Chapter 1540: The cause of the incident, the first person she told

Jing Xiao felt naturally embarrassed, so she repeated what she had just said. She quickly shook her head, stating that such matters were a secret, but since Senior Brother Gu was curious, she certainly didn’t want to disappoint him.

Now it was time to talk about Ling Yuxian, who had lived with her family for a period. Ling Yuxian was brought there by the current Palace Master, Ling Qiuchang. At that time, Jing Xiao was unaware that the person introducing Ling Yuxian would turn out to be the renowned Palace Master of Yu Xian Palace. She didn’t know that her parents, who were originally unremarkable, had connections with those influential individuals, and it seemed they shared a good relationship.

Even if she had known at the time, she wouldn’t have had much understanding of Yu Xian Palace. Occasionally, she heard the name of this behemoth mentioned by some cultivators. The arrival of Ling Yuxian brought great joy to their family. Her father, honoring an old friend’s request, treated Ling Yuxian as if she were his own adopted daughter. Jing Xiao nearly believed she would gain another sister, which caused her to feel sidelined at home.

At that age, she was the most cherished by her parents. She also had a biological brother named Jing Xiang, whose cultivation had been shattered since childhood, preventing him from practicing. Her parents later spent a considerable amount of money to restore his cultivation, but it only resulted in him developing an impervious body, unable to absorb or expel spiritual energy. Consequently, he could only lead an ordinary life.

Despite this, her brother’s character remained unaffected. From a young age, he had been exceptionally open-minded and calm, dealing with everything without concern for his inability to cultivate.

The time when Ling Yuxian was adopted into their home was the happiest and most carefree period for the three of them. However, Jing Xiao didn’t particularly like Ling Yuxian; she found her too beautiful, exuding an air of superiority. Despite being young, Ling Yuxian drew attention wherever she went, often overshadowing the companions around her.

Jing Xiao also noticed that her older brother, Jing Xiang, seemed to harbor a subtle affection for Ling Yuxian. During that time, he often neglected Jing Xiao, focusing all his attention on Ling Yuxian. Yet, Ling Yuxian’s temperament was rather proud; she frequently proclaimed that she was destined to stand at the pinnacle of the world, overlooking all sentient beings. She believed that even the thousands of geniuses in the world would have to lower their heads in her presence.

Such words were bold and presumptuous, especially given her youthful appearance. In the future, Ling Yuxian often used this to tease Jing Xiao, claiming that her talent was too poor and that she was destined to go nowhere. She suggested it would be better for Jing Xiao to follow her as a maid, promising that when she became enlightened, she would live forever in the heavens and that even as a maid, Jing Xiao could surpass the nine heavens.

Jing Xiao naturally felt angered by this, yet her parents praised Ling Yuxian highly, believing her future achievements would be extraordinary and that she would become an invincible figure, standing apart from the world. Jing Xiao and her brother had never received such lofty commendations from their parents. Jing Xiao had displayed remarkable talent in cultivation since childhood, possessing an exceptionally high level of Daoism at a young age, which made it hard for her to accept Ling Yuxian’s superiority.

But who could have known that even her brother Jing Xiang would try to persuade her not to be angry with Ling Yuxian? His good-natured demeanor only fueled her frustration. As the eldest among the three, Jing Xiang took care of both Jing Xiao and Ling Yuxian, but Jing Xiao often felt that he favored Ling Yuxian over her. In contrast, he seemed to pay little attention to his own sister.

Unfortunately, Ling Yuxian had always been arrogant, looking down on those she deemed less powerful and showing no regard for Jing Xiang, who couldn’t cultivate. Instead, she frequently challenged Jing Xiao under the guise of exchanging lessons, easily defeating her each time, which only added to Jing Xiao’s resentment.

This dynamic persisted in Jing Xiao’s home for more than ten years. Although they often quarreled, a bond still existed between them, and Jing Xiao gradually came to accept that she wasn’t as accomplished as Ling Yuxian. However, everything changed the night before Ling Yuxian was set to leave with the Palace Master of Yu Xian Palace.

Jing Xiao suspected that her brother Jing Xiang was worried about never seeing Ling Yuxian again after she departed from the Jing family. So, the night before Ling Yuxian was to leave, he mustered the courage to express his feelings to her. The outcome, however, was predictable; Ling Yuxian’s arrogant personality led her to never consider that Jing Xiang might have feelings for her.

Ling Yuxian immediately and sternly rejected Jing Xiang, bluntly stating that her life’s pursuit was the highest Dao, and she had no interest in the worldly desires of men and women. She explained that she had always regarded Jing Xiang as an elder brother and never harbored any other feelings for him. This refusal, though somewhat anticipated, left Jing Xiang with a bitter smile and a deep sense of sadness.

Ling Yuxian then went further, emphasizing the vast difference between them. She was destined to surpass the mortal realm, while Jing Xiang, who couldn’t cultivate or even gather spiritual energy, could only live for a few hundred years at best before turning to dust. She pointed out that even if she had accepted him, hundreds of years later, he would be long gone, reduced to ashes, while she would still be as radiant and eternal as ever. The divide between them, she said, was as insurmountable as the gap between immortals and mortals.

Jing Xiang’s inability to cultivate had always been a sensitive subject within the Jing family, yet Ling Yuxian ruthlessly exposed his deepest wound that night. Jing Xiao couldn’t understand why Ling Yuxian had to speak so cruelly to her brother. But after that night, her once calm and open-minded brother began to drown his sorrows in alcohol, becoming depressed and consumed by melancholy, a far cry from the man he once was.

Seeing the pain in her brother’s eyes, Jing Xiao couldn’t bear it. After persistent questioning, Jing Xiang finally revealed the truth of that night. Naturally, Jing Xiao was furious; such words were not only cruel but also a humiliation to her brother. Because of this, she defied her family’s orders and went to Yu Xian Palace to cultivate alone, seeking revenge on Ling Yuxian and aiming to wash away the shame her brother had endured. She wanted Ling Yuxian to apologize for what she had said back then.

“That’s why,” she explained. After listening, Gu Changge was momentarily stunned. “It seems that you and Ling Yuxian had a conflict recently, and that’s what happened,” he remarked.

“It’s a pity that I overestimated my strength. I thought I could defeat her, but I never anticipated that she would be stronger and more unfathomable than before. I fought her some time ago, but I lost in a single move.”

Jing Xiao nodded, and as she spoke, the loss and gloom were evident on her face. Even her current master, Elder Jiulin, was unaware of this matter, and Gu Changge was the first person she had confided in.

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