MTLNOVEL Chapter 22: Confession
Chapter 22: Confession
Every encounter with his junior sister and Master’s wife in his dreams took place against the same dim backdrop.
It was either the murky twilight of dawn or the deep darkness of a starlit night.
“Senior Brother, good evening.”
You Su looked at the drooling, monstrous figure of his junior sister and could sense the joy in her voice. He replied gently:
“Good evening, Junior Sister.”
“Senior Brother, didn’t I tell you? Isn’t the Spirit-Stabilizing Pill truly amazing?” As she spoke, the creature raised what could only be described as a thick, arm-like appendage, clearly proud of herself.
A sudden suspicion flickered in You Su’s mind. Why would his junior sister ask such a question? Did she know everything already?
“It is indeed incredible…”
But the junior sister paid no attention to his response and continued:
“Senior brother, don’t you want to know how I knew you’d find the Spirit-Stabilizing Pill amazing?”
You Su fell silent for a moment. A strange feeling welled up within him – that all of his secrets were being laid bare before this junior sister of his. Everything he had done, she had seen it all.
“Could… could you tell me?”
The junior sister stood up, her towering and imposing figure contrasting with her ever-sweet voice:
“Senior Brother, did you really think that I wouldn’t notice from the very beginning?”
!
You Su could hardly believe his ears. It felt as though he had been struck by lightning, with his entire body going numb.
He realized that continuing to deceive her would only be fooling himself. Trembling, he asked, “You’ve known all along?”
The monster seemed to burst out laughing, doubling over with glee. “Senior Brother, oh Senior Brother, how could you be so naive?”
“This is your dream. Since when does a blind man dream of still being blind?”
You Su recalled the first time he had encountered his junior sister’s monstrous form. The tension at that moment now felt like a cruel joke. At that time, he hadn’t realized that it was a dream and had put on an elaborate act, only for it to appear like the performance of a clown in her eyes.
“But… why did you pretend not to notice?”
The question seemed to strike a painful chord. She turned her back slightly, as if unwilling to let You Su see her any longer. Once more, viscous fluids began seeping out of her body.
You Su had long since figured out the pattern – whenever she was extremely happy or deeply sad, her body would secrete these fluids.
“If you were in my position, would you dare to see me?”
Would he?
You Su lowered his eyelids. The answer was obvious:
“I wouldn’t.”
“You wouldn’t want to show your ugliest side to the person closest to you, would you?” His junior sister turned back around, her six fish-like eyes gazing softly at the floor. “But I dared. How could I stay hidden from you forever?”
“When you first saw me like this, you must have been scared, right? But I was afraid, too – afraid that you would lash out at me on instinct. So when I first saw you, I pretended I didn’t know you could see me, hoping you would play along and pretend you couldn’t see me either. I never expected you to actually go along with it. Senior Brother, your acting skills are truly impressive.”
“Have you… always lied to me like this?”
Hearing her words, You Su’s heart felt as though it were being sliced by a blade. He bitterly regretted that he hadn’t been the one to be possessed by the malevolent force first. “How could I? I’ve never lied to you, Junior Sister.”
“Pfft, you’re lying even now. That night when you countered with, ‘Does that mean you’re not my junior sister anymore?’-I was so happy. It made me decide that the next time we met, I would confess everything to you.”
The candlelight cast soft shadows across You Su’s profile, outlining gentle curves. “If it were me who was possessed, you’d do the same.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I’d probably leave you and run away.”
“Then I’d chase you and haunt you for the rest of your life.”
The junior sister closed her fish-like eyes tightly, a mixture of emotions-joy, sorrow, helplessness, and sadness-welling up within her. After a long pause, she said softly:
“But I can’t haunt you for the rest of your life, can I?”
Suddenly, You Su sat up with great determination. “Don’t say such discouraging things! I will definitely find a way to cure you!”
The junior sister was momentarily stunned before softly replying, “I believe in you, Senior Brother.”
“Alright, let’s talk about the Spirit-Stabilizing Pill again. You’ve probably guessed by now – it was a piece of flesh cut from my own body. The malevolent force that corrupted me is quite powerful. It’s called the Tai Sui.”
“Its flesh has extraordinary properties, unlike other malevolent entities. Eating its flesh won’t truly corrupt you – it will only leave behind a bit of malevolent energy. Once you fully absorb it, you’ll be no different from an ordinary person. That’s why I dared to give it to you. How could I ever harm you, Senior Brother?”
Not really corrupted?
You Su felt a wave of relief, but not for himself. He was relieved because remaining uncorrupted allowed him to move freely in search of a way to exorcise the evil from them.
“What about the Master’s wife? What kind of malevolent force is possessing her?”
“I don’t know… I only know that the malevolent force inside her came together with Tai Sui.”
“What’s their purpose?”
“I don’t know that either, but it’s clearly not to consume us. They must have some other purpose. Otherwise, I wouldn’t still be here talking to you.”
You Su furrowed his brow and asked with concern, “Junior Sister, tell me honestly – does it hurt?”
“Hurt?” She tilted her head slightly, as if recalling something. “It’s not too bad, really. Occasionally, in reality, I transform like this and my mind becomes foggy. I lose track of who I am and feel bloodthirsty and chaotic. Sometimes I even long to devour the pure cultivation energy in you. Even now, I’m holding back.”
She pointed to the viscous liquid continuously oozing from her body. “This stuff? It’s actually my saliva. Whenever I feel something’s wrong outside, I rush back to my room and endure it for a while. It’s not so easy for it to completely take over me.”
Her words were light and casual, but You Su’s heart ached as if pierced by knives. He could vividly imagine the once vibrant girl hiding in her room, writhing on the floor in pain, staring in terror at the grotesque flesh growing on her body in the mirror. With astonishing willpower, she endured suffering after suffering, only to emerge later to face him with her usual innocent face.
Was the Master’s wife enduring the same agony?
“Tomorrow… tomorrow I’ll take you both out of Chuyun City. We’ll go to Divine Mountain! We’ll definitely find a way to save you!”
“Senior Brother, you’ve worked so hard. Dealing with that villain must have exhausted you. Don’t rush. Those things can’t hurt us yet. Because the Master’s wife… she’s a very powerful person.”
“What about the Master’s wife?”
“Not only has she not been completely consumed by that malevolent force, but she seems to have gained some of its powers. She’s hidden a part of our consciousness deep within your mind, allowing us to maintain a shred of clarity even in the face of corruption. That’s why whenever you fall asleep and enter a dream, you meet us.”
“So that’s how it is…”