Haven't Been a Senior Sister for Many Years - Chapter 43
Chapter 43: She’s Here
When Chu Zhiqin woke up, the twilight outside the window was thick.
As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a strange bamboo house. She clutched her severely injured chest and slowly got out of bed.
Pushing open the door, she saw a river reflecting the colors of the setting sun, rushing forward. Not far off, the sound of a waterfall echoed, mixed with the chirping of insects and birds.
Chu Zhiqin carefully descended the steps.
In the yard, a few pieces of clothing hung out to dry. From their style and fabric, they seemed typical of southern Jiuzhou.
The owner of this bamboo house was likely a girl who loved flowers. Even just among the ones Chu Zhiqin recognized, there were no fewer than five varieties, all blooming with exceptional vigor.
She walked a few more steps around the yard. Suddenly, Chu Zhiqin sensed a familiar aura approaching the bamboo house. Her instincts told her the person posed no danger.
After a while, a tall woman carrying a bamboo basket gradually came into view. When the woman saw her, a surprised expression crossed her face, quickly replaced by a wide smile.
The woman hurried over and looked her up and down. “Miss Chu, you’re finally awake! How does the wound feel?”
Chu Zhiqin stared at her face for a while before finally remembering who she was.
“Much better. Thank you for saving me, Miss Gu.”
Gu Zelan’s smile deepened. “I didn’t expect you to remember me! There’s no need to talk about saving lives. If anything, I should be the one repaying a debt. Without the pill you gave me back then, I wouldn’t be here today.”
“It’s windy outside. Let’s talk inside.”
“Alright.”
The two entered the house. Gu Zelan set her bamboo basket down in the corner and grabbed some tea leaves from the rack to brew tea.
She had picked the tea leaves in the mountains. While they didn’t compare to store-bought ones, the taste wasn’t bad.
Chu Zhiqin took the cup and thanked her, blowing gently on the tea before taking a sip and savoring its aroma.
“This tastes good. Did you process the tea yourself?”
“Yes. Life in the mountains can be boring, and I stumbled upon a small patch of wild tea trees. I picked some fresh buds and roasted them myself.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Gu Zelan smiled and poured her another cup.
After a few cups of tea, Chu Zhiqin set her cup down and calmly looked into Gu Zelan’s eyes.
Gu Zelan instantly knew what she was going to ask. Biting her lip slightly, she put down her cup.
Chu Zhiqin said, “Miss Gu, please tell me everything that happened in Jiuzhou after I lost consciousness.”
Gu Zelan opened her mouth but, under the sincerity in Chu Zhiqin’s gaze, she sighed deeply. “It’s a long story, but I’ll try to keep it short. Just… be mentally prepared.”
Chu Zhiqin nodded.
“After you fainted—”
Gu Zelan carefully recounted the recent events in Jiuzhou, using gentle words and a concise tone. As she spoke, she saw tears welling up in Chu Zhiqin’s eyes more than once.
Several times, she wanted to pause and give her a break, but Chu Zhiqin refused. Left with no choice, she pressed on.
By the time she finished, Chu Zhiqin sat there, fully consumed by the weight of it all.
It was all her fault.
She had insisted on her own path, willfully ignoring warnings. She had crashed headlong into disaster without turning back, plunging Jiuzhou into chaos and suffering.
And it was she who, out of selfishness, had kidnapped the Demon Lord in public. Despite her fellow disciples’ pleas, she had insisted on keeping him—triggering the war between the immortal and demon realms.
Pain shot through the wound in her chest, pierced by the Qing Shuang Sword. Chu Zhiqin’s face turned pale, and her slender fingers instinctively clutched her collar. Guilt overwhelmed her.
“Where is the battlefield?” she asked, raising her head.
Gu Zelan looked at her in shock. “You want to go now?”
Chu Zhiqin nodded. “This all started because of me. I must be the one to end it. I can’t stand by any longer.”
“But your wound hasn’t healed yet! Going now would only worsen it!”
Chu Zhiqin smiled gently. “I can’t let this injury stop me from trying to stop the war. If we delay, it’ll only get worse. Besides, I’ve already recovered quite a bit.”
When she awoke, she had felt a familiar aura guarding her heart, pulling her back from the edge of death.
Chu Zhiqin pressed a hand to her chest. Beneath the brown scab, her heart beat restlessly. She knew whose aura that had been.
“I can’t and won’t wait for a full recovery before going.”
“But—” Gu Zelan tried to stop her again, but Chu Zhiqin’s determined gaze cut her short.
Gu Zelan gave up.
“I understand. Do you need any help?”
“You’ve already done enough. I’ll leave tonight. Thank you for everything.”
“Won’t you at least wait for daylight?”
“No. I have to go now.”
“Alright. Take care.”
“Farewell.”
Outside, the sky had darkened. Chu Zhiqin departed under starlight, carried away by the night winds.
…
At dawn, sunlight scattered across the smoke-filled, scorched earth. Broken weapons littered the ground, and the dark soil soaked with bl00d—whose bl00d, no one knew—reeked with the stench of death.
Immortal cultivators stared at the towering city walls, now breached in several places. Piles of corpses lay at the base, limbs entangled and bodies unrecognizable.
Many young cultivators, overwhelmed by the brutal scene, wept quietly.
Just days ago, those corpses had been living, breathing comrades.
Now they were dead in a foreign land, denied even a peaceful burial—forever trapped beneath the wall, never to rest in peace.
When the tears dried, they wiped their eyes and steeled themselves again.
They had to rescue the innocent civilians trapped in the city, to fulfill the dying wishes of their fallen comrades.
As the sun broke through the clouds, it lit up their young but determined faces. The fear in their hearts faded, replaced by resolve.
Wait for me.
…
The Demon Lord’s Hall
Thin sunlight could not pierce the dense fog surrounding the hall. A raven perched on a bare branch, cawing eerily.
“What’s the situation at the front lines?”
Since the day Cold Junzhu (Leng Junzhu) appeared on the battlefield and publicly declared Chu Zhiqin’s death, he hadn’t returned. He spent his days in the Demon Lord’s Hall drinking, listening to music, and occasionally reviewing urgent battlefield reports brought by Mo Qianxue.
Mo Qianxue lowered her gaze, avoiding the demon lord’s drunken, unfocused eyes.
“At the moment, the Demon Realm has the upper hand. As long as we hold the gates, the cultivators won’t break through. Besides, there’s a barrier around the city. Without breaking it, they have no chance.”
“However—”
She paused and continued, “Some border cities were retaken by the immortals due to a lack of manpower. We’ve lost quite a few men.”
“But they paid a price too. Many of their young disciples died. If this drags on, their sects will be severely weakened.”
“Hmm.” Leng Junzhu responded calmly. “And those three?”
He referred, of course, to the twelve demon gods sent to atone on the battlefield.
On the day they were summoned, Leng Junzhu had given them two choices:
Death, or redemption through battle.
Lin Zixiao and Murong Su didn’t want to die. With most of those present being Leng Junzhu’s loyalists, they knew betrayal would mean instant death, so they grudgingly chose redemption.
Since then, the three of them had fought nonstop on the front lines, too afraid to rest, fearing Leng Junzhu might use any excuse to kill them.
Though Mo Qianxue disliked Lin Zixiao and Murong Su, she wasn’t foolish enough to smear them before the Demon Lord. She gave an honest report of their actions.
Leng Junzhu’s pale fingers tapped the table, creating a tense “tok tok” sound. “Anything else?”
Mo Qianxue said, “The cities we’ve conquered are resisting. We’ve killed many as an example, but there are too many of them. If we kill everyone, we risk triggering rebellion from within. That would mean trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it. Kill those who won’t submit. Anyone who dares resist—wipe them out.”
“…Understood.”
“If there’s nothing else, you may go. Keep a close eye on them.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Mo Qianxue bowed to leave, but just then, a panicked maid rushed in.
“How dare you?! Who let you in?” Mo Qianxue scolded. Leng Junzhu’s mood was unstable—this maid might die for her intrusion.
But the maid no longer cared. She dropped to her knees in front of Leng Junzhu and shouted, “Urgent news from the front! Chu Zhiqin has appeared!”
Boom—
The desk exploded into splinters.
Leng Junzhu stood up from his chair. In the dim light, his golden serpent eyes glowed fiercely.
“Good… she’s finally here.”