When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 18

A scorching breath brushed against her ear. Shi Yining instinctively tilted her head away, but in an instant, a pair of long, powerful hands forced her back.

“Do not hide from me!”

The voice was possessively paranoid to the core, yet if one listened closely, it contained a trace of grievance.

Shi Yining’s heart skipped a beat. “Jiang Liuyue, you are being so blatant—are you not afraid of being discovered by my Master?”

The constraints surrounding her body did not dissipate at these words; instead, they tightened significantly.

“Compared to being discovered by Sect Leader Qin, I am more afraid of not being able to see Miss Shi…”

“Jiang Liuyue, stay calm!”

“With Miss Shi avoiding me like this, how am I supposed to stay calm?”

“I… I am not avoiding you…”

“Does Miss Shi truly believe her own words?”

Shi Yining bit her lip, feeling quite exasperated. “If you hadn’t treated me that way before, why else would I choose to stay on Qinghe Peak?”

The figure pressed even closer. “What ‘way’ is Miss Shi referring to?”

“Jiang Liuyue, you are asking what you already know!”

“If Miss Shi truly disliked being treated that way, why did you not tell Sect Leader Qin the truth and get rid of me once and for all? If I were to disappear forever, I naturally wouldn’t be able to pester Miss Shi anymore.”

Shi Yining had heard similar words not long ago. This person seemed to have grasped her weakness, using it as leverage to do as she pleased.

“Listen to me, Jiang Liuyue. I admit I cannot bear to see you die, but that does not mean I am willing to be this intimate with you. When we first met, you established a Soul Bond regardless of my will. I told you then: matters of the heart require mutual consent. Blindly forcing it will yield no good results… Just like me in my past life, in the end, I only brought suffering upon myself.”

After her words fell, the room lapsed into silence.

Roughly a hundred breaths passed before an unreadable voice finally spoke.

“Speaking of which, Miss Shi has never told me… who exactly was the person you loved in your past life?”

After a moment of silence, Shi Yining asked back, “Is it important?”

“Of course it is important!” The reply came without hesitation, revealing the urgency in the speaker’s heart.

“Jiang Liuyue… I am curious. You say you know everything about my past life, but why is it that you don’t even know who I loved? Or rather, are you lying to me about that as well?”

The constraints around her body suddenly loosened. Shi Yining tried to take the opportunity to pull away, but at that moment, a slightly dazed response reached her ears.

“I am not lying to Miss Shi. I only know that the person was in the Yuehua Sect… I don’t know why, but whenever it involves that sect, all my memories become blurred, as if shrouded in a thick mist…”

This answer was completely unexpected for Shi Yining.

She began to speculate about the relationship between Jiang Liuyue and the Yuehua Sect. Was it possible that she… was a cultivator of that sect?

Who could it be?

Previously, she had dismissed Jiang Liuyue as a wandering ghost or malevolent spirit, unable to guess her identity. Now that she finally had a clue, she had no way to pursue it. The Yuehua Sect had tens of thousands of disciples; the scope was simply too broad.

“Jiang Liuyue, promise me… recover your memories as soon as possible, alright?”

“Since it is Miss Shi’s request, I shall naturally comply.”

Perhaps because the mention of the Yuehua Sect had distracted her with those blurred memories, Jiang Liuyue stopped thinking about intimate matters for a while. The ghost appeared much more dignified.

As the night deepened, the unguarded Shi Yining slowly fell into a deep sleep.

She slept for a long time, plagued by many strange and bizarre dreams.

In the first dream, she ran through a sea of flowers, chasing a misty figure ahead. Just as the distance closed and she was about to reach out, her foot stepped into a void, and she plunged into a bottomless abyss…

In the second dream, she was in a pitch-black dungeon, burdened with false charges, being pressed onto the Soul-Severing Platform…

In the third dream, she became a bystander floating in the void, watching an invisible giant hand manipulate a world and decide the fates of many. Later, the giant hand was severed by a sword light that spanned heaven and earth…

In the fourth dream, she was in a wedding hall dressed in bridal robes. The bride beside her was Jiang Liuyue, who had been pestering her. However, as they walked hand-in-hand toward the bridal chamber, Jiang Liuyue’s blurred face gradually became clear—it was identical to Shu Mo…

When Shu Mo appeared in the dream, it felt as if Shi Yining had been struck on the head with a mallet; she woke up instantly.

Almost at the same moment, a petulant voice reached her ears.

“You sleepy girl! Do you know the Dao Discussion starts today? If I hadn’t checked you repeatedly to confirm you were fine, I would have thought you’d been hit by some dark sorcery!”

Shi Yining looked toward the source of the sound only to see her beautiful Master with her hands on her hips, nagging incessantly.

As her consciousness returned, Shi Yining realized the weight of her Master’s words. “I… I slept for three days?”

“Indeed!” Qin Wu’s lips twitched slightly. “Don’t just daze there. Get up quickly. There are only two hours left before the Dao Discussion Assembly begins. Your junior sisters are all waiting for you outside.”

Shi Yining scrambled out of bed, unable to fathom why this had happened. Sleeping for three days—was it because of those dreams?

And Jiang Liuyue… where did she go?

Her eyes scanned the room, but she saw no familiar figure.

“Master, could you please step out for a moment to allow me to change my clothes?”

Qin Wu arched a brow. “Fine. You must be quick, Ning’er. Do not delay the time for the Discussion.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After her Master left, Shi Yining searched every corner of the room.

“Jiang Liuyue? Are you there?”

After a long time, there was no response.

Had she… left?

Without even a word of farewell, she had vanished silently…

In that moment, a sudden sense of emptiness filled Shi Yining’s heart.

“Big liar… You said you would always stay with me. I only slept a bit longer, and you’re gone without a trace…”

Tears slid down her cheeks. Looking down at her wet collar, Shi Yining gave a self-mocking smile.

Had she not suffered enough from the word “love” in her past life? To think she still held onto illusions in this life… If she’s gone, she’s gone. It’s better that she left early, lest there come a day when I truly get used to her presence…

Half a tea-time later, dressed in a fresh sect uniform, Shi Yining stepped out of her quarters and flew onto a large spirit boat prepared for them. She led her junior sisters toward Taixuan Island.

As the spirit boat sped along, thousands of scenes flashed past her eyes. Shi Yining was in no mood to appreciate the view; she stood on the deck with her eyes lowered and hands behind her back, silent.

Beside her, Yu Chang hesitated for a moment before whispering, “Sister, do you have something on your mind?”

Shi Yining denied it. “No…”

“How can you say ‘no’ when you look like this?”

“I…”

Shi Yining didn’t want to elaborate and changed the subject. “Has Fellow Daoist Fang of the Qishan Sect left our sect yet?”

“Yes…” Yu Chang nodded. “She left yesterday. Sect Leader Zhao came personally to take her away. I observed secretly—Sect Leader Zhao’s expression was very poor. Upon seeing Fellow Daoist Fang, she kept calling her ‘rebellious daughter’…”

Shi Yining was not surprised.

“Fellow Daoist Fang essentially ran away here against orders. It is only natural that Sect Leader Zhao is angry. However, they share a bond of blood; even if she is angry, she likely won’t punish her too severely.”

With the memories of her past life, she knew that while Sect Leader Zhao appeared strict, she actually doted on Fang, a classic case of “a sharp tongue but a soft heart.”

An incense-stick’s time later: Taixuan Island.

The Dao Discussion Platform hovered high above the island, with white jade railings and black stone floors. The surrounding spiritual energy was so dense it had formed a lingering mist.

When Shi Yining led her junior sisters to the site, the cultivators of the Yuehua and Qishan Sects were already in their places.

The Yuehua Sect was headed by Shu Mo, and the Qishan Sect by Zhao Mingfang.

For the Three-Sect Dao Discussion, countless powers from the outside world had come to witness the event. Rumors had been flying recently, so the moment Shi Yining appeared, she became the focus of attention.

“That is the Eldest Senior Sister of the Xuanqing Sect.”

“Rumor has it she acts recklessly, but seeing her today, her conduct is dignified. It seems the rumors were false…”

“Didn’t some news come out from Kaiyuan City a few days ago? In my opinion, someone was likely jealous and intentionally smeared her name.”

The discussions of the crowd reached Shi Yining’s ears, but she paid them no mind, leading her sisters to the Xuanqing Sect’s designated seats.

Along the way, many gazes fell upon her. Shi Yining remained expressionless. When she passed the Yuehua Sect’s seating area, she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.

“Fellow Daoist Shi…”

A call came from the distance. Shi Yining paused and turned to see Zhao Mingfang rising from the Qishan Sect’s seats, hurrying toward her.

“I left in such a rush yesterday that I didn’t have time to say goodbye. This is my apology gift.”

A lifelike statue carved from spirit wood was held out before her. Shi Yining looked closely and found that it was a carving of herself.

Under such circumstances, it was difficult to refuse.

Just as she was about to reach for the statue, a slender, jade-like hand unexpectedly caught her wrist, stopping her movement.

Shi Yining froze. She instinctively looked up and met a pair of deep eyes that hid all emotion.

Shu Mo?

Wasn’t she at the Yuehua Sect’s seats? How did she approach so silently?

Looking at that all-too-familiar face, Shi Yining uncontrollably recalled the events of her past life and instinctively stepped back.

However, her wrist was gripped tightly. She had only retreated two steps before she was pulled back by an irresistible force, nearly crashing into the other woman’s embrace.

After stabilizing herself, Shi Yining used all her strength to break free, but for some reason, Shu Mo refused to let go.

“Let me go!”

“In the Three-Sect Dao Discussion, we are all competitors. For Fellow Daoist Fang to offer a wood carving at this time, her intentions are unclear. Does Fellow Daoist Shi truly intend to accept this gift?”

The voice, cold as jade, reached her ears. Before Shi Yining could answer, Zhao Mingfang exploded in anger.

“Shu Mo! This is a gift I am giving to Fellow Daoist Shi. What does it have to do with you? And what do you mean by ‘competitors’ and ‘unclear intentions’? Are you trying to say I would harm her? I’m telling you, Shu Mo—I would sooner harm you than ever harm Fellow Daoist Shi!”

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