Shangyun Sect Main Hall
“Shen Ci, do you know you were wrong?”
Her mother’s voice was as gentle and serene as ever, so gentle that it held not a trace of superfluous emotion. This was indeed the just and stern, impartial Head of the Discipline Hall.
Shen Ci’s eyelashes trembled, her face deathly pale. She wanted to open her mouth to speak, but found she didn’t even have the strength to make a sound.
She forced herself to take a deep breath, her hands gripping the floor tightly as if to draw some strength from it.
“Mother… I… I did nothing wrong. I did not… harm Shen Qingyao.”
Her voice was intermittent and barely audible, but fortunately, everyone in the great hall was a cultivator with hearing far superior to that of ordinary people.
Crack!
A Discipline Whip struck Shen Ci, but she no longer had the strength to even cry out in pain.
It was the whip wielded by her good mother, the Head of the Discipline Hall.
Shen Qingze’s brow furrowed, a flash of disgust in his eyes. “Mother, take a good look at her. She’s still so shameless, without a shred of remorse!”
This was her biological brother.
He turned to look at the curled-up figure, his voice impatient. “Shen Ci, I was truly wrong about you. To be so jealous of a fellow disciple, to resort to such unscrupulous means!”
With that, the young man flicked his sleeves and left, as if another glance at her would soil his eyes.
Shen Ci’s tears had already run dry, but she couldn’t stop the sharp pain twisting in her heart. Such words of loathing were actually coming from her own brother.
Ye Shuyin shook her head, her tone filled with disappointment. “Shen Ci, Mother is punishing you so you will properly repent. I never thought you would become even more stubborn!”
“Mother, I really didn’t do it. She knocked over the pill cauldron herself… I didn’t, I really didn’t.”
Seeing her obstinance, Ye Shuyin’s usually stern face finally showed a flicker of emotion. “Nonsense! It’s bad enough that you won’t admit your mistake, but you dare to slander Qingyao? And to think she was still worried about you while suffering from the backlash!”
“Shen Ci, you knocked over her pill cauldron while she was in the middle of Pill Refining, nearly causing her cultivation to be completely destroyed. Would she really take such a huge risk just to frame you?!”
Shen Ci closed her eyes. Yes, she also wanted to know why she would take such a huge risk to frame her.
Seeing her silence, Ye Shuyin grew even more furious. “Shen Ci, she is your younger sister, not your enemy!”
Shen Ci curled into a ball, hugging herself tightly. Her voice was hoarse, each word firm yet tinged with a hint of mockery. “Younger sister? By the same father or the same mother?”
“Shen Ci!”
Fourteen years ago, during the Immortal-Demon War, the three realms of immortals, demons, and mortals were thrown into chaos. She happened to be born at that time, but unfortunately, she was switched with Shen Qingyao at birth.
She grew up in the mortal realm, taken in by an old beggar. After the old beggar died, she could only survive by begging.
It wasn’t until she was six, eight years ago, that Shen Rong and Ye Shuyin, who were out gaining experience, discovered her, and the truth of the switched babies came to light.
Shen Ci was brought back to the Cultivation World, to the Shangyun Sect, one of the five great sects. But her personality was dull and timid, her reactions slow. She didn’t know how to say pleasant things, much less how to cultivate.
Shen Qingyao, however, was different. She had grown up doted on by everyone in the Shangyun Sect. Any resources would be prioritized for her. She herself lived up to expectations; with her outstanding talent, she reached Foundation Establishment at the age of twelve, a truly heaven-blessed prodigy.
Her voice raspy, she said, “Mother… I beg you, believe me this once…”
Ye Shuyin spoke, her voice filled with disappointment in her daughter’s failure to meet her expectations. “Enough! Shen Ci, I never realized you were so skilled at arguing. No wonder… no one likes you. If you were even half as considerate as your sister, I wouldn’t have to punish you like this.”
“Since dozens of lashes haven’t taught you to repent, men, throw Shen Ci into the Demon Abyss Cliff to reflect properly!”
“You can come out when you admit your mistake!”
Shen Ci heard her own heart… shatter.
Just like that, she was dragged to a cave on the Demon Abyss Cliff.
Three days later.
Within the Demon Abyss Cliff, black energy swirled, creating a grim and terrifying atmosphere.
Shen Ci hugged herself, curled up on the ground. Her clothes were in tatters, her body covered in long, deep bloody marks. She used all her strength to keep her consciousness from being eroded by the Demonic Qi.
Her eyes were fixed on the entrance. She was waiting for someone—for her father, her mother, her brother, or even a fellow disciple.
She was waiting for someone to remember her existence, to remember that she was still in the Demon Abyss Cliff.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of footsteps approached. The stone door suddenly opened, and a blinding ray of sunlight shone on her eyelids.
Shen Ci used all her strength to open her eyes and look. The person who entered was her mother…
Seeing the bloodstains on Shen Ci, Ye Shuyin softened her voice. “Ah Ci, it’s just an apology. It’s not that hard. Do you really want to endure the pain of this Demonic Qi erosion forever…”
Shen Ci didn’t speak, only staring blankly at the ground. So her mother also knew about the pain of Demonic Qi erosion.
Ye Shuyin was about to persuade her further when a male disciple’s voice came from outside. “Mistress, Mistress! Something’s wrong… Junior Sister Qingyao, she…”
Ye Shuyin asked urgently, “What’s wrong with Yaoyao??”
“She, she coughed up blood and fainted!”
Hearing this, Ye Shuyin’s heart filled with anxiety. She turned and left without hesitation. The stone door slammed shut, and the Demon Abyss Cliff returned to darkness and deathly silence.
Shen Ci could no longer feel the pain. Her hands gripped the ground again as she crawled toward the door like a dying puppy…
Mother, don’t go… save me, Mother… turn back and look at me one more time…
Shen Ci’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. Yet she was still calling out, again and again: Mother…
Tears fell drop by drop onto the ground. Shen Ci suddenly smiled, feeling an unprecedented exhaustion.
She wanted to sleep so badly. When she woke up, she didn’t want a father, and she didn’t want a mother. She would rather be a little beggar for the rest of her life…
Her consciousness gradually faded. Shen Ci’s eyes slowly closed. Finally, she could get a good night’s sleep…
…
When Shen Qingyao woke up two days later, she linked her arm intimately with Ye Shuyin’s and said coquettishly, “Mother, Yaoyao is really fine now. Please be the bigger person and let Older Sister out!”
Seeing Ye Shuyin’s reluctance, Shen Qingyao turned to pull on Shen Rong’s sleeve. “Father~ You love Yaoyao the most, so please agree to Yaoyao’s request…”
The young girl’s voice was soft and filled with boundless affection, and the expressions of the two adults finally softened.
“Brother, can you also help Yaoyao plead with Father and Mother, please?”
Shen Qingyao looked pitifully at Shen Qingze, who stroked her head with a pained heart. “Yaoyao, that wretch nearly destroyed your cultivation. You… you’re too kind. If you ask me, locking her in the Demon Abyss is letting her off too easy!”
Shen Qingze recalled how Shen Ci had not only refused to repent that day but had also tried to twist the truth, and he seethed with anger.
Ye Shuyin, however, pondered for a moment. “She’s been locked up for quite some time. She must have thought things through by now. But let’s be clear, Yaoyao. Mother can let her out, but she must apologize to you. You can’t be soft-hearted.”
Shen Qingze and Shen Rong also nodded. Shen Ci’s stubborn nature really needed to be worn down. If only she were more like Qingyao.
“Don’t worry, Mother. Yaoyao believes Older Sister already knows she was wrong. She will definitely apologize to me.”
The three of them took Shen Qingyao and headed to the Demon Abyss Cliff. As soon as they arrived, they saw a group of disciples gathered at the stone entrance.
Ye Shuyin’s brow furrowed slightly, and she said in a cold voice, “What are you all doing crowding around here instead of practicing your swords?!”
She had reverted to her cold and serene demeanor. Perhaps only in front of Shen Qingyao could Ye Shuyin reveal a trace of tenderness.
Seeing the two of them arrive together, the crowd quickly straightened up and chorused, “Greetings, Sect Master! Greetings, Hall Head!”
Ye Shuyin turned to the disciple guarding the Demon Abyss. “How is she? Has she admitted her mistake?”
The gatekeeping disciple suddenly wore a strange expression. The other disciples also had varied expressions, all staring at Ye Shuyin and the three members of the Shen family behind her.
“I’m asking you a question.”
He snapped back to reality. “Hall Head, Shen Ci is already dead…”
Bang!
The gatekeeping disciple’s body flew straight back. Ye Shuyin enunciated each word, “What. Did. You. Say!”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
“Hall Head, Shen Ci is dead.”
“She was already injured from the whipping, and her cultivation was only at the Qi Refining stage. She couldn’t resist it.”
“The Demon Abyss Cliff is filled with demons and monsters suppressed by the various elders and peak masters. Even with the barrier, Demonic Qi still lingers. Shen Ci was invaded by the Demonic Qi, and her five major organs were shattered…”
Ye Shuyin felt the world spin, and she staggered forward.
“Shuyin!”
“Mother!”
“Hall Head!”