When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 19

“Sister Mo is not wrong. As the saying goes, one must always be on guard against others. Fellow Daoist Fang’s reaction is truly excessive.”

Shi Yining followed the voice and saw a young girl in green sitting at the Yuehua Sect’s table, holding a tea cup. Although she was speaking up for her senior sister, her clear, black-and-white eyes were fixed directly on Shi Yining with an unreadable expression.

This girl was none other than Kong Qing, the person who had pushed her into the lake at the Yuehua Sect that day—and Shu Mo’s junior sister.

Whether in her past life or this one, Kong Qing had always been at odds with her. This wasn’t because of Shu Mo, however; they had an older grievance.

Two years ago, while Shi Yining was out hunting demons, she encountered Kong Qing. At the time, Kong Qing had been afflicted by a rare fire poison and was suppressing it in an obscure cave. Shi Yining, lured away by a demon cultivator’s diversion, accidentally stumbled into the cave, causing Kong Qing’s poison to flare up.

That poison was peculiar. Instead of losing consciousness, Kong Qing suffered a rush of blood to the heart. Upon seeing Shi Yining, she had lunged at her uncontrollably, attempting to force herself upon her…

Shi Yining resisted with all her might, fighting as she fled. During the struggle, she kicked Kong Qing into a cold pool. The bone-chilling water happened to be the perfect counter for the fire poison, inadvertently curing her.

Knowing she was the cause of the intrusion, Shi Yining apologized immediately once Kong Qing regained her senses. However, Kong Qing didn’t just refuse the apology; she mocked her relentlessly before storming off.

The feud was sealed then. Thereafter, Shi Yining would always scout ahead before traveling to purposefully avoid Kong Qing.

It wasn’t until two months ago at the Immortal Tea House that she met Shu Mo, and Kong Qing—who should have been at her sect—appeared there as well. When Shi Yining fell in love with Shu Mo at first sight, Kong Qing noticed and ridiculed her mercilessly.

Because of the fire poison incident, Shi Yining had originally felt a sliver of guilt. But after being humiliated by Kong Qing in front of the person she loved, that guilt vanished completely. At the time, she had remained silent, not wanting to leave a worse impression on Shu Mo.

She thought her silence would appease Kong Qing. She was dead wrong.

Even now, Shi Yining couldn’t understand why Kong Qing hated her so much. If it was for the past, yes, she had trespassed, but the poison had been cured because of it, and Kong Qing suffered no lasting loss. She apologized, but Kong Qing refused; she offered magic treasures and spirit stones, but Kong Qing only glared with fury.

In an instant, memories flashed through Shi Yining’s mind.

The sounds of the argument nearby intensified. Because of Kong Qing’s words, Zhao Mingfang turned her spear directly toward the two sisters.

“There is a saying: ‘rats and snakes in the same hole.’ That describes you two perfectly!”

As soon as she spoke, several people at the Yuehua Sect table slammed their desks and stood up.

“Nonsense! Our two senior sisters are honorable and pure. We won’t allow your slander!”

“Your Qishan Sect sees the marriage alliance failing and resorts to such vilification. Truly hateful!”

“Our sisters are right. Daoist Fang, you are so exasperated because they hit the mark. You’re just shamed into anger!”

The situation was escalating far beyond Shi Yining’s expectations. She couldn’t understand how a simple gift could cause such a massive row.

Even now, her right wrist was still gripped tightly by Shu Mo—so tight it was beginning to ache. Hasn’t this person always avoided me like a scorpion? Why the sudden change today, initiating contact?

Shi Yining didn’t want to overthink it. Having lived twice, she no longer wanted any entanglement with this woman.

“Daoist Mo, please let go. I believe Daoist Fang had no ulterior motive with her gift.”

Zhao Mingfang, who had been fuming, calmed down instantly upon hearing this. As long as Shi Yining believed her, the opinions of others didn’t matter. Seeing that Shi Yining was still being held, she glared at the culprit.

“Are you deaf? Let her go!”

Shu Mo’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she did not let go.

Shi Yining frowned slightly. She used a subtle burst of spiritual energy to shake the woman off, then took the wooden carving from Zhao Mingfang with a bright smile of thanks.

The smile was radiant, but to Shu Mo, it felt strangely piercing. Likely because that smile wasn’t directed at her…

At this moment, on Taixuan Island, the cultivators gathered to watch the “Three Sects Discourse” fell silent. They had expected to see exquisite martial arts, not hear the scandalous grievances and love affairs of the sect leaders’ disciples before the event even began.

Some of the more anxious spectators were already worried they might be silenced to keep the secrets…

Having accepted the gift, Shi Yining led her junior sisters to the seats reserved for the Xuanqing Sect. The wood carving was cool to the touch. The features were identical to her own; it was clear a lot of heart had gone into it. This was the first time someone had given her such a gift, and she intended to treasure it.

Beside her, Yu Chang shifted her body slightly to block the gazes coming from afar, muttering under her breath:

“Some people are really something. When Sister pursued them, they were cold and indifferent. Now that Sister has moved on, they won’t let go. How shameless!”

Shi Yining, being close, heard this and immediately sent a telepathic message: “Junior Sister, stop talking nonsense.”

Yu Chang was indignant. “Sister, am I wrong?”

“Right or wrong, do not gossip about others behind their backs.”

“You are too kind, Sister. I can’t do it. I remember exactly how the Yuehua Sect treated you!”

“What happened in the past was mostly my fault.”

“No, it wasn’t! You just admired her. Maybe your actions were a bit extreme, but you never actually hurt anyone. If anyone is at fault, it’s that Shu Mo! She never responded to you, but she never explicitly rejected you either!”

“Sister, let it go. The discourse is about to begin. Focus; there will be duels soon.”

“Yes…” Yu Chang pouted, unhappy. Her sister clearly wasn’t taking her side. She didn’t understand what was so good about that icy woman. Was it her looks? She admitted Shu Mo was beautiful, but with that temper, she was eyesore. Besides, Yu Chang thought she wasn’t bad-looking herself… why couldn’t her sister look at her instead?

Shi Yining was unaware of her junior sister’s true thoughts. Her attention was now on the center of the platform.

A spirit treasure shaped like a crescent moon rose from the mist. Several flashes of light appeared, transforming into nine layers of arenas. Simultaneously, the names for the matches appeared above each arena.

Shi Yining quickly found her name. Just like in her past life, her first opponent was from the Yuehua Sect.

The discourse was divided into two parts: Civilized Debate (Theory) and Martial Combat. The former focused on reasoning and insight into Daoist laws; the latter was traditional combat.

In her past life, because of Shu Mo, Shi Yining had voluntarily forfeited. This resulted in endless ridicule and brought shame to her entire sect, landing them in last place.

In this life, she would give it her all!

Soon, a melodious bell rang, signaling the start. Shi Yining rose, her toes lightly tapping the ground as she drifted gracefully onto Arena No. 1. Almost simultaneously, her opponent from the Yuehua Sect landed.

Below the stage, Shu Mo looked up at the familiar figure, her expression unreadable.

Beside her, Kong Qing seemed to sense something and said meaningfully, “There’s no suspense in the first round. Daoist Shi will surely win. With her strength, she’ll make it to the end. If you face her, Sister, remember the sect. Don’t go easy on her.”

Shu Mo asked coolly, “And what would you do if you faced her?”

Kong Qing smiled thinly. “I’d do my best. She is slightly stronger than me, so losing wouldn’t be shameful. But for you, Sister, it would be different.”

There was an edge to her words. It was clear their relationship was not as harmonious as the outside world believed. In fact, Kong Qing delighted in seeing her senior sister suffer. She had only helped earlier because she disliked Zhao Mingfang more.

Originally, because of the marriage alliance, she had a decent opinion of the situation—thinking that if Shu Mo got a partner, Shi Yining would stop focusing on her senior sister.

Unfortunately, the alliance fell through. To make matters worse, Zhao Mingfang had moved into Xigui Peak at the Xuanqing Sect. Kong Qing was furious when she heard. Even I haven’t lived there; why does Zhao Mingfang get to?

Kong Qing watched the figure on the stage—bright as the moon, winning the debate and beginning the combat—and a look of determination to win gradually appeared in her eyes.

On the arena, Shi Yining’s sword moved with her body, graceful as a startled swan. With one strike, she hit her opponent’s weak point and won as expected.

As soon as the victor was decided, she released her Daoist binding. The woman opposite her put away her treasure and bowed with respect. “Thank you for holding back, Daoist Shi. I concede wholeheartedly.”

Shi Yining returned the gesture. As she watched her opponent leave, her eyes inadvertently met Shu Mo’s gaze from below. After a moment of freezing, she quickly looked away.

Did I see that right? Did Shu Mo just smile at me?

At this moment, Shi Yining felt no romance—only a deep suspicion that Shu Mo had been possessed. Reason told her that was unlikely. If she wasn’t possessed, then perhaps she had been reborn, just like her.

But if Shu Mo had memories of the past life, she should want to stay far away. After all, in the end, Shi Yining’s love had turned to hate, and she had nearly destroyed Shu Mo’s cultivation. Shu Mo should hate her.

Perhaps it was an illusion. Maybe she was smiling at a fellow disciple.

Shi Yining stopped overthinking and focused on the information for the second round. She didn’t realize that because of her deliberate avoidance, the person below the stage had already lost her smile, her lips pressed tight, radiating an aura that warned everyone to stay away.

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