Chapter 1: No One Will Believe Her

The summit of the snow-capped mountain.

Li Shuang stumbled forward. As she walked, blood dripped continuously from the many wounds on her body, staining the snow a vivid, patchy red.

She had been trapped on this mountain for three days.

Three days ago.

Her master had suffered a setback during his cultivation and urgently needed a Heavenly Snow Lotus to stabilize his mind. Someone had once seen a Heavenly Snow Lotus at the peak of this mountain, so she had come here together with her junior brothers and sister.

But climbing this mountain proved far more difficult than anyone had imagined. Beyond the biting, omnipresent winds, there were snow monsters that would spring out at any moment.

The youngest junior sister had been careless and found herself surrounded by the beasts. Having gone through great hardship to pluck the Heavenly Snow Lotus, Li Shuang saw the situation and gave the lotus to her junior sister, telling her to take it and rendezvous with the other junior brothers, and to leave immediately once they had met up!

Li Shuang then charged forward to hold off the snow monsters for her.

She did not know how long she had fought to the death before she finally cleared the monsters, but her internal energy was more than half-depleted. She should have retreated immediately to join the others, but on her way, she ran into another pack of snow monsters drawn by the scent of the Heavenly Snow Lotus, heading toward the location of her junior brothers and sister.

The Heavenly Snow Lotus could not be lost, and her junior brothers and sister were severely drained of spiritual power and wounded; as the eldest senior sister, she had to protect them.

Li Shuang gritted her teeth and faced the snow monsters once more.

She swung her sword alone, not knowing how long she fought or how many more wounds were added to her body. In the end, she barely emerged victorious, but she was swept up into the biting winds and could no longer find a way out.

Now, three days later, only a needle-thin thread of spiritual power remained in her dantian.

If she remained trapped any longer, she feared she would perish here.

Li Shuang gritted her teeth. This was no time for pride; this last bit of spiritual power was enough to use one communication talisman.

Three days had passed; her junior brothers and sister should have brought the lotus back by now. Once her master consumed it, he should have weathered the crisis.

They hadn't come looking for her, likely because they didn't know her location.

Li Shuang exhausted her final bit of spiritual power to activate the communication talisman.

The talisman successfully activated, and Li Shuang hurriedly opened her mouth: "Master, I..."

The next moment, the cold voice of Master Lingxu rang out: "Unfilial disciple! You still have the face to contact me! Zhaozhao fought the snow monsters to the death to obtain the lotus, and what about you? You clearly saw Zhaozhao in danger, yet you walked away and fled! Li Shuang, I have raised you for so many years; I never imagined I would raise such an ungrateful wretch!"

Li Shuang froze.

What was Master saying?

Why couldn't she understand a single word?

When had she ever walked away?

Li Shuang desperately wanted to say something, but the freezing wind rushed in, and in the massive vortex of air, she found herself unable to speak.

"Master, don't blame Senior Sister. Perhaps she didn't see me," Ye Zhaozhao said softly.

Li Shuang froze again.

Her face stung from the biting wind, but at this moment, the pain in her heart far exceeded the pain in her flesh.

Ye Zhaozhao, what was Ye Zhaozhao saying!

Although their relationship wasn't harmonious, in a life-or-death moment, she had never once thought of abandoning her!

The second junior brother, Sheng Yuan, sighed and said, "Zhaozhao, you are still too naive. Senior Sister was once the best of our generation, but after you arrived, your cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, and recently, you even surpassed her. Senior Sister is narrow-minded; she likely resented you long ago. When you were surrounded by the snow monsters, she was probably waiting for you to die. She likely never expected that you would break through the encirclement and bring the lotus back."

"This... this is impossible," Ye Zhaozhao said, looking incredulous. "Even if Senior Sister resents me, she should know the importance of the Heavenly Snow Lotus to Master. It doesn't matter if she doesn't like me, but could she really be so indifferent to Master's safety?"

"I didn't expect it either, that Senior Sister could be this excessive! When the youngest junior sister found us that day, she was already severely wounded, yet the lotus in her hand was perfectly intact, which is enough to prove how much she respects Master," the third junior brother, Shen Yue, accused. "As for Senior Sister, being this selfish is truly chilling!"

"If Zhaozhao hadn't scared those snow monsters off, we wouldn't have been able to leave so easily! By comparison, Senior Sister's behavior is simply despicable," the fourth junior brother added with utter disgust.

The voices of accusation piled one upon another.

Li Shuang screamed in her heart: *It’s not like that, it’s clearly not like that.* After Ye Zhaozhao joined the sect, her own cultivation had inexplicably stagnated and become difficult to improve. But she had only worked harder, never blaming Ye Zhaozhao for it.

Their poor relationship had other reasons.

Ye Zhaozhao was the last to join, but she had a sweet tongue and a bright smile that never left her face, quickly winning the affection of everyone on Lingxu Peak.

Li Shuang had originally liked this junior sister, too.

Until one time.

Ye Zhaozhao claimed she had suffered a setback in her cultivation and asked Li Shuang to take a look. Li Shuang, suspecting nothing, stepped forward.

But the moment she touched Ye Zhaozhao, the girl screamed, crying out for mercy.

Coincidentally, Master was nearby and saw the scene of her "bullying" Ye Zhaozhao.

Looking at the tear-streaked Ye Zhaozhao, she had no way to defend herself!

After that, such stories repeated themselves endlessly.

She was clumsy with words and could not defend herself. Slowly, Master and her junior brothers all developed opinions against her, believing she was jealous of Ye Zhaozhao and targeted her at every turn.

But even if she and Ye Zhaozhao didn't get along, she had never once thought of harming her life!

After all these years together, did Master and her junior brothers have no trust in her at all? Did they believe Ye Zhaozhao's lies so easily?

Li Shuang tried to explain: "It's not like that, I..."

"Enough," Master Lingxu's cold voice cut in. "Li Shuang, when I first took you in, I held high hopes for you. But you have disappointed me too much. Ever since Zhaozhao joined, you feared she would surpass you and targeted her everywhere. Yet Zhaozhao has such astonishing talent that even while being suppressed by you, she still surpassed you! And because of this, you left her in danger! I, Master Lingxu, do not have a disciple like you!"

With a thought from Master Lingxu, the communication talisman was cut off.

Li Shuang's world plunged back into emptiness.

Li Shuang stared blankly at the now-dimmed talisman.

She had exhausted her last bit of spiritual power; she couldn't even activate the talisman again.

Li Shuang couldn't help but think.

If she told the truth, would Master and the others believe her?

But immediately, she offered a bitter smile.

No. No one would believe her.

Such scenes had occurred too many times.

No matter what the junior sister said, everyone would unconditionally believe her.

And no matter how she explained, she would only be met with endless accusations.

She had long since been abandoned.

Li Shuang looked up with difficulty at the Longyin Sword by her side. Now, all she had left was this precious sword that had accompanied her since her Golden Core stage.

She came from the Sword Sect, which was best at cultivating sword spirits; the Longyin Sword contained a sword spirit she had painstakingly nurtured.

Li Shuang called out softly, and a phantom of the sword spirit appeared in the air.

Li Shuang said, "Long Yan, take control of the Longyin Sword and go down the mountain to seek help for me."

The sword spirit, Long Yan, hovered in the air, motionless.

Li Shuang froze, and she repeated, "Long Yan, you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the Longyin Sword soared into the air and plunged violently into her dantian!

Li Shuang looked down at the sword tip piercing through her body, feeling a sense of daze.

(End of chapter)