Tu Xiupei howled in despair with tears streaming down her face. “So what if I become stronger? She is my sister. She has her own alchemist. And she is backed by the Wargod and the whole of South Winds Nation. No matter how strong I become, I can never be as strong as the whole nation, can I?” she sobbed. “No matter how strong I become, I will never be half as fearless or heartless as my sister.”
Tu Xiupei fell to her knees then curled up, crying, “I…I am no longer clean. I am too ashamed to live. Besides…”
Qi Shujie’s face darkened immediately as he icily ordered his subordinates, “I don’t want anybody to come within one mile of us without my explicit instructions.”
“Yes, sir,” his followers replied.
Seeing how hopeless Tu Xiupei was, Qi Shujie was utterly vexed. This woman before him, the apple of his eye, was now humiliated and stripped of all her dignity. The only thing in his mind now was to kill those who had hurt her.
“Pei’er, don’t be afraid. Just tell me what happened, and I will take revenge. So what if she has her alchemist, the Wargod, and even the whole of South Winds Nation? You have the Flying Frost Pavilion and all our martial siblings. Above all, you have me. We do not fear her.”
“I feel unclean. I am no longer pure…”
Qi Shujie was in turmoil. Not only was he hurting, but he was also frustrated by Tu’ Xiupei’s endless crying. It wrenched his insides like a cloth being wrung out. The woman he loved most had endured the most horrible possible humiliation. As heartbroken as he was, though, his patience started to run out when she refused to cease crying.
“All you know how to do is cry and sob. So what if you are not a virgin anymore? I don’t despise you. You are still mine. What is lowly Feng Tianlan, trifling Si Mobai, and the weaselly little South Winds Nation? Compared with the Flying Frost Pavilion, they have few saving graces.
“You are a disciple of Flying Frost Pavilion and my beloved junior, so why do you fear them? They should be the ones trembling. Will all of your cries free your parents from jail? You cannot change anything with endless sobs. You’ve made a fool out of yourself before your enemies and brought suffering to those who truly care about you.”
Taken aback by his sudden outburst, Tu Xiupei stammered back blankly,” But I…”
Qi Shujie dropped to the ground and grabbed Tu Xiupei by the shoulders. Her swollen eyes met his as he wiped the tears from her already pale face. “There are no buts. Only me, you, the Flying Frost Pavilion, and a plot for revenge. These people deserve death.”
“But she is my sister. Although she was unkind to me, I can’t…”
Seeing how Tu Xiupei remained kind despite everything that had happened to her, rage swelled within Qi Shujie. He ground his teeth in anger and replied, “That is beyond unkind. She’s done this horrible thing to her sibling, and it was straight up inhumane. Getting rid of her is doing the world a favor. Good riddance.”
On his way over to see Tu Xiupei, Qi Shujie heard the gossip on the streets and jumped to the conclusion that everything was Feng Tianlan’s fault. Tu Xiupei, his meek, kind, and gentle little sister, would never commit any form of evil.
Tu Xiupei remained silent as she continued crying. The deluge was never-ending.
Qi Shujie wiped the tears from her face and tried probing again, “Come on, tell me. What exactly happened? I was only gone for a few months, and you got into this mess. Tell me how I can help you. ”
” Qi…my-my sister. She…” Tu Xiupei choked on her words as she forced out her sob story.
She complained about how Feng had taken everything from her. About how she had committed all kinds of atrocities, twisting the facts and playing the perfect victim. She told Qi Shujie how Tu Xiuyu and Si Rong had even had a child out of wedlock and conveniently blamed it on Feng Tianlan. She also said that Feng Tianlan had drugged Tu Xiuyu and sold her to the brothels. She raged about how Feng Tianlan had done tremendous damage to their reputations and insisted on how innocent she, Tu Xiuyu, really was.
