T/N: This chapter was translated by Elysian Pit. I DO NOT own the translation and all credit goes to the original translator. I’ve picked up this novel to continue from where the previous translator left. Thank you ❤️❤️
Hearing Jun Shu’s roar, Su Yueli was startled. She hastily put on a coat and staggered to open the door. Rushing out, she Jun Shu and her eyes welled up with tears. She affectionately called out, “Big Brother Jun*!”
[T/N: 哥哥 – Big Brother Jun . Older Brother. Big Brother. A way to address someone (M) older than you or address oneself (M) to someone younger. Not restricted by blood. You can call a stranger in this way as long as he is older than you. Can be considered as a coquettish way to call someone (M) you like.]
“Shut up!”
Jun Shu pointed his finger at Su Yueli, who was disheveled with messy hair. “I will give you a chance. Explain clearly what’s going on!”
“Ah, this must be the infamous Young Lord Jun?”
Ning Buxiu tidied up his clothes. He went to the door and carefully put on his coat for Su Yueli. Then, he gave a polite smile to Jun Shu, “I often hear Yueli mention you. I’ve heard a lot about you for a long time.”
“Mention me?”
Jun Shu coldly smiled, “How did she mention me? May Young Lord Ning elaborate?”
Ning Buxiu noticed Jun Shu’s hostility. He glanced at Su Yueli, who was frozen in place before quickly clasping Ning Buxiu’s hand. She softly whispered, “Buxiu, go inside first. I’m afraid that there is some misunderstanding between him and me…”
Jun Shu, who had endured his fury for quite a long time, lost his temper immediately. He moved his hand and swung his Jade Flute towards Ning Buxiu.
Ning Buxiu’s expression twisted. He pushed Su Yuelie back and leaped back on his own, moving to the corridor to avoid Jun Shu’s jade flute. He frowned, “Jun Shu, this is Su Yueli’s Sea of Consciousness! Fighting here, are you crazy?!”
“The person who betrayed me,” Jun Shu was merciless. He condensed his Spiritual Power on his white Jade Flute and whipped it hard at Ning Buxiu, “Why should I care about her life and death?”
“No, don’t!!!”
Su Yueli screamed. She was aware her Sea of Consciousness couldn’t withstand the impact of a cultivator in Nascent Soul and above. She immediately coughed blood on the spot.
Several elders on the outside hurried forward.
“Quick,” One of them set their hand on Su Yueli’s temple, shouting to others, “Come and help stabilize her Sea of Consciousness!”
Meanwhile, in the Sea of Consciousness, Jun Shu had gone on a rampage, staring red-eyed at Ning Buxiu who only dodged from the start, “Do you know what she told me?”
“She said that she loves me. She only loves me alone. She will never love anyone else. Everything about her is mine.”
“Big Brother Jun! Stop! Please stop!!!” Su Yueli knelt on the ground with hands covering her head. She yelled, “I lied to him! I just wanted to save him! Please let us go!”
Ning Buxiu heard that and staggered back at the same time, Jun Shu’s jade flute pierced his abdomen. Jun Shu tilted his head, “Did you hear clearly? See. This is your so-called beloved woman’s true nature.”
Ning Buxiu’s lips were stained with blood. He clutched Jun Shu’s Jade Flute and ground his teeth, “Let’s talk outside.”
Jun Shu mockingly smiled, “What a touching affection.”
With that, Jun Shu jerked out the Jade Flute, and Ning Buxiu immediately slumped on the ground, gasping in a low voice.
“Buxiu!” Su Yueli rushed to Ning Buxiu’s side. She hugged him and looked up at Jun Shu, crying like a pear blossom bathed in the rain*, “Big Brother Jun. It’s my fault, all my fault. Just blame it on me. If there is someone who deserves the punishment, it’s me. Don’t hurt Buxiu.”
[T/N: 梨花带雨 – lí huā dài yǔ. A weeping beauty.]
“Don’t hurt him?” Jun Shu laughed, “You made an oath with me, and the moment I turned my head, you already married others. You want me not to hurt him? Why don’t you think of that when you hurt me?”
“You misunderstood,” Su Yueli shook her head desperately. “I am not一 I am not married to him! I just blend my Divine Sense with him! I am innocent! My body is innocent!”
“Yueli!” Ning Buxiu gasped while leaning on her arms, “Even if it’s to save me, you can’t say that. You…” Ning Buxiu looked at her with loving eyes, “You will always, always, be my, Ning Buxiu’s, wife…”
Su Yueli didn’t answer. She tearfully sobbed as she shook her head, unable to form a word.
Jun Shu felt sick when he watched these two people act affectionately in the Sea of Consciousness.
He stepped forward, bending his body, he pinched Su Yueli’s chin, forcing her to look at him. “Still lying?”
“I didn’t,” Su Yueli shook her head, “I didn’t lie, I……”
“Then, let’s go out.”
Jun Shu sweetly smiled, “Your Senior Martial Sister is still waiting for you outside.”
Su Yueli was taken aback. Jun Shu glanced down at Ning Buxiu. “Choose. I destroy this Sea of Consciousness to take us out, or you take the initiative to take us out?”
“I’ll take you out.”
Ning Buxiu naturally wouldn’t let Su Yueli’s suffer and let her Sea of Consciousness get damaged. He made a sound and raised his hands. Then, he put his index finger and middle finger together and pressed it on his lips, reciting a spell. A moment later, Jun Shu felt the world around him darken. When he opened his eyes, he saw Su Yueli was coughing in the ice coffin with her eyes closed. Besides the ice coffin, lay a pale-faced man, who was Ning Buxiu from her Sea of Consciousness.
Qin Wanwan stopped playing her flute and walked over to Jian Xingzhi. Jian Xingzhi was leaning against a wall, glimpsing at Su Yueli. Sensing Qin Wanwan’s presence, he whispered, “The Sea of Consciousness is damaged. Su Yueli’s road of cultivation may have ended here.”
Qin Wanwan paused. After a while, she nodded, “Perhaps.”
Compared with the calmness of the two of them, Jun Shu looked like he would erupt at any time. He tore the talisman paper on his head and walked to the ice coffin, and called in a soft voice, “Yueli, it’s time to wake up.”
Su Yueli’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She slowly opened her eyes. But when she saw there were many people around and panicked. But soon, she composed herself.
She propped herself up and sat up, pretending to have just woken up. Glancing around, she acted quite muddled, “Why… Why is everyone here? Senior Martial Uncles, Junior Martial Uncles,” Su Yueli glanced at the elders behind her, and then turned to the cold-faced Song Xinian, “Senior Martial Brother!”
Then, her gaze landed on Qin Wanwan at the side. She was stupefied. A beat later, she cried out in surprise, “Senior Martial Sister!”
She hurriedly got up from the ice coffin and staggered towards Qin Wanwan. With tears in her eyes, she grasped Qin Wanwan’s hand, “Senior Martial Sister, you are fine. I’m so happy to see you again!”
“What are you so happy for?” Qin Wanwan played make-believe and tilted her head in puzzlement. “I pushed you down the cliff and you still care to worry about me?”
“I believe Senior Martial Sister has her own difficulties,” Su Yueli said sincerely. “You must have done it for my good.”
“Su Yueli!” Song Xinian couldn’t listen anymore and interrupted Su Yueli, “The reason your Senior Martial Sister pushed you down the cliff, don’t you know it the best?!”
“I…”
Su Yuelie couldn’t figure out the situation and didn’t dare to speak rashly. She woefully gazed at Song Xinian, “Senior Martial Brother… Why do you treat me like this all of sudden?”
“Yueli.”
Jun Shu smiled coldly as he watched Su Yueli’s performance. Seeing that Su Yueli shifted her focus, he went behind her and weighed his hands on her shoulder, gently reminding, “This Fellow Daoist who emerged from your Sea of Consciousness, who is he? Come on, introduce him to us.”
Su Yueli’s mind blanked at once. Ning Buxiu saw Jun Shu’s closeness to Su Yueli. He materialized his sword and shouted, “Don’t touch Yueli!”
In Su Yueli’s Sea of Consciousness, Ning Buxiu purposefully restrained his cultivation base for fear of hurting Su Yueli. Now he had no scruples, and he was on par with Jun Shu.
The two of them were ready to fight in the Exquisite Pavillion. Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi quickly hid aside, nibbling on melon seeds as they watched the show.
“Su Yueli!” Jun Shu saw that Ning Buxiu didn’t make any other movement and sneered. He repeated, “Who is the Fellow Daoist, and what is his relationship with you? Speak!”
“This Humble One is Ning Buxiu from Huangcheng,” Ning Buxiu concentrated all his cultivation base on the sword and slashed it, “I am Su Yueli’s H一”
“Friend! He is my friend!”
Her voice was loud and Ning Buxiu was instantly stunned. Jun Shu easily parried Ning Buxiu’s sword and knocked him to the ground with a single blow of his Jade Flute.
Ning Buxiu slammed against the ground and covered his abdomen, gasping, “Yueli, don’t be afraid, I will protect you…”
“I have nothing to do with Young Lord Ning. We are just friends.” Su Yueli was utterly clueless about the panoramic view they got of her Sea of Consciousness just now. Grounding her teeth, her mind rotated, calculating the situation.
Ning Buxiu was the Young Lord of Huangcheng. However, Huangcheng was cold and deserted, far less prosperous than Jun Shu’s Lecheng. He had no deep connection with other sects. Ning Buxiu’s cultivation base also seemed way weaker than Jun Shu. Comparing the two, Su Yueli made up her mind.
She had no courage to look back at Ning Buxiu, who was shaken behind her. She bowed her head and began explaining, “After Senior Martial Sister pushed me down the cliff that day, I was saved by Young Lord Ning. It happened that Young Lord Ning was also injured. In order to repay the grace of saving my life, I promised to let Young Lord Ning enter my Sea of Consciousness to recuperate. It was an emergency and I didn’t get the time to inform Master and…”
Su Yueli peeked at Jun Shu, “And Big Brother Jun . Everyone… Senior Martial Uncles, Junior Martial Uncles, Senior Martial Brother, Senior Martial Sister, and Big Brother Jun. Please forgive me.”
No one in the crowd replied, staring at Su Yueli with doubtful eyes.
“Yueli,” Ning Buxiu still struggled, “You are my wife…”
“I am not!” Su Yueli gritted her teeth and cut him off, “I just want to save you!”
“It’s not what you said to me at the beginning!”
Ning Buxiu reacted with anger, “If it was just to save me, why should I teach you the Ning Family’s secret arts, blend our Sea of Consciousness, and share my cultivation base with you? Su Yueli,” Ning Buxiu narrowed his eyes, “Say it again. Your relationship with me, what is it?”
“Ah, that’s right,”
Jun Shu laughed again. He flipped his Jade Flute and looked condescendingly at Su Yueli, “You can also tell me what your relationship with me is. You obtained countless treasures of Heaven and Earth from me. You were helped by me to maintain and improve your cultivation. You also dated me and swore an oath to marry me. So, tell me again, what is the relationship between you and me?”
Su Yuelie bowed her head low, not daring to answer. Song Xinian couldn’t help but interject, “What about me?”
Everyone’s focus moved to Song Xinian. Song Xinian stared at Su Yueli with eyes tinted red, “You told me that you are committed to the Dao and don’t want to distract yourself with love. I really thought so. When you were stuck, I pointed out the way for you. When you were sad, I accompanied you. We spent so much effort to save your life. Su Yueli, if you don’t like me, just say it frankly. Why hang me like this?”
“I am not…”
The tears fell from Su Yueli’s eyes. She contemplated it for a long time but couldn’t find any room to maneuver. So, she simply sat on the ground and began to weep.
“It’s all my fault.” She sobbed, “I can’t bear to make you sad. I didn’t make it clear to you and let you misunderstand. Senior Martial Brother, I just don’t want to make you sad.”
As she said that, she turned to look at Ning Buxiu.
“Buxiu, I just want to save you. I don’t have any other ideas. You proposed a Dual Cultivation, I was afraid to hurt you and couldn’t refuse. I planned to cut our ties when all was done. I didn’t expect it would escalate to this point. In my heart, I only have one person I really love,” This time, Su Yueli turned to Jun Shu, “Big Brother Jun.”
She was affectionate, “Can you give me a chance and love me again?”
Jun Shu’s expression was still stern. Su Yueli leaned over and tugged the corner of Jun Shu’s sleeve, “I was wrong. I know my faults. I will never be indecisive again. I will never hurt your heart again. Big Brother Jun, please forgive me, okay?”
Jun Shu was silent. He examined the person in front of him and inexplicably thought of Qin Wan back then.
When Qin Wan was young, she liked to act coquettish. At that time, a small part of his heart belonged to her. But, as she grew older, Qin Wan became more and more focused on cultivation. Although she still loved him, he deemed her love was far less ‘pure’ than Su Yueli.
However, now… Su Yueli’s ‘pureness’ was only a pretense. She was far from it. Back then, Qin Wan told him that Su Yueli was not a good woman, but he dismissed her.
Jun Shu shifted his gaze at Qin Wanwan, who was nibbling melon seeds with Jian Xingzhi on the side, “It’s not me that you should beg for forgiveness the most.”
Su Yueli was surprised. She reacted to the meaning of Jun Shu’s words. Quickly, she moved in front of Qin Wanwan and knelt down, clenching Qin Wanwan’s sleeves tightly, begging her, “Senior Martial Sister, forgive me. I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t wish to harm you. That day, you pushed me down. I thought you were trying to kill me. After falling off the cliff, I ran into Buxiu. When I saw Big Brother Jun, I planned to tell him that you were in danger, but I fainted before I could finish speaking. Senior Martial Sister, I really didn’t mean to……”
“Didn’t you really mean it?” Qin Wanwan titled her head as she looked down at Su Yueli. Su Yueli shook her head, “No, I一 I am not. I didn’t mean to…”
“On the day you fell off the cliff, did you see anything else?”
Qin Wanwan raised her eyebrow. Su Yueli was caught off guard and froze for a moment. Qin Wanwan tossed some melon seeds into her mouth and stated, “You saw it.”
“What you and Ning Buxiu practiced is the arts of Dual Cultivation. You choose to fall into a coma and you choose to only say my name and nothing else before you fainted. Why is that?”
Su Yueli couldn’t reply. The hand holding Qin Wanwan’s sleeves trembled. Qin Wanwan continued to talk about her doubts, “And after you fell into a coma, you were aware of the things happening outside. Yet, you ignored it and continued to remain in a coma to frame me, let me bear all the blame. And now you still have the nerve to say that you ‘didn’t mean it’?”
“I don’t intend to frame you,”
Su Yueli stammered. “It’s just… If I woke up early, it would be bad for my Sea of Consciousness……”
“Then, shall I talk about your initial plan?”
Qin Wanwan set aside the melon seeds on the table. She dusted her hands and squatted down, supporting her face with her hands on her knees, scrutinizing Su Yueli kneeling on the ground. Then, she spoke very softly, “You know that they all love you. You know that I was stuck on the cliff. If I survive, I will obtain the treasure you have always dreamed of. Hence, you deliberately stayed unconscious after seeing Jun Shu and quietly watched them interrogating me. If I were a fool, I would tell everyone what I found on the cliff. With their feelings for you, they won’t hesitate to dissect me and cut my Golden Core just to give you that thing.”
Su Yueli widened her eyes.
“Your meeting with Ning Buxiu was unplanned, an accident.” Qin Wanwan appeared to understand her mind thoroughly, “With or without him, you wouldn’t wake up, would you?”
Su Yueli gaped at Qin Wanwan in disbelief. Qin Wanwan heaved a sigh. She observed Su Yueli’s sorry state, hesitated for some time before eventually lifting her hand and slapping Su Yueli square on the face.
Su Yueli was slapped to the ground by her. Ning Buxiu reflexively wanted to protect her, but after thinking of something, his face sank and he stopped in place.
Su Yueli covered her face in a daze. Qin Wanwan stood up and gazed down at Su Yueli.
“This slap, it is on Qin Wan’s behalf. On the cliff, Qin Wan saved your life, but you lied to harm her. You betrayed your own relatives. Both your Divine Sense and Sea of Consciousness are damaged. Your road of cultivation ends here. This is your retribution. In the future, I hope you can be a better person. Cleanse your heart and reform your behavior. One who receives favors must requite them and kindness should be repaid with kindness.”
“And all of you here,” Qin Wanwan skimmed around the crowd and spoke without restraint, “Qin Wan was raised by all of you since she was young. All of you are her teachers and fathers figures. It is a grace to be raised by all of you.”
“Junior Martial Sister doesn’t have to make it sound like that…” Song Xinian hurriedly opened his mouth, but before Song Xinian finished, Qin Wanwan interrupted him, “But. For many years, Qin Wan has also done her best for the Wen Xin Sect. The self-abolishment of Qin Wan’s cultivation base at the Judgment Stage can be considered as the completion of the cause and fffect with Wen Xin Sect. Qin Wan and Wen Xin Sect, neither owe each other.”
Song Xinian was frozen in place.
Qin Wanwan turned to look at Jun Shu, “Although Young Lord Jun and City Lord Jun have the grace of saving Qin Wan’s life when she was young, Young Lord Jun has repeatedly attempted to kill Qin Wan. The merits and demerits offset each other. The live-saving grace has been paid and delivered. The account on both sides is now cleared.”
“Qin Wan’s heart died on the day of the humiliation at the Judgement Stage. Su Yueli might be the root cause, but it was all of you who didn’t trust Qin Wan. It was all of you who pushed her to the corner and broke Qin Wan’s heart. If Su Yueli is guilty, then all of you are her accomplices. Now the gratitude has all disappeared, if the Wen Xin Sect still entangles Qin Wan with their matters, the only feeling left for the Wen Xin Sect will only be resentment.”
“From today on,” Qin Wanwan transformed the flute in her hand into a sword. She elevated her hand and sliced a piece of green silk. The green silk drifted down as Qin Wanwan finished her speech, “Qin Wan has nothing to do with all of you anymore!”
The author has something to say:
[Mini Theater 1]
Jun Shu: “For love, I turned into a rabbit. Love is too inhuman.”
[Mini Theater 2]
Su Yueli: “My beloved fish, love me once again.”
Jun Shu. Song Xinian, Ning Buxiu, Shen Zhiming, “Your beloved fishes are not stupid. They don’t love you anymore.”
Su Yueli: “How come? If all of you are not stupid, you guys wouldn’t have fallen in love with me in the first place.”
👏👏👏 Say it louder sister!