Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

Chapter 332: No Looking Back

Ever since Lan Huaiqiu could remember, the most profound impression she had was Yuan Tao frowning and looking at her with disdain.

Yuantao often disliked her for being stupid, unable to fully understand knowledge within three times, and always needing to spend more energy.

Her mother never smiled at her progress, but only thought that it was what she should do, and if she couldn't do it, she was deliberately making her angry.

But Lan Huaiqiu had clearly worked very hard, practicing her piano skills, learning the music scores, and honing her understanding of the music... She knew that there were countless disciples in the sect who were better and more hardworking than her, and she also knew that she was very stupid, so she needed to work twice as hard.

But Lan Huaiqiu often felt tired and lost, as if no matter how hard she tried, she would always be a failure in her mother's eyes. Her mother looked at her with deep disappointment, and sometimes seemed to see another person in her.

Whenever Lan Huaiqiu felt breathless, he would run to Lan Xinci for comfort. His father seemed always busy, busy managing the sect, busy analyzing the current situation, busy practicing...

But whenever she appeared in front of the temple where her father worked and went to see him secretly, her father would always wave and ask her to come over with a smile.

She would sit in her father's arms, looking at the books on the table that she couldn't understand. When she heard her father ask her what was wrong, she would tell him all her troubles.

Lan Xinci would always comfort her with a smile, stroke her head with his big, warm hands, and gently guide her.

That night, I would find my mother and discuss with her whether I should relax a little.

But her mother was always unwilling. Her beautiful and sharp eyes stared at her as she hid behind her father. Although she didn't say anything, these eyes made her very scared.

Lan Huaiqiu didn't know what he had done wrong and why his mother was always dissatisfied with him.

Until one day, because she was too stupid and did not complete the homework assigned by her mother, she was scolded by her mother.

"...How can you be compared with Huai Qing when you're like this?"

After my mother said this, she was stunned for a moment, and then she quickly changed the subject as if she had said something out of turn.

Huai Qing...who is it?

Lan Huaiqiu asked her father this question. After hearing it, her father's expression became strange for a moment, then he smiled as usual and told her that it was her brother who had gone to a far place a few years ago and had not returned yet.

Lan Huaiqiu could see the sadness in her father's expression, and could also hear her mother's love for her brother, whom she had never met, in her words. She asked the elders of the sect, but only got the comment that he was "very good".

Lan Huaiqiu had never thought about having a brother before, but to be honest, she had fantasized countless times about having a brother or sister.

That way, I might be able to say a few good words for my mother when she scolds me.

I don’t know if God heard her voice, but not long after, a sister who was slightly older than her came, named Shao Xinran.

My parents told me that this sister's parents had helped my father when they were young, but unfortunately, they had an accident. My father then took her back to the sect and raised her under my mother's lap.

Lan Huaiqiu had been longing for a friend he could talk to, and had even thought she would be his best friend. But the facts proved that they were different.

Her mother was not as harsh as she had imagined towards Shao Xinran. Perhaps it was because her family had suffered a misfortune, so she always spoke in a low voice and with a gentle smile that she had never shown to her before.

It is impossible not to be jealous, but whether it is because of age or talent, Shao Xinran learns things much faster than her, and has a high level of attainment in piano playing. She is better than her in almost everything, and her mother becomes more and more impatient with her as the comparisons go by day by day.

Lan Huaiqiu knew that this might just be her mother's disappointment in her. After all, she was not very good, but... but she also tried very hard. She had obviously tried hard, but she just couldn't compare to Shao Xinran.

When Shao Xinran received praise from her mother, she never showed a proud expression. She always kept a low profile, smiling gently.

Lan Huaiqiu didn't know if it was influenced by his mother, but he gradually began to feel annoyed with her. Every time he looked at her meek look with her eyes lowered, he would feel nauseous.

Shao Xinran seemed to have sensed her hostility and began to actively show goodwill to her. She would also gently persuade her mother when she blamed her, but for some reason, her mother became very angry after listening to her, and looked at her with more and more annoyance.

Finally one day, she couldn't stand it anymore and exploded, crying and yelling at her mother like a madman, telling her mother all the grievances she had suffered over the years.

She didn't know what was going on in her mind, but after she finished speaking, she felt a faint sense of expectation in her heart.

But she did not receive her mother's forgiveness and understanding. Instead, she only got Shao Xinran who was astonished and her mother who was disgusted.

"...I really shouldn't have given birth to you. If I had known you would be so hopeless."

Her mother's cold words were like countless ice needles piercing her heart. The dense and sharp pain invaded her and almost froze her whole body.

"You're not as talented as Huai Qing, and you're not as hardworking as Xin Ran. In this situation, instead of thinking about improving yourself, you're jealous of others... How can you have the nerve to complain to me?"

"Lan Huaiqiu, why don't you go take a look outside? Aren't your father and I good enough to you? Just the clothes you wear now are enough for ordinary Chenjing Qi cultivators out there to work for more than ten years, did you know that? The spiritual herbs and rice you eat every day are beyond the reach of ordinary people. You live in such a wealthy environment, but you are so disappointing. Can't I blame you?!"

"Go outside Qin Sect now and take a look! Not to mention the faraway places, even the nearest one, Luanyunpo, see if you can survive that night there? Go and see the environment they live in, and then look at yours! You have so much, why can't you make demands?"

"Huai Qing, his life or death is uncertain, and yet you are here enjoying these generous treatments and complaining here. What right do you have?"

Yuan Tao questioned her. At this moment, her expression was not like that of a mother, but that of a superior commander. She looked coldly at Lan Huaiqiu, whose eyes were filled with tears, without a trace of pity.

“…I might as well not have these!”

Lan Huaiqiu choked for a long time, finally said this, and ran out crying.

That night she sat on the long staircase in front of the sect gate, gazing at the half-lit and half-dark mountain below. Her tears had long since dried up, but she still couldn't stop rubbing her eyes with her hands.

The night wind made her skin feel cold. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there. She heard footsteps behind her. It was Lan Xinci.

"Why are you sitting here? You'll catch a cold."

The warm cloak fell on her shoulders. Lan Xinci bent down to ask her, but when she didn't answer, he simply sat down with her and pulled the cloak tightly around her.

Lan Huaiqiu's eyes fell on the cloak, and tears welled up in his eyes again when he recalled what Yuantao said.

"What's wrong? Are you crying again?" Lan Xinci gently wiped away her tears, stroked her cheek, and asked.

Lan Huaiqiu finally couldn't help but throw herself into his arms and cried heartily.

That night, Lan Xinci had a long talk with her. Lan Huaiqiu had long forgotten what they talked about, but she knew that at the end of the night, she slept very soundly in Lan Xinci's arms.

I don’t know what my father said to my mother, but my mother’s attitude towards her became much softer in the following days, and even her eyes were not as sharp anymore.

Just then, Lan Huaiqing came back.

This was the first time Lan Huaiqiu saw her rumored brother. When she heard that Lan Huaiqing had returned, her mother lost her composure, tears streaming down her face as she hugged the boy who had been missing for many years and cried non-stop.

Lan Huaiqiu followed behind his mother, looking curiously at the taciturn boy in front of him.

The boy's black hair fell to his waist, his dark eyes were dull. He stood there and let his mother hold him. He looked at Lan Xinci behind his mother, as if explaining something: "I was too weak. Someone stole the ring, and it hasn't come back in the past few years."

"It's okay, just come back."

Lan Xinci said this, touching the boy's head and comforting him.

"It's really, that's great..." Shao Xinran stood aside wiping her tears, seeming to be happy for them.

But Lan Huaiqiu looked at them, saw Yuantao nodding at Shao Xinran, and saying with tears and laughter that it was great, and suddenly an idea came to his mind.

They seem more like a family.

Lan Huaiqiu was standing not far away. She was startled by the thought and tried her best to refute it, but it would not go away.

Lan Huaiqing noticed her and asked Yuantao who she was.

When he learned that it was his sister, he frowned.

Lan Huaiqiu didn't know whether he was also disgusted by the news that she was his sister, but her heart was so cold that it seemed to freeze her, and she smiled stiffly at Lan Huaiqing.

After seeing this, Lan Huaiqing seemed to frown again.

Lan Huaiqing is back, and she finally has a brother.

But Lan Huaiqiu still couldn't be happy.

Lan Huaiqing treated her very coldly, but unlike his mother, he treated Shao Xinran the same way.

...No, or rather, my attitude towards my father and mother also became cold.

Lan Huaiqiu didn't know what happened between them, but he could understand something from the vague words of the people around him.

Her birthday was the fifth year after Lan Huaiqing disappeared.

Was she born to commemorate Lan Huaiqing?

Lan Huaiqiu didn't know, but she knew that her mother's attitude towards her had returned to the starting point, and even got worse.

The words "I regret giving birth to her" appeared more and more frequently, and Lan Huaiqiu gradually became numb with them, almost to the point of no feeling anymore.

But she would still be sad, upset by her mother's different treatment, feel inferior when she couldn't compare to Shao Xinran, and doubt herself when she saw Lan Huaiqing's indifference.

Yuan Tao believed that Qin Zong had given her the best, so she should do her best. If she couldn't, she would be a waste.

Yuantao still believed that they had raised her for so many years and all the hairpins and clothes she wore were given by them, so she had no right to shout at them.

Lan Huaiqiu and Yuantao quarreled more and more frequently, and his annoyance with them also grew. Every time after a quarrel with Yuantao, he couldn't help but feel the urge to vomit when he saw Shao Xinran comforting Yuantao in a soft voice.

It’s not like the disciples and elders in the sect haven’t quarreled before. She learned a lot from them, and her relationship with Yuantao became increasingly strained.

Lan Huaiqiu didn't want to go on like this. She wanted to escape from here, this place that suffocated her.

Finally, after an argument, she ran out by herself, but lost her way and was chased into an alley.

It was also on that day that she met the low-class people that Yuantao mentioned.

She was startled when several bandits fell like piles of meat in front of her.

She had never seen such a bloody scene. Even though the robbers treated her like that, she just wanted to beat them up.

Looking at the young man who saved him, Lan Huaiqiu thought he would be scared, but he wasn't.

The young man's smile was frivolous, but not vulgar. He picked up the fallen hairpin, wiped the blood off it, and gathered her hair, tying it back one strand at a time.

Not only did the boy not covet the things on her body, he also did not keep asking about her family situation like the strangers he had picked up before, hoping to get some benefits. Instead, he got her a piece of clothing and sent her back safely.

Before leaving, she grabbed the boy's sleeve and told him his name. The boy was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled and waved his hand, as if he didn't take it to heart.

Lan Huaiqiu looked at the young man's thin figure, his tattered clothes, and thought of the environment he lived in...an unprecedented feeling surged in his heart.

She had seen many people stronger than the boy, but no one had given her this feeling.

How could this person be so powerful?

She hoped that she could be as strong as him and be able to face all kinds of difficulties calmly.

When Lan Huaiqiu returned to the sect, her outfit naturally attracted a lot of attention, but she ignored it all and walked back to the house, changed into suitable clothes, neatly folded the clothes the young man gave her, and looked at them quietly.

Someone knocked on the door. It was Lan Huaiqing.

Lan Huaiqiu was very surprised.

"What happened?" This was the first time Lan Huaiqing asked her.

"...Nothing, I just ran into some bandits."

Lan Huaiqiu would not be inexplicably hostile to others. Although her feelings towards Lan Huaiqing were complicated, if Lan Huaiqing communicated with her normally, she would respond calmly.

"and then?"

"Then... I met a kind-hearted person." Lan Huaiqiu avoided his inquiring gaze and said softly.

"who is it?"

"I, I..." Lan Huaiqiu was stunned.

She forgot the boy's name!

As if he could see what Lan Huaiqiu was thinking, Lan Huaiqing frowned slightly, but did not ask any more questions. He nodded to indicate that he understood and left.

Lan Huaiqiu returned to the bed and stared blankly at the neat clothes, with only one thought in his mind: It's over.

I clearly agreed to give him the money...

Lan Huaiqiu bit his lower lip, not knowing what to do.

But fortunately, they met again.

That day, Lan Huaiqiu and Yuantao had an unprecedented argument, neither of them willing to give in. Yuantao couldn't stand it anymore and stopped paying her living expenses, and mocked her.

"All you do is stick your neck out and yell at me. In your current condition, you won't survive a single day if you leave Qin Sect! You're spoiled all day long, and all you do is challenge me."

I don’t know what hurt Lan Huaiqiu about these words, but she was like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and she was furious.

"I can survive without you! Just watch!"

Lan Huaiqiu gritted his teeth and yelled at her, "I don't want you anymore! I can survive even on my own!"

"Then you should show me how to live!" Yuan Tao said disdainfully, "You're talking about a person, but everything on your body is given by me. Even your clothes were made by me personally. How are you going to prove it to us?"

"I don't want to prove anything to you! I told you I don't want you anymore!"

Lan Huaiqiu's tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away fiercely, and finally blurted out the words she had thought about countless times in her heart: "I want to sever ties with you! I don't want to be your daughter anymore!"

Shao Xinran's expression changed drastically: "Huai Qiu, don't say angry words——"

"And you!" Lan Huaiqiu pointed at her and shouted angrily, "Don't you like her very much? Don't you think I've embarrassed you? Then ask her to be your daughter!"

"Huai Qiu——"

Shao Xinran tried to grab her sleeve, but Lan Huaiqiu pushed her away and she fell to the ground.

"Xinran!" Yuan Tao's expression changed, and she stood up and shouted angrily, "Lan Huaiqiu!"

Lan Huaiqiu wasn't afraid. He sniffed and said, "Just be together, mother and daughter! I won't get involved."

Having said that, he turned and ran out.

"Huai Qiu!" Shao Xinran wanted to stop her, but was stopped by Yuan Tao.

"Let her go! I wonder how long she can hold on." Yuan Tao sneered, raising her voice, "Don't let her come back crying and begging for forgiveness in the end."

"...No, I won't."

Lan Huaiqiu didn't look back and clenched his teeth. He didn't know whether he was talking to Yuantao or himself.

Lan Huaiqiu didn't take a penny with him when he left. The hairpins he had worn since childhood were neatly placed on the dressing table, and his clothes were neatly folded. He put on the robe he had gotten that day and left the house, never looking back.