Chapter 3694: Sword Fighting Across the Realm (33)

Initially, Yin Nanlian thought Chong Xuefeng might not leave. She worried he would revert to his old self, the betrothed who was ‘crazy in love, acting like a fool and banging his head against the wall’ for Qin Nianzhi.

When she heard Ning Shu tell her it was time to go, a wide smile instantly spread across her face.

"Senior Brother!" Qin Nianzhi’s sharp voice called out, trying to stop Ning Shu. Ning Shu ignored her and continued walking away. "Senior Brother, Senior Brother!"

Qin Nianzhi screamed after Ning Shu as if her heart were being torn apart. She couldn't believe he had become so cold.

Seeing the woman standing beside her senior brother made her heart feel even more bitter. It was a mix of acidity and sorrow, and she felt an immense sense of loss.

To lose something you once held as a guaranteed certainty, something you felt rightfully belonged to you, only to see it belong to another—that gap in reality was truly unbearable.

She even began to doubt if everything she had stood for was correct. Her mind became entangled with countless ‘what ifs,’ and the resulting regret and misery were enough to torment a person to death.

Watching her former betrothed walk away with another woman made Qin Nianzhi feel as if something of hers had been stolen.

She was used to Chong Xuefeng’s kindness and had overestimated her own importance in the eyes of others.

"Senior Brother, you can't just leave like this." Qin Nianzhi used her lightness skill to suddenly block their path.

Ning Shu curled her lips and looked at her. "What is it?"

Facing the indifferent Ning Shu, Qin Nianzhi felt a sudden tightness in her chest. An unspeakable sense of grievance and betrayal welled up. "I’m sorry, Senior Brother. I know I’ve wronged you, but could you please stay and look after Wanjian Manor? Father said before he died that you would inherit it after he passed."

"I have already left Wanjian Manor. I don't know in what capacity I would return. Furthermore, I have already done what Master asked of me. My task was to rescue you from the demonic cult, and that has been achieved."

Ning Shu spoke with total detachment.

Hearing this made Qin Nianzhi’s temper flare. He had been asked to save a person, not kill one! He had actually killed Situ Xun. In her eyes, Chong Xuefeng was merely using a public mission to settle a private grudge. If her father hadn't told him to save her, Situ Xun wouldn't be dead now.

Qin Nianzhi’s heart felt desolate. With things having reached this point, she didn't know who to blame anymore.

"What will it take for you to stay?" Qin Nianzhi asked in a raspy voice. Her heart felt as if it were being fried in a pan of oil, full of pain and contradiction. It was clearly her Senior Brother’s fault, yet now she had to beg him. It was truly infuriating.

"Hmm…" Ning Shu drew out the sound as if she were deep in thought, making both women nervous.

Qin Nianzhi hoped Ning Shu would stay, while Yin Nanlian hoped she wouldn't go soft-hearted. Wanjian Manor was truly a pit of fire.

Qin Nianzhi clenched her hands together and bit her lip. She took a deep breath as if making a monumental life decision. "Senior Brother, I’ll marry you. Let’s get married."

Ning Shu: …

Yin Nanlian’s expression turned rigid. She felt a wave of discouragement. It wasn't that she didn't trust Chong Xuefeng, but she knew how much he had loved Qin Nianzhi. Given such an opportunity, he would surely stay.

Yin Nanlian let out a secret sigh. Entangling oneself with someone whose heart wasn't on you was truly exhausting. Hadn't the previous Chong Xuefeng also been exhausted?

Seeing Qin Nianzhi’s aggrieved expression, Ning Shu gave a mental sneer. Was marrying her such a sacrifice? She really thought far too highly of herself.

To stay and clean up a disaster of a mess, only to face her cold glares every day while she acted like she was doing him a massive favor—it was honestly disgusting.

She was being far too presumptuous and overestimating her place in his heart.

Ning Shu smiled slightly and said, "I know you don't love me. A forcibly picked melon is not sweet, so I will not marry you. Let’s just forget about our previous betrothal."

Qin Nianzhi froze. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, and she was speechless for a long time. Her lips trembled as she asked, "You aren't willing to stay?"

"I am not. You must worry about the affairs of Wanjian Manor yourself. You should be as tough as you need to be. If bandits come again, don't be polite. Just kill them. Consider it as ridding the people of a scourge," Ning Shu said. "Didn't you used to love fighting for justice? Just think of this as fighting for justice."

Qin Nianzhi’s lips shook, and her face went gray. She looked at Ning Shu as if he were a heartless man. Yin Nanlian, on the other hand, let out a silent, radiant smile. She didn't hold back her joy. Thank goodness Chong Xuefeng was thinking clearly.

Ning Shu stared straight into Qin Nianzhi’s eyes. Her voice sounded ethereal, as if she were trying to hypnotize her. "Everything that has happened is your fault. If you hadn't been so willful and insisted on leaving Wanjian Manor, you wouldn't have met Situ Xun. If you hadn't met Situ Xun, I would have married you, and Master wouldn't have been angered to death. All of this is your fault, your fault…"

Qin Nianzhi’s expression became dazed. "It’s my fault?"

"Yes, it is your fault. You caused Master’s death, you caused Situ Xun’s death, and you caused Wanjian Manor to become like this." Ning Shu’s voice was light and drifting, making it seem like one would drown in it.

"It’s my fault. It’s all my fault." Qin Nianzhi began to cry, but then she reacted. "No, you were the one who killed Situ Xun! You killed him!"

"I was seeking revenge for Master. He was your father. You didn't seek revenge for him, and yet you blame me for doing so? This is your fault."

Ning Shu intended to test out her hypnosis skills, which she only knew in theory. Even if Qin Nianzhi resisted, Ning Shu was speaking the truth.

Qin Nianzhi’s expression looked pained. "My fault, my fault…"

Seeing her expression, Ning Shu didn't know if the hypnosis was actually working, but it didn't matter if it wasn't.

In any case, Qin Nianzhi was now all alone. Losing a leg, an arm, or even a life isn't the most terrifying thing. What is terrifying is losing love.

"So, Junior Sister, do not fail Master’s expectations again. Run Wanjian Manor well. I believe you can do it."

Ning Shu had planted the seed in Qin Nianzhi’s heart that everything was her fault. When you looked at the whole situation, it really was her fault.

If she had just made a decisive choice between the two men, things wouldn't have ended this way. One woman serving two husbands was impossible, yet she insisted on a three-person romance.

Since she made a choice, she should have been decisive about it instead of acting like she was being forced. Even if she chose Situ Xun for love, she should have been prepared to abandon everything. But she didn't want to abandon anything. Pulling both sides along was simply intoxicatingly stupid.

"Junior Sister, I’m leaving." Ning Shu raised her voice slightly, snapping the dazed Qin Nianzhi out of her trance.