Chapter 82: The Gate (Part 5)

Shen Suwei stood quietly inside the Discipline Hall’s punishment chamber.
A single beam of light from the high window cast a hazy glow over his robe and face.
He didn’t trouble anyone to take action. The whip hanging on the wall flew down by itself and struck decisively, landing heavily behind him with a sharp crack.

“Senior Brother Shen…” The servant responsible for carrying out the punishment saw cold sweat on Shen Suwei’s pale forehead and reached out in horror when he wiped the red from his mouth. “It’s too heavy…”
If he had known that Shen would be so ruthless with himself, it would have been better if he had done it. If an inner disciple were injured, who would bear the responsibility?
“What are you panicking for?” A soft voice came from outside the door, and then Hua Qingyu, dressed in black, stepped over the threshold. “He’s the one who broke away from his path, so he can’t blame our Discipline Hall.”

She was accompanied by another man, upright and dignified, his noble bearing understated. Surprised, he looked at Shen Suwei and said, “Junior Brother, did you choose the Martial Path?”
“Senior Brother,” Shen Suwei responded.
This man was none other than Xu Baopu, the Senior Brother of the inner disciples.
Hua Qingyu circled Shen Suwei twice, staring at him coldly, as if trying to uncover some shocking secret from his composed face. “The Ruthless Dao, you’re not pursuing it anymore?”
That whip strike had been extremely resolute, completely shattering the levels of the Heartless Sword Technique he had painstakingly cultivated day and night, severing all ties without any hesitation, starting anew.
Yet Shen Suwei’s face showed neither regret nor sorrow. “This path doesn’t work for me; why be stubborn?”

Hua Qingyu’s dark, hollow gaze lingered on him for a long time before she whispered in his ear, “You think you’ve escaped, but it might not be any better than before. When one steps into a swamp, it feels smooth because they’re sinking.”
With that, she let out a soft hum and left with the servant.
Xu Baopu chuckled, unaffected. “Elder Hua enjoys making ominous remarks. She said something similar when I married Shuangshuang. Everyone has their own path; don’t take it to heart.” He added, “You’re still young; there’s plenty of time ahead.”

He understood that Shen Suwei’s shift in path likely wasn’t due to any other reason. It might simply be that while the Ruthless Dao seemed suited to him, it actually hindered his advancement. Cultivation is a profound and personal matter; only by experiencing it oneself can one truly understand.
In cultivation, Shen Suwei was intelligent and resilient, achieving remarkable progress in ten years to reach the Golden Core stage.

If he abandoned the Ruthless Dao so decisively, it must have been with good reason.
“The Ruthless Dao doesn’t necessarily lead to the ultimate path, and other paths are not without merit. It all depends on one’s effort.”
Shen Suwei shared his thoughts and expressed his gratitude. “Senior Brother, you’ve come out of seclusion.”

Xu Baopu smiled and said, “Master asked me to observe the inner sect selection, so here I am.”
The two senior brothers hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and they chatted for a while about the disciples’ performances. Xu Baopu suddenly thought of something and took out a brocade box from his sleeves. “Consider this… an apology for our junior sister, perhaps? This time, I may have offended her. Could you say a good word for me? Tell her that her senior brother is apologizing in advance and hopes she won’t hold a grudge.”

Shen Suwei had already guessed that Xu Binglai had sent their eldest senior brother to retrieve Xu Qianyu’s “Soul Suppression Lock.” Since Xu Qianyu refused to cooperate, the usually gentle and easy-going senior brother had to play the bad guy. Xu Baopu still didn’t know that Xu Qianyu was his biological sister.

Thinking of this, Shen Suwei turned to him. “Senior Brother, what do you think of our junior sister?”
Xu Baopu replied, “…Quite unique.”
Indeed, the impression Xu Qianyu had left on him was profound. Only after meeting her did he understand why Xu Binglai had urged him to “snatch her quickly.” The contest that day was quite a mess; had he not acted quickly, his face might have been scratched by Xu Qianyu.

Their master always admired elegant and polite young women, so the female disciples of Penglai were generally reserved. This time, he’d taken a sudden interest in such a spirited girl, which was indeed surprising—it would certainly bring lively times in the future.
“Junior Brother, what do you think of her?” Xu Baopu tossed the question back.
“She’s young,” Shen Suwei replied, feeling uncharacteristically awkward. “She acts freely but indeed has great potential. I hope Senior Brother can be patient with her.”

Xu Baopu chuckled. “She’s quite similar to Shuangshuang; when she grows up, she won’t necessarily get better—likely only worse.”
Eldest Senior Brother was already married; his Dao companion was Fu Shuangshuang, the daughter of the Tianshan Immortal Sect’s leader. Raised in luxury, she had a delicate personality. After years of marriage, he had developed a conditioned response: encountering Xu Qianyu, he’d treated her just like Shuangshuang—offering gifts, speaking kindly, humbling himself.
Since Shuangshuang was mentioned, Xu Baopu said, “Junior Brother, since you’re no longer bound by the Path of Heartlessness, have you thought about worldly matters, like marriage and children?”

Shen Suwei replied, “I haven’t considered it.”
Xu Baopu turned his head and saw Shen Suwei’s face, pure and untouched, with a sincere clarity that reminded him of their first meeting as children. Yet Shen Suwei never admitted to being ignorant of emotions; he always used the same polite wording. “My fate is ominous; I dare not burden others.”

But Shen Suwei had come to a new realization.
If he could kill even his junior sister, how could he hold back with someone even closer?
“So why did you suddenly abandon the Path of Heartlessness?” Xu Baopu asked curiously. “Earlier, Master mentioned that you realized the Path of Heartlessness is not truly without feeling.”

Shen Suwei glanced at him. Though Xu Binglai had taken him in as a disciple, being the sect leader meant he was often preoccupied, and Xu Jiansu constantly made things difficult for him. Only Eldest Senior Brother, gentle and nurturing, acted as a father figure, so Shen Suwei was willing to confide more. “The path I understand is one where those with great compassion are like the moon in the sky, shining over all beings.”
“True,” Xu Baopu said.

“But I have already lost impartiality,” Shen Suwei replied.

Xu Baopu was slightly startled. “What do you mean by losing impartiality?”
“Favoritism. I can no longer treat all equally and view them without bias,” Shen Suwei said. “Hence, I repeatedly break the Dao—it’s heaven’s way of reminding me. If I continue to deceive myself, I’d be going against my original intention.”
Xu Baopu relaxed, finally understanding what Shen Suwei meant—it was a kind of protectiveness. Now that he had a Dao companion and responsibilities, he could relate to such feelings. “Junior Brother, I am somewhat a man of the world, so take my words with caution: if you were impartial, I’d respect you, but not be close to you. Because you show favoritism, I’m willing to trust you. People need a bit of bias—it’s fine for the Dao to be impartial, but as for me, I’d rather seek warmth from a common butcher than be near the moon in the sky.”

Shen Suwei froze for a moment, suddenly recalling Xu Qianyu’s tears.
If there really was a past life, being close to the moon likely brought great suffering. Xu Qianyu, with a personality that couldn’t tolerate the slightest grievance, had held back without saying a word.
Before he could react, a sharp pain in his chest warned him.
Shen Suwei closed his eyes, his gaze regaining clarity as he reminded himself not to confuse past life, inner demons, or illusions with reality.
Xu Qianyu lacked the soul of love, which made him feel a faint sense of relief, as he, too, didn’t know how to love.

Without a soul of love, there would be no hurt, either to himself or others.
This created a subtle fairness.
Since they were once again senior and junior siblings, he could forever play the role of elder brother, protecting her and allowing her a peaceful, worry-free life, avoiding the mistakes of the past life.

After parting with Xu Baopu, he thought about how he had rushed off, leaving Xu Qianyu alone in the realm. This didn’t seem right, so he returned to the Magic Palace.
At that moment, he wanted to see what Xu Qianyu was doing and how she would react upon learning his identity.
Xu Qianyu was still sitting on the Magic Palace steps, copying books.

She didn’t dare to leave, fearing any news about the selection of inner disciples, afraid that if she left, she’d hear someone else had taken her place in the inner sect.
Seeing her distraught, Lingzhu and Lingxiu thought she’d been frightened in the realm, so they squeezed a cup of thorn juice for her and warmed it with spiritual energy. The juice was bitter, steadying the soul, and when Xu Qianyu took a sip, her face changed color.
She picked up a sugar figurine and stirred it into the juice to dissolve.

At that moment, she felt a shadow fall over her. Looking up, she saw Shen Suwei standing in front of her, his robes flowing, his eyes shining. “Let’s go.”
“You’re in the inner sect now?” Xu Qianyu asked in surprise. He said, “Pack up your things and come with me to the inner sect.”
Xu Qianyu’s cheeks were still slightly red, her eyes sparkling like pearls beneath the pale blue, rippling light—a fleeting joy so bright it trembled.

She immediately jumped up, grabbing her papers and pen, and went to retrieve the sugar figurine stuck in the sand.
“Is it inconvenient?” Shen Suwei extended a hand. “I can hold the sugar figurine for you.”
“This was meant for… someone else.” Embarrassed, Xu Qianyu handed him the bunch of candies. “Will you eat it?”

She kept only a peacock-shaped one and promptly bit off its head, chewing.
“What do you call me?” Shen Suwei accepted the sugar figurine and tucked it into the realm.

Xu Qianyu: “Senior Brother.”
Shen Suwei had already passed her and climbed onto the bank. Xu Qianyu chased after him from behind, holding the peacock, and called sweetly, “Senior Brother!”
Now she was openly calling him Senior Brother, and neither Gao Fengxing nor Xu Binglai could find any fault with her.

Ahead, Shen Suwei’s eyes shifted slightly and a faint smile appeared.
On the white snow in the “realm,” there were two boxes inlaid with gold and jade and a pastry box, with various sugar figurines inserted nearby.

*
Xu Qianyu’s copied rules were in the hands of Hua Qingyu, who was flipping through them.
Although she couldn’t read, she could tell that the writing at the beginning was quite orderly and patient, but it turned chaotic in the middle with numerous mistakes before ending with a flourish and exuberance.
She didn’t know what had happened while the copying was done.
But it was confirmed that she had indeed copied it ten times diligently.
“You really copied it when I told you to.” Hua Qingyu put the paper down and said sarcastically, “You really are obedient.”
Xu Qianyu replied, “Aren’t you illiterate? Can you understand it?”
Hua Qingyu slammed the table in anger, regretting that she had chosen such a person as a disciple. “You can leave now.”
However, Xu Qianyu didn’t leave: “I heard that Elder Hua wanted to take me as a disciple.”
“I must have been out of my mind at that time,” Hua Qingyu said coldly. “I don’t want you anymore; go be Xu Binglai’s obedient disciple.”

But Xu Qianyu didn’t walk away: “Why did you want me?”
Seeing that her confusion was genuine, Hua Qingyu said, “If it weren’t for your talent resembling that of my senior sister, Hua Liangyu, I wouldn’t have the slightest interest in you.”
Xu Qianyu had heard that Hua Qingyu’s senior sister, Hua Liangyu, also entered the path through demonic means, but she was exceptionally gifted, skilled in manipulation, and extremely beautiful. Many cultivators, demons, and ghosts had fought over her in her early years. However, she had suddenly vanished.

“What happened to her later?”
“She died,” Hua Qingyu said coldly. “She, like you, could send her consciousness out of her body and tame all things. Because she was victorious in every battle, her ambition grew. One day, her consciousness wandered too far and was devoured, never to return; she had tamed those demons and ghosts, accumulating some demonic energy within her body, relying solely on her consciousness to suppress it. Without her consciousness, she fell into the nightmare.”
“We were originally ghosts; after five hundred years, we became demons, and after another five hundred years, we entered the path.” Hua Qingyu continued, “She fell into the nightmare, her cultivation collapsed, and she turned into an evil ghost.”

“Do you want to see her?” Hua Qingyu led Xu Qianyu into her room.
This was Xu Qianyu’s first time entering the skull-headed room. Her dwelling was not much different from that of an ordinary cultivator, even more cozy. On one side of the bed, curtains hung down, while on the other, coral-colored ribbons were tied up into bows.
The window curtains were also tied into knots with pink bows.
There were many such bows in the room.
Hua Qingyu casually tied the other side of the bed curtains and lifted the bed board. Xu Qianyu was horrified.

Underneath the bed board was a black coffin, densely covered with orange-yellow talismans.
“You keep your senior sister under the bed every day?”
“What of it?” Hua Qingyu said dismissively. “Only I can suppress her so that she won’t wreak havoc in the world and can keep her life.”
“I want to take you as a disciple because I want to study this talent of yours and, by the way, have someone to help me guard her. But you…”
“I can do it,” Xu Qianyu suddenly said. Seeing Hua Qingyu’s surprise, she added, “I can worship the sect leader on the surface… and secretly worship you?”