Rising From the Ashes of Betrayal

I pretended not to hear anything. The chatter outside the door went on endlessly until a familiar voice suddenly cut it off.

“Is Queenie someone you have the right to gossip about? You’re here spreading rumors instead of doing your work. Run a hundred laps along the mountain path, and don’t stop until you’re done!”

The junior disciples apologized and left.

Julian pushed the door open. When he saw me sitting on the bed reading, he immediately put on a stern expression.

“These disciples are getting more and more unruly. I’ve already punished them. Don’t take it to heart.”

Of course, I would not take the words of the dead to heart.

As for the matter of my going astray and ruining my cultivation, no one knew except him and my father. As for who had spread the rumor, it was not hard to guess.

He took my hand, looking at me with sincerity. “Once Wendy’s succession ceremony is over, I’ll take you to live in seclusion in the far mountains. Haven’t you always wanted a peaceful life? From now on, I’ll take care of you, all right?”

Before he even finished speaking, the door was pushed open again.

Wendy walked in, dressed in a dignified and elegant ceremonial gown. She spun once in place in front of us, then asked sweetly, “Julian, this is the dress I’ll wear at the ceremony. What do you think? Does it look good?”

I immediately recognized that the jade pendant at her waist belonged to Julian.

It was his mother’s pendant. He had once said he would give it to me as a token of our love on our wedding day, but now, it hung off another woman’s waist.

Julian’s attention was immediately drawn to Wendy. He let go of my hand and circled her, studying her for quite a while before curling his lips into a smile and nodding. “You’re beautiful. You’d look good in anything.”

This was what it looked like when someone truly loved another. Julian’s face displayed unhidden delight, genuine and effortless.

Compared to that, everything about how he treated me now felt deliberately staged.

Wendy came over to me with a bright smile and took my hand. “Sister, you look much better today. Can you get out of bed and walk a bit?”

Julian smiled and said, “Queenie is still very weak. She even needs me to help her eat.”

Wendy’s large, lively eyes flickered as she turned to Julian. “Julian, I’ve recently learned a new healing technique. It might be helpful to my sister.”

Julian’s face lit up with delight. “Really? Wendy, you’re really getting better.”

“Alright, now it’s time for just the two of us sisters. You can wait outside,” she said, pushing him toward the door.

Once she locked the door behind him, her expression changed instantly, replaced by smug satisfaction.

“What a pathetic sight, my dear sister.

“Since your cultivation is gone, you should’ve just died quietly. Why stay alive and burden Julian? He lost an arm because of you. I’ll never forgive you for that.”

I smirked.

“My apologies. I’m just too hard to kill. I didn’t die in the hands of those vengeful spirits as you hoped.”

Wendy let out a disdainful snort. “All you can do now is mock me. Didn’t you see how attentive Julian was to me? He even gave me your token of love. Don’t you understand who he truly loves?

“He schemed to make you go astray because of me. He even took out your golden core and gave it to me. Did you really think he’d go into seclusion with you? Don’t be ridiculous. The only person he has ever loved is me.

“Queenie, Father has given you everything all these years. The position of Sect Leader was yours, and so was Julian. You’ve had your turn. Now, it’s my time to shine.

I sneered deep down.

Wendy was introduced to everyone as my younger sister, but I knew she was nothing more than my father’s illegitimate child by a fox demon.

Before I could respond, Wendy spoke again, “Oh, right. Didn’t I mention I learned a bit of healing magic? Don’t you want to see it for yourself?”