Chapter 296: Mu Sanniang’s Change
No matter how warm their affection, there comes a time when they must part.
The young man carried his older sister back to bed, pulled the quilt up, and carefully tucked in the edges before turning to leave the room.
On the bed, Mu Sanniang did not stop him this time, only watching his retreating figure blankly.
Within her sea of consciousness, a semi-ethereal, ancient woman was speaking words only she could hear.
The old woman seemed surprised, and also perhaps pleased.
“This child’s physique is truly extraordinary…”
“I observe his spiritual energy is abundant, far surpassing ordinary Qi Refining cultivators by severalfold.”
“Strange, strange. He’s only at the half-step Foundation Establishment, yet judging by the rippling spiritual energy fluctuations, he’s almost comparable to the late stage of Foundation Establishment…”
Mu Sanniang listened silently, not uttering a sound.
However, she couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit proud. After all, praising her younger brother was, in a way, praising her.
But then the old woman’s tone shifted, a hint of coldness creeping into her voice.
“Little girl, heed this old one’s advice. The black saber has not yet been unsheathed. If you can offer this person’s soul as a sacrifice to the saber…”
“Shut up!”
Mu Sanniang’s voice was colder than ever before.
She interrupted the old woman, her expressionless face stating, “If you dare mention this matter to me again, I will throw you back into that river.”
The girl’s expression was not feigned. Compared to her younger brother, nothing else seemed to matter.
Within the sea of consciousness, the semi-transparent old woman’s expression flickered.
She had waited in vain for nearly a hundred years, only to finally find such a ‘suitable’ candidate. If they fell out now, she didn’t know when the next opportunity would arise.
The old woman coughed lightly and quickly chuckled, “It’s nothing, nothing, little doll, don’t be anxious. I was merely offering a suggestion.”
“Moreover, since ancient times, those who forge their own path have always ascended upon a pile of white bones. What does a brother with no blood relation matter when compared to the temptation of attaining immortality?”
After the old woman finished speaking, she saw the girl sit up from the bed, prepared to leave without hesitation.
Alarmed, knowing the girl might be about to do something rash, she hurriedly tried to dissuade her, “Wait, wait, don’t rush, and absolutely do not do anything foolish. It would be easy for you to discard me, but do you still wish to improve your cultivation in the future?”
This last sentence made Mu Sanniang pause.
Seeing this, the old woman breathed a sigh of relief and struck while the iron was hot, “I know your bond with your brother is deep. I wasn’t forcing you to kill him to sacrifice to the saber. We can discuss things, we can discuss. Young people shouldn’t act too impulsively, right?”
The evening breeze blew, causing the girl’s thin dress to flutter slightly.
Her expression was one of extreme coldness.
After a long moment, two words slowly escaped her lips.
“This is the last time.”
With those words, the girl turned and returned to her room.
The house returned to silence, disturbed only by the faint chirping of insects in the forest.
And the gaze of doubt from the figure in the red dress.
She muttered to herself.
“No…”
“Did I just misperceive something?”
Jiang Qiuchi’s eyes flickered. She didn’t rush forward but instead moved, disappearing into the forest within a few breaths.
Her cultivation had already reached the Golden Core stage.
And she was always known for her keen spiritual perception, so it was impossible for her to be mistaken.
Therefore, the one who had made a mistake could only be the girl in the house.
With this thought, a smile of unknown meaning spread across Jiang Qiuchi’s lips.
…
…
After that small interlude, Chen An’s life at the Tai Xuan Sect returned to its calm routine.
Every day, he alternated between cultivation and searching for his older sister.
However, the one thing that puzzled Chen An was the change in Mu Sanniang.
She had started taking on more and more missions assigned by the outer sect, and they were almost all demon-slaying missions.
If Chen An didn’t know her personality, he would have thought she was some righteous female knight who abhorred evil…
It wasn’t just him; even other disciples in the outer sect were surprised by Mu Sanniang’s transformation.
In the past, the girl was reclusive and low-key, rarely attracting attention unless someone sought to feel superior by picking on her.
But in recent days, every time she appeared at the Outer Sect’s office, she was always carrying a blood-stained long sword and a bag full of demonic beast heads.
She was there to submit her mission report.
…
The Outer Sect’s office of the Tai Xuan Sect.
Under the astonished gazes of many, the girl walked expressionlessly before the steward.
Her blue dress was stained a deep crimson with blood, now dried and darkened.
She placed a bulging bag, still oozing blood, onto the table.
The steward frowned and reached out to open the bag.
Inside, a large tiger’s head was revealed. Its eyes were wide, its features ferocious, undoubtedly a powerful overlord in life. Now, its head was separated from its body, lifeless and silent.
The steward recognized it as a demonic beast of Qi Cultivation Level 3. Glancing at the girl, he confirmed she was still only at Qi Cultivation Level 2, and his heart couldn’t help but leap in surprise.
Good heavens, not only was she hunting demonic beasts that were a higher level than her, but she was doing it solo!
He took a deep breath and, without further words, simply followed protocol, retrieving ten low-grade spirit stones, placing them in a pouch, and handing it over.
The girl’s dark hair danced as she silently and efficiently turned to leave.
Around them, the onlookers who had gathered to watch the spectacle quickly made way for the girl.
Mu Sanniang didn’t walk too far, as a slender figure stood a short distance away, waiting quietly.
The young man wore a smile, occasionally waving away female cultivators who attempted to approach him.
Seeing this, Mu Sanniang unconsciously quickened her pace.
Combined with her cold expression and blood-splattered appearance, she instantly terrified the persistent female cultivators, who hastily found an excuse and departed.
The young man looked up, the sound drawing his attention. He paid no mind to the bloodstains on her or the strange looks from others.
He simply stepped forward and tightly embraced Mu Sanniang.
His voice carried a hint of complaint.
“Sister, next time you do something like this, you can’t keep it from me.”
“I’ll be very worried.”
Hearing this, Mu Sanniang lowered her light blue eyes, her eyelashes trembling. Instinctively, she licked the boy’s neck with her tongue.
It was a little salty.
She didn’t dislike it. She figured she wouldn’t dislike anything that came from her younger brother.
Mu Sanniang looked up and saw the boy’s somewhat dazed expression.
Not long ago, when her younger brother wanted to kiss her, he had to stand on tiptoe.
Now, the boy’s body had grown rapidly, and he was already a little taller than her.
Mu Sanniang offered no explanation, only a soft hum.
“Thank you, little brother.”
She said in a low voice.
…
Over the next two to three months, Mu Sanniang did not stop her actions.
The demonic beasts near South Mountain were almost entirely wiped out by her alone.
There were no more rumors of demonic beasts causing trouble at the foot of the mountain.
Mu Sanniang’s name became increasingly well-known in the Tai Xuan Sect’s outer sect.
With such significant achievements, even if she wanted to keep a low profile, it would be impossible.
The strength of these demonic beasts was not high, mostly concentrated around Qi Cultivation Level 3 and 4.
If disciples from the Tai Xuan Sect’s inner sect had taken action, they could have achieved similar results, but few would be willing to do so.
Everyone was content cultivating on the mountain. As long as the demonic beasts didn’t initiate conflict or commit heinous acts, the Tai Xuan Sect generally turned a blind eye, leaving the demon-extermination missions to the outer sect as a form of training for their disciples.
But this was Mu Sanniang!
The “freeloader” in everyone’s impression, a “useless” person who had cultivated for seven years and was only at Qi Cultivation Level 2!
If not for her genius younger brother looking out for her, she would have likely been expelled from the sect long ago.
Or rather, without her younger brother, she probably wouldn’t have been able to enter the Tai Xuan Sect at all.
Yet, Mu Sanniang had accomplished the impossible.
With her Qi Cultivation Level 2 cultivation, and without the company of any fellow disciples, she single-handedly slew twenty-seven demonic beasts near South Mountain.
Among them, the weakest demonic beast was no less than Qi Cultivation Level 3, and the strongest was a Scarlet Ghost Azure Leopard at Qi Cultivation Level 5.
Killing enemies three realms above her own sent shockwaves throughout the entire Tai Xuan Sect’s outer sect!
