Chapter 65
A deafening explosion tore through the air, sending rocks and tufts of grass spiraling into the sky. The force of a sword strike etched a profound scar into the earth, and what had once been a gentle breeze now evolved into an unrelenting tempest, toppling the surrounding trees with a ferocious sweep.
"UWHAAAAAA!" The resounding cry echoed across the expansive landscape, cliffs hemming in an isolated battleground now marked with the indelible traces of blades, remnants of the once-majestic trees.
"Why!!!! Father, just why!!!" The anguished wail of a woman reverberated, tears of blood streaming from her eyes, staining the dark purple-striped martial robe that clung to her torn form.
Her ebony locks lay scattered on the ground, a silent testament to the toll exacted by the accumulated stress beneath her tired, dark-circled eyelids.
Smooth and slender palms, now reddened and bearing scratches, rested near the blood-stained jian lying nearby.
Both her bloodied palms and the crimson stains on her jian reflected the hollow, empty gaze she cast upon her surroundings.
Mu Lan Rou, revered as the heir to the sect leadership, breathed heavily, her eyes a tumult of anguish and fury. The relentless channeling of Qi left her body aching, offering no solace.
Why had her father abruptly severed her betrothal, offering no word of explanation?
BANG-!
With an agonized wail, she unleashed her fury upon the nearest boulder, reducing it to rubble. The physical pain paled in comparison to the ache in her heart.
The Qi enveloping her fist, accompanied by a faint yet intense reddening aura, cleaved through the leaves...
An aura...
It symbolized her immense power, an unmistakable sign that she had attained the 5th realm or beyond.
Yet now... she knelt amidst the debris, resembling a vulnerable child, oblivious to the sharp edges that cut into her skin. Hot tears streamed down her pallid cheeks, intermingling with blood and dust.
"Big Brother Ji... why? Did I unknowingly offend you? Why didn't you reject it? Now, I am left alone..."
Her chest heaved with heart-wrenching sobs, the remnants of her training scattered around her like fragments of shattered hopes and dreams.
"Was it because of her? That deceitful woman!" Mu Lan Rou snarled through her tears.
"Everyone praised her kindness and compassion, but I saw through her deceptive, covetous eyes. Did she secretly entice you away?"
Rage burned hotter than the agony in her shattered heart. With bleeding palms, she clutched the jian tightly, assuming a resolute stance.
Taking a moment to close her eyes, she channeled the Qi from her Upper Dantians into the jian, casting a faint yet flickering aura of intense red around it.
"All those years of unyielding training, enduring excruciating pain... You know me, I'm not that diligent, right?!" she shouted, her form flickering.
SLASH-!
A monumental sword strike arced toward the sky, dissipating before it could breach the clouds.
"You were my strength, my motivation for pushing myself to grow stronger each day... All of this for our future... Now, what do I have left?!"
Images flashed through her mind – the woman's smiles, the sly glances she believed went unnoticed, especially when she observed her approaching him despite opposition.
In that moment, concealed among the crowd, she longed to intervene, but the fear of disappointing her father, the disapproving look he would cast if she mentioned her engagement with Ji Wuye... it terrified her.
Now, she lamented her failure to heed the whispers of her true desires.
A primal roar erupted from the depths of Mu Lan Rou's throat.
She despised herself!
She loathed her blind obedience!
She detested the confines of being a dutiful daughter!
She resented letting the man she loved be taken away!
She hated herself!
"And Big Brother Ji..." As she slumped to the ground, fatigue and weariness seeping into her bones, somber thoughts swirled through her mind.
"Perhaps... Big Brother never truly desired this..." The image of Ji Wuye's calm and composed demeanor surfaced, but she, who knew him best, discerned his firm rejection whenever the engagement was brought up.
There were no whispers of Ji Wuye being entangled with another woman...
"Maybe all this time... he liked me but wasn't prepared for marriage?" A missing piece finally clicked into place within her brilliant mind. Mu Lan Rou, the prodigious talent touted to rival the Sages, had discovered her revelation.
A surge of strength, once lost, suddenly coursed through her veins, rejuvenating her body. However, the exhilarating smile froze as memories of her past actions flooded back.
"C-could Big Brother forgive me?" The thought lingered only momentarily before vanishing.
"All because of Father! Because of my fear of being branded an ungrateful daughter!"
The image of her mocking Ji Wuye...
The image of her looking down upon and underestimating Ji Wuye...
The image of her feigning disgust when she witnessed her Big Brother surrounded by numerous women...
Tears welled up once again, her throat felt parched, and her agape mouth rendered her speechless.
"I-I'm sorry... I'm SORRY, BIG BROTHER!" After a few attempts, she managed to utter those words. But she knew the engagement was already irreparably broken...
Exhausted from her anguished outpouring, she collapsed to the ground and gazed at the darkening sky above...
Despite the persistent ache in her heart, determination now held sway. Prolonged dwelling on her pain would yield nothing; only through action and unfiltered honesty could she hope to rectify the errors of her past.
She muttered to herself, "I must speak with Big Brother. I need to confess everything – how foolishly I acted, consumed by baseless jealousy!"
"Even if, after baring my soul, he still wants nothing to do with me..." Her lips pressed together briefly. The same poignant pain resurfaced, causing her breath to hitch.
"I will understand," she spoke, her lower lip caught between her teeth.
"But I owe it to him to unveil the turmoil within my mind."
Abruptly, thoughts of her father reignited her anger. "And as for that old man... I must ascend to greater strength, ensuring no one can undermine me or challenge my authority."
Her hands clenched into tight fists. "Only when I attain the 8th realm will I feel confident enough to confront Father on my own terms..."
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