The True Face of Senior Sister (6k)

The morning light shone through the window lattice, falling on Wangshu Shu's near-perfect face, giving it a subtle glow.

Her face was as if sculpted by moonlight, soft yet sharp; her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her eyes were alluring and captivating, like snakes bewitching the soul; her nose was straight and delicate, with a slightly upturned tip; her lips were soft and full, the color of a ripe cherry, as if hiding the secrets of spring, making one want to explore them.

This is a face that could drive any man in the world mad; it is almost a work of art that embodies all the beauty in the world.

Wangshu touched her face in front of the mirror, but suddenly felt a little unfamiliar with herself.

Is this me?

The image of myself I have... seems to still be that of the Rabbit Mask...

"Wangshu Fairy, you don't want the Bihua Pavilion that your junior brother just saved... to go bankrupt right away, do you?"

The words of Qianhua Venerable still echoed in Wangshu couldn't help but recall their conversation that day...

"Bihua Pavilion will not go bankrupt, I believe in my junior brother!"

Wangshu clenched her fist and said with great certainty.

Qianhua Venerable simply smiled and shook his head. "You're thinking too simply. Your Bihua Pavilion started by copying our Qianhua Pavilion, thinking you could carve out a niche for yourself with a low-price strategy. But have you ever considered that if our Qianhua Pavilion also lowers its costs and prices, what will our Bihua Pavilion have to compete with us? Even if all of the Qianhua Pavilion's clothes are 50% off right now, our Qianhua Pavilion will still be profitable."

Wangshu didn't understand these things, but she could sense the woman's confidence and deep-seated malice towards the Bihua Pavilion from her endless chatter.

She disliked this Qianhua Venerable.

"The First Elder sent me here to exorcise evil spirits. Now that there are no more evil spirits, I'm going back."

As she spoke, Wangshu Fairy was about to get up.

"Wangshu Fairy, don't worry, I've already caught the evil spirit."

Qianhua Venerable spoke, he smiled faintly and took out a jade plate.

The jade plate was completely empty.

Qianhua Venerable turned the jade plate upside down, and another piece of the plate fell off. But the moment this piece of the plate landed on the tea table, it transformed back into the shape of the tea table!

If Wangshu hadn't witnessed its transformation, she might have even thought it was part of the tea table.

"Does Wangshu Fairy recognize this evil spirit?"

Wangshu shook her head.

"I named it Thousand-Faced Leopard. It's an extremely special kind of evil spirit among Flesh and Blood Type, one that doesn't kill by brute force. It's ever-changing, able to transform into anything it wants. More importantly, after transforming, it leaves absolutely no trace of its evil nature. You must have seen many terrifying evil spirits, thinking that many evil spirits have nowhere to hide in your eyes. But as long as you conceal its Evil Qi, it's not afraid of being seen by you at all, because even if you see it, you won't recognize it. Wangshu Fairy, don't you find it amazing?"

Qianhua Venerable raised an eyebrow, looking at the masked girl with great interest.

"It's dangerous," Wangshu said coldly.

"Yes, it's dangerous. Once, a man who admired me was bewitched and used it to Humanoid Transformation into my maid, trying to sneak up on me. He acted flawlessly, but he still slipped up when I punished him, and I discovered it in time."

"So you've kept it until now."

Wangshu stared intently. From the education she received since childhood, she believed that those who associated with evil spirits were all bad people.

"After I took it in, it never harmed anyone again. Rather than saying I raised it, it's more accurate to say I controlled it. Because if it wanted to hide, even your First Elder might not be able to find a clue. Wangshu Fairy, please don't wrong an innocent person..."

You are a bad person.

Qianhua Venerable was both amused and exasperated, and shook his head, saying:

"Wangshu Fairy is too naive. Your enemies aren't necessarily bad people. And I... am not your enemy either."

"I'm not stupid. If you kill it directly, it won't harm anyone. If you keep it, you're the bad guy."

Wangshu exuded a heavy aura, as if she were about to draw her sword at any moment.

"What about the head of your Evil Warding Department's Heavenly Arts First Seat? Others may not know, but I do know he has quite a few evil spirits around him. He's a bad person too, why don't you punish him?"

This question made Wangshu hesitate, her momentum faltering. She asked tentatively:

"The First Elder was to use evil spirits to kill evil spirits; it can't be considered good, nor can it be considered evil."

"Silly child..." Qianhua Venerable used the plate to scoop up the Thousand-Faced Leopard again, which merged back into the jade plate. "I've kept it without doing anything bad, so can't I be considered bad? In fact, even if I don't do anything bad, I'll use it to do good, very good things..."

"What good news?"

Qianhua Venerable looked at Wangshu's jade Rabbit Mask and spoke into those clear blue eyes:

"I want to use it to give you a face..."

Wangshu Shuqing's eyes widened instantly, revealing the girl's complex thoughts.

The other person meant no harm; she genuinely wanted to give herself face...

But this was a secret I had agreed upon with my master; who would know?

As if seeing through the girl's thoughts, Qianhua Venerable smiled and said:

"I've seen too many women in the Qianhua Pavilion. Who doesn't want their beauty to be seen? Those who wear masks occasionally might feel that their beautiful faces will attract unnecessary trouble; but those who wear masks forever ultimately feel that their faces cannot be shown to others. Wangshu Fairy, don't you want to take off this mask?"

Wangshu stared blankly at herself in the huge mirror behind Qianhua Venerable.

The mask looked like it was welded onto her face.

Of course she wanted to take it off; otherwise, she wouldn't have said to her in the Master's Pool, "Master, I want to take it off."

Her master seemed pleased at the time and encouraged her to "go for it boldly."

But she had never felt that wearing a mask was a bad thing before. On the contrary, she felt very safe knowing that there was always a mask between her and others.

What caused her to change her mind?

She couldn't bring herself to eat the pastries her junior brother offered; she couldn't use the rouge and face powder he gave her; she couldn't even bring herself to kiss her junior brothers and sisters...

Looking at her junior brother's eyes, which had turned pitch black, she couldn't help but worry. If he were to see them one day, would he also want to know the face behind her mask?

Why are you helping me?

This girl, who had always been without desires, experienced such a strong desire for the first time, and she inevitably hesitated when faced with it.

"A pure heart cannot be deceived; I speak from the bottom of my heart."

Qianhua Venerable gave a slight curtsy, showing sufficient respect:

"First and foremost, I want to see Wangshu Fairy's beauty reach its peak; this is my most basic desire as a tailor who makes beautiful clothes for women. Secondly, I hope that Wangshu Fairy can cooperate with my Qianhua Pavilion. Because of your junior brother's troubles, my Qianhua Pavilion has recently suffered some reputational damage, but Wangshu Fairy takes off her mask, she will surely be able to turn things around for my Qianhua Pavilion and even stabilize our position."

"What about the Bihua Pavilion...?"

"Let's be frank. I can give up making stockings and leave this business to them forever, but they must also behave themselves. That's the limit of what I can compromise on."

"But I can't..."

Wangshu was experiencing the greatest temptation of her life. Although she did not instinctively hate evil spirits, the education she received from childhood told her that they were the common enemies of all living beings on the five continents.

"Wangshu Fairy, there's no need to worry. The Evil Qi of the Thousand-Faced Leopard is very faint, and with further concealment, even the Evil -Evil Warding Token cannot detect it... It's even less likely to be seen by the naked eye; no one will discover it..."

As Qianhua Venerable continued his seductive pronouncements, Wangshu felt as if she could hear the sound of her mask shattering. This mask, her defense against the world, was now crumbling.

"Can it really... succeed?"

"Wangshu Fairy, please trust my craftsmanship. I can sculpt any face you desire. Just imagine the moment you remove your mask—everyone will be mesmerized by your face. Women will envy you, and men will adore you. What unparalleled glory that will be!"

As Qianhua Venerable continued his impassioned speech, he carefully observed the girl's blue eyes, which could not conceal her emotions.

She could clearly see that the girl didn't seem interested in the scene she was describing.

She immediately understood. As the Pavilion Master of the Qianhua Pavilion, she was well-versed in the art of manipulating customers' emotions, and changed her tune, saying:

"But these are all insignificant roles. A woman wears colorful clothes not only for the world to see, but also for the one and only in her heart. All the praise from the world cannot compare to that one word of affirmation. When he sees your beautiful face beneath the mask, how shocked and adoring he will be!"

Wangshu up, gazing intently into Qianhua Venerable's greedy eyes.

She knew the other person had ulterior motives for saying those things, but she really couldn't refuse, and her hand was already on the edge of the Rabbit Mask.

"Don't blame yourself, don't be afraid. You didn't use the Thousand-Faced Leopard to harm anyone, you just didn't kill it... You just wanted a face! You didn't hurt anyone! What did you do wrong?"

"No one can blame you or stop you! They have no right to!"

The gold-rimmed glasses reflected the strange light in Qianhua Venerable's eyes; she had finally completely broken down the defenses of this naive young girl.

But in the next instant, that brilliance turned into astonishment, a shock that struck straight to the soul—because Wangshu removed her mask.

Beneath the mask was not the ugly or disfigured face that Qianhua Venerable had imagined, but rather... no face at all.

It was a shapeless mass of chaos, with two blue eyes floating like two stars in the empty void.

This is absolutely not the face a 'human being' should have!

The initial shock in Qianhua Venerable's eyes instantly transformed into even greater joy; she had discovered an incredible secret!!

"I'll give you a... perfect face!"

Qianhua Venerable said to himself with excitement and certainty.

Wangshu recalled the other person's expression when they said those words, and she clearly sensed a deep-seated malice in their heart.

From a young age, her master taught her to keep her distance from people with malicious intentions, and she has always followed this advice.

But why did I choose to ignore this hint of malice this time?

Perhaps it's because from the moment she took off the mask, there was no turning back; or perhaps it's because she wanted to have this face that she didn't want to turn back.

"Wangshu Fairy, the Pavilion Master and the painters are all ready."

The maid stood outside the door and called softly.

The maid's expression was somewhat excited; as a cultivator from the Central Yuan Continent, how could she not have heard of the great name of Wangshu Fairy?

Everyone coveted her true face beneath the mask, yet she was willing to remove it for the sake of the Qianhua Pavilion.

I wonder how the Pavilion Master managed to do that...

But none of that mattered. All she knew was that she would be among the first to witness the true face of Wangshu Fairy, a moment she eagerly awaited!

Once the portrait is finished, this "breathtaking" face, as described by the Pavilion Master, will be forever imprinted on the Qianhua Pavilion!

The fairly attractive maid suddenly felt a sense of pride, as if that face would be her own.

Where is my junior brother?

"Young Master You is still resting. The Pavilion Master said that he should wake up by the time you finish painting."

The mention of her junior brother caused Wangshu Fairy to look conflicted.

The You Su's compassionate yet angry expression from yesterday lingered in her mind, causing her discomfort like a thorn.

Junior brother, don't be mean to me...

I won't be naughty this time... just this once...

"Take me there..."

Wangshu Shuying stood up and put on the special face mask prepared for her by Qianhua Venerable, covering her entire face.

The maid stole glances at the still mysterious Wangshu Fairy, thinking she resembled a veiled bride about to have her veil lifted in front of everyone.

You Su slowly opened her eyes, and memories from before she fell into a coma flooded back.

He instantly realized that he absolutely could not allow his senior sister to be bewitched by that woman and live with such a false face.

But as soon as he tried to get up, he found himself bound with ropes, his wrists and ankles tightly tied together, unable to move.

"That perverted woman!"

You Su cursed angrily and tried to break free by brute force, but he couldn't do it at all. This was not only because the rope was too tough and contained Mystic Qi, but also because the special binding method made it impossible for him to exert any strength.

The Joyous Union Technique (a type of martial art) can be considered an encyclopedia of intimate secrets, and it also records rope bondage. However, You Su dislikes this somewhat forced form of play, so he never tries it, but that doesn't mean he is completely ignorant about it.

You Su gave up struggling, because he knew this was called the Four Horses Binding, a kind of full-body binding with an extremely strong sense of restraint, which he couldn't break on his own.

You Su couldn't help but feel discouraged, and gritted her teeth.

He recalled the conversation before he fell into a deep sleep, and his feelings were somewhat complicated.

My senior sister has always been a well-behaved and sensible girl, but she also longs for freedom, so she occasionally does things that outsiders might see as rebellious and stubborn.

Although my senior sister is forty-nine years old, her Innate Pure Heart makes her as innocent as a child, and her joys and sorrows are always on her lips.

Such simple-minded girls are most easily exploited by those with ulterior motives.

Qianhua Venerable must have sensed Senior Sister's desire to remove her mask, so he used that strange, evil spirit to tempt her, thus making a deal with her.

Senior Sister knew she shouldn't listen to Qianhua Venerable's advice to coexist with evil spirits, but she still couldn't resist the temptation.

My senior sister's behavior yesterday was just like that of a child who had done something wrong, using lies to cover up her mistakes.

Senior Sister couldn't lie, so she instinctively used the excuse of protecting Bihua Pavilion to cover up her selfish desire for a face.

You Su didn't know whether to blame her senior sister for not being firm enough, because her senior sister's desires were really very few, like a well-behaved girl from a poor family who never asked for candy. When faced with a stranger offering her the cherry candy she wanted most, even if she actually accepted it, how could you bear to blame her?

Besides... You Su knew that she wanted this candy for him.

Senior sister should know that even if he were blind, he could see the face that the evil spirit had transformed into...

The more expectant the senior sister looked at him when she came out with that face, the more disappointed she became after You Su got angry.

So, overwhelmed by shame after making a mistake and under You Su's harsh questioning, the senior sister dared not face herself. She was afraid to admit her mistakes because that would cause her consistently obedient image to crumble.

"It's all my fault..."

You Su felt extremely guilty. The first time his senior sister tried to force him to stay when he left, he quickly forgave her; when she caused trouble with the Little Flower when he returned, he didn't blame her either...

It was all because I had been too gentle with my senior sister before, which must have made her feel that it wouldn't matter if she made some small mistakes like before, which is why she accepted Qianhua Venerable's temptation.

"Hey, did you hear? Wangshu Fairy has already set off for Tianbing's quarters. Lots of painters are waiting there. We'll be able to see her true face behind the mask soon!"

"Of course I heard! I just saw Ono leading her there! I'm so envious of Ono, getting to see that face with my own eyes. Why are you making such a fuss about a face?"

"Otherwise, where would the hype come from? But it's perfect, it'll boost the reputation of my Qianhua Pavilion!"

The fading sounds of conversation in the hallway reached You Su's ears. You Su's brows furrowed deeply, and she sobbed:

"Senior sister... we can't make the same mistake again!"

You Su gritted her teeth, turning her self-blame into strength, and continued to try to break free of the ropes.

Actually, he wasn't simply angry because his senior sister was associating with evil spirits, since he himself was the same. Rather, he knew very well that this matter was definitely not as simple as just showing his face.

Once this face is exposed to the world, it can never be taken off.

Not only can Qianhua Venerable continue to blackmail his senior sister by using the excuse that the Goddess of the Evil Warding Department is in league with evil spirits, but he can also make his senior sister's obsession with this face grow deeper and deeper, thus making her unable to extricate herself from her desires and completely obedient to Qianhua Venerable.

If this twisted woman's greed doesn't stop there, the consequences will be unimaginable!

You Su's face was completely red from being bound, with veins bulging, and even her wrists and ankles were marked with blood from the ropes, but she still couldn't break free from the restraints.

A fierce glint suddenly flashed in his eyes, his pupils instantly turned pitch black, and he began to pull on his left arm with all his might!

Even as he experienced excruciating pain, as if his shoulder joint were dislocated, he did not stop moving. He actually intended to break his own arm to free it from the ropes, and then, relying on the powerful regenerative abilities granted to him by Tai Sui, he would restore his left hand and untie the ropes!

His body's self-preservation prevented him from using his full strength, You Su bit his lip until it bled. He didn't know how long it would take for his severed hand to heal, but he absolutely could not be trapped here and wait to die!

"Ah... ah!!"

Suddenly, a white light flashed in You Su's vision, instantly defusing his momentum.

It wasn't until the white light stopped in front of him that he recognized what it was— Little Flower!

"Little Flower! What brings you here!"

You Su was surprised. Although he had previously opposed his senior sister taking in Little Flower, he had lowered his guard after spending so much time together.

He knew that Little Flower and her senior sister had a very good relationship. On Lotus Peak, Xiao Hua would act as her senior sister's hairpin, and outside Lotus Peak, she would hide inside her senior sister's clothes. The two of them were rarely separated.

Why is Little Flower here? Didn't Senior Sister go to the art exhibition?

The Little Flower's bright red tendrils twitched, You Su knew it was speaking. However, only his senior sister could understand what the Little Flower was saying. He had asked his senior sister why before, but she only said that she could understand it.

Could it be that my senior sister came to deliver some message to me?

"I don't understand!"

Ignoring the sharp pain in her left arm and shoulder, You Su appeared somewhat anxious.

Little Flower shook her head, as if she were disgusted by this idiot.

Suddenly, the small, white, snake-like creature changed shape and transformed into the enormous sand worm at the bottom of the Jade Ring Pool, crushing the bed where You Su was lying.

Then the Little Flower mouthparts wriggled and spat out something. You Su looked at this thing in surprise. It turned out to be the jade Rabbit Mask that her senior sister always wore!

What does this mean?

You Su was somewhat bewildered, but then she noticed a note hidden inside the mask.

The handwriting was so neat and precise, almost endearing, that You Su immediately recognized it as her senior sister's. Only her senior sister would write with such clumsy yet earnestness.

Does my junior brother not like my face?

"I don't like her! Go tell my senior sister that whether I like her or not has absolutely nothing to do with her looks!"

Little Flower immediately obeyed the command, and in an instant transformed back into a small, shimmering white snake, disappearing into the ground.

You Su knew there was hope, and a smile spread across her face.

But then he became annoyed at being stuck in the same spot, and forgot to ask Little Flower to bite through the rope for him.

"Wangshu Fairy, you may remove your veil now."

Qianhua Venerable smiled faintly as he looked at the girl sitting in the center of the crowd.

Ten of the most experienced painters from Konghua Studio, all gazing intently at the quiet young woman in the center, as if looking at a rare and precious treasure about to be unveiled. This painting would become a significant milestone in their artistic careers.

"How fortunate I, Xu Yan, am to have personally witnessed the moment when the Wangshu Fairy revealed her true form!"

The old man who spoke was remarkably spry, his eyes shining brightly. In fact, he had a secret identity: he was one of the chief editors of the Celestial Heavenly Immortal Ranking of the Divine Mountain, and a key judge in determining the ranking of the Fairy. His contribution was indispensable to Wangshu Fairy's high ranking despite not revealing her true appearance.

The other painters echoed this sentiment, but after everyone had lavished praise on her, Wangshu Fairy remained motionless. The group exchanged bewildered glances, looking at the host, Qianhua Venerable, with some uncertainty.

"No need to be nervous, Wangshu Fairy, you are beautiful, just take it off boldly." Qianhua Venerable smiled gently and kindly.

Wangshu's skirt swayed slightly, and she suddenly stood up, her blue eyes shining brightly.

Her hand covered the veil's ribbon, causing everyone to hold their breath and be drawn to her.

"If my junior brother doesn't like it... then let's not have it..."

She muttered to herself, then tore off her veil.

A collective gasp of shock filled the air as everyone was stunned and paled.

The true face beneath the veil... why is it still the Rabbit Mask?

Please stop scolding my senior sister, she's just a good girl who admits her mistakes and corrects them, not an idiot. It's all the bad woman's fault, and she'll be severely punished.