In the main hall of the Shenji Pavilion, there was a dead silence.
“Zhan Ke.”
Jiang Xidai was stunned for a long time, then she slightly curved her lips. It was hard to say whether her expression was one of grief or sarcasm. She stared at the kneeling woman for a long time.
“You knelt to me, for her?”
Xie Minting couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to pull Zhan Ke up.
But Zhan Ke pushed her away and did not get up. Her simple clothes lay quietly on the ground, making her look exceptionally quiet.
She folded her hands on her lap. It was clearly a posture of apology, but she still raised her head and looked at Jiang Xidai. “Sect Master Jiang, if someone must apologize to you, then I am more qualified. The repeated hostility, plus the sword I stabbed you with, in any case, the enmity from Lanyue Pavilion is deeper.”
“As for Sect Master Xie, why must you humiliate her?”
“If it was for me to see, then there’s no need.” Zhan Ke smiled. “It’s quite disgusting.”
The look in the woman’s eyes as she looked up, and the faint disgust revealed under her eyelashes, was all too familiar.
“…Disgusting to you?”
What Jiang Xidai couldn’t say was that in the past, she always suspected that she was not born to her liking, or that her personality was not pleasing. After all, when they had occasional disagreements, she would pretend to be angry alone, but Zhan Ke would not come to coax her.
It was just some girlish thoughts, and it was very easy to coax.
But Zhan Ke would mostly just laugh it off.
Over time, Jiang Xidai became very sensible and no longer threw these small tantrums. She became more gentle and considerate, almost to the point of being completely obedient. For example, Zhan Ke didn’t like her to be clingy, so she would stand in the distance and quietly watch her back.
But in reality, she was not born with a soft personality. By forcing herself into a mold, she always felt a little awkward.
But after wearing the mask for so long, she could no longer tell who she was.
For example, when Zhan Ke showed such an expression—
Even though the two had become mortal enemies, Jiang Xidai was free and no longer needed to please her.
But out of habit, she was still thrown back to many years ago, and a sense of inferiority grew in her heart.
Just as she was in a daze, not knowing what year it was, Jiang Xidai felt her hand being squeezed.
She looked to her side and saw another pair of completely different eyes.
Yan Huirou’s tear mole was hidden at the corner of her eye. When she looked at her with a frown, she looked gentle and compassionate.
She boldly squeezed Jiang Xidai’s hand again. Because she had been silenced, she couldn’t speak and could only mouth the words.
—It’s not your fault.
It’s not your fault, Sect Master Jiang.
Don’t be afraid.
Yan Huirou seemed to be afraid that her previous injury would cause trouble again and was repeating it over and over again.
Don’t be afraid.
For some reason, seeing her worried look, Jiang Xidai’s heart suddenly calmed down a lot.
It was like a bird that had suddenly broken its wing on a cliff. After a moment of dazed weightlessness, it was steadily held up by the gentle breeze blowing across the vast sky.
Jiang Xidai realized that it was no longer many years ago. She came back to her senses, calmed down, and re-evaluated the situation before her.
She pulled her hand back, then covered Yan Huirou’s hand and patted it, giving her a signal.
But after calming down, the first emotion she felt was anger.
“After all these years, when have you not been disgusted with me?” Jiang Xidai’s lips curved, her eyes cold.
After all, this woman, Zhan Ke, could kneel for Xie Minting, but she had never even bowed her head in front of her.
What should it be like to be good to someone?
And how much good does it take to be considered love?
Jiang Xidai didn’t know.
But she knew she had never had it.
Everyone was silently telling her that she was not worthy of it.
If she didn’t have it, why should others?
Jiang Xidai stood up. Her crimson-red dress trailed at her feet, and as she moved, it rippled like the unwashed river of blood on the steps of that year.
The Soft Red Ten-foot sword was lowered, and it just happened to be at Zhan Ke’s neck.
Zhan Ke was forced to turn her head, but at that moment, Jiang Xidai grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up from the ground.
Jiang Xidai lowered her eyes and stared at her.
With a crisp smack, Zhan Ke turned her head and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Before she could catch her breath, she clutched the palm print on her face, slightly stunned. “You…”
The soft sword straightened and stabbed down steadily, precisely, and ruthlessly, right through her shoulder.
“Don’t move.”
Zhan Ke had struggled weakly just now, but when Jiang Xidai’s breath was close to her face, she wisely stopped moving, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain of the blade piercing her body.
Jiang Xidai kept her sword hand still and smiled lightly. “Who are you trying to show your loyalty to by borrowing me? Is it Xie Minting?”
“You—like her very much?”
Jiang Xidai didn’t stab any deeper, but she slowly turned the hilt of the sword. This method wouldn’t kill Zhan Ke, but the blade twisting through her flesh would bring her a hundred kinds of pain.
“Am I a good person or a bad person for this…” the woman smiled and leaned closer, her eyes shifting to Xie Minting and giving her a sharp look. “I’ve done you two a favor.”
“So disgusting.”
As the sword was pulled out, a shower of blood splattered on the ground.
The pressure from the sword wind sent her staggering back a few steps, and she fell directly into Xie Minting’s arms. Xie Minting quickly caught Zhan Ke, steadied her, and when she touched her, her hands were covered in blood.
“Jiang Xidai, what are you wildly speculating about?” Xie Minting said coldly.
“What does it have to do with you, you useless thing?”
Jiang Xidai gave her a sideways glance, her gaze returning to Zhan Ke. She still tilted her eyes, her tone inexplicably sinister. “You like kneeling so much. Why don’t I just break your legs… How about it, let her carry you around every day from now on? Consider it a gift from me.”
She had been smiling just now, but as soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and slashed down with her sword. The bloody aura almost illuminated the clear, thin blade.
Zhan Ke’s heart pounded. She knew how vicious this woman could be. At the same time, she desperately circulated her spiritual energy and struck towards Jiang Xidai’s wound—
At the critical moment, Xie Minting pulled Zhan Ke back, forcing her to interrupt her sneak attack.
Clang!
The soft sword collided with the heavy sword and didn’t even bend.
Jiang Xidai’s sword did not strike Zhan Ke. It was blocked by Xie Minting’s crimson-gold heavy sword, which was drawn from its scabbard, protecting Zhan Ke, not giving an inch.
Looking at the two women supporting each other like a couple, they were a perfect match.
Jiang Xidai couldn’t remain completely unmoved. A stuffy and sour feeling rose in her heart. Her spiritual energy had just gone astray again, and her mouth and nose were filled with the smell of blood.
Actually, there were some disadvantages to having too high a cultivation. When her emotions were in turmoil, it was easy to injure herself.
She thought that when she went back this time, she might have to rest and go into seclusion.
She couldn’t help but feel a moment of resentment. Finally, she struck the heavy sword fiercely, making Xie Minting’s wrist ache.
Xie Minting tensed up, thinking she was going to fight again.
However, in the next moment, Jiang Xidai immediately withdrew her sword, flicked it outwards, and the soft sword flew into the handle of her umbrella.
In an instant, a red sleeve brushed past their eyes.
Jiang Xidai’s shadow, in a sudden moment, fell back onto the Pavilion Lord’s seat.
Her clothes were not even as fast as her movement technique. It was only after the woman had taken her seat that the lingering red silk slowly descended, spreading out like a cloud.
“The promise is made. I’ll give you three more days. If you can’t do it, I won’t waste any more words with you.”
“The lives of the Shenji Pavilion will be spared for now. I will be waiting for you.”
“Sect Master Jiang.”
“Sect Master Jiang?”
The sky outside was getting dark, and dusk was approaching. She didn’t know how much time had passed. The woman on the throne had changed her position and was leaning back, her long lashes drooping, as if she were resting with her eyes closed.
But her expression with her eyes closed did not seem very peaceful. After all, a gentle voice was constantly sounding intermittently by her side.
“Although you also had good intentions, it was still a bit too radical. Threatening and intimidating others is naturally not right.”
“Besides, the Pavilion Lord of the Shenji Pavilion is, after all, an old man. For you to make him crawl on the ground and bark like a dog, if word gets out, it will inevitably lower your own status, and it’s not very good for our eyes either.”
Yan Huirou, who had finally had her silencing spell lifted, was as talkative as a large, full pond with a small opening. The trickling stream of words swirled around Jiang Xidai’s ear in a continuous stream.
“And before, the Sect Master silenced me at a critical moment. Sect Master Xie is, after all, an outsider. If no one speaks up for you, then she will definitely not know the truth.”
It didn’t sound like she was condemning her.
It was more like she was educating her.
The female lead of this text was not a talkative person, because her voice was not loud, and her attitude was good. But she just kept nagging on and on, and Jiang Xidai’s head was about to explode.
The woman’s brow furrowed slightly. She had been regulating her chaotic inner energy, but after Yan Huirou’s long-winded speech, her spiritual energy was running wild in her meridians—she was literally being annoyed to death.
“Yan Huirou.”
“Hmm?” Yan Huirou answered.
“You’re so long-winded.”
“If I can persuade the Sect Master with a few of my thousands of words, then my efforts will not have been in vain.”
Yan Huirou added, “There’s one more thing. Every time you meet Pavilion Lord Zhan, you seem to be a little uneasy. It’s really not appropriate to take your anger out on Sect Master Xie because of this.”
“…Shut up.”
Jiang Xidai’s eyes snapped open, a hint of annoyance in them. “Say one more word, and I’ll throw you in the river to feed the fish.”
“…”
Jiang Xidai’s fingertips curled up. The gesture was very familiar; it was used to silence people.
Yan Huirou covered her mouth and said helplessly, “Alright, alright, I won’t say it.”
Jiang Xidai closed her eyes and turned her head away, finally getting some peace. She ignored Yan Huirou, but Yan Huirou got up, as if she wanted to go out.
“Wait.” Jiang Xidai frowned and called out to her, “Who allowed you to wander around? It’s dangerous outside. Come back.”
This was not the Shasheng Sect. There were many people and many eyes. If this troublesome person were to be abducted again, Jiang Xidai was really too lazy to go and rescue her again.
But Yan Huirou smiled. “Just for a little while, I won’t leave the Sect Master’s line of sight.”
She walked to the door and said something to the trembling Shenji Pavilion disciple guarding the door. After a short while, Yan Huirou came back with a box in her hands and sat down beside Jiang Xidai again.
Jiang Xidai spared a few glances and found that it was a box of paints. The Shenji Pavilion made many miscellaneous small objects, and many magic artifacts also needed to be colored, so there was no shortage of such special dyes.
Yan Huirou took a brush, dipped it in some vermilion red, and began to paint one of the butterflies Jiang Xidai had given her earlier—a plain, uncolored one.
She quietly finished painting the base of the butterfly’s wings, then dipped the brush in gold paint and outlined the edges in gold. Later, she looked at it from all angles and, perhaps finding it too plain, painted a small hibiscus flower on the underside of the wings, exactly the same as the one on Jiang Xidai’s umbrella.
Jiang Xidai’s shoulder was poked.
She glanced over, annoyed.
But her gaze was attracted.
At some point, Yan Huirou had finished painting the butterfly. It had originally been the plainest one, but after Yan Huirou’s re-painting, it had become even more beautiful than the previous two, vibrant and vivid.
“Here.”
Yan Huirou placed the brand-new butterfly in her palm and said softly, “Don’t break it again, Sect Master Jiang. This is the only one left.”
Jiang Xidai held out her hand and gently cupped the butterfly.
She stared at the small thing for a while, then casually tossed it up, watching it flutter its wings and fly freely.
After flying for a while, it landed on Jiang Xidai’s shoulder like a petal.
Jiang Xidai pinched the butterfly, threw it back into her storage ring, and closed her eyes to rest again. The chaotic spiritual energy gradually stabilized, and her mind also calmed down a lot.
Yan Huirou clearly saw the woman’s brow relax.
Her temper is bad, but she’s very easy to coax.
She lowered her head and smiled faintly, putting away the paints.
Jiang Xidai patiently waited in the Shenji Pavilion for another three days. The matter of putting Yan Huirou on the path of cultivation—finally had some progress.
The method was thought up by Xie Minting.
She came to see Jiang Xidai again.
But it was clear that this Sect Master Xie couldn’t hide things on her face either.
Because of Jiang Xidai’s humiliation a few days ago, and Zhan Ke’s injury… it was hard for Xie Minting to have a good expression towards her either.
Jiang Xidai didn’t care what she thought, nor did she care what she planned to do with Yan Huirou. She just sneered at the woman’s cold face and ignored it.
In any case, she couldn’t die, and it had to be done under her watch, so that Yan Huirou wouldn’t be snatched away.
Yan Huirou walked forward gracefully and gave her a polite smile. From an angle that Jiang Xidai couldn’t see, she mouthed an apology to Xie Minting: “I’m sorry, Sect Master Xie. Our Sect Master is a bit willful, but she’s probably troubling you for my sake…”
Xie Minting never took her anger out on innocent people. Her expression softened slightly, and she asked, “Little girl, I see you are not very old and have a pure heart. How did you end up in the Shasheng Sect, and how did your meridians suffer such a vicious attack?”
Yan Huirou: “My surname is Yan, and my name is Huirou. It was Sect Master Jiang who rescued me from the Qingxu Sect’s cave prison.”
“The Qingxu Sect’s cave prison?” Xie Minting said in surprise, “Was it the battle at Lingxi Mountain’s Wangyue Terrace that day? You—”
Could she be the “trump card” that was taken away?
Xie Minting didn’t know about the matters within the Qingxu Sect. During the chaotic battle, she hadn’t noticed Yan Huirou, and she hadn’t expected the trump card to be a living person. Besides, Yan Huirou looked completely different then than she did now. Even the Pavilion Lord of the Shenji Pavilion, who had seen her before, didn’t recognize her.
Seeing her now, she was particularly surprised.
Yan Huirou nodded. “Sect Master Xie. I know you have some complaints against Sect Master Jiang because of the death of the Qingxu Sect Master.”
“But the distinction between good and evil is not so absolute. To me, the one who imprisoned me for several years without any regard for right or wrong was one of your four great righteous sects, the Qingxu Sect.”
Yan Huirou said, “They declared me a criminal, broke my hands and feet, pierced my bones with torture instruments, and abused me for several years without seeing the light of day. I think my meridians were probably destroyed in this way.”
“…”
Xie Minting’s expression turned cold. “There was such a thing? The Qingxu Sect dared to do that to a living person—”
“It’s all in the past,” Yan Huirou said with an air of indifference. “The demonic witch who is cruel and inhumane in your eyes has never abused me like this. On the contrary, she saved me from an endless sea of suffering. I am grateful for Sect Master Jiang’s kindness, so I can’t help but say a few good words for her. I hope Sect Master Xie will not take offense.”
Xie Minting didn’t know if what she said was true or false for a moment, but the young woman’s smile was sincere, and her words were very convincing.
She looked up in even more surprise—Jiang Xidai was sitting at the highest seat, slowly peeling a grape and eating it, ignoring their conversation.
It’s hard to believe that Jiang Xidai would actually save someone?!
