"Why? You know they're lying to you," Su Luowei asked, confusion evident on her face.
Even if resurrection wasn't a scam, Su Luowei thought that sacrificing innocent lives to bring someone back to life was too horrifying.
Meng Shuying gave her a meaningful look and asked, "Senior Sister... Have you ever had someone you cared deeply about?"
Su Luowei was taken aback by the question. After some reflection, she realized that she had never truly cared deeply for anyone.
No close family ties, no deep friendships, no romantic love. Nothing.
Her mother had passed away when she was young, and her father, busy with work and not good with words, remarried during her high school years. The stepmother treated her well enough, but they weren't close.
She had a few friends during her school years, people she could hang out with on weekends, but none she could call close. After graduation, they naturally drifted apart.
As for work, the colleagues she was on good terms with only interacted with her for work-related matters.
Romance... was a complete blank.
It was strange.
She was pretty, kind, and a good student. Throughout school and even in her professional life, she never lacked suitors.
But over the years, she had never been moved by anyone.
In fact, when she tried to recall the faces of those who had pursued her, they had already become blurry in her memory.
Oh, not just those suitors. Even her colleagues, old friends, her father, and her stepmother—they all seemed like distant memories to her.
As if they were from another lifetime.
Seeing Su Luowei deep in thought, Meng Shuying assumed she had indeed cared for someone else and felt a coldness creeping into her heart.
"If you've had someone you cared deeply about, then you should understand that nothing else matters compared to that person."
The young cultivator spoke with a serious tone, "The sect, cultivation, lives—they don't matter."
Meng Shuying had believed this for a long time.
Back when she was young, she had to work hard every day, carefully watching her father's and sister's moods just to survive.
She had often fantasized about what life would be like if her mother were still alive.
If her mother were still there, she should have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, a soft bed to sleep in, and books to read.
But even if she didn't have those things, and everyone else hated her, it wouldn't matter.
As long as her mother loved her and was willing to hold her in her arms.
For that, she was willing to pay any price.
She had knelt in temples, praying to the gods, offering her own life in exchange, just for a chance to bring her mother back to life.
But her prayers went unanswered. Among all the gods and Buddhas, none came to save her.
The one who had reached out to her, who had brought her out of the darkness into the light, was her Senior Sister.
So, anyone could die, except for her Senior Sister.
And that "anyone" included herself.
The things that Chuntan had done didn't seem so bad to Meng Shuying. She even thought that if it weren't a scam, Chuntan's actions were too slow. How long would it take to revive her loved one at that pace?
But her true thoughts were something she could never let her Senior Sister know. Her Senior Sister was too kind, and if she knew how dark her heart was, she would be terrified.
Luckily, over the years, Meng Shuying had become skilled at hiding her true self, almost instinctively.
Ever since she had first come to Yanmo Peak, she had gradually learned how to display the qualities that would earn her Senior Sister's sympathy and thereby get what she needed. She was always cautious around her Senior Sister, behaving with utmost restraint, putting all her effort into pleasing her.
She knew what flavors Su Luowei liked, what teas she preferred, and what kind of person she trusted. So she shaped herself to fit that mold.
Her feelings for Su Luowei were both sincere and calculated.
In the past, her weak cultivation created a vast gap between them, so she buried these thoughts deep within.
But now, she was different.
While Meng Shuying appeared calm, her heart was in turmoil. She secretly observed Su Luowei's reaction, trying to figure out who it was that her Senior Sister cared about.
After reflecting carefully, Su Luowei was certain she had never experienced such intense emotions and shook her head.
"No, I've never had such strong feelings for anyone."
Meng Shuying felt the storm in her heart subside, and she even smiled slightly. She reached out with a finger to hook onto Su Luowei's sleeve, speaking with a hint of playful affection, "What about me? Does Senior Sister not care about me?"
Su Luowei didn't know how to respond and instinctively avoided the question.
"Regardless, taking innocent lives for selfish reasons is wrong."
Although Meng Shuying had stayed under her watchful eye for three years, and Su Luowei believed she was kind and just, she couldn't help but recall the depiction of Meng Shuying in the original novel.
In the original story, Meng Shuying wasn't someone who showed mercy.
She killed 'Su Luowei,' killed 'Xie Hanzhu,' and killed 'Min Lanmeng.' She even broke the Demon Seal and deliberately released the demons.
Because of her, the human world was plunged into chaos and suffering.
Su Luowei suddenly felt a wave of panic.
Meng Shuying still hadn't completely escaped the troubles of her past in this life. With Qionghua Peak, Jiang Ye, and Min Lanmeng, she had been forced to leave the sect and wander the world. During the ten years she couldn't be with her, did Meng Shuying grow into someone she no longer recognized?
What if she wasn't as kind as she appeared, and had still followed the path laid out for her by Qionghua Peak?
Su Luowei didn't dare to think about it.
Ignoring the system's warnings, she grabbed Meng Shuying's hand, holding it tightly. She stared into her deep eyes, trying to etch her current appearance into her mind.
"Meng Shuying, I want you to promise me, no matter what happens, you must never harm the innocent."
Meng Shuying had been calmly meeting her gaze, even smiling.
But as soon as she heard those words, the smile faded from her eyes.
For a moment, Meng Shuying's heart pounded rapidly. She almost believed that Su Luowei had somehow found out about all the things she had done over the years to increase her cultivation.
But she quickly regained her composure, lowering her gaze and attempting to change the subject, "Why is Senior Sister suddenly saying this?"
Her hesitation to immediately agree made Su Luowei anxious. She stopped walking, turned to face her, and took her other hand, holding them both tightly.
"Meng Shuying..." Su Luowei's voice trembled slightly, "Promise me."
Meng Shuying kept her eyes downcast, thinking for a long time. The seconds ticked by, and Su Luowei felt her heart sinking deeper and deeper, just about to fall into despair when she suddenly heard a soft "Hmm" from Meng Shuying.
"Since it's Senior Sister's request, I will do it." Her voice was light, but Su Luowei's heart suddenly felt relieved.
Even in the original story, where Meng Shuying committed countless wrongs, she was someone who kept her promises.
If she had agreed, she would follow through.
"But I also have a request, and I hope Senior Sister will agree to it." Meng Shuying lifted her gaze, her eyes lingering on Su Luowei's face. "I hope that no matter what happens, Senior Sister will stay by my side."
"What kind of request is that?" Su Luowei chuckled, releasing her hand and continuing to walk alongside her.
But Meng Shuying wasn't satisfied.
A playful hand reached out, her pinky finger lightly brushing against Su Luowei's hand. Su Luowei gently shook her hand but didn't pull away.
"Senior Sister is so heartless, tricking me into agreeing, and now you want to ignore me."
Su Luowei glanced at her, finding it amusing. "When did I trick you?"
She had simply been direct about her request, expressing her thoughts. Although she had felt uneasy when Meng Shuying hesitated, she realized that Meng Shuying had never refused her before. Even if she hadn't agreed immediately, Su Luowei knew she would eventually find a way to make her agree.
Why was she so confident?
Perhaps it was because, in Fox Valley, she once again saw through Meng Shuying's heart.
Even when wounded, Meng Shuying was determined to protect her.
Being favored gives one confidence.
"Then be kind, and trick me some more," Meng Shuying said playfully, her knuckles lightly tapping Su Luowei's hand. Then she slowly spread her fingers, capturing Su Luowei's hand in her own.
Su Luowei's eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't resist.
Chuntan's story had affected her, Su Luowei thought.
It made her want to cherish the time she had left with Meng Shuying.
Down the mountain, it was spring. The path was lined with peach trees, their blossoms in full bloom.
As the spring breeze scattered petals from the branches, Su Luowei thought she heard the person beside her say,
"Senior Sister, no matter what happens, don't leave me."
The officials needed to take Chuntan's body back to the city lord's mansion and make arrangements for the aftermath, so they parted ways after returning to the city.
Early the next morning, a group of noisy servants from the city lord's mansion arrived to invite them to a banquet. They said that the four immortals had helped solve a major case in Fuxiao City, and the city lord was extremely grateful. He had set up a banquet at his home and invited them to attend in the evening.
Xie Hanzhu, holding the gold-embossed invitation, barged into Su Luowei's room without knocking.
Having been punished by the system again the previous night, Su Luowei had only lain down at dawn, so she was fully dressed when Xie Hanzhu barged in. However, the weariness in her brows couldn't be hidden no matter how hard she tried.
"Senior Sister, should we go?" Xie Hanzhu shook the invitation, the noise making Su Luowei's head throb even more. She couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose. "Of course we should go. Sheng Ruiming is my father's disciple. He's injured, and I should go visit him out of courtesy."
Not to mention that he was most likely injured by Meng Shuying.
At that moment, Meng Shuying and Wen Miaomiao entered the room one after the other. Xie Hanzhu glanced at Meng Shuying, her tone a bit snarky, "We asked you to move up to the fourth floor, but you didn't want to. Now, if we want to discuss something, Wen Shimei has to go get you."
Wen Miaomiao replied, "It's not a problem. It's just one floor; a few steps are nothing."
Xie Hanzhu pursed her lips, looking a bit unhappy.
Earlier, she had suggested using their divine sense to inform Meng Shuying, but Wen Miaomiao had said it wasn't proper and insisted on going to fetch her personally.
Although using divine sense to call a Golden Core cultivator could be seen as a challenge, Xie Hanzhu thought they were close enough not to worry about such trivialities.
She had her thoughts but didn't dare say them aloud in front of Wen Miaomiao.
Among the entire Yanmo Peak, if anyone was known for following the rules, Wen Miaomiao was unmatched. Xie Hanzhu had thought Su Luowei was strict enough, but Wen Miaomiao was even more so.
Oh no, she wasn't just strict—she was the embodiment of rules. Xie Hanzhu often wondered if Wen Miaomiao was the spirit of the stone tablet in front of Mingguang Palace, the one engraved with all the sect's rules.
It would explain how Wen Miaomiao knew every rule by heart and adhered to them strictly in her every word and action.