Chapter 22 Part 1
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This chapter is edited by Bakhtawar Kakar. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 22: Today, Be an Immortal Again! (1)
Half awake, half dreaming.
Si Yunshang felt something sharp pressing into her body.
Thin.
Cold at first, but it quickly grew hot, like fire against her skin.
The searing heat pulled together her fragmented consciousness, stitching it back piece by piece.
It was strange.
In this moment of crisis, Si Yunshang found herself unnaturally clear-headed—a clarity unlike any she had known.
Was this what people called the “momentary recovery of consciousness before death”?
No way!
A flicker of joy sparked in her chest.
She couldn’t die now. She still needed to hear Miss Chen Lu’s answer. Even if it was rejection, she wouldn’t let regret follow her into death.
But no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t open her eyes.
Her body refused to obey her commands.
She could only endure, silently aware of the thin object poking around her body.
It pressed in, twisted slightly, then pulled out.
What is happening?
Luckily, as the poking continued, her senses gradually returned.
It was as if she had broken through thick clouds, and suddenly, her eyes flew open.
“Chen Lu!”
She called out instinctively and tried to sit up, only to be pressed down by a firm hand.
“Don’t move.”
The voice was cold, unfamiliar, and belonged to a woman.
Si Yunshang turned her head, confused.
“You are?”
The woman introduced herself, her tone steady.
“He Yurou of the Duxian Sect. Martial Sister Bai Lian sent you here.”
As she spoke, He Yurou removed the Taixuan Needle from the top of Si Yunshang’s head.
The Taixuan Needle—a life-saving treasure capable of pulling someone back from the brink of death.
Si Yunshang stared blankly.
Shouldn’t it have been Chen Lu who brought her here?
Unable to contain herself, she asked, “Where is Fairy Bai Lian?”
“Martial Sister Bai Lian had urgent matters and had to leave,” He Yurou replied. “You can get up now and try moving.”
Si Yunshang nodded, slowly sitting upright.
She looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was in a sunlit glade, the warm rays filtering through the leaves overhead. The sight was almost dizzying.
Was this real?
She was alive.
Not only that, but the spiritual Qi in her body was flowing again.
Chen Lu… It must have been Chen Lu who asked Bai Lian to save me!
Anxious and filled with gratitude, she grabbed He Yurou’s hand.
“I… I need to see someone!”
He Yurou raised an eyebrow.
“Do you want to see Martial Sister Bai Lian? I can contact her for you, but she’s busy taking care of her younger Martial Sisters. She might not come.”
Si Yunshang shook her head quickly.
“No, not Bai Lian. I need to see Chen Lu!”
The mere mention of Chen Lu’s name made her eyes sparkle and brought a blush to her cheeks.
“Chen Lu?” He Yurou tilted her head in confusion.
“Yes, Chen Lu, the Martial Sister from Yunluo Peak,” Si Yunshang explained eagerly.
He Yurou hesitated, her expression doubtful.
“Chen Lu? I don’t recall her participating in this trial.”
Si Yunshang froze, her heart sinking.
“But… she was with me before I lost consciousness.”
“Maybe I’m mistaken,” He Yurou said uncertainly. “I’m not responsible for keeping track of participants. Why don’t you ask Martial Sister Tong Yao? She would know.”
Grateful for the suggestion, Si Yunshang offered a heartfelt thanks and set off to find Tong Yao, her hopes buoyed.
“Chen Lu?”
The moment she uttered the name, Tong Yao’s expression darkened.
“Don’t you dare mention that name in front of me!”
Si Yunshang flinched, taken aback by the outburst.
“Wh-what happened?” she asked hesitantly.
Tong Yao’s anger flared as she ranted, “That insidious, cunning, despicable villain! How dare she provoke Martial Sister Bai Lian? If I were Bai Lian, I’d have broken her neck on the spot!”
Si Yunshang’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
Her heart clenched.
Those words… They were exactly how she used to describe Chen Lu herself.
Taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage.
“Do you… know where she is now?”
Tong Yao waved her hand dismissively.
“She didn’t participate in the trial. Her Tao heart collapsed after being struck down by Martial Sister Bai Lian. How could she possibly come here? Why are you looking for her anyway?”
Even with her normally dull senses, Si Yunshang finally realized something wasn’t adding up.
She hesitated before asking, “The Chen Lu you know… does she have a habit of imitating Martial Sister Bai Lian?”
Tong Yao scoffed.
“Imitating Martial Sister Bai Lian? In her dreams! She wouldn’t dare!”
Si Yunshang pressed further. “Does the Duxian Sect have a disciple with stars at the corners of her eyes?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? No one like that at all?”
Tong Yao confidently wagged her index finger. “I know every disciple of the Duxian Sect better than anyone—better than the sect leader, even better than Martial Sister Bai Lian herself. There’s no one like that.”
“…”
Si Yunshang looked up at the sky, a hollow feeling gnawing at her heart.
Was it all… just a dream?
Tong Yao glanced at her, clearly ready to leave.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”
Si Yunshang snapped out of her daze and quickly asked, “Can you at least tell me where Fairy Bai Lian is?”
After a moment of hesitation, Tong Yao gave her the directions.
“Fairy Bai Lian doesn’t need my protection. With her strength, it’d be laughable for someone to even try to harm her!”
Si Yunshang followed Tong Yao’s instructions nervously, heading toward the ruins of the Huaxin Sect.
The path was familiar. It was the same one she had walked with “Chen Lu.” But now, it felt so empty, the ruins even more dilapidated than before.
Her emotions were tangled.
She knew that everything she had experienced wasn’t a lie—but the truth seemed woven with someone else’s deliberate illusion.
As she passed a broken pillar, a familiar voice cut through her thoughts.
“What do you want me to say about you two?”
Si Yunshang’s heart leaped as she looked up.
Before her were the familiar silhouettes of the Duxian Sect: the Martial Sisters, the jade rabbit, and that unmistakable figure.
Boom!
Dreams and reality collided.
Xiao Jinse and Su Youwei stood side by side, their heads hanging low like scolded schoolchildren.
They didn’t dare meet Bai Lian’s stern gaze.
Since her arrival, Martial Sister Bai Lian had been uncharacteristically fierce—fiercer than the disciples of the Huaxin Sect had ever been.
But rather than feeling upset, the two younger Martial Sisters felt warmth blooming in their hearts.
This wasn’t anger; it was care.
And not just anyone could earn this kind of care!
Xiao Jinse, always ready to take the lead, stepped forward and took full responsibility.
“Martial Sister, this is all my fault. I’ll accept any punishment—whether it’s a slap on the palm or a slap on the butt! But please, it has nothing to do with the third Martial Sister. Let her go first!”
Su Youwei’s eyes widened in shock.
Why is my Second Martial Sister being so kind to me all of a sudden?
Her suspicions quickly grew.
No, Xiao Jinse wasn’t being kind. She was trying to eliminate the competition and get time alone with Martial Sister Bai Lian!
A butt slap? This shameless woman!
“Absolutely not!” Su Youwei interjected furiously, reaching out to block Xiao Jinse. “Martial Sister, I was the one who suggested going further! Second Martial Sister only followed because I insisted. If you must punish someone, punish me! Please let her go!”
“You…”
Bai Lian’s finger pointed back and forth between the two of them, her exasperation clear.
In truth, Bai Lian wasn’t angry anymore.
Her worry had overshadowed her frustration. When she first heard that the two had accidentally stumbled into the Demon Soul Altar, her heart had nearly stopped.
This Demon Soul was far more dangerous than the one that had possessed Chen Yizhi!
Bai Lian had immediately handed over Si Yunshang to He Yurou and rushed to the altar. What she found there had shocked her—Xiao Jinse had been battling the Demon Soul for her very soul.
Thankfully, Xiao Jinse’s will was unyielding. After a quarter-hour of fierce mental combat, she not only resisted possession but also absorbed the remnants of the Demon Soul’s power, strengthening her own spirit.
On top of that, the two of them had managed to loot the medical pill treasury near the altar, instantly becoming two of the wealthiest disciples in the sect.
Truly worthy of being the protagonists!
Bai Lian couldn’t help but marvel.
Their sheer luck was unmatched.
