What if she had been mistaken?
Mo Qiushuang steadied herself and looked at Lu Fei seriously. “There’s one more thing. Do you know why Jiang Han was always secretly following me and the junior sisters? Was he… really spying?”
“Spying?” Lu Fei was clearly startled. “Senior Sister, that can’t be true. Back then, Senior Brother Jiang Han was only six or seven years old. How could he possibly have those kinds of thoughts?”
Boom!
Mo Qiushuang felt as if she had been struck by lightning. How had she forgotten? Jiang Han had been so young. He had only just entered the Heavenly Dominion Sect. His cultivation was merely at the 7th stage Qi Refining Realm. Such a small child, how could he have been spying?
Then why… had they all believed he was spying?
“Senior Sister, why are you asking about this?” Lu Fei asked worriedly. “Did something happen to Senior Brother Jiang Han? I haven’t seen him at all this month.”
Mo Qiushuang suddenly felt a hollow ache in her chest. Hearing that, her expression grew even more complicated. “He’s fine. He just went down the mountain to clear his mind. He’ll be back before long.”
“But Senior Brother Jiang Han doesn’t have any money,” Lu Fei said anxiously. “He can only gather some low-grade Spirit-Congealing Grass to sell every day. Those things aren’t worth much. Even if he’s frugal, he won’t be able to stay down the mountain for long, unless he stops using spirit stones to cultivate.”
A sharp pain pierced Mo Qiushuang’s heart. Only now did she realize that she had never given Jiang Han any spirit stones or magical artifacts. The only wooden sword he had was carved from ordinary Thousand-Year Clear Mind Wood during his training of the heart. It was practically worthless.
Not only had she never given him anything, the other junior sisters certainly hadn’t either. As for the Seventh Junior Sister, although she was slightly closer to Jiang Han, her own resources were barely enough for herself. How could she spare any for him?
Whenever they obtained treasures, the first person they thought of was always Lin Xuan. Magical artifacts, pills, cultivation techniques, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, each of them had given him countless items. As for spirit stones, they had handed him more than could even be counted.
But Jiang Han?
It seemed they had never truly cared.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely bring him back,” Mo Qiushuang said, her expression gradually turning resolute. No matter what, Jiang Han was still her junior brother.
She admitted that she had wronged him in the past. This time, she would not stand by and watch him suffer again.
If their sect master was unwilling to teach him, then she would personally bring him back and guide him herself.
“That’s good,” Lu Fei said with relief. Then he hesitated before adding, “Senior Sister, please don’t think I’m being presumptuous, but the idea that Senior Brother Jiang Han was spying is impossible. He was so young then. That was exactly the age when he needed care and affection, yet he had no parents to look after him.”
“Maybe Senior Brother Jiang Han simply felt that you and the other senior sisters were approachable, so he always wanted to follow you.”
“Approachable?” Mo Qiushuang felt her heart twist painfully.
All these years, she had been in seclusion, preparing to withstand the final heavenly tribulation. Every time she emerged from seclusion, she would see Jiang Han waiting outside her cave dwelling. He irritated her to no end, and her words toward him had been harsh, without the slightest consideration for whether he could bear them. The insults she hurled were so cruel that even she would have found them unbearable. Yet even so, he had still felt she was approachable?
Had she ever been kind to Jiang Han?
Mo Qiushuang thought about it for a long time. Toward outsiders, perhaps she had been somewhat courteous. But toward Jiang Han, she had only ever been strict. The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
At the very least, she clearly remembered that every time she saw him, her heart was filled only with irritation and disgust.
“No! I’m going to bring him back right now!” Mo Qiushuang abruptly turned and flew toward the foot of the mountain.
Panic surged within her. It felt as though she had misunderstood Jiang Han all along. She needed to find him and demand the truth. What had really happened back then? Why had he never defended himself?
Why had he remained silent when they beat him? Why had he said nothing when they scolded him? What exactly had he been afraid of?
Had she truly been so severe that he did not even dare to explain himself?
As a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm, her escape speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, she reached the Trading Market at the foot of the mountain. With her cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, her divine sense instantly enveloped the entire market town, sweeping forcefully across every inch of land.
The person in charge of the Heavenly Dominion Sect’s station in the market sensed the overbearing divine sense and thought an enemy had attacked. Frightened, he immediately flew into the air above the market. Only after recognizing Mo Qiushuang did he let out a sigh of relief and step forward to greet her.
“Nephew Mo, what’s the matter? Did some blind fool offend you?”
Mo Qiushuang acted as if she had not heard him. Her entire focus remained on her divine sense as she carefully scanned every single person in the market.
“No, no! How is he still not here? Junior Brother, where did you go?!” Mo Qiushuang’s thoughts fell into chaos.
If she could not find him here, where else could she look?
The cultivation world was vast beyond measure. The Heavenly Dominion Sect’s territory alone spanned tens of millions of meters in every direction. The territories of the other four great sects were equally immense, not to mention the countless large and small sects scattered everywhere.
If she truly began searching, who knew how long it would take?
“Nephew, do you need any assistance?” the man asked cautiously. “I may not have many talents, but if you’re looking for someone in the market, that’s easily done.”
Mo Qiushuang did not even glance at him. Retracting her divine sense, she said coldly, “No need to trouble you, Uncle Ye,” and instantly departed.
Uncle Ye stood there, his face darkening. No matter what, he was her uncle in the sect. How could she speak to him like that?
But he was only at the 1st stage Nascent Soul Realm. Even if he was displeased, he did not dare utter another word. He could only wait until Mo Qiushuang had left before descending with a resentful expression to drink alone.
Mo Qiushuang returned to the sect in disappointment. There, she saw several junior sisters accompanying Lin Xuan, drinking and admiring the flowers, as if Jiang Han’s disappearance had nothing to do with them.
She had intended to ask them to help search for Jiang Han. But seeing them like this, her heart sank, and she immediately abandoned that thought.
From the way they had treated Jiang Han before, perhaps they did not even want him to return.
“Senior Sister is back. Come, have a drink. This is Clear Mind Brew. It can temper the mind…” Lu Jingxue had not finished speaking when she felt Senior Sister’s icy gaze sweep over her. Frightened, she swallowed the rest of her words.
“Hmph!” Mo Qiushuang snorted coldly, unwilling to deal with them. She walked straight back to her cave dwelling, leaving the junior sisters staring at one another in confusion.
“What’s wrong with Senior Sister? Who made her angry this time?”
“Who else could it be? It must be that bastard Jiang Han,” Third Senior Sister Lu Jingxue said angrily.
“Damn it. If not for him, I wouldn’t have been scolded by Senior Sister!”
“Third Senior Sister, don’t be angry. Senior Sister is just too anxious,” Lin Xuan said, habitually slandering Jiang Han.
“Senior Brother Jiang Han was indeed a bit too willful this time. He’s been gone so many days without any contact. It’s no wonder Senior Sister is worried.”
“Hmph! That wretch. When he comes back, I’ll beat him to death!” Lu Jingxue’s eyes were vicious. “I’ve been too lenient with him before. That’s why he thinks he can do whatever he wants!”
“Eh? Senior Sisters don’t know?” Fourth Senior Sister Xia Qianqian suddenly spoke up.
“Know what?” The others looked at her in confusion.
“Jiang Han withdrew from the sect. He won’t be coming back.”
“What did you say?!” Lin Xuan’s head buzzed. He was so shocked that he dropped the cup in his hand.
“Xiao Xuan, don’t be sad,” Xia Qianqian said quickly, thinking he was reluctant to see Jiang Han leave. She hurried forward to comfort him. “It’s better that Jiang Han left. With him around, we were annoyed anyway. Now there’s no one in the way.”
“I knew he was an ungrateful wretch,” Lu Jingxue said angrily. “Master raised him for so many years, and he left without even saying goodbye. If I ever see him, I’ll beat him to death!”
“Forget about him. If he wants to leave, let him,” Second Senior Sister Liu Hanyue said without even lifting her eyelids. “He’s a grown man. He won’t starve to death. Besides, Xiao Xuan treated him so well, yet he never showed any gratitude and always went against Xiao Xuan. It’s quieter now that he’s gone.”
“Xiao Xuan, don’t be upset. Tomorrow Senior Sister will take you to stroll around Starfall City. Buy whatever you like. I’ll pay. I guarantee you’ll forget that useless Jiang Han immediately.”
“I’m going too. I heard that the Seven Star Pavilion has new sword sheaths in stock. Tomorrow is the perfect time to check them out…”
“I’m going as well! Now that Jiang Han is gone, I can finally raise a spirit beast.”
“My poor Mengqiu. I’d only raised it for one month, and that wretch stole and ate it. Why didn’t I beat him to death back then?”
The more Xia Qianqian thought about it, the angrier she became. “No, I’m raising Mengqiu again. Next time I see that wretch, I’ll have Mengqiu swallow him whole!”
“But… but…” Lin Xuan was so anxious he could barely speak.
How could Jiang Han leave? He even withdrew from the sect. No wonder the sect’s fortune had been declining lately.
That explained why everything had been going wrong. That explained why the Chains of Destiny had broken. Jiang Han had actually left the Heavenly Dominion Sect!
If he was gone, what was he supposed to do? Without fortune value, how could he cultivate?
How could Jiang Han bear to leave? Didn’t he care most about his master and senior sisters? What had happened?!
No! I have to find him. I must find him right now!
A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes as he silently called out in his heart, “System! Lock onto Jiang Han’s location!”