Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Story

“Now, can we have a proper conversation?” These words echoed in Wu Xier’s ears, and only then did she realize that Shen Qingyun hadn’t been unable to defeat her—just that single move, making her vanish, was enough to leave her utterly helpless.

“Yes, we can,” Wu Xier replied with a bitter smile.

Shen Qingyun gave a faint smile and dismissed the halberd in his hand. He walked over to Wu Xier, and at that moment, Fuping and the others also approached.

The way they looked at Shen Qingyun had completely changed; the previous scorn was gone, replaced by awe and fear.

“Are you… perhaps a powerful cultivator in disguise?” Fuping looked at Shen Qingyun and spoke softly.

Though her words sounded ridiculous, perhaps only such an explanation could make sense of what had happened—slaying a great demon of the Spirit Aspect Realm, easily matching Wu Xier at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and crushing Wang Can.

As for Wang Can’s fate, none of them felt the slightest sympathy; if anything, there was a trace of schadenfreude.

Faced with Fuping’s guess, Shen Qingyun merely smiled, neither confirming nor denying. They could think what they liked.

After casually dealing with the four’s curious questions, Shen Qingyun finally looked at Wu Xier, who kept her head lowered, and asked, “I need a quiet place. Do you have any recommendations?”

Wu Xier was taken aback. “If you need somewhere quiet, where no one ever comes, I do know a place.”

Shen Qingyun nodded. “Then let’s go wherever you suggest.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Who else?”

Wu Xier bit her lip gently and glanced unconsciously in the direction of Ling Xiao, only to find he had left at some point. She could only turn her gaze to Fuping and the others…

Catching Wu Xier’s glance, Fuping immediately slapped her forehead. “I almost forgot, there’s something very important we haven’t done yet. Senior Sister Wu, you two have a good chat!”

The four of them reached a tacit understanding in an instant, and as they left, they even tossed Wu Xier a look of encouragement.

Only those with a deep enough friendship would dare behave this way; had it been anyone else, Wu Xier would have “entertained” them properly long ago.

Shen Qingyun remained expressionless, for he knew someone had clearly misunderstood.

After a moment to compose herself, Wu Xier resumed her usual demeanor and said coolly to Shen Qingyun, “Follow me.”

Shen Qingyun raised an eyebrow and followed her.

The entire time, not one person spared Wang Can a glance. The defeated are neither remembered nor paid any attention.

Wang Can’s face was dark, spiritual energy churning around him before finally settling. Hatred surged in his eyes.

“Shen Qingyun, I’ll make you kneel and beg me for mercy one day!”

“And Wu Xier—sooner or later, you’ll submit beneath me of your own accord!”

…

Shen Qingyun looked at Wu Xier, whose expression was somewhat odd. “The quiet, isolated place you mentioned… is your cultivation cave?”

It was simply furnished, but a faint, lingering feminine fragrance filled the air. Yet Wu Xier could enter freely—whose cave could it be but hers?

No matter what Wu Xier was like in the past, inviting someone she barely knew into her private quarters was unprecedented.

It wasn’t that she was shy; Wu Xier cared little for such details. It just felt strange…

“I have two caves—one where I live, and this one, for my usual cultivation. As long as I’m here, no one would dare disturb me.”

Shen Qingyun shrugged indifferently. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have believed such words, but with Wu Xier, who could say…

He went straight to the point, sitting on a stone bench to the side and asking, “It’s simple. I just want to know what happened between you and Senior Brother Ling. What’s your story?”

Wu Xier’s expression grew distant; she hesitated. “Can I choose not to say?”

“What do you think?”

Wu Xier sighed softly, then walked toward the cave entrance. A shimmering barrier filled the opening—a ward, which, once activated, would let no one enter without the owner’s permission. From inside, one could see out, but not the other way around.

Looking at the scene outside, Wu Xier’s eyes flickered with the light of memory.

Shen Qingyun did not rush her and waited in silence.

“I liked him.”

Wu Xier suddenly spoke, and her very first words left Shen Qingyun stunned.

She went on, as if talking to herself, “He and I lived in the same city. We both belonged to the two great families of that city.”

“Ling Xiao was the city’s brightest genius, aloof and indifferent to all, making countless girls fall for him.” Wu Xier smiled. “I was one of them.”

“Originally, our paths were never meant to cross. But an accident brought us together, and gradually, I found that his coldness was reserved for outsiders. That made me even more hopelessly enamored.”

“But he was so dense about feelings; by the time he realized how I felt, it was already too late.”

Wu Xier lowered her head, sadness swirling in her eyes. “My family provoked a power we could never afford to offend, plunging us into crisis. To avoid dragging him into it, I rejected his confession—just as I did when I met him here on Bamboo Peak.”

“But I was happy—truly happy! Because he liked me too, perhaps not even as much as I liked him.”

“So what happened after that? From what I heard earlier, it sounds as if you crippled Senior Brother Ling. What happened?” Shen Qingyun asked as she drifted into memory.

Wu Xier answered slowly, “That came later. For my family, I entered Cangyun Sect. I never imagined he would join too.”

…

“When I earned the right to ascend the Path to Heaven, I was overjoyed—another step closer to saving my family! But I should have realized that if I could earn that right, so could he.”

“Before the trial, in front of all the disciples and elders, he confessed again. Honestly, I was happy—who wouldn’t be? To do so much for me, what more could I ask?”

A faint happiness lit Wu Xier’s lips, then faded.

“But I couldn’t accept it—not then. Still, I didn’t refuse outright, only said I’d answer after the trial.”

“After facing my heart during the Path to Heaven’s questioning, I understood myself better. For my family’s sake, I put my feelings last.”

“So, I crippled him.”

“I made him leave Cangyun Sect, to disappear from my sight forever. I thought that would bring me peace.”

“After that, rumors began to spread on Bamboo Peak that I was not to be provoked, or I’d cripple your cultivation and drive you from the sect. It’s just as well—if people pestered me, it would give me quite the headache!”

Then Wu Xier turned to Shen Qingyun, her smile bitter and beautiful. “Well, that’s my story.”

Shen Qingyun gazed at her for several breaths, then rose and said coolly, “I’ve learned all I wished to know. There’s nothing more to say.”

“I’ve already taught a lesson to those who harmed Senior Brother Su. For the sake of our shared sect, I held back, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. I hope to see true sincerity in their apologies.”

Wu Xier was momentarily surprised, but then she smiled. “I understand.”

Shen Qingyun nodded and walked to the cave entrance, then paused and asked quietly, “If he did so much for you, why can’t you face your feelings and accept him?”

Wu Xier gave a self-mocking smile. “Now, it’s even more impossible. I’m not worthy of him. He’s simply too outstanding—for me, being with him would only throw my heart into chaos.”