Chapter 74

Sure enough, Ling Jianlan said coolly, "Third Younger Sister, although Eldest Sister has a bit of a temper, she never speaks without thinking. As her elder sister, I can see this more clearly than you. As for whether our Master was of sound mind at the time, as a disciple, even if she really was not, it would not be appropriate for me to say so. However, regarding the Master passing the position of Valley Lord to you, I do feel that this is quite different from her usual habits. We are all fellow disciples, and we all know that the Master has always favored Eldest Sister the most, and has mentioned several times that she would pass the position of Valley Lord to her. You and I are well aware of this..."

"Stop it!" Ling Zaixin was so angry that her whole body trembled. The Master had always doted on her, and they were almost inseparable. Eldest Sister Ling Qinghui had been scolded by the Master several times for being narrow-minded and jealous, which was very detrimental to her cultivation. It was even more absurd to say that the Master had mentioned passing the position to her several times. She could no longer bear to listen and shouted in anguish, "Second Elder Sister, are you still my Second Elder Sister? Eldest Sister, are you still the good elder sister who used to catch butterflies with me when we were young? Why have you all become like this? Why are you doing this to me? Why?"

Ling Qinghui was unmoved and sneered, "Third Younger Sister, don't cry and wail here as if you've been wronged. Fortunately, there's no one else here, or they might think that we two elder sisters are ganging up on you. The Master is already dead, and you're still putting on this fake act. No one will buy it!"

Ling Jianlan added, "Ling Zaixin, in terms of abilities, talents, and even appearance, Eldest Sister far surpasses you. You becoming the Valley Lord, not just me, but everyone in the valley is dissatisfied. They just don't want to say it out of politeness. Do you really think you're still a little girl who everyone should pamper and play with? Today, you dared to bring a stranger into the valley without our knowledge, openly defying the Master's ban. You are no longer fit to be the Valley Lord of the Hundred Flowers Valley. You should step down and let someone more capable take over. This way, we can still be good sisters, and I'm sure the Master would be greatly comforted if she knew!"

Ling Zaixin sensed something amiss in her words and held back her tears, saying, "Second Elder Sister, what do you mean by this? What do you mean by everyone in the valley being dissatisfied? Besides the two of you, who else in the valley is dissatisfied? Are they your two disciples, or Eldest Sister's two disciples? Or the flowers and trees, the spirits of the valley? If anyone is dissatisfied, let them come forward and tell me to my face!"

She felt that she had a good relationship with everyone in the valley, even the few disciples of Eldest Sister and Second Elder Sister, who were quite friendly with her in private. Not to mention the spirits of the valley's plants, so she was very confident. Her words were firm and resolute.

However, when she said this, Ling Qinghui and Ling Jianlan both laughed. Ling Zaixin was puzzled and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Ling Qinghui said, "Third Younger Sister, should I call you naive, or just plain stupid?"

Ling Zaixin replied coldly, "Say whatever you want!"

Ling Jianlan said, "Third Younger Sister, I want to ask you, why didn't you mention Little Sister?"

Ling Zaixin saw her strange smile and a terrifying thought immediately came to her mind. She said in a trembling voice, "What have you done to Little Sister!"

Ling Jianlan laughed even harder, looking at Ling Zaixin with a sympathetic gaze, "Tsk tsk, Third Younger Sister, you really are stupid. Can't you see who your dearest Little Sister is? Eldest Sister, should we show some mercy and tell her the truth, so she can wake up?"

Ling Qinghui smiled, "Sister, why don't you tell this fool about her innocent and pure Little Sister?"

Ling Zaixin was confused and felt that she had been deceived. She thought, "Could Little Sister also...?" But she immediately rejected the thought. She kept telling herself, "They are lying to me, they must be lying to me. Little Sister is the best to me, she is so innocent and pure..." But despite her efforts to convince herself, a terrifying thought kept creeping into her mind, making her feel a chill from the bottom of her heart, and her hands and feet turned cold. She asked in a trembling voice, "Tell me, what happened to Little Sister?"

Ling Jianlan, seeing her in a daze, smiled at Ling Qinghui and said, "Do you know why Little Sister happened to go home today?"

Ling Zaixin felt a sense of despair and numbly asked, "Why?"

Ling Jianlan smiled, "It's not appropriate for me to tell you. Let the other two tell you! Hongyao, Lanzhi, come in!"

Ling Zaixin was wondering who the other two were when she heard the names Hongyao and Lanzhi. Her heart felt like it was being cut again as the door creaked open and two figures walked in. When Ling Zaixin saw their faces, the last bit of hope in her heart was shattered. She moaned, "Before the Master passed away, she entrusted you to take good care of me. So this is how you treat me?"

Hongyao and Lanzhi, hearing her pitiful voice, frowned and bowed to Ling Qinghui and Ling Jianlan, then stood aside, not daring to speak.

Ling Jianlan said, "Hongyao, Lanzhi, Eldest Sister asked you to repeat what Little Sister said before she left!"

Hongyao, not daring to disobey, said, "Ling Baixiu said, 'Ling Zaixin is a despicable person who only flatters the Master. I had to pretend to be friendly with her. Now that Eldest Sister is taking over, I am naturally happy. I should stand behind Eldest Sister and criticize this despicable person, but as the youngest, I can't act against my seniors. So, I'll leave it to Second Elder Sister. Besides, if I were there, this despicable person would surely cry and cling to me. I can't stand her fake act, so I'll go home. When I return, the Hundred Flowers Valley will have a new owner, and I will bring the gifts prepared by my father to congratulate Eldest Sister.'"

Ling Zaixin felt colder with each word, and the image of her innocent and lovely Little Sister in her heart was shattered beyond repair. She slumped into a chair, feeling empty and unable to speak.

After Hongyao finished, Ling Qinghui tsked, "Jianlan, our Little Sister is truly a daughter of a noble family, so wise and intelligent!"

Ling Jianlan, hearing the sarcasm in her voice, pretended to be confused, "Jianlan is confused. Please enlighten me, Eldest Sister, how is Little Sister wise and intelligent?"

Ling Qinghui smiled and said, "This is where you are honest and straightforward. You didn't see through Ling Baixiu's cunning. She said she wouldn't act against her seniors, which is actually telling me that although she betrayed Ling Zaixin today, she wouldn't betray me, so I can be at ease. As for her choosing to go home instead of joining us to force her to step down, it's because she knew I didn't fully trust her and was afraid she might turn against us. So, she left, which makes me feel at ease, and if our plan fails, she can still pretend to be the innocent Little Sister in front of her dear Third Elder Sister! At such a young age, to have such a mind, even I, as her elder sister, am afraid!"

Ling Jianlan's face changed, "If Eldest Sister hadn't pointed it out, Jianlan would have been deceived by that little wretch. Fortunately, Eldest Sister is so perceptive."

Ling Zaixin, hearing this, kept asking herself, "Is Little Sister really such a person? Is Little Sister really such a person? Little Sister is such a person!" The people around her all had hidden faces, and only she was in the dark. She had naively thought they were good friends! The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, and she found it laughable. She laughed a few times, but then suddenly lost her voice, and tears fell from her eyes.

Ling Qinghui put away her smile and said sternly, "Third Younger Sister, will you hand over the position of Valley Lord or not?"

Ling Zaixin, feeling heartbroken and hopeless, was numb and said, "At this point, why are you still asking me? The position of Valley Lord can be taken by whoever wants it. Why ask me? It's laughable that my name is Ling Zaixin, but my heart is just a mess. Ha ha!"

Ling Qinghui's eyes showed joy, and she stepped forward, shouting, "Then quickly hand over the 'Life and Death Withering Sutra' and the Spirit Wood Branch!"

Ling Zaixin's eyes suddenly regained a hint of alertness, and she said solemnly, "Do you want to kill me?"

Ling Qinghui was taken aback, "I just want the Spirit Wood Branch. Why would I want your life?"

Ling Zaixin stared at Ling Qinghui's eyes and said, "Eldest Sister, don't you know? The Spirit Wood Branch is a mind-body fused artifact, inseparable from its master. It can only be passed on if the master dies."

Upon hearing this, Ling Qinghui's face changed, and Ling Jianlan was stunned. Hongyao and Lanzhi even cried out in unison.

The Spirit Wood Branch was the peach branch in Ling Zaixin's hand, the most powerful artifact in the Hundred Flowers Valley and the symbol of the Valley Lord. Each generation of Valley Lord would secretly bring the successor to the original spirit tree of the Wood Spirit Deity to complete the ritual of passing on the artifact and the teachings.

The Spirit Wood Branch was a mind-body fused artifact, connected to the master's life force and vitality. It was the source of the master's vitality and magical power. If the master died, the branch would wither and die. Only with the new master's continuous nourishment would the peach blossoms bloom again. The previous master would die from the depletion of all their magical power. Therefore, it was a closely guarded secret of the Hundred Flowers Valley.

Lian Huanchen had neglected to teach her disciples, and since they had been practicing in the Hundred Flowers Valley with little contact with the outside world, they had never heard of a mind-body fused artifact. Even the secret of the Valley Lord was unknown to them. Ling Zaixin only learned about it when Lian Huanchen passed the position to her, and the others were not present at the time.

Ling Qinghui, upon hearing this, first thought Ling Zaixin was lying, but seeing her expression, she realized she was not. She had always been jealous of Ling Zaixin, whom Lian Huanchen favored, and resented the Master's partiality.

When Lian Huanchen passed the position to Ling Zaixin on her deathbed, Ling Qinghui was consumed by jealousy. She often compared herself to Ling Zaixin, thinking she was superior in every way and that the Master had only passed the position to her because she was deceived by her sweet talk. She always found Ling Zaixin pretentious and insincere and often spoke ill of her with Ling Jianlan in private.

Ling Jianlan, also resentful of not being chosen, flattered Ling Qinghui. Over time, they decided to force Ling Zaixin to step down and take her place. They secretly threatened and bribed the people in the valley, isolating Ling Zaixin. Despite her intelligence, Ling Zaixin was naive and inattentive to details, so she never noticed.

Everything was ready, but they needed a trigger. When Ling Zaixin brought a man into the valley, they were delighted. They had already noticed her defiance of Lian Huanchen's ban and saw it as the perfect opportunity. Ling Baixiu found an excuse to leave, and Ling Qinghui, fearing she would become a variable, agreed. Thus, the current situation arose.

Just as Ling Zaixin felt abandoned and agreed to step down, and Ling Qinghui was overjoyed, Ling Zaixin's words shocked her, making her hesitate.