The Light That Didn’t Save Her

Lu Yun had been watching all along.

She had been watching ever since Lin Wushuang returned.

Because she had learned in advance from Qi Xiao that Lin Wushuang was actually a girl, she did not know what to do with these feelings of hers, and so she could only observe silently.

She was unable to properly deal with her own emotions.

She did not even dare to tell her master about this matter, because she knew her master would never agree—
and moreover, not long after, she heard the news that Lin Wushuang and that Li Feiyu had become Dao companions, the two of them even openly showing affection in public.

Perhaps, to Lin Wushuang, she herself was nothing more than a passerby—
that was what she thought.

At most, they could be considered fellow disciples,
and they were not even from the same peak,
the relationship between the Heaven Branch and the Dao Branch had never been particularly good to begin with.

It was merely that she had fallen in love with Lin Wushuang on her own accord,
and then suffered heartbreak on her own accord as well.

If she wanted to preserve her last shred of dignity,
then not appearing at all would be the best choice.

Yet when she came back to her senses,
she had already arrived at Dao Sword Peak.

She knew that she wanted to find Lin Wushuang,
that she wanted to pour out her heart to her,
even if Lin Wushuang could not accept it, at least she herself would be able to give up completely.

Although she knew she would be very sad.

But what she never expected
was to encounter such a soul-weary Lin Wushuang,
to see such a frail, confused, and utterly lost Lin Wushuang.

She knew it was improper to do so,
yet she still brought Lin Wushuang back to her own cave dwelling.

“Lin… Senior Sister…”

She sat by the bed,
looking at Lin Wushuang, who had fallen into sleep.

A cultivator who had reached the Golden Core realm had no need for sleep at all.

Unless their spirit had been damaged,
or their mind exhausted to the extreme,
only then would they fall into such deep slumber.

What had she encountered?

Could it be that Li Feiyu had done something to her?

What exactly was happening at Dao Sword Peak now?

If that was the case, then she probably had no way to confess her feelings to Lin Wushuang.

Moreover, the Demon-Slaying Assembly was about to begin.

Lin Wushuang would still have to fight disciples from other sects,
and afterward fight against the demonic sects.

If she were to confess her feelings now,
it would only add to Lin Wushuang’s burdens…

No—
she practiced the Ruthless Sword Dao,
she would probably not take it to heart anyway…

But did she truly look like someone who cultivated the Ruthless Sword Dao?

Fortunately, as a formation cultivator, she possessed quite a few good items.

Placing a layer of “Warm Sun Jade” beneath her
should make her feel a little better.

She simply watched Lin Wushuang like this.

It had to be said—
Lin Wushuang was beautiful.

That bewitching face,
Lu Yun could easily imagine how those men would go mad over this woman,
what price they would be willing to pay just to taste her beauty.

Even as a woman herself,
she found her breathtaking to behold.

“Sigh…”

When Lin Wushuang opened her eyes again,
she saw Lu Yun sitting beside her, meditating.

“Junior Sister Lu…”

Lu Yun opened her eyes and looked at Lin Wushuang.

“Senior Sister Lin, how do you feel?”

Lin Wushuang recalled that she had been taken away by Lu Yun.

A faint blush appeared on her face.

“Thank you for your help earlier, Junior Sister Lu,
but it is nothing serious.
I merely encountered some mishaps during cultivation,
which caused my spirit to be shaken.
After resting, I am much better now.
I have troubled you to worry.”

She said it was merely a cultivation mishap?

That was clearly a lie.

As a peak master, Lu Yun knew very well that
even if something had truly happened,
it would have been an internal matter of Dao Sword Peak,
and she absolutely should not interfere.

Such matters were taboo within the sect.

If mishandled, major trouble could arise.

Logically speaking,
this was the perfect opportunity to go along with her words and send Lin Wushuang away.

Yet when the words reached her lips,
she could not utter them no matter what.

That haggard, despairing expression from the previous day,
as if Lin Wushuang’s heart had already died,
was still vivid in her mind.

She could not forget it.

“Senior Sister Lin, that did not look like a mere cultivation mishap.”

“Junior Sister Lu?”

“Senior Sister, can you tell me what happened?”

Lu Yun made up her mind and stared at Lin Wushuang.

“Please tell me what happened, Senior Sister.
Even if I cannot resolve it,
I can still listen,
and perhaps offer you some advice.”

Lin Wushuang, of course, would not tell Lu Yun what was happening at Dao Sword Peak.

But from Lu Yun’s eyes,
she saw sincerity.

This was not the gaze of Junior Brother or Qi Xiao.

These eyes were filled with concern and worry.

She knew—
this person was genuinely worried about her.

Junior Sister Lu…
was she truly such a kind cultivator?

Her heart tightened,
and she almost told everything to Lu Yun.

But she could not.

She knew that if she told Junior Sister Lu the truth,
Lu Yun would definitely take action—
yet she could not compete with Junior Brother at all.

In the end, she would only harm her.

Precisely because this person was so kind,
she could not tell her the truth.

She could not, for her own selfish reasons,
cause such severe consequences.

“It’s… really nothing…
Junior Sister Lu, this is my own matter.
I cannot trouble you further…”

When Lu Yun heard this,
anger surged from her heart.

She suddenly hugged Lin Wushuang tightly.

“Lu—Junior Sister Lu!”

Lin Wushuang panicked.

“Y-You… let go of me!”

“If Senior Sister does not speak,
then I will not let go!
If you insist on forcing me away,
then cut off my arm!”

“You—!”

Hearing these words,
Lin Wushuang stopped struggling.

Having just experienced such pain,
she had never expected to feel warmth like Lu Yun’s.

This person cared for her so deeply.

She could not help but hug Lu Yun back,
and tears fell from her eyes.

“Wuu…”

Ever since her family had been harmed by the demonic sect,
this was the first time she cried so unrestrainedly and loudly.

Like a child,
she clung to Lu Yun and wailed.

She cried for a full quarter of an hour
before gradually calming down.

Lu Yun kept gently patting her back.

Lin Wushuang finally wiped away her tears
and looked at Lu Yun’s shoulder, now soaked.

Lu Yun smiled faintly.

Spiritual energy flowed through her robes,
and the tears were instantly cleansed.

She released Lin Wushuang.

“Senior Sister, can you tell me now?
What exactly did you encounter?
What made you so sad?”

Lin Wushuang’s mood had improved greatly.

She felt as though she had rediscovered the strength to live,
even though she herself did not quite know what that strength was.

But she had the courage to continue facing life.

How strange—
it was merely a good cry.

She finally sorted through her emotions.

“I cannot tell you, Junior Sister Lu.”

Her gaze became extremely serious,
filled with resolve.

“It is not that I do not trust you,
nor that I do not wish to rely on you.
It is simply that I cannot drag you into this.
You treat me sincerely—
I cannot harm you.”

“If Senior Sister does not say it,
how will you know that I cannot solve it?”

“You truly cannot.”

Lin Wushuang emphasized it again,
her will unshakable.

Thus, Lu Yun understood—
this was indeed something she could not resolve.

Lin Wushuang spoke these words to her
with a heart full of gratitude.

“If I cannot resolve it,
can Senior Sister resolve it?”

Lin Wushuang shook her head.

“Perhaps… I cannot either.
But I already have the courage to face it.
I must thank you, Lu Yun.
If not for you,
if not for the comfort you gave me,
I would probably no longer have the courage to face everything.
Truly… thank you.”

Her gratitude came from the depths of her heart.

There were moments when she believed she was in hell,
unable to see even a trace of light,
yet Lu Yun let her know
that light did exist in this world.

She had merely encountered Li Wangyan,
encountered Qi Xiao…

Not everyone was like them.

Her Second Junior Brother hated evil—
was he not a good person?

Her master, although her intentions may not have been pure at the beginning,
was now willing to pay any price for them,
even discarding the dignity of a Nascent Soul True Master—
was she not also a good person?

She did not need to fall into despair
just because she had seen Qi Xiao’s true face.

She still had things she could do.

Lu Yun saw something called fighting spirit
on Lin Wushuang’s peerlessly beautiful face.

Once again,
she gently embraced Lin Wushuang.

She whispered softly.

“Senior Sister Lin,
perhaps I truly cannot help much,
but—
if you ever need anything,
you may come to me at any time.
I will offer any help I can.
Anything at all—
so long as it is within my power,
I will not hesitate to give even my life.”

“Junior Sister… why must you go this far?”

“I cannot bear to see Senior Sister like that again.”

“Rest assured.
I will not.”

After tidying herself up a little,
Lin Wushuang left Lu Yun’s cave dwelling.

Her gaze was firm.

Li Wangyan smiled at Qi Xiao.

“So, Senior Sister—
did I win?”

“This is not quite the scene you imagined, is it?”
Qi Xiao smiled as well.
“If you insist on saying you won, I would not object.
But what you envisioned was her fleeing in disgrace, was it not?
Yet now, she is full of fighting spirit.”

“In that case, Senior Sister truly knows things I do not…
How regrettable—
one misstep in the game.
What exactly is Lu Yun’s situation?”

Qi Xiao shrugged.

“She likes Senior Sister.
It seems that many years ago,
Senior Sister once saved her life,
and from then on she fell in love with her.”

“So that is how it is!”

Li Wangyan laughed.

“Then indeed, I miscalculated.
In this round,
if I insist on claiming victory,
it would make me far too shameless.
The wager between you and me does not need to be bound so rigidly by rules.
Let us count this as my loss.
Working for Senior Sister—
I do so willingly.”

“Oh?”
“You seem rather happy.”

Li Wangyan nodded.

“Of course I am happy.
Senior Sister recovering her fighting spirit—
is that not a good thing?
A toy that breaks too easily is terribly boring.
Is this not far more entertaining?”

“I cannot say I do not understand your way of thinking.
However…”

Qi Xiao moved closer to Li Wangyan.

“Tell me honestly—
how do you see me?
As a toy you cherish more?
A toy you are temporarily unwilling to destroy?”

“Senior Sister,
that is not an easy question to answer.
I truly do like you.”

“Ah… is that so?”

Qi Xiao clasped her hands behind her back
and walked toward Dao Sword Peak.

“Your Senior Sister should be coming to find you soon.
Why are you not heading back?”

“Let her wait a bit.”

Li Wangyan asked.

“What is Senior Sister going to do?”

“Go pick up your Second Senior Brother.
I have received his message.”