Chapter 23: A Belated Realization!

Su Xiangling took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said, "I want to go find Junior Brother Lin."

Liu Ruohan’s eyes flashed with surprise. Usually, her eldest disciple referred to him only as "that piece of trash." This sudden change left her puzzled, and she replied coldly, "What is there to look for regarding that waste? Pay him no mind. If he doesn't return on his own, let him fend for himself."

"Master, actually, Junior Brother Lin is not that incompetent. It is we who never gave him a chance," Su Xiangling said timidly.

"Insolent! Are you questioning my judgment?" Liu Ruohan’s face turned icy, and the surrounding air seemed to drop to freezing.

A suffocating pressure bore down upon her. Su Xiangling hurriedly knelt, pleading, "Please, Master, forgive me. That is not what your disciple meant."

"Oh? Then what did you mean?" Liu Ruohan asked, her expression shifting slightly.

"It is this disciple who has wronged Junior Brother Lin. I should not have helped the youngest junior brother slander him, and I should not have poisoned him, causing him to go blind," Su Xiangling said, tears streaming down her face.

She knew that the worst thing happening to her now was her constant decline in cultivation. If this continued, she would revert to the very thing she once despised: a worthless ant. She would surely end up in a state even more miserable than Lin Chen’s. After witnessing the meteoric rise of Mei Xiulan’s cultivation, she seemed to have grasped a certain truth, and in that moment, she spoke without reservation.

"Are you serious?" Liu Ruohan looked at her in disbelief, considering this the disciple she had always deemed most outstanding. She knew that some of Qin Hao’s accusations against Lin Chen were fabrications, but she had chosen to ignore them, valuing Qin Hao’s superior talent. However, she never imagined that Lin Chen’s blindness was caused by Su Xiangling’s poisoning.

"Yes... Master, this disciple knows her sin. Please give me a chance to make amends to Junior Brother Lin," Su Xiangling sobbed uncontrollably.

"You rebellious disciple, how dare you! I could overlook some minor trifles, but I never expected you to be so vicious. I will grant you this chance. If he does not forgive you, go to the Cliff of Reflection and spend the rest of your life in penitence! Do not think of running; if you dare, I will kill you with my own hands."

Liu Ruohan rose with complex emotions and walked toward the summit, her icy voice echoing through the main peak. "Yes, this disciple takes her leave." Su Xiangling slowly retreated from the main peak.

Liu Ruohan sat before the old master’s grave, silent for a long time. With moist eyes, she murmured, "Master, I have failed your trust. I am sorry... but matters have reached this point, and I cannot turn back. I hope you do not blame me for being heartless. Lin Chen’s aptitude is too poor; I had no choice but to choose Qin Hao."

A breeze brushed against her cold cheeks, carrying away a few stray tears. She gave a bitter smile, stood up, looked toward Lin Chen’s dwelling, and vanished in a single stride. Within a few breaths, she arrived at Yuzhu Peak. She wiped her tears, composed herself, and stepped into the cave dwelling.

Seeing that one of the small wooden puppets was missing, she seemed to understand something and muttered to herself, "It seems you aren't entirely useless. If you return, I will forgive your insolence." Saying this, she took her own puppet and left Yuzhu Peak. Shortly after, Su Xiangling arrived.

She did not enter. She remembered when they were young, little Lin Chen would pout and say, "Eldest Senior Sister, you shouldn't just barge in without asking!"

"Alright, alright! Little Chen is the best. This is the last time," Su Xiangling would say with a smile, patting his head.

"Senior Sister, you say that every time," the young Lin Chen would reply with a skeptical look on his childish face.

"Senior Sister knows. This is absolutely the last time."

"Senior Sister, you're doing it again," little Lin Chen would say.

"Giggle! Little Chen, you are so cute," Su Xiangling would laugh.

"Fine! Since Senior Sister praised me so much, you can come in whenever you like from now on."

She remembered that year Lin Chen was three, and she, the eldest sister, took on the responsibility of caring for him. Back then, they went from strangers to familiar confidants, as close as siblings. Yet... when did it start to change? And why did it happen? How could she have so recklessly harmed the person she had raised for seven years? Why was she so at ease with insulting, beating, and slandering him? The thought caused a sharp pain in her heart.

She collapsed in front of Yuzhu Peak, weeping uncontrollably. Everything had changed a year after the old master passed away, when Qin Hao entered the temple. She was truly wrong; she had trusted the wrong person. She had preferred to believe in Qin Hao, whom she had known for less than a few years, rather than Lin Chen, with whom she had lived for seven.

She whispered, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Junior Brother Lin, I shouldn't have doubted you. I'm sorry... Little Chen..."

Near noon, Su Xiangling arrived at Lin Chen’s courtyard, but she did not see him. Upon seeing Old Huang, she knew she had come to the right place and asked humbly, "Greetings! Is this Lin Chen’s home?"

Old Huang glanced at her and ignored her. Hu Meier, standing nearby, snapped, "What? Having done so much to ruin your own merit, are you now looking for someone to help you restore it?"

Su Xiangling gave a self-deprecating smile and shook her head. "No, I am here to return something that is five years overdue."

"Oh? What kind of thing is five years late?" A glint of interest flashed in Hu Meier’s eyes.

"Senior, may I speak with you privately?" Su Xiangling, sensing Hu Meier’s extraordinary nature, pleaded.

"Very well, follow me." Hu Meier stood up slowly and walked into the house. Under the gaze of the others, Su Xiangling followed her inside. No one knew what they discussed, and eventually, no one even remembered that Su Xiangling had been there.

Outside Qinghe Town, Su Xiangling stumbled through the vast snow. A red cloth strip covered her eyes, and beneath it, two trails of bloody tears flowed slowly down her cheeks. Her world was now nothing but pitch black. The path that usually took a few breaths felt incredibly long and arduous. She climbed the stairs, using every ounce of her strength. The biting cold of the snow made her body tremble violently.

When she finally reached the mountain gate, her hands and feet were swollen and numb from the prolonged exposure. She smiled happily, a joy that came from the depths of her heart. It was as if everything had been unburdened, as if nothing had ever happened.

She muttered to herself, "Little Chen, so this is what your world is like. In the future, Senior Sister will take you to see this vast world."

She returned to Peach Blossom Temple to atone to her master, walking into the Cliff of Reflection and ignoring all affairs of the temple. She never spoke of it, and her master never asked; they both maintained a tacit silence.

Qinghe Town awoke amidst a heavy snowfall. Lin Chen opened his eyes, and a brilliant beam of light pierced through his world. Unable to contain his excitement, he threw off his blanket, ran into the snow, and reached out to catch the snowflakes as they melted in his palms.