After returning to the cave dwelling halfway up the mountain, I activated its wards.
The room had been tidied and furnished in warm colors, and the bed in my little nest still looked so cozy.
I hugged my floral quilt and lay on the bed for a long time before I finally calmed down. I didn't feel as sad as I had a moment ago.
Life had to go on. Tomorrow, I'd be farming again.
I dug the dozens of spirit stones I owned out from under the bed.
They were everything I had. I couldn't afford to lose a single one.
I counted them carefully. I had saved up thirty-seven. Then I put them away with equal care, hiding them beneath a flagstone under the bed and covering them with a small formation that blocked divine sense.
Maybe I'd been born with red eyes, because in the mirror they looked as red as a rabbit's. My eyelids were also a little puffy.
I washed my face and forced myself to calm down.
Life had to go on. Ye Xiaoyao, you had to be strong.
I had to get up early for a task tomorrow, so I went straight to bed.
After what had happened, I doubted Ye Qingxian would come near me again.
At the edge of Heavenly Sword Peak,
Shuang Yue and Yue Wuhua had just landed when they heard several female cultivators talking.
"Was Senior Sister Ye Qingxian fighting just now?"
"I saw Senior Sister Ye Qingxian pin Ye Xiaoyao to the ground. Then they had a really fierce argument, and in the end Ye Xiaoyao left in tears. She looked so heartbroken..."
"Too bad we couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Who would dare eavesdrop on Senior Sister Ye Qingxian?"
"When Senior Sister Ye Qingxian left, she seemed a little dazed too."
"Did Senior Sister Ye Qingxian really beat Ye Xiaoyao?"
"It's baffling. What could two biological sisters possibly fight about?"
Their chattering carried clearly to the two women.
Shuang Yue clenched her fists, trembling with anger.
The others might not know the reason, but how could she not?
Ye Xiaoyao and Ye Qingxian were secretly in love. That was why Ye Qingxian could abuse Ye Xiaoyao and get away with it.
She grabbed Yue Wuhua and complained again. "Senior Sister, look at Ye Qingxian! It hasn't even been that long, and she's already pinned Junior Sister Xiaoyao to the ground and beaten her again."
"Even if they're secret Dao Companions, she can't keep abusing her like this!"
Shuang Yue's eyes flashed with indignation. She was so furious she stamped her feet several times.
She wanted Junior Sister Xiaoyao to be happy, but not like this. What kind of person could bring herself to bully such a sweet girl?
Yue Wuhua's beauty outshone the moon. Her gaze was calm as she comforted Shuang Yue. "Don't worry. Senior Sister will see that justice is done."
Dressed in white as if cloaked in snow, she stood with her hands behind her back.
Her slender figure was still as a painting.
Ye Qingxian had just sorted out her thoughts and was preparing to return to her cave dwelling when she unexpectedly ran into two people who had no business being on Heavenly Sword Peak.
It seemed they had come specifically to stop her.
Shuang Yue was impatient, so she got straight to the point. "Ye Qingxian, did you force Ye Xiaoyao to do something she didn't want to?"
"She can do whatever she wants. What gives you the right to interfere?"
"Answer me! Did you bully Ye Xiaoyao?"
Shuang Yue was blunt, not even addressing her as Senior Sister.
As cool and distant as the moon, Yue Wuhua said nothing. She simply held her sword in a reverse grip.
A murderous aura spread through the air.
Ye Qingxian froze for a second as an absurd suspicion surfaced in her mind.
Could it be—
Did these two also know that Ye Xiaoyao was pregnant?
And had they just heard from somewhere that she'd forced Ye Xiaoyao to have an abortion a few days ago?
In a way, she had indeed "bullied" Ye Xiaoyao.
Ye Qingxian clenched her fists in secret.
She had just gone through a falling-out, and her mood was already poor.
So she didn't speak with her usual gentleness.
"That's right."
"I did force Ye Xiaoyao a few days ago."
"But my intentions were different then. I only wanted what was best for her." At the time, she'd thought Ye Xiaoyao was too young to give birth, so in theory, she hadn't been wrong.
Shuang Yue sucked in a breath at Ye Qingxian's confident defense. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her voice turned theatrical.
"You—you—you..."
Shuang Yue said "you" three times in a row, but couldn't find a single word to describe her.
Who beat someone up and then claimed it was for their own good?
Her temperament was more like that of a gentle, refined eldest daughter raised by an Aristocratic Clan. She simply didn't know how to insult people. Even when she tried, her words came out soft, with no sting at all.
"You—have absolutely no shame!"
"You did something like that, and you still claim you were doing a good deed!"
Ye Qingxian furrowed her brow.
Since the others already knew Ye Xiaoyao was pregnant—
Though she had no idea how these two had found out—
she had to find a way to keep it under wraps.
At the very least, she needed to give Ye Xiaoyao a chance to tell everyone after giving birth that the child had been adopted, and spare her from gossip.
As her Senior Sister, that was the least she could do for her right now.
So her expression turned cold, and she spoke with even greater severity. "I don't care where you heard this. I won't allow you to tell anyone."
"So you're ordering us not to tell anyone too?" Shuang Yue gasped dramatically. "Fine, fine. Even if you are the number one First Fairy in the Nine Provinces, you can't throw your weight around like this!"
What kind of person did that? She'd bullied a young girl, then expected everyone who knew to keep quiet.
This—this was too much.
Yue Wuhua summed it up calmly. "Junior Sister Qingxian, you have gone too far."
Seeing how tense things had become, Ye Qingxian patiently explained, "I didn't think things through before, and I failed to consider Ye Xiaoyao's feelings. The ways of the world are what they are, but we also have to judge things based on the facts in front of us. Now that it's happened, I won't act that way again."
In other words, she wouldn't do it again.
Shuang Yue was still furious. How was that any different from a murderer claiming they'd turned over a new leaf?
An abusive woman's credibility was below zero.
Who could believe her when she'd abused someone twice and then promised to change?
"You have absolutely no shame. You've treated Ye Xiaoyao like this, and you're still thinking there'll be a next time?"
"I have to tell everyone. I have to let them all know what happened to Ye Xiaoyao."
Ye Qingxian furrowed her brow again. "She's my junior sister from the same sect. Even if I handled things poorly, I had every right to do so. It's not as if I committed some unforgivable crime."
"Besides, if you really want what's best for her, you should know you can't tell anyone else."
"What's best for her? What's best for her?" Shuang Yue was so mad she puffed up like a little ball. Ye Qingxian had turned everything upside down. "And you still remember she's your junior sister?"
Everyone saw you pin Ye Xiaoyao to the grass. Isn't that proof you were the one who did it?"
Ye Qingxian thought for a second.
Had these two misunderstood and thought she'd been planning to make Ye Xiaoyao miscarry herself?
"This is a misunderstanding." She was frustrated, but kept trying to explain.
"A misunderstanding?" Shuang Yue sneered. "Everyone saw Ye Xiaoyao leave in tears, and you're still calling it a misunderstanding?" She was starting to wonder if Ye Xiaoyao would have been beaten to death by this wicked woman if she'd found out any later.
Ye Qingxian was getting a headache.
Her mood had already been poor, and she'd wasted time explaining a bunch of pointless things. She was at the end of her tether now, and her voice turned impatient. "Enough. I'm not asking for your opinion. If anyone else finds out, I'll hold you responsible."
Shuang Yue gaped at her.
Good grief. She wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.
You really couldn't judge a book by its cover.
Who would have guessed Ye Qingxian was like this in private?
Yue Wuhua drew her long sword. Its icy shadow was as cold as frost and snow, and the moonlight dimmed for an instant.
"Junior Sister Qingxian, you've gone too far this time."
"You can't just throw your weight around like this."
She pointed her sword at Ye Qingxian. "I will tell everyone about this. It's a matter of principle." She had to let the other disciples know about the abuse Ye Xiaoyao was suffering.
"Unless you can beat me and shut me up." She was proud, and would never stoop to relying on the sect.
Ye Qingxian's expression grew colder. She drew her own sword.
"Since things have come to this, there's nothing left to say."
She had to protect Junior Sister's dignity. She couldn't back down now.
Shuang Yue paced back and forth nervously nearby.
Senior Sister, you have to beat that abuser!
The mission to save Junior Sister Xiaoyao couldn't wait a moment longer.
A woman like that didn't deserve Junior Sister Xiaoyao's love.
Only by defeating the wicked woman could they save Ye Xiaoyao from her living hell.
Before you continue