and earnestly advised her with the sentiment of someone who has been through it all: ‘If there’s something you want to say, you must say it out loud.'” Being able to plan ten steps ahead and calculate everything meticulously isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But sometimes, taking one step at a time and acting according to the situation can also be acceptable.”When Xue Shuyan returned to the inner chamber with the news of the early mountain closure and the decocted medicine, Xia Yecheng was no longer there.” After hesitating for a while, Xue Shuyan personally brought the medicine in. She even lifted the bed curtain to wake Du Yunge to take the medicine. Her care was so meticulous that even Du Yunge’s personal maids couldn’t have done better:

“Yunge? Time to get up and take your medicine.”

Du Yunge’s hand trembled as she took the bowl, and for no other reason than that this bowl was yet again the lingering Longquan celadon lotus-petal bowl with plum green glaze. Combined with the fact that the bowl was now filled with pitch-black, pungent medicine, the scene was all too similar to when He Zhenzhen had forcibly poured an entire bowl of poison down her throat in her previous life. Being ill, she naturally had no extra energy to conceal her panic. She set the bowl aside on the bedside and said resolutely:

“I don’t want to use this bowl!”

Xue Shuyan pondered for a moment but didn’t ask for the reason. Instead, she asked:

“Then which one would you like? I’ll go get it for you.”

“Any one is fine, just not this one.” Du Yunge pushed the priceless bowl further away. Every time she saw something related to her failed previous life, she was forcibly dragged back into those bloody memories. If before she hadn’t felt too heartbroken about her incompetence and misplaced trust in her previous life, merely thinking she deserved it, then after dreaming of Xue Shuyan going mad to visit her on her first weekly memorial, she regretted it even more. The regret was more painful than dying all over again:

Her Senior Sister Xue was such a good person. Why did she have to be so loyal and devoted to her to that extent? It wasn’t worth it.

“Alright.” Xue Shuyan nodded and, without another word, went to Guardian Qiu to ask for the keys to find a new bowl from the storeroom. After hearing the whole story, Qiu Yueman laughed and cried at the same time. She found the key to the kitchenware storeroom from her large key ring and handed it to her, saying:

“Just a few days ago, she loved this thing like it was her life. How come she suddenly doesn’t like it now? Ah, Yunge is truly childlike, liking this one moment and that the next. It’s really hard on our Shuyan.”

Xue Shuyan recalled Du Yunge’s extreme aversion and panic when faced with this bowl, and even when it came to the matter of “marriage,” she felt that things might not be so simple. Previously, she had thought the same as Qiu Yueman, believing it was just a child’s fickle nature, loving something quickly and losing interest just as fast. She had even genuinely worried about it, thinking about distant concerns like “What if Yunge suddenly likes me and then suddenly doesn’t?”But if it were really that simple, why would Du Yunge show such a flustered, even fearful, expression?

She felt she had vaguely found a thread in this large tangle of mysteries. All she needed was a certain opportunity to straighten everything out.

By the time Xue Shuyan returned with a silver-rimmed Ding kiln white porcelain bowl, the medicine had cooled to a drinkable temperature. She poured the medicine from the original bowl into the new one, helped Du Yunge up to drink it all, wiped the medicine residue from her lips, and said softly:

“Sleep.”

“When you’re better, we’ll go watch the mountain sealing together.”After Du Yunge fell asleep, Xia Yecheng quietly entered, intending to take away this person who had unknowingly crossed species from being a cabbage to a pig about to steal their cabbage.” But when she entered the inner chamber, what she saw was Du Yunge clinging to Xue Shuyan’s sleeve, not letting go even in sleep. Xue Shuyan, for her part, didn’t act inappropriately. She simply stayed properly by the bedside, not daring to overstep even half a step. Suddenly, Xia Yecheng felt that anything she said or did would be superfluous. So, she quietly retreated. Leaning against the door, as if too weak to stand steadily, she let out a heavy sigh after a long while:

“It’s all because the times are bad.Xia Yecheng’s medicine indeed lived up to its reputation. By the next morning, Du Yunge was completely recovered and could wear her priceless white fox fur cloak to oversee the entire Miaoyin Sect working together to seal the mountain. Large spruce trees were felled at the root and piled in the middle of various paths. The river was blocked with layers of barbed wire with reverse hooks. Countless arrow traps and bagua mazes were set up on the main roads. Without a guide, no one could take even half a step up Wangyou Mountain via these established paths. Similarly, the wild beasts on the mountain couldn’t come down. Even members of the Miaoyin Sect who wanted to go down the mountain had to obtain the Sect Leader’s handwritten order. If someone tried to approach via the wild paths, they would likely lose half their life before even reaching the main gate of the Miaoyin Sect.

Du Yunge stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Xue Shuyan at a high point, watching as the various paths from Wangyou Mountain to the foot of the mountain were gradually sealed off. For a moment, she had the illusion that everything in the world was moving away from her. The sky was high, the earth vast, the road long. Thinking carefully, the only one who had always truly stayed by her side was Xue Shuyan.

As the last spruce tree rolled into the middle of the path, kicking up a large cloud of dust, the mountain sealing was complete. The four guardians, along with their respective disciples and Xue Shuyan, bowed to Du Yunge in unison and said:

“Sect Leader, this year’s mountain sealing is complete.”Thus, the Miaoyin Sect of Wangyou Mountain entered a five-month closure period.” During this period, outsiders couldn’t come up the mountain, and without the Sect Leader’s handwritten order, members of the Miaoyin Sect couldn’t come down the mountain at will either. This was a true and thorough lockdown, completely isolated from the outside world.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

【Mini Theater】

Feng Chengchun: Shuyan, don’t overthink it. In life, you are a member of our Miaoyin Sect, in death, you are.

Xue Shuyan: I understand. In death, I am the Sect Leader of Miaoyin Sect’s dearly departed.

Feng Chengchun: ???????????????

【Another Mini Theater】

Xue Shuyan and Du Yunge are talking.

Xia Yecheng quietly peeks in, staring—

Xue Shuyan is unilaterally disdainful of her cousin.

Xia Yecheng silently pokes her head in a little further, staring. Xue Shuyan: I’m leaving. Yunge, rest well.

Xia Yecheng clings to the door, watching intently as Xue Shuyan leaves: staring—

Thus, Xia Yecheng earns the nickname Xia Stare-stare.

【The Last Mini Theater】

Du Yunge: Tell me about your cousin?

Xue Shuyan’s internal alarm bells ring: [What’s there to say about my cousin? This girl has had similar tastes to me since we were little, always trying to steal things from me. If she can’t win, she pretends to be pitiful and cries. Ugh, so annoying. What if she sees Yunge and tries to steal her from me? She absolutely would! She’s always been so good at pretending to be pitiful! I definitely wouldn’t be able to win against her! What if Yunge follows her to the grasslands? Ah. Sisters are debts from past lives. My heart is so bitter.]

Outwardly: There’s nothing worth saying.

Du Yunge: Somehow, I really have no sense of crisis about this cousin at all. And I feel like my senior sister omitted a whole essay.

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