The Cold, Aloof Senior Sister Deserves To Be Paired With A Peerless Beauty - Chapter 14

“Did she come to find her today?”

The dragon’s cry was mournful and heavy, a shudder inducing sound that seemed wrapped in surging hatred, pressing directly toward her.

Mu Zhi’s feet felt as though they were filled with lead, making it impossible to move even half a step. In the depths of her pupils, the reflection of a crimson fire flickered.

However, as the massive form swept past, she remained entirely unharmed.

She could sense that the creature’s hatred was not directed at her.

There were currently only two people within the Sword Pavilion: herself and…

Mu Zhi turned around. The dark fire from the dragon’s tail drifted before her eyes.

Not far away, a figure caught sight of the stationary Mu Zhi. A look of joy crossed his face, though it masked something uncanny.

The man acted as if he couldn’t see the colossal entity charging toward him, excitedly calling out her name.

As the giant dragon reached within inches of him, it seemed to be forcibly shattered by an invisible force. It reconvened into form, its eyes filled with indignation and resentment.

Yet, when Mu Zhi opened her eyes again, that hatred had been replaced by a sense of submission. The dragon circled the thin figure as if he were about to become its master.

Mu Zhi’s brow furrowed slightly. In the dragon’s eyes, she saw a struggle and even more, a forced capitulation.

“It is unwilling.”

Mu Zhi spoke suddenly, her voice piercing the surroundings and echoing through the furnace-like Sword Pavilion.

As her words fell, the dragon’s numb and silent eyes seemed to regain a flicker of spirit. The wind stirred by its cry, accompanied by the scorching heat of endless flames, began heartlessly driving away the intruder.

The surrounding flames bypassed Mu Zhi and closed in on Mo Fan, leaving him in agonizing pain. He collapsed to his knees, casting a humble, pleading gaze toward Mu Zhi, speaking earnestly.

“Senior Sister Mu, you will save me, won’t you?”

Mu Zhi frowned and took a step back. Just as she had said…she, too, was unwilling.

But the moment that thought surfaced, a splitting headache struck her, as if someone were warning her that this was her inherent responsibility.

Nearby, the giant dragon’s obvious resistance must have displeased someone. Its mournful cries grew weaker and weaker until they eventually dissipated.

The ringing in her ears finally vanished. Just as Mu Zhi was about to lose control of herself, she heard Chi Li’s voice once more.

“Mu Zhi, do not be afraid.”

This time, the voice still carried a gentle reassurance, but it was tinged with a hint of worry and self-reproach.

Receiving no response from Mu Zhi, Chi Li’s tone shifted from guilt to outright panic.

“I’m sorry… I should have had you come out immediately after taking the sword…”

Listening to Chi Li’s repeated apologies, Mu Zhi felt a strange sting in her heart. An inexplicable emotion spread through her, but before she could explore it, she heard Chi Li speak again, her voice soothing yet firm.

“I’m coming in to find you.”

Mu Zhi snapped back to her senses. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she hurriedly spoke to refuse Chi Li.

“No need.”

After saying it, a look of surprise flashed in Mu Zhi’s eyes. She tried several more times, but every word she uttered was a refusal to Chi Li.

Realizing this, Mu Zhi clearly felt an unknown power forcibly manipulating her.

But Chi Li, having detected the anomaly in Mu Zhi’s voice, grew stern. The words she intended to speak were twisted into a different meaning.

“Fine. I won’t go over.”

Mu Zhi did not want Chi Li to worry, so she spoke to comfort her instead.

“Sister, I am fine.”

Only when she heard that Mu Zhi’s voice sounded truly alright did Chi Li seem to breathe a sigh of relief, her knitted brows relaxing slightly.

Seeing that Mo Fan could not catch up for the time being, Mu Zhi turned around. Flames ebbed and flowed before her, and within the layers of fire, something seemed to be floating.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, allowing her to barely discern a tattered, broken sword.

Even though it was just a broken sword, and despite the distance, it still exerted a powerful pressure that made Mu Zhi’s heart tremble with fear, forcing her to retreat instinctively.

An intact scabbard floated beside it. Mu Zhi strained her eyes again and identified the characters carved upon it.

“Hongye…”

Mu Zhi whispered the name of the broken sword.

It was a name that commanded awe and demanded to be looked up to simply by being known.

Chi Li heard Mu Zhi’s words and murmured to herself, “It’s the Ancestor…”

Before Mu Zhi could hear Chi Li’s mutterings, the sound of disorganized, heavy footsteps rose behind her. The sound of heavy panting suggested someone was in extreme distress, instantly putting her on high alert.

Mu Zhi turned and saw Mo Fan approaching.

He had a bizarre expression, holding an unremarkable sword in his hand, though the sharp edge gleamed with a cold light.

Mu Zhi frowned, gripping her jade talisman tighter, wanting to take her sword and kill him.

However, her hand trembled for some reason. The hilt slipped from her grasp with a “clink” a crisp sound that felt like a mockery of her impractical thoughts.

Mu Zhi forced herself to calm down and spoke truthfully about her current situation.

“Sister, Mo Fan wants to kill me, and I cannot lift my sword.”

She saw it clearly in Mo Fan’s eyes: a murderous envy directed at her.

When the gap between them repeatedly widened and he was rejected time and again, he could no longer suppress his jealousy.

“Mu Zhi, run!” Chi Li called out urgently.

She knew that, as they were now, they simply could not kill Mo Fan.

Mu Zhi turned her gaze back to where the broken sword lay. In the blink of an eye, a bridge formed of spiritual energy faintly appeared, leading straight to the sword.

Chi Li had gone silent on the other end. Mu Zhi assumed Chi Li had created the bridge with her spiritual power. Seeing Mo Fan drawing closer and fearing she might lose control of herself, Mu Zhi stepped onto the bridge without waiting to ask Chi Li.

However, amidst Chi Li’s next frantic shouts, Mu Zhi felt her foot meet empty air.

There was no bridge beneath her feet. It was as if everything she had just seen was a mere hallucination.

Mu Zhi plummeted down the precipice. The moment the molten fire surged toward her, it was blocked by the ice-silk dress she wore, preventing her from being scorched into a dried husk.

As the sound of Chi Li’s voice grew increasingly faint and blurred in her ears, Mu Zhi’s final thought was one of relief at least she hadn’t let that “filthy thing” follow her down.

Outside, Chi Li’s expression suddenly changed. A terrifying darkness swirled in the depths of her eyes. She took a few steps forward but stopped abruptly at the mouth of the cave, looking down as if lost in thought.

She pressed her lips thin, her expression grim and frightening, yet she did not advance further, she was blocked, unable to take another step.

Chi Li frowned again, carefully recalling the words Mu Zhi had used to describe this event in their previous life.

[Eldest Senior Sister, I saw a broken sword inside…]

[I also saw…]

Chi Li’s frown deepened, her gaze toward the cave entrance growing colder.

In the original timeline, it was Mo Fan who was supposed to fall off the cliff, and Mu Zhi was supposed to fall while trying to save him. Back then, because she wasn’t wearing the ice-silk dress, she had been severely injured, yet she had still protected Mo Fan and brought him out of the Sword Pavilion safely.

But now, it was Mu Zhi who had fallen, and Mo Fan had somehow developed a murderous intent toward her…

Chi Li clenched her lowered hands, the stinging pain in her palms forcing her to stay calm.

Killing one’s spouse to attain the Dao…

Chi Li took a deep breath as that phrase flashed through her mind again.

Since “attaining the Dao” was the final step, the current Mo Fan could not kill Mu Zhi. Likewise, Mu Zhi would remain safe because of the dress Chi Li had specifically gifted her.

“Mu Zhi will be fine…”

Chi Li spoke with certainty, though her voice carried a trace of guilt.

Barely a moment after speaking, she immediately tried to enter the cave again.

When Mu Zhi’s consciousness slowly returned, she didn’t feel any physical discomfort.

However, when she tried to use the jade talisman to tell Chi Li she was safe, she found it had lost its effect.

It was as if an invisible barrier had cut them off from one another.

After several failed attempts, Mu Zhi gave up in resignation. Once she calmed down, her eyes swept over her surroundings, and she froze the moment she saw where she was.

She was still within the cavern of the Sword Pavilion, but the Sword Grave composed of tens of thousands of blades had vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but a vast emptiness.

“Where did all the swords go?”

Mu Zhi spoke in confusion, but her voice merely echoed; there was no one to answer her query.

As if remembering something, she looked down at her hand. Seeing the long sword she held, she let out a small sigh of relief.

Mu Zhi lightly stroked the blade and spoke with a smile.

“I’m glad you didn’t disappear.”

After all, she wanted the world to know that she, personally taught by Chi Li, was by no means a useless waste like Mo Fan.

As if sensing Mu Zhi’s uneasy emotions, the sword emitted a soft glow, seemingly trying to comfort her gently.

Noticing the change, Mu Zhi’s lips curled into a smile.

“Don’t worry. No matter where this is, I will take you out to see my Senior Sister.”

After speaking, Mu Zhi scanned her surroundings once more. She realized that not only were the piled swords gone, but this place was far cleaner than the so-called Sword Pavilion, without even a single blade of stray grass.

Mu Zhi rolled up one of her sleeves, exposing her arm to the air to carefully gauge the temperature.

A moment later, her expression shifted slightly, though she quickly regained her composure.

Even the temperature here was no longer as aggressively scorching as before, it was so mild it felt drowsy, making one unconsciously lower their guard.

To Mu Zhi, this was currently just a strange place, and she couldn’t even determine its reality.

With this thought, Mu Zhi took her sword and sliced a cut across her palm.

As blood welled from the wound and dripped onto the ground, blooming into a red stain, she felt no pain whatsoever.

She could perceive the temperature, but she could not feel the pain of her own wound.

This injury was likely just an illusion.

Almost immediately, Mu Zhi came to a realization.

This place was not a real world.

Mu Zhi lowered her eyes slightly, staring at the spreading bloodstain on the ground, lost in thought.

She remembered that after she stepped onto the mysteriously appearing bridge, the bridge vanished, and she fell off the precipice.

The precipice…

Mu Zhi’s grip on the hilt tightened as she walked toward the depths of the cavern.

She stopped at the edge of the cliff, frowning at the sword floating in the abyss.

The cliff was still the same cliff, and the molten fire still churned below, but that single sword was no longer the tattered broken blade she had seen before.

It was a perfectly intact, masterless sword.

Currently, the scabbard engraved with “Hongye” was nowhere to be found beside it.

At that moment, Mu Zhi heard footsteps behind her once again.

The newcomer’s steps were steady, each one carrying a sense of overwhelming pressure unlike the gait Mo Fan was capable of.

Nevertheless, Mu Zhi gripped her sword tightly. The moment the person approached, she spun around, her wrist flicking the blade in a flash of cold light. Though her technique was unrefined, it was enough for self-defense.

However, she watched as her blade passed right through the person’s body. The newcomer remained unharmed and walked straight past her, seemingly entirely unaware of Mu Zhi’s existence.

The figure was tall and slender, dressed in a blue and white gown that complemented a face so beautiful it was sharp. The dark patterns on her hem fluttered with her movements, carrying an air of arrogance and high spirits that made it impossible to look away.

Though the person could not see Mu Zhi, Mu Zhi still felt the terrifying spiritual power emanating from her, causing her face to turn pale for a moment.

Mu Zhi watched as the person walked to the edge of the cliff, assuming she had come to claim the sword.

However, under Mu Zhi’s watchful gaze, the woman unhurriedly sat down at the edge of the abyss, a faint curve on her lips softening her sharp features.

“Sigh.”

The woman sighed, then spoke with a hint of regret and helplessness.

“Do you really not intend to come out with me? Don’t you find it boring staying here all day?”

“In the prime of your life, why not go out and roam the world…”

Listening to the woman’s rambling yet ambitious words, Mu Zhi was confused as to why she was talking to herself.

She walked over, peeking at the woman’s profile before waving a hand in front of her face, speaking in a polite and courteous tone.

“Pardon me, but do you know where this is? And who are you talking to?”

But the woman heard none of Mu Zhi’s questions and naturally offered no response.

Mu Zhi frowned. After a moment of hesitation, knowing it was impolite, she tried to reach out and nudge the woman.

However, she watched her hand pass straight through the woman’s body.

The person was like an ethereal soul, impossible to touch.

Mu Zhi heard her speak again, this time chattering about things she had encountered outside and whom she had defeated. Her casual manner was exactly like that of someone chatting with an old friend.

Following the woman’s gaze, Mu Zhi’s eyes landed on the sword not far away.

“You’re talking to a sword?”

Mu Zhi spoke hesitantly, beginning to suspect that this person was so lonely from having no friends that she had resorted to talking to a blade.

The woman, naturally unable to see the pity in Mu Zhi’s eyes, continued talking to herself.

The person on the cliff spoke for an unknown length of time. By the time Mu Zhi had searched the area for an exit and returned empty-handed, the woman was still talking tirelessly. Mu Zhi, standing to the side, began to feel a bit annoyed, unable to fathom how one person could have so much to say, it was completely at odds with her elegant face.

Mu Zhi yawned. Just as she was about to think of a way out, she caught a glimpse of the sword nearby, it seemed to move.

The long sword vanished, transforming into a figure that approached the woman sitting by the cliff. Her enchanting face bore a look of drowsiness and slight irritation at being woken up.

Mu Zhi couldn’t hear their subsequent conversation clearly. She only vaguely saw their gazes eventually land on her probing, yet devoid of malice.

She tried her hardest to hear what they were saying, but her head throbbed with a growing, heavy ache, and everything around her became blurred.

Footsteps appeared again, moving from far to near with frantic urgency. A figure rushed toward her through her hazy vision.

It was Chi Li…

Her dress was stained with alarming blood. Mu Zhi seemed to smell the scent of rusted blood in the air, leaving only one thought in her mind.

Her Eldest Senior Sister was injured again. She had to find the person who bullied her Senior Sister…