"Master, are you feeling any better?" Gao Qiumin's voice trembled with concern as she gazed at Su Ningzhen.
Su Ningzhen's complexion had turned deathly pale. In merely a month's time, she appeared to have aged two decades—gray streaks now threaded through her temples, and deeper lines had etched themselves around her eyes. Gao Qiumin had revered Su Ningzhen since childhood. After losing her family, she'd come to view Su Ningzhen as her sole pillar of support. Witnessing her master's rapid deterioration filled her heart with anguish and a profound sense of helpless abandonment.
Su Ningzhen's bony fingers closed around Gao Qiumin's wrist. She drew a labored breath before asking, "Qiu'er, what level have you reached with the Spring Life Technique?"
Gao Qiumin lowered her head in shame. "The fifth level."
Su Ningzhen's brow furrowed slightly. "That's rather slow. Ningxi reached the fifth level in less than half a year, while you've required over a decade..." She paused, a shadow crossing her features. "However, she was a Yuan Yin Mystic Maiden, naturally gifted beyond ordinary comprehension. Although you're her daughter..." The words trailed off as she seemed to drift into distant memories, her breathing growing labored before she broke into violent coughing.
Gao Qiumin immediately began rubbing her back, offering her a cup of thick, black medicinal brew that emanated a bitter scent. Su Ningzhen downed it without hesitation, then took several moments to regulate her breathing before it stabilized somewhat.
In recent days, Su Ningzhen had entered seclusion, entrusting all valley affairs to Gao Qiumin. Though Gao Qiumin now served as acting sect leader, everyone understood that Su Ningzhen intended to pass the position of Valley Master to her. However, Gao Qiumin's cultivation level remained woefully inadequate. In the cultivation world, Golden Core practitioners were abundant as autumn leaves. At twenty years of age with only Golden Core cultivation, she commanded little respect.
Mirror Flower Valley didn't belong to Su Ningzhen alone, and her insistence on this succession would undoubtedly face fierce opposition from the council of elders. Over the past two days, several sympathetic elders had approached her privately to discuss the matter, but Su Ningzhen had calmly assured them that within a month, Gao Qiumin would ascend to the Nascent Soul realm.
She had only entered the Golden Core stage half a year prior—if she could breakthrough to Nascent Soul within six months, it would demonstrate extraordinary talent and tremendous potential to serve as Valley Master. The elders found Su Ningzhen's words logical yet impossible. They'd agreed to her wager: if Gao Qiumin could advance to Nascent Soul within a month, they would permit her succession.
What they failed to comprehend was why Su Ningzhen, whose injury wasn't severe enough to warrant such urgency, rushed so desperately to pass on her position.
Only Gao Qiumin knew the truth. Within this past month, Su Ningzhen had transferred her entire lifetime of cultivation into her. She'd already broken through to Nascent Soul several days ago but kept it concealed.
"Master, you're so weak now. What if Sang Qi invades Mirror Flower Valley?" Worry etched itself across Gao Qiumin's features.
Su Ningzhen laughed coldly. "Even at my peak, I couldn't withstand a single strike from him. Whether my condition is good or poor makes no difference now. Since he's alive and determined to exact revenge, I'm destined to perish. If I can pass on my cultivation to you before death claims me, my life won't have been spent in vain."
Witnessing Su Ningzhen's resignation to death, Gao Qiumin felt grief surge through her. Tears brimming in her eyes, she knelt.
Su Ningzhen gazed down at Gao Qiumin's bowed head as if seeing another person through her. Gao Qiumin bore no resemblance to her mother. Perhaps because she'd grown up without maternal guidance, raised instead by Gao Fengxu, she was arrogant and proud. Her talent didn't match her sister's, nor did her temperament...
Su Ningzhen closed her eyes with a sigh. The moment she did, Su Ningxi's face and smile materialized before her. She recognized these as harbingers of approaching death—the images of the past had grown increasingly vivid. She dreamed of Su Ningxi every night.
She and Ningxi were twin sisters, yet from a young age, she'd understood that Ningxi was different. They were born to an impoverished farming family during a famine year. With too many mouths to feed, everyone starved, their eyes sunken and ringed with shadows. She still remembered how their father had looked at them as if contemplating devouring them. It was their mother who'd desperately restrained him, saying something that made him nod reluctantly. Several days later, they were exchanged to another family.
When she matured, she learned this practice was called "exchanging children for food"—humanity's final boundary when facing death.
What a laughable boundary.
That year, she and Ningxi were four years old when they were bound, prepared for cooking. Ningxi had proven clever enough to escape, pulling her along as they fled desperately through tall, withered grass. She could only perceive yellow shadows and Ningxi's small, thin back ahead.
"Sister, I'm hungry. I can't run anymore..."
"A'Zhen, keep running, or we'll die!"
She'd collapsed to the ground, dizzy and weak. Ningxi had crouched down, supporting her with her small, frail shoulders, and carried her on her back as they continued forward, always running... Behind them pursued a group of vicious cannibals. Ningxi carried her as they fled, accidentally tumbling down a hillside. Ningxi had held her tightly in her arms as they rolled, and she'd lost consciousness. Upon awakening, darkness surrounded her. Ningxi lay in a pool of blood, covered in wounds, her head having struck a large rock, her hair soaked crimson.
She'd embraced Ningxi and wept loudly, hearing Ningxi's weak voice: "A'Zhen, I... I'm fine..."
How could she be fine with such grievous injuries? Yet Ningxi truly hadn't died. She was merely severely weakened, and her wounds healed with remarkable speed. Within days, she'd recovered, though strange phenomena emerged—she claimed she could see many things glowing.
It was then that she'd discovered Ningxi's secrets. First, Ningxi couldn't find her way. Second, Ningxi's hands could revive dead flowers and plants.
They'd narrowly escaped the cannibals, but two four-year-old girls could scarcely survive in such a world, perpetually at risk of being consumed. They hid in the mountains and forests. Her body proved weaker than Ningxi's, constantly plagued by illness, able only to lie in a cave awaiting Ningxi's return with sustenance.
Ningxi hadn't dared venture far, fearful she couldn't find her way back. She could only cultivate fruits and vegetables near the cave. Her hands possessed strange power—any seed she planted grew at an incredible pace, swiftly blooming and bearing fruit. A peach pit buried one night would flower and fruit in less than seven days. Though young, she'd recognized this as miraculous. Ningxi had excitedly proclaimed they wouldn't go hungry anymore. They'd subsisted on fruits and vegetables, and after consuming those fruits, her health had gradually improved.
Yet they still hadn't dared reveal Ningxi's amazing ability. Ningxi had warned that if malicious people discovered it, they would capture them and force her to grow things endlessly.
Ningxi had been smarter and stronger than her from childhood. Born together, they'd relied upon each other in an era when humanity had fallen. They were each other's sole support and the only people they could trust. They'd depended on each other for survival, dwelling in the wilderness for many years, until one day, a group of flying people entered the forest and discovered them.
A woman with noble bearing and imposing aura had plucked one of the peaches Ningxi had grown and said puzzlingly, "How can such a spirit-rich fruit tree exist in this barren wilderness?"
Her gaze had fallen upon them, and she'd suddenly seized Ningxi, placing her right hand upon Ningxi's forehead. She'd gasped, her eyes flooding with wild joy. "Ten orifices... no, the body of a Yuan Yin Mystic Maiden... The legend is true—such a divine person reborn in this world..."
Her expression had softened as she'd crouched to meet Ningxi's eyes, saying gently, "Good child, how old are you? What's your name?"
Ningxi had regarded her warily, hesitating before responding, "My name is Xixi. I'm eight years old."
"Xixi? I am the Valley Master of Mirror Flower Valley. Would you like to accompany me to Mirror Flower Valley? I will accept you as my disciple, teach you cultivation and magic. You can live without concerns about food or clothing, and even achieve immortality and the ability to soar through the heavens and traverse the earth." She'd spoken enticingly.
Ningxi had glanced back at her sister and said, "I want to remain with my sister."
Only then had the Valley Master regarded Su Ningzhen, nodding in understanding.
"Very well. You may both become my disciples. Your sister will be well cared for."
They'd been brought to Mirror Flower Valley by the Valley Master, thus beginning their journey on the cultivation path. The Valley Master had bestowed upon them new names.
Su Ningxi. Su Ningzhen.
"Sister, that Valley Master doesn't appear trustworthy. Is she trying to capture you to grow things?" she'd whispered. "Must we go to Mirror Flower Valley?"
Ningxi had replied, "We cannot flee—she can fly... A'Zhen, I believe we should go to Mirror Flower Valley and observe."
"I'm frightened." She'd thought of how those people fought, witnessing someone perish before her eyes had made her tremble uncontrollably.
Ningxi had embraced her tightly, gently patting her back and saying, "Don't be afraid, A'Zhen. Sister will always protect you. We'll never be separated."
"Never be separated..."
Her anxious and fearful heart had calmed because of those words.
She and Ningxi were twin sisters. They'd never been apart since before birth, and she'd believed they would never be apart in the future.
She'd always believed this, until one day, Ningxi had said, "A'Zhen, I must go. I promised Sang Qi I would be with him."
"But you promised me we'd never be separated!"
"A'Zhen, you've matured. You no longer need sister's protection..." Ningxi had gently stroked her head, just as when they were small. "You've always been strong. I don't know when it began, but you became the one protecting me. Mirror Flower Valley has become your home. After I depart, Master will pass the position of Valley Master to you..."
"I don't need the position of Valley Master. I never wanted to compete with you. I just... didn't want to hold you back and burden you!"
I didn't want to be the reason you suffered injury trying to protect me, like when we were little...
Ningxi had smiled, her eyes moist and glistening. "Of course I know that. You're my dearest sister. But A'Zhen, I truly cannot relinquish Sang Qi... Can you forgive your sister?"
"If you betray Mirror Flower Valley, Master won't spare you and Sang Qi. And Gao Fengxu will dispatch people to hunt you down. Sister, is it worth doing this for a half-demon?"
"I want to journey to the East Sea with him. It's demon territory. Master and Gao Fengxu won't be able to reach us there."
"The East Sea... Does that mean I'll never see you again?"
"We'll meet again, A'Zhen."
Su Ningzhen had no longer believed her. Ningxi had been bewitched by a half-demon, even abandoning the sister upon whom she'd depended for survival...
She'd wanted to rectify Ningxi's mistake but made a decision she would regret for the remainder of her life. She'd thought that hating Sang Qi and attributing everything to him would allow her to disregard her own errors, but the closer she drew to death, the more she comprehended—
The one who killed Ningxi was herself.
"Master, Sect Leader Xie and Clan Leader Nan have come to visit. They say they have urgent matters to discuss with you." Gao Qiumin's words drew Su Ningzhen from her painful remorse.
"What brings them here?" Su Ningzhen's voice sounded increasingly hoarse and aged.
Gao Qiumin's expression was grim. "I don't know... That Mu Xuanling is here as well, along with the young master of Bixiao Palace, Fu Lansheng."
Su Ningzhen was puzzled. With Gao Qiumin's support, she rose and slowly made her way out.
The four visitors had been waiting in the Moon Banquet Hall. Before Su Ningzhen arrived, they heard approaching footsteps but didn't expect them to be hers, as they were too heavy and slow, resembling those of an elderly person. When they beheld her wrinkles and white hair, Xie Xuechen and Nan Xuyue immediately grasped something, while Fu Lansheng still appeared shocked.
The last time they'd seen Su Ningzhen was just over two months prior, when she'd appeared to be in her early thirties. Now she looked as though in her fifties or sixties, with considerably diminished sharpness in her eyes, appearing dull and lifeless.
"Greetings, Sect Leader Xie," Su Ningzhen bowed to Xie Xuechen, then nodded to Nan Xuyue and Fu Lansheng.
Fu Lansheng, being tactless, asked with concern, "Valley Master Su, are you unwell?"
Su Ningzhen replied calmly, "It's nothing. Thank you for your concern, Young Palace Master."
Supported by Gao Qiumin, Su Ningzhen took a seat and inquired, "May I know what urgent matter brings Sect Leader Xie and the others to Mirror Flower Valley? Has there been a development in the Demon Realm?"
Xie Xuechen said, "This matter may be related to Sang Qi. I request Valley Master Su to dismiss those not directly involved."
Su Ningzhen frowned, her right hand clenching suddenly. She lowered her eyes, contemplating for a moment, then said, "Qiu'min, have everyone else withdraw."
Gao Qiumin hesitated. "Master..."
"Withdraw," Su Ningzhen repeated coldly. Gao Qiumin's face paled, but she nodded and gestured to the Mirror Flower Valley disciples present, who filed out.
Fu Lansheng wished to remain, but Nan Xuyue grasped his arm and led him out.
Gao Qiumin paused beside Mu Xuanling, regarding her coldly. "Aren't you leaving?"
Mu Xuanling met her gaze with a complex expression—thinking about their possible blood relation made her feel uncomfortable...
"I must stay. This matter concerns me," Mu Xuanling stated.
Su Ningzhen cast a suspicious glance at Mu Xuanling, then looked to Xie Xuechen. Seeing him nod slightly, she said, "Then remain."
Gao Qiumin pressed her stiff lips together, turned away irritably, and strode out.
Xie Xuechen waved his hand to establish a barrier, then asked directly, "Valley Master Su, how many children did Su Ningxi bear?"
Su Ningzhen's face immediately darkened. "Sect Leader Xie, what do you mean by this question? Everyone knows my sister married Gao Fengxu, gave birth to a daughter after ten months of pregnancy, and then passed away."
Xie Xuechen said, "I mean no offense. I recently acquired a magical artifact that revealed a possible blood connection between Ling'er and Gao Qiumin."
Su Ningzhen appeared stunned, then burst into laughter, her eyes full of ridicule. "Sect Leader Xie, that's absurd. Are you suggesting they are sisters? My sister only gave birth to one child, and that's Qiu'min!"
"Were you present at the birth?" Xie Xuechen pressed.
Su Ningzhen's breath caught, her heartbeat suddenly chaotic. Xie Xuechen fixed his gaze upon her intently, discerning pain and panic in her heartbeat, and... fear?
"Of course I was there," Su Ningzhen gripped the table corner tightly, her knuckles white, her face grim. "When Qiu'min was born, there was a miraculous phenomenon. The chamber was filled with flowing light, too brilliant to behold directly..."
"Too brilliant to behold?" Xie Xuechen frowned. "So you didn't witness it with your own eyes."
"I held Qiu'min in my arms myself. Isn't that witnessing with my own eyes?" Su Ningzhen irritably crushed the table corner, anger and dissatisfaction welling within her. "Sect Leader Xie, are you questioning my sister's chastity? She did have an entanglement with Sang Qi, but he's a half-demon, incapable of having children. Besides, at that time, Ningxi was already..."
She stopped abruptly, her complexion alternating between crimson and pale. Suddenly, she covered her mouth and coughed violently.
Mu Xuanling had been silently listening and observing. Unlike Xie Xuechen, she couldn't discern Su Ningzhen's heartbeat to judge her emotions, but she sensed something unusual from her expressions and behavior.
Something frightening must have occurred when Su Ningxi gave birth, causing fear and pain to flash through Su Ningzhen's eyes. Her emotions and rationality teetered on the brink of losing control, yet that secret remained sealed within her mouth. She'd nearly revealed it but forcibly restrained herself.
At that time, Su Ningxi was already... what?
And what about the miraculous phenomenon when Gao Qiumin was born?
Witnessing Su Ningzhen's cough subside, Mu Xuanling slowly said, "Valley Master Su, forgive my directness, but Gao Qiumin's talent doesn't match such a miraculous birth. Even Sect Leader Xie, born with ten orifices, didn't have such a phenomenon, did he?"
Su Ningzhen's face stiffened.
How could she not know? How could she not have doubted? Being born with nine orifices was indeed extraordinary, but she'd encountered many exceptional individuals. Xie Xuechen, Nan Xuyue, Su Ningxi—these were the true prodigies, yet even they hadn't manifested such phenomena at birth. The chamber filled with light when Gao Qiumin was born had filled Gao Fengxu with expectations for this daughter, yet she possessed only nine orifices. He'd harbored a glimmer of hope that she might exhibit more extraordinary qualities later, or inherit Su Ningxi's Yuan Yin Mystic Maiden constitution. But after twenty years, Su Ningzhen hadn't witnessed any further surprises from Gao Qiumin. Her talent and character were merely above average...
Could it be that the phenomenon wasn't related to Gao Qiumin, but to...
Su Ningzhen lowered her eyes in contemplation, her brow furrowed.
"Valley Master Su, verifying the blood relation between Ling'er and Gao Qiumin wouldn't be difficult. I understand you don't wish Su Ningxi's past to become known, which is why I'm seeking your opinion privately. Don't you want to know if Su Ningxi had another daughter?" Xie Xuechen asked gravely.
Su Ningzhen's expression shifted unpredictably. After a lengthy silence, she spoke in a hoarse voice, "Allow me to consider it. I'll... provide you an answer tomorrow. But this matter must not become known to others, including Qiu'min."
Xie Xuechen and Mu Xuanling nodded solemnly in agreement. Then they witnessed Su Ningzhen hurriedly depart the Moon Banquet Hall, appearing extremely urgent.
Mu Xuanling watched Su Ningzhen's hastily retreating figure and said in a deep voice, "For Su Ningzhen to consent to a blood test, something strange must have transpired when Su Ningxi gave birth, causing even Su Ningzhen to harbor doubts. Observing her confused and urgent expression, it seems she's recalled something extremely important and wishes to verify it."
"We'll have the results tomorrow. There's no need to overthink it," Xie Xuechen said, noticing the worry concealed in Mu Xuanling's eyes. He took her slightly cool small hand in his, interlocking their fingers. "Whatever the result, I'll be with you."
Su Ningzhen searched urgently alone in a dim secret chamber. The bookshelves were densely packed with ancient texts. With trembling hands, she extracted books one by one, seeking an answer.
Many ancient texts lay scattered across the floor when she finally discovered the one she sought. Shaking, she opened the book and rapidly flipped through its pages.
"The third of the Five Great Celestial Talents, Yuan Yin Mystic Maiden, appears once every three thousand years. Rumored to be the reincarnation of a divine race mystic maiden, wielding authority over life, containing infinite vitality. Born with a thousand-year lifespan, remains uncorrupted for a thousand years after death. Can heal all injuries and illnesses, restore all vitality, revive the dead and regrow flesh on bare bones, turn decay into miracles..."
Su Ningzhen's eyes were bloodshot, her hands clutching the ancient text trembled and turned white. She stared fixedly at that page, and in a flash, seemed to comprehend many things. She collapsed to the ground, her chest emitting a bellows-like wheezing sound.
"Could it be her..." she said in a trembling voice of disbelief.
Suddenly, there came a knock at the door behind her. Gao Qiumin called out "Master" with concern and entered quietly. Seeing Su Ningzhen pale-faced and trembling upon the ground, she hurried forward to support her.
"Master, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Gao Qiumin asked anxiously.
Su Ningzhen suddenly gripped her wrist tightly, her gaze fixed upon her face as if searching for an answer.
Gao Qiumin felt inexplicably panicked.
"Master..."
Su Ningzhen slowly lowered her eyes, her voice seeming to have aged even further. "Why have you come here?"
Gao Qiumin said, "I was worried about your health... And... Master, I just recalled Mu Xuanling's identity."
"Oh?" Su Ningzhen's eyebrows raised, a glint appearing in her eyes. "What identity?"
Gao Qiumin said, "She was originally a demon slave in Mingyue Manor. On the night Sang Qi massacred Mingyue Manor, the manor's elders switched our garments, concealed our auras, and took her to divert the demon army's pursuit. I presume that's why she was accepted by the demon priest as a disciple, but she didn't look like this before."
"She didn't look like this before?" Su Ningzhen frowned suspiciously. "Tell me more details!"
Gao Qiumin recalled that night when the demon slave had been ordered to receive fifty lashes for stealing clothes from a noble guest. Later, when the demon army attacked Mingyue Manor at night, the elders had sought a scapegoat. That demon slave had possessed a similar height and build to her, so she'd had servants strip her clothes and switch with her. She remembered the demon slave's mask falling off, revealing a thin, pale little face.
"At that time, she had strange demon markings on her left face, resembling some kind of talisman. Golden patterns. I looked at it for a moment and felt uneasy," Gao Qiumin said.
Su Ningzhen asked, "Do you remember what those demon markings looked like?"
Gao Qiumin nodded. "I don't recall her face, but for some reason, those demon markings left a deep impression."
"Draw it for me to see," Su Ningzhen said urgently.
Gao Qiumin didn't retrieve paper and brush. Instead, she concentrated spiritual power at her fingertips and sketched the demon markings in mid-air.
Su Ningzhen's bloodshot eyes reflected the image of the demon markings. An eerie green light floated in the air. She looked as if she'd witnessed a ghost, her throat choked, extremely terrified but unable to speak.
"Master, are you alright?" Gao Qiumin asked urgently, seeing her strange demeanor.
Su Ningzhen displayed a mad expression, somewhere between laughing and crying, her voice hoarse and broken: "Hahaha... So that's how it is... So that's what that light was... We were all wrong, all wrong..."
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