Chapter 45: Playing Innocent and Playing the Victim, Who Can’t?
The chaotic mass of light twisting and swelling before Yun Sheng radiated a dangerous instability, looking as though it might detonate at any moment.
A series of sharp gasps echoed through the training room.
"My god! What is that?"
"Her spiritual power is so unstable!"
"It looks so dangerous! Is it going to explode?"
Everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats as they stared nervously at the increasingly volatile mass of light.
Even Shen Tang instinctively took a step forward, her expression grim.
Zhao Qian forgot all about gloating and held her breath.
In that moment, all eyes were fixed on Yun Sheng and the out-of-control mass of light, waiting for Lin Yueyao to step in and turn the tide.
Lin Yueyao’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of surprise crossing her mind.
’Doesn’t Yun Sheng lack even a spiritual body? How could she possibly create a projection of light at this level?’
But that flicker of surprise was quickly replaced by the excitement of having a perfect opportunity to show off.
’No matter how Yun Sheng managed it, this chaotic, feeble mass of light is utterly beneath my notice.’
’This is the perfect chance to demonstrate my powerful control as an S-Class Guide in front of everyone, as well as my "concern" for my dear sister, Yun Sheng.’
"Yun Sheng, don’t be afraid! Hold on! Let your big sister help you!"
Before the words were even out of her mouth, Lin Yueyao had already taken a swift step forward.
The Moonlight Kite behind her let out a clear cry and released a vast, soft, pure-white halo. It was like a veil woven from moonlight, shrouding the twisting, agitated mass of light.
The Moonlight Kite’s halo was gentle yet powerful, carrying the unique purifying and soothing abilities of an S-class Guide. It instantly made contact with the chaotic mass of light.
In the eyes of the onlookers, what happened next should have been a foregone conclusion.
The brilliance would pass, the chaos would subside, and Yun Sheng would be saved...
Even Lin Yueyao’s own lips curved into a confident smile.
But then, something shocking happened.
The moment the pure halo touched the mass of light, it suddenly contracted violently inward before exploding with a deafening roar.
HISS!
Amid the grating sound, the Moonlight Kite let out a sharp, agonized cry as the light around it dimmed drastically.
Its once solid and elegant form began to flicker, turning translucent.
"Argh!"
Lin Yueyao herself felt as if she’d been dealt a heavy blow.
A terrifying aura—icy, violent, and carrying the absolute pressure of a superior being—surged back through her spiritual link with the Moonlight Kite and slammed viciously into her own spiritual defenses!
HUMMMM...
It was as if a great bell had tolled inside her head. A violent churning roiled in her chest, and she staggered back several steps, only stopping when her back slammed into the edge of a cold console.
Lin Yueyao’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the spot where the mass of light had vanished.
’This is definitely not Yun Sheng’s power!’
’What the hell was that thing?!’
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Yun Sheng looked as if she too had been struck by the aftershock of the uncontrolled explosion.
"Ah!"
She let out a short cry of pain, her body swaying before she collapsed to the floor.
She clutched her head, her body curling into a ball as she let out pained, suppressed groans.
Yun Sheng struggled, lifting her head with great effort. She looked at Lin Yueyao, her eyes filled with unshed tears and profound confusion.
"Sister... you... aren’t you an S-Class Guide? Didn’t you say... that you could help me with any problem?"
She gasped for breath, tears tracing paths down her pale cheeks and mixing with cold sweat. She looked utterly pitiful and wretched.
"My spiritual power is so weak, I don’t even have a spiritual body... You... you should have been able to control it with a flick of your finger. Why... why did it get worse after you stepped in?
Sister, everything you said earlier... about wanting to get to know me better, to improve our relationship... that was all a lie, wasn’t it?
We were switched at birth. I’m the real daughter of the Lin Family... but I’m just a failure who doesn’t even have a spiritual body... Even now that I’m back... I’m no threat to you at all..."
BOOM...
It was as if a psychic bomb had been dropped in the training room. Everyone was stunned speechless by the sudden revelation.
’Switched at birth?’
’Yun Sheng is the real heiress?!’
Countless gazes shot back and forth between Lin Yueyao and Yun Sheng like searchlights, a tangled mess of disbelief, shock, and a dozen other complex emotions.
"Sister, you said you were helping me... but in reality, you wish I were completely crippled... You can’t stand to have me around, can you?"
Yun Sheng’s soft-spoken but damning questions were like poison-tipped ice picks, stabbing not only into Lin Yueyao’s ears but into the hearts of everyone present.
Lin Yueyao froze, feeling as if the blood in her veins had turned to ice.
She could clearly feel the gazes around her shift—from adoration and admiration, to shock and uncertainty, and now, to alienation and suspicion...
’I can’t let this continue!’
"No! That’s not it!"
Lin Yueyao forced down the metallic tang in her throat and the tightness in her chest. She squeezed out a hurt, incredulous expression as she looked at Yun Sheng.
"Yun Sheng, how could you think that of me? I really was trying to help you! It’s just... your spiritual power fluctuations were so strange, I misjudged the amount of force to use..."
"You don’t have to explain, Sister... I understand."
Yun Sheng lowered her gaze, her long lashes still glistening with tears.
"Don’t worry. I know my place. I’m just a... a crippled guide who doesn’t even have a spiritual body. This is probably all I’ll ever be...
You and I are different, Sister. You’re an S-Class, the darling of the heavens, the pride of the Lin Family. I never came back to fight you for anything... and I couldn’t win even if I tried. I just want a home, a chance to live a peaceful life."
Her words, delivered with such humility, instantly stirred the sympathy of many in the room.
Shen Tang glanced from Yun Sheng to Lin Yueyao and sighed.
"Li Wen, help Yun Sheng to the infirmary. Have a Healer give her a thorough examination."
"Yes, Teacher Shen!"
Li Wen immediately went over and carefully helped up the nearly unsteady Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng gave Teacher Shen a weak nod, then glanced at the frozen Lin Yueyao and said softly, "Thank you, Teacher Shen... Sister, I... I’ll go to the infirmary now."
With that, she let Li Wen support her, her steps unsteady as she made her way out of the training room.
Her frail, slender back was a pitiable sight.
Only then did Shen Tang turn to Lin Yueyao, whose face was deathly pale. "Miss Yue Yao, thank you for your hard work today. I’ll take over the rest of the lesson. You should go get some rest as well."
"I..." Lin Yueyao bit her lower lip so hard she tasted the rusty tang of blood.
She wanted to argue, to question, to salvage the situation, but Yun Sheng’s resigned and considerate words had cut off all her avenues of retreat.
Pushing the issue would only bring her more humiliation.
A tidal wave of humiliation and defeat washed over Lin Yueyao.
’She had lost.’
In this single exchange, she hadn’t just lost the perfect image she had cultivated for years, or the favor of her peers. She stood to lose... so much more.
And at that moment, the alarms blaring from within her own body terrified her even more.
A fine-grained chaos and stabbing pain emanated from the depths of her spiritual landscape. The feedback from her Moonlight Kite was no longer its usual gentle strength, but a listless lethargy and a faint, agonized wail.
Worse still was the roiling in her chest. That metallic sweetness kept rising in her throat, and waves of nausea made her feel as though she might vomit at any moment.
’What the hell was that power?’
’Yun Sheng... What secret is she hiding? Or is there... someone backing her?!’