"Luo Mingyue!" Sheng Yuan snapped, his face twisted with anger."What are you doing? Who gave you the right to interfere in Lingxu Peak's affairs?"
"Lingxu Peak's affairs?" Luo Mingyue arched an eyebrow. "Looked more like you were ganging up on my junior sister."
"Junior sister?" Sheng Yuan scoffed. "Who are you calling your junior sister?"
"Obviously—" Luo Mingyue turned to look at Li Shuang.
She froze.
Her breath caught as recognition dawned."Li Shuang?"
She hadn't seen the face clearly at first. She had only followed the jade slip's guidance and charged in without hesitation.
But now, as she stood face-to-face with the girl she once admired...
The shock was undeniable.
Li Shuang. The peerless prodigy of Lingxu Peak.
When she joined the Sword Sect, her innate spiritual root had tested as top-grade ice—causing a frenzy among the sect leaders. Even the sect master himself had wanted to take her in.
At that time, Lingxu Zhenren had said:"Come to Lingxu Peak. You will be my chief disciple. I believe in you."
Touched by that trust, Li Shuang had chosen Lingxu Peak.
Her early progress was astounding. She quickly became the brightest talent of her generation, praised by all.
Lingxu Zhenren had once spoken of her with immense pride.
But ten years ago…
Ye Zhaozhao arrived.
Rumors spread—Zhaozhao was the "true daughter of Heaven," surpassing even Li Shuang in talent. It was whispered that Li Shuang, consumed by jealousy, had lost her heart as a senior sister.
She grew silent. Withdrawn.
People turned their backs on her.
Even Luo Mingyue—who had once been compared to her as the "twin beauties" of the Sword Sect—had accepted that Li Shuang's star had faded.
She never imagined that the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique's chosen successor… would be her.
A complicated emotion flickered through Luo Mingyue's eyes. "Li Shuang… your cultivation…"
"What's wrong with her cultivation?" Sheng Yuan asked impatiently. "Senior Sister Luo, step aside!"
But Luo Mingyue ignored him.
Her gaze had dropped to the faint scar on Li Shuang's chest. Her pupils constricted."You've scattered your cultivation," she said quietly. "You're rebuilding from the start… Who did this to you?"
Sheng Yuan blinked. "Scattered… your cultivation?"
His heart skipped a beat.
"What do you mean? Scattered?"
Luo Mingyue's voice turned sharp. "Li Shuang has switched to the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique. All her previous cultivation is gone—she's starting over from the Qi Training stage. That wound on her chest... was left by someone from the sect. Who dares harm their own fellow disciple?!"
Her killing intent surged.
Sheng Yuan's hands began to tremble.
He turned to Li Shuang in disbelief."Senior Sister… Where's your Nascent Soul? Where's your spiritual power?!"
Luo Mingyue's suspicious gaze fell on him."Don't tell me… it was you?"
Sheng Yuan looked at Li Shuang, his voice barely a whisper."Senior Sister… What's going on?"
Li Shuang looked him in the eyes and answered quietly,"Soul-slicing. Bone-shattering. Yet I choose to start again."
Start again…
Sheng Yuan's lips trembled.
This didn't make sense.
She was the one who fled on the snowy mountain… wasn't she?
Then why—why had she cast aside her life's work?
Why speak as if she'd suffered the ultimate betrayal?
Soul-slicing and bone-shattering... Who had done that to her?
Sheng Yuan gripped his sword tightly.
He knew exactly how much she had sacrificed over the years.How many times he'd woken up to find her already practicing.How many nights she had stayed up, alone in the sword training grounds.Even during those ten stagnant years—she had never slacked off.
Her strength had been forged through years of hardship.
And now… she had let it all go?
A wave of panic washed over him.
Ye Zhaozhao, too, was momentarily caught off guard.But then a small smile appeared on her lips.
Originally, Li Shuang had still been a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Now, she was nothing more than a Qi Training disciple.
This made things far easier.
She quickly put on a pained expression. "Senior Sister… why were you so impulsive? No one meant to blame you for what happened. Master hasn't even punished you yet, and you already—"
Zhaozhao's soft words snapped Sheng Yuan out of his daze.
His eyes turned red as he glared at Li Shuang.
"Senior Sister," he said angrily, "if you've made a mistake, you must admit it! You need to accept punishment—not act so recklessly! You're coming back to Lingxu Peak with me right now!"
Maybe there was still time.
Maybe Master could still fix this.
As he reached to grab her arm—
Smack!
Luo Mingyue slapped his hand away."You're lucky she's too good to you," she snapped. "Otherwise, someone raised by her would never have dared speak to her like that."
Sheng Yuan didn't respond. He simply stared at Li Shuang with a desperate intensity.
"Senior Sister, come back with me…"
His voice was strained. Childish.Almost begging.
Ye Zhaozhao's eyes narrowed. She was getting irritated.
She had spent years turning everyone against Li Shuang—why were there still lingering attachments?
But it didn't matter.
She had plenty of time to deal with that.
"Li Shuang," Luo Mingyue said, "do you want to go back with them?"
She still wasn't sure how to handle this. The master had told her to protect the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique's inheritor—but that person was from Lingxu Peak, which complicated matters.
Li Shuang shook her head calmly."The master already said I'm no longer his disciple. Lingxu Peak is not my home. I came back to the sect only to see the sect leader."
Luo Mingyue's eyes widened—and then sparkled with delight.
"…He disowned you?" she asked, unable to hide her joy.
Li Shuang looked at her, confused.
Luo Mingyue quickly coughed. "Ahem. Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Come on—I'll take you to see the sect master!"
With that, she stepped in front of Li Shuang protectively.
She glared at Sheng Yuan and Ye Zhaozhao."Li Shuang doesn't want to go back. Back off."
Sheng Yuan's face darkened.
"Let's go," Luo Mingyue said, grabbing Li Shuang's hand and pulling her away.
As they walked off, Ye Zhaozhao whispered,"Second Brother, we need to report this to Master—now."
Sheng Yuan nodded urgently."Yes! He gave the order himself. She doesn't get to ignore it!"
He turned and rushed away.
Zhaozhao's eyes gleamed coldly, like a venomous snake.
Everyone in the sect knew how much Li Shuang revered Lingxu Zhenren.That was the softest spot in her heart.
No one knew it better than Ye Zhaozhao.
And if Sheng Yuan failed again?
Then it was time for the master himself to strike.