Chapter Forty: The Return

Jiang Heng gave a mocking smile. "Is there any possibility that no one is targeting Xu Ning'an at all?"

Huo Shiqing understood her implication, his face darkening until it seemed ready to drip water. "Are you suggesting that An'an deliberately harmed herself just to frame you?"

"Why would she do that? When An'an first joined the sect, our Master and all of us adored her. We fulfilled her every request; there was never any need for her to fight for affection."

"If we were biased and favored you over her, I might have found your theory somewhat plausible. But she is clearly the treasure of this sect. Unless she had lost her mind, she would never use such a self-destructive method to frame you! What could you possibly possess that would make her jealous enough to target you?"

Jiang Heng fell silent.

In truth, this was the one thing she hadn't been able to figure out in either of her two lifetimes.

When Xu Ning'an first arrived, Jiang Heng, having become a senior sister for the first time, was overjoyed to have a little junior sister of her own. Compared to their Master and the other senior brothers, she had been the one who doted on Xu Ning'an the most, wanting to give her everything she had.

Yet, in the face of such overflowing affection and kindness, Xu Ning'an would only offer a shallow smile, never reciprocating the warmth. Whenever she was with her senior sister, she was merely going through the motions, clearly preferring the company of their Master and senior brothers.

Had it not been for the tragic ending of her previous life, Jiang Heng would never have imagined that this seemingly harmless little junior sister wanted her dead.

Yes, in the incidents Huo Shiqing cited, Xu Ning'an had never explicitly blamed Jiang Heng. But she would cry incessantly, offering clumsy, loophole-ridden excuses to "defend" Jiang Heng. To everyone else, this made Xu Ning'an appear kind and innocent—someone so pure that she would shield her own tormentor.

In other words, Xu Ning'an had been full of malice toward Jiang Heng from the very moment she stepped into the sect.

When, exactly, had she offended this sweet-faced but bitter-hearted junior sister?

Seeing Jiang Heng remain silent, Huo Shiqing assumed she had no defense and was tacitly admitting her guilt. He wanted to reprimand her further, but remembering that Han Jie had not been dead for long, he figured Jiang Heng must be in a terrible state and decided not to provoke her further. He had come today to nip the wrong path in the bud and set things right, not to make them worse.

Huo Shiqing’s tone softened slightly. "Everyone makes mistakes. As long as you are truly repentant, you are still our junior sister."

"From now on, treat An'an well. Do not do those wretched things to her or upset her again, and I will, like the senior brother, look after you as much as I can."

Jiang Heng pulled herself from her thoughts and said coolly, "Since you have already decided that I am such a black-hearted person, what is the point of treating my meridians or risking the ire of your little junior sister to look after me?"

"If you have time to waste on a venomous woman like me, you would be better off spending it with your innocent, pitiable little junior sister. Continue your deep sibling bond and stop being a menace to others."

Veins bulged on Huo Shiqing's forehead; he felt like a fool for having been so patient. He should never have spoken to her like this; it only made her more ungrateful and brazen.

With a dark expression, Huo Shiqing flicked his hand, binding Jiang Heng tightly with a celestial-binding rope and sealing her mouth with a spell. Just as he lifted her horizontally to leave, a familiar voice sounded from behind.

"Although you are fellow disciples who grew up together, Junior Sister Jiang is an adult woman after all, and Senior Brother Huo has a dao companion. Isn't this act somewhat inappropriate?"

Both Huo Shiqing and Jiang Heng thought they were hallucinating.

Standing before them, looking refreshed and spirited, was none other than Han Jie!

Han Jie flicked a finger, and Jiang Heng floated out of the shocked Huo Shiqing's arms, landing steadily beside him. The binding rope fell away, and the silencing spell vanished. Jiang Heng’s first reaction was to reach out and touch Han Jie’s sleeve.

What her fingertips met was solid fabric, not a ghostly apparition. Wait—cultivators who fall are obliterated; there is no such thing as a ghost.

Suppressing her intense emotions, she said calmly to Han Jie, "You are still alive."

Han Jie smiled. "Yes, still alive."

Huo Shiqing regained his composure, flames flickering in his eyes. "I underestimated you. To think you could escape under such circumstances. It is a pity, however, that the culprit is the one who survives, while Section Head Xu was dragged to his death because of you. You are not the one who should be alive."

Han Jie looked somewhat innocent. "Section Head Xu is alive and well. I understand that Senior Brother Huo dislikes me, but please do not curse your elders."

What?!

Han Jie looked at the stunned Jiang Heng and explained, "I failed to account for the existence of the 'Deraignment Dharma' when the disciples were ambushed, so I am indeed to blame. After you all retreated, I used a trump-card artifact to assist Section Head Xu in a life-or-death battle against the demonic beast. Fortunately, we both survived."

"Section Head Xu even turned misfortune into a blessing. At the brink of life and death, he gained enlightenment, broke through his bottleneck, and successfully advanced to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul."

At this, Han Jie turned to Huo Shiqing. "The Sect Master and the others must already know this news; there will surely be a celebration. Are you not going to help, Senior Brother Huo?"

Huo Shiqing stared at him coldly before flicking his sleeves and leaving.

Han Jie looked at the tombstone on the ground and curled his lips slightly. "'Tomb of Senior Brother Han Jie'?"

Jiang Heng felt a bit embarrassed and quickly used a spell to put away the empty mound. "Senior Brother Han, you truly faced death this time. Did your cultivation level see a breakthrough?"

Han Jie smiled. "You guessed correctly. I am now at the Great Perfection of the late Golden Core stage. When the timing is right, I will attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul."

Jiang Heng was genuinely happy for him. "That is wonderful. I will help guard your cultivation session."

Han Jie reached out and stroked her hair. "Very well."

The fact that Section Head Xu had survived, advanced in cultivation, and returned with precious materials—the core, claws, and hide of an ancient demonic beast—was undoubtedly cause for great celebration. Although the shadow of the Lost Moon Palace’s return remained, that was a future concern; celebrating the present was more important.

For his contributions in battle, Han Jie was rewarded with numerous spirit stones by Sect Master Gao Junhao and promoted to Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Hall. Uncle-Master Ji had no objections; should he ever ascend or pass away, Han Jie would be the successor.

The importance of the Medicine Hall went without saying. That Han Jie had reached the Great Perfection of the late Golden Core stage at such a young age and was the future Hall Master meant his prospects were boundless.

For a time, the Medicine Hall was much livelier than usual, with many close disciples sent by the heads of various peaks to offer congratulations.

One day, while Han Jie was teaching new junior disciples how to inspect medicinal herbs, an unexpected visitor arrived.

"Senior Brother Han, these are gifts prepared by our Snow Crane Peak. The Senior Brother specifically asked me to bring them to you to congratulate you on your promotion..."

Xu Ning'an entered the main hall of the Medicine Hall, struggling slightly while holding a large stack of boxes.

Before she could finish her sentence, her foot slipped, and she cried out, falling directly toward Han Jie...