My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 44

When Du Yunge awoke once more, it was to the sensation of relentless jolting that forced her eyes open. Before she could fully take in her surroundings and discern where she was, a voice brimming with laughter, sweet as malt sugar used in kitchen god offerings, drifted from beside her:

“Finally managed to steal you away, Little Sect Master.”

This voice bore an uncanny resemblance to that of the foreign girl from her dream, except the speaker now used flawless Mandarin without a trace of accent, making it almost unbelievable:

“It was no easy feat getting you out of that killjoy’s hands. I used up the last of my soul-soothing incense and still couldn’t knock her out completely. Why is she so persistent? She chased us a long way before finally collapsing.”

The voice and the overwhelming amount of information it conveyed jolted Du Yunge fully awake. Only then did she realize she was inside a carriage. From its interior structure to the patterns on the curtains, nothing felt like it belonged to the Central Plains. Even the mat beneath her was woven from wool something typically used only by foreigners beyond the borders, who couldn’t grow cotton or raise silkworms, as it was too coarse and carried a faint, gamey odor.

Yet the wool mat she now held in her hands was soft, pure white, and completely free of any strange smell. If Du Yunge hadn’t been accustomed to fine silks and satins, she wouldn’t have recognized it as wool at all.

This meant the person who had abducted her from Tian Zaishui was undoubtedly a foreigner, and likely someone of considerable status within their tribe. The Miaoyin Sect had long resided on Mount Wangyou, detached from worldly affairs, with its disciples forbidden to maintain ties with those below the mountain. So why would a foreigner specifically target her? Even in the dream Du Yunge had just experienced, the Miaoyin Sect had once aided the Wuzaka tribe, the dominant power on the grasslands. But that was an event from years ago, the Wuzaka tribe should be grateful, not resort to such a thankless task.

As Du Yunge wrestled with these thoughts, a pair of hands gently cupped her face, turning her toward their owner. The voice laughed again:

“Little Sect Master, stop staring at all that clutter.”

“Look at me instead. Aren’t I much more pleasing to the eye?”

Du Yunge understood the principle that “a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake.” Even though the Miaoyin Sect was a top-tier orthodox faction in the Central Plains martial world, with none daring to challenge its might, she was now in the hands of foreigners. It was best not to resist openly. For now, she had to comply with their demands, especially since this one wasn’t particularly unreasonable.

So she obediently turned her head as guided and finally saw the face of the daring individual who had snatched her from the tiger’s mouth right from under Xue Shuyan’s watch.

Just as Du Yunge had guessed, this was a Hu person and a rather attractive Hu girl at that.

Her eyes were large, yet the corners drooped slightly, lending her long-lashed, dark eyes a natural, innate charm. This deeply ingrained sense of amorousness and coquettishness, combined with her deep-set eyes and distinctly Hu features high nose bridge, prominent eyes along with hair that carried a hint of chestnut brown, gave people a preconceived notion: “This is someone passionate yet heartless.”

The Hu girl reached out and pinched Du Yunge’s soft cheek. Before she even spoke, a faint smile had already appeared on her face truly the kind of person who smiles before uttering a word:

“Little Sect Leader, are you staring because I’m so captivating? Am I pretty?”

Du Yunge thought for a moment and decided that, whether for the sake of her own safety or out of honesty, the girl in front of her could indeed be called “beautiful.” Though she couldn’t compare to herself, let alone her Senior Sister Xue, she was still undeniably attractive. So she nodded and said:

“Very pretty.”

Finally satisfied, the girl released Du Yunge’s cheek. However, Du Yunge had always had delicate, tender skin. Back on Mount Wangyou in winter, if she forgot to apply face cream before going out, her skin would risk chapping from the wind. Even though the girl hadn’t used much force, a bright red mark was left on Du Yunge’s cheek, making her look both pitiable and adorable. The Hu girl, who had just been teasing her, immediately grew flustered.

She instinctively reached out, wanting to rub Du Yunge’s cheek to disperse the accidental mark, but she was afraid of not controlling her strength properly. If she ended up adding another layer to that red mark, it would truly look unsightly. So her hand awkwardly hovered in mid-air, neither advancing nor retreating. After a long pause, she cautiously poked Du Yunge’s hand and whispered an apology:

“I didn’t mean to, Little Sect Leader. Please don’t blame me. I’ll find some ointment for you to apply later, and it’ll be fine.”

Du Yunge thought to herself, How can this person be so familiar so quickly? It’s as if we’ve known each other for ages. But though she thought it, she didn’t dare show it on her face and could only reply politely:

“I’m fine.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Since you already know who I am, yet you act this way, may I ask if there is some unresolved grievance between your tribe and my Miaoyin Sect? Or are you in urgent need of money, forcing you to resort to such measures? If that’s the case, please tell me. After all, I am the leader of a sect and do have some say in such matters. There’s no need for you to go to such lengths.”

Unexpectedly, her words left the Hu girl completely bewildered. She widened her strikingly beautiful, amorous dark eyes and carefully looked Du Yunge up and down. Then, leaning in closer, she chuckled softly and asked:

“So, our little sect leader has found a new love and forgotten the old one, completely tossing me aside? Ah, ah, this is truly,how does the saying go? ‘Only seeing the new lover laugh, who hears the old lover weep?’—”

Her warm breath brushed against Du Yunge’s ear, carrying a fragrance like orchids and musk. She deliberately drew out the last syllable, making it twist and turn like an opera singer’s melody, exuding a charm so potent that even He Zhenzhen in her prime would have had to concede defeat. Yet, Du Yunge managed to detect a trace of genuine sorrow beneath that frivolous tone, and her heart skipped a beat. Oh no, she thought, this person might really be someone I know.

It was quite possible and terribly coincidental that she was the little girl from her dreams, the one whose face remained blurred.

Having narrowly escaped death, Du Yunge had lost many childhood memories as the price of her rebirth. But this was not something she could easily share with others. Aside from the usual reluctance to speak of supernatural matters, even if she did, few would likely believe her. So she could only reply vaguely:

“I don’t remember you.”

“I thought so. It’s only been a few years apart, how could it make the sect leader grow so distant from me?” Yet Du Yunge’s ambiguous response seemed to reassure the girl, who sighed in relief and laughed:

“If it’s just that you don’t remember, then that’s still alright.”

Du Yunge thought to herself, If this is only ‘alright’ in your eyes, then what on earth would you consider ‘not alright’? And as she pondered, she accidentally voiced the question aloud.

The girl let out a light laugh, then quite naturally reached out and gently patted the back of Du Yunge’s hand:

“If the sect leader were ignoring me because she’s paired up with that icy-faced fellow and wants to avoid suspicion, that would break my heart.”

Du Yunge nearly blurted out without thinking, Yes, yes, we are paired up, so please leave, I don’t want anything to do with you! But just then, she saw the girl gesture out the window, and the driver outside cracked a whip in the air. The carriage gradually came to a halt, apparently to find a place to stay for the night. Amid the fading jolts, the girl laughed:

“If that were truly the case well, there’s nothing to be done. After all, our little sect leader is someone I must take for myself. It’s just that snatching her away might be a bit more difficult.”

As she spoke, she cast a dazzling, flirtatious glance at Du Yunge, who felt a thin layer of cold sweat break out on her back, dampening her inner robe:

The girl’s words were entirely serious not a hint of jest in them.

And that was terrifying.

When someone could speak of “breaking up a loving couple” without a trace of guilt on their face, merely sighing that “it’s just a bit harder to snatch away,” it was clear that neither affection nor worldly ethics could restrain her. So what, then, could possibly make this girl’s actions predictable?

The carriage stopped in front of an inn, and the girl seemed uninterested in delving deeper into the topic. She extended her hand to Du Yunge and smiled:

“Come, little sect leader, let me help you down.”

When Du Yunge offered her hand, she quickly assessed the girl’s palm and fingertips, finding them as smooth and delicate as her own. This put her somewhat at ease, as people with such hands were usually not particularly skilled with weapons just like her. Even the prodigiously talented Xue Shuyan had calluses on her hands. Once Xue Shuyan caught up to rescue her, all she needed was a sword, and the two of them could join forces, capturing this foreign girl with ease.

However, the foreign girl had no inkling of the predicament she was about to face being caught between the two members of the Miaoyin Sect. In her mind, Du Yunge was still that naive girl who believed everything she was told. With a mix of threats and sweet talk, wouldn’t she easily fall in line? A few more days of coaxing, and it would be a simple matter to lure her back beyond the Great Wall.

As she helped Du Yunge out of the carriage, the foreign girl suddenly asked, “So, Sect Leader, you don’t know my name?”

Du Yunge thought to herself, If I knew, that would be strange. But on the surface, she nodded obediently, just like the muddle-headed girl from her past life who trusted anyone who showed her kindness. “I’d love to hear it.”

The foreign girl, suspecting nothing, revealed her name without hesitation:

“My Han name is Qin Shanshan, and my Hu name is Mayila.”

“But since I came to the Central Plains, few people call me by that name. You can be more intimate and call me Shanshan.”

Du Yunge was so shocked she almost doubted her own hearing. “What did you say your name was?!”

Seeing such a strong reaction, Qin Shanshan couldn’t help feeling a bit sour. Your Senior Sister Xue is also a Hu, so why didn’t you react like this to her? But faced with such beauty, even a look of astonishment had its own charm. Patiently, she repeated her name, deliberately or perhaps not adding her tribe and status, as if showing off to someone:

“My Hu name is Mayila, and I am the Holy Maiden of the Wuzaka Tribe from the great grasslands, Sect Leader Du! Don’t faint!”

Du Yunge felt her vision darken, and two lines of stark, blood-red words appeared before her eyes:

After searching far and wide with no success, I’ve found it effortlessly.

Alas, heaven wishes to destroy me!

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