Mirror Flower Valley.
“Master, are you feeling any better?” Gao Qiumin looked at Su Ningzhen with concern.
Su Ningzhen’s face was ashen. In just a month, she seemed to have aged twenty years, with gray hair appearing at her temples and deeper wrinkles around her eyes. Gao Qiumin had always held Su Ningzhen in high regard since childhood. After losing her family, she viewed Su Ningzhen as her only support. Seeing Su Ningzhen aging rapidly filled her heart with pain and a sense of hopeless abandonment.
Su Ningzhen’s bony fingers grasped Gao Qiumin’s wrist. She took a deep breath before asking, “Qiu’er, how is your progress with the Spring Life Technique?”
Gao Qiumin lowered her head in shame. “I’ve reached the fifth level.”
Su Ningzhen frowned slightly. “That’s slow. Back then, Ningxi reached the fifth level in less than half a year, while you’ve taken over a decade… However, she was a Yuan Yin Mystic Maiden, naturally gifted beyond ordinary people. Although you’re her daughter, but…” She paused, seemingly lost in thought, her breathing becoming labored as she broke into a violent cough.
Gao Qiumin rubbed her back and offered her a cup of thick, black medicinal brew that emitted a bitter scent. Su Ningzhen drank it without flinching, then took a moment to regulate her breathing before it stabilized somewhat.
In recent days, Su Ningzhen had secluded herself, entrusting all valley affairs to Gao Qiumin. Gao Qiumin was now the acting sect leader, but everyone knew that Su Ningzhen had decided to pass the position of Valley Master to her. However, Gao Qiumin’s cultivation level was too low. In the cultivation world, Golden Core cultivators were as common as dogs. At twenty years old with only a Golden Core cultivation, she could not command respect.
Mirror Flower Valley wasn’t Su Ningzhen’s alone, and her insistence on this decision would surely face strong opposition from the council of elders. In the past two days, some friendly elders had come to discuss this privately, but Su Ningzhen calmly told them that within a month, Gao Qiumin would reach the Nascent Soul realm.
She had just entered the Golden Core stage half a year ago, and if she could break through to Nascent Soul within half a year, it would prove her extraordinary talent and great potential to serve as Valley Master. The elders found Su Ningzhen’s words reasonable but also believed it impossible. They agreed to her wager: if Gao Qiumin could advance to Nascent Soul within a month, they would allow her to succeed as Valley Master.
However, they didn’t understand why Su Ningzhen, whose injury wasn’t so severe, was in such a hurry to pass on the position to Gao Qiumin.
Only Gao Qiumin knew the truth. Within this month, Su Ningzhen had transferred her lifelong cultivation to her. She had already broken through to Nascent Soul a few days ago but kept it secret.
“Master, you’re so weak now. What if Sang Qi invades Mirror Flower Valley?” Gao Qiumin’s face was filled with worry.
Su Ningzhen laughed coldly. “Even at my peak, I couldn’t withstand a single move from him. Whether it’s good or bad makes no difference now. Since he’s alive and determined to take revenge, I’m destined to die. If I can pass on my cultivation to you before I die, my life won’t be in vain.”
Seeing Su Ningzhen’s resolve to die, Gao Qiumin felt a surge of grief. With tears in her eyes, she knelt.
Su Ningzhen gazed down at Gao Qiumin’s bowed head as if seeing that person through her. Gao Qiumin didn’t resemble her at all. Perhaps because she grew up without a mother, raised by Gao Fengxu, she was arrogant and proud. Her talent wasn’t as good as her sister’s, and her personality didn’t take after her either…
Su Ningzhen closed her eyes with a sigh. As soon as she did, she saw Su Ningxi’s face and smile. She knew she was close to death, and perhaps because of this, the images of the past became clearer. She dreamed of Su Ningxi every night.
She and Ningxi were twin sisters, but from a young age, she knew Ningxi was different. They were born into a poor farming family during a famine year. With too many children to feed, everyone was starving, their eyes sunken and blue. She still remembered how their father looked at them as if he wanted to eat them. It was their mother who desperately held him back, saying something that made him nod hesitantly. A few days later, they were exchanged for another family.
When she grew up, she learned that this was called “exchanging children for food,” the bottom line of human nature when facing death.
What a laughable bottom line.
That year, she and Ningxi were four years old when they were tied up, ready to be cooked. Ningxi was clever and managed to escape, pulling her as they ran desperately through the tall, withered grass. She could only see the yellow shadows and Ningxi’s small, thin back.
“Sister, I’m hungry. I can’t run anymore…”
“A’Zhen, keep running, or we’ll die!”
She collapsed to the ground, dizzy and weak. Ningxi crouched down, supporting her with her small, frail shoulders, and carried her on her back as they ran forward, always running… Behind them was a group of vicious man-eating monsters. Ningxi carried her as they fled, accidentally rolling down a hillside. Ningxi held her tightly in her arms as they tumbled down, and she lost consciousness. When she woke up, it was pitch black. Ningxi lay in a pool of blood, covered in wounds, her head having hit a large rock, her hair soaked with blood.
She hugged Ningxi and cried loudly, hearing Ningxi’s weak voice: “A’Zhen, I… I’m fine…”
How could she be fine with such severe injuries? But Ningxi truly didn’t die. She was just very weak, and her wounds healed quickly. In just a few days, she recovered, though there were still some strange things – she said she could see many things glowing.
It was then that she learned Ningxi’s secrets. First, Ningxi couldn’t find her way. Second, Ningxi’s hands could revive dead flowers and plants.
They narrowly escaped from the cannibals, but two four-year-old girls could hardly survive in such a world, always at risk of being eaten. They hid in the mountains and forests. Her body was weaker than Ningxi’s, always sickly, only able to lie in a cave waiting for Ningxi to return with food.
Ningxi didn’t dare to go too far, afraid she couldn’t find her way back. She could only plant fruits and vegetables near the cave. Her hands had a strange power – any seed she planted would grow at an incredible speed, quickly blooming and bearing fruit. A peach pit buried tonight would flower and fruit in less than seven days. Though young, she knew this was a miracle. Ningxi excitedly said they wouldn’t go hungry anymore. They lived on fruits and vegetables, and after eating those fruits, her body gradually improved.
But they still didn’t dare let anyone know about Ningxi’s amazing ability. Ningxi said if bad people found out, they would capture them and force her to grow things constantly.
Ningxi was smarter and stronger than her from a young age. Born together, they relied on each other in an era when human nature had fallen. They were each other’s only support and the only people they could trust. They depended on each other for survival, living in the wilderness for many years, until one day, a group of flying people entered the forest and discovered them.
A woman with a noble appearance and imposing aura picked one of the peaches Ningxi had grown and said puzzlingly, “How can there be such a spirit-rich fruit tree in this barren wilderness?”
Her gaze fell upon the two of them, and she suddenly grabbed Ningxi, placing her right hand on Ningxi’s forehead. She gasped, her eyes filled 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 softened as she crouched down to look Ningxi in the eye, saying gently, “Good child, how old are you? What’s your name?”
Ningxi looked at her warily, hesitating for a moment before saying, “My name is Xixi, I’m eight years old.”
“Xixi? I am the Valley Master of Mirror Flower Valley. Would you like to come back to Mirror Flower Valley with me? I will take you as my disciple, teach you cultivation and magic. You can live without worrying about food or clothing, and even achieve immortality and the ability to fly and burrow through the earth.” She spoke enticingly.
Ningxi glanced back at her sister and said, “I want to stay with my sister.”
Only then did the Valley Master look at Su Ningzhen, nodding in realization.
“Very well, you two can become my disciples together. Your sister will be well taken care of.”
They were brought back to Mirror Flower Valley by the Valley Master, thus beginning their journey on the path of cultivation. The Valley Master of Mirror Flower Valley gave them new names.
Su Ningxi, Su Ningzhen.
“Sister, that Valley Master doesn’t look like a good person. Is she trying to capture you to grow things?” She whispered, “Do we have to go to that Mirror Flower Valley?”
Ningxi said, “We can’t run away, she can fly… A’Zhen, I think we should go to Mirror Flower Valley and see.”
“I’m scared.” She thought of how those people fought, seeing someone die before her eyes made her tremble uncontrollably.
Ningxi hugged her tightly, gently patting her back and saying, “Don’t be afraid, A’Zhen. Sister will always protect you. We’ll never be apart.”
“Never be apart…”
Her anxious and fearful heart calmed down because of her words.
She and Ningxi were twin sisters. They had never been apart since before birth, and she believed they would never be apart in the future.
She always thought so, until one day, Ningxi said, “A’Zhen, I have to go. I promised Sang Qi I would be with him.”
“But you promised me we’d never be apart!”
“A’Zhen, you’ve grown up. You don’t need sister’s protection anymore…” Ningxi gently stroked her head, just like when they were little. “You’ve always been strong. I don’t know when it started, but you became the one protecting me. Mirror Flower Valley has become your home. After I leave, 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 got hurt trying to protect me, like when we were little…
Ningxi smiled, her eyes moist and glistening. “Of course I know that. You’re my best sister. But A’Zhen, I really can’t let go of Sang Qi… Can you forgive your sister?”
“If you betray Mirror Flower Valley, Master won’t let you and Sang Qi go. And Gao Fengxu will send people to hunt you down. Sister, is it worth doing this for a half-demon?”
“I want to go 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 no longer believed her. Ningxi had been bewitched by a half-demon, even abandoning the sister she had depended on for survival…
She wanted to correct Ningxi’s mistake but made a decision she would regret for the rest of her life. She thought hating Sang Qi and blaming everything on him would allow her to ignore her own mistakes, but the closer she came to death, the more she realized—
The one who killed Ningxi was her.
“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 brought Su Ningzhen back from her painful remorse.
“What are they here for?” Su Ningzhen’s voice sounded increasingly hoarse and aged.
Gao Qiumin’s expression was grim. “I don’t know… That Mu Xuanling is here too, along with the young master of Bixiao Palace, Fu Lansheng.”
Su Ningzhen was puzzled. With Gao Qiumin’s support, she stood up and slowly walked out.
The four visitors had been waiting in the Moon Banquet Hall. Before Su Ningzhen arrived, they heard footsteps outside but didn’t expect them to be hers, as they were too heavy and slow, resembling those of an elderly person. When they saw her wrinkles and white hair, Xie Xuechen and Nan Xuyue immediately understood something, while Fu Lansheng still looked shocked.
The last time they saw Su Ningzhen was just over two months ago when she appeared to be in her early thirties. Now she looked like she was in her fifties or sixties, with much less 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 asked, “May I know what urgent matter brings Sect Leader Xie and the others to Mirror Flower Valley? Has there been a change in the Demon Realm?”
Xie Xuechen said, “This matter might be related to Sang Qi. I request Valley Master Su to dismiss those not involved.”
Su Ningzhen frowned, her right hand clenching suddenly. She lowered her eyes, pondering 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 waved to the Mirror Flower Valley disciples present, who filed out.
Fu Lansheng wanted to stay, but Nan Xuyue grabbed his arm and led him out.
Gao Qiumin stopped beside Mu Xuanling, looking at her coldly. “Aren’t you leaving?”
Mu Xuanling looked at her with a complex expression, thinking about their possible blood relation made her feel uncomfortable…
“I must stay. This matter concerns me,” Mu Xuanling said.
Su Ningzhen cast a suspicious glance at Mu Xuanling, then looked at Xie Xuechen. Seeing him nod slightly, she said, “Then stay.”
Gao Qiumin pressed her stiff lips together, turned away angrily, and strode out.
Xie Xuechen waved his hand to set up a barrier, then asked directly, “Valley Master Su, how many children did Su Ningxi have?”
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 obtained a magical artifact that revealed a possible blood connection between Ling’er and Gao Qiumin.”
Su Ningzhen was 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 stared at her intently, hearing 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 room was filled with flowing light, too bright to look at directly…”
“Too bright to look at?” Xie Xuechen frowned. “So you didn’t see it with your own eyes.”
“I held Qiu’min in my arms myself. Isn’t that seeing with my own eyes?” Su Ningzhen irritably crushed the table corner, anger and dissatisfaction welling up inside 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 face alternating between red and white. Suddenly, she covered her mouth and coughed violently.
Mu Xuanling had been silently listening and observing. Unlike Xie Xuechen, she couldn’t hear Su Ningzhen’s heartbeat to judge her emotions, but she sensed something unusual from her expressions and behavior.
Something frightening must have happened when Su Ningxi gave birth, causing fear and pain in Su Ningzhen’s eyes. Her emotions and rationality were on the brink of losing control, but that secret remained sealed in her mouth. She almost said it but forcibly stopped herself.
At that time, Su Ningxi was already… what?
And what about the miraculous phenomenon when Gao Qiumin was born?
Seeing 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? Born with nine orifices was indeed extraordinary, but she had seen many exceptional people. Xie Xuechen, Nan Xuyue, Su Ningxi – these were the true prodigies, yet even they didn’t have such phenomena at birth. The room filled with light when Gao Qiumin was born had filled Gao Fengxu with expectations for this daughter, yet she only had nine orifices. He harbored a glimmer of hope that she might show more extraordinary qualities later, or inherit Su Ningxi’s Yuan Yin Mystic Maiden constitution. But after twenty years, Su Ningzhen hadn’t seen any more 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 thought, her brow furrowed.
“Valley Master Su, verifying the blood relation between Ling’er and Gao Qiumin wouldn’t be difficult. I know you don’t want Su Ningxi’s past to be 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 changed unpredictably. After a long while, she spoke in a hoarse voice, “Let me consider it. I’ll… give you an answer tomorrow. But this matter must not be known to others, including Qiu’min.”
Xie Xuechen and Mu Xuanling nodded solemnly in agreement. Then they saw Su Ningzhen hurriedly leave the Moon Banquet Hall, seeming very urgent.
Mu Xuanling watched Su Ningzhen’s hastily departing figure and said in a deep voice, “For Su Ningzhen to agree to a blood test, something strange must have happened when Su Ningxi gave birth, causing even Su Ningzhen to have doubts. Looking at her confused and urgent expression, it seems she’s remembered something extremely important and wants to verify it.”
“We’ll have the results tomorrow. There’s no need to overthink it,” Xie Xuechen said, noticing the worry hidden in Mu Xuanling’s eyes. He took her slightly cold small hand in his, interlocking their fingers. “Whatever the result, I’ll be with you.”
Su Ningzhen searched urgently alone in a dim secret room. The bookshelves were densely packed with ancient texts. With trembling hands, she pulled out books one by one, seeking an answer.
Many ancient texts were already scattered on the floor when she finally found the one she wanted. Shaking, she opened the book and quickly 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 the 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 holding the ancient text trembled and turned white. She stared fixedly at that page, and in a flash, seemed to understand 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 was a knock at the door behind her. Gao Qiumin called out “Master” with concern and entered quietly. Seeing Su Ningzhen pale-faced and trembling on 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 on 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 more. “Why are you here?”
Gao Qiumin said, “I was worried about your health… And… Master, I just remembered Mu Xuanling’s identity.”
“Oh?” Su Ningzhen’s eyebrows raised, a glint 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 clothes, concealed our auras, and took her to divert the demon army’s pursuit. I guess that’s why she was taken 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 be whipped fifty times for stealing clothes from a noble guest. Later, when the demon army attacked Mingyue Manor at night, the elders grabbed a scapegoat. That demon slave happened to have a similar height and build to her, so she 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, looking like 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 remember 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 fetch paper and pen. 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 had seen 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 showed 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…”