Senior Sister Went Mad After My Fake Death Chapter 34

The Bright Lamp Pavilion was still brightly lit, its rows of soul lamps bobbing up and down in neat, endless lines.
An elder held a single candle, lighting it from the others one by one.
A single spark lent little strength, but many would suffice. Zhang Ziga was patient, touching her candle to the lit lamps again and again, trying to make its flame grow brighter.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Zhang Ziga paused. With a blank expression, she placed the candle in her hand among the row of lamps before her and turned to welcome her guest.
At this late hour, the only person who would visit her was likely her new friend, Han Xiao, a companion despite their age gap.
Sure enough, when she opened the door, Han Xiao was standing there, leaning against a dark bank of mist, her long eyelashes dotted with dew.
Zhang Ziga smiled. “Han Xiao, you’re back.”
“Yes.” Han Xiao took off her cloak. Only after she had carefully brushed the snow from her shoulders did she slowly step into the Bright Lamp Pavilion.
Zhang Ziga watched her with a constant smile.
If things were different, Han Xiao was truly born to be an immortal lord.
Noble and transcendent, untouched by worldly dust.
Han Xiao’s obsession with cleanliness was famous throughout the sect. Zhang Ziga had only heard of it before, but now that she knew her personally, she understood the weight of those words.
The white snow suited her, but Han Xiao would never tolerate any rain or snow landing on her. That was why she brushed the snow from her shoulders before entering the pavilion.
Zhang Ziga had heard that Han Xiao used to use spells to ward off rain and snow whenever she traveled. She wondered when Han Xiao had started to enjoy being in the snow.
Enjoying the snow was one thing; but she still carefully brushed it off before coming inside.
“It’s so late. Where are you coming back from, little friend?” Zhang Ziga served Han Xiao a cup of hot tea, placing it beside the dim, flickering candle as she asked with a warm smile.
Han Xiao gently skimmed the foam from the tea. “I have just returned from the Ghost Market.”
Listening, Zhang Ziga continued to poke the weak flame with a small stick, as if the flame would go out the moment she stopped, severing the thread of longing for her late wife.
“From the Ghost Market?” Zhang Ziga raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly. “How was it?”
Han Xiao took a sip of tea. “I met a woman who told me something.”
Zhang Ziga stopped fiddling with the wick. “What was it?”
She stared intently into Han Xiao’s eyes, searching for any sign of another’s presence besides that usual indifference.
Han Xiao’s words were always brief. “The woman told me that in ancient times, there were six divine artifacts. Obtaining them could bring a person back to life.”
The hand Zhang Ziga used to poke the wick suddenly loosened, causing the flame to leap. She steadied it again, murmuring, “Six divine artifacts, and gathering them can bring someone back to life… so it’s that legend.”
Han Xiao lowered her gaze and confirmed it was, then asked Zhang Ziga what the six artifacts were and how much she knew about them.
After all, Zhang Ziga was widely knowledgeable.
Han Xiao was actually quite interested in these six ancient artifacts.
She knew almost nothing about them. Her memories had likely become fragmented after being sealed in the Nether Realm; she could hardly remember anything from before.
And after becoming a cultivator, Han Xiao had never been very interested in such things.
When mortals obtained divine artifacts, it was for one of two reasons: to increase their cultivation or to achieve immortality. She had no need to rely on so-called “divine artifacts” for either.
In her eyes, they were just a pile of scrap metal.
But at this moment, she was willing to go to great trouble for that pile of scrap.
It was fine, because she was willing.
Hearing Han Xiao’s request, Zhang Ziga began to explain.
As it turned out, the six ancient divine artifacts were the Pearl of Retrospection, the God-Binding Rope, the Decisive Light Lamp, the Mirror of Rebirth, the Formation-Breaking Crossbow, and the Wandering Soul Candle, each with its own wondrous use.
“Among them, the Pearl of Retrospection is probably the most famous,” Zhang Ziga said with a chuckle. “It can turn back time, so many people want to find it to change things that have already happened.”
Han Xiao nodded, her deep gaze fixed on the faint flame on the sandalwood table.
“But because the Pearl is so famous, many people have made fakes. Every now and then, I hear someone claims to have found it. Han Xiao, do you think that’s possible?”
With that, Zhang Ziga laughed again, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes crinkling.
This matched what Moyue had said.
Han Xiao smiled slightly and asked about the other five.
“As for the other five, I’ve barely even heard of them,” Zhang Ziga sighed.
Han Xiao suddenly leaned forward, bringing a wave of coolness with her.
“I heard our sect also has a divine artifact. Does the Elder know of it?”
Zhang Ziga’s expression changed slightly. Her throat moved as she remained silent for a moment, before finally smiling. “It seems, little friend Han Xiao, that your trip to the Ghost Market was quite fruitful.”
Han Xiao smiled, raising a hand to cover the teacup and draining it in one go.
“Elder, didn’t you ask me which lamp I wanted to light?”
When Han Xiao spoke this last sentence, her voice carried a low chuckle. Though she was drinking tea, her cheeks were flushed with a faint red, as if she had been drinking wine.
I wonder what’s made her so happy. Could it be the marriage alliance with the Wunian Sect?
Zhang Ziga saw Han Xiao off and closed the door. Staring at the strange, elongated shadows the lamps cast on the wall, she began to walk up the stairs, lost in thought.
A gust of wind blew through, extinguishing the candle on the table. Fortunately, the rest of the Bright Lamp Pavilion remained bright, so it was of no consequence.
Han Xiao was indeed very happy. Tonight, she would stay in Jiang Chunai’s old residence.
Outside the small cottage was a tree stump used for sword practice.
Spotting it, Han Xiao crouched down.
The rain and snow had not stopped all night, and the ground was stained with dirt, but she paid it no mind. She casually lifted the hem of her robes, crouched, and ran her hand over the many marks.
…Large and small, thick and thin, all carved by Jiang Chunai with her weapon, the Snow Camellia Sword.
Just by looking at the marks, Han Xiao could imagine the slashes, stabs, and thrusts Jiang Chunai had made.
“This deep one… were you angry then?” Han Xiao murmured, her hand tracing the deepest and longest sword mark. “What were you angry about?”
With a slight use of her spiritual energy, she determined the day the mark had been made.
She calculated silently. It was around the time she had been sent into seclusion as punishment for the fall of the secret realm.
At this thought, Han Xiao’s eyes darkened again. She whispered, “I’m sorry.”
If only I hadn’t been in the secret realm then, or if only I had been braver.
But before she had shed that pained, sorrowful tear, Han Xiao herself had not understood those feelings.
Her gaze followed the lines of the marks, her mind able to conjure a living Jiang Chunai only through imagination.
But that was all just imagination—
The only thing she could be certain of was that these marks were all left by Jiang Chunai using the Snow Camellia Sword.
The Snow Camellia Sword. Master had given this sword to Jiang Chunai, first, to commemorate rescuing her from the great snow, and second, with the hope that she would live as long as the camellia tree—a long, long life.
A long, long life.
The words left her lips with excruciating difficulty.
I’m sorry.
Han Xiao rose shakily and pushed open the old, wood-grained door.
Before entering the room, she still meticulously brushed the snow from her clothes, but this time was different from when she entered the Bright Lamp Pavilion.
After cleaning the snow from her robes, Han Xiao was left in only her thin inner layer. Then, she picked up a slightly short, ill-fitting, water-blue outer robe with gold-thread cloud patterns.
…It wasn’t hers. It belonged to the original owner of this place.
It was cold, and covered in dust.
If anyone had passed by the cottage then, they would have glimpsed an unknown side of the transcendent head disciple.
Her eyes were vacant, but upon a closer look, they shimmered with golden patterns. She wore an outer robe over her shoulders, while black mist rose in plumes behind her.
The faint moonlight filtered through her thick, long lashes. Han Xiao lowered her head and saw dark green scales spreading across her body.
The old robe had little scent, other than the smell of incense that all cultivators used.
There was nothing special about it.
But Jiang Chunai herself was what made it special, no matter how much she tried to blend in with the common incense.
“Jiang Chunai, you’ll never know.” She lowered her head, her greedy gaze sweeping over the clothes draped on her.
She knew she was sick, or perhaps possessed.
But she was a demon to begin with, so what did it matter?
She channeled all her spiritual energy, warming the old, water-blue robe.
“I’m wearing your clothes today,” she whispered, experiencing a warmth and forgiveness of her own making.
Han Xiao closed her eyes, imagining the rustle of the fabric against her smooth, slightly damp skin. The scent of incense wrapped around her, filling her lungs, threatening to swallow her whole.
A humid heat traveled up her fingertips. Her body grew soft and numb. In her daze, Han Xiao seemed to feel a weight on her waist and between her legs.
Shadows flickered across her brow. The corners of her eyes were tinged red, her voice growing more broken. Sweat beaded on her pale neck as she sought some kind of relief.
The overwhelming scent of incense and the warmth of the old robe covered her pliant, serpentine body.
This is nice.
I couldn’t keep you, but your clothes are still warm.
Han Xiao’s consciousness was already half-lost in a daze. She pulled her glistening fingertips out and placed them in her mouth again.
Only this bone-deep sensation could allow her to let go and sink completely into oblivion.
The endless rain and snow soaked the mountain forest, seeping deep into every inch of fertile soil.
The immortal’s brow smoothed out, her expression one of sated satisfaction.
You Qian was startled to see Han Xiao today and, in her haste, didn’t know how to greet her.
She had just wanted to take a casual stroll and hadn’t even brought a servant. How did she run into Han Xiao?
But since she was already here, it would be rude not to say hello. You Qian forced herself to greet her. “…Daoist Han Xiao.”
Although their marriage seemed imminent, the two had never formally spoken.
This chance encounter was, in fact, their first private meeting.
You Qian was rather afraid of Han Xiao’s cold, indifferent eyes, but today was different.
Han Xiao looked at her with a gentle smile and said softly, “Since you call me that, I suppose I can only respond with ‘Young Master You’.”
Only then did You Qian realize just how beautiful Han Xiao was when she smiled—
Exquisitely beautiful, beyond compare.
She stared at Han Xiao for a long while before realizing that Han Xiao was chiding her for being so formal and distant.
By the time she understood, Han Xiao had already taken her leave, leaving You Qian to touch her own lips, lingering on the memory of Han Xiao’s recent smile.
“Mm.” You Qian was still lost in the memory, finally realizing her aunt had been right.
It seemed their marriage really was just around the corner—otherwise, why would Han Xiao be in such a good mood?
You Qian let out a long sigh of relief, feeling more at ease than she ever had before.
The next time she saw Yan Linglong, she would have a retort for her sarcastic remarks.
Who said Han Xiao didn’t want to be with her? No wonder her aunt said their good news was approaching.
That must be why Han Xiao had shown such a happy smile. As she thought about it, a sweet smile appeared on You Qian’s face, as if her mood was just as good as Han Xiao’s.
Han Xiao was indeed in a good mood. Hidden beneath her wide robes were the two tightly interlocked jade rings.
One was hers, the other was Jiang Chunai’s.
She had just left Jiang Chunai’s original residence this morning.
“Knock, knock, knock!” A series of urgent knocks sounded at Jiang Chunai’s door.
“Coming, coming!” Jiang Chunai called out as she opened the door. The person outside was panting for breath. It was the Jade-Faced Spider, Zhi Zhi.
Zhi Zhi was so out of breath that sweat was beading on her neck.
Jiang Chunai asked, “What happened?”
“The back mountain… a swarm of butterfly demons came to the back mountain!” Zhi Zhi said, on the verge of tears. She explained that she and a few senior sisters had fought them but couldn’t win. Thinking it over, she realized Senior Sister Chunai was the closest, so she had come for help.
Jiang Chunai immediately grabbed her sword and followed Zhi Zhi.
Zhi Zhi had only recently taken human form. Furthermore, as a spider, her foundation was inherently lacking. The transformation had already consumed most of her spiritual energy, leaving her with little means to deal with slightly stronger demons.
Perhaps Lan Xu was right; she could only bully a few flies and mosquitoes.
Fortunately, Zhi Zhi was quick at finding the way. By the time the two arrived at the back mountain, several female cultivators were locked in a fierce battle with a group of butterfly demons.
Jiang Chunai considered herself a new cultivator who hadn’t seen many demons, but this was her first time seeing such a frenzied swarm.
From a distance, it looked like a chaotic, churning ocean of colorful butterflies, unsettling to the core.
“Third Senior Sister, Fourth Senior Sister! I brought our little senior sister! Don’t worry!” Zhi Zhi shouted from far away, hoping to reassure her embattled sisters.
Hearing Zhi Zhi’s voice, the other female cultivators were invigorated. Their soft swords danced like soaring dragons, repeatedly pushing back the butterfly demons.
Just as the sisters exchanged smiles over this small victory, the butterfly demons that had just been repelled surged forward again!
Jiang Chunai had been hurrying over, happy that her senior sisters were turning the tide, but she hadn’t expected the butterfly demons to go berserk before she even got close.
Crimson, blue, ghostly green… butterflies of all colors were suddenly shrouded in a corresponding mist. As if infused with endless demonic power, they beat their wings and swarmed toward the group once more!
Seeing this, Jiang Chunai and Zhi Zhi grew more anxious and broke into a run. But the faster they ran, the more ferocious the butterfly demons became!
Finally, the fourth senior sister could no longer tolerate the endless assault. She raised her long sword high, gathered her energy, and shouted, “Break!”
In an instant, the air warped and flowed, and the colorful butterfly demons were instantly annihilated by a surging, peach-blossom-colored wave of sword energy.
The last surviving butterfly demon seemed stunned by the immense sword energy. It stopped, trembling, and beat its wings. The next moment, it was sliced in two by the arriving Jiang Chunai.
Fourth Senior Sister, Zhu Xinyi, had clearly exhausted too much energy with that last move. After seeing the last butterfly demon split in two, her long sword fell with a clang, and she collapsed to the ground, mumbling, “How strange.”
Seeing Zhu Xinyi fall from exhaustion, the others immediately rushed to support her, asking with concern, “Senior Sister (Junior Sister), are you alright?”
Even though Jiang Chunai didn’t know what sword technique her fourth senior sister had just used, seeing her pale face and limp limbs was enough to guess.
Zhi Zhi helped her up and gently rubbed her chest, asking in a soft voice, “Fourth Senior Sister, that last move was incredible. Did it consume too much spiritual energy?”
For some reason, just watching it had made her heart pound, and her hands were now shaking like sieves.
Zhu Xinyi, her face pale, nodded slowly. “Yes, it consumed too much spiritual energy.”
Third Senior Sister knew she had trouble speaking and eagerly explained that Zhu Xinyi had just used the Azure Cloud Demon-Slaying Formation, which specialized in killing demons and evil spirits.
“Achoo!” Zhi Zhi sneezed immediately, her four eyes darting around in fear. She stammered, “No wonder, no wonder I felt…”
Everyone’s eyes turned to her. “You felt what?”
Zhi Zhi poked her fingers together and lowered her four eyes. “I said my hands were shaking. So it’s specialized in killing demons and evil spirits.”
Although she was in human form now, she hadn’t forgotten that she was still a spider demon.
Everyone wiped their foreheads and fell silent, thinking it was a good thing Lan Xu wasn’t here, or she would have scolded Zhi Zhi again.
The sisters helped carry Zhu Xinyi to a nearby rock to rest.
However, Zhu Xinyi kept muttering “how strange,” confusing them. “What’s strange?”
“So strange… so strange.”
Third Senior Sister soothed her, “Alright, alright, Xinyi. Sit down and rest first. As for what’s strange, you can sit down and slowly tell us, okay?”
The comfort was very effective.
Zhi Zhi and Jiang Chunai exchanged a glance, knowing how much their third and fourth senior sisters’ words meant to each other.
Sure enough, as soon as Third Senior Sister spoke, Zhu Xinyi quieted down.
“Xinyi, tell us, what’s strange?” Third Senior Sister asked gently.
Zhu Xinyi pointed weakly in the direction they had been fighting. “Just now, we already had the upper hand against those butterfly demons, but then they suddenly counterattacked.”
“Counterattacked?” the others repeated in unison.
“Yes,” Zhu Xinyi nodded with difficulty. “Did you notice when they counterattacked?”
Third Senior Sister held her hand and said, “Just tell us the important parts. I saw it just now. Was it when our two junior sisters appeared that the butterfly demons seemed to get some kind of boost and went into a frenzy?”
Jiang Chunai and Zhi Zhi suddenly felt a pang of embarrassment.
But their senior sisters clearly didn’t mean it that way.
Zhu Xinyi nodded and continued, “That’s right. I suspect this swarm of butterfly demons is from the same source as that group of mountain cat demons from last time. Qi Run, go take a look.”
Third Senior Sister, whose name was Qi Run, agreed. She instructed Jiang Chunai and Zhi Zhi to watch over Zhu Xinyi, saying she would be right back.
In that short time, Zhu Xinyi slowly recovered and began to tell them about the recent strange occurrences.
Demonic energy was leaking across the Central Plains. Demons were no longer universally hunted but dared to walk openly on the roads.
In places where the demonic energy was even stronger, it was a world turned upside down, where humans had to hide from demons.
And those weren’t even the demon territories.
In fact, Jiang Chunai and Zhi Zhi could also feel the recent unrest and turmoil. The latter, Zhi Zhi, had actually struggled a bit when she was preparing to take human form.
She had even wondered if she should transform at all—with so many demons around now, wouldn’t she be freer if the demon realm invaded the human realm?
But she couldn’t resist the temptation of Nuwa’s bloodline and became human.
After listening to Zhu Xinyi, she said, “Senior Sister is right. When I was turning human, many of my friends didn’t want me to.”
Some were unhappy, but surely some were looking out for her.
Zhu Xinyi said softly, “Yes, and Si Tian Que has prophesied that when the snow falls this year, a great demon will be born. It’s terrifying. There are wandering demons everywhere now. What kind of demon from the prophecy could it be?”
Just then, Qi Run returned, carrying the corpse of a butterfly demon, her expression grave. She gently placed the body on the ground.
The blood that flowed from the demon was a bizarre green, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
“Qi Run, did you find anything unusual?”
Qi Run remained silent, but her hands moved nimbly, flipping the demon’s corpse over. “Indeed. I found a half-moon-shaped black mark on this butterfly demon’s back. It seems to be the same as the mark on the mountain cat demons from last time.”
Jiang Chunai leaned over to look. She had never seen the half-moon black mark before, but from her senior sisters’ serious expressions, it couldn’t be anything good.
“This thing couldn’t be…” Qi Run’s brow furrowed tightly as she voiced her suspicion.
Jiang Chunai asked, “Senior Sister, do you think this belongs to a sect? Or is it a demon clan’s mark?”
The mountain cat demons and butterfly demons had the same mark—perhaps demonic energy had leaked from some demon lair, forcing all these demons out.
The senior sisters looked at each other, their faces still grim. Only Zhi Zhi, beside them, her four eyes darting around, peered at the butterfly demon’s corpse for a moment before saying abruptly, “I think this mark looks a lot like the Covering Moon Sect’s mark!”
“The Covering Moon Sect? What’s that?” Jiang Chunai asked, confused.
Zhi Zhi was good at bickering with Lan Xu, but when it came to explaining something in detail, she fumbled for a while without getting to the point.
Zhu Xinyi, who had recovered, coughed twice. “Let me explain.”
“In terms of age, regardless of whether it’s righteous or demonic, the Covering Moon Sect has a very long history…”
Two thousand years ago, a demon god descended, and floods submerged the divine continent, causing immense suffering. Later, the hundred immortal sects joined forces, vowing to protect the peace of the world. Among them was a True Lord from Mount Shu, who split the boundary between the Nether Realm and the Celestial Realm with a single strike. There, everyone fought fiercely against the demon god and finally sealed the evil demon away.
Although the demon was sealed, it left behind many disciples and followers… These demons scattered, still holding it as their master. They vowed that one day they would find the demon god and lead them to counterattack the human realm.
Jiang Chunai murmured, “So, that’s how the Bright Snow Sect established its position as the leading immortal sect?”
Zhu Xinyi seemed surprised by Jiang Chunai’s question and answered casually, “Yes.”
“Also, do you remember the prophecy from Si Tian Que?” As she spoke of this, Zhu Xinyi’s face darkened. “The True Lord of Si Tian Que prophesied that when the snow falls this year, a great demon will be born. None of us knows what will happen then.”
Zhi Zhi nodded in deep agreement and whispered, “That’s right. Autumn is almost over. When the snow falls this year, will it snow here, or in the west?”
Qi Run also added, “Yes, and the snowfall always lasts so long… winter is always so long.”
In other words, they would have to be on guard against that demon for the entire winter.
Jiang Chunai nervously fidgeted with her fingers, then, as if remembering something, asked, “Where was that demon sealed?”
“In the Nether Realm. It is said that this demon has been imprisoned more than once.”