Ji Wuye's piercing crimson eyes scanned the intensity and confusion etched on the faces of his Senior Sisters, their expressions a mirror reflecting the turmoil within. 'So it has finally come to this,' he muttered inwardly, a heavy weight settling in his chest.
He had done everything in his power to protect them, provide support, and make every effort to keep his beloved Senior Sisters alive. Yet this very act had lulled them into a false sense of security, a comfortable cocoon that threatened to stunt their growth.
It wasn't wrong to nurture them, for it was his deepest goal, but with the three-month break nearing its end... if they failed to improve, 'then the blame would fall on me, and perhaps fate might change once again,' he mused silently, the familiar dread coiling in his gut.
Perhaps they would perish during one of the upcoming floor challenges—not due to some deviation from the previous timeline, but because he had inadvertently created a safe haven that hindered their progress.
Seated at the rounded stone table, Ji Wuye's lips pressed together tightly, a tense line forming as he braced himself for the words that would likely shake, even hurt, his Senior Sisters to their core.
Rising from his seat, he approached the cliff's edge, his robes billowing in the gentle breeze as he gazed upon the distant scenery. Below, Qiuxiu Village bustled with commoners climbing the stone stairs, eager to witness the upcoming sparring matches.
"You are too weak, Senior Sisters," he finally said, turning his whole body to face them, his expression solemn. His lips pressed into a thin, grim line as he continued, "Just like those geese—it's beautiful to look at, they can fly, but... can those geese kill one of their own kind?"
As if mocking him, a goose by the distant pond let out a quack, its call echoing loudly in the tense silence. Yet Ji Wuye's attention remained fixed on the reactions before him, unwavering.
His Senior Sister Lian stood frozen, arms outstretched in disbelief, her eyes wide with a mixture of hurt and incomprehension.
"Junior Brother, you... you can't mean that," Senior Sister Qiu Xia's voice trembled, her hands covering her mouth as if to stifle the disbelief. "After all these years, after everything we've—"
"I mean every word," he cut in, his tone gentler but no less resolute. Ji Wuye sighed, his crimson pupils softening as he shook his head once more, lips twitching ever so slightly.
"Eh?" Shen Bi muttered, blinking rapidly as if struggling to process his words. "J-Junior," she stammered, unlike the rest of his Senior Sisters, her mind working slower to comprehend the weight of his statement.
"Are you truly saying that you've been pushing us away because... because we're unreliable?" Her voice grew smaller with each word, laced with a vulnerability that tugged at his heart. "That we're... worthless to you now?"
The silence that followed was deafening, a palpable tension that seemed to suck the very air from their lungs.
Ji Wuye's eyes, once warm when they looked upon Shen Bi, now held a complex array of emotions that she couldn't begin to untangle – a tempest of resolution, regret, and something deeper, something that spoke of a burden too great for any of them to comprehend.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Yes, they were too weak, and if they tried to join his plan—which involved something dangerous, something that had pushed him to the very limits of his abilities—they would only hinder him.
He was now as strong as, or perhaps even stronger than, someone in the 7th Martial Realm, and he was on the verge of reaching the 8th.
Involving his Senior Sisters in such a plan, outside of assigning them the role of bait, went against every fiber of his being. His heart couldn't bear the thought of them getting hurt or worse, not when he had sacrificed so much to keep them safe.
Within the scope of his plan, the only role suitable for them would have been scouting. Yet even that weighed heavily on his conscience, a constant struggle between his desire to protect them and the harsh realities of the path he had chosen.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind about teaching them how to achieve a quick breakthrough in their martial realms, just as he had done. However...
'That would completely alter their fate—their destined martial paths,' Ji Wuye thought to himself. His technique for rapid breakthroughs required an exceptionally strong body or rare materials to succeed. It allowed one to advance from the 4th realm to the 5th, but the risks were immense.
It also required time, something Ji Wuye lacked desperately. He had so much left to do, and with these new changes to his plans, he had no choice but to act alone and execute everything by himself.
"Not worthless," he finally said, his voice softer now, yet the gentleness in his tone somehow made the blow even harder to bear. "Just... insufficient for what must be done."
"Then teach us!" Qiu Xia burst out, taking a step forward, her eyes alight with determination. "If we're so weak, help us grow stronger! We've never refused your guidance before—"
"You don't understand, Senior Sister," Ji Wuye cut in, a flash of something like pain crossing his features before disappearing behind his stoic mask. "The path I walk... it's not one I can guide you along. Some roads must be traveled alone."
The weight of his words hung thick in the air, a palpable heaviness that threatened to suffocate them all. Ji Wuye's gaze flickered over each of their faces, committing every detail to memory, for he knew that this moment would forever alter the course of their lives.
"I understand now. If this is truly how you feel, then I must have failed as your Senior Sister," Lian Rougang finally spoke, her voice trembling with a mix of sorrow and resignation. Her long black hair fell forward, partially concealing her face as she turned around and cupped her hands respectfully toward Elder Qiao.
"Please guide me, Master!" she exclaimed resolutely, her words slicing through the tense silence like a blade.
Amidst the stunned gazes of those around her, Lian Rougang immediately knelt before Elder Qiao, who sat upon the stone chair, his expression inscrutable. Elder Qiao glanced down briefly at her, then shifted his gaze toward Ji Wuye, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
'Proceed as planned.' That was the silent exchange that transpired as their gazes met.
"Fine then, but this is not the appropriate time for that," Elder Qiao's words seemed to puzzle everyone, including Shen Bi, who was still frozen in shock, her gaze fixed on Lian Rougang.
Meanwhile, Qiu Xia, her hand tightly clenched, blinked rapidly, unable to process Lian Rougang's unwavering decision in the face of Ji Wuye's apparent rejection.
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind tore through the clearing, forcing everyone to steady themselves as a glaring surge of Qi emanated from afar. Instinctively, they turned toward the source, only to realize... Ji Wuye was no longer where he had just been standing moments ago.
...
A shadow darted swiftly through the bamboo forest, moving with graceful fluidity under the warm glow of the morning light. Long white hair fluttered behind it, illuminated by the sun's rays filtering through the canopy. When the figure finally came to a stop at the very tip of the tallest bamboo tree, it was revealed to be none other than Ji Wuye himself.
"I'm sorry, Senior Sisters," he murmured softly, the memory of their shocked and wounded expressions still vivid in his mind's eye. Yet, if he had comforted them back then, all of his carefully laid plans would have gone to waste.
Yes, the plan—hurting the feelings of his Senior Sisters—was actually a calculated backup strategy. He had been searching nonstop for ways to make them stronger, to prepare them for the dangers that lay ahead. But if they were to ever realize that this had been his intention all along...
"They would probably hate me, for manipulating their emotions," Ji Wuye muttered, shaking his head as a pang of regret lanced through him. To prevent his Senior Sisters' deaths, he had to take three critical steps. First, eliminate the upcoming threat that loomed over them all. Second, ensure they became stronger, resilient enough to withstand the trials to come.
And finally, "I need to become the center of attention," he added, perched at the top of the bamboo tree near the Kunlun paifang gate leading into Qiuxiu Village.
His crimson pupils gazed down intently at the countless black dots below—figures he identified as 'unorthodox martial artists,' who had now spread across nearly every corner of Qiuxiu Village.
This was also why he had instructed the shopkeeper of the Medicinal Herb Shop to close on gathering days, even though it could have been highly profitable.