’I failed my Senior Sister’s trust...’

’I... I got the Jade-faced Mantis killed...’

’I can’t do anything right...’

’I... I’m such a useless piece of trash!!!!’

He clutched his head in agony, trying to tear these memories from his mind, wanting to return to the peaceful state of sleep he’d been in before.

But the despair in his heart devoured all reason and hope.

’If... if only I’d arrived a little sooner...’

’If only I hadn’t been affected by that wave of laziness...’

’If... I could just cast aside my responsibility and duty...’

Countless ’what ifs’ swirled in his mind, but every one of them pointed to the same unchangeable ending.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a procession returning from the distance.

It was a troop of resentful ghost-spirits carrying a magnificent jade coffin.

And behind them, several spiritual beasts held up two large, white banners.

By the moonlight, Wang Xiedi made out the words on the banners—

"In Solemn Mourning for the Passing of Su Ling’er, Holy Daughter of the Guixi Sect!"

"May the Holy Daughter of the Guixi Sect Journey in Peace!"

BOOM—!!!!!

Wang Xiedi felt as if his mind had been struck by a bolt of heavenly lightning, going completely blank in an instant.

’The Holy Daughter... Su Ling’er... has passed away...?’

He staggered to his feet from the mud, his eyes wide in disbelief as he confirmed the glaring words on the banners again and again.

’What’s going on?’

’What in the world is going on?!’

’What happened while I was sneaking in?!’

’Senior Sister... How could Senior Sister... have passed away?!’

He suddenly remembered the funeral procession he had seen during the day, and that magnificent jade coffin.

’Could it be... back then... something had already happened to Senior Sister?!’

’So everything back then was prepared for Senior Sister!’

A more terrifying thought instantly shattered his last line of mental defense.

’Senior Sister’s ’faked illness’... wasn’t fake!’

’She was truly critically ill!’

’And I... not only did I fail to save the Jade-faced Mantis, I also missed the one and only chance Senior Sister created for me with her life!’

’What have I done?!’

SLAP!

He viciously slapped himself across the face.

’I failed the chance Senior Sister carved out for me with her life!’

’I squandered the opportunity she created for me!’

’It was me... I’m the one who killed Senior Sister!’

’I’m such a cowardly person with no sense of responsibility!!!’

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

He slapped himself repeatedly, the light in his eyes gradually extinguishing, leaving only dead numbness and emptiness.

’Why... why did it turn out like this?’

His world had turned to endless shades of gray.

He didn’t know how he made it back to the sect’s heartland, nor how he crossed that stretch of wilderness.

Like a walking corpse, he dragged his heavy legs back to the front of the thatched cottage.

He lifted his head and looked toward the distant bamboo building that belonged to his Senior Sister.

The bamboo building was pitch-black, with no lights and not a single shadow of a person.

His last sliver of hope was utterly shattered, and despair consumed him completely.

’Senior Sister... at this hour... she still isn’t back to rest...’

He looked at the sky.

’Senior Sister... is really... gone...’

’What... what in the world have I done...?’

THUD. His knees gave way, and he fell heavily to the dirt, kneeling toward the empty bamboo building.

"Senior Sister—!"

"Senior Sister—!"

He was choked with sobs, his mournful cries sounding especially desolate in the wilderness at night.

"I’m useless! I’m so sorry!"

"You suffered so much all on your own, but I... I couldn’t even handle the last thing you entrusted to me with your life..."

"You took such good care of me and the other outer sect brothers. I never had the chance to repay your kindness... or grow into someone who could truly take responsibility... You’re all dead, how am I supposed to go on living—!"

"Senior Sister... oh, Senior Sister—!"

Wang Xiedi remained kneeling, weeping as he slammed his fists into the ground, trying to vent all his endless regret and pain.

From a distance, he knelt before his Senior Sister’s lonely little bamboo building, crying like a child abandoned by the entire world.

...

Meanwhile, Su Ling’er felt like she was about to fall apart.

In order to "legitimately" get out of that damn coffin, she had paid the painful price of "doing triple the work."

From the moment she re-emerged from the coffin, she hadn’t stopped for a second, using Sword Flight at top speed to zip between various mission locations, frantically completing her tasks.

Tilling medicinal fields, slaying demon beasts...

Her beginner’s Wooden Sword was moving so fast it left afterimages, and streaks of light crisscrossed the sky—the trails she left as she shuttled back and forth between mission points.

Whenever her Spiritual Power and stamina were depleted, she would circulate the True Understanding of Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to the Origin and the Sword Refining Skill to recover, then continue, again and again.

Her luck was pretty good, too. While doing missions, she ran into Mr. Qian, who was in charge of imparting techniques. When she went to exchange for a Cultivation Technique, he gave her a decent one.

The Flowing Shadow Flying Star Skill.

This Cultivation Technique specialized in Sword Flight, allowing for faster flight speed, more agile turns, and lower consumption of Spiritual Power.

And at this terrifying rate of completing missions, she felt her proficiency with Sword Flight skyrocket at an incredible speed just today.

Finally, she completed her triple quota and dragged her exhausted body back to her bamboo building, guided by the moonlight.

Right now, she didn’t want to think about anything; she just wanted to crawl into her bed and have a nice, long sleep.

But as soon as she reached her building, she saw a familiar and infuriating figure kneeling at her doorstep.

’Who’s that?’

She took a closer look, and the moment the reflection from a polished Heart-Protecting Mirror caught her eye, she understood instantly.

’It’s Wang Xiedi!’

’He’s... wailing his heart out at my front door?’

’Wait, you’re mourning too?’

’What’s the deal?’

’Did those few senior brothers infect you or something?’

Countless question marks popped up in Su Ling’er’s mind.

’Is it because he failed the mission, and he’s here blaming himself?’

’Why is this guy crying so miserably here?’

’Or maybe... that mantis left such an indelible shadow on his heart that he doesn’t know how to face it anymore?’

The thought of him and the mantis incident made an inexplicable anger surge within her.

’Can’t you even handle a small setback like this?’

’Even when I fail, I can always try again. When you fail, you should just lay low for a bit, plan your next move, or wait for backup!’

’Does crying your eyes out here solve anything?’

’Why on earth did the Sect Leader send someone like this?!’

’And you have the nerve to cry?!’

The more Su Ling’er thought about it, the angrier she got.

’If you weren’t more of a hindrance than a help, would I have wasted my entire day for nothing, attracting the attention of those fiends for you?!’

’I was locked in a coffin with three vicious ghost-corpses!’

’And when I got out, I had to do triple the work!’

’I clearly drew the attention of almost everyone for you, and you just had to go and fail?!’

’And after failing, you have the audacity to cry like this?!’

She suppressed the rage in her heart and walked over, her pretty face cold.

"Wang Xiedi,"

"What are you doing kneeling in front of my house in the middle of the night?"