I Rely On My Archenemy To Defy Fate - Chapter 4

For one instant, her heartbeat fell out of rhythm, and her complexion turned somewhat pale.

She closed her eyes briefly, refusing to look at the sword. After focusing on treating Su Tanghua’s wound, her gaze still unconsciously fell back onto Jingchuan.

After binding to the system, she had not immediately entered the comic’s main plot.

She had been waiting for the author to prepare it. She had waited for many years, cultivated as a wandering cultivator for many years, and wandered for many years as well.

She waited until the people who had killed her entire clan believed no one would ever avenge them, and so, smug and self-satisfied, brought out dragon bones to auction off.

At that auction, what they auctioned was her older sister’s bones, together with her sister’s bonded sword, Jingchuan.

It was also at that auction that Shang Que formed a grudge with Wen Qingyin.

Because Wen Qingyin wanted Jingchuan. She wanted the dragon bones. She wanted to forge a suitable sword for herself.

And before the auction even began, Shang Que had stolen the dragon bones away.

Shang Que was unwilling to think too much about that great battle. In short, it was an extremely bloody memory. Shang Que refused to give up her sister’s remains, while Wen Qingyin had been so determined to obtain them.

The two of them had fought until real fury was born.

At first, Shang Que had even thought that perhaps she might as well give Jingchuan to Wen Qingyin. Her elder sister was dead, and a treasured sword like Jingchuan also needed a master suitable for it.

At the time, Wen Qingyin happened to be rising rapidly in reputation, and her name was first-rate in every respect. Giving Jingchuan to her seemed not bad either.

But she had never expected Wen Qingyin to be so greedy.

Not only did she want Jingchuan, she also refused to let go of the dragon bones.

Shang Que suddenly realized she had chosen the wrong master for Jingchuan, but by then, Wen Qingyin had already started using that treasured sword.

That had truly been a vicious battle. Shang Que had nearly had her neck cut through by her, and Wen Qingyin had not fared much better, almost having her heart dug out by Shang Que.

Jingchuan had suffered even worse.

Shang Que truly could not snatch a sword from a swordswoman’s hand, yet she also did not want Wen Qingyin to completely refine that sword.

And so, at the end of that vicious battle,

Shang Que personally cut it in half.

That bonded sword, just like its master, had become broken fragment after broken fragment.

She had just never expected Wen Qingyin to collect this useless broken sword.

Was it so she could look at it every moment and remind herself that Shang Que had nearly dug out her heart?

Shang Que mocked her maliciously in her heart.

She lowered her eyes and gently stroked the sword. Although Jingchuan was now a broken sword, its materials were special, and it could still be counted among the world’s finest swords.

If the female lead used it…

Shang Que’s long lashes trembled faintly.

…then it would not be unworthy of its talent.

She tightened Su Tanghua’s hand around the sword hilt, then shifted her attention away by looking at what Su Tanghua was clutching in her left hand.

Bone.

A smooth, lustrous rib bone.

It was also dragon bone.

One of the few dragon bones that had fallen into Wen Qingyin’s hands.

It was also because this dragon bone’s blood relation to Shang Que was rather distant that Shang Que felt relatively fine looking at it.

She merely came to a sudden realization. Corpses and bones seemed to count as metal in divination too.

Had Su Tanghua accidentally entered Wen Qingyin’s treasure-hiding “graveyard”?

She had taken Wen Qingyin’s things away so openly and carelessly. Would the two of them be silenced?

After all, Wen Qingyin was no good thing.

That hypocrite who fished for fame and reputation might set some trap for them at any moment.

Shang Que thought with uncontrollable delight, Could Wen Qingyin be the main villain right from the start?

Then she would have to properly think about how to take the female lead away.

Su Tanghua obtaining Jingchuan was definitely a great opportunity in the comic. And as her life-saving benefactor, Shang Que would certainly get a certain amount of screen time.

For that tiny bit of screen time, for popularity value, Shang Que decided that since she had started saving someone, she might as well see it through to the end. She turned and hoisted the unconscious Su Tanghua onto her back, carrying her out of this forest.

At the same time, she also understood why no beasts had occupied this area as their territory.

After all, what beast would dare fight a dragon for territory?

Even if it was a dragon already dead, with barely any lingering might left.

Because of the dragon bone in Su Tanghua’s left hand, Shang Que did not encounter any spirit beasts blocking her path along the way. Just as she was about to leave this area, she saw a soft-white figure not far away.

Her heart startled. She had not even seen the face clearly yet, but just from the figure, she knew who it was.

She subconsciously stopped in place. Her mind nearly crashed.

This was Wen Qingyin. This was the real Wen Qingyin.

How could she arrive the moment Shang Que mentioned her?

Wen Qingyin, you really do care about dragon bones, huh? When fighting over dragon bones, you and I fought to the death, and the moment the dragon bone’s seal breaks, you rush over to see who took your things.

Haha. Good thing I wasn’t the one who took them.

Author, since you gave Jingchuan to the female lead, you should have prepared a follow-up response, right?

Shang Que forced herself to think this way, even lifting Su Tanghua slightly higher on her back.

Su Tanghua’s arm swayed with her movement, still looking completely unconscious.

Shang Que could only brace herself and walk forward. The dry leaves she crushed beneath her feet were like a fine, prickling rain scattering over her heart.

Only when the edge of Wen Qingyin’s robes passed through the corner of her vision, along with a strange fragrance, did she finally walk behind Wen Qingyin.

Before she could even oil the soles of her feet and slip away, she heard a clear, crisp voice.

“Wait.”

Shang Que’s heart instantly clenched. She frowned with a touch of pain.

No way. Was she really going to make Shang Que deal with this?

She forcefully suppressed the complicated emotions in her heart and warned herself over and over again that she was currently just a wandering cultivator. Logically speaking, she did not know Wen Qingyin.

Just an unfamiliar senior sister. Just an unfamiliar senior sister.

So, having been stopped, she looked up somewhat surprised and opened her mouth as if to say something. But her gaze fell onto Wen Qingyin’s face, and then, as if scalded, she quickly moved her eyes away and lowered her head. For a moment, she could not speak.

Wen Qingyin’s current appearance was far too strange!!

In Shang Que’s impression, Wen Qingyin was forever cold and indifferent, like the first snow atop a mountain peak. Although her relationship with Wen Qingyin was poor, there truly was nothing to criticize about Wen Qingyin’s face.

Wen Qingyin simply had a good face. She looked like a cold, dignified, upright sword immortal.

And now, what had this cold sword immortal done?

She seemed to be wearing makeup. Her lips were painted with pale rouge, as if she held a peach blossom between them.

Her hairstyle and ornaments leaned toward softness as well, with a few loose strands left at her temples. Added to her deliberately softened brows and eyes and the faint curve of her lips, she really did look like some gentle, good person.

The image was so fractured that Shang Que was completely frightened.

Had Wen Qingyin taken the wrong medicine?

They had known each other for so many years, and she had never seen such a soft Wen Qingyin before.

Had Wen Qingyin been possessed? Who could even possess Wen Qingyin?

Most importantly, Wen Qingyin could not have recognized her. If she really had recognized her, she could not possibly show her such a pleasant expression.

So scary.

Goosebumps rose all over Shang Que’s body. She felt so guilty that cold sweat poured out of her. Finally, she forced her tightened throat to ask, “This senior sister, is there something you need?”

She did not even dare lift her head.

Then she heard Wen Qingyin ask her in an extremely strange, gentle tone, “Did you wander into this place by mistake?”

Shang Que shuddered. Goosebumps fell only to rise again, and with a trembling voice, she confessed, “Senior Sister, I’m a wandering cultivator who just entered the sect. I didn’t know this place couldn’t be entered. I just joined and everything looked new to me, so relying on the fact that I have a little cultivation, I wandered around blindly and ended up here. I’m not together with her either. I just saw an injured disciple in the river and pulled her out in passing.”

That flood of words was so dense it sounded like a frightened criminal confessing every last detail.

After Wen Qingyin finished listening, her brows furrowed faintly. Although it had been a long time since she last applied makeup and her skills had grown somewhat rusty, there should not have been any major problem with her makeup, right?

She knew her brows and eyes were rather cold and could easily frighten strangers, so she had deliberately softened her appearance.

Why was Shang Que this afraid?

Wen Qingyin was deeply puzzled. After thinking it over again and again, she felt that Shang Que must have misunderstood something, so she explained, “There are many yao beasts in the forest. Only disciples above Foundation Establishment may enter. You have just arrived at the sect, so it is normal that you do not know the rules.”

As she said this, she also felt that her attitude seemed a little stiff and cold. But all these years, others had been the ones flattering her, and she had almost forgotten how to speak to people gently.

Wen Qingyin sighed inwardly. After considering her wording, she continued, “Since this is your first offense, simply do not commit it again next time.”

Then she saw Shang Que nod repeatedly and answer yes again and again, yet she was still so frightened that she did not dare lift her head.

Wen Qingyin thought of how her benefactor had seemed fearless of heaven and earth, and her heart ached all the more over Shang Que’s timidity. After all, Shang Que had no father or mother and had grown up with her grandmother since childhood. It was inevitable that she had suffered bullying from outsiders.

After stepping into the cultivation world, she had also been a wandering cultivator without a sect to rely on. For her to feel afraid of unfamiliar cultivators was simply too normal.

Thinking this, Wen Qingyin only felt that she was somewhat pitiful. She hesitated for a moment and saw that Shang Que remained silent, merely carrying that heavily injured disciple on her back. Perhaps she was a little tired. She frowned and lifted the other girl upward, then shifted her foot to change her center of gravity.

Wen Qingyin only looked on and did nothing extra. In the end, she said, “Leave.” Her voice also cooled beyond her control.

In Shang Que’s eyes, this meant Wen Qingyin had finally returned to normal.

Shang Que felt as though she had been pardoned. She took a deep breath and felt that even the surrounding air had become easier to breathe.

She had no time to think about anything else. Without another word, she carried Su Tanghua on her back and left the place. Even with a person on her back, she moved so quickly it was practically like running.

Wen Qingyin merely stood behind her and watched. Her gaze finally landed on Su Tanghua. At last, she saw Jingchuan in Su Tanghua’s hand, as well as the dragon bone she had worked so hard to collect.

Her eyes lowered slightly. She did not react too much, and turned to leave as well.

Only after Shang Que carried Su Tanghua all the way back to her own room did she finally let out a breath of relief.

She felt this day had truly been like seeing a ghost.

She decided that she would behave herself in the sect. Aside from running around with the female lead, she would definitely lock herself in her room and cultivate quietly.

After making that vow, Shang Que’s attention returned to Su Tanghua.

Su Tanghua had already passed once in front of Wen Qingyin. Of course Wen Qingyin could see the dragon bone and Jingchuan in her hands. If nothing unexpected happened, someone from the sect would soon come to seize those two things.

It was not exactly confidence in the plot’s development.

It was purely because she understood Wen Qingyin too well.

Someone that domineering—unless one had absolute strength, who could possibly take her things?

But now, the moment Shang Que thought of Wen Qingyin, goosebumps rose all over her.

What exactly was Wen Qingyin thinking?

What illness had she come down with?

Shang Que remembered that Wen Qingyin did not even treat her own junior sisters this way.

She could not figure it out.

But as long as Wen Qingyin had not recognized her, then there was no major problem.

Shang Que lightly let it go on her side, while Wen Qingyin’s side was still full of confusion.

She did not change her clothes and went directly to the pavilion where she usually played chess.

In order to curry favor with her, Elder Changsun sat in the pavilion every single day, rain or shine, studying that game of chess.

Today was no exception.

As usual, Elder Changsun lifted her head and said to Wen Qingyin, “Qingyin, today we’ll continue… continue…”

She could not continue the sentence.

Because Wen Qingyin was looking at her calmly, so still that there was a faint chill to it. Paired with that gentle makeup, it gave off an indescribably eerie feeling.

Elder Changsun braced herself and wanted to keep speaking, only to see Wen Qingyin suddenly curve her lips, seemingly forcing out a gentle smile. Even her voice softened by several degrees as she said, “Today, I’ll continue playing chess with you.”

…

Elder Changsun lost her balance and fell to the ground with a loud thud.