Away from Sorrow - Chapter 4

4.

In the end, the engagement was not canceled.

Fang Wenzhou was the First Elder’s personal disciple. Until he committed a serious offense, the elder had to be shown some consideration.

Canceling the match outright would have been a slap in his face.

So the wedding was merely postponed.

“Postponed” was a wonderfully flexible word. Three or five months counted. So did three or five years.

I could wait. Fang Wenzhou could not.

From the day I asked to end our engagement, he changed completely. The lectures and threats vanished. He became the gentle, considerate senior brother again.

Whether I wanted spirit flowers from Ying Island in the Southern Sea or some curious little trinket from the mortal world, the faintest sign of interest was enough. He would acquire it as quickly as possible, then deliberately present it to me in front of our fellow disciples.

I refused to take it. I acted as though he did not exist.

The other disciples marveled at the depth of his affection and quietly resented my wish to end the engagement.

“He treats her so well. Why is Senior Sister determined to break it off?”

“Perhaps being the sect leader’s only personal disciple has spoiled her. She wants to keep her future husband under her thumb.”

“That makes sense…He’s so gentle and attentive, and only toward her. If it were me, I’d have been moved to tears long ago.”

The new disciples saw only how well he treated me and became increasingly convinced that I was spoiled.

One young woman even wiped away tears that were not there.

I appeared suddenly at her side, my expression unreadable, and spoke calmly.

“When you enter our sect, your duty is to subdue demons and protect the people. Romantic entanglements easily disturb the mind. If you’re so easily moved, Little Sister, perhaps you should leave the mountain now and find a man to marry.”

She heard the mockery in my words.

But with me her senior, she could only redden her eyes and look aggrieved.

Fang Wenzhou happened to be passing—how convenient—and spoke gently.

“This junior sister was only admiring our affection, A-You. Why be so harsh?”

The young woman immediately gave him a grateful look.

Cradling my sword, I looked from one to the other.

“Our affection? Everyone says I’m cold. Why don’t you two make a couple? One overflowing with tenderness, the other so easily moved. Isn’t a gentle, virtuous wife exactly what you want? She seems perfect. Why not marry each other?”

I teased them deliberately.

Fang Wenzhou’s expression changed abruptly. The kindly mask vanished.

“She’s merely a girl who has just joined the sect. How could she compare with you? A-You, you’re the only one in my heart.”

No one liked being used to make someone else look better.

The instant he spoke, the gratitude disappeared from the young woman’s face, replaced by indignation.

“If you want to coax Senior Sister, go ahead. Why use us new disciples as stepping stones? Why shouldn’t we compare? We’re all disciples of the same sect. Must we be divided into ranks of worth? Or do you think only Senior Sister, who studies under the sect leader, deserves your attention?”

What a sharp tongue she had.

I liked it!

The other new disciples fell silent in shared understanding, tacitly agreeing with her.

“I…That isn’t what I meant…”

Fang Wenzhou’s expression grew uglier.

He pressed his lips together, hesitation clouding his face.

He wanted to please me and maintain his good reputation among the new disciples. I meant to make those aims incompatible, force him to choose, and tear off his mask of hypocrisy.

But this was still far from enough.

I suddenly remembered our wedding night in my previous life. Fang Wenzhou had produced a handkerchief embroidered with the small character Yi, the final character of Shen Shuyi’s name. She had given it to him when they first met.

He had said that because he hated me for killing her, he carried it every day as a reminder. One day, when he became sect leader, he would kill me to avenge her.

I lifted my head slightly. The sunlight was lovely today. Perfect for giving everyone a good look at that handkerchief. Let them see how the senior brother supposedly so devoted to me kept another woman’s intimate token against his body day and night.

With a hand hidden behind my back, I quietly formed a spell. Then I pretended to stumble and nearly fall.

Eager to regain my favor, Fang Wenzhou would never miss such an opportunity.

He immediately reached out and steadied me. I swiftly used magic to draw out the handkerchief.

“What’s this?”

I held it between my fingers, pretending I had accidentally caught hold of it in my confusion.

My senior brother had lost both parents in childhood. Master had found him, brought him back to the sect, and entrusted him to an elder. Besides, the fabric had only become available in the last two years. There was no possibility it was a keepsake from his birth mother.

“That looks like a woman’s handkerchief. Didn’t Senior Sister give it to you?”

Another young disciple spoke at just the right moment.

“A-You, give it back!”

Fang Wenzhou’s expression changed dramatically. He tried to snatch it from my hand.

I was ready for him. Not only did I keep it away, I pretended it slipped from my fingers and tossed it to one of the junior sisters.

She took one look and noticed the embroidered Yi near the bottom.

“The name on this handkerchief isn’t Senior Sister’s.”

That single observation set the crowd buzzing.

The disciples who had called me cold and accused me of trampling on his feelings suddenly understood.

It was not that I was heartless. He already loved someone else, yet still pretended to be devoted to me.

“Oh, so Senior Brother has a beloved! If there’s already someone in his heart, why won’t he agree to end the engagement? Could there be…some scheme behind it?”

The young disciple he had humiliated earlier was not about to let this opportunity pass. A few pointed remarks from her, and everyone’s impression of Fang Wenzhou changed completely.

The admirable image he had hoped to build among his fellow disciples was utterly ruined.