Are you really trying to cultivate immortality? Something feels off.

"When you were eight, your status in the clan was already higher than your father's. What weight do male elders' words carry? Wasn't it all decided by your mother and the other aunts?" Nie Zhao pointed at her, his fingertips trembling slightly. "They indulged you unconditionally. You think it's love, it's protection? They were doing this so that while your mother was in seclusion and I was away, they could put the entire Nanchuan under your father's control, using you, an ignorant second young lady, as a puppet!"

Nie Shiyun froze on the spot, all the hostility, resentment, and anger on her face vanishing completely. Her eyes widened suddenly: "Impossible! You're talking nonsense!"

"I've sent you a letter and also given you a detailed warning back in Nanchuan. Don't let a few words fool you into being arrogant and conceited," Nie Zhao slowly approached, speaking each word clearly. "But you were raised by your father, so naturally you're close to him. How could you understand my good intentions? You always think I look down on you and the entire Nie family!"

"Nie Shiyun, speak from your conscience," Nie Zhao's usually cold and arrogant phoenix eyes were now filled with disappointment as she stared at her sister, who was now in complete disarray. The indifference in her eyes faded, and the anger that had been suppressed in her heart for years finally surged up. "What should I, as your elder sister, do to be worthy of you? What should I do to be worthy of you?"

Being in a sect and far removed from her family for many years, she was not heartless, but she had long seen through the intricate human relationships and ruthless scheming of the Nie family. She understood her father and elders' purpose in slowly boiling the frog in water. Occasionally, she would return to the manor only because she couldn't let go of her younger sister, who had been raised to be foolish and naive.

However, Nie Shiyun was spoiled and raised by them, and she was not the type to persuade gently. If she couldn't get through to them in a couple of sentences, she would want to draw her sword.

When their mother was alive, things were fine, but after she went into seclusion, the two sisters would always start arguing after just a few words, and Nie Shiyun would never listen to anything she said.

Over the years, she remained obstinate, blinded by a little flattery and a few kind words, mistaking others' schemes for favoritism. Her personality gradually became extreme and domineering, even to the point of turning against herself and fighting for power.

Nie Shiyun's pupils trembled violently, filled with utter astonishment and bewilderment: "When did you send me a message?"

My father never mentioned it.

Nie Zhao was so angry that he closed his eyes.

"Second Miss, you were completely unaware that your letters had been switched and stolen, yet you boasted that you would inherit the Nan Chuan Chi Di?"

Her tone was laced with biting sarcasm, and she was furious, raising her hand as if to strike again.

Nie Shiyun subconsciously shrank back, her small face leaning back.

Nie Zhao gritted his teeth, looking at the eyebrows and eyes that were exactly like his own, and thinking of how she used to hide on the bed when she was young just to make him happy, he couldn't bring himself to slap her again.

"My mother sent me to the Feng Hua Sect so that I could become strong enough to protect Nan Chuan Chi Di and protect you in the future." Her tone was weary and annoyed.

Nie Shiyun suddenly looked up, her gaze filled with disbelief.

Protect her?

Nie Zhao's shoulders and back were ramrod straight, her knuckles clenched tightly, revealing a cold white ring. Her eyebrows and eyes, as beautiful as distant autumn waters, were covered with a layer of weariness, a suppressed anger at her younger sister's lack of ambition.

She was furious!

She was angry at herself for trying to dissuade her for years, enduring family pressure, and being separated by thousands of miles. Even within the sect, she still thought of shielding her from power struggles, schemes, and traps, and did her best to protect her spoiled innocence for more than ten years before her mother emerged from seclusion.

She was stubborn and extremely dull-witted, never listening to her own advice and allowing others to manipulate and exploit her. She even turned against her own sister.

"Ever since Mother left, I've protected you. Over the years, I've wondered if I did something wrong," she said, her voice restrained. Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white, and the veins on her wrists faintly visible. "I've actually protected a sister who is full of resentment towards me and is hopelessly stupid."

She was unparalleled in swordsmanship and magic, but when it came to the trivial matter of sisterly affection, she hesitated and was at a loss.

Countless times she asked herself, was she too distant? Was she too harsh? Was she not gentle enough or accommodating enough, which caused her younger sister to harbor resentment towards her for years, becoming obsessed with her?

Is she simply incapable of being a competent elder sister?

On the night before he set off for Feng Hua Sect, Nie Zhao was only a little over ten years old. It was inevitable that he would be nervous. He tossed and turned all night and couldn't fall asleep. He got up to wipe his sword, but after looking around, he couldn't find it anywhere.

They eventually found him in Nie Shiyun's room.

The young woman, whose features still showed a hint of childishness, stood by the bed, looking at her younger sister's adorable sleeping face. She held her sword tightly in her hands, unwilling to loosen her grip on the cold, hard scabbard even as the blanket was kicked off.

She watched for a long time, and in the end, she simply covered Nie Shiyun with the blanket, smoothed her messy bangs with her fingers, and quietly turned and went back to her room.

She had always struggled with farewells, so she simply didn't let anyone wake her sister and embarked on the long journey alone.

That was the only time in her life that she, as a sword cultivator, put down her sword.

Nie Shiyun stared at the other person in a daze. This was the first time she had ever heard Nie Zhao say so much in her life.

Her eldest sister's image in her heart was vague; she was always someone high above her, someone she could never reach.

It is aloof and arrogant.

She was in a hurry, and most of the time she left behind was her back view.

After her mother went into seclusion, she was reluctant to let her elder sister go to the Feng Hua Sect. She even hid her sister's Xuan Sword, fearing that the sister would abandon her.

When she woke up in the morning, she couldn't find her elder sister. She ran around the mansion crying and eventually threw herself into her father's arms.

The father said that his eldest sister had passed away without even saying goodbye.

Her eyes suddenly reddened, and all the pent-up grievances, shock, and embarrassment surged up. Her nose stung, and her eyelashes trembled violently uncontrollably.

Her voice was trembling with tears: "I...I..."

"I've given you advice time and time again, but you've turned a deaf ear. You blindly obey those who use you, yet you treat me like a mortal enemy," Nie Zhao's voice trembled as she spoke each word clearly, "Nie Shiyun, I will never be the kind of elder sister you want in this lifetime, but I, Nie Zhao, can say with my head held high that while I may have been cold to the family, I never intended to abandon you. I left home at the age of twelve, and I have no regrets towards Nanchuan Chidi, nor have I let you down."

Nie Shiyun bit her lower lip tightly, unwilling to show weakness and shed tears, but the tears that had been building up in her eyes had already collapsed and rolled down her cheeks, splashing onto her clothes and leaving wet stains.

Nie Zhao's breathing returned to normal, and she stopped looking at Nie Shiyun, who was standing there looking disheveled. "You don't need to be unconvinced and say that I treat my junior sisters and brothers better than you. I grew up in the Fenghua Sect, and my master and senior uncles treated me with even more care and attention than my mother. The Nie family in Nanchuan is not my home; the Fenghua Sect is my true home."

---

That explains the Nie family's history. Tomorrow I'll take Kunkun to get his first spiritual artifact, hehehe (emoji of a villain). Please give me lots of electric shocks!