"Isn't this incredible? You must think it sounds like something out of the Arabian Nights, right? But it's all true!"
Ning Wangshu smiled bitterly.
Then he took a deep breath and slowly continued, "I don't know exactly how it happened, either."
"More than three months ago—by Earth's reckoning—I inexplicably traveled to another world, just like in those web novels."
"It was a world of immortal cultivators, full of powerful cultivators and all kinds of demons and monsters. In that world, saying that human life was worth less than a dog's would have been putting it kindly."
"At any moment, if you let your guard down, you could be caught in the aftermath of a battle between cultivators or demons and monsters. You wouldn't even have time to react before you were dead."
As he spoke, Ning Wangshu smiled and paused to catch his breath. "I was pretty lucky. I had a talent for cultivation, so a cultivator took an interest in me and accepted me as his disciple."
"Back then, all I could think about was getting back to Earth. I figured that maybe once I became powerful enough, I'd find a way home."
"Unfortunately, I spent more than nine thousand years in that world and never managed to make it back. Eventually, I gave up and devoted myself to seeking the Dao and becoming an immortal."
"Later, I successfully survived the Heavenly Tribulation, opened the Immortal Gate, and ascended..."
"But only after ascending did I realize I hadn't arrived in some Immortal Realm. I'd returned to Earth! Do you know how complicated I felt at the time?"
"But soon I noticed that hardly any time seemed to have passed on Earth. When I thought of how you and Mom must still be alive, I was overwhelmed with excitement. I rushed home, full of joy and eager to see you both again..."
"But when I got home, I found someone else living there. She told me the house had been sold to her more than two months earlier."
"By chance, I ran into our homeroom teacher, and he told me you were renting a place nearby. So I hurried over to find you..."
"You basically know what happened after that. This afternoon, I found Xu Yiming and planted a Curse Seal in his body. It'll activate in three days, and when it does, he'll die!"
"I just didn't expect that he seemed to have a practitioner by his side. A moment ago, I sensed that an outside force was interfering with the Curse Seal I'd placed in his body."
"That's why I cast a spell from afar, to teach the practitioner who dared interfere with my Curse Seal a lesson!"
When he finished, Ning Wangshu looked at his sister again.
By then, Ning Ruoxuan was staring at him, stunned by everything he'd told her.
Her mouth hung open. Her throat felt dry, and for a moment, she had no idea what to say.
What he'd told her was simply too unbelievable, too bizarre!
It completely defied everything she knew!
And yet, after seeing Ning Wangshu cast a spell just now, she couldn't help but believe him...
Ning Ruoxuan took deep breaths, trying to calm the turmoil inside her. After a long while, she finally swallowed hard and asked softly, "So... are you really an immortal now?"
Ning Wangshu smiled bitterly and nodded, then shook his head. "Yes and no!"
"To be precise, I haven't truly become an immortal. I did ascend, but since I didn't ascend to the Immortal Realm, neither my body nor my primordial spirit was cleansed by immortal energy. They never transformed into an Immortal Body and Immortal Soul."
"Besides, although I still have my cultivation, I'm at the very peak of the highest stage for immortal cultivators—the Mahayana Stage."
"But for some reason, after I ascended to Earth, my primordial spirit and spiritual energy were bound and suppressed. Right now, I can only use a tiny fraction of my power!"
"So, even though I ascended and still have my cultivation, I can't yet be considered a true immortal..."
Ning Ruoxuan only half understood his explanation.
She wasn't even sure whether anything Ning Wangshu had said was true or false...
All in all, her feelings were complicated.
She was still angry with Ning Wangshu, but if what he'd told her was true... then she really couldn't blame him.
Ning Wangshu hadn't gone into much detail about what he'd experienced after traveling to that world of immortal cultivation.
But just from his remark that saying human life was worth less than a dog's would have been putting it kindly, it was clear that he must have endured countless hardships and life-or-death struggles alone in that world.
But could she really forgive him just like that?
Ning Ruoxuan thought of everything she'd been through these past few months, the hurt and resentment she felt, and their mother's death... She still couldn't bring herself to let go of that knot in her heart.
Ning Ruoxuan took a deep breath and looked at Ning Wangshu, her expression conflicted. "What you... said is all true? You're not making up a story to trick me into forgiving you?"
Ning Wangshu knew his sister's feelings must be complicated. She might not be able to accept everything he'd said so suddenly.
So he answered with complete seriousness, "If even one word I said was a lie, may I be struck by five bolts of lightning!"
Then he paused and simply raised his hand.
The next moment, the Wangshu Sword appeared in front of him, hovering in midair and trembling softly with a faint hum.
Ning Ruoxuan stared, eyes wide with astonishment.
Ning Wangshu said, "Ruoxuan, this is my bonded Magic Artifact—the Wangshu Sword! I know everything I just told you is hard to accept."
"The only way I can prove it is to show you some of the abilities of an immortal cultivator, so you'll know I haven't been lying!"
Ning Ruoxuan opened her mouth. She already believed him about eighty percent; she just needed one more reason to convince herself.
Now, seeing Ning Wangshu summon a sword out of thin air and hover it in midair, together with the oath he'd sworn, the Shackles around her heart finally shattered with a resounding crash...
As the knot in her heart came undone, Ning Ruoxuan could no longer hold back. Looking at Ning Wangshu, she swallowed a few times before finally calling out in a trembling voice, "B-Brother... I-I believe you!"
At her words, Ning Wangshu jerked his head up and looked at her excitedly, his own voice trembling. "Ru-Ruoxuan, what... what did you just call me?"
"Brother! Brother! Sob..."
Ning Ruoxuan could no longer contain her emotions. She threw herself into Ning Wangshu's arms and hugged him tightly, tears instantly streaming down her face!
It was as if she were finally letting out all the grievances, resentment, anger, and sorrow she'd been holding inside.
Ning Wangshu was just as overwhelmed. Breathing deeply, his eyes reddening, he gently patted his sister's back and comforted her.
He murmured, "It's over, Ruoxuan. It's all over. Now that your brother's back, no one will ever bully you again!"
"Go ahead and cry. Let out every grievance you've been holding inside. From now on, I'll take care of you and protect you. I promise I'll never let you suffer another bit of hardship!"
"Whoever dares to bully you or cause you pain—even if it's the Jade Emperor himself—I'll make sure they pay the most terrible price!"
Ning Ruoxuan didn't stop crying at his words. If anything, she cried even harder. She really had suffered too many grievances.
She'd also endured far too much for someone her age...
After who knew how long, Ning Ruoxuan seemed to have cried herself out. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
But her hand still clutched Ning Wangshu's clothes tightly, refusing to let go, as if she were afraid that if she did, Ning Wangshu would suddenly disappear again...
Seeing this, Ning Wangshu smiled faintly. He didn't pry his sister's hand off his clothes. Instead, he continued holding her and laid her on the bed, letting her rest against his chest.
He waited until she had fallen into a deep sleep and her hand loosened on its own before finally easing himself away.
Then he sat cross-legged nearby and began meditating with his eyes closed, resting and gathering himself...