Qin Wanwan could be a bright woman at times. Had it not been for the fact that there was not a fourth person around at that time, Wen Ran would have wondered if Qin Wanwan had actually witnessed the situation at the time.
To put it bluntly, Qin Wanwan could only make herself feel better after venting her anger.
And under the pressure of being 'saved' and by virtue of being 'Shen Wu's fiancée', Wen Ran would have been viewed as a heartless person if she just sat by and did nothing when something happened to Shen Wu.
Wen Ran's face paled slightly to reveal a look of lingering fear. She said, "That devil used us to threaten Eldest Senior Brother into letting it go, but it then took the opportunity to sneak an attack on Eldest Senior Brother and take his life. Eldest Senior Brother had no other choice in that situation."
"Does Susu deserve to die, then?"
Wen Ran had already lost her patience when dealing with Qin Wanwan. She looked up and laughed. "Have you forgotten that I'm Eldest Senior Brother's fiancée, Concubine Qin? He acted subconsciously in that situation. Let's be honest, if he had saved me instead of Qin Susu, do you think you'll still be Old Wen's wife?"
Qin Wanwan was rendered speechless.
Everyone knew how much Wen Xun treasured his daughter, Wen Ran. If the person who had been involved in the accident was Wen Ran, then the surviving Qin Susu would definitely receive the undeserved brunt of anger, and that was not all. Qin Wanwan might even be kicked out of the house if that happened.
"I heard that Old Wen sent a large number of rare items to you after what happened to Susu," Wen Ran continued.
From another perspective, she wanted to end the matter while she had the upper hand so no one would have to keep pulling a long face.
Qin Wanwan gritted her teeth and recalled the first time she was brought back by Wen Xun. Back then, she viewed Wen Ran as nothing more than an insignificant little girl.
Wen Xun can dote on Wen Ran all he liked, but as long as Qin Wanwan gave birth to a son, it was almost certain that Wen Ran would have to make way.
Little did she expect that she would remain childless even after so many years had passed. Moreover, not once did she ever gain the upper hand after countless confrontations over the years.
Qin Wanwan forced a smile and said, "What are you talking about, Wen Ran? I'm not that unreasonable a person. I can't blame you for what happened when everything has been explained clearly. I'm well aware that it was a very tense situation. I just felt a little too heartbroken over what happened to Susu. You understand how I feel, don't you?"
"Of course I do. Don't worry, Concubine Qin. I'll still take care of you when you get old even if Susu is no longer around."
Qin Wanwan's expression changed again. As an ordinary person who could not cultivate, death was the one thing she feared and hated most. However, she could not blame Wen Ran either or else she would leave the impression of looking for trouble.
Qin Wanwan forced a smile."I'm not feeling well, so I'll head back and get some rest."
No one kept her.
As soon as she left, the other disciples heaved a sigh of relief. Their master was exceptional at everything except women.
"We still have homework to do, Junior Sister," Yan Qing said. "I'll leave Eldest Senior Brother in your care." As he said that, he glanced at the others and they all tacitly followed Yan Qing and left. At that point, only Shen Wu and Wen Ran were left.
Wen Ran thought to herself that those guys did not have to try and act 'smart', but her group of senior and junior brothers all left so quickly that she did not have the chance to stop them.
Just as she was thinking of an excuse to escape, she suddenly heard Shen Wu's elegant voice, "Do you blame me, Ranran?"
"What?" When Wen Ran looked at Shen Wu's grief-tainted eyes, she felt for a moment that she had become one of those heartless girl who played with people's feelings.
Shen Wu was never good with words. He lowered his eyes as his eyelashes trembled slightly. Seemingly unable to hold himself back anymore, he raised his eyes again and said, "I've been worried sick about you this whole time."
Every junior brother had come to visit Shen Wu, but she had never once came to see him. He was under the belief that she was unwell, but it seemed to have recovered long ago.
Shen Wu asked again, "Do you blame me for failing to save Junior Sister Qin and causing her to die?"
Other than Qin Wanwan, everyone else felt that Shen Wu's made the right decision to save Wen Ran. It was Shen Wu himself who could not get past that barrier.
Seeing a young and innocent life disappearing in front of his eyes was a huge blow to him.
Wen Ran used to be very satisfied with her perfect marriage partner, Shen Wu. She could also feel that Qin Susu had the same feelings for Shen Wu and so frequently pestered Shen Wu to anger Qin susu.
Although they were engaged, Shen Wu seemed to treat her the same as he did to other people, with the addition of being a little more patient with Wen Ran.
Why, then, did he look as if he had been hurt by her?
Their relationship was never that deep!
Wen Ran tried to be more polite. "I don't blame you. Like what the others have said, Qin Susu's death isn't... Well, to put it another way, I guess you can only call it an accident. To be honest, I'm very grateful that you chose to save me. Don't burden yourself so much. Qin Susu could have been lucky and survived. What if fate had other plans in store for her?"
Shen Wu's eyes curved slightly as he let out a shallow smile. "Thank you for comforting me, Ranran."
A gust of wind blew past and Wen Ran saw Shen Wu taking a step closer to her. She subconsciously retreated and avoided his outstretched hand.
Shen Wu's hand stopped in mid-air and there seemed to be a strange atmosphere.
He slowly retracted his hand and lowered his gaze to look at her and hid his loneliness."I just wanted to brush away a fallen leaf on your shoulder."
Wen Ran looked down. There was indeed a leaf on her shoulder, which she brushed away with a raise of her hand. She smiled and said, "Thanks for the thought, Eldest Senior Brother."
"Ranran, are you afraid of me?"
"Why would I be?" Wen Ran immediately retorted and continued to speak from the bottom of her heart. "You're a man of integrity, righteousness, and selflessness, Eldest Senior Brother. You taught our junior brothers in the Immortal Ascension Manor and you can also kill demons and devils outside of it. What reason do I have to be afraid of you?"
Shen Wu looked at her quietly for some time before suddenly saying, "Will what happened to Junior Sister Qin be some sort of barrier for us?."
"Of course not. I've never had a good relationship with her anyway."
"If that's the case, were you scared when I kicked her off the cliff that day?"
"I'm a brave person. I won't get scared that easily..." Wen Ran froze instinctively after saying that.
The cold young immortal master suddenly curved his lips and his temperament suddenly changed.
Shen Wu's bright eyes seemed to be filled with warmth and his smile was gentle yet moving. His delicate voice seemed to be laced with firmness as he said, "You do remember what happened that day."