Fairy, Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Blind

Chapter 35: The Pain of Junior Sister

As the dramatic welcoming ceremony came to an end, Gu announced two exciting decisions:

First: He would carefully evaluate every sect in Chuyun City, whether big or small. All sects had the potential to become affiliated with the Mystic Firmament Sect.

Second: All cultivators under the age of thirty with a cultivation level of Spirit Platform Realm or higher could sign up for the Ascension Assembly starting tomorrow, competing for the sole opportunity to study at the Mystic Firmament Sect.

Gu also added that rank wouldn’t be the only determining factor in the selection. He would consider overall performance, and hoped that each cultivator would show their true selves without being overly fixated on winning or losing. No matter where they were, the Dao was eternal.

This announcement made the cultivators even more excited. It was as if the opportunity was no longer reserved for the city’s elite, but was now within everyone’s reach.

Blending into the crowd, You Su quietly signed up with the city lord’s office before slipping away, just as low-key as when he had arrived. Yet, just like before, he couldn’t escape the notice of those who were paying attention.

Gu and City Lord Liu each had their own thoughts, while a few perceptive elders began to see the blind young man in a new light.

Wu Cheng, on the other hand, silently watched You Su’s retreating figure, a burning fighting spirit already ignited in his heart.

You Su walked through the empty alleys, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Gu’s declaration of “You are a demon” in front of everyone had been terrifying. Under the weight of the crowd’s mixed gazes, You Su felt that if his resolve had been even slightly weaker, he might have spilled everything about his experiences. Even if he weren’t a demon, the pressure might have driven him to become one.

What kept him steady wasn’t an unshakable mindset, but his unwavering trust in his junior sister. She had told him that the Tai Sui meat wouldn’t corrupt him, and he believed her because he knew that she would never harm him.

Only with the firm belief that “I am definitely not a demon” could he remain calm and composed. But doubt, fear, and tension still surrounded him. It wasn’t until he heard City Lord Liu speak up for him without mentioning his blindness that he realized something was amiss.

You Su had initially planned to explain his blindness himself, but Gu ignored him and went on a lengthy tirade. After listening, You Su noticed the subtlety: the only person who could have known the details of the Golden Eyes’ usage was City Lord Liu, who had come from the Mystic Firmament Sect. He had known that eye contact was the key to detection, but had deliberately omitted the fact that You Su was blind. It wasn’t an oversight or an attempt to spare You Su embarrassment – it was intentional.

City Lord Liu wanted the arrogant Gu, who had never shown him any respect, to experience a fall from grace. Unintentionally, You Su had become the stumbling block.

Gu wasn’t stupid. Once he realized what was happening, he turned his focus on You Su in order to save face. Although You Su resented Gu for knowingly misjudging him and using his authority to pressure him, he had no choice.

With his junior sister and master’s wife teetering on the brink of disaster at home, Gu was currently the person most capable of helping him get closer to the Divine Mountain. Escalating the conflict would only bring harm. Instead, You Su decided to play along and offer Gu a grand gesture, earning his favor and increasing his chances of being selected as a disciple.

In the end, any momentary pride or anger paled in comparison to saving his junior sister and master’s wife.

With that, You Su’s tumultuous morning finally came to an end.

At the transition from summer to fall, the midday heat was still scorching. You Su walked under the shade of lush trees, looking up at the sky.

He had a feeling that the chaos in his eyes had changed.

In the past, when facing the sun directly, he could only sense a few piercing rays of light. Now, even when looking at bright areas, he could faintly see a white glow.

It must be the effect of that rotten flesh! You Su couldn’t help but feel excited.

Before long, he arrived at the sect.

His junior sister wasn’t waiting for her beloved oil pastries at the gate. She had already fallen asleep.

He had a simple lunch and then began his daily routine of cultivation.

Sword practice, spell cultivation, and meditation were all in order.

As night fell and the moonlight began to spread out, You Su didn’t cook. Instead, he went out and bought his junior sister’s favorite chestnut chicken. Nowadays, he would fulfill any request she made as long as it was within his power to do so.

He set the table with the delicious food and walked to his junior sister’s room, knocking gently on the door.

There was no answer for a long time. You Su grew curious. “Junior Sister, it’s time to eat. You haven’t had breakfast. Aren’t you hungry?”

After a while, a faint voice came from inside:

“I’m not hungry… You go ahead and eat. Save some for me. I’ll eat when I’m hungry.”

“If you’re not excited about eating, there must be something wrong with your mind. I bought chestnut chicken, you know.”

“Stop nagging! Just eat by yourself. I’m tired… Don’t bother me!”

You Su sensed the weakness in Ji Lingruo’s voice, despite her trying to sound strong. He grew suspicious and suddenly remembered that over the past seven days, their nightly secret training sessions and her otherwise normal behavior had almost made him forget that she was a poor girl burdened by a demon, hiding in her room and struggling in pain.

“Junior Sister, are you… not feeling well?” You Su asked tentatively.

“Do I have to tell you that it’s my time of the month for you to leave me alone?” Ji Lingruo’s voice was clearly annoyed. “And cancel the training sessions for the next few nights!”

You Su had no choice but to awkwardly retreat. “Junior Sister, drink more hot water. Call me if you need anything.”

In the quiet of the night, You Su ate alone, finding the meal dull and finishing it quickly before returning to his meditation.

Unfortunately, his mind was far from calm. He sat for a long time with his eyes closed, but the effects were minimal.

At this time, he should have been teaching his junior sister how to channel her energy. Now that it wasn’t happening, he felt a sense of loss. What he missed wasn’t the soft touch of her body, but the warmth of their intimate connection in the face of danger. Even if they had just sat facing each other without doing anything, he would have felt happy and at ease.

I guess I’m becoming more and more attached to my junior sister.

You Su laughed at himself.

“Ah…”

You Su’s ears twitched as he caught a faint moan. It was his junior sister’s voice! She seemed to be enduring some intense pain, forcing herself not to make any louder noises, like a wounded prey trying not to alert the hunter.

After all, Ji Lingruo was at the Meridian Opening Realm. While she couldn’t completely suppress her menstrual cycle like the female cultivators of the Feather Transformation Realm, her physique was far stronger than that of an ordinary person. How could her period be so painful?

What else could be causing her such agony?

The answer was obvious. You Su’s heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife, and he bit his lip until it bled. He wanted to rush in and hold her, comfort her, and tell her that no matter what happened, he would never leave her.

But if he did that, wouldn’t he be betraying the promise he had made to his junior sister in the dream? Only the junior sister in the dream knew that he was aware of her demonic affliction. If the real junior sister found out, the overlapping consciousness would accelerate the recall of the part hidden in his mind. Wouldn’t that make him the villain who ruined the efforts of his master’s wife and sent them straight into the demon’s mouth?

Guilt and suppressed emotions seemed to solidify, almost overflowing from You Su’s seven orifices, making him feel as if he were drowning.

In the dead of night, his junior sister’s painful moans finally subsided. The oil lamp cast large shadows on the wall, twisting like demons.