My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 6

The moment Du Yunge realized that “Xue Shuyan had disappeared,” a cold sweat broke out on her back, sending chills down her spine. Instantly, a flurry of wild conjectures raced through her mind, and she nearly blurted out, “Where did she go? Why didn’t she follow? I need to see my senior sister Xue!”

Her panic was understandable. In her past life, during the final day of the martial arts contest for marriage, Xue Shuyan had also arrived late at this critical moment, her face bearing injuries, barely making it in time to witness the final victor.

Though, considering the outcome had been He Zhenzhen, perhaps it would have been better if she hadn’t seen it at all.

But back to the matter at hand. Those capable of injuring Xue Shuyan of the Miaoyin Sect were few and far between even if all the heroes and elites of the martial world were gathered, they wouldn’t number more than ten. And that count had to exclude two elders too old to leave their mountains, one senior residing overseas, another from Wudang, and the leader of the Emei Sect, whose disciples were forbidden to marry and thus would never attend such a contest.

By this calculation, among those remaining, the one most likely to have a grudge against Xue Shuyan and who had also come to Mount Wangyou that day was none other than He Zhenzhen, the master of He Manor!

Du Yunge noticed it clearly when she inquired about Xue Shuyan’s whereabouts, Feng Chengchun’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly. If not for her extreme attentiveness, she would have missed it. That faint unease vanished from Feng Chengchun’s face as quickly as it had appeared, and by the time she answered Du Yunge’s question, it was as if nothing had happened:

“Why is the Sect Leader suddenly asking about Shuyan? She should be verifying the list of participants for the contest. Is there something you need to entrust to her? Shall I summon her?”

If that alone wasn’t suspicious enough, Feng Chengchun’s next words certainly were:

“If there’s anything, Sect Leader, you can tell me instead.”

Lies. Du Yunge screamed inwardly:

The list of participants for the martial arts contest had already been verified multiple times. There was no need to waste manpower like this, especially not by assigning Xue Shuyan to such a trivial task, it was a gross misuse of her abilities! Coupled with the memory of Xue Shuyan arriving late and injured at the contest’s conclusion in her past life, Du Yunge’s mind immediately leaped to the worst possibility:

Could it be that He Zhenzhen had already planned to eliminate Xue Shuyan back then and nearly succeeded?

The thought sent a chill through her limbs, turning her hands and feet ice-cold. If not for the high-quality rouge adding color to her cheeks, her face would undoubtedly have been deathly pale she didn’t need a mirror to know.

It was no wonder Du Yunge was so terrified. Across two lifetimes, the only person she could think of capable of matching He Zhenzhen’s martial prowess and cunning was Xue Shuyan. Even Feng Chengchun, the diligent and meritorious Spring Guardian of the sect, always fell slightly short when facing someone as ruthlessly shrewd yet deceptively amiable as He Zhenzhen.

It could be said that if Xue Shuyan were willing to help her, she could survive; but if Xue Shuyan refused, she would surely die. Just like in her previous life, when Xue Shuyan and she had been successfully driven apart by He Zhenzhen, Xue Shuyan, as the deputy sect leader of Miaoyin Sect, had voluntarily stepped aside and eventually traveled far beyond the Great Wall. Without Xue Shuyan’s protection, she had met her end exactly as He Zhenzhen had wished dying at He Manor.

Conversely, if Xue Shuyan had still been around even if she had merely remained within the Central Plains martial world He Zhenzhen would never have dared to lay a finger on Du Yunge.

Du Yunge no longer cared about the martial arts contest to choose a husband. After all, in her previous life, she had been betrayed and killed by the winner of that very contest. Now, reborn into this life, any girlish joy or anticipation she might have felt toward an unknown marriage had been utterly shattered by the memory of her death. Outwardly calm, she nodded and said:

“Let Senior Sister Xue come over.”

Feng Chengchun was taken aback, completely unprepared for Du Yunge actually summoning Xue Shuyan. However, as the seasoned Protector of the sect, she simply smiled and asked, “What does the sect leader need her for?”

Du Yunge thought for a moment but couldn’t come up with any urgent matter that would justify pulling Xue Shuyan away from her duties just to see her. In her panic, she blurted out an excuse she had never used before:

“I, I just miss my Senior Sister Xue, is that not allowed?”

Feng Chengchun chuckled. “How long has it even been since you two parted? When did you become so attached?”

Desperate to survive, Du Yunge’s mind raced, summoning every ounce of wit she had ever possessed: “Isn’t there a saying, ‘A day apart feels like three years’? By that measure, Senior Sister Xue and I haven’t seen each other for a year and a half. How could I not miss her?”

As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear.

No sooner had Du Yunge spoken than she realized how inappropriate her words sounded far too intimate for her current relationship with Xue Shuyan. Sure enough, Feng Chengchun’s expression shifted, as if to say, “When did you two get so close? Good heavens, we guarded against outsiders but never expected it would be one of our own.”

Perhaps Du Yunge had used up a lifetime’s worth of luck just by being reborn, because the moment the words left her mouth, she sensed their awkwardness. Before she could explain further or even retract her statement, a chillingly familiar voice came from behind her, making every hair on her body stand on end:

“Yunge, you were looking for me?”

Du Yunge: I hadn’t even had the chance to take it back, and you’re already here, Senior Sister. What else can I say now?

Under Xue Shuyan’s silent gaze, Du Yunge felt as if her stomach had frozen solid. She forced a gentle smile, trying to lighten the inexplicably tense atmosphere that had descended with Xue Shuyan’s arrival:

“I just want to be with you, Senior Sister.”

Beneath Feng Chengchun’s increasingly meaningful stare, Du Yunge finally realized what she had just said:

Why had she foolishly spoken the truth?!

This was truly awkward.

Du Yunge was well aware that staying close to Xue Shuyan was for her own safety she had her reasons. But to outsiders, how must it look? A grown woman clinging to Xue Shuyan day in and day out who knew what rumors might spread about Senior Sister Xue? Especially now, during the critical moments of the martial arts contest for marriage. It was practically as obvious as declaring, “We’re keeping it in the family!”

At this thought, her cheeks burned with embarrassment, a stark contrast to the pale, chilled fear from earlier. No amount of powder could hide the blush rising to her face, and today, Du Yunge had applied only a light touch of makeup. As Feng Chengchun had once advised, “Don’t let heavy cosmetics obscure your natural beauty.” Now, with her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, she radiated a delicate charm.

Just as Du Yunge was about to backtrack, hoping to salvage the reputation of the notoriously aloof Senior Sister Xue whom no one in Miaoyin Sect dared to joke with Xue Shuyan spoke:

“Very well.”

She gave a slight nod toward the raised platform behind the contest arena, specially erected for Du Yunge, and said:

“You go ahead. I’ll join you shortly.”

Du Yunge: ???

She was utterly baffled, half-wishing she could emblazon her forehead with dramatic exclamations like “Alas, heaven has forsaken me!” to convey her confusion:

Senior Sister Xue, since when did you change your ways? Normally, wouldn’t you politely decline with something like, ‘I’m unworthy of such kindness,’ then drag me over to my seat, forbidding me from going anywhere, all while stubbornly staying nearby to protect me? How did you skip the usual three steps and jump straight to this unconventional fourth one?!

But the words were already spoken, and Xue Shuyan had agreed. Backtracking now would only embarrass her. So, Du Yunge suppressed her overwhelming curiosity so intense it felt tangible and reluctantly walked away, glancing back every few steps.

As soon as Du Yunge left, Feng Chengchun exchanged a brief look with Xue Shuyan and asked in a hushed tone:

“Everything’s ready?”

Xue Shuyan gave a slight nod.

She was a woman of few words and not particularly warm temperament. Her earlier response to Du Yunge had been unusually gentle enough to shock any outsider who witnessed it. But then again, Xue Shuyan had always been indulgent toward Du Yunge, so Feng Chengchun wasn’t too surprised. As the saying goes, “Slow in speech but diligent in action.” Xue Shuyan was precisely that type: though sparing with words, she handled matters with exceptional reliability, a stark contrast to Du Yunge’s more impulsive nature.

This was their final arrangement for the martial arts competition: if the winner turned out to be a talented young man of good character and reputable standing, and Du Yunge also favored him, then Du Yunge would marry from the Miaoyin Sect. Otherwise, the person secretly arranged by Xue Shuyan would step onto the stage, fight, and then feign a near-fatal injury, being carried away on the brink of death. This would create the illusion that “no one had won,” allowing Du Yunge to remain safely in the Miaoyin Sect. As a last resort, even if no one could step up to fight, wasn’t there Xue Shuyan herself to take matters into her own hands?

No matter what, they wouldn’t suffer a loss.

To put it bluntly, even if Du Yunge were truly a fool, it wasn’t anyone else’s place to pick and choose her. Martial arts competitions for marriage were often riddled with tricks of one kind or another. Their plan, at most, only involved not actually marrying Du Yunge off as promised which was already quite reasonable. After all, Du Yunge’s beauty was renowned throughout the martial world. Some sects were far less honorable in their marriage competitions, and it wasn’t uncommon for chivalrous men to fight tooth and nail to win a wife, only to discover she was exceptionally plain, a joke that happened at least once or twice every year.

With Xue Shuyan’s assurance, Feng Chengchun felt more at ease than if she had swallowed an entire gourd of calming pills. The worries she had carried for days finally began to ease:

“That’s good, thank you for your hard work, Shuyan. But why are you a bit late? What if the sect leader had seen you?”

Xue Shuyan’s eyes darkened. “I saw the master of the He Manor at the mountain gate.”

Feng Chengchun had never thought highly of this so-called “heroine” who had only recently risen to fame. The He Manor’s origins were nothing more than a den where bandits gathered to divide their spoils. Although they had managed to whitewash their reputation over time, there were still some unsavory dealings mixed in. Compared to the prestigious Miaoyin Sect, a centuries-old renowned orthodox sect, the He Manor was like dirt beneath their feet.

Moreover, Feng Chengchun had a bad feeling about it all. She couldn’t shake the sense that He Zhenzhen’s gaze toward Du Yunge was far too improper. What was worse, her premonitions had never been wrong, which made Feng Chengchun even more paranoid. She wished she could hang a massive sign at the Miaoyin Sect’s mountain gate that read, “He Zhenzhen and dogs are not permitted to enter.”

Although she had asked many people from the auntie selling steamed buns at the foot of Wangyou Mountain to the young sweepers near the sect’s gate, and even her three close colleagues all of them had earnestly assured her that He Zhenzhen simply had naturally fox-like eyes that made it seem as if she were flirting with everyone. “Guardian Chun, don’t overthink it,” they said. But Feng Chengchun remained convinced that this girl was trouble not just for her, but also for the precious “cabbage” she had painstakingly raised.

To be fair, this might be a common affliction of mothers everywhere: you can hold a grudge against me, you can argue with me or even fight me, but if you dare lay a finger on my girl, that’s where I draw the line. I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got.

So, the moment she heard the words “Master He,” Feng Chengchun, who had always held a strong prejudice against He Zhenzhen, immediately perked up her ears and bristled all over, like an enraged mother hen with her feathers puffed out: “What is she here for?!”

However, as soon as Feng Chengchun said this, she herself felt it was a bit unreasonable: for such a major event as the sect leader of Miaoyin Sect holding a martial arts contest to choose a spouse, if the He Manor truly didn’t send anyone to deliver gifts, that would truly be a sign of ill intentions.

Xue Shuyan shook her head, temporarily marking He Zhenzhen as “harmless”:

“She seemed to be waiting for someone, but no one came. I saw her leave when I was giving instructions.”

Just as Feng Chengchun was about to fully relax and check elsewhere for any oversights, she recalled what Du Yunge had said earlier. Her heart, which had just begun to settle, was once again lifted, this time even higher than before, leaving her feeling suspended in mid-air with no grounding. However, both Xue Shuyan and Du Yunge were grown women, and some matters were truly inappropriate to ask about so explicitly in public. She could only cautiously and carefully probe:

“You and the sect leader…?”

Xue Shuyan was taken aback, and her typically expressionless face showed a rare hint of softening. Though it couldn’t be called a smile, it was still quite remarkable:

“Yunge has a childlike disposition. Guardian Feng, please don’t take it seriously.”

It was quite a feat for Feng Chengchun to interpret “happiness” from that expression: Your delighted expression is truly unconvincing. I really want to take it seriously at least self-production and self-consumption would be a bit more reliable.

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