Double penetration, plunder and hypnosis Entry - Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Heart Demon

“How so, Junior Sister?” Gu Qinghuan asked, her voice tinged with curiosity. Yun Qinyue’s eyes shimmered with complex emotions, her tone low. “Senior Sister, do you recall our childhood?” Gu Qinghuan paused, a flicker of nostalgia in her gaze, before smiling softly. “Of course. We entered the Tianji Dao Palace together. Your talent outshone mine, your cultivation always strides ahead. Each time Master praised you, I was green with envy.”

Yun Qinyue nodded, a bitter edge to her expression. “Indeed. Back then, I believed myself Master’s prized disciple, convinced you’d never surpass me.” Her voice grew heavier. “But everything changed a century ago, when Master entered the secluded death retreat and you were named acting Palace Master.” Gu Qinghuan’s brow furrowed slightly, sensing the weight of her words, but she remained silent, listening intently.

“From then on, you were consumed by sect duties,” Yun Qinyue continued. “Yet your cultivation never faltered—it soared. Each time I emerged from seclusion, eager to share my progress, I found you’d advanced even further. Gradually, I couldn’t keep pace. In a mere century, you leapt from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, now teetering on the edge of Spirit Transformation. Meanwhile, I remain stuck at Golden Core’s peak, unable to break through.”

She lifted her gaze to Gu Qinghuan, tears welling, her voice thick with frustration and pain. “Senior Sister, do you know? Each time I witnessed your progress, a bitter jealousy gnawed at me. I was once stronger—why am I now so far behind? I trained relentlessly to catch up, to surpass you, but every attempt ended in failure. That helplessness took root, sprouting into my heart demon.”

Gu Qinghuan’s expression grew intricate, a mix of surprise and sorrow. She sighed softly, clasping Yun Qinyue’s hand. “Junior Sister, I never imagined you harboured such thoughts. I always believed our bond was free of barriers.” Yun Qinyue’s eyes glistened, her voice choking. “Senior Sister, I know it’s wrong, but I can’t control it. Your presence fills me with inferiority and envy. This seclusion, I aimed to reach Nascent Soul, to prove myself your equal, but my heart demon thwarted me. Now, seeing your cultivation climb higher, I fear I’ll never achieve Nascent Soul.”

Her confession seemed to lighten her burden, her expression easing. Gu Qinghuan, however, felt a pang of complexity. A century ago marked her encounter with Lin Yuan—a treasure she cherished. Through their dual cultivation, the pressures of sect leadership melted away, and her cultivation surged. Immersed in Lin Yuan, she had been blind to Yun Qinyue’s growing turmoil. Regret now flooded her. Clutching Yun Qinyue’s hand, her eyes reddened. “Junior Sister, I’ve been negligent. I was so focused on cultivation and sect affairs that I overlooked your feelings.”

Yun Qinyue’s pale, weary face stirred a deep ache in Gu Qinghuan’s heart. They had grown up together, trained side by side, their bond unbreakable. She had never considered that her rapid progress could burden Yun Qinyue, fostering a heart demon. “Junior Sister…” Gu Qinghuan began, intending to reveal all, but her throat tightened, as if sealed by an unseen force. Lin Yuan’s cold, scornful visage flashed in her mind—his mocking eyes a private obsession.

Lin Yuan was her secret, her greatest asset over the past century, and a presence she guarded jealously. Yet, before her sat Yun Qinyue, her closest kin. Gu Qinghuan’s heart waged a fierce battle. Sharing Lin Yuan’s existence could help Yun Qinyue conquer her heart demon and perhaps achieve Nascent Soul. But it would shatter the exclusivity of their connection, the intoxicating control she held over him. How could I share him? Her lips trembled, possessiveness coiling around her rationality like a venomous serpent.

Yet, as she met Yun Qinyue’s pained, resentful eyes, her defences began to crumble. Yun Qinyue’s stagnation, her heart demon, her near-disaster in seclusion—all stemmed from Gu Qinghuan’s overshadowing presence. Two forces clashed within her: a century-long obsession with possessing Lin Yuan and a profound guilt for her junior sister’s suffering. Her fingers dug into her palm, as if the pain could anchor her amid the turmoil.

“Junior Sister…” Her voice was low, hoarse, heavy with suppressed emotion. She gripped Yun Qinyue’s hand tightly. Yun Qinyue looked up, puzzled. “Senior Sister, what’s wrong?” Gu Qinghuan swallowed hard, taking a deep breath as resolve hardened within her. “Junior Sister, my rapid cultivation owes to a unique method. If I share it with you, it might help you break through to Nascent Soul.”

Am I truly ready to reveal him? she wondered, her heart still torn.