Enough? Jiang Xidai found it hard to believe it was enough.
To be honest, if she could, she would not hesitate to kill Li Xinghe and Yan Huirou. If she didn’t kill them both, she would likely be the one to die in the end.
If her long sword so much as trembled, she, Jiang Xidai, would write her name backwards.
Even if she couldn’t do it now, she was testing the waters step by step, especially as she secretly studied this thing called the “system.”
After all, Sect Master Jiang had no reverence for the “system” that had suddenly taken control of her life, only disgust and loathing.
Jiang Xidai had been manipulated for the first half of her life. She didn’t want to be manipulated for the second half—not even by something that wasn’t human.
But Yan Huirou’s words were a little different.
She didn’t want to kill someone who had such a high favorability towards her. It made her feel disgusted from the bottom of her heart.
Thinking of this…
Jiang Xidai felt a little angry again. Why was Yan Huirou willing to be good to her, and it didn’t even seem fake?
Where in the world did selfless kindness come from? Except for mothers—perhaps sometimes, even mothers were selfish.
On what grounds was Yan Huirou selfless?
And on what grounds did she tell her so clearly?
Jiang Xidai had always wanted things to be straightforward. If you love, love purely; if you hate, hate with every fiber of your being. But things never went as she wished. Why were human emotions always stuck in between, especially her own?
There were few good people and evil people in this world, only a vast sea of fickle people. And so, love was not open, and hate was not satisfying. It was constricting, making one feel wronged and unable to speak.
Sect Master Jiang was not good at deeply analyzing the feelings between people. In a fit of anger, she pushed the blame for “this kind of wrongness” onto Yan Huirou.
She thought to herself that sooner or later, she would have to bring Yan Huirou’s baseless favorability down.
Golden Orchid what Golden Orchid, how ridiculous.
Ever since this thought had surfaced, she felt much more relaxed.
But when Sect Master Jiang was reflecting, she couldn’t figure out the reason—after all, she had always been not good to Yan Huirou. She didn’t know how her favorability had increased… a few times, it seemed to have increased even when she glared at her.
Could it be that this little girl—
—is naturally fond of rough treatment?
“I don’t need your kindness.”
“After all, you don’t owe me anything.”
Jiang Xidai thought for a moment and tried to soften her tone. Her voice was not sharp to begin with, and once it softened, it became gentle and melodious.
“…”
Jiang Xidai watched with satisfaction as Yan Huirou froze in place, even taking a small step back, as if she couldn’t believe what she had heard. “Sect Master Jiang, you…”
This time, the abrupt favorability did not increase.
Jiang Xidai smiled faintly.
So this is how—
Beep! Female Lead Favorability +1
Beep! Female Lead Favorability +1
Beep! Female Lead Favorability +1
“…”
Her smile had just frozen on her lips. At this moment, her expression was stiff, half-smiling, half-not, as she looked at Yan Huirou gloomily.
“Speaking to me like this, you seem very nice,” Yan Huirou said with an approving look.
“Nice?” the woman’s smile was radiant for a moment as she bit out her words.
“Mm.” Yan Huirou was pleasant and agreeable.
But she had never expected that in the next moment, the woman’s face would change. The curve of her lips disappeared, and her eyes grew cold.
“Get out. If you get any closer, I’ll whip you!”
“Sect Master Jiang seems to be very fond of telling people to get out.”
Yan Huirou said to Bi Luo, “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been told to ‘get out’.”
The green-robed young girl held Yan Huirou’s arm, covered her mouth and giggled. She looked around and, seeing no one, said, “Miss Yan, the Sect Master will chop people up when she’s angry. It’s rare to see her scold people—after all, there’s no need to scold a dead person. Miss Yan, this is a great honor, not something ordinary people can easily experience. You… you’re the one she scolds the most, even Senior Sister Wen has to take a step back.”
“I see,” Yan Huirou also smiled. “She really isn’t very good at scolding people. If it were me, I would say, ‘Please leave in a rounded manner.’”
Bi Luo chewed on the words. “How strange.”
As the two young girls were chatting and strolling through the Shasheng Sect, they came face to face with a familiar woman.
Ah, it was that “take a step back” Wen Xianyin.
Wen Xianyin sized up Yan Huirou from head to toe and called out respectfully, “Miss Yan. How have you been lately?”
“I’m doing well.”
“Mm.” Wen Xianyin gave a polite smile, then hesitated and probed, “Then the Sect Master’s mood—”
“It’s up and down,” Yan Huirou said. “Rest assured, Sect Master Jiang talked a little more today. She’s not drinking heavily anymore, and her spirits seem to be better than the past few days.”
“That’s good.” Wen Xianyin paused, seeming a little absent-minded. She then said softly, “That matter of Li Xinghe’s escape, Sect Master Jiang…”
Yan Huirou saw her concern and carefully recalled Jiang Xidai’s expression. She comforted her tactfully, “It’s fine, Senior Sister Wen. If Sect Master Jiang were angry, she would have punished someone on the spot. It’s been so long, she’s probably forgotten about it.”
Wen Xianyin stood there and thought for a moment. It did seem to be the case. Jiang Xidai rarely dragged out punishments for a long time to settle old scores. After all, Jiang Xidai’s patience wasn’t very good, and there was no need to do so.
She suddenly understood and felt a sense of relief. She felt lighter, and so she looked at Yan Huirou gratefully, feeling a sense of amazement in her heart—
She had followed Jiang Xidai for so many years, yet she had never thought of this and had not summed up the Sect Master’s little habits.
And Yan Huirou had pointed it out to her directly.
This seemingly gentle and amiable Yan Huirou was actually a very meticulous person. No wonder she could get close to Sect Master Jiang.
Wen Xianyin wasn’t exactly envious of her. She actually didn’t want to be too close to Jiang Xidai. After all, although the Sect Master wasn’t a great villain, her temperament was really unpredictable… she still had to leave a way out for herself.
So Wen Xianyin’s concern for Jiang Xidai had always been at the level of duty, respect, caution, and thoughtfulness, but not intimacy.
And just in time, Yan Huirou had arrived.
Wen Xianyin was instinctively more willing to be close to such a gentle and good-tempered woman.
Most importantly, Sect Master Jiang was very special to her. Although Miss Yan was gentle, she didn’t seem to be servile. On the contrary, she could always argue with Jiang Xidai and still live well…
It was truly a great wonder of the sect.
“Miss Yan,” Bi Luo was very respectful towards Wen Xianyin and said to Yan Huirou, “You’ve been staying in the Shasheng Sect for so long without a name or a position. Why don’t you ask the Sect Master to take you in as a disciple or something? Then you’ll be someone like Senior Sister Wen!”
Yan Huirou smiled. “I haven’t even started cultivating yet. I’m starting late. The Sect Master probably wouldn’t think much of me.”
“Miss Yan is being modest. Our Shasheng Sect is not very strict when it comes to aptitude for accepting disciples,” Wen Xianyin said.
Yan Huirou was surprised. “Why?”
“The Sect Master always seems to think that our fights are like children making a mess. She alone is enough to handle everything, so she doesn’t pay much attention.”
“I’ve observed that she doesn’t seem to have much to do on a normal day,” Yan Huirou looked at Wen Xianyin, as if she understood something.
As expected, Wen Xianyin waved her hand. “The trivial matters of the sect are all managed by me and a few of my subordinates. Our Sect Master is too lazy to get involved and rarely asks about them. If Miss Yan wants to become a disciple of the sect, I don’t think it will be a difficult matter. Just let the Sect Master know.”
Jiang Xidai was less the master of the Shasheng Sect and more like a stabilizing rock. She would laze around in the sect on a normal day, throwing all matters, big and small, onto Wen Xianyin. Only when there was a battle to be fought would she come out to face the enemy.
Yan Huirou had no intention of becoming a disciple. She had no ambitions to cultivate and become an immortal. She just answered along, “Then thank you, Senior Sister.”
Jiang Xidai had just driven Yan Huirou away, but not a moment later, she felt the hall was cold and dark, and she was bored.
Then, she saw a shadow at the door.
She flicked her wrist and finger, and a fierce wind swept through the room, destroying the candles. One by one, the lamps were lit.
The flickering lights illuminated the visitor.
Wen Xianyin stood at the entrance of Qionghua Hall, tall and elegant.
“What is it?”
Wen Xianyin sized up the Sect Master’s expression. The candlelight at her side made her features look gentler than usual.
“You’ve been making a lot of noise outside recently. Those people have been resentful for a long time. I’ve heard some rumors that someone has released the news that you’re injured… The sect gate has not been peaceful lately.”
“Then let them make a fuss.”
The anger Yan Huirou had stirred in her had completely sobered her up. Jiang Xidai finally dragged her lazy body from the past few days and moved to a different spot.
She took the embroidered umbrella and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sharp protrusions on its edge. It was made of black iron, and the pattern was a bit complicated, so it was easy to hide dirt and blood. Hearing Wen Xianyin’s words, she didn’t seem to mind at all. “They’ve been shouting and killing for so many years. This time is no different. The Shasheng Sect is not so easily breached.”
Wen Xianyin said obediently, “Yes. With you here, Sect Master, we are all at ease. Besides, the Sect Master’s cultivation is one of the best in the world. We don’t need to worry about your safety.”
“But it’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to defend against a hidden arrow. For example, last time with Miss Yan…”
In Wen Xianyin’s opinion, this matter was truly absurd.
That night, Miss Yan had been abducted.
Jiang Xidai’s expression at that time had been terrifyingly displeased. Without another word, she had gone to rescue her.
She didn’t know if the Sect Master had experienced a fierce battle this time. Although Miss Yan had been rescued, she had recuperated for several days without leaving her room when she came back.
There were very few people whom Jiang Xidai valued so much.
Thinking of this, Wen Xianyin’s words suddenly flowed more smoothly. “Miss Yan has no cultivation, she is delicate and weak, and has no ability to protect herself. I think, to prevent such things from happening again in the future, and to save the Sect Master from worrying, why not let Miss Yan join the Shasheng Sect and practice some Daoist techniques on a normal day…”
“And you can justifiably keep her in the Shasheng Sect.”
Wen Xianyin said with reason, “In the future, even if you go to rescue her, you will have a just cause.”
Jiang Xidai’s hand paused slightly. She suddenly frowned and crumpled the handkerchief in her palm.
She sized up Wen Xianyin.
“What kind of bewitching soup did Yan Huirou give you?”
Wen Xianyin rarely meddled, or rather, she often did things silently, only reporting what was necessary to Jiang Xidai. This was also why the lazy Sect Master Jiang had always been quite satisfied with her.
This time, however, Wen Xianyin had come to persuade her personally, and it was one “Miss Yan” after another. She had never been such a nosy person before.
Hearing Jiang Xidai’s words, a huge alarm bell went off in Wen Xianyin’s heart. She quickly knelt down. “You’ve misunderstood. I am only concerned about the person the Sect Master is concerned about. I would never dare—and I have absolutely no presumptuous feelings for Miss Yan.”
“…”
With a tearing sound, Wen Xianyin looked up and saw that the Sect Master had torn her own handkerchief in half.
“Is that so.” Jiang Xidai sneered and said darkly, “Where am I concerned about her?”
“Wen Xianyin, it’s fine if your eyes are not good, but don’t embarrass yourself in front of me. Don’t mention this matter again.”
The woman on the throne’s tone contained three parts of annoyance.
Wen Xianyin listened carefully, thought carefully, and suddenly regretted it, wishing she could slap herself in her heart.
She had been too direct just now. Didn’t this just expose the Sect Master’s thoughts? The last few times, the Sect Master had deliberately punished Yan Huirou, and then awkwardly sent her to deliver medicine at night.
It was probably the same this time, she was being awkward again.
So the considerate senior sister of the Shasheng Sect said respectfully, “It was I who spoke out of turn. That was not my original intention…”
“You’re quite talkative today. What on earth do you want to say?”
Wen Xianyin also felt a little tired of the Sect Master’s awkwardness, so she sighed lightly and said, “I think, since the Sect Master finds Miss Yan so displeasing to the eye, why not recruit her into the Shasheng Sect.”
“With her thin arms and legs, if she were to practice Daoist techniques or martial arts, she would surely suffer a great deal.”
“Such a revenge would perfectly solve the Sect Master’s great worry.”
As expected.
This time, Jiang Xidai did not refute her. Instead, she frowned and thought about it carefully.
Poor Wen Xianyin 😅