Chapter 53: The Weight of Betrayal
"Sister, are you leaving?" "Ah Zhen, I will return. You must keep this secret for me." Su Ningzhen drifted from her sister's room in a fog, one thought reverberating through her mind like a temple bell— I cannot let her leave. They had shared a womb, their souls intertwined before they'd even drawn breath. Only once had they been separated—at Two Realms Mountain, when Ningxi had been taken. At the time, Ningzhen thought her sister had merely lost her way. She hadn't known about the half-demon who'd stolen her. How could Ningxi abandon the bond they'd forged over decades for someone she'd known a mere two months? She must be bewitched. Enchanted. She'll come to regret this. I cannot let her go. The thought circled endlessly, tightening like a noose until Su Ningzhen found herself kneeling in Venerable Miaohua's meditation chamber, the secret spilling from her lips like poison. Venerable Miaohua's palm struck her huanghuali ta...
