Chapter 161 – And Let Me Tell You Another Thing!
Ruolan’s fingers tightened around her own teacup, and the porcelain trembled slightly from the pressure. It was the only sign that Ruolan gave that Linaxue’s words regarding Jun De had struck home.
Her polite smile, however, didn’t waver.
“Misguided infatuation?” Ruolan repeated softly. Rage burned in her chest, and her urge to strike the satisfied look off of Lianxue’s face grew with every moment.
“You should watch your mouth, Cousin. Snowcloud Pavilion prides itself on its refinement and the elegant behaviour of its Disciples. I doubt your master would appreciate you spreading baseless gossip like some washerwoman at the well.” Ruolan hissed her words out through clenched teeth, while to outside observers it appeared as though she were still smiling politely.
“As for my relationship with Jun De, you would be so lucky to have a suitor with a fraction of the talent, appearance and kindness he possesses. It is too bad that no one can stand being around you long enough to fall in love with more than your passable looks.”
Lianxue’s teacup shook slightly, spilling a drop of tea onto her white robes. The beautiful young woman frowned and wiped it away with a swipe of her hand, cleansing the stain with Qi in an instant.
“Oh, you misunderstood my words, Cousin. I only meant that it is unfortunate to see someone of your potential waste her time chasing in someone else’s shadow. Although I suppose it is a habit you have. I have heard that you prefer to walk through the city dressed as a young man. How very independent of you!”
Linaxue paused and tapped her lip with her finger as though in deep thought.
“Do you suppose that is why your paramour ran away? He was worried that perhaps what was concealed beneath your clothing matched your outer appearance?”
Ruolan’s expression froze, and this time the teacup in her hand suffered from her loss of emotion. A spiderweb of cracks spread out from where her fingers gripped the porcelain.
Seeing the effect she was having on Ruolan, Lianxue’s lips curved faintly, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“Appearances matter, Ruolan. It’s no wonder the Tranquil Mountain Sect hasn’t offered you a master, or the young man you are infatuated with hasn’t shown himself to the Clan. Someone who is willing to hide their identity by wearing the clothes of a man is clearly not well. I should speak to the Clan Head about seeking help for you.”
Ruolan set her cup down carefully on a tray next to her and waved for a servant to take it away before replying.
“You seem quite invested in what my Sect thinks of me. Should I take that as envy? After all, the Snowcloud Pavilion will take in any talentless nobody who shows up at their door. The Tranquil Mountain Sect, however, has rules and strict requirements. If you are interested, I could put in a good word for you, but I doubt you possess the ability to enter.”
Lianxue’s own teacup let out a small ‘cracking’ sound, and she was forced to set hers down as well.
The Snowcloud Pavilion was significantly smaller than the Tranquil Mountain Sect, which was amongst the largest and most powerful sects on the Southern Continent. The Pavilion, by only accepting women, limited its pool of potential Disciples.
There were also strict requirements for appearance, behaviour and a number of other factors for entry that had nothing to do with cultivating talent. It ensured that the Snowcloud Pavilion would never be the hegemon of the region.
But, by contrast, there were few Sects that wouldn’t welcome a visit by the Snowcloud Pavilion with open arms. Where the Tranquil Mountain Sect had power and a multitude of talents, the Pavilion influenced others by beauty and grace.
“I see the Tranquil Mountain Sect hasn’t been able to teach you etiquette and manners, Ruolan. You wouldn’t be able to survive for long in the Snowcloud Pavilion with your attitude, so it is lucky that the Clan recognized my talents and sent me there to improve our relations.”
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“Perhaps if I had been the one to meet ‘Jun De’ in Yunlai City instead of you, he wouldn’t have run away and would now be a son-in-law of the Shen Clan.” Lianxue mused.
For an instant, Ruolan forgot to breathe. The air between them crackled with a subtle and dangerous tension.
When she was finally able to speak, her voice was low and her every word was deliberate.
“Enough of this, Lianxue. The only talent you possess is preening in front of mirrors and flattering idiotic young men who can’t look past a pretty face and recognize how rotten you really are. You parade your looks because you have nothing else to show.”
“If it weren’t for the Snowcloud Pavilion’s desire to ingratiate themselves with the Shen Clan, and the Sect Master’s pity for you, you would still be sitting here in Yunlai City, painting your face and waiting for some lecherous old man to buy you a better life.”
Whatever else Ruolan said to Lianxue was lost to everyone apart from the pair as the conversation swelled again to drown out the war of words between them.
But anyone watching could see that the pair of beautiful young women were deep in conversation. It was a friendly, but heated, discussion. They kept strained smiles on their faces as the pair exchanged even more barbs on a variety of subjects.
The tension between them had been building since they were young, and there was no hope for reconciliation now.
Shen Ruolan had been raised in the City Lord’s Mansion, doted on by her parents, who were held in high esteem by both the Shen Clan, and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, Han Zhengwu. She always shone brightly and was provided with the best cultivation resources and materials available.
Shen Lianxue, on the other hand, had been raised in the Shen Clan’s inner compound and, since Ruolan was being provided for by the City Lord, the Clan was able to funnel its resources to Lianxue and other talents of her generation.
The pair were two bright stars of the younger generation, always compared and measured against each other. Ruolan hated the comparison, and it was one of the main reasons she hated visiting the Shen Clan.
Lianxue, in comparison, thrived under the attention.
Lianxue had always been the darling of the Clan’s visitors, with her charisma, faultless etiquette and intelligence, which Ruolan both despised and admired.
Ruolan possessed her parents’ abilities in cultivation, but lacked the necessary drive that cultivators needed to propel themselves forward, which Lianxue envied and despaired that she would never equal.
It was inevitable that they disliked each other.
Lianxue’s voice dripped with venom but was coated with velvet.
“You haven’t changed at all, Ruolan. Still the same wild girl who would spar with the guards and come back covered in dust. Why does your Sect allow you to act so uncultivated? They would be ashamed to see someone wearing their robes behaving the way you do.”
Ruolan leaned close, and her tone was low and fierce.
“Let me tell you about shame, Lianxue. I remember how you used to cry whenever I beat you in a spar, and you would go whining to your mother. How graceful you were with snot running down your nose, complaining about how I was too mean.”
Lianxue frowned at the comment.
“I told her you were brutish, not just mean. Speaking of our youth, I recall my mother informing me that no respectable match can be arranged for you. The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Ruolan’s smile thinned to a razor’s edge.
“I wouldn’t be so proud of your own accomplishments. Every one of your would-be suitors ends up courting someone else within a year of meeting you. I suppose it takes some time for them to see past the thick layer of make-up and recognize the hag you are beneath.”
Lianxue’s expression finally cracked, and her skin flushed red from anger.
“Hag!? I wonder if your precious Jun De would feel that way about me? Perhaps I will go to the Tranquil Mountain Sect and see him for myself. If he is so handsome and talented as you claim him to be, the Clan Head will no doubt prefer to have him marry me instead.” Lianxue replied.
“Green Tea Bitch!” Ruolan cursed.
They were spared from any more insults by the doors of the hall opening and the pair were forced to calm themselves and sit back on their cushions. To any onlooker, they were the picture of refinement, two elegant daughters of the Shen Clan, sipping tea together from cups replaced by servants.
A moment later, the hall fell silent as Shen Weifeng entered. He was wearing the blue robes trimmed in silver that marked him as an Inner Sect Disciple of the Tranquil Mountain, and he carried the quiet authority of someone who had spent decades as an Elder in the Outer Sect.
His hands were folded behind his back, and he appeared calm and in control, but there was a subtle tension in his shoulders that betrayed his feelings of reluctance at returning to the Shen Clan after so many years apart.
Shen Weifeng, despite being in his mid to late eighties, appeared as someone decades younger after his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. His hair had darkened, becoming grey with hints of black, rather than the pure white it had been only a year or so before.
“Why did you come back, Uncle Shen?” Shen Ruolan asked herself softly, and Lianxue quirked an eyebrow at the comment. Her eyes flicked to Ruolan before locking back onto Shen Weifeng with interest.
