Chapter Two: The Path of Retribution

After Xu Ning’an obtained the Star Orchid, her eyes sparkled with tiny stars. “Fourth Senior Brother is amazing! He actually managed to get it.”

Her skin was fair and delicate, her features refined and gentle. She wore a pale pink, fitted long dress with narrow sleeves cinched at the waist. A tender begonia blossom was pinned in her hair, and the spirit stone pendant dangling from her earlobes swayed gently with her movements, casting a soft pink glow that illuminated her lively and adorable face.

Huo Shiqing ruffled her hair with a smile. “Ungrateful little one, why do you only praise him? It was my idea, after all.”

Huo Shiqing came from a prominent family and was the second direct disciple of the Yunyin Immortal Lord, known as the Second Senior Brother among them.

He was extraordinarily handsome and unrestrained, yet his cultivation was powerful and his generosity unmatched. He enjoyed immense popularity among the female cultivators, and the number of his partners far surpassed those of any other sect or righteous sects.

Huo Shiqing was ruthless to enemies, brazenly flirtatious toward those with romantic potential, indifferent and aloof to ordinary disciples, but only towards his junior sister Xu Ning’an was he tender and caring, always serious and earnest.

Xu Ning’an smiled sweetly, grabbing his sleeve. “Second Senior Brother, you’re amazing too. An’an likes you the most.”

His eyes softened considerably as he teased, “Would you dare say that in front of your Third Senior Brother?”

Xu Ning’an stuck out her tongue and scrunched her nose, muttering softly, “Second Senior Brother is mean.”

They all laughed, their eyes full of affection.

Amid the joyous atmosphere, the eldest senior brother, Shen Yanchu, noticed a subtle change in Xia Zhiyu’s expression.

As the eldest among the direct disciples, he was always meticulous and thorough, so he asked the Fourth Junior Brother what was wrong.

Xia Zhiyu hesitated but eventually voiced his concern: “I think… Jiang Heng seems a bit off.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Shiqing’s gaze shifted over.

Xu Ning’an exclaimed in surprise, tilting her head in confusion. “What’s wrong with Senior Sister? It can’t be that she’s so attached to the Star Orchid that she’s pretending to be crazy, right?”

Xia Zhiyu shook his head. “On the contrary, she didn’t make a fuss at all this time. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t argue. She just threw the sword to the ground and handed it over to me.”

Throw the Star Orchid on the ground?!

Shen Yanchu’s brow furrowed slightly.

A flash of anger crossed Huo Shiqing’s eyes as he sneered, “She’s trying a new trick. Seeing that throwing tantrums and playing dirty won’t work, she’s pretending to be utterly despondent, retreating to advance. Fourth Junior Brother, you’re too naive—don’t be fooled by people like her.”

Xu Ning’an suddenly realized, “Second Senior Brother is still the clever one. Fourth Senior Brother, you have to learn well from him.”

Xia Zhiyu smiled at the junior sister but didn’t refute her.

The mood became harmonious and warm once more, but Shen Yanchu lowered his eyes, deep in thought.

Inside the cave dwelling, Jiang Heng’s veins bulged, cold sweat poured over her, and her breath came in rapid gasps.

Already gravely injured and having forcibly severed the spirit of her sword, her meridians were in chaos, causing excruciating pain.

According to the rules of Snow Crane Peak, disciples injured as severely as she should have been given the customary spirit medicine broth to replenish their bodies, or at the very least, a few spirit stones to clutch and restore vitality.

But the disciples of the peak all favored Xu Ning’an and naturally hated Jiang Heng, who was always scheming to harm her. Thus, they deliberately brought nothing.

Jiang Heng’s consciousness grew increasingly faint. She sensed her spiritual power and strength rapidly draining and almost bit down on a silver tooth.

Having been reborn with great effort, how could she so recklessly perish in such a place?

As she pondered whether to destroy her cultivation realm to save her life, a strange voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

“Do you hate?”

Who was it? Who was speaking inside her sea of consciousness?

The voice was gentle and forgiving, compassionate and holy.

Like the Mother Earth, like the source of all life, it moved one to tears.

The voice asked Jiang Heng once more.

“Do you hate?”

Jiang Heng remained silent, but her heart answered—how could she not hate?

All the cruel, merciless torments she had endured in her previous life, even enemies could not let go of, let alone those so-called kin she had given her heart and soul to, only to be repaid with betrayal?

She had done nothing wrong, repaid all her debts long ago, so why would they refuse to let her go?

Even if she pretended to be carefree, the resentment was not so easy to cast aside!

The voice laughed, a distant, profound laugh.

“Then cultivate the Path of Ero.”

What was the Path of Ero?

No sooner had Jiang Heng formed this thought than a flash of white light swept before her eyes, and her body was engulfed by a warm, overwhelming torrent…

Half a month remained until Xu Ning’an’s birthday. Apart from the Yunyin Immortal Lord, who was in seclusion, and the absent Third Senior Brother, the entire Snow Crane Peak was already bustling with preparations.

Since so many guests were expected, the banquet was set to be held on the spacious summit’s open-air terrace. The space had been early adorned with magical walls, ceilings, columns, and draped with light, dazzling gauze.

Shen Yanchu, a very busy man, still found time to inspect the preparations on the terrace to ensure nothing was amiss.

Only direct disciples of Snow Crane Peak were ranked and addressed by seniority, such as Eldest Senior Brother, and only they called the Yunyin Immortal Lord “Master.” Others referred to him uniformly as the Peak Master.

Those not direct disciples were distinguished by surname or given name, with titles and ranks assigned according to their cultivation level and seniority.

Glancing at the front seats, Shen Yanchu suddenly frowned. “Why are there only five seats?”

The disciple responsible for arrangements hurriedly explained, “The Peak Master has been in seclusion for months and won’t emerge soon, so no seat was arranged for him.”

Shen Yanchu’s brow furrowed even deeper. “Have you forgotten? There are six of us direct disciples.”

The disciple gaped for a moment, then patted his head. “Ah, my mind’s gone blank… Sorry, Eldest Senior Brother, I’ll arrange it immediately!”

Watching the flustered figure retreat, Shen Yanchu was suddenly reminded of what Xia Zhiyu had said that day, and his heart stirred.

He realized something.

They hadn’t spent any private time with Jiang Heng for a long time.

Before Xu Ning’an was accepted as a disciple by the Master, the five of them would gather whenever possible to chat, laugh, and train together.

But ever since Xu Ning’an became their new junior sister, they had unconsciously focused solely on her, leaving Jiang Heng forgotten in the corner.

Jiang Heng was wronged and hurt, yet they neither comforted nor reconciled with her. Instead, they instinctively found her troublesome and pushed her further away.

Sometimes, when she cautiously and with a pleading look tried to get along with Xu Ning’an and rejoin their circle, she would unwittingly offend Xu Ning’an’s little golden bean.

Once or twice might be accidental, but after many times, it was hard not to suspect she was deliberately seeking revenge on the junior sister.

With such repeated incidents, their irritation grew, and they outright told Jiang Heng not to entertain any crooked thoughts and to stay away from the junior sister.

Thus, for the past two years, outsiders only saw the four of them intimately close with Xu Ning’an, gradually forgetting that there was also Jiang Heng, their junior sister.

The more Shen Yanchu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He turned, intending to find Jiang Heng, but bumped into Huo Shiqing.

“What’s up, Eldest Senior Brother? Where are you rushing off to?”