Jinglian's gaze darkened.
“Lock her up, trap her, and make sure she can never leave for the rest of her life.” Shen Qingci stared straight into her master's eyes. “This disciple is no good person. I am selfish, vengeful, and my methods are far from clean.”
“Others say that the Eldest Young Lady of the Shen family is dignified and composed, but that is only because they have not crossed my bottom line.”
“Senior Sister is my bottom line. No one is allowed to touch her, not even herself.” She tore open her darkest side, laying it out bloody and raw before her master.
The hall fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard.
Staring at her youngest disciple's undisguised paranoia, Jinglian felt a massive shock in her heart, and her previously unyielding posture slowly softened.
A quarter of an hour later, the sword domain was withdrawn, and the mountain pressing down on Shen Qingci's shoulders vanished.
Jinglian let the matter rest, a trace of shame appearing on her face.
Today, she had essentially given A-Ci a sweet date and then slapped her. First praising her excellent character, only to end up unable to resist testing her.
“A-Ci, in the end, your master has failed to treat you both equally.”
Shen Qingci cast a cleansing spell on herself. Lowering her eyes, she smoothed out her cuffs inch by inch.
The madness from moments ago had dissipated.
She was in no hurry to speak.
Only after a long while did Shen Qingci look up.
The previous gloom was gone from her face, but she had also tucked away her usual gentle smile, leaving only a serious expression.
“This disciple has long known that Master is partial to Senior Sister.”
“Since she was a child, Senior Sister was carried back by Master from a pile of corpses. This disciple cannot compete with that bond, nor do I want to. Master is partial to Senior Sister, and Senior Sister is partial to me.”
“The scale has long been balanced. How could I possibly harbor any resentment?”
“If Master completely neglected me and never warned me, that would be when you truly did not care about me.”
Jinglian was left speechless by her insightful words, then burst into a laugh. “Such a sweet mouth. You certainly know how to coax people.”
“Others do not have this good fortune.” A touch of liveliness finally returned to Shen Qingci's eyes as she said righteously, “Only family is worthy of it.”
Jinglian shook her head. Her gaze landed on her youngest disciple, and she suddenly asked, “Is Jinglei easy to use?”
“Very! And it hasn't thrown any little tantrums.”
“That is good.” Jinglian turned around, retrieved a long box from the lower shelf of the sword rack, placed it on the low table, and pushed it in front of her.
“The other day, I happened to make a scabbard for Jinglei. See if it suits you.”
Shen Qingci opened the lid of the box.
The scabbard was dark purple all over, its body covered in lightning scars. The crevices of the patterns were embedded with hair-thin thunder crystal powder.
The mouth of the scabbard was inlaid with a ring of black gold clasps, engraved with two words: “Jinglei.”
She turned the scabbard over. Engraved at the tip were two overlapping runes: a Thunder-Gathering Rune and a Spirit-Nourishing Rune, both Earth-grade Low-rank rune engravings.
The former could draw heavenly thunder to temper the sword, while the latter could automatically absorb lightning spiritual energy to nourish the blade.
An Earth-grade Low-rank scabbard!!!
Just the materials for these two rune engravings were worth more than half the net worth of an ordinary Soul Transformation sword cultivator.
Master had truly emptied her pockets today.
Shen Qingci looked up, meeting Jinglian's feigned indifferent gaze. Her master's eyes drifted out the window, avoiding her look.
She suddenly understood.
This scabbard was a gift her master had prepared long ago, intending to give it to her after she reached Foundation Establishment.
More precisely, her master had only decided to take it out early after the sword domain was withdrawn.
This was compensation.
Her master knew that her test just now had been too harsh, and she felt guilty.
Without uttering a word of apology, she turned around and pulled out the best thing at the bottom of her chest.
Master and Senior Sister had similar personalities; they both possessed an incredibly strong sense of responsibility.
So strong that if they owed someone even a little, they would feel utterly uncomfortable. If she did not accept it, her master would think she refused to forgive her.
Shen Qingci took the scabbard out of the box. Her fingertips brushed against the lightning scars on the body, the thunder crystal powder warming slightly against her skin.
“I didn't bring Jinglei out of the cave dwelling.” She placed the scabbard back into the box, closed the lid, and held it solemnly in her arms. “But this disciple dares to guarantee on Jinglei's behalf that it will definitely like it.”
The corners of Jinglian's mouth curved upward, only to be quickly pressed back down.
“It is just a scabbard. Take it back and let it try. If it doesn't fit, bring it back for adjustments.”
“It will definitely fit.” Holding the box, Shen Qingci rarely refrained from teasing her master. “Thank you, Master.”
“Alright.” Jinglian sat back down on her futon and gestured for her to sit as well. “Put it away. Don't keep clutching it.”
Shen Qingci carefully stored the sword box into her storage ring and sat down again. With a low table separating master and disciple, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before.
“Master, there is something this disciple wishes to ask you.” Shen Qingci weighed her words. “What exactly... is going on between you and Martial Aunt Liu?”
Jinglian's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. She took a sip as if nothing had happened. “Why do you suddenly ask about this?”
“This disciple has guessed a thing or two.” Shen Qingci did not beat around the bush. “Senior Sister said that Martial Aunt Liu went to great lengths to obtain the Frostchill sword back then. She even waited for three whole months while Master was in closed-door cultivation, just to deliver a stalk of thousand-year phantom-heart grass.”
“And later, Martial Aunt Liu smashed the door of your cave dwelling and never set foot on Wanjian Peak again.”
She said, “Master, Martial Aunt Liu's feelings for you are more than just sisterly affection. You know this in your heart.”
Jinglian remained silent for a long time.
Outside the window, the sea of clouds churned continuously, and the sound of wind in the pines echoed from near and far.
“I cannot give Junior Sister what she wants,” she said.
Shen Qingci grew bold and probed softly, “Is it because of Senior Sister's mother?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she received a light tap on her forehead.
“Read fewer of those improper storybooks.” Jinglian withdrew her hand, her tone helpless and amused. “Your master was close confidants with A-Yuan's parents. We were close friends who met during our travels back then. It had nothing to do with family background or talent. Having two confidants in one lifetime is already enough.”
Shen Qingci rubbed her forehead, but her eyes lit up. “Master, then Senior Sister's parents... are they still alive?”
Jinglian let out a sigh.
The sigh was heavy, as if it had been pressed against her chest for too long. When she let it out, it carried the scars of bygone years.
“Back then, when the Demon Emperor fell, the demon race split into three, and the Southern Region should have recovered. Yet, greedy opportunists fanned the flames, triggering an unprecedented catastrophe.”
“As the leader of the Southern Region, the Azure Cloud Sect bore the brunt of it. The Ancestor died in battle, and seventy to eighty percent of the sect's geniuses perished... Since then, the sect collapsed.”
Her voice was tinged with fatigue. “I was dragged down by the mess of the sect and could not break free at all. By the time things settled down slightly, I realized that the distress signals from my two close friends had already been delayed for far too long.”
“I rushed over like mad...”
“But what greeted me was only a blood-washed city of the dead.”
Shen Qingci did not make a sound.
“That great demon possessed a half-step Void Refining cultivation. He sacrificed the lives of millions of mortals and cultivators in the city just to extend his own lifespan.”
“When I found him, he was sprawling on the pile of corpses, absorbing blood-fiend energy. I fought him for three whole days and nights.”
“Although I narrowly won in the end, my Dao foundation was also ruined at that time!”
Shen Qingci clenched her fists, her palms tightening.
“Master!!! What about Senior Sister?” she asked in a low voice. “How did Senior Sister survive?”
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