Haven't Been a Senior Sister for Many Years - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Madwoman

Ding Ying held her sword tightly, frowning as she scrutinized the two unfamiliar women before her.

The one who had spoken looked quite ordinary. Her clothes were worn to the point of fading, and a simple spirit sword hung at her waist. If there was anything unusual about her, it was probably her eyes—bright as the stars. Ding Ying believed that anyone with such eyes only needed the right opportunity to one day achieve great things.

As for the woman hiding behind her, she kept her head down, making it difficult to see her face. Her clothes were obviously of finer quality, but Ding Ying couldn’t sense any spiritual energy from her.

A pair like this appearing in the secret realm of Dingmi City was strange no matter how you looked at it.

After all, though the secret realm of Dingmi City wasn’t exactly a secret among the major sects, many of them had silently kept the information to themselves. They had even set up barriers at the entrance that could only be bypassed with specific tokens. Usually, only newly advanced Golden Core disciples were allowed in, brought by their elders as a reward for their cultivation efforts.

Clearly, based on their appearance and demeanor, these two girls looked nothing like disciples from a major sect. They were more like rogue cultivators.

“May I ask your names?” Ding Ying asked. “I am Ding Ying of the Sword Pavilion. These are my junior sisters—Shangguan Yan, Lin Hongxue, and Ye Ling’er.”

Shangguan Yan gave a nod as a greeting. Ye Ling’er, cheerful as ever, pointed at herself and then at the other girl. “I’m Ye Ling’er, and this is Lin Hongxue. Don’t mix us up, okay?”

Chu Zhiqin explained, “My name is Liu Sanqi, and this is my elder sister, Liu Fuling. We didn’t mean to eavesdrop earlier—we simply couldn’t find a good moment to leave.”

Ding Ying replied, “It was just idle chatter, nothing worth hiding. But I must ask, Miss Liu, how did you enter the secret realm?”

Chu Zhiqin smiled bitterly. “That’s what we’re wondering too. We were just walking in the desert, and before we realized it, we were here. We haven’t been able to find a way out since.”

Not a single person present believed that clumsy excuse. If Cold Junzhu hadn’t been gripping Chu Zhiqin’s wrist so tightly, she might’ve burst out laughing.

Though Ding Ying remained suspicious, the more pressing matter was to lead her junior sisters to collect the necessary rare herbs and treasures. As for the Liu sisters—well, with elders around, it was unlikely they’d be able to stir up much trouble.

“It must be fate that we’ve met. If you two don’t mind, head south into the forest. There’s a clearing there. In three days, our sect will be leaving from that spot. You can follow us out then,” Ding Ying offered kindly.

Chu Zhiqin responded with joy, “That would be wonderful! But… would we be troubling you too much?”

Ye Ling’er waved her hand. “It’s nothing. We can’t just leave you two stranded here, can we?”

Chu Zhiqin smiled. “Then we’ll trouble you three days from now.”

Ding Ying shook her head. “It’s nothing. We’ll take our leave now. One last thing—do not venture into the center of the forest. Rumor has it there’s a spirit beast there with the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator. With your current abilities, you’d be in grave danger.”

Chu Zhiqin had suppressed her true cultivation to appear as someone who had just reached the Golden Core stage. Ding Ying and the others weren’t strong enough to see through the disguise. She feigned gratitude and said, “Thank you. My sister and I will just train nearby.”

“Good. Farewell.”

“Goodbye.”

After bidding each other farewell, Ding Ying led her companions northwest. Chu Zhiqin stood watching until their figures vanished from sight.

Once she could no longer sense Chu Zhiqin’s presence, Shangguan Yan spoke with concern. “Senior sister, was it wise to tell them our rendezvous point? What if they were sent by other sects?”

The incident with Feng Yang was still fresh. Elder Chu Zhiqin had publicly abducted a demon lord and disappeared. The Sword Pavilion was now in a precarious position in the Nine Provinces. Many disciples were forbidden from leaving the sect.

Ding Ying and her companions had only been allowed out because Chu Yu and Liu Rushuang had vouched for them. During this time, many sects that had long held grudges against the Sword Pavilion were spreading rumors—claiming that Chu Zhiqin had lost her way and been seduced by demons. They insisted she be captured and punished as a traitor to the righteous path.

Their motives were clear: every sect wanted a piece of the Sword Pavilion’s power to feed their own.

Shangguan Yan worried the Liu sisters were spies sent to gather intelligence and use them as hostages.

“But so what?” Lin Hongxue asked, confused. “They can’t beat Elder Chu and the others anyway.”

“Idiot Hongxue!” Ye Ling’er stuck out her tongue playfully. “They don’t need to beat the elders. They just need to capture us! Then they could use us as leverage!”

Ding Ying remained calm, seemingly unconcerned. She said softly, “That Liu girl had a clear gaze and graceful manner. I don’t think she’s the type to engage in underhanded schemes. Besides, I didn’t sense any malice from them.”

Hearing this, Shangguan Yan was somewhat reassured. “Senior sister’s instincts are usually right. Let’s trust them this time.”

“Let’s hurry. We only have three days. We don’t want to run out of time,” Ye Ling’er urged.

Ding Ying nodded. “Let’s go. Move quickly, but stay alert.”

They didn’t notice the two figures sitting high in the tree behind them, eavesdropping.

Cold Junzhu plucked a leaf and asked casually, “You seem rather invested in them?”

Chu Zhiqin, recalling the past, answered wistfully, “They remind me of who I used to be.”

The past.

Always the past.

Cold Junzhu crushed the leaf in her palm. Green juice stained her pale fingertips, and the pupils behind her illusion flickered into narrow slits like a snake’s.

She hated Chu Zhiqin’s “past.”

“How long are we going to keep eavesdropping?” Cold Junzhu asked irritably. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d done something so undignified. And to listen in on such boring conversation, no less. Her patience was nearly gone.

To hide her identity, she had taken an illusion pill Chu Zhiqin gave her, transforming into a plain-looking girl and wearing coarse clothes that scratched her skin with every move.

The once-pampered demon lord had never endured such discomfort. Her eyes burned red with frustration as she snapped, “What is this awful outfit? It’s driving me crazy!”

The scratches on her soft skin were visibly red. Chu Zhiqin gently grabbed her hand to stop her from clawing further. “You’ll bleed if you keep scratching! I can’t believe you endured it this long! Let’s go find new clothes and apply some ointment.”

Chu Zhiqin led her to a cave and, after confirming it was empty, stood guard while Cold Junzhu changed.

Rustling sounds came from behind. Chu Zhiqin tried not to think about it—tried not to imagine. But the lack of sight only made her mind race faster.

She pictured it:

Delicate fingers pulling at a belt, letting it fall to the floor. Her robes loosened without the belt and slipped down. Beneath the outerwear, a white inner garment and a dark green undergarment. Her pale skin, made even whiter by the contrast, looked soft enough to bruise with a touch.

She recalled leaving marks—red spots and bite marks—somewhere on that flawless body the night before.

On her shoulders? Her collarbone? Or… somewhere even more intimate?

Chu Zhiqin bit her lip, trying not to let her thoughts wander further. But then, a pair of soft hands wrapped around her waist from behind.

“What are you thinking about?” a cold breath whispered against her ear, making her blush.

“N-nothing! Let’s go. Where do you want to go?” Chu Zhiqin stammered, trying to change the subject.

Cold Junzhu didn’t tease her further. She withdrew her hands and pouted, “I want to go to the core area.”

Ding Ying said not to go—so she wanted to go.

Chu Zhiqin never knew how to refuse Cold Junzhu. “Then let’s go.”

Seeing Chu Zhiqin had no intention of using her sword to fly, Cold Junzhu raised a brow. “We’re walking?”

“It’s too conspicuous to fly,” Chu Zhiqin whispered.

“…Fine.”

Chu Zhiqin tugged her sleeve like a child. “Don’t be mad. I didn’t expect anyone else to come into the secret realm.”

Cold Junzhu sighed, touching Chu Zhiqin’s face. “Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”

Chu Zhiqin gripped her hand and rubbed her cheek against it. “I know I was wrong.”

Cold Junzhu pulled her hand back. “Let’s go. I want to see what’s so forbidden about the core area.”

Chu Zhiqin nodded obediently. “Alright.”

As they walked together, perhaps sensing the dangerous aura emanating from Cold Junzhu, many low-level spirit beasts fled before even seeing them.

Cold Junzhu couldn’t care less about low-tier herbs or beasts and didn’t even bother picking them. Chu Zhiqin gathered a few mid-tier ones for her.

“Why are the spirit beasts here so cowardly? They run at the sight of people.”

“Maybe they’ve been caged too long and lost their ferocity. And they rarely see people, so they’re afraid.”

“Yes… Spirit beasts kept in cages will lose their claws and fangs.”

She crushed a Frost Herb in her hand. Juice dripped from her palm as Cold Junzhu looked at Chu Zhiqin.

“Then what about people? What happens when people are caged?”

Faced with the sudden question, Chu Zhiqin’s expression turned manic as she grabbed her wrist. “You’re leaving me again? Going to abandon me again?”

Pain shot through Cold Junzhu’s wrist. The plain chain she wore suddenly heated up, as if warning her—you are not allowed to leave.

Madwoman.

Cold Junzhu stared coldly at her.