bookcurios Chapter 534 Jiang Liqian, I really hate you
Chapter 534 Jiang Liqian, I really hate you
When did the way he looked at her change?
Was it when she unexpectedly bumped into his arms, or in the misty mountains, that she reached out her hand to him?
Or perhaps she was so weak that even a low-level bat demon could kill her, yet at the last moment she resolutely lured away the brutal monster for him.
He thought that perhaps it was when he woke up from his coma and for the first time cared so much about someone's life or death, and was determined to find her regardless of everything, that he saw her push open the gray bamboo door in the sunlit courtyard, and the hem of her dress fluttering in the golden light, swirling gently past his eyes.
A glance that feels like an eternity—that's what heartache feels like.
"Hey, what's wrong with our boss lately? He's either spacing out or sitting there looking sullenly, and he's not going out to find work anymore!"
“Shh, keep your voice down!
"You didn't even notice? Brother Xian is..." His voice was very low, "...smitten!"
"Tempted?! What do you mean, 'tempted'? Boss, every girl I see is cold and disdainful; they completely ignore me!"
"That girl!"
"Which girl?"
"You really are stupid! That brat from the miscellaneous servants' peak, the one who bumped into Brother Xian! Even though Brother Xian was seriously injured later, he still ran out to see her."
"Ah—! That one?! Wasn't she supposed to participate in the special trial at the Miscellaneous Service Peak? It was supposed to be today. I heard that several disciples have already been carried out seriously injured. She's thin and frail, and her cultivation is poor, so she probably won't..."
With a "wobbling" sound, the chair suddenly fell to the ground.
"Hey, Brother Xian! Senior Brother Xian!"
"Where are you going? You're still being punished and imprisoned by the sect leader!"
Without the elder's special teleportation channel, he could only follow the rules and climb the snow mountain she was risking her life to reach through the Sword Tomb entrance.
Despite the biting wind and snow, his heart felt warmer than ever before.
He thought that after he met her, he would tell her that he would do everything he could to get her whatever she wanted, that she wouldn't have to do anything or take such a big risk, and that he would bear all the hardships and tribulations.
He was willing to bear everything about her for the rest of his life and walk with her.
He could abandon his family, his father, all his lingering resentment and unwillingness to accept defeat.
But life can be absurd at times.
When he finally realized his feelings and was ready to throw himself into the flame for the most beautiful love in the world, he didn't see Jiang Jiang, who would look up and smile at him during a break from working in the medicinal herb field.
Instead, amidst the swirling snow and the streaks of blood trickling down his forehead and chin, gradually fading through the red mist, he saw, deep in the sky, the face shifting, Jiang Liqian, the fifth disciple of the Tianqian Sect's Zhenfeng lineage, wielding a sword against the heavens.
He staggered backward in fear and helplessness, as if his heart had been pierced by a sharp blade, flesh torn apart, blood gushing out.
Looking at her cold and indifferent expression, he never realized that the girl he loved would never come back.
There will never be another Jiang Jiang in this world.
There will never be anyone who calls him "Senior Brother Cao" again.
Everything is like a dream, a fleeting illusion; the connection was shallow and ended in nothingness.
Hot tears blurred his vision. He choked back sobs, his heart aching so much he could hardly breathe. After a long, long time, he finally managed to say to her, "Jiang Liqian, I really hate you. No one has ever made me feel this disgusted!"
His excitement and his hesitation seemed to be nothing more than an insult to him.
Completely.
However, his hatred was nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust in that person's eyes. She didn't care at all and never paid any attention to it. From the moment she first saw him, she was always high above him, looking down on everything. There was no impurity in her eyes, nor any joy or sorrow of the dust.
Even a god who has compassion for all living beings wouldn't let her gaze fall on a tiny ant, right?
she left.
Riding on a sword through the air, they vanished like streaks of light, leaving no trace.
He stood alone in the raging wind and snow, swallowed up by the wind and snow of the Sword Tomb.
......................................................
The moment the seal was broken, Jiang Liqian flew to Linglong Pavilion on her sword to meet Qingzhi.
Whether this month of passing was a blessing or a punishment for her, she couldn't say for sure. Whether she still needed to go to Three Words Cliff to continue her punishment was up to the sect leader to decide. Moreover, there was one thing she suddenly realized: she needed the sect leader's help.
"This disciple has come to apologize."
The jade gate swung open, and she sheathed her sword and entered, her flowing robes brushing against the falling snowflakes.
"Disciple Jiang Liqian greets Sect Leader." She bowed her head in greeting, holding her breath and mentally preparing what she was about to say.
This time, although Linglong Pavilion was guarded, its master was not there; only his solitary clone sat on the high seat.
He sat with his eyes closed, his jade robe fluttering down.
Compared to the true master of this place, his clone seemed even more ruthless and heartless, like an ice sculpture carved from ice and snow, without the slightest bit of joy, anger, sorrow or happiness.
"Now that you have been punished, have you gained any understanding?" The voice was cold and clear, like ice falling into a frigid lake.
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and bent her body even more.
"Reporting to the sect leader, this disciple has indeed gained something."
She does have it.
One man's meat is another man's poison. Every act of kindness has its consequences.
When she was just a lowly mortal on the Miscellaneous Peak, unable even to cultivate internal energy, she had to risk her life and fortune just to get medicine for her brother. To support her family, she had to work tirelessly from dawn till dusk to compete for every task that might fall to her.
Every day, watching those disciples who could fly on swords and cultivate at will, she was filled with envy. How she wished she could cultivate as well, practice swordsmanship and immortal techniques, take on missions at the sect, earn more spirit stones and points, and make life better for her and her brother.
Even a very weak spiritual root would be fine.
The weak are tempered more, the strong are looked down upon more.
Sometimes, what those privileged elites casually toss aside are invaluable resources that their disciples desperately beg and fight for—essential jobs that are impossible to snatch even if they wanted to.
She had countless times fantasized in her dreams about entering the Taoist path, becoming an immortal, and wielding a long sword that could pierce all directions.
But in fact, she had these dreams and fantasies long ago.
Her spiritual roots were excellent, her cultivation was high, and she had an inexhaustible supply of spirit stones. The sect's spirit stones were delivered to her pockets every day, and she hardly had to earn the sect's points herself. Even if she did have to, a single sect mission was enough for many disciples to earn more than they could in a long time, even if they worked themselves to the bone. Wherever she went, she was respectfully addressed as "Junior Sister Jiang" or "Senior Sister Jiang." Few people were impolite to her, and even if they were, she had the confidence to return the courtesy.
She lost a lot, but she never imagined that she also gained a lot. She discarded it like trash, and the life she wanted to end several times was a luxury that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of.