The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 70

“I…” Wen Mingyu was so frightened that she let go, her hands trembling, her entire mind blank.

“Shizun, Shizun.” As soon as Wen Mingyu regained her senses, she rushed forward, but her hands didn’t know where to place themselves especially when she saw the sword embedded in her master’s chest. She broke down in helpless sobs, just like a century ago, on the day her master had been subjected to the lash.

She had thought that becoming stronger would allow her to protect her master, to shield her from the schemes of vile people. Yet, in the end, not only had she failed to protect her, she had even harmed her.

“Shizun…” Wen Mingyu wailed.

Wu Xingyue looked at her and smiled, coughing up a mouthful of blood before speaking slowly, “Only now do I realize, my little junior sister bears some resemblance to me.”

Wen Mingyu froze. “What do you mean by that?”

[Congratulations, Host. World progress has reached 50%. OOC restrictions have been lifted.]

Wu Xingyue’s smile was faint. “It means you stole Shizun’s love from me.”

“Impossible! Shizun loves me, you’re nothing but a traitor she cast out!” Wen Mingyu felt an ominous premonition and lashed out in fury.

“Ayue.” Tang Jing’s consciousness was already fading, her body weak beyond measure. Frantically, she reached out for her disciple. The mere thought of her disciple embracing her from behind only to drive a sword into her made her heart ache unbearably.

“Shizun, I’m here.” Wu Xingyue grasped her hand.

“Shizun, you love me, don’t you? You’ve always loved Mingyu, right?” Panicked, Wen Mingyu grabbed her master’s shoulders and shook her.

“Get lost!” Wu Xingyue shoved her away with a palm strike. Swiftly, she pulled the sword from her master’s body and pressed on several acupoints near her heart to stop the bleeding. Without another glance, she flew away, carrying her master in her arms.

The little wooden cabin was no longer safe, and her master’s seclusion had already ended.

Now, her master’s life hung by a thread no mere medicine could save her. Only the restoration of her cultivation could heal her wounds.

Wu Xingyue brought her master to the Xianyu Sect, disregarding all obstacles as she carried her straight to Sect Leader Bu’s palace.

Upon hearing the attendant’s report, Bu Qing hurried out to meet them. The moment she saw Tang Jing barely clinging to life in Wu Xingyue’s arms she rushed forward. “Susu!”

“Sect Leader Bu, my master’s seclusion has ended. Please unseal her cultivation.” Wu Xingyue was also severely injured, her white robes stained crimson with blood, drawing pity from the disciples who had gathered at the commotion.

Yet this woman stood tall, cradling the Spirit Feather Sect Master with unwavering resolve, her tone neither submissive nor overbearing, her gaze firm.

Because the so-called “shameless” master-disciple relationship from back then had been nothing but a false accusation. Her master had never violated that rule.

The reason she had never defended herself was simple she truly did adore her disciple. But not the little one, Wen Mingyu.

It was the eldest disciple she had suddenly expelled centuries ago, Wu Xingyue.

Because she cared too much, because she couldn’t bear to see A-Yue suffer, she had cast her out before anyone could discover the truth.

Yet after expelling her, she had regretted it, fearing A-Yue would be bullied outside, fearing she would go hungry or cold.

Later, while leading her disciples on a training expedition, she had accidentally learned that A-Yue had joined the Jiugong Sect. Far from anger, she had felt relief, at least A-Yue had a place to call home.

She had been secretly keeping tabs on A-Yue’s movements and knew that despite joining the Nine Palaces Sect, A-Yue had never harmed the innocent. This thought often brought her comfort in the quiet of midnight reveries.

Later, when the Bu Sect leader mentioned chaos in the southeast, suspecting the presence of the Nine Palaces Sect, she volunteered, hoping to catch a glimpse of A-Yue there.

She took Wen Mingyu to Chunnan Manor, where she indeed encountered A-Yue. Though the other wore a veil, having spent centuries together as master and disciple, how could she not recognize every nuance of A-Yue’s demeanor, every subtle gesture?

Especially the way A-Yue looked at her even after centuries apart, she remembered it vividly.

So when A-Yue threatened Wen Mingyu, demanding to marry her, she held back.

How could she, the one who had taught A-Yue everything, possibly lose in a fight? She was merely going with the flow.

Wu Xingyue felt trapped in a nightmare. The scene before her was both familiar and strange. When she saw her master, her eyes lit up, and she rushed forward. “Shizun!”

She didn’t know why her master was here, but in this unfamiliar place, she was overjoyed to see someone who brought her peace.

“Shizun,” she called out, about to embrace her, but her hands passed right through the figure. Wu Xingyue froze.

She followed her master forward, gradually coming upon a bamboo grove, one that felt foreign yet hauntingly familiar.

When she saw herself in a red wedding dress, a crimson veil covering her head, standing amidst the bamboo, Wu Xingyue’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“So, this nightmare is actually Shizun’s?” she murmured, bewildered, as she trailed behind.

Her past self in the grove taunted, but a careful listener could detect the underlying hope in those words.

Wu Xingyue immediately looked to her master for a reaction.

Yet, when she caught the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of her master’s lips, Wen Mingyu’s pupils contracted, her eyes widening as she stood rooted to the spot.

In that moment, the entire world seemed to narrow down to that fleeting smile.

Had Shizun just smiled?

But how? She knew Wu Xingyue was from the Nine Palaces Sect. How could she possibly smile?

Wu Xingyue followed, dazed, as the familiar dialogue unfolded, words she remembered to this day.

But standing beside her master now, observing up close, she realized that despite the stern tone, there was warmth and tenderness in her master’s eyes.

For some reason, Wu Xingyue’s nose stung.

She understood now her master had recognized her but, for some reason, couldn’t acknowledge it openly.

Later, when Wen Mingyu appeared, chaos erupted.

At the time, she had thought everything was going smoothly, even blaming Wen Mingyu for holding Shizun back.

But now, as an observer, she saw everything clearly, Shizun had been holding back. Even when she threatened Wen Mingyu, Shizun hadn’t panicked. Instead, she had watched Wu Xingyue, a flicker of concern in her eyes.

These were details she had missed in the heat of the moment.

The scenes that followed passed like a blur, but the more she observed, the more she realized how much attention Shizun had paid to her, far more than she had ever imagined.

“Shizun, Shizun.” Wu Xingyue sobbed uncontrollably.

When the vision shifted to the day of the water prison and the lashing, Wu Xingyue finally saw that it had been her who kept Shizun going. Even in unconsciousness, Shizun had called out her name.

“Shizun.” Wu Xingyue tried to embrace her master, but her hands grasped only air, again and again.

The scene shifted to the small wooden house, where the seemingly coerced master was actually brimming with indulgence and affection in her eyes.

Even in the middle of the night, when her disciple was asleep, the master would return to her bedside and watch her quietly for a long time.

How could anyone not adore such a master?

“Wake up, wake up.”

Wu Xingyue was jostled awake, still dazed as she rubbed her aching forehead. Then, in an instant, she snapped to full alertness. “Where’s my master? Where is she?”

The attendant looked at her with a complicated expression. “Palace Master Lingyu has already woken up. The sect leader says she’s fine now.”

Wu Xingyue burst into tears and laughter, rushing out barefoot without even putting on her shoes.

“Master!” she called from afar.

Tang Jing, leaning against the headboard, had just finished her meal when she heard Wu Xingyue’s voice. She set down her bowl, about to speak, but then noticed her disciple had come barefoot. Her brows furrowed.

Before the nightmare, Wu Xingyue would have hesitated, afraid to approach, fearing her master’s anger or rejection.

But after the nightmare, she had realized just how much her master adored her. She rushed forward and threw her arms around Tang Jing, nuzzling her face into her neck with a laugh.

Though still weak, Tang Jing’s sealed cultivation had returned, and her body was slowly healing.

Faced with such an affectionate disciple, she couldn’t help but stroke her head indulgently. “Are you a puppy?”

“Woof.”

Tang Jing laughed in exasperation, flicking her forehead lightly before grasping her cold feet. “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

Wu Xingyue stuck out her tongue sheepishly. “I was in such a hurry to see you after hearing you woke up.”

Of course, the visions from the nightmare also played a part.

She placed her hands on her master’s shoulders, gazing at her deeply, about to say something. But the moment she met those long-missed gentle eyes, tears welled up instantly, and she buried her face in Tang Jing’s chest. “Master!”

“Mmm, I’m here.”

Not long after, Tang Jing resigned from her position as the master of Lingyu Palace.

Though she had long known of this decision, Bu Qing still couldn’t accept it when the moment arrived. “Susu, are you really leaving?”

“Yes.” Tang Jing held her disciple A’yue’s hand, casting a tender glance at her before turning back to Bu Qing with resolve. “I owe her too much, and I don’t want her to suffer anymore.”

As long as she remained in Lingyu Palace, she would be bound by its rules.

If she couldn’t be with her disciple, what use was the title of Palace Master?

She had already missed her chance once, she wouldn’t let it happen again.

Bu Qing had actually known about their feelings for each other centuries ago. Back then, she had pondered it for a long time and decided to speak with Susu privately.

But the day before she could do so, Susu had already expelled her disciple from the sect.

After that, Susu went into seclusion.

During that time, Bu Qing had witnessed how the burden of being Palace Master tormented her. On several late-night visits, she had found Susu trapped in agonizing nightmares.

Now that the two had reunited, and Susu’s face was finally lit with genuine ease, Bu Qing sighed and waved her hand. “Fine, go then.”

“Thank you, Sect Leader Bu.” Tang Jing clasped her hands in a respectful bow.

Wu Xingyue followed suit.

As the two were about to leave, Bu Qing called after them, “Don’t disappear forever. Come back to visit me sometimes.”

Tang Jing and Wu Xingyue exchanged a smile before turning back. “We will, Sister Bu.”

How long had it been since Buqing last heard Susu call her that? She gave a proud little huff but ultimately smiled.

Back when Wu Xingyue first disguised herself as a doorman to sneak into the sect, Buqing had already noticed she just chose to turn a blind eye.

Later, when punishing Susu for disregarding propriety, she also spotted Wu Xingyue eavesdropping outside. So, she deliberately let slip that the final place of confinement would be the Nether Valley, hoping the other would prepare a few days early.

And now, the two had finally become a couple, putting her mind at ease.

The only pity was that their sect had lost a formidable leader, weakening their bargaining power in recruiting new disciples.

It weighed on her.

Half a year later, a celestial couple appeared in the martial world one dressed in white, the other in red, both veiled. Wherever they went, calamities were quelled.

Three years later, the Nine Palaces Sect rose abruptly from obscurity, only for its remnants to be completely eradicated in the following years.

Rumor had it that only two people had been involved, one in white, the other in red. They arrived without a sound and left without a trace.

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