Chapter 234: Madwoman Su Mei
"You are saying... Martial Aunt Su Mei wants immortality?" An expression of sheer disbelief washed over Li Sushang's delicate features.
"Ah... I can probably guess exactly why she is doing this." Rovel leaned back, his gaze distant. "In fact, the very first time Su Mei went down the mountain for her sword trial, Red Kite had a severe accident. She died once."
"...Are you saying that back then, Master barely stepped foot off the mountain for three whole years because she was actually recovering from fatal injuries?" Cheng Lingshuang's usually placid eyes widened a fraction as a long-buried memory surfaced.
Back during that era, Rovel had smoothly used the excuse that Red Kite's cultivation had reached a critical bottleneck to brush off any suspicions. To prevent the martial world from descending into utter chaos, Rovel had personally taken over Red Kite's heavy duties, guarding the vast lands of Shenzhou in her stead for those three long years.
"That is right," Rovel confirmed, his tone steady. "At that specific time, a terrifying Honkai Beast capable of actively suppressing Red Kite's innate regenerative abilities was born on Wang Mountain. It was named Huodou. Perhaps in a desperate bid to save Su Mei from its flames, Red Kite took a lethal blow. She was severely injured and even died for a brief period."
"But not long after her final breath faded, the lifeless Red Kite was miraculously resurrected. She then brought a deeply shaken Su Mei all the way back to Taixu Mountain."
"My own descent from the mountain back then was specifically to investigate the traces of that battle. The results of my investigation were exactly as I had feared. Red Kite had already died once." Rovel answered in a low, somber voice.
"So, Martial Aunt Su Mei actually knew right from the very beginning that the Red Kite Immortal could be resurrected!" Li Sushang chimed in, her hands balling into tight fists as the horrifying realization set in.
"Yes. And immediately following that traumatic incident, Su Mei developed some highly unusual feelings toward Red Kite."
"What kind of unusual feelings?" Cheng Lingshuang tilted her head, genuinely puzzled by the complexities of human emotion.
"It was probably a deep sense of dependence at first... a survivor clinging to her savior," Rovel explained, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his knee. "But then, fueled by her intense jealousy toward Senior Sister Chaoyu, those pure feelings gradually began to twist into something dark and obsessive."
"Jealous of Senior Sister Chaoyu?" Cheng Lingshuang was even more confused now. Her brow furrowed slightly. What on earth was there to be jealous of? Su Mei was significantly younger than Lin Chaoyu, her natural martial arts talent completely eclipsed Lin Chaoyu's, and even Ma Feima listened to Su Mei's every word. Where could this supposed jealousy possibly stem from?
"Because in Master Red Kite's heart, Senior Sister Chaoyu was always the most special one," Rovel elaborated softly. "Think about it. During Red Kite's three years of painful recovery, she only went down the mountain three times. And all three of those rare trips were solely to accompany Senior Sister Chaoyu to the South China Sea to pay respects to her deceased parents."
"Even in the face of the absolute iron rule, 'the demonized must be executed', it was Senior Sister Chaoyu who bravely stood directly in front of Jiang Wanru. That single act of defiance from Chaoyu is the only reason Red Kite stayed her blade and did not kill her."
"And during that fateful final battle, it was also Senior Sister Chaoyu who threw her own body forward to physically shield Red Kite. That desperate sacrifice created the momentary opening that allowed Su Mei's treacherous strike to succeed."
"But Senior Sister Chaoyu never once dared to face this blatant favoritism. The deeply rooted inferiority complex in her heart made it completely impossible for her to recognize her own elevated position in Red Kite's eyes."
"And that is exactly why Su Mei was so fiercely jealous of Senior Sister Chaoyu. To be so deeply favored by their Master, yet remain completely oblivious to it... in Su Mei's twisted eyes, that kind of behavior is probably even more loathsome than a two-faced manipulator."
Rovel released a long, heavy sigh. Red Kite was an absolute enigma, emotionally distant and impossible to read, while Senior Sister Chaoyu possessed a cripplingly inferior personality. When those two were constantly together, severe emotional miscommunications were bound to arise.
"Uh... what exactly do you mean by a two-faced manipulator?" Li Sushang scratched her head, genuinely stumped; she really had not heard him use that specific phrasing before.
"Someone who intentionally acts pitiful and innocent just to win sympathy and control others," Rovel explained casually, waving a hand.
But the tragic difference here was that Lin Chaoyu was not acting at all. She was truly, utterly insecure to her very core.
In Rovel's modern understanding, this was a classic case of traumatic attachment. It was a psychological state where a person simply could not believe they were worthy of being loved due to their abysmal self-worth. Even if the other person gave them the world, they would only attribute it to 'she is just pitying me'or'she is only trying to spur me on to train harder'.
"Oh." Li Sushang nodded thoughtfully, committing the concept to memory. Useless knowledge plus one.
"So, Su Mei desperately wants to change this situation," Rovel continued, steering the conversation back to the imminent threat. "She wants to forcibly take Senior Sister Chaoyu's place. And to achieve that twisted goal, she must accomplish two specific things."
"First, she needs to take Red Kite far away from everyone's sight and find a surefire way to make her lose her Remembrance. And to erase those deeply ingrained memories, death is undoubtedly the most effective choice."
"Second, she must completely shatter Red Kite's Sword Heart. By doing so, the absolute rule of 'the demonized must be executed' will no longer act as her Master's mental shackle."
"Lingshuang, Master's coffin was personally arranged by Su Mei, right?" Rovel asked, turning his sharp gaze toward the quiet swordswoman.
"Yes." Cheng Lingshuang nodded slowly. "And right after that, Senior Sister Su Mei set fire to the entirety of Taixu Mountain. We all naturally assumed that Master's remains were completely destroyed in that massive blaze."
"Then it all adds up perfectly." Rovel snapped his fingers. "After participating in the plot to kill Red Kite, Su Mei specifically placed Red Kite's body in a secure location where the fire could not possibly reach. Her intention was to secretly transport the body away after everyone else had evacuated the mountain."
"But an unexpected accident happened... Qin Suyi secretly moved Red Kite's body before Su Mei could get her hands on it. That crucial detail also perfectly explains why Red Kite suddenly appeared near Yijian Villa when she was finally resurrected."
"Although Red Kite's body disappeared from her grasp, Su Mei knew with absolute certainty that Red Kite would reappear one day. To ensure she could forcefully occupy the most important place in Red Kite's newly blank heart, Su Mei created the Divine Elixir. She then ruthlessly used the martial artists from the Five Major Sects as disposable lab rats to test its absolute limits."
"By continuously strengthening one's physical body without succumbing to mara and losing their mind, one can artificially achieve the coveted effect of immortality."
Rovel paced a few steps, his mind working rapidly. "Rumor has it that the Wushuang Sect possesses a supreme martial art called the Wushuang Nine Revolutions. It uses the dantian as a medicinal primer and the body's meridians as a medicinal cauldron. It guides true qi to circulate violently throughout the body, forcibly strengthening the flesh and internal organs. The internal cultivation has nine distinct levels, appropriately called the Nine Revolutions. Each successful breakthrough is exactly like a physical rebirth, greatly advancing one's raw power."
He stopped and looked at the two girls. "Do you see the connection? This methodology is actually perfectly consistent with how the Divine Elixir is consumed and processed."
"And now, Su Mei firmly believes that as long as she has enough time to perfect her immortal body, she will eventually become the sole person residing in the deepest depths of Red Kite's heart, completely replacing Senior Sister Chaoyu." Rovel smoothly connected all the scattered clues together, painting a chilling picture of obsession.
"This..." Li Sushang opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was entirely unable to comprehend how normal human emotions could be twisted to such a horrifying extent. Could simple jealousy alone truly drive someone to this point of madness?
"Do not find it unbelievable," Rovel said softly, noticing her shock. "In this chaotic world, love is often the beautiful background of miracles. But when tainted, it can just as easily become the absolute catalyst for despair."
"There have been countless tragic examples of love turning into venomous hatred since ancient times. When someone like Su Mei, who desperately cannot get what she wants, meets someone like Senior Sister Chaoyu, who is deeply favored but completely fails to realize it... the emotional friction generated between them is perhaps far more terrifying than we can ever imagine."
To coldly satisfy her own selfish desires by conducting horrific Divine Elixir experiments on living human bodies... the current Su Mei had truly become a complete and utter madwoman.
Although he had successfully deduced the entire sequence of past events, Rovel still did not know exactly what she planned to do next. Was she plotting to kill Red Kite all over again?
But she should logically know that without the suppressive blood of the Huodou beast, it was absolutely impossible for her to kill Red Kite without Cheng Lingshuang's overwhelming martial prowess.
Even right now, while Red Kite's physical body had not yet fully recovered its peak strength, it was still an absolutely impossible task for Su Mei to accomplish alone.
But no matter what twisted plans were brewing in the shadows, the absolute priority was for Rovel to find Red Kite as soon as physically possible to completely stop Su Mei's deranged scheme.
"It will take us another two days of hard travel to reach Nanjiang," Rovel instructed, his tone shifting back to that of a decisive leader. "Get some good rest while you can. I honestly do not know how the resurrected Red Kite is doing right now, or what state of mind she is in."
He looked out toward the distant horizon, his eyes narrowing. "Perhaps, a brutal battle is inevitably going to happen."
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