Chapter 26

Chapter 26: She Does Not Accept Feng He Yun’s Apology

One month earlier, Feng He Yun, Wen Xuan, Lu Shi Qing, and Bai Mu Mu asked Master Ling Xiao for leave to go down the mountain to train, then set out to search for Shen Sang Ruo.

Wen Xuan did not expect that, among them, Bai Mu Mu would be the most eager.

She worked hard to persuade Feng He Yun and Lu Shi Qing to go with them. Wen Xuan felt even more moved, thinking: [Junior Sister is truly kindhearted.]

At the same time, he felt ashamed on Shen Sang Ruo’s behalf, thinking: [Junior Sister treats her so sincerely, but she has always kept a bias against Junior Sister.] He decided that when they brought Shen Sang Ruo back, he would talk to her about it.

As for Luo Chu, he wanted nothing more than for Shen Sang Ruo to run into trouble, so Wen Xuan did not even mention him. Wen Xuan believed Luo Chu would regret it sooner or later.

But after they went down the mountain, they were like headless flies and had no clue where Shen Sang Ruo had gone.

Only with the guidance of Bai Mu Mu’s System, and with her hinting all along the way, did they finally find this cave.

Wen Xuan still worried they had the wrong place.

It was barren and hidden, a spot that looked like no one would ever come.

But when he saw Shen Sang Ruo inside the cave, his worry vanished.

[Junior Sister was right.]

Shen Sang Ruo turned and saw them.

Her brows drew tight at once.

How had they found this place?

Before, when she chased after them, they avoided her like a plague.

Now that she no longer bothered them, they had traveled a long way to catch her.

It was almost funny.

Her mind held only one phrase: [Clinging like a ghost.]

Seeing them about to step in, she snapped: “Do not come in!”

The Formation was already active. Just thinking she might be sent into the same space as them made her head buzz.

But it was already too late.

Bai Mu Mu had finally found her and would not let this chance slip. Pulling her Senior Brothers along, she stepped into the cave and entered the Formation.

In the next instant the Formation surged. The cave shook hard, as if it would collapse.

Feng He Yun and the others had no time to react before they were swept into a sea of fire.

Shen Sang Ruo woke to an endless field of volcanoes.

Lava spewed and flowed in bright streams everywhere.

Hot waves tugged at her hair. The heat was extreme, but still within what she could bear.

She looked at Wen Xuan and the others, who had been sent here with her by the Teleportation and were still unconscious.

Pressing her lips, she did not hesitate. She turned and walked away without looking back.

But after a few steps, Wen Xuan’s voice rose behind her: “Little Ruo…”

Shen Sang Ruo felt a stab of regret, thinking: [I should have picked up a rock and given them a baby-like sleep.]

She kept her eyes forward and said: “I have things to do. I will not keep you company. Senior Brothers and Junior Sister, do as you please.”

Even in a sea of fire, her voice sent a chill through Wen Xuan.

The others woke one after another.

“Shen Sang Ruo, do you even have a conscience?” Feng He Yun’s anger flared when he saw her cold face. He said, “You left without a word. We worried and came to find you. Do you know how much it took to track you down?”

He added, “And this is how you treat us. It is truly chilling.” In his mind, Shen Sang Ruo should be moved to tears right now to repay their long and hard journey.

Shen Sang Ruo stopped and turned.

She sighed inside, thinking: [If I do not make this clear today, I will not be able to leave.]

She smiled and said: “I remember you Senior Brothers told me I did not have to report everything to you. You had your own business and no time to manage me.”

She tipped her head and asked: “I followed your words exactly. Is that a fault? Did you forget what you said?”

Then she went on: “And when did I ever ask you to look for me? Since when did you become so childish, doing these self-congratulatory acts just to make yourselves feel noble?” Her tone was mocking.

It was the same look they used to give her.

Everything she did with care they never accepted. They even called it her own self-congratulation.

Now she returned all of their words and actions to them. She wondered: [How do they like it?]

She added, impatience prickling her voice: “Do others even want what you are doing? Think first, or you only add trouble for people.”

Feng He Yun’s eyes widened and his face flushed.

Was this really something Shen Sang Ruo would say? [Is she mad?] After stammering for a while, he finally squeezed out: “Y-you think we are trouble?”

Shen Sang Ruo said nothing, but her attitude said everything.

“You—Shen Sang Ruo, I—” he began, but she cut him off, annoyed: “First Senior Brother, are you angry and ashamed? Do you want to do as before and beat me until I am badly hurt?”

Her cold, steady eyes made Feng He Yun feel guilty.

“You call yourself a carefree gentleman, yet you can so easily injure your own Junior Sister,” she said without mercy.

Feng He Yun stiffened his neck and said: “Last time was an accident. I did not mean it. I only wanted to joke with you…”

“A joke? Your joke nearly cost my life? I did not know you had such a sense of humor,” Shen Sang Ruo said, scolding him by implication.

Feng He Yun was shocked. When had Shen Sang Ruo become so sharp-tongued, daring to speak to him with such disrespect?

Wen Xuan’s words flashed in his mind—Shen Sang Ruo had changed—but Feng He Yun still did not want to believe it. [Even if she has changed, this is too much.]

He frowned and said: “Did I not give you a jar of Osmanthus Brew? Stop clinging to this. When did you become so petty?”

His tone made the hint and impatience clear.

If Shen Sang Ruo had any sense, she should stop here.

He had a temper too.

“One jar of Osmanthus Brew can make up for my injuries? Can it make up for the time I lost while I was unconscious?” She let out a cold laugh and asked, “Is Osmanthus Brew some kind of divine nectar?”

Feng He Yun opened his mouth wide and shot back: “I brewed that Osmanthus Brew myself!”

“So what? If I beat you into serious injury later, can I also brush it off with a jar of wine I brewed myself?” Shen Sang Ruo asked, unmoved.

He wanted to say that was her favorite Osmanthus Brew, so how could it be useless?

But when he met her serious eyes, he could not say a word.

It seemed she truly no longer cared about Osmanthus Brew, or about their bond.

More importantly, she no longer seemed to care about him at all.

Her gaze on him was cold and distant, as if he were a stranger.

Only now did Feng He Yun realize Shen Sang Ruo had changed completely.

“I do not need Osmanthus Brew, and I do not accept your apology,” Shen Sang Ruo said, her voice rising, each word clear.

No matter the reason, she would never forgive a person who had nearly killed her.