Chapter 147: Master’s Abilities

“Master, Master Sister, the pain won’t last long.”

Zhang Yin took out a sharp dagger.

The blade was gleaming from use, made specially to pierce the carotid artery for bloodletting.

This kind of death was quick. The brain would be deprived of blood, lessening the pain, and one would die in peace.

“You both seem to think you’re forced into this, as if you’re pitiable, and even want to lessen our suffering in death, just to ease your own guilt…”

I looked coldly at these two useless fools.

“It’s not just what we think,” Linno replied with a bitter smile.

“Master, we know you can’t understand… it can’t be helped; after all, our circumstances are different.”

“Different? Heh,” I gazed at the two idiots before me with sympathy.

“Do you know, the people I hate most in my life are those… who always think they’re the most miserable under the heavens, like the whole world owes them something.”

“Master…”

“This world isn’t full of people like you, carrying your tragic stories on your lips every moment, desperate for everyone to know your suffering.”

There are some things too shameful to speak of.

Because she’s afraid those dark things will spoil the mood, corrode the hard-won friendships, Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters…

You think your Master Sister is cheerful? Sunny? Carefree?

Hah, experience it for yourself.

“Cluru, Link.”

“Forget it…” Cluru collapsed to the ground in a daze.

Her eyes were vacant as she watched a little ant before her, as if all her strength and Fairy Spirit Power had been drained away—along with every bit of vitality.

She still couldn’t accept Linno and Zhang Yin’s betrayal.

Of all the people hurt by this betrayal, she was the one who suffered most.

Everyone had been having so much fun together, finally enjoying a joyful life. She’d worked so hard for this…

But, why…

“I can’t just let it go.”

If Cluru wouldn’t act, then I would do it myself.

That Poison could seal spiritual power, but it couldn’t seal Cluru’s Fairy Spirit Power.

I bore Cluru’s Mark, so I could link with her, and use her Dream Ingress.

Even I couldn’t withstand Cluru’s Dream Ingress; naturally, these two would have no chance.

“Take a good look. This is what you call the happy childhood of your Master and Master Sister.”

.

I didn’t watch the Dream process with them, nor did I let Cluru watch.

There was no need, and I couldn’t bear to anyway.

Some things are too hard to recall, even if you’ve passed the test of your inner demons during tribulation, you can never truly let go.

Truly, I’m tired.

Cluru and I just lay silently atop the mountain, waiting for those two fools to finish their dream experience.

“Sorry.”

Before either of them woke, Cluru apologized first.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I’ve neglected you these days, I… I’ve been lost in my own world.” Cluru’s weak voice was full of regret.

“And if I hadn’t begged you to take disciples, none of this would’ve happened…”

“No need to apologize, I understand.”

“How… could you… you… you’re clearly not happy.”

“Wha… What makes you say I’m not happy! How could you possibly see that?!”

“It’s written all over your face, okay? Tsundere’s out of fashion, quit the act.”

“Hmph…” I snorted in displeasure, “Fine, I’m not happy, because I know you were destined to lose this Competition.”

“Why would my loss make you unhappy?”

“Because, I’ve lost too.”

“……”

I gave a bitter smile:

“You once asked me, ‘When you first joined the Sect, did you never look forward to a beautiful life in the Sect?’

I did, just like you.”

The ending wasn’t much different.

Cluru shifted, softly pressing her cheek to my ankle.

“So I understand you. I know you’re just trying to reclaim what you lost. What we lost as children, we always try to fill somehow… Not only fill it, but overfill, until it spills over.”

“Too bad…” Cluru’s eyes dimmed.

“Mm, too bad,” I nodded. “Some things are destined never to be filled. The more you want them, the less you can grasp them.”

Cluru watched the floating clouds on the mountaintop for a while, then reached out; white mist scattered from her palm.

Unwillingly, she opened her mouth and bit down on my ankle.

“Tch—what’s wrong with you! Why are you biting me?”

“Wutuxinwutuxin, I’m not willing!!!” Cluru growled and gnawed like a little pup, tears streaming down as cries and muffled shouts mingled in her throat.

“Sigh…”

Unable to help it, I slid down from the tea seat and lay beside her.

“At least you can still bite me.”

“Awoo—woo—woo—woo—”

Cluru switched to biting my shoulder.

Hmph, how could I take such a loss lying down? I had to bite back!

Awoo—woo—woo—woo—!

Fortunately, we didn’t have to bite each other for long—those two idiots finally woke up.

Their eyes were blank as they slumped to the ground, unable to recover from the aftermath for a long time.

In just a few short minutes, they had relived over a decade of memories between me and Cluru.

Even though it was only the most crucial fragments.

It was enough to leave their minds in shambles.

“No… Impossible… This can’t be…”

Both looked utterly deranged.

Because this meant their Sin of Killing the Master plan had been wrong from the start.

They were about to kill, with their own hands, the only two people in the world who truly understood them, and had cared for them in countless ways.

They were about to destroy, with their own hands, this kindness, this fate-changing grace.

The sunshine and happiness they once envied had been nothing but their own foolish delusions.

In reality…

It was precisely to bring sunshine to Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters like themselves that Master Sister had deliberately suppressed her true self.

Their mistake was beyond redemption, utterly irredeemable!

Calling them ungrateful beasts would be too kind—worse than animals, worse than anything!

And now.

There was no turning back.

“Master… Master Sister…”

Zhang Yin raised the dagger with a trembling hand in despair.

His hands were so weak he could barely hold the hilt.

But the act of killing one’s Master was already underway, the Poison had been given, and no matter how much he regretted it, there was no way back.

His Sin of Killing the Master was too grave; Master would never forgive him.

At this moment, he could only see the plan through to the end, struggling to survive a little longer.

Then, burdened with an even greater pain and guilt than before, to struggle on, endlessly, for all eternity.

“Enough, you two wretches. Did you really think that just because Master lost her spiritual power, she couldn’t handle you?”

“Eh…?!” The two looked at me in terror. “You…”

I lay on the ground, still looking half-dead.

I might have seemed completely helpless, but my mouth was tough as ever.

“But Master, you really have no spiritual power now, and a Xiushi without spiritual power is even weaker than a mortal… That’s what you taught us,” Zhang Yin said, lowering his head.

“Mm, but who said I was just a Xiushi?”

“…?”

I picked up a twig, pointed it at Zhang Yin, and chanted softly:

“avadakendagua!”

In this other world, there’s not only cultivation.

There’s Magic, too!