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"A-Hui, what are you doing at this time?" Jiang YanLi asked as she came on the training ground.

Wei WuHui panted heavily with sweats dripping from her face as she held her newly forged sword, Wuji, firmly in her hands.

It was very late in the night, everyone in Lotus Pier were sound asleep except for the patrolling cultivators that were on duty of look-out.

"Shijie," Wei WuHui began, straightening herself upon the arrival of her senior sister. "I was just...training."

Jiang YanLi blinked as she wrapped her sleeping robes tighter around her petite figure, shuddering slightly from the chilly breeze. "This late? A-Hui, don't push yourself too hard."

Wei WuHui smiled softly. "I know but I'll be fine. Just a few more forms then heading off to bed."

Jiang YanLi's brows furrowed worriedly, her light-coloured eyes spotting the bloodied scraps and bruises on the other maiden's body. Including the exhausted expression on her martial sister's face. "A-Hui, I may not know a lot about training in the cultivation path but you don't have to listen to A-Niang. You and A-Xian are my younger siblings. Mine's and A-Cheng's family."

This caused Wei WuHui to froze up as she stopped in mid-swing, her posture now stiffened when she heard what Jiang YanLi stated.

Ever since her and her brother came to Lotus Pier when they were 9, Madame Yu have been reminding them every single day that they are there to be Jiang YanLi's and Jiang Cheng's blades and shields.

That they don't belong to this family.

That they are a servant's children.

However, despite that the constant harsh reminders, Wei WuHui pleaded to Madam Yu to train her. To teach her all the things she need to become a cultivator.

"Shijie-."

"Didn't I told you and A-Xian to called me Jiejie, don't tell me A-Niang prohibited you two from calling me that too?" Jiang YanLi frowned as she looked at the younger maiden with concern.

Wei WuHui bit her lip nervously.

Jiang YanLi, noticing this, stepped forward as she reached out and grasped the maiden's hands that was trembling slightly around her sword. "A-Hui, no matter if we are not relate by blood, you and A-Xian will always be a part of this family. I will always continue to love you both and be there for you as the older sister I am."

Droplets of tear began to fall from Wei WuHui's eyes as she sniffled, rubbing those tears away. "A-Jie..."

Jiang YanLi smiled, pulling the sniffling maiden toward her as she embraced her. Rubbing her back tenderly. "A-Xian and A-Cheng may be the Twin Prides of Yunmeng but me and you...we'll be the Twin Lotuses of Yunmeng."

———

"A-Hui!"

Wei WuHui's blazing crimson eyes softened immediately after hearing that cry as she turned around. "Shijie?"

Jiang YanLi waved at her. "A-Hui, come stand behind me and A-Xian."

The maiden in dark clothing hesitated.

Madame Jin reached over to grab Jiang YanLi's hand. "A-Li, don't intervene in their business." She said.

However, with an apologetic smile to the woman, Jiang YanLi went ahead and stood in front of Wei WuHui with Wei WuXian instantly coming to his twin's side to comfort her. The maiden in purple then saluted to Jin ZiXun and the others.

Haven't no clue on how to respond, some returned the salute while the others just stayed still.

"Jin-Gongzi, from what you meant, it was A-Hui who made a third of the prey on Phoenix Mountain all to herself, that it defied the rules and she was too bold. I haven't heard of anything like this either. It truly must've troubled everyone here. Therefore, I apologise to you all in place of her." And as she finished, she then bowed down again.

Wei WuHui gasped. "Shijie!"

Her martial sister didn't make a movement to rise, instead she looked to her and shook her head unnoticeably. This caused the latter to clench her hands and remained silent.

This also caused Jin ZiXuan to looked over this with a complicated expression on his face.

Meanwhile, Jin ZiXun and his followers did not hesitated to show their triumph as they felt more satisfied with themselves.

"Jiang Gu-Niang, you really are kind and understanding. What your shīmèi did was extremely unbefitting and has indeed caused a lot of troubles for us. But since you recognised that it was unbefitting, then for Jiang Gu-Niang and Sect Leader Jiang's sakes, the apology won't be needed. The YunmengJiang Sect and the LanlingJin Sect are as close as brothers, anyway." Jin ZiXun chuckled as he went on.

Wei WuHui glared furiously at the Jin cultivator, knowing that he was ready to let out a pompous laugh. She sneered. 'That bastard!'

"Mèimei, please calm down." Wei WuXian whispered, knowing already at the increasing rage that continued to bubbled up inside of his sister. Him clutching on her arm as a way to comfort but also to hold her back.

Jiang YanLi then finished her bow and got back up. "But, even if I haven't joined in the hunt before, there's one thing that I know — for all of the hunts that had occurred, I've never heard such a rule that prohibits someone from hunting too many preys." She continued earnestly.

With that statement, the smiles on the people's faces froze.

"And so, you said that A-Hui defied rules — which exact rule did she broke?" Jiang YanLi finished.

"Pfft—!" This time, it was the Wei Twins that couldn't hold back their laughter. "HAHAHAHA!"

At that, Jin ZiXun's face turned dark in displeasure.

At this point, some people in the crowd couldn't hold it back anymore as Sect Leader Yao stepped forward. "Jiang Gu-Niang, that wouldn't be the best way to put it. Although some rules aren't written out, everyone should understand and follows them."

"How much preys is left in Phoenix Mountain in total? Is it even five hundred? How many people are there participating in the hunt? More than five thousand! We're fighting for the preys to begin with. If she keeps so much preys to herself while using such wicked methods, what could the other people do?" Some person in the crowd added.

"No Mèimei, it's best if you don't say anything." Wei WuXian said lowly after noticing that his sister was about to speak.

Another decided to speak up about the matter. "Yeah, or else I would've at least been able to get one."

Jiang YanLi blinked. "But...it isn't her fault that others can't capture the preys."

And the person didn't get the chance to respond back as she continued. "Isn't the hunt all about true strength? Even if the ghouls are gone, aren't there also the fays and monsters? Even if she didn't keep one-third to herself, or even if she didn't attend the hunt at all, those who can't capture the preys will never be able to. Although, the methods that A-Hui used is different from what other people use, it's still a method that she cultivated. You can't called it a crooked path just because others don't have the access to that third of the prey, can you?"

This caused the faces of the people around Jin ZiXun to darkened like his's as they realised that they couldn't talk back to her, considering her background.

Jiang YanLi continued. "Besides, hunting is hunting. So why bring the matter of discipline to the table? A-Hui and A-Xian are disiciples of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. They grew up with my brother and I, and so they are as close as siblings is to me. Calling A-Hui the daughter of a servant — I'm sorry but I won't accept this. And therefore..."

She then straightened her posture and raised her voice. "I hope Jin-Gongzi would apologise to Wei WuHui of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect!"

TRANSLATION NOTE:

— 师妹 Shīmèi: Younger female disiciples

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(Please correct my translation if I'm wrong and the GIFs and pictures used in this chapter does not belong to me, but their rightful owners)