167 - Douluo: Martial Spirit Blue Silver Grass

Chapter 167: The Daily Nights of Being Reborn as the Wicked Senior Sister GL It was all because of one remark from Jiu Ying that led Fu Ling to destroy the Soul-Fixing Banner. Yet, little did she know that doing so would lead to Shen Fu Yang's demise. At this moment when the two met, the atmosphere was especially silent. "Senior Sister." The young girl's voice sounded gentle, yet amidst the sorrow, there was also a hint of reproach. Fu Ling didn't want to argue with Jiu Ying over this matter. After a moment of thought, she took the initiative to stand and move forward. "Shen Fu Yang is going to die." Things had developed to this point, which was far beyond her original intention. Just by hearing those five words, Jiu Ying could guess how much Fu Ling blamed herself. As expected, before she could respond, another soft sigh reached her ears— "If I'd known this would be the result, I wouldn't have burned the Soul-Fixing Banner." Jiu Ying pursed her lips, her brows involuntarily knitting together. "If you didn’t burn the Soul-Fixing Banner, how would you win tonight's competition? Have you forgotten the promise you made to me when you arrived? You said you wouldn't lose." Fu Ling had expected to hear words of comfort, but never anticipated criticism from her senior sister. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond, and after a brief silence, she lowly replied. "Dai Yuan Xi has already shown herself. Wouldn't it be enough to kill her? There must be a way to win." Hearing this, Jiu Ying shook her head, her brows furrowing even more tightly as her expression turned cold. "There is no other way. The puppet is controlled by the Soul-Fixing Banner, and all its actions are determined by the puppet master. If you wish to kill Dai Yuan Xi, you must first eliminate Shen Fu Yang. Even if you let Shen Fu Yang fall into a hallucination, the outcome won't change." "Destroying the Soul-Fixing Banner is your only path to victory tonight." Fu Ling was taken aback, realizing the deeper implications within those words— "Senior Sister knew all along that Shen Fu Yang would die, didn't she?" This question didn’t truly need Jiu Ying's answer anymore. "Senior Sister clearly knew I wanted to save him, so why still urge me to destroy the Soul-Fixing Banner? Was it really just to win the competition?" Fu Ling was internally shocked, yet she reluctantly pressed for confirmation. Unfortunately, her question was only met with silence. Jiu Ying looked at the furious girl in front of her, letting out a soft sigh in her heart. Fu Ling and she were becoming increasingly different. "It's obvious that someone wants to target you in tonight's competition. If you want to win, Dai Yuan Xi must pay a price. As a puppet master, her greatest asset is Shen Fu Yang. Destroying the Soul-Fixing Banner and killing Shen Fu Yang is merely routine for you. Why put so much weight on it?" "Contesting outcomes equates to contending life and death. If Shen Fu Yang doesn't die, it will be you who perishes. In the future, you will have to kill more than just him. Are you going to spare every single one?" "Moreover, Shen Fu Yang has lost his soul. For him, continuing to live without self-awareness is no different from death." Perhaps recalling her past self afflicted by love poison, Jiu Ying's voice faltered at the end. Every word was logical and reasoned. Fu Ling was left speechless, unable to think of any rebuttal, and after some moments of silence, she could only fall into grudging silence. The crux of their argument was whether Shen Fu Yang was worth saving. Jiu Ying, at her core, remained detached and, in her view, Shen Fu Yang held no particular significance that would necessitate Fu Ling's extensive efforts to save him. In contrast, Fu Ling's sympathy for Shen Fu Yang stemmed from how his current, self-unaware state reminded her of Jiu Ying’s past, controlled by love poison. The exchange between them eventually led Jiu Ying to relent first. As with every other time, she could never bear seeing Fu Ling's expression of grievance and guilt— That endearing look she wore only before her. The moonlight shone softly, elongating their shadows. Seeing the pitiful figure of the girl before her, head bowed in silence, Jiu Ying sighed soundlessly and took a small peach tree branch from her sleeve, passing it over. "With the Soul-Fixing Banner destroyed, the souls within will dissipate, and the puppet cannot exist." "This peach tree branch holds Shen Fu Yang's soul. Whether he can reunite it with his body depends on himself." Fu Ling was stunned, her gaze fixed on the small piece of peach wood, yet she didn't reach out to take it. At this moment, she didn’t even know what to say. "Senior Sister—" "Not going to take it? Didn't you very much want to save him?" Before the words finished leaving her lips, Jiu Ying pushed the wooden piece forward, her eyes softening considerably. Fu Ling slightly raised her head, gazing in a daze at the white-robed woman in front of her, unable to muster any other reaction. It wasn't until Jiu Ying placed the piece of peach wood into her hand that Fu Ling finally realized— Her senior sister hadn’t disappeared to go to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion; she had gone to preserve the soul within the Soul-Fixing Banner for her. She couldn’t tell if she was moved or upset, but her nose stung with inexplicable emotion. As her gaze fell again on the exquisite face, she noticed that her beloved's cheeks were tinged with a pale hue. When the soul separates from the body, each passing moment makes it harder to recover. Jiu Ying's cultivation wasn't fully restored, so managing to retrieve Shen Fu Yang's two souls and six spirits in such a short span must have drained a lot of energy. Upon realizing this, Fu Ling felt immensely guilty. The thought of having just accused her senior sister of deceit rendered her speechless with shame. After a prolonged pause, she only managed to eke out a soft, "I'm sorry." Jiu Ying, naturally, wasn’t truly angry. Seeing the little girl standing there, filled with self-reproach, she didn’t think twice before gently taking the hand tucked away in the sleeve. Their hands met, fingers interlocking. Fu Ling instantly felt how cold Jiu Ying’s hand was, and, much like Jiu Ying had cared for her in the past, she channeled strand upon strand of spiritual energy from her palm into Jiu Ying's body. Such a small gesture spoke volumes of boundless affection. Jiu Ying had intended to pull her hand away but didn’t move a finger as her hand was tightly clasped in return. Though not a word was spoken, she understood Fu Ling’s heartfelt sentiments. Unable to resist, she could only accept. Jiu Ying parted her lips slightly, and her voice carried a tenderness even as her lips curled almost imperceptibly into a smile. "Let's go." "To the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, and find someone to help Shen Fu Yang restore his soul." *** After spending several days together, Jiu Ying had long discerned that Ning Wan Qiu belonged to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. Since the 'Tian' token given by Fang Si Jian could prompt Ning Wan Qiu's assistance, it could naturally compel others within the pavilion to comply as well. Upon learning that Shen Fu Yang still clung to a sliver of life, the four children quickly calmed their tears. On the way to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, they were quiet, neither crying nor making a fuss, appearing unusually well-behaved. The more they seemed this way, the more they evoked sympathy. Just as they reached the pavilion's entrance, Jiu Ying suddenly stopped. "If Shen Fu Yang truly returns to normal, how do you plan to settle him?" Fu Ling didn’t understand the significance and spoke her true thoughts without hesitation. "He was controlled by others for the first part of his life. If he returns to consciousness, I would naturally grant him freedom." Hearing this response, a hint of surprise flashed in Jiu Ying’s eyes. Shen Fu Yang had considerable talent in cultivation. She initially thought Fu Ling intended to save him to enlist his help, never anticipating that wasn’t the case at all. Recalling Fu Ling’s act of sheathing her sword at the arena, Jiu Ying now realized something. The moment her lips moved, her fingers involuntarily tightened, holding on to the warmth in her palm more firmly. "Why? Why save him?" Fu Ling didn’t notice anything amiss, yet she found herself embarrassed when divulging the real reason. After some hesitation, with absolute silence surrounding them, she finally spoke softly— "Senior Sister, because of you." "If someone had come to your aid when you were afflicted by the love poison, maybe you wouldn’t have lived such a painful past life." "I just… saw your reflection in him, which compelled me to help." Author's Note: Hey, I'm back again Thank you to the little angels who cast the overlord vote or watered my nutrient solution between 2021-03-22 23:24:30 and 2021-03-24 01:56:05~ Thank you to the little angels who threw mines: Mu Qingmu, Night Fantasy, Qin1; Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: This is a serious name 12 bottles; hanabi 5 bottles; Thank you all for your support. I will continue to work hard!