Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Reason for Shen Sang Ruo’s Change

Wen Xuan roared: “You are her Senior Brother, so why are you so cruel to her!”

He had thought Shen Sang Ruo only confessed to something she never did because she could not endure the Confinement Chamber.

He never expected Lu Shi Qing had a hand in it too.

He shouted: “That matter had nothing to do with Little Ruo. If you had not forced her, how would she have broken down and confessed?”

He added: “How else would she have been made to give ten drops of heart blood, and then lose all her cultivation because of it?”

Feng He Yun glared at Lu Shi Qing as well.

His fists were clenched. If not for the bond between Senior Brothers, he would have thrown a punch.

Lu Shi Qing said calmly, certain he was right: “So what? She could not control her feelings, so I helped her learn control. That way she would not grow jealous and hurt our Junior Sister again.”

He went on: “Shen Sang Ruo always pushes her limits. You cannot be too nice to her. Only methods like this work on her.”

He asked: “After that, did she not stop causing trouble for Junior Sister?”

Lu Shi Qing believed this deeply.

Only then did Wen Xuan understand why Shen Sang Ruo had changed so much and grown so cold toward them.

It was not that she did not want to care; she did not dare to care.

Shen Sang Ruo thought: [Ha, I really just do not want to.]

Whatever feelings she had for them had been forced to fade by Lu Shi Qing.

Lu Shi Qing added: “And earlier, when she had those feelings she should not have had, did I not also put the Seven Emotions Gu on her?”

He called them feelings she should not have, but in truth, during that time Shen Sang Ruo only relied on Lu Shi Qing more and was a bit closer to him.

At most she looped a hand around his wrist or tugged on his sleeve. She never crossed the line.

After that, their relationship took a sharp turn.

Shen Sang Ruo no longer dared to touch Lu Shi Qing, not even the hem of his robe.

Lu Shi Qing also formed a deep bias against her.

He said: “Back then, did you not all agree with me using the Gu on her?”

He could not understand why Feng He Yun and Wen Xuan were reacting so strongly now.

Wen Xuan shot back: “This is different!”

That time, Shen Sang Ruo had feelings she should not have had.

He asked: “Are Little Ruo’s feelings for us also something she should not have?”

Feng He Yun said angrily: “Third Junior Brother, you have gone too far!”

He had been wondering why Shen Sang Ruo turned against him just because he had injured her a little.

So it had been Lu Shi Qing’s doing.

He had almost thought it was his own fault.

Lu Shi Qing said: “I only put the Gu on her for a single day. That last time it was seven days and she barely changed. Why are you so tense?”

As he spoke, a memory flashed in his mind: the day he removed the Gu, Shen Sang Ruo’s face showed no sign of the Seven Emotions Gu’s effect.

Had she really not changed?

Shen Sang Ruo was stubborn like that; of course she would not change.

Maybe the Seven Emotions Gu he refined had a problem.

Even now, Lu Shi Qing still thought so.

Bai Mu Mu watched their argument fade into silence and felt uneasy.

Shen Sang Ruo’s single sentence had shaken their emotions this much.

She had been ignored for so long, and the heat around them already made her feel awful.

She was just thinking of how to ease the mood so Wen Xuan and the others would notice her weakness.

Then the System’s voice sounded in her head without warning.

[Ding: Wen Xuan favor -5, current favor 84]

[Bai Mu Mu: ???]

Wen Xuan’s favor had been the highest among all her targets, the closest to success.

Now it fell by 5 at once and became the lowest.

She ground her teeth and thought: [What is wrong with Wen Xuan?]

[What does this have to do with me? I was not the one who used the Gu!]

She ordered in her mind: [Check the reason!]

[Reason: Wen Xuan believes the Host did not explain for Shen Sang Ruo back then, causing him to misunderstand her and leading to Shen Sang Ruo losing her cultivation.]

[So he now resents the Host, and his favor dropped.]

Bai Mu Mu was about to explode.

She never thought it was because of something from almost two years ago.

Her Senior Brothers argued, and in the end she was the one who suffered.

People say late affection is cheaper than grass.

But late resentment could still stab her hard.

After this, Bai Mu Mu felt so frustrated that she had no mood to liven things up.

She only wanted to find what she came for as soon as possible.

The System had told her to follow Shen Sang Ruo.

She looked up. While they argued for a few breaths, Shen Sang Ruo had already gone far.

Bai Mu Mu quickly spoke: “What happened in the past is set. Senior Brothers, please do not argue anymore.”

She added: “The important thing now is to catch up with Fifth Senior Sister. She is moving alone. What if something happens?”

Seeing Bai Mu Mu care so much for Shen Sang Ruo, Wen Xuan’s face eased a little. Maybe he had been overthinking?

Feng He Yun said as he stepped out: “Yes, why is Shen Sang Ruo walking so fast? We can barely see her anymore. I need to catch up and explain. The guilty should bear their own blame. Why drag me into it?”

To him, this was a disaster out of nowhere.

Watching Shen Sang Ruo about to vanish from sight, Wen Xuan grew anxious and hurried after Feng He Yun.

They completely forgot the weak Bai Mu Mu behind them.

Bai Mu Mu’s nails dug deep into her palm.

The hatred in her eyes was hard to hide.

Thankfully, Lu Shi Qing stayed by her side and asked: “Junior Sister, how do you feel? Can you keep going?”

Bai Mu Mu’s face did not look good.

She said, “I can. Catching up to Fifth Senior Sister is more important,” but she could not help coughing twice.

Rather than raise her targets’ favor, Bai Mu Mu now wanted them to hate Shen Sang Ruo.

She thought: [Shen Sang Ruo is already thoughtless, but even Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother do not know their priorities.]

[Shen Sang Ruo has hands and feet. I do not know what they are so worried about.]

Instead, they ignored the one who truly needed their protection, Bai Mu Mu.

Lu Shi Qing shouted to the two ahead: “Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, have you forgotten what Master told us before we left the mountain?”

He scolded: “Master told us to take good care of Junior Sister, yet you put all your hearts on Shen Sang Ruo.”

“You walk so fast. Have you thought that Junior Sister does not feel well and cannot keep up?”

Lu Shi Qing’s face was cold.

Bai Mu Mu said softly: “It is alright, Third Senior Brother. Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are just very worried about Fifth Senior Sister.”

“I do not want you to quarrel because of me and hurt our bond as fellow disciples.”

With the earlier conflict caused by Shen Sang Ruo, Bai Mu Mu now looked especially sensible.

This is the one who truly cared about their bond.

Unlike Shen Sang Ruo, who only paid it lip service.

Lu Shi Qing gave a cold laugh, his dislike of Shen Sang Ruo growing deeper.

Hearing this, Feng He Yun and Wen Xuan finally remembered Bai Mu Mu.

Wen Xuan took out a potion from his storage pouch and said: “I am sorry, Junior Sister. Second Senior Brother lost his sense. Drink this, and you will feel better.”

He paused, then added: “After you drink, we must hurry, or we will not catch up to Little Ruo.”

Shen Sang Ruo again!

Bai Mu Mu almost smashed the potion right then.