44

Su Luowei was unaware of everything that was happening on Qiong Hua Peak.

The two peaks were already far apart, and after returning from the Ten Directions Blessed Land, she deliberately avoided Meng Shuying.

No, it couldn't be said to be deliberate. She was simply too busy to make time to see her.

Busy with what?

Busy cultivating, busy handling the documents in the Discipline Hall, and occasionally visiting Xie Hanzhu during her seclusion.

In short, she needed to keep herself occupied to avoid thinking about that dark underground cave, the suppressed moans and sobs, and the sweetness that had dampened her palms.

Occasionally, a surge of courage would rise in her heart, and she'd want to find Meng Shuying and lay everything out in the open.

Though such matters couldn't be easily judged as right or wrong, given that she was older and the senior sister, the fault ultimately lay more with her.

But that courage was like ripples on a lake after a stone is thrown in—initially creating waves, but soon settling into stillness, leaving no trace behind.

She wasn't unaware of Meng Shuying's feelings for her, but in her eyes, those feelings were nothing more than admiration and reliance.

The infatuation of youth was like the wind—fleeting, coming swiftly and leaving just as quickly.

Putting aside her own feelings, she couldn't forget that there was still a sword hanging over her head.

She and Meng Shuying were ultimately from different worlds.

To complete her mission, she might even have to stand against Meng Shuying someday. If they truly developed a relationship beyond that of senior and junior sisters, it would only lead to more heartache.

So, she chose not to disturb the peace between them, preferring to bury her head in the sand and pretend nothing had happened.

She didn't seek out Meng Shuying, and Meng Shuying didn't come to her either.

It wasn't until Jian Xuehan unintentionally mentioned it that she learned Meng Shuying had applied to leave the mountain and become a wandering disciple.

Jian Xuehan approved of Meng Shuying's decision.

"That child has good aptitude and a good nature. Staying on Qiong Hua Peak would only hold her back."

In the past, Su Luowei would have agreed that Meng Shuying should descend the mountain and experience the mortal world.

After all, both from the perspective of plot development and her own situation, rapid growth in strength was advantageous.

But now, things seemed different.

Though she knew it was the right path, she couldn't help but worry—Meng Shuying was gentle by nature and not very strong, having only recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage. What if she encountered fierce beasts during her travels?

When Jian Xuehan was around, Xiao Ba (the system) kept quiet, but the moment Jian Xuehan left, it immediately started mocking her: "Oh, my dear Luowei, what kind of misunderstanding do you have about Meng Shuying? Gentle? Let me tell you, she just hasn't grown into her power yet. Once she does, she'll be able to take you down with one hand. Let's see where you'll cry then!"

Su Luowei wasn't fazed by its instigation and even curiously countered, "Why would she want to beat me?"

Xiao Ba rolled its eyes: It's not really beating, it's about fun—don't you get it?

But it only dared to think these things internally; it wouldn't let Su Luowei know that every time it saw her and Meng Shuying together, its mind was filled with all sorts of colorful thoughts.

But it wasn't its fault!

Even Xiao Ba felt frustrated. Ever since Su Luowei entered the Ten Directions Blessed Land, it had lost contact with her for several days, constantly on edge, worried something might happen to her inside.

Finally, when Su Luowei emerged from the Blessed Land, it saw her with Meng Shuying, and the way Meng Shuying's gaze lingered on her was telling.

Su Luowei, on the other hand, seemed to avoid Meng Shuying's gaze, acting distant and aloof.

There was definitely a story there!

Xiao Ba's gossip radar went off instantly. It was certain that something had happened between them while it had been offline!

But Su Luowei kept her lips sealed, refusing to discuss what had happened inside the Blessed Land. This left Xiao Ba's curiosity unsatisfied, making it increasingly irritable.

"Enough already. Keep your curiosity in check. You're a mission support system, not a gossip system. Now, check if the system has any instructions regarding Meng Shuying leaving the mountain."

Xiao Ba scrolled to the bottom of the mission page: "Nothing for now."

This made Su Luowei even more hesitant.

She didn't know if Meng Shuying had gone on a journey in the original story. If not, why was she suddenly choosing to leave now?

And if Meng Shuying had traveled in the original story, was it something she encountered or someone she met during her journey that led her to become who she eventually did?

Enough, instead of worrying here, she decided to ask Meng Shuying directly.

Although Su Luowei had visited Qiong Hua Peak a few times, Meng Shuying had never been there when she visited, so she had never entered her room.

Today, however, she came at the right time—Meng Shuying was home.

Through the window, Su Luowei saw that the lights were on inside. She knocked on the door twice and waited a while before someone came to open it.

Meng Shuying had thought it was Yu Qing who had come.

Ever since that day, Yu Qing had taken to visiting her frequently, though she did little more than sit quietly, not drinking tea or talking.

Meng Shuying could see that Yu Qing was troubled, worried about Jiang Ye's injuries. But she wasn't the type to offer comfort, especially when she harbored no goodwill toward Jiang Ye.

Then one day, Yu Qing showed up looking worse than ever—her complexion was poor, and her breathing was uneven.

But the worry in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by a relaxed smile.

Meng Shuying realized that Yu Qing had found a way to heal Jiang Ye.

That day, Yu Qing was unusually cheerful, chatting with her more than usual.

She mentioned that she had begged Cloud Jade Uncle Master to allow her to test some medicine in exchange for healing pills for Jiang Ye.

It was also on that day that Meng Shuying asked her for the first and last time, "Is it worth it, doing all this for her?"

Yu Qing looked at her with some surprise, as if she couldn't understand why she would ask such a question.

"If the person you care about most were at death's door, you…"

Meng Shuying instantly understood her actions.

If Senior Sister were in the same situation, she would probably go even crazier than Yu Qing.

But she wouldn't test any medicine because she wanted to live a long life with Senior Sister and couldn't afford to harm her own body.

She would simply choose to defy the rules.

She would hold her sword to Cloud Jade Uncle Master's throat and force her to save Senior Sister.

She and Yu Qing might seem alike, but they were never the same kind of person.

After that day, Yu Qing didn't visit again. Meng Shuying assumed she was busy caring for Jiang Ye, but a few days later, she heard some news about Jiang Ye.

There seemed to be no secrets on Qiong Hua Peak—news spread like wildfire from Min Lanmeng's quarters.

Jiang Ye had climbed into their master's bed.

On the day Yu Qing had exhausted herself to find healing pills for her, the moment Jiang Ye could stand, she had unhesitatingly abandoned her senior sister and offered herself to their master.

Meng Shuying didn't know if Jiang Ye understood how much her senior sister had sacrificed for her.

But now, it didn't matter whether she knew or not.

When she opened the door and saw the unexpected visitor, Meng Shuying froze on the spot.

Seeing her stand there in a daze, Su Luowei frowned.

Was she not welcome? Was Meng Shuying unwilling to invite her in?

Su Luowei had come with a slight sense of indignation. After all, despite their differing goals, they had shared experiences. How could Meng Shuying plan to sneak off the mountain without telling her?

Just the thought that Meng Shuying had deliberately kept this from her made her face darken, and her tone grew cold.

"May I come in?"

The person inside seemed to snap out of a dream, stepping back and pulling the door open just enough for one person to pass through, a gesture that clearly indicated her reluctance.

Meng Shuying indeed wasn't keen on letting Su Luowei into her room.

Her room was small and simple, worlds apart from where Su Luowei lived. Though the room was tidy, a result of habit, she still felt embarrassed to let her senior sister see it.

It was strange. She hadn't felt her room was inadequate during the three years she lived there. But the moment she saw her senior sister, she felt that the room was lacking in every way, unworthy of her.

Su Luowei, hands behind her back, took a quick look around the room, as if inspecting it. Seeing that there was no one else inside, her expression softened slightly.

She sat down on a chair without beating around the bush, getting straight to the point: "I heard from the Sect Leader that you're planning to leave the mountain for a journey."

Meng Shuying had guessed her purpose before she spoke, but that didn't stop her from feeling nervous.

She shouldn't have kept this from her senior sister.

Meng Shuying hadn't intended to keep it a secret—after all, something like this couldn't be hidden for long.

It just so happened that she hadn't visited her senior sister in a while.

As for why she hadn't gone to see her, only Meng Shuying knew the reason.

So she had planned to visit her senior sister before leaving the mountain to inform her and say a proper goodbye.

But her senior sister had found out anyway.

Meng Shuying, feeling as if she had done something wrong, lowered her head, her fingers twisting together. She didn't try to explain and only responded in a muffled voice, "Yes."

"When are you leaving?" Su Luowei's tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

"…Tomorrow."

Su Luowei gave her a meaningful look.

She was leaving tomorrow, and yet she hadn't told her until now. If Su Luowei hadn't come, would she have left without saying a word?

Why hadn't she informed her? Was she trying to distance herself from her?

Just the thought of this possibility made Su Luowei feel uncomfortable, and a hint of resentment crept into her gaze at Meng Shuying.

But Meng Shuying kept her head down and didn't notice.

"Do you realize that this journey could last ten years?"

Ten years could be long or short.

For cultivators with long lifespans, ten years was just one session of closed-door cultivation.

But for Meng Shuying, it was different.

She was only eighteen years old.

Su Luowei had known her for just six years.

Of those six years, they had spent three years together and hadn't seen each other for the other three.

Another ten years—who knew what would happen?

Who knew if Meng Shuying would even remember her?

"Yes, I know that once wandering disciples leave the mountain, it's for ten years." Meng Shuying's voice was soft, almost ethereal.

"If you've made up your mind, then there's nothing more I can say."

Su Luowei closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them again, she could no longer suppress the bitterness in her heart. When she spoke again, her voice trembled with an emotion even she didn't notice. "Why? Is someone on Qiong Hua Peak making things difficult for you? Is it Jiang Ye, or Yu Qing?"

Meng Shuying's calmness grew as Su Luowei became more emotional.

"It's neither." She hesitated before continuing, "Senior Sister Yu Qing has been very kind to me. My decision to leave has nothing to do with those reasons."

"Then why? You simply don't like Qiong Hua Peak? I can talk to the Sect Leader and have you return to Yanmo Peak."

Meng Shuying shook her head again.

Su Luowei couldn't understand what was happening to her. Facing Meng Shuying's indifference, she felt an overwhelming sense of grievance, and tears threatened to fall.

Seeing her reddened eyes and the tears about to fall, Meng Shuying panicked, forgetting everything else as she stepped forward and embraced her for the first time.

Su Luowei tried to pull away, but Meng Shuying held her tightly.

Her heart pounded erratically, and her breath quickened.

At this moment, it was as if their roles had reversed.

Meng Shuying had become the more mature, the more determined one.

"Senior Sister, you know that this is the best choice for me," she said calmly, even with a hint of a smile.

She dared to gently stroke her senior sister's long hair.

Out of Su Luowei's sight, Meng Shuying's gaze was both indulgent and tender.

"I can't always live under your protection."

I must grow strong enough to be someone you can rely on.

"I also have things I want to do."

Become strong enough to protect you.

"I also have someone I want to protect."

And that person is you.

She continued to gently stroke Su Luowei's long hair, waiting for her to calm down.

Just as Su Luowei had done for her before.