Junior Sister

Within the Sky Cloud Nation, at the Flying White Sect’s Recruitment Assembly.

“Have you heard? This year, there’s a girl named Su Yue who scored perfect marks on all the preliminary tests.”

“Doesn’t that mean she’s tied Luochen’s record?”

“For centuries since our Flying White Sect was founded, only Senior Sister Luochen achieved a perfect score. How can there be another one this year? Are humans secretly evolving without me?”

“The final test is for physique. As long as she doesn’t have a waste body, the various Peak Lords will surely fight over her.”

“How could such a genius possibly have a waste body?”

“That’s true.”

The clamor of the crowd was quite noisy, yet thirteen-year-old Su Yue stood poised in the very center of the Sacred Stone Plaza, facing a high platform where the various Peak Lords of the Flying White Sect were seated.

As the revered figures of the Flying White Sect, each Peak Lord sat upright, radiating an air of dignified brilliance.

Only the Peak Lord of Bamboo Green Peak seemed an exception; two individuals were present, both apparently asleep.

“Place your hand upon the Sacred Stone,” the examiner prompted.

Su Yue raised her hand, and the Sacred Stone hummed, subsequently flashing a dull grey light.

“Ah?”

“How could this be?”

Some of the more knowledgeable disciples began to whisper amongst themselves.

Gazing at the result displayed on the Sacred Stone, Sect Master Yuxi, who had been brimming with anticipation, let out a long sigh.

“What a pity.”

“It’s actually a Gathering Qi Waste Body (TL Note: A physique that causes spiritual energy to become stagnant and block meridians, severely impeding cultivation). This is truly unlucky.”

“Indeed. Even with other useless waste bodies, her talent would still allow her to achieve something, but it just had to be this most useless of physiques.”

“Haha, good thing it’s a waste body.”

“What is a Gathering Qi Waste Body?”

“You don’t know this? A Gathering Qi Waste Body prevents one from expelling the waste spiritual energy generated during cultivation, causing it to block the dantian and meridians. With such a physique, it’s impossible to surpass the third turn in this lifetime.”

The crowd’s voices grew louder, a tide of regret, disappointment, and schadenfreude enveloping Su Yue.

At the center of this maelstrom of opinion, the thirteen-year-old girl merely let out a slow sigh, her expression betraying neither joy nor sorrow.

‘I knew I wasn’t cut out for cultivation. What a waste of Auntie Wang’s strenuous efforts to pull strings and get me sent here.’

‘I should just go back early, stay with everyone at the orphanage, and tell them about the sights I saw along the way.’

‘At least I’ll have seen a bit of the world.’

As this thought crossed her mind, a faint smile even touched her lips.

“Why is she still smiling?”

“The disappointment was too great; she must have gone mad.”

****

‘A classic waste-to-hero beginning. Whose Xiao Yan script is this?’

On the platform, Luochen, roused by the chatter of the surrounding Peak Lords, felt a pang of curiosity.

She lifted her gaze, taking a single look.

That one glance spanned ten thousand years.

‘This damned flutter in my heart. Without a doubt, a second Child of Destiny is beckoning to me.’

Luochen gently shook Venerable Zhu Qing, who was still asleep.

“For my sake, take her as a disciple.”

Luochen pointed a finger at Su Yue, who stood below the stage.

Venerable Zhu Qing frowned. “But the Sacred Stone shows she has a Gathering Qi Waste Body. Are you sure?”

Luochen nodded vehemently. “This person is very important to me.”

“I want grilled chicken legs tonight,” Venerable Zhu Qing declared.

“No problem.”

Forget grilled chicken legs; even if Venerable Zhu Qing demanded grilled dragon legs right now, Luochen would shoulder her Sword of Parting Regret and try her luck in the heavens.

Thus, Venerable Zhu Qing spoke.

“This person, Bamboo Green Peak claims.”

“Are you certain?” Sect Master Yuxi asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Although she, like your precious disciple, achieved a perfect score, she’s merely a Gathering Qi Waste Body. What do you intend to do with her? Don’t tell me you’re smitten with her face?”

True Immortal Yun Qing’s sarcastic voice drifted over.

“Silence,” Venerable Zhu Qing retorted, glaring at her.

“This person, Bamboo Green Peak claims.”

Venerable Zhu Qing repeated herself using a spiritual energy transmission, her voice soft yet clearly audible to every ear present.

“Bamboo Green Peak, that most mysterious of peaks? It has only ever had one disciple until now. Today, it’s finally taking on a second.”

“What good is taking a waste?”

“Are they mad? Someone like this can enter Bamboo Green Peak?”

The crowd immediately erupted into an uproar, and the faces of those who had just been gloating turned instantly uncertain and conflicted.

Su Yue no longer cared to observe the expressions of others; her eyes were fixed solely on the young girl running towards her.

“My name is Luochen, the head disciple of Bamboo Green Peak. From this day forward, I am your senior sister.”

The girl’s smile bloomed, like a spring flower dewy with morning mist, or a summer lotus emerging from water.

“What are you waiting for? Quickly, call me Senior Sister.”

“Se-… Senior Sister.”

At that moment, Su Yue had no idea what profound place this so-called senior sister would eventually hold in her life.

****

That night, Su Yue climbed onto the bed with a trace of apprehension, her movements somewhat restrained, as if fearing to disturb someone.

For beside her, Luochen was already lying down.

“I’m truly sorry, Junior Sister. Things happened so suddenly that your room isn’t ready yet. I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with sharing my bed for one night.”

“Don’t mention it,” Su Yue quickly replied.

‘This Senior Sister seems quite nice, doesn’t she?’

In the foreign night, Su Yue tossed and turned, finding it hard to fall asleep.

“Is this your first time away from home?”

Luochen’s voice resonated, and her gentle tone somehow quieted Su Yue’s anxious heart.

“Mm.”

“It’s always hard to sleep when you first leave home. I couldn’t sleep a wink on my first day of university either.”

“What is ‘university‘?”

Su Yue keenly picked up on the unfamiliar term.

“(⊙﹏⊙), it’s a place for acquiring knowledge.”

Just like that, Su Yue remembered the first instance of ‘Luochen-speak’ (TL Note: A unique term referring to Luochen’s idiosyncratic way of speaking, often incorporating modern or anachronistic terms.) in her life.

This provided a solid theoretical foundation for the later scholar Chen Ruan to compile ‘The Collected Sayings of Bamboo Green Peak’s Senior Disciple: Essential Modern Phrases You Must Learn’ (TL Note: A fictional historical text chronicling Luochen’s unique vocabulary and expressions).

But that is a story for another time.

“How about this, Junior Sister? I’ll tell you a story, and you can listen until you fall asleep.”

“Okay, thank you, Senior Sister.”

“Once upon a time, long, long ago…”

****

“And just like that, the separated family was reunited.”

As Luochen’s voice faded, the steady rhythm of breathing already filled the space beside her pillow.

‘She’s asleep.’

‘This desolate Bamboo Green Peak finally has another person. The days ahead should become increasingly exciting.’

Tucking the blanket higher for Su Yue, Luochen, too, peacefully drifted off to sleep.

****

Blood-red tokens were embedded in the walls, and the air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood.

“Have all the ‘seeds’ of the Fusion Project failed?”

A muffled voice echoed.

“Number 118 hasn’t been tested yet.”

Two scarlet gazes locked onto her.

Su Yue awoke with a start.

“Junior Sister, are you alright?”

Luochen’s concerned eyes met hers.

She was a light sleeper, having awoken the moment she sensed movement beside her.

“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

“Mm.”

She often dreamt of this scene, and Su Yue suspected it was connected to her memories before the orphanage.

However, Auntie Wang, the orphanage director, only knew that a powerful-looking cultivator had brought her there, but knew nothing of the events prior.

‘Looks like I won’t be sleeping tonight.’

‘Based on experience, once I have this dream, there’s no hope of falling asleep again tonight.’

“I used to have nightmares too when I loved watching ghost movies. I didn’t dare sleep during those times.”

Luochen’s voice pulled her thoughts back to reality.

“What is a ‘ghost movie‘?”

Su Yue felt that her Senior Sister’s speech always contained some strange elements.

“It’s just… something very terrifying.”

“Let’s not talk about that. Junior Sister, if you’re scared, just hold onto me and sleep.”

Luochen took both of Su Yue’s hands, pulling them to her own chest to form an embrace.

“If there are any ‘dirty things,’ Senior Sister will swat them all away.”

Su Yue gently embraced Luochen; her Senior Sister’s body was soft and fragrant, yet somewhat cool to the touch.

So Su Yue held her a little tighter.

‘If I do this, maybe she’ll warm up a bit.’

As she thought this, inhaling the fragrance emanating from Luochen, Su Yue slowly, surprisingly, drifted off to sleep.

She slept soundly through the night.

****

The next night, Su Yue lay in her own room.

‘Will I have nightmares again tonight?’

‘She found herself wanting to sleep with Senior Sister again.’

‘It was the first time she had ever fallen asleep after a nightmare, let alone slept so soundly and sweetly.’

‘If Senior Sister were here… I probably wouldn’t be afraid of nightmares, would I?’

‘No, no,’ Su Yue shook her head.

‘Now isn’t the time to ask Senior Sister to accompany me again. What if I become a nuisance?’

‘Time to sleep.’

Gazing at the ink-dark night sky, Su Yue sighed, preparing to extinguish the luminous spirit stone.

“Junior Sister.”

A young girl, clutching a pillow, stood at her doorway.

“I’ve thought of so many interesting stories recently, and it would be a pity if no one heard them.”

“Junior Sister, would you be willing to listen to my ramblings?”

Su Yue knew that Luochen was afraid she would have nightmares sleeping alone.

Yet, she didn’t state it directly, instead telling a small lie, making it seem as though she were the one seeking a favor.

‘Her Senior Sister truly seemed thoughtful.’

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”

“Don’t be so formal with me.”

Luochen slipped into the bed, then playfully pinched Su Yue’s cheek.

****

“Junior Sister, I’m here again.”

“Junior Sister, I just remembered a very moving story.”

“Junior Sister, it turns out you possess an Immaculate Spirit Body (TL Note: A special body type that inherently prevents the accumulation of waste spiritual energy during cultivation)! This means you won’t generate waste spiritual energy, turning your Gathering Qi Waste Body into a treasure that prevents spiritual energy from dissipating. You’re truly amazing!”

“Junior Sister, I think I’ve angered Master. Tomorrow, you should do this…”

From then on, Luochen, pillow in hand, would appear at Su Yue’s doorway at irregular intervals.

And from then on, Su Yue never had that nightmare again.