Sometimes Du Yuanluo was so simple that one could see right through her with a single glance, other times, she felt impossibly difficult to understand.
Shen Qingyi had gone to great lengths to look after her, yet Du Yuanluo never seemed to truly trust her. Those injuries covering her body were clearly the result of someone’s bullying, yet she never uttered a single word about it.
For some inexplicable reason, Shen Qingyi felt a flicker of annoyance. On ordinary days, Du Yuanluo’s tongue was sweet enough to rot teeth, praising her Senior Sister as if she were a celestial being without equal.
Shen Qingyi knew this was merely the survival strategy of an orphan, once she grew up and became independent, she might not act this way anymore. However, seeing Du Yuanluo still hiding things and refusing to open her heart made Shen Qingyi feel a lingering sense of displeasure.
She couldn’t be bothered to interrogate her. If she asked, she would likely receive a distant response like, “I didn’t want to cause trouble for Senior Sister.”
Nevertheless, it wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening by paying a little attention to her movements.
On the practice grounds, the opponent practicing swordplay with Du Yuanluo wasn’t a senior brother or sister with slightly higher cultivation, but rather the Third Junior Sister, a fellow inner sect disciple.
The cultivation levels of inner and outer sect disciples were worlds apart; naturally, they would not practice together. Of course, if an inner disciple were kind enough to offer guidance to an outer disciple, it was considered a great blessing.
Shen Qingyi didn’t believe for a second that Third Junior Sister harbored such kindness. She was undoubtedly using “practice” as an excuse to vent a personal grudge.
Yet, the sparring on the practice grounds was perfectly legal and followed the rules. Injuries and setbacks were considered normal, and no one would be held responsible.
Third Junior Sister was well aware of this. Even with Shen Qingyi standing nearby watching them, she didn’t show the slightest bit of mercy.
Du Yuanluo was knocked to the ground several times, but she refused to admit defeat. She stubbornly stood up again and again, only to be struck down once more.
Third Junior Sister, moving with effortless ease, noticed Shen Qingyi’s unfriendly gaze fixed upon her. This only fueled her resentment. She swung her sword hilt, lashing the heavy tassel like a whip across Du Yuanluo’s face.
Shen Qingyi could no longer sit idly by. She swung her sword and severed the whip like tassel, but the momentum of the cut piece didn’t fade, leaving several bloody streaks across Du Yuanluo’s face.
“Third Junior Sister, fellow disciples should stop at the point of contact. Do not go too far,” Shen Qingyi said, stepping between the two.
Third Junior Sister sheathed her sword behind her back. “Second Senior Sister’s words make no sense. Sparring is not a child’s game, how can one not be serious? When you practice with me, you never hold back either.”
“That is a fallacious argument. What is the gap between you and me, and what is the gap between you and Junior Sister? Besides, when have I ever injured you?”
“You haven’t injured me because I’m not that pathetic. Little Junior Sister gets hurt repeatedly because her skills are inferior. If I truly didn’t hold back, how could she only have minor injuries?”
She then vented her anger on Du Yuanluo. “You are the apple of Second Senior Sister’s eye, not to be touched. In the future, stay tucked away in her room. I wouldn’t dare to exhaust myself for such a thankless task as practicing with you again.”
“Don’t, Third Senior Sister…”
Du Yuanluo tried to explain, but Third Senior Sister only left them with the sight of her huffy, retreating back.
Du Yuanluo wanted to chase after her, but Shen Qingyi grabbed her, pulling out a silk handkerchief to gently wipe the blood seeping from her face.
Shen Qingyi didn’t usually have the habit of using a silk handkerchief, but Du Yuanluo had insisted on embroidering one for her, adorned with bright red cypress vines. Shen Qingyi had simply tucked it into her sleeve to make her happy.
Seeing the blood on the silk, Du Yuanluo suddenly realized what her face must look like. She cried out and covered her face. “Senior Sister, don’t look at me.”
“I’ve already seen it. Put your hands down and come with me to apply medicine.”
“No, I can do it myself. Please don’t look, I beg you. It’ll be fine in two days.”
Shen Qingyi pulled her hands down regardless. “Now you know how to beg? What were you doing earlier? Knowing full well that Third Junior Sister has a prejudice against you, you still sought her out for practice. Were you looking for a beating?”
“But only Third Senior Sister practices with me seriously. Everyone else goes easy on me. How will I ever improve?” Du Yuanluo said aggrievedly. “If I can’t even enter the threshold of the Dao of the Sword, how can I remain an inner sect disciple? If I can’t be an inner sect disciple, then how can I…”
Reaching this point, Du Yuanluo tactfully shut her mouth.
Shen Qingyi glanced at her. Du Yuanluo had said she wouldn’t disturb her, yet her words constantly and inadvertently revealed her true feelings.
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Du Yuanluo added, “Senior Sister… don’t blame Third Senior Sister. Even though she doesn’t mean well, she really has taught me a lot. I truly want to become an inner disciple as soon as possible.”
Hearing this, Shen Qingyi felt a pang of regret for giving her an expectation that could never be fulfilled.
“Sword practice is for self-defense, not for getting yourself hurt. Look at you.” Shen Qingyi felt a surge of anger and moved to check her hidden injuries under her clothes, but realizing they were in the open practice grounds, she stopped herself.
Du Yuanluo wanted to say that although she got hurt, her progress was significant, but seeing Shen Qingyi angry, she didn’t dare say more.
Shen Qingyi hadn’t come just to lecture her. She sighed. “From now on, I will practice with you.”
True to her word, Shen Qingyi made time every day to spar with Du Yuanluo, treating it as a form of rest. As she expected, Du Yuanluo didn’t show much in the way of results.
Until one day, Shen Qingyi accepted a request from a believer to go to the mortal realm to exorcise a ghost. When she returned, she found Du Yuanluo practicing with Third Junior Sister again.
This time, she didn’t step in to stop them because Du Yuanluo was actually holding her own for several moves.
Unlike when practicing with her, Du Yuanluo’s strikes were precise and ruthless, superior even to those who had entered the sect years earlier.
But… in her previous life, she was clearly a “useless talent” who couldn’t even be taught by Jiang Linchuan personally. Furthermore, she was nowhere near this level of skill during their sessions a few days ago.
Why was Du Yuanluo hiding her strength?
As the sun set, a weary but high-spirited Du Yuanluo cupped her fists. “Thank you for the guidance, Third Senior Sister.”
Third Junior Sister naturally didn’t give her a pleasant look. “What? Your dear Senior Sister is holding back and won’t teach you properly, so you had to come back to me?”
“I don’t blame Senior Sister. It’s that I don’t dare to use my full strength against her,” Du Yuanluo said with a hint of pride.
Third Junior Sister snorted disdainfully. “What? With those meager skills of yours, you’re afraid Second Senior Sister won’t be able to handle it?”
“Of course not. Second Senior Sister is so powerful, how could she not handle it? But I practice the sword to stay close to her and protect her, not to raise a hand against her.”
It was unknown how Third Junior Sister felt hearing this, but Shen Qingyi, standing to the side, couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
This little girl truly couldn’t change her nature of using sweet words to curry favor. In her previous life, Shen Qingyi had seen her act with the same gentle submissiveness toward Jiang Linchuan. At the time, she had been annoyed by her unscrupulous methods and resentful of Jiang Linchuan’s lack of resolve.
Now, she planned to forgive one ten thousandth of Jiang Linchuan’s fault. They were all mere mortals who hadn’t ascended, who didn’t have their own likes and dislikes?
However, the current Third Junior Sister clearly lacked such enlightenment. Upon hearing those words, her sheathed sword “shinged” as it was drawn again, hacking wildly toward Du Yuanluo.
“You brat, what are you bragging for? Did Second Senior Sister agree to be with you? You have some nerve.”
“Ah!!! I wasn’t bragging! I was telling the truth! Third Senior Sister, spare me!” Du Yuanluo fled, laughing.
Shen Qingyi didn’t know what clever method she had used to win over Third Junior Sister, but although the girl still acted cold, she no longer harbored the deep seated hatred of the past.
Seeing this other side of Du Yuanluo, Shen Qingyi reconsidered. She shouldn’t just let Du Yuanluo live a peaceful and happy life, she should allow her to bloom into her own flower.
Calculating the time, Du Yuanluo had been on Yunyin Peak for twenty years, longer than her time in the mortal world. It was as if she had been raised all over again. The traces of the timid, cowardly girl from the past were gone, replaced by a light figure leaping away from the practice grounds.
Shen Qingyi launched a sudden sneak attack from behind. Feeling the wind at the back of her head, Du Yuanluo spun around and parried with her sword, forced back several steps by the impact.
In that one exchange, Shen Qingyi felt that her rate of progress was nothing short of extraordinary. What exactly had suppressed her talent before?
Had she suppressed her too much? Or had Jiang Linchuan never taught her properly?
Du Yuanluo steadied herself and saw Shen Qingyi. Her eyes lit up, and she moved to throw herself at her regardless of anything. “Senior Sister, you’re back?”
Shen Qingyi swept her sword tip to stop her from coming closer. “Come, let’s trade a few moves.”
Du Yuanluo pushed the sword tip aside and lunged toward Shen Qingyi. “Senior Sister, I can’t beat you.”
As she spoke, she stuck to her like maltose. “Senior Sister, was the mission successful? Are you hurt?”
“No. Next time, don’t make me carry so many jars and bottles. People would think I’m a traveling medicine peddler.” Shen Qingyi tossed a small bundle to Du Yuanluo.
Inside were all sorts of wound medicines Du Yuanluo had insisted she take: external balms, internal tonics, trauma medicines, calming agents… the list went on.
Feeling the weight of it, Du Yuanluo said apologetically, “Next time, I’ll refine them to be more concentrated so Senior Sister has less to carry.”
“What? Are you planning to refine a panacea that cures everything?”
“I’d like to, but Elder Songhe says there is no such thing in this world.”
Du Yuanluo was very proficient in medicine. In a short time, she had earned the favor of Elder Songhe. Shen Qingyi had previously lamented her lack of talent in swordplay, thinking she might never become an inner disciple in the next round of trials.
Now it seemed that Du Yuanluo becoming an official disciple of the Yunyin Sect was just around the corner. She was meant to be such a shining person.
Shen Qingyi decided she would personally teach her the Dao of the Sword.
Unfortunately, this idea lasted only three days. She couldn’t bring herself to be heavy-handed with Du Yuanluo, and Du Yuanluo was even more reluctant to strike at her. Their practice sessions became so gentle that it was hard to tell who was teasing whom.
Some confused junior brothers and sisters whispered, “Is Second Senior Sister flirting with Little Junior Sister? Their sword practice is so full of lingering affection.”
“What flirting? Second Senior Sister has never admitted to liking her.”
“If she doesn’t like her, how could she keep her living in her room?”
“If she likes her, why hasn’t she officially become cultivation partners?”
No one could reach a conclusion.
In the end, Shen Qingyi came to terms with it. Since she couldn’t teach her properly, she might as well hand her over to someone who could.