Chapter 49:

Jinghua Valley.

“Master, are you feeling any better?” Gao Qiumin asked, looking at Su Ningzhen with concern.

Su Ningzhen’s face was pale and gray; in just a month, she seemed to have aged twenty years. Her temples had turned white, and deep wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes. Gao Qiumin had always deeply revered Su Ningzhen since childhood. After her family’s tragic demise, Su Ningzhen had become her only source of support. Witnessing her master’s deterioration now, Qiumin felt her heart wrenching with pain and a sense of loss.

Su Ningzhen’s emaciated fingers gripped her wrist tightly. After a deep breath, she asked, “Qiu’er, how is your progress with the Spring-Life Technique?”

Gao Qiumin lowered her head in shame. “I’ve reached the fifth level.”

Su Ningzhen frowned slightly. “That’s too slow. Back then, Ningxi reached the fifth level in less than half a year, while you’ve spent decades… However, she was a Yuan Yin Xuan Nu, so it’s natural for her talent to differ from ordinary people. Although you are her daughter, you…”

As she spoke, she paused, seemingly lost in some memory. Her breathing became heavy, and she coughed violently.

Gao Qiumin gently patted her back and handed her a cup of thick black herbal medicine with a bitter aroma. Su Ningzhen drank the medicine without flinching, then sat in meditation for a while, gradually steadying her breath.

During these days, she had remained secluded, entrusting all valley affairs to Gao Qiumin. Gao Qiumin had become the acting leader, and everyone understood that Su Ningzhen had decided to pass the valley leadership to her. However, Gao Qiumin’s cultivation level was too low. In the cultivation world, Golden Dan cultivators were as common as dogs. At the age of twenty, possessing Golden Dan cultivation was insufficient to command respect from others. Jinghua Valley was not Su Ningzhen’s alone, and her decision would inevitably provoke strong opposition from the Elders’ Council. In the past couple of days, some friendly elders had already approached her privately to discuss the matter, but Su Ningzhen calmly informed them that within a month, Gao Qiumin would definitely reach the Yuan Ying stage. Since she had only entered the Golden Dan stage half a year ago, if she could break through from Golden Dan to Yuan Ying within half a year, she would sufficiently prove her extraordinary talent and great potential to be worthy of the valley leadership. The elders found Su Ningzhen’s words reasonable yet improbable, so they accepted her challenge, agreeing to allow Gao Qiumin to succeed to the valley leadership if she could ascend to Yuan Ying within a month.

However, they did not understand why Su Ningzhen was so severely injured that she had to hastily pass the valley leadership to Gao Qiumin.

Only Gao Qiumin knew the truth: within this month, Su Ningzhen had transferred her entire cultivation to her, and she had already broken through to Yuan Ying a few days ago, though she had kept it secret.

“Master, you are so weak now. What if Sang Qi attacks Jinghua Valley?” Gao Qiumin’s face was filled with worry.

Su Ningzhen sneered coldly. “Even at my peak, I couldn’t withstand even one move from him. Whether it’s good or bad, what difference does it make? Since he is alive and determined to take revenge, I am destined to die. If I can pass my cultivation to you before my death, my life won’t have been in vain.”

Seeing Su Ningzhen’s firm resolve to die, Gao Qiumin felt profound grief and knelt down with tears welling up in her eyes.

Su Ningzhen gazed down at her bowed head, as if seeing someone else through her image. Gao Qiumin was, in fact, not at all like her. Perhaps because she had grown up without a mother and was raised by Gao Fengru, she was conceited, arrogant, and her talent was not as good as her elder sister’s, nor was her personality similar to hers…

Su Ningzhen sighed and closed her eyes. As soon as she shut them, she saw Ningxi’s voice and smile again. She knew her time was near, and perhaps because of that, those past memories had become clearer. She dreamed of Ningxi every night.

She and Ningxi were twin sisters born from the same womb, but she had known since childhood that Ningxi was different from her. They were born into a poor farming family during a year of famine, when there were too many children to feed, and everyone was skin and bones, with dark circles under their eyes. She still remembered how their father looked at them, as if he wanted to eat them. It was only because their mother stood in the way and said something that their father hesitated and nodded.

A few days later, they were exchanged for another family.

As she grew older, she learned this was called “exchanging children to eat,” the last vestige of humanity when facing death.

This ridiculous boundary.

That year, she and Ningxi were four years old, bound and prepared to be cooked. Ningxi was clever; she broke free from the ropes and dragged her along, running desperately through the tall grass. The grass was taller than them, and she could only see the shadows of the dry grass and Ningxi’s small back.

“Sister, I’m hungry, I can’t run anymore…”

“Ah Zhen, run faster, or we’ll die!”

She collapsed from dizziness, and Ningxi squatted down, using her frail little shoulders to lift her up, carrying her forward, running nonstop… Behind them were a group of vicious cannibals. Ningxi was running frantically with her on her back when she accidentally rolled down a hill. She was tightly held in Ningxi’s arms as they tumbled down the hillside, eventually losing consciousness. She didn’t know how long had passed when she woke up to a pitch-black sky. Ningxi lay in a pool of blood, covered in wounds, her head having hit a large rock, her hair soaked in blood.

She hugged Ningxi and cried, hearing Ningxi’s weak voice: “Ah Zhen, I’m… I’m fine…”

How could she be fine with such severe injuries? But Ningxi didn’t die; she was just weak, and her wounds healed quickly. Within a few days, she had recovered, though there were still some strange things—she said she could see many things glowing.

It was then that she learned Ningxi’s secrets. First, Ningxi couldn’t recognize the way, and second, Ningxi’s hands could revive dead plants.

They had narrowly escaped from the cannibals, but as two four-year-old girls, it was difficult to survive in such a harsh world, always at risk of being eaten. They hid in the mountains, where her body was weaker than Ningxi’s, always sickly, and she could only lie in the cave waiting for Ningxi to find food.

Ningxi dared not go too far, afraid she wouldn’t find her way back, so she could only plant some fruits and vegetables near the cave. Her hands had a strange power; any seeds she planted could grow at an amazing speed, quickly blooming and bearing fruit. A peach pit planted tonight would bloom and bear fruit in less than a week. Although she was young, she knew this was a miracle. Ningxi excitedly said they wouldn’t go hungry anymore. They lived on fruits and vegetables, and her body gradually recovered after eating those fruits.

But they still dared not let anyone know about Ningxi’s miraculous ability. Ningxi said that if bad people found out, they would capture her and make her keep planting things.

Ningxi was always smarter and stronger than her. They were born to rely on each other. In an era where humanity was lost, they were each other’s only support and the only ones they could trust. Thus, they depended on each other for many years in the wilderness until one day, a group of flying people entered the forest and discovered them.

A woman of noble appearance and imposing presence picked a peach that Ningxi had planted and said in puzzlement: “How can there be such a spiritually rich fruit tree in this barren, desolate place?”

Her gaze fell on the two girls, and suddenly she reached out and grabbed Ningxi, placing her right hand on Ningxi’s forehead. She gasped in astonishment, her eyes shining with ecstatic surprise: “Ten openings… No, the body of a Yuan Yin Xuan Nu… So the legend is true. There really is such a divine being reincarnated in this world…”

Her expression immediately softened. She squatted down to look Ningxi in the eye and gently said: “Good child, how old are you, and what is your name?”

Ningxi looked at her warily, hesitated for a moment, and said: “My name is Xixi, and I’m eight years old.”

“Xixi? I am the leader of Jinghua Valley. Would you like to come back to Jinghua Valley with me? I will take you as my disciple, teach you cultivation and spells, and you will live in comfort, even gaining immortality and the ability to fly through the skies.”

Ningxi looked at her younger sister behind her and said: “I want to be with my sister.”

The leader then turned her gaze to Su Ningzhen and nodded in understanding.

“Good, both of you can become my disciples, and your sister will be well taken care of.”

They were taken back to Jinghua Valley by the leader and began their path of cultivation. The leader gave them new names.

Su Ningxi, Su Ningzhen.

“Sister, that leader doesn’t look like a good person. Is she taking you away to plant things?” she whispered in a low voice. “Are we really going to Jinghua Valley?”

Ningxi said: “We can’t run away. She can fly… Ah Zhen, I think we should go and take a look at Jinghua Valley.”

“I’m scared.” She thought of those people fighting and seeing someone die right in front of her, her heart trembling with fear.

Ningxi hugged her tightly and gently patted her back, saying: “Don’t be afraid, Ah Zhen. Sister will always protect you. We will never be separated.”

“Never be separated…”

Her unease and fear were soothed by those words.

She and Ningxi were twin sisters born from the same womb. They had never been separated before birth, and they would never be separated afterward.

She always believed this until one day, Ningxi said: “Ah Zhen, I have to go. I promised Sang Qi that I would be with him.”

“You also promised me that we would never be separated!”

“Ah Zhen, you’ve already grown up and no longer need your sister to protect you…” Ningxi gently touched her head, just like when they were little. “You’ve always been strong-willed. I don’t know when it started, but now it’s you who protects your sister. Jinghua Valley has already become your home. After I leave, Master will pass the valley leadership to you…”

“I don’t need the valley leadership. I’ve never thought about competing with you. I just… don’t want to be a burden and endanger you!”

Not like when we were little, letting you get hurt to protect me…

Ningxi smiled, her eyes moist and shining: “Of course I know that. You’re my best little sister. But Ah Zhen, I really can’t let go of Sang Qi… Can you forgive your sister?”

“You’ve betrayed Jinghua Valley. Master won’t let you and Sang Qi go. Gao Fengru will also send people to hunt you down. Sister, is it worth it for a half-demon?”

“I want to go to the East Sea with him. That’s demon territory, and Master and Gao Fengru won’t be able to follow us there.”

“The East Sea… Does that mean I’ll never see you again…”

“We’ll meet again, Ah Zhen.”

Su Ningzhen no longer believed her. Ningxi had been bewitched by the half-demon and abandoned even her dependent little sister…

She wanted to correct Ningxi’s mistake but made a decision that she would regret for the rest of her life. She thought she hated Sang Qi and blamed everything on him, thus being able to ignore her own mistakes. But the closer she came to death, the clearer she realized—

It was her who had caused Ningxi’s death.

“Master, Master Xie and Master Nan have come to visit, saying they have important matters to discuss with you.” Gao Qiumin’s words brought Su Ningzhen out of her painful remorse.

“What do they want?” Su Ningzhen’s voice grew even hoarser and older.

Gao Qiumin’s expression was grim: “I don’t know… That Mur Xuanling has also come, along with the young master of Bi Xiao Palace, Fu Lansheng.”

A sense of confusion stirred in Su Ningzhen. With Gao Qiumin’s support, she slowly rose and walked outward.

Xie Xuechen and the other four were already waiting in the Moonlight Banquet Hall. Before Su Ningzhen arrived, they had heard footsteps outside, but they hadn’t expected them to be Su Ningzhen’s because they were so heavy and slow, almost like those of an old person. When they finally saw her, noticing her wrinkles and white hair, Xie Xuechen and Nan Xuyue immediately understood, while Fu Lansheng still looked shocked.

The last time they had seen Su Ningzhen was just over two months ago, and she had looked no older than thirty. Now she appeared to be in her fifties or sixties, her sharp gaze dimmed and lifeless.

“Greetings, Master Xie.” Su Ningzhen bowed to Xie Xuechen and nodded slightly to Nan Xuyue and Fu Lansheng.

Fu Lansheng, unable to hold back his words, asked with concern: “Master Su, are you unwell?”

Su Ningzhen replied indifferently: “Nothing serious. Thank you for the young master’s concern.”

With Gao Qiumin’s support, Su Ningzhen sat down and asked: “I wonder what important matter brings Master Xie and the others to Jinghua Valley. Could it be something related to the Demon Realm?”

Xie Xuechen said: “This matter might be related to Sang Qi. We ask Master Su to dismiss any unrelated persons.”

Su Ningzhen frowned, her right hand clenching tightly. After a moment’s thought, she said: “Qiumin, have everyone else leave.”

Gao Qiumin hesitated: “Master…”

“Leave.” Su Ningzhen repeated coldly. Gao Qiumin’s face turned pale, but she nodded and gestured to the disciples present, who filed out one by one.

Fu Lansheng wanted to stay, but Nan Xuyue pulled his arm and led him out.

Gao Qiumin paused beside Mur Xuanling, her gaze icy as she looked at the other person: “You’re not leaving?”

Mur Xuanling, however, looked at the former with a complex expression. Thinking that the other might be related to her by blood made her feel uneasy all over…

“I must stay. This matter concerns me.” Mur Xuanling said.

Su Ningzhen glanced at Mur Xuanling with suspicion, then looked at Xie Xuechen. Seeing Xie Xuechen nod slightly, she said: “Then stay.”

Gao Qiumin pressed her stiff lips together, turned her head with resentment, and strode out.

Xie Xuechen waved his hand to set up a barrier and got straight to the point: “Master Su, how many children did Su Ningxi have?”

Su Ningzhen’s face immediately darkened: “Master Xie, what do you mean by that question? Everyone knows that my sister married Gao Fengru and gave birth to a daughter after ten months before passing away.”

Xie Xuechen said: “I don’t mean to offend, but recently I obtained a magical artifact that verified a blood connection between Ling’er and Gao Qiumin.”

Upon hearing this, Su Ningzhen was momentarily stunned, then burst into loud laughter, her eyes filled with ridicule: “Master Xie, your words are indeed laughable. Are you suggesting that the two of them are sisters? My sister only had one child, and that was Qiumin!”

“Did you witness the birth yourself?” Xie Xuechen pressed.

Su Ningzhen’s breath caught, her heartbeat suddenly thrown into disarray. Xie Xuechen fixed his gaze on her, and from her heartbeat, he discerned pain, panic—and even…fear?

“Of course I saw it with my own eyes.” Su Ningzhen tightly gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles turning white, her expression grim. “When Qiu Min was born, there was an unusual phenomenon—brilliant lights filled the room, so dazzling that no one could look directly at it…”

“Incapable of being looked at directly?” Xie Xuechen frowned slightly. “So, in other words, you didn’t actually see it with your own eyes.”

“I held Qiu Min in my arms myself—how is that not witnessing it firsthand!” Su Ningzhen angrily crushed the table’s edge, surging with anger and frustration. “Master Xie, are you questioning my elder sister’s virtue? She did have a past entanglement with Sang Qi, but Sang Qi is a half-demon—he couldn’t possibly have children. And at that time, Ningxi had already…”

She abruptly stopped mid-sentence, her face alternating between red and pale, suddenly covering her mouth and coughing violently.

Mu Xuanling had been silently listening and observing all along. Unlike Xie Xuechen, she couldn’t hear the other’s heartbeat or judge her emotions, but from her expressions and words, she sensed something amiss.

Something extremely terrifying must have happened at the time of Su Ningxi’s childbirth, causing Su Ningzhen’s eyes to reveal fear and pain. Her emotions and reason were on the verge of collapse, but that secret was sealed in her mouth—she almost spoke it out, yet forcibly stopped herself.

At that time, Su Ningxi had already…what?

And what exactly happened with the strange phenomenon at Gao Qiumin’s birth?

Seeing Su Ningzhen had stopped coughing, Mu Xuanling slowly said, “Mistress Su, forgive my bluntness, but Gao Qiumin’s talent does not match such a miraculous omen. Even Master Xie, born with ten spiritual pores, didn’t have such an omen at birth.”

Su Ningzhen’s face stiffened.

How could she not know this? How could she not have her own doubts? Born with nine spiritual pores was indeed extraordinary, but she had seen many exceptional individuals—Xie Xuechen, Nan Xuyue, Su Ningxi—these were true heavenly favorites, yet none had such miraculous signs at birth. The brilliant lights at Gao Qiumin’s birth had filled Gao Fengyu with great expectations for his daughter, but it turned out to be only nine spiritual pores. He had held onto a sliver of hope that she might show more extraordinary potential later, or inherit Su Ningxi’s Yuan Yin Xuan Nu constitution. However, after twenty years, Su Ningzhen had seen no further surprises from Gao Qiumin. Her talent and temperament were merely above average…

Could it be that the omen had nothing to do with Gao Qiumin, but was instead…

Su Ningzhen lowered her gaze in thought, her brow tightly furrowed.

“Mistress Su, if you wish to verify the blood relation between Xuanling and Gao Qiumin, it’s not difficult. I know you don’t want Su Ningxi’s past exposed, so I’m asking you privately. Could it be that you really don’t want to know whether Su Ningxi had another daughter?” Xie Xuechen asked gravely.

Su Ningzhen’s expression shifted unpredictably. After a long while, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice: “Please allow me some time to consider. I… I’ll give you my answer tomorrow. But you must absolutely not let anyone else know, including Qiu Min.”

Xie Xuechen and Mu Xuanling solemnly nodded in agreement. They watched as Su Ningzhen hastily left the Moonlit Banquet Hall, appearing extremely anxious.

Watching Su Ningzhen’s retreating figure, Mu Xuanling gravely said, “For Su Ningzhen to agree to a blood test, something strange must have happened at Su Ningxi’s childbirth, causing even Su Ningzhen to harbor doubts. Judging from her expression, she seems to have recalled something extremely important and is eager to confirm it.”

“We’ll have the answer tomorrow. You don’t need to think too much,” Xie Xuechen said, noticing the faint worry in Mu Xuanling’s eyes. He gently took her cool small hand into his, intertwining their fingers. “No matter what the result is, I will be with you.”

Alone in a dim secret room, Su Ningzhen anxiously searched through shelves packed with ancient texts. Her trembling hands flipped through book after book, desperately seeking an answer.

Many ancient books already littered the floor. Finally, she found the one she wanted. Trembling, she opened the book and rapidly flipped through the pages.

“One of the three Great Immortal-Tier Innate Qualities, the Yuan Yin Xuan Nu, appears once every three thousand years. Legend says she is the reincarnation of a divine clan’s Xuan Nu, wielding the authority over life itself. She contains infinite vitality within, is born with a thousand-year lifespan, her body never decaying for another thousand years after death. She can heal all injuries and illnesses, restore all vitality, resurrect the dead and regenerate flesh from bare bones, transforming decay into miracles…”

Bloodshot veins appeared in Su Ningzhen’s eyes. Her trembling, pale hands tightly gripped the ancient text as she stared fixedly at that page. In a flash of realization, she seemed to understand many things at once. Collapsing weakly to the ground, she emitted a wheezing sound from her chest.

“Could it be…her?” she whispered in disbelief.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Gao Qiumin, worried, softly called “Master,” then quietly entered. Seeing Su Ningzhen pale-faced and trembling as she sat on the floor, she hurried forward to kneel beside and support her.

“Master, what’s wrong? Are you unwell?” Gao Qiumin anxiously asked.

Su Ningzhen suddenly gripped her wrist tightly, her gaze locked onto her face, as if trying to find some answer there.

“Master…”

Su Ningzhen slowly lowered her gaze, her voice seeming even older. “Why are you here?”

Gao Qiumin said, “I was worried about your health… Also, Master, I just suddenly remembered Xuanling’s identity.”

“Hmm?” Su Ningzhen lifted her brows, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes. “What identity?”

Gao Qiumin said, “She was originally a demon slave at Bright Moon Village. On the night Sang Qi ravaged Bright Moon Village, the village elders swapped our clothes and masked our auras, taking her to draw away the demon pursuers. I suspect she was taken by a demonic clan priest and became his disciple, although she didn’t look like this originally.”

“She didn’t look like this originally?” Su Ningzhen suspiciously furrowed her brows. “Tell me more!”

Gao Qiumin recalled that night when the demon slave had been punished with fifty lashes for stealing a noble guest’s clothes. Later, when the demon army attacked Bright Moon Village at night, the elders had found a scapegoat. Coincidentally, the demon slave’s height and build were similar to hers, so she ordered the servants to strip the slave’s clothes and swap with her. She still remembered how the demon slave’s mask fell off, revealing a thin, pale face.

“At that time, strange demonic markings covered the left side of her face, resembling a spell—golden patterns. I glanced at them twice and felt uneasy,” Gao Qiumin said.

Su Ningzhen asked, “Do you still remember what those demonic markings looked like?”

Gao Qiumin nodded. “I don’t remember her face, but I have a strange vivid memory of those markings.”

“Draw them for me to see,” Su Ningzhen urged.

Gao Qiumin didn’t fetch paper and brush. Instead, she gathered her spiritual energy into her fingertip and traced the demonic markings into the air.

Su Ningzhen’s bloodshot eyes reflected the markings, the eerie green glow floating in the air. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost, her throat gripped by extreme terror, unable to speak.

“Master, are you alright?” Gao Qiumin, noticing her strange expression, urgently asked.

Su Ningzhen displayed a mad, half-laughing, half-crying expression, her voice hoarse and broken: “Hahaha… So it was like this… So that light… That’s how it was… We were all wrong, all wrong…”