Chapter 67 - Girls in a Matriarchal World Are Just Too Scary

"Don't stop me!" Tang Wan'er shouted loudly, tears streaming down her cheeks. If her senior brother were humiliated because of this, she would bear undeniable blame and have no face left to live in this world. Su Yan was at a loss for what to do when the system prompted options. [Task One: Stand aside, allow Tang Wan'er to leave. (Completion reward: Flaming Herb)] [Task Two: Persuade her with kind words, and stop her in time. (Completion reward: Water Spirit Mushroom)] Seeing the task options, Su Yan was momentarily frozen. This time, both choices offered the same reward—spiritual herbs and plants—which meant either choice was valid. After hesitating for a while, Su Yan chose Task Two. He couldn’t just stand by and watch her throw her life away. "Are you crazy?" Su Yan fumed, scolding her sternly, "I've just saved you with great effort, and now you want to run out again. You're not yet healed; isn't that the same as courting death?" "In your current state, even I can easily stop you. Are you planning to waltz in and let them turn you into a plaything? That is simply foolish. Without you, your senior brother will truly lose all hope!" After this harsh reprimand, Tang Wan'er’s eyes became bloodshot. She bit her lip and said, "I swore to protect my senior brother. Now that he’s gone, how can I possibly stay calm?" Su Yan took a deep breath and continued to berate her, "If you don’t calm down, you’re just throwing your life away. Your current actions lack any sense. People say the brain is in the chest, but you don’t even have much of that—why can’t you understand!" Tang Wan'er glanced down at her chest, her eyes getting redder. After being scolded, her impulse subsided. She realized how foolish her actions were, but still… "Senior brother, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…" Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, her sword clattering down, abandoning the notion of risking her life. "…" Seeing that she had calmed down, Su Yan finally relaxed a bit. Ling Ling walked into the room then, blinking in confusion at the scene inside. "What happened here?" Su Yan stood there, face drawn tight with seriousness, while Tang Wan'er lay crumpled on the floor, her fingers wiping at her tears, resembling a scolded kitten. Who was she? Through a veil of tears, Tang Wan'er saw a beautiful woman enter. She wanted to take a closer look, but her tears wouldn’t stop, making it impossible to see clearly. Her chest throbbed in agony. They say nothing is more heartbreaking than death. Was this the ultimate expression of sorrow? Was her attachment to her senior brother truly this deep? "Your chest is bleeding! This is bad; the wound must have opened." Su Yan noticed the bloodstain blooming on her clothes, growing more significant by the moment. Bleeding? The wound opening? Tang Wan'er stared blankly at the bloodstains on her garments, realizing that the pain wasn’t illusory but intensely real. "Help… help me." Before she could finish her plea, she stiffly fell to the floor, feeling all her strength drain away, her body wracked with convulsions and unable to exert any force. The pain was unbearable—was she going to die? The fear grew with each thought. Tang Wan'er burst into tears, sobbing. Watching her pitiful state, Su Yan sighed heavily. How could she act so childishly, ignoring the consequences of her actions? "She's just a greenhorn in the world of cultivation. I wonder how her master felt safe letting her out." Ling Ling sighed softly, the sight of this young girl rekindling memories of her own past. Naïve and pure, once believing in a world where justice prevailed, and she was its champion, eager to right wrongs. But in a few short months, under her master Bai Shuixin’s guidance, those delusions were shattered by harsh realities. It was then she learned that black isn't always black, nor white always white. That the thorny Hehuan Sect was not rooted out just because of demonic cultivators. Seemingly pure and kind girls engaged in covert misdeeds, while apparently unsavory characters held surprisingly kind hearts. "Human nature is so perplexing!" Ling Ling couldn’t help but voice her appreciation. With years of experience behind her, she understood that the cultivation world thrived on relationships. Spotting a deceitful villain with minor power, she assumed she could easily mete out justice. But taking action revealed a web of relations and powerful allies, bringing misfortune upon herself. "If not for my master’s intervention, I would have been in dire straits." From that day forward, Ling Ling grasped an essential truth—cultivate warily, avoid trouble if possible. Not even a person of the Gold Core stage, like herself, could act recklessly compared to those ancient, terrifying figures of legend. "Only by reaching the level of my master can one act with true freedom." In the thirteen realms of cultivation—Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Gold Core, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Spirit Severing, Fusion, Transformation, Void, Grand Ascension, Tribulation, and Immortality—the Gold Core stage was merely the third. Regardless of genius, this reality remained unchanged. Higher cultivation levels were abundant, which is why Ling Ling dared not act arrogantly. After all, at her level, she would only encounter opponents of similar stature. In fiction, one might see elders bullying juniors, but reality forbade such acts, swiftly punished. Ling Ling’s nostalgic gaze settled on the unknowing girl before her. Su Yan lifted Tang Wan'er, helping place her on the bed with his senior sister’s assistance. After a bit of treatment, the bleeding stopped. "Alright, it’s no longer bleeding. Avoid any strenuous activity to prevent further injury." Blushing, Tang Wan'er couldn’t muster the courage to meet Su Yan’s eyes, covering her face in shame. "Now, can you tell me about your ordeal?" Su Yan wished to know the truth beyond his assumptions, seeking a firsthand account from Tang Wan'er herself. From what he had heard, it began as a minor dispute. How did it spiral into this? The Hehuan Sect disciples were merely teasing; how did it escalate to kidnapping? Tang Wan'er bit her lip, feeling wronged, and began recounting her story. "That afternoon, my senior brother and I were strolling through town when we encountered them…" As Su Yan had suspected, it began as a minor quarrel. Hehuan Sect disciples made a flirtatious comment upon seeing a handsome man. Under normal circumstances, it wasn't worth noting, but Tang Wan'er, irked by the teasing of her brother, could not hold her tongue. Typically, a bit of verbal sparring would suffice; after all, both were from respected sects and not solitary practitioners, making any provocation burdensome for all involved. Yet the issue deteriorated due to personality clashes. Tang Wan'er persisted in her verbal barrage for half an hour, while the Hehuan Sect disciples, unaccustomed to such affronts, refused to swallow their pride.