Senior Sister Went Mad After My Fake Death Chapter 35

“The Nether Realm?” Jiang Chunai repeated the four words. They felt vaguely familiar, but when she tried to think harder, her memory offered only the village chief and that hungry, disastrous winter.
She didn’t know what the Nether Realm was, let alone anyone—or any demon—from there.
Qi Run asked, “What is it, Little Junior Sister? Have you heard of this place?”
Jiang Chunai shook her head decisively. “Never.”
Then why is there this faint feeling in my heart? Is it familiarity? How could I be familiar with a place like that?
She had grown up in a village of less than fifty people. The Nether Realm? She didn’t even know how to write the characters for it!
Zhi Zhi counted on her fingers, her upper eyes rolling. “I know a little something!”
“Then tell us,” Jiang Chunai said, smiling at her with equal earnestness.
It was just that the sense of familiarity in her memory felt so foreign… Why did the words “Nether Realm” give her such a strange feeling?
She wanted to hear someone talk about it. What if she really did have some connection to the Nether Realm?
Zhi Zhi waited until everyone was looking at her before she cleared her throat a few times. “Alright, I’ll begin!”
After all, she was the only demon here. When talking about the evil demon sealed inside the Nether Realm—who might even be some distant relative of hers—she was more convincing than the others.
Jiang Chunai listened intently.
“When I was just a little thing, I heard my mother talk about the demon imprisoned in the Nether Realm.” Clearly, bringing up her mother and her ancestors made Zhi Zhi’s words more believable.
It wasn’t the first time the great demon in the Nether Realm had been sealed by the combined forces of humans.
“Not the first time it was imprisoned? Then who let it out?” Jiang Chunai asked curiously.
Zhi Zhi said, “My mother told me this great demon was imprisoned and released three times. The first time was the longest, supposedly five thousand years. The second was another three thousand, and the most recent one has been two thousand years so far.”
Five thousand, three thousand, two thousand—so easy to say, but when you added it up, it was ten thousand years.
This demon had been imprisoned for a full ten thousand years.
Jiang Chunai took a deep breath, a chill running down her spine.
She loved sunlight. She couldn’t stand being in a slightly damp and dark place for even a short while. What could she say? The demon lord was truly a demon lord… to endure ten thousand years of bitter loneliness.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chunai couldn’t help but say, “In that case, that demon must be psychologically twisted.”
Although she knew her cultivation was low and she would certainly never meet that demon, she also had no intention of dealing with such a twisted pervert.
Zhi Zhi nodded eagerly, agreeing with Jiang Chunai. “Yes, yes, that demon is psychologically twisted! And it might be more than just that. When it was released the second time, acid rain fell from the sky, and a foul smell filled the air everywhere.”
“My mother said that during that time, both humans and demons were obsessed with copulating with each other. It was utterly debauched.”
This time, even the ever-patient Qi Run and Zhu Xinyi were stunned. Everyone stared at Zhi Zhi in disbelief. “You said, obsessed with what?”
They were cultivators, after all, and possessed divine blood and immortal bones. Hearing such a crude term gave them all a strong reaction.
Zhi Zhi gave them a strange look, thinking to herself that copulation was a perfectly natural thing, but she still said slowly, “Obsessed with the act of mating. Because…”
Jiang Chunai listened very carefully.
“Because that demon is a snake demon. You all know what snakes are like.”
Hearing this, Jiang Chunai suddenly felt a chill shoot through her lower abdomen.
Even though her junior sister’s statement was completely matter-of-fact, she felt a strange sensation, as if a cold snake tail had gently coiled around her.
Jiang Chunai inexplicably swallowed and said nothing.
Zhu Xinyi listened and managed a faint smile. “So it’s a snake demon. That’s not so strange, then. Snakes are lustful by nature. I once went down the mountain on an assignment and saw many male snakes coiled around a single female, mating.”
The others exchanged glances, finally understanding Zhi Zhi’s words.
However, Jiang Chunai still had a doubt. “By the way, Zhi Zhi, you still haven’t answered me. Who let this snake demon out? Since it’s so dangerous, what happened the first time?”
“Actually, I’m not sure if someone let it out. Perhaps it was just too powerful and broke the seal on its own,” Zhi Zhi said, her tone growing more uncertain. “The first time was when this demon was at its most terrifying. Back then, no one even knew it was a snake.”
“It seemed it could change into various shapes, but it lost that ability after it got out again.”
Jiang Chunai tilted her head and smiled. “It seems that even if the seal was broken, it was still somewhat useful for weakening the snake demon.”
From being able to change into various animals to only having its original form.
Zhi Zhi nodded fiercely. “Exactly.”
But after talking for a while, neither of them had mentioned who let the snake demon out. Jiang Chunai was about to ask again.
“Hey! Hey! Senior Sister! Junior Sister!” Chang Xin’s bold voice approached from the distance. “What are you all talking about!”
With Chang Xin, her voice and her person almost always arrived at the same time.
She came over with a grin and immediately spotted Zhu Xinyi leaning against the rock. “Senior Sister, you’re injured! Quick, let’s all go back together.”
Zhu Xinyi gave her a surprised look. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Chang Xin scratched her head and said, “Master told me. She said you encountered butterfly demons on the back mountain and that there might be trouble, so she sent me to find you.”
“But it’s clear you’ve already handled it. So I’ll just say the second part: she wants you all to come see her with me.”
Jiang Chunai said nothing, only nodding.
Master Yu Lingzi’s power was truly unfathomable, and she cared deeply for her disciples.
She had even thought of something like this.
When Yu Lingzi saw her disciples today, she was elegantly arranging flowers.
With a sprinkle of immortal dew, a withered bud instantly bloomed in a brilliant display of color, startling the disciples who entered the hall.
Jiang Chunai watched, mesmerized, thinking that her Master was truly skilled in the art of bringing things back to life.
At that thought, she couldn’t help but wonder: if it was possible for flowers, could it be for people too?
Together with her senior sisters, she greeted their Master.
Yu Lingzi didn’t put on any airs and got straight to the point. “The butterfly demons on the back mountain, have you dealt with them completely?”
She glanced at the pale-faced Zhu Xinyi, knowing she had used an advanced sword technique, and casually instructed, “Xinyi, after you leave, remember to take the Origin Pill I gave you earlier.”
“Yes, Master.”
Qi Run didn’t hesitate, immediately reporting the matter of the butterfly demons and the mountain demons she had encountered to Yu Lingzi, including their speculation about the Covering Moon Sect.
Yu Lingzi nodded in approval. “What you say does make some sense. The three realms have been unstable recently, and the Covering Moon Sect is stirring… But it’s only natural they would have such thoughts.”
“We have Si Tian Que’s prophecy of a demon god ending the world. Why wouldn’t they have one of their own?”
Her words made sense, and the others fell silent.
Jiang Chunai sensed the serious atmosphere—she rarely experienced such moments in Yanqiu. No matter what they were doing, her sisters were usually happy.
For their Master and sisters to wear such expressions, it had to be a major issue.
She wanted to help but didn’t know where to start. In her awkwardness, Yu Lingzi spoke kindly, “By the way, Chunai, you don’t have anything else to do today, do you?”
Jiang Chunai shook her head. Yu Lingzi continued with a faint smile, “Then could you go to the alchemy furnace and fetch a few Origin Pills?”
“I’m afraid this senior sister of yours will try to tough it out and not take anything if no one is watching her.”
Zhu Xinyi blushed at Yu Lingzi’s words and muttered, “That’s not true…”
Jiang Chunai quickly agreed, telling her senior sister to wait a moment while she went to fetch the medicine.
Once Jiang Chunai’s figure had completely disappeared, the smile on Yu Lingzi’s face vanished.
Qi Run pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment before speaking. “Master, did you send Little Junior Sister away because you have something else to tell us?”
“Yes,” Yu Lingzi admitted freely. “I sent her away because what I have to say next concerns the Bright Snow Sect.”
Although Jiang Chunai’s memories were completely gone, when Yu Lingzi had probed her sea of consciousness, she had discovered a heavily guarded area.
It was an unreachable part of her memory. To be safe, Yu Lingzi still chose not to let Jiang Chunai hear.
Chang Xin was stunned. “What happened?”
“To be precise, it’s related to the Mengling Immortal Manor, the Bright Snow Sect, and the Wunian Sect. Let’s be more specific,” Yu Lingzi said, letting out a small laugh herself. “The relationship between the Bright Snow Sect and the Wunian Sect is growing closer, and this has made the Mengling Immortal Manor very anxious.”
The disciples present looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
The prophecy from Si Tian Que was still fresh in their minds, yet these immortal manors and sects, who called themselves the righteous path of the world, were still bickering over who was closer to whom?
“I didn’t think much of it at first, but after hearing what the Mengling people said, I feel there might be something to it.” The smile on Yu Lingzi’s face faded, replaced by a solemn expression. “There is definitely a problem with this alliance between the two sects.”
Qi Run’s mind was always the sharpest. “In my view, the Wunian Sect has risen recently and needs to attach itself to an established, orthodox immortal sect. The declining Bright Snow Sect is the perfect choice.”
The Wunian Sect’s rise had its reasons. Rumors in the cultivation world said they possessed an ancient divine artifact.
“Indeed. They certainly must have offered a bargaining chip to convince the Bright Snow Sect,” Yu Lingzi continued. “What do you think the Wunian Sect offered?”
“Could it be… a divine artifact?” Qi Run’s expression was grave as she spoke slowly.
Yu Lingzi was noncommittal, simply following her line of thought. “Is the Wunian Sect willing to give up a divine artifact? Or rather, who in the Bright Snow Sect needs this artifact?”
Qi Run’s pupils suddenly contracted. She heard another possibility in her master’s words.
But Yu Lingzi didn’t continue, only saying lightly, “In any case, the Mengling people are very anxious this time. It seems they are worried that once these two sects form an alliance, Mengling’s position will be threatened.”
“Then does Master think there’s something suspicious about this?”
“…Yes.”
Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the door. Jiang Chunai walked in quickly, holding a white jade porcelain bottle. “Master, Senior Sisters! I’ve brought the medicine. Is… is something wrong?”
“Yes, you brought the medicine!” Chang Xin grinned and took the white jade bottle from Jiang Chunai’s hand.
The Bright Snow Sect was also holding an elder council meeting today.
The elders were seated on the sides, with Dao Lord Qiming in the center. Everyone had a smile on their face, except for one person who habitually wore a dark expression.
—Everyone was used to it.
Dao Lord Qiming deliberately pretended not to see Mei Shengchi’s dark face and said cheerfully, “What does everyone think of this matter? If Han Xiao and Young Master You form a pact, her status can be elevated. And since Han Xiao is Immortal Lord Yang Nian’s head disciple, she can enter the council of elders sooner.”
Although Jing Shun was serving tea on the side, he couldn’t help but grumble, “Master, how old is Han Xiao? You’re already letting her join the council of elders? Her pact with the Wunian Sect’s young master is one thing, but isn’t it a bit too soon for her to become an elder?”
In terms of age, he was older than Han Xiao. If it was based on age and seniority, what about him?
If he couldn’t, then Han Xiao shouldn’t be able to either.
However, Dao Lord Qiming shot him a look, telling him to just serve the tea.
Jing Shun reluctantly shut his mouth, continuing to mutter in his heart.
What’s Master been thinking recently? When Immortal Lord Yang Nian was still alive, she was always trying to surpass her. Why is she so eager to promote Han Xiao now?
“What are your thoughts?” Dao Lord Qiming asked the others again.
Over ten elders of the Bright Snow Sect had gathered today to discuss this matter.
Han Xiao forming a pact was a major event in itself; what’s more, her partner was the young master of the Wunian Sect.
A white-bearded old man stroked his long beard and said slowly, “This is certainly a good thing, but I have one question.”
Dao Lord Qiming gestured for the old man to continue.
“Although the people of the Wunian Sect have always lived secluded on their mountain, how exactly was this matter decided?” His most vivid memory of Han Xiao was seeing her carry the coffin for her junior sister’s funeral.
A smile lifted the corners of Dao Lord Qiming’s lips. “You can rest assured on this point. A matter like forming a pact naturally requires mutual affection.”
In other words, Han Xiao and You Qian were both interested in each other?
A strange expression appeared on Jing Shun’s face.
So Han Xiao has been pretending to be all high and mighty, acting like she’s going to die alone, but the moment the Wunian Sect’s young master shows up, she throws her immortal dignity aside and immediately agrees.
And as for that You Qian, what a pity. So young and already blind…
After hearing Dao Lord Qiming’s words, the old man’s brow smoothed. “Alright, since the Dao Lord says so, then I have no objections. The two young people are fond of each other, what right do I have to speak?”
The always gentle and kind-faced Zhang Ziga also agreed. “Indeed, our sect has been through too many unfortunate events recently. Forming a marriage alliance with the Wunian Sect is a joyous occasion. It will be good to cheer everyone in the sect up.”
A marriage was, after all, a happy event. Even though the matter wasn’t completely settled, a festive atmosphere had already begun to quietly spread through the Bright Snow Sect.
With drums and horns, the excitement was building. Any discerning person could guess what would happen next.
Dao Lord Qiming nodded in satisfaction, but just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by a cold snort.
Without thinking, she knew only one person could make such a mood-killing sound.
Since entering the hall, Mei Shengchi had been standing with her arms crossed, refusing to sit down. She was still standing now, her face a mask of displeasure.
“Mutual affection? Before there was any mutual affection, the outsiders were already beating their drums every day, making a racket and disturbing everyone’s peace!” she said irritably. “If there wasn’t mutual affection before, there will be soon enough!”
“If I’m ever interested in someone in the future, I’ll also bring that many people up the mountain to beat drums and force them to submit.”
After speaking, she huffed a few more times.
Everyone was silent. Only Zhang Ziga smiled and tried to soothe her. “Alright, old Mei, you know they’re young people. We don’t understand the affairs of the young. Besides, Han Xiao is a grown woman, she has her own judgment. To form a pact, she naturally must have agreed to it.”
“She wouldn’t agree for no reason, right?” Zhang Ziga said.
Mei Shengchi’s brow remained tightly furrowed. “I don’t care if she has a reason or not! She disturbed me, and that’s that!”
“It’s her own business to decide. I don’t know why you, Fuguang, called me here for this! A dozen of us, every single one old enough to be the girl’s grandmother or grandfather, and you want us to deliberate for her!”
“It’s not like she’s lost her mind. Can’t she just decide for herself?!”
With that, she irritably flicked her sleeve, turned, and left, leaving only a gust of wind in her wake.
Mei Shengchi actually knew what truly angered her.
It wasn’t that they had disturbed her, but…
Her poor, almost-disciple was not even cold in her grave.
Although it seemed this couldn’t be blamed on Han Xiao, she was simply fond of Jiang Chunai.
So she was going to be angry. So what? She was Mei Shengchi.
In the hall, Dao Lord Qiming just sighed and tried to smooth things over. “Ah, old Mei, she’s just that stubborn. It’s alright, it’s alright.”
“As long as it’s good for the sect, it’s good!” she continued.
Jing Shun pouted.
His master said she favored him, but as the sect leader, she always put the sect’s interests first.
Han Xiao wasn’t even her disciple, yet she could do this much for her. If Han Xiao really joined the council of elders, what would become of him?
What would he do then?
Yan Linglong knew the sect was holding an elder council meeting today, so she deliberately waited until the moon was high in the sky before slowly heading out.
Why did they have to choose such an inconvenient time?
These elders were usually as elusive as dragons, but once a meeting was called, they would likely be wandering about. It would be easy to run into them.
However, she had a good enough excuse. After all, she was just a junior disciple with low cultivation.
Yan Linglong walked very carefully on the mountainside, afraid of accidentally running into an elder.
If it were Elder Zhang, that would be fine. Elder Zhang was the kindest medical cultivator. It had been snowing occasionally, and she would definitely ask if she was warm enough and had eaten enough.
Only two people in this sect would actively approach her and care for her.
One was Elder Zhang, and the other…
Yan Linglong’s nose suddenly tingled. She looked up, and an unbelievable sight met her eyes:
Great Senior Sister Han Xiao was walking intimately close to the Wunian Sect’s young master!
No, it wasn’t exactly close. The two were walking side-by-side, but they still maintained a certain distance.
However, for the usually aloof Senior Sister Han Xiao, who always kept the greatest distance from people, her current proximity to You Qian could certainly be called “intimate.”
You Qian was a little younger than her, and her temperament was the same.
In the past, they would compare whose new accessories were prettier, or which cosmetics shop had new products…
You Qian still wore a brightly colored hair pin, while Yan Linglong now wore no hair ornaments at all.
When did it start? She wasn’t sure herself.
It was probably after that strange June snow this year.
She wore mourning clothes then, and she had worn them ever since.
“So, Sister Xiao, did you grow up on this mountain peak?” The two were still talking.
“Yes,” came the woman’s low voice.
Just then, they saw Yan Linglong.
Embarrassment instantly flushed Yan Linglong’s face. She hurriedly greeted them, “Senior Sister Han Xiao, Young Master You.”
Han Xiao’s eyes were clear, and there was even a smile on her lips. She had probably been smiling for a while.
Perhaps she had been smiling the whole time she was out with You Qian tonight.
Senior Sister Han Xiao can actually smile. Yan Linglong thought, a strange feeling creeping over her.
To this day, her experience in the Cave of Severed Affections had become a nightmare she couldn’t escape.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, Yan Linglong would think with sorrow that she regretted it.
…She cried easily.
And whenever she cried, she would remember that day when she and Senior Sister Chunai had hugged, her tears soaking into the other’s collar.
I’m so sorry.
Han Xiao nodded lightly. “Mm, Junior Sister Yan, good evening.”
She was still smiling.
But in the depths of her rich, ink-black eyes, there dwelled a damp cold, like a deep forest spring.
Even though her senior sister’s smile was beautiful, Yan Linglong felt it was ghostly.
She thought she must be addled from her planned meeting tonight.
How could the transcendent Senior Sister Han Xiao be associated with the damp cold of a deep forest spring?
You Qian didn’t understand Yan Linglong’s fear. Her smile was both pure and not so pure as she said, “Ah, it’s Linglong! Good evening. I was thinking of finding you these past few days, but Sister Han Xiao has been on the mountain even less, so I thought I’d find you later.”
“I didn’t expect to run into you tonight.”
Her words were like her smile.
Yan Linglong forced a twitch of her lips, ignoring the tinkling sound of You Qian’s hair pin as she shook her head, and said politely, “The young master is very beautiful today. That goose-yellow dress suits you very well.”
You Qian was clearly pleased with Yan Linglong’s compliment and gave a sweet smile. “Thank you, Sister Linglong.”
Yan Linglong came from a prominent family. In truth, You Qian couldn’t compare. In their childhood, she and a young lady from the Su clan had made You Qian feel quite inadequate.
So tonight, You Qian was even happier.
“By the way, Sister Linglong, you must have heard about the matter between me and Sister Han Xiao, right?” You Qian said, glancing up at Han Xiao.
Her eyes sparkled.
She felt that Han Xiao’s eyes were smiling, so she probably liked her too.
After all, what heart in this world couldn’t be warmed? Besides, she didn’t dislike Han Xiao—from the beginning, she hadn’t been opposed to her.
It was just that Han Xiao hadn’t been interested in her at first.
Yan Linglong was still smiling. “Of course I know. It’s such a big event, everyone in the Bright Snow Sect knows.”
“This is a major event for Senior Sister Han Xiao.” Yan Linglong tilted her head, meeting Han Xiao’s gaze. “It cannot be forgotten.”
Was it her imagination? She still felt that bottomless, damp cold in Han Xiao’s eyes.
Even though, for Senior Sister Han Xiao herself, her smile was as radiant as it could be.
Yan Linglong couldn’t help but think of the June snow, the day of Senior Sister Chunai’s funeral.
That day, the frost had settled on Senior Sister Han Xiao’s brow. From the side, her posture was lofty and imposing, detached from the world…
As if she would never do the same for another person.
Yan Linglong suddenly felt a pain in her temples.
“Thank you for thinking of us,” You Qian said with a sweet, charming smile.
The expression on Yan Linglong’s face was somewhere between a sob and a smile. She felt as if her senior sister’s eyes held a demonic power…
She must be overly cautious today, which was why everything felt wrong and she saw problems with everyone.
Senior Sister Han Xiao was the head disciple of Immortal Lord Yang Nian. A person like her was born to be a beacon of the righteous path.
She bid them farewell. Faintly, the whistling wind seemed to carry their whispers to her ears.
But… it didn’t sound like lovers’ talk—
“Is that so? Then what does A’Qian plan to give me?”
“If Sister Han Xiao likes it, I can ask my aunt to give you something…”
What thing? Which thing?
It sounded more like a transaction. Lovers, for the most part, wouldn’t do such things.
Yan Linglong’s head was splitting. She finally met with a woman wearing a headscarf.
The woman looked much older and scolded Yan Linglong as soon as she saw her. “Why are you so late today? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you? Linglong, have you been diligent recently?”
Yan Linglong always listened to her, and to them. If they told her to go west, she would never dare to go east.
It was always like this, day after day.
“Yes, I know. I was on my way, Aunt Shen. Something happened today,” she said, her head bowed, obediently recounting what had happened. “The Bright Snow Sect elders held a meeting today. I was worried about running into them on my way down the mountain, so I was very careful.”
The woman seemed displeased with Yan Linglong and said, “So, did you run into them?”
“No,” Yan Linglong forced herself to explain. “I didn’t run into them, but I ran into someone else.”
Aunt Shen looked unhappy. “Who did you run into?”
If she wasn’t seen by the elders, why did she have such an expression?
Yan Linglong said vaguely, “I ran into Senior Sister Han Xiao… and You Qian. They were walking together.”
Aunt Shen’s expression changed instantly. After a moment, she said slowly, “Aren’t the two of them forming a pact? I heard the date has already been chosen.”
Yan Linglong pursed her lips and asked, “Does the Immortal Manor have any plans?”
“You don’t need to know,” Aunt Shen said indifferently. “You just need to stay in the sect and continue to report matters. Give me the item.”
“…Yes.” Yan Linglong lowered her head and handed a scroll to Aunt Shen. “Here it is. Please have a look.”
Aunt Shen didn’t check it, cleanly slipping it into her sleeve. She and Yan Linglong were well-practiced in this.
She trusted her.
After all, Yan Linglong was the daughter of a prominent family.
“Aunt Shen, I just wanted to ask,” Yan Linglong hesitated but finally spoke up. “How has Jianqing’s health been recently?”
Since childhood, Jianqing had coughed with every third step and wheezed with every fifth, growing up steeped in medicine jars.
If there was one person in the Mengling Immortal Manor she missed, it was Jianqing.
But… they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and Yan Linglong’s heart was always uneasy.
Aunt Shen let out a soft laugh. “Don’t worry, Su Jianqing is the same as always. Coughing when she should be coughing, wheezing when she should be wheezing. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be able to survive.”
“Ah, then, next time Aunt Shen comes, could you bring a message from her?” Yan Linglong hesitated for a moment before asking.
However, Aunt Shen refused her flatly. “That won’t do. Judging from the things you’ve given me the last few times, you haven’t been putting in much effort.”
“If you don’t put in more effort, Jianqing won’t want to see you.”
A lump formed in Yan Linglong’s throat. In the end, she could only say goodbye to Aunt Shen.