Senior Sister Went Mad After My Fake Death Chapter 13

“Jiang Chunai, I’ve discovered that every time you come back from being out, you’re especially clumsy in your work,” Mei Shengchi said, gnawing on a freshly roasted chicken in one hand while commenting on Jiang Chunai’s performance.
Jiang Chunai, holding a gourd, replied, “Is that so, Dame? But haven’t I just returned? Generally speaking, going out does consume a lot of energy.”
“Pah! Then you tell me, where did you go that consumed so much energy you’re weak in the limbs?” Mei Shengchi frowned in displeasure.
This girl is not only lazy now, she’s not just clumsy, she’s even learned to talk back!
When Jiang Chunai had first come to Reflection Cliff, Mei Shengchi certainly hadn’t let her in so easily just because she saw the roast chicken and Ice-Jade Nectar in her hands.
She had done a thorough investigation and learned that this Jiang Chunai was a nimble and diligent cultivator, and someone Immortal Lord Yang Nian valued greatly. Only then did she, quite reluctantly, accept her onto the cliff.
While using a technique to draw out immortal dew, Jiang Chunai answered the Cliff Master’s question. “I ran across eight of Mount Shu’s peaks, in just three days.”
“Hmph, eight peaks. Next time you go out, run across eighty peaks!” Mei Shengchi said huffily. “If you can’t finish, don’t come back. And if you do come back, don’t come up to my Reflection Cliff.”
Jiang Chunai stopped her technique and looked at Mei Shengchi very seriously, asking, “In that case, Dame, do you have any specific requirements for these eighty peaks?”
Mei Shengchi was annoyed. “You’re not allowed to go anywhere!”
“…Oh.”
Jiang Chunai silently continued to irrigate with the immortal dew. Only after Dame Mei had turned her back did a faint smile appear on her face.
After spending a long time with Dame Mei, she had come to know her personality.
A mysterious old woman with a quick temper, but she wasn’t so mysterious anymore.
Everyone had a temper. Jiang Chunai’s own, originally hidden, had been brought out by the Cliff Master, evolving from initial backtalk to now deliberately teasing her.
Jiang Chunai mentally counted the number of flowers she was watering. Sure enough, as the eighth flower was being watered, Mei Shengchi came over and called to her in a muffled voice, “Tonight, I’ll teach you swordsmanship. Didn’t you say last time that you couldn’t break my sword array?”
“It’s somewhat different from Master’s sword technique,” Jiang Chunai corrected her.
Mei Shengchi sneered. “Of course. Her techniques aren’t as advanced as mine. How could they not be different?”
Jiang Chunai said nothing.
Whenever she spoke with Dame Mei and mentioned Immortal Lord Yang Nian, the latter would say strange things.
Although there was a sense of comparison in her words, it wasn’t jealousy or hatred at all.
It was a very subtle feeling.
But every time Jiang Chunai wanted to ask for details, Mei Shengchi would only start the topic and then quickly skip over it.
Today was no exception.
“Then, Dame, how is my master’s sword array inferior to yours?”
“How did she usually learn from you?”
“Her? In the past, she would come to find me two out of every three days. Hey, you damn girl, what are you asking so much for? If you want me to teach you, then shut up,” Mei Shengchi had just said a few sentences when she realized something was wrong and immediately snapped at Jiang Chunai. “Back then, Yin Zhuyun’s strength was far superior to yours, and she spoke far less than you!”
Yin Zhuyun was her master’s given name.
Jiang Chunai silently hummed in agreement, but still said softly, “This disciple is not a talkative person either. In the past, when I communicated with my fellow disciples, I also spoke little.”
Dame Mei huffed again. “You’d better speak little. From what I see, during all the various festivals, weren’t you exceedingly good to all your junior sisters and brothers? When you talk to them, do you not open your mouth and just use hand gestures?”
“No wonder you can’t hear me when I call you these days. Maybe you haven’t been on Reflection Cliff for a full year and aren’t used to people talking, is that it?”
Jiang Chunai pursed her lips. Although she knew the first half of what the Dame said was true, she just wanted to argue back now. “Well, I had high seniority before. Taking care of my junior sisters and…”
“Hmph, taking care of your junior sisters and brothers?” Mei Shengchi gave her a sidelong glance and said coldly, “Then does that mean you don’t know how to talk to your senior sister?”
Jiang Chunai had been about to argue back, but the Dame’s words seemed to have seized her by the throat. She was afraid that if she continued, she would reveal something about Han Xiao, so she obediently shut her mouth.
“I see you’re clearly good to everyone,” Mei Shengchi said, walking ahead. “Let’s go. I’m in a good mood today. I’ll teach you a few moves, and I’ll definitely teach you better than that master of yours did.”
“But don’t expect to become my disciple. I’ve said it before, I never take disciples, especially not a fool like you!”
Jiang Chunai smiled without saying a word. In the following lesson, she practiced with the Dame, retaining a bit of guilt from almost being found out.
The Dame was worthy of being someone who cultivated at the same time as her master.
Even when Jiang Chunai showed her the Purple Lightning Green Frost Sword, a technique she took pride in, Mei Shengchi gave her guidance.
“There is room for improvement, but the willingness is up to you. All the meridians in your body might be affected,” Mei Shengchi suddenly said.
Jiang Chunai looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
“You might get injured. The healing process will depend on your own cultivation, bloodline, every aspect,” Mei Shengchi said, reaching out to take Jiang Chunai’s pulse. She added, “It’s worth a try.”
Jiang Chunai was bewildered, but hearing the Dame say so, she agreed. “This disciple will listen to the Dame’s guidance.”
This was the second time she had referred to herself as “disciple” today, but Mei Shengchi hadn’t interrupted her either time.
“Mm, go fetch my sword.”
It turned out that the Purple Lightning Green Frost Sword Style had a total of ten forms. Jiang Chunai only knew the first eight, and her mastery of the eighth was not very good. So, Mei Shengchi took her through the first seven forms again and helped her consolidate the eighth.
The basics of slashing, chopping, hacking, and sweeping—Jiang Chunai hadn’t neglected them.
The Eighth Form of Purple Lightning Green Frost was not a sword array, but a fierce streak of sword energy in the shape of a spike, erupting in a cold, violet-blue flame.
The most perfect execution of this move she had ever seen was, in fact, Senior Sister Han Xiao’s.
The subtlety of the flame flourish represented the master’s deep understanding of the technique. When Jiang Chunai finally drew a flame flourish in the shape of two carp in the air, her face lit up with joy. “Master, Master, I did it!”
After she spoke, she realized her slip of the tongue—the Dame had said she never took disciples.
Just as she was feeling anxious, Mei Shengchi said, “It seems you also think I’m better than that master of yours. Fine, I’ll reluctantly let you call me that for fun.”
“Thank you, Mas—”
“But letting you call me that for fun is just for fun. Even if I teach you, you are not my disciple,” Mei Shengchi said again.
Jiang Chunai held back a laugh and could only say, “Alright.”
Given time, she thought, the Dame will definitely agree completely.
For the following days, Jiang Chunai didn’t go out. Instead, she stayed on Reflection Cliff every day, learning the last two forms from the Cliff Master.
Before this, she had never heard anyone say that the Purple Lightning Green Frost Sword had two more forms.
The Ninth Form was a sword array. Jiang Chunai spent considerable effort learning it and was joyfully awaiting the Tenth Form, but the Dame told her that the Tenth Form was not a move for killing enemies.
Jiang Chunai froze. “Then what is it?”
“It’s for heavy defense, or… in other words, to save your life,” Mei Shengchi said quietly. “This move requires much more consideration. First, follow me.”
Across a wooden table, Jiang Chunai seemed to see a dark light glimmering in the depths of Mei Shengchi’s eyes.
Mei Shengchi didn’t explain much about how to use the move, just had Jiang Chunai follow her into the state.
“This move first requires entering the state of no-thought,” Mei Shengchi said, guiding Jiang Chunai as she spoke. “This is one of the unconditioned dharmas, one of the seventy-five dharmas of the Abhidharma-kośa, one of the one hundred dharmas of the Consciousness-Only school…”
Jiang Chunai listened in a daze, simply doing as she was told.
Logically, upon entering the state of no-thought, all mental activity should come to a complete stop.
“Nothing before the eyes—”
But before Jiang Chunai’s eyes, a fox with snow-white fur distinctly appeared, then transformed into a human body.
The face was still her Senior Sister Han Xiao’s, beautiful and strange, like deep snow.
Her robes were half-undone, revealing the red marks underneath.
“No sound by the ears—”
A hoarse, trembling voice, filled with pleasure and satisfaction, crawled through her ear canal…
With a bang, Jiang Chunai’s mind instantly went blank. She looked at Mei Shengchi in terror.
She knew her no-thought meditation had just gone wrong. Her dantian was now in chaos.
With a grunt, she actually spat out a mouthful of blood. She froze, wanting to wipe it away with her hand.
Mei Shengchi was both shocked and furious. She rushed to her side in a few steps and frantically grabbed her hand. “What did you just do?”
“N-nothing…” Jiang Chunai trembled, knowing she had caused a huge disaster, not even daring to check her own injuries.
“Still nothing? Just now I could feel that you were about to die—” Mei Shengchi turned Jiang Chunai’s right hand over to look, then suddenly froze, the words all stuck in her throat.
On her hand, the thin, crimson-black threads had sprouted, one after another.
There was also blood. Looking at it all together, it was as if the blood had been gouged out by crimson-black vines.
Even the blood had become extremely strange.
“Ma-Master, Dame, what’s wrong with me?” Jiang Chunai trembled.
Mei Shengchi’s expression was grave. “You cannot cultivate this.”
Jiang Chunai was silent for a moment. “Why?”
Mei Shengchi didn’t answer directly. Instead, she wiped the blood from the back of her hand and murmured, “Do you know what kind of bloodline you have?”
Jiang Chunai said frantically, “Chunai does not know. Chunai was just picked up from the snow by Master… I beg for your guidance!”
“There’s nothing to guide,” Mei Shengchi was no longer angry, her expression returning to calm. “You don’t need to learn the Tenth Form.”
“There is something that will protect you on its own.”
Jiang Chunai swallowed a nervous lump of saliva, her eyes flickering.
“…However, for this love gu to suddenly spread out like this is also a sign,” Mei Shengchi turned back, a hint of teasing in her voice. “I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t looked, but seeing how many lines have grown on the back of your hand, it seems you’ve been on Reflection Cliff for too long.”
“Staying with an old woman like me must be lonely. It’s probably time to let you out to see this sweetheart of yours.”
Jiang Chunai wanted to deny it, but the Dame wouldn’t listen to her explanation no matter what.
Sweetheart.
Jiang Chunai looked down at the fine lines spreading across the back of her hand, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
After so many days on Reflection Cliff, she thought she would no longer think of Han Xiao.
But her body was more honest.
Those fine lines were like marks left behind, spreading from her wrist, into her very bones and blood.