"Aunt Xiuli, I'm not sure about this either. I'll ask my fellow disciples later and tell you when I find out." He Jingjing's face turned grim. Ever since she saw that horrific scene that day, He Jingjing would have nightmares whenever she heard the words "Wu Xiuyun."
But it wasn't her fault. If she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes, He Jingjing wouldn't have known such a vicious martial art existed. It slowly transformed a young woman into a hunched old woman, and finally, even her skin and bones were reduced to ash. In the months before Wu Xiuyun's death, her beauty had vanished, her entire body a mere bag of bones. He Jingjing shuddered at the mere thought of it.
He Jingjing knew exactly why the communication talisman Wu Xiuli had sent to Wu Xiuyun was burning. It was because Wu Xiuyun was already dead. With Wu Xiuyun's death, the trace of Wu Xiuyun's consciousness attached to the communication talisman dissipated. With the consciousness dissipated, what use was there for the communication talisman?
However, He Jingjing didn't dare tell Wu Xiuli about this. Death is like the extinguishing of a candle. Wu Xiuli and her family were just mortals. What good would knowing the cause of Wu Xiuyun's death do? Could they still settle accounts with the person who killed Wu Xiuyun? That person... was the current leader of the Yushan Sect.
"He Jingjing, are you hiding something from me? Aren't you my sister's maid? Don't you have to serve her personally? Does my sister know you've gone to Kyoto?" Wu Xiuli was anxious when she saw that He Jingjing hadn't given a clear answer. To Wu Xiuli, Wu Xiuyun was her biggest supporter. If something really happened to Wu Xiuyun, Wu Xiuli could foresee that her fate would be bleak.
"Auntie, I don't know what you're talking about. I have a headache right now and need to rest." He Jingjing's face darkened. She was bullied in the secret realm because she was too weak. If she were still bullied by Wu Xiuli in the secular world, He Jingjing felt that she would be better off dead.
How could Wu Xiuli still have the nerve to mention Wu Xiuyun? Wu Xiuyun had brought her into the Immortal Gate with ill intentions. He Jingjing had already repaid all the debt she owed Wu Xiuyun the day she plotted against her.
The more He Jingjing thought about it, the angrier she became. She didn't care that she was a guest at the Wen family. She grabbed Wu Xiuli's arm and "threw" her out.
"You damned girl!" Wu Xiuyun cursed angrily, and was about to knock on the door to scold this rude girl. But then she remembered that Wen Yiran was downstairs and she had just made Wen Yiran unhappy two days ago. In the end, Wu Xiuli did not dare to make trouble and could only go back to her room in a rage.
He Jingjing lay in bed, not feeling sleepy at all. Her mind was in a mess. There were many things she needed to think about, but many of them she couldn't figure out.
Her life was wonderful because of Wu Xiuyun, but it was also because of Wu Xiuyun that she fell into a dangerous situation.
He Jingjing escaped under Wen Ziqing's protection. After witnessing the tragic "cannibalism" in the world of immortal cultivation, He Jingjing could no longer force herself to stay in the Yushan Sect. From that day on, He Jingjing suffered nightmares every night. To distance herself from the terrifying memories, He Jingjing practiced meditation instead of sleep for six months. Without this, He Jingjing's cultivation level would never have reached the second level of Qi training.
He Jingjing lay in bed, lost in thought. In her hazy sleep, she seemed to be back to that terrifying afternoon.
When she woke up, He Jingjing felt a splitting headache.
This was the first time He Jingjing felt so uncomfortable since she started practicing Taoism.
Thinking that Wu Xiuyun might ask her to do something soon, He Jingjing didn't dare to sleep anymore and had to fight hard against her two eyelids that were stuck together. He Jingjing didn't usually have the habit of taking a nap, but for some reason today, she yawned non-stop after lunch. Anyway, Wu Xiuyun didn't usually ask her to do anything, so He Jingjing thought of resting for a while and fell asleep in her room.
"Xiuyun, Xiuyun." A man's voice rang out from outside the courtyard in a daze. It sounded like the voice of the sect leader, Taoist Lingyun?
Taoist Lingyun often visited Wu Xiuyun's courtyard during this period. For some reason, Wu Xiuyun, who never wanted to be waited on, suddenly became uncharacteristically demanding He Jingjing stay in the courtyard at all times, forcing her to stay home for over a month.
Fortunately, He Jingjing heard that Wen Ziqing was in seclusion for cultivation during this period, otherwise, she would have to sneak to Jinping Peak to take a look at him to feel at ease.
"Xiuyun, open the door quickly." The voice continued to ring, and this time, there was a hint of anger in the voice.
He Jingjing was a little anxious. Wu Xiuyun usually had guests in her courtyard, and whenever she was home, she was the one to open the door. Today, she was still lying in bed. She wondered if she'd get scolded soon. Although Wu Xiuyun never scolded He Jingjing, she had to deal with the nosy Lin Muchen.
Lin Muchen is the direct disciple of Taoist Lingyun and also Wu Xiuyun's senior brother.
Lin Muchen had criticized Wu Xiuyun more than once, saying she was too indulgent with He Jingjing. None of the Yushan Sect's menial disciples had the comforts He Jingjing enjoyed, even living in rooms adjacent to Wu Xiuyun's. Lin Muchen said Wu Xiuyun didn't know the difference between superior and inferior. A menial disciple deserved only to live in the backyard utility room. Living in the main courtyard with Wu Xiuyun was neither master nor servant, and it wasn't the right way to rule over subordinates.
Wu Xiuyun agreed to it in person, but after Lin Muchen left, Wu Xiuyun asked He Jingjing to live there with peace of mind, saying that there were enough houses in her main courtyard and they could be empty anyway.
Wu Xiuyun also said that when she saw He Jingjing, it was like seeing her sister in the secular world. Having He Jingjing living next door would make her feel more at ease.
He Jingjing believed it. He Jingjing knew Wu Xiuyun had brought her to the Yushan Sect primarily for Wu Xiuyun's secular relatives. Wu Xiuyun held some influence within the Yushan Sect, and He Jingjing's family coincidentally held some influence within the secular world. Wu Xiuyun and He Jingjing had a mutually beneficial relationship. Wu Xiuyun treated He Jingjing well within the sect, and He Jingjing's grandfather, He Shumin, helped to promote Wu Xiuyun's brother-in-law, Wen Yulong, in the secular world. He Jingjing had seen this sort of thing many times in her past life, so naturally, she didn't find it anything special.
He Jingjing, on the other hand, thought Wu Xiuyun was a good person. If Lin Muchen hadn't objected strongly, the furnishings in He Jingjing's room would have been exactly the same as Wu Xiuyun's: a large carved bed, pink bed curtains, and silk quilts...
To avoid Lin Muchen's constant nagging, Wu Xiuyun furnished He Jingjing's room with inferior furnishings. For example, Wu Xiuyun's room was entirely made of red sandalwood, while He Jingjing's was furnished with ordinary boxwood. Wu Xiuyun's room had furnishings like a multi-treasure pavilion, while He Jingjing's room contained only a large bed, a chair, and a wardrobe. In short, aside from its location, He Jingjing's room was befitting of her status as a menial disciple. Beyond the basics, it seemed rather bare.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
