Qingning felt this was not a dream.
Because everything was too real, and as a cultivator, she couldn’t wake up on her own.
She also felt this was not her memory.
Because the deviation in her memories was growing larger, it felt real, but she had no recollection of it.
In the vision, Jiang Chen once again broke his promise.
For the next three years, he steadfastly refused to accept it no matter what she sent him.
When she repeatedly put herself in danger and came back injured, Jiang Chen even placed her under house arrest.
During this time, Jiang Chen continued to do ‘bad things’.
The drunk Second Senior Brother Lin Mubai found Jiang Chen and verbally abused him.
Jiang Chen endured it until Lin Mubai began to insult the sect, the sect leader, and the Jiuyan Old Ancestor, at which point he had no choice but to knock him out.When Xiao Hongyi arrived and saw this, he thought Jiang Chen was assaulting his Junior Brother.
Jiang Chen had repeatedly warned his underlings not to bully others under his name or to commit evil deeds in his name.
Some listened, others did not.
The result was, without a doubt, that the actions of his underlings were all attributed to Jiang Chen.
A disciple from Sword Peak had a conflict with Jiang Chen and died tragically while away on a mission.
The incident alarmed the Supreme Elder, and after the sect investigated, they found no evidence.
Despite the lack of evidence, everyone believed it was Jiang Chen’s doing.
The reason was funny.
Aside from the conflict between Jiang Chen and the disciple, Jiang Chen had also left the sect on the day of the incident.
Jiang Chen had no way to defend himself.
Only Qingning in the void knew that Jiang Chen left the sect that day because she had been unable to advance in her cultivation, so he contacted the Jiang family to find some heavenly materials and earthly treasures that could improve her talents.
Afterward, Jiang Chen’s bad reputation worsened, and disciples of the Jiuyan Sect would almost always walk around him.
Gradually, Qingning realized.
The Eldest Senior Brother, who usually had a bright smile, would look up at the sky alone in the dead of night, his face full of loneliness.
Qingning felt heartache.
She reminded herself that all of this wasn’t real, but her heart still ached unbearably.
She doesn’t understand.
She doesn’t understand why Jiang Chen is frequently misunderstood, nor why those people are unwilling to give Jiang Chen a chance to explain.
Even less does she understand.
Such a good Eldest Senior Brother, why master and other senior brothers and juniors were unwilling to believe and cherish him?
Fortunately, the her in the image still stood by his side despite encountering many bad things related to Jiang Chen believing that her Eldest Senior Brother is not that kind of person.
Until,
“Eldest Senior Brother is so kind! If it weren’t for you, those bad people would have snatched my Jade Spirit Grass…”
The emergence of this voice made Qingning in the void heart beat faster.
At this moment, even if she had seen nothing yet, she believed that Jiang Chen would never take her Jade Spirit Grass like he did in reality.
She consoled herself. Since the memories are different, the development of events should also be different.
She hoped to believe that no matter what happens, she must trust Jiang Chen.
Because this Eldest Senior Brother is different!
But the result,
“Boom!!”
A bolt of purple lightning struck from the sky, and a drunken Lin Mubai used all his Righteous Qi to destroy Jiang Chen’s cultivation, but in the end, it only destroyed the Jade Spirit Pill.
“Eldest Senior Brother, can you return the Jade Spirit Grass to me?”
The Qingning in the image asked with her head down.
Jiang Chen had no words to respond.
It took him a long time to finally say, “It’s gone…”
It wasn’t just gone. It was destroyed.
Watching Jiang Chen being scolded by Xiao Hongyi and watching the crying self in the image, Qingning in the void was completely bewildered.
She thought she was different.
She thought that even if the whole world doubted him, she would never doubt this upright Eldest Senior Brother in the image.
But all these were just her own assumptions…
In the end, she was no different from the others.
【Do you want an Eldest Senior Brother like this?】
The golden characters emerged again.
Qingning still nodded.
【No, you don’t want it】
This time, Qingning didn’t argue.
She wanted to. She really wanted to, she even dreamed of it! But it was she herself who pushed away such an upright Eldest Senior Brother!
“What exactly are you trying to tell me?”
Suddenly looking up, Qingning demanded.
She didn’t want to watch any longer.
Many things were deviating from her memory, but the outcomes were almost exactly the same!
At this moment, she couldn’t even distinguish between reality and illusion.
The disgust for Eldest Senior Brother in her mind was gradually replaced by the image of Jiang Chen in the image.
She began to question everything, even herself.
She started to speculate.
Could all the realities she knew also be misunderstandings? But the Jiang Chen in her memories was clearly not like this!
She felt lost and uncertain, conflicted at every moment.
Sometimes she would laugh, sometimes cry.
She feared that she would go mad if she continued watching!
Unfortunately, her questions remained unanswered.
The scenes continued, and Qingning instinctively wanted to close her eyes, only to find that she simply couldn’t.
Fortunately, the focus of the scenes shifted from the Jiuyan Sect as she went outside.
“Is this… the Hengduan Mountain Range?”
Looking around, Qingning was startled.
A young man appeared in the scene, saving her from a dangerous situation.
Although the young man had dark skin, he was very approachable, and one glance at him would make anyone feel amiable.
“Your name is Lin Feng?”
The girl in the scene asked.
“Correct!”
The young man waved his hand grandly, his voice carrying a bit of boldness: “Lin as in ‘standing out in the forest,’ and Feng as in ‘the wind that topples trees.'”
“So you’re very low-profile?”
The girl asked again.
“You’ve misunderstood.”
The young man grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: “I am the wind that topples trees, not the tree that stands out in the forest!”
“What do you mean?”
The girl was puzzled, blinking in confusion.
“It means…”
The young man scratched his head, “Ah well, it just means I’m awesome. Anyone who stands in my way will be crushed by me as easily as if they were withered branches!”
The girl seemed to understand.
This must be a very confident person.
Hmm, and quite interesting to talk to.
Not long after, Lin Feng joined the Jiuyan Sect, while Qingning continued her training outside.
After becoming a disciple, Lin Feng, apart from Jiang Chen, was deeply favored by the master and other Senior Brothers and Sisters.
The atmosphere of the Ninth Peak changed.
Over time, it seemed as though everyone had forgotten they had an Eldest Senior Brother. The first person they thought of in any situation was Lin Feng.
Watching herself in the scenes getting closer and closer to Lin Feng, Qingning frowned.
She always felt that something was off.
Because Lin Feng’s luck was just too good, even better than hers, who was supposed to be a person of great destiny.
There was clearly no need for Jiang Chen to oppose Lin Feng, yet he kept preventing others from interacting with Lin Feng. Despite being ridiculed and proven wrong repeatedly, he persisted.
Qingning in the void felt that Lin Feng and Jiang Chen were natural adversaries.
Lin Feng is like light, illuminating the hearts of everyone wherever he goes.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, is darkness, shunned by all.
But who decides what is light and what is dark? And why can’t it be changed?
Is someone destined to be engulfed in darkness can’t change their situation, no matter how much they struggle?
“It’s not fair,” Qingning murmured.
The scene suddenly shifts to several years later.
She, who had disappeared and refused to return to the sect had finally come back. Before even entering the gate, she saw Jiang Chen, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
“Qingning Junior Sister, this is Dao Enlightenment Leaf, which can greatly improve your innate talent,” Jiang Chen said, presenting a vibrant green leaf.
“Senior Brother, are you trying to make amends for taking my Jade Spirit Grass?” the returning Qingning asked.
“Junior Sister, I’ve always wanted to explain that to you. I didn’t intend to take the Jade Spirit Grass. There were many unexpected accidents along the way.”
“Accidents? If it was unexpected, then it has nothing to do with you, Eldest Senior Brother. Why bother giving me this Enlightenment Leaf, which is also precious in the Upper Domain?”
Jiang Chen fell silent.
“Sigh,” Qingning in the image sighs.
She was never one to hold grudges, and years of experience had matured her significantly.
“Eldest Senior Brother, I’ve come to understand and have grown up,” Qingning said earnestly.
“You may have deceived me for six years, but you also took care of me for six years. The two cancel each other out. We owe nothing to each other. From now on, you are still my Eldest Senior Brother, but don’t expect me to be a tool again.”
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want you to grow up this way,” Jiang Chen said sadly.
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to either.”
Qingning walked away after leaving those words behind.
“Junior Sister, this Dao Enlightenment Leaf…” Jiang Chen called out from behind.
“Senior Brother, keep it for yourself. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not holding a grudge anymore. It’s just that I no longer need Dao Enlightenment Leaf.”
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