Haven't Been a Senior Sister for Many Years - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: The First Memory
Fire—raging fire.
The endless night was dyed red by the inferno, filled with bl00d-curdling screams and agonized moans that hung in the black-and-red air, pressing heavily on everyone’s hearts.
The junior sisters of the Sword Pavilion, holding back the urge to vomit, ran everywhere searching for survivors. Their snow-white skirts were stained by the bl00d-soaked earth.
How many corpses were buried beneath the rubble? How much bl00d, full of injustice and pain, had been spilled?
Leng Junzhu didn’t know.
She stood like a puppet, unable to feel her limbs, staring blankly at the smoke and ruins spread across the ground.
It was those eyes that brought her back to her senses.
In the firelight, beneath collapsed stones and rubble, within a narrow crevice—
Those black eyes reflected the fiery sky. Crimson bl00d streaked across eyelids so thin the veins were visible. She didn’t blink, didn’t despair—only a burning desire to live shone in her gaze.
Leng Junzhu had seen too many eyes in her lifetime.
Some arrogant, some cold and aloof, others innocent and naive—but none had ever resonated with her the way these eyes did.
In an instant, the soil that could finally nourish her long-lost soul had been found. Her heart, barren for years, began to sprout wildly, sinking roots deep and forceful into this newfound ground, growing into a towering tree.
“Senior Sister, we tried, but she won’t let us get close,” said Chu Yu, helplessly standing in front of the rubble. Whenever she or the other sisters approached, the girl inside would growl like a wild beast.
Chu Yu feared that if this continued, the girl trapped beneath would mentally or physically collapse.
Liu Rushuang disagreed. “Then just knock her out and drag her out. Why waste time?”
“No, we can’t!” Chu Yu quickly protested. “Rescuing someone requires patience!”
“And what do you suggest? Stand here and stare at her all night?” Liu Rushuang retorted.
“I—”
“I’ll try,” Leng Junzhu interrupted before they could argue further. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll figure out a way to knock her out without hurting her. You two, step aside. I’ll handle this.”
Reluctantly, Liu Rushuang backed off.
Leng Junzhu put away her Qing Shuang sword and slowly approached the rubble. The eye inside the crevice followed her every move.
“Don’t be afraid. See? I’m not holding anything,” she said softly, showing her empty hands as she took careful steps forward.
A weak whimper echoed from beneath the rubble. Like a wounded little animal, trying to sound fierce, but only pitifully mewling.
Leng Junzhu fought back tears and forced a smile. “I’m going to move these stones off you now, okay? Just stay still.”
The person under the rubble didn’t resist. Encouraged, Leng Junzhu quickly squatted down and began moving stones. The other Sword Pavilion disciples saw this and rushed to help, but the girl instantly let out hoarse, beast-like growls at their presence.
“Step back!” Leng Junzhu waved them away. “Help elsewhere—leave this to me.”
“But we can’t let you do this alone!” Liu Rushuang protested.
Chu Yu tugged her back. “Let Senior Sister handle it. We’ll only make it worse.”
Still unwilling, Liu Rushuang followed Chu Yu, glancing back every few steps.
Once alone, Leng Junzhu leaned close to the gap and gave a comforting smile. “They’ve all gone now. Don’t be afraid. I’m going to get you out.”
The eyes blinked, showing no objection.
Leng Junzhu felt a surge of hope. Her hands moved faster as she gently cleared the rubble, all while softly speaking to calm the child within.
But as she removed more stones, her heart sank—there was far too much bl00d. The amount meant the child beneath was gravely injured.
When she finally removed the last stone blocking the opening, Leng Junzhu gasped, overcome with fury and heartbreak.
There, lying half-slumped against the stone, was a very young girl, barely past infancy. Not a patch of uninjured skin remained on her small body. Her thin arms and legs were bent unnaturally, leaving her completely immobilized.
Her matted hair clumped with dried, black bl00d. From her battered face, Leng Junzhu could barely tell she was a girl.
Wounds that would leave even an adult screaming in pain had left this child silent and still.
Was she still blinking? Was she still alive?
Leng Junzhu’s hands trembled. A block of ice seemed lodged in her throat—neither swallowable nor coughable—spreading cold through her limbs and suffocating her with dread.
“Huh… huh…” The girl blinked and gave a weak breath, her thin chest heaving once, then steadying.
Leng Junzhu snapped back to reality. Her heart returned to her chest.
She gently wiped the filth from the girl’s face, voice trembling, “Big sister’s going to take you to get treatment, okay? If you don’t want to go, blink twice.”
The girl didn’t move—silent consent.
Leng Junzhu carefully checked her injuries.
When she reached the girl’s neck, she finally understood why the child hadn’t spoken.
A thin, cruel slice marred her throat—not deep enough to kill, but deliberately made to silence her. The scabbed wound still oozed bl00d from repeated tearing.
Rage surged within Leng Junzhu, almost uncontrollable.
She clenched her jaw and steadied herself. “Let’s get you some medicine.”
From her storage ring, she pulled out various jade bottles, pouring out different pills. She didn’t dare force the girl’s mouth open, instead coaxed her gently. Thankfully, the girl obediently opened her mouth and swallowed the pills.
Leng Junzhu avoided looking at the bl00d inside.
Soon, the medicine took effect. The girl smiled—wide and bright, eyes curving into joyful crescents, free of any shadow.
Leng Junzhu smiled too. She gently wrapped the wounded girl in a cloak, holding her close, leaving only a small gap so she could see the outside.
“How’s it going over there?” With her most pressing concern resolved, Leng Junzhu walked toward Chu Yu.
Chu Yu nodded. “More or less under control. Survivors have been sent to the nearest town for treatment. The bodies are being cremated to avoid disease.”
“The captured demonic cultivators were all tied up and are being escorted back by Senior Sister Liu. Elder Zhang will personally interrogate them. We’ll get to the bottom of this—for the living and the dead.”
“You’ve all worked hard.” Leng Junzhu was ashamed that she had abandoned the mission and her junior sisters during the operation. Once they returned, regardless of whether her sisters blamed her, she would ask the elders for punishment.
“Rest well tonight. We’ll return to the sect at dawn. The local Sword Pavilion forces will handle the rest.”
“Yes.”
The others returned to rest, but Chu Yu remained. “Senior Sister, is that…”
Leng Junzhu nodded. “Yes, it’s her. I want to take her back to get treated as soon as possible, but everyone’s tired. We’ll go in the morning.”
“You and Senior Sister Rushuang have worked hard. I failed as your leader, abandoning you and the mission. I’m truly sorry.”
Chu Yu’s eyes widened. “No, don’t say that! You’re the reason we’ve grown this strong. If anything, this was a test for us—and you were just the examiner.”
Leng Junzhu shook her head. “You don’t need to excuse me. Come, let’s return.”
With that, she hurried off with the girl in her arms.
Chu Yu stared at her retreating back. Somehow, her senior sister seemed… different.
Back in her room, Leng Junzhu didn’t bother changing her bloodstained clothes. She gently laid the girl on a soft bed.
“Your wounds…” She choked, but continued, “When we return to the sect, I’ll ask Master to heal you. You must listen to her, okay? That’s the only way you’ll get better.”
The girl let out two weak sounds and smiled, as if to say she understood.
“Good girl.” Leng Junzhu brushed her forehead. “Sleep now. Everything will be better when you wake.”
Before closing her eyes, the girl stared at Leng Junzhu’s face—deeply, as if branding it into her memory forever.
Leng Junzhu lit a calming incense and fetched warm water and towels, carefully wiping the filth from the girl’s body so she could sleep more peacefully.
At dawn, the Sword Pavilion disciples flew from this nightmare-like place.
Leng Junzhu, unlike her usual composed self, rushed to complete the mission report. Without delay, she carried the girl—rested, though still gravely wounded—toward her master Xuanqing’s residence.
“Master!” As the direct disciple of the Sword Master Xuanqing, Leng Junzhu didn’t need a servant’s report. She ran straight into the inner courtyard.
“What’s wrong?” Hearing her normally calm disciple sound so flustered, Xuanqing came out immediately. Seeing the girl in her arms, barely alive, Xuanqing’s expression turned serious.
Leng Junzhu, like someone drowning grabbing a lifeline, said with trembling voice, “Master, please save her!”
Xuanqing didn’t ask questions. She placed her hand on the girl’s wrist to take her pulse. Her frown deepened.
“How did she get so injured? The wounds on her tendons and throat are the least of her worries—her spiritual veins are completely shattered, her cultivation roots destroyed. She’ll never be able to cultivate again.”
“No… Master, there must be something you can do, right?” Leng Junzhu stepped back, unable to accept it.
Xuanqing sighed. “Let’s heal her external injuries first. We’ll figure something out for her spiritual roots later. Come with me and explain everything.”
Leng Junzhu pulled herself together. “Yes.”
They walked into the room.
Moments later, the thick scent of bl00d and the girl’s broken screams drifted out from behind the door.