Chapter 1 The Mysterious Continent_1
As the lanterns flickered to life, cities began their intoxicating nightlife. Yet on a remote mountain, far from worldly affairs, a heart-stopping chase was unfolding.
Two women raced along the mountain path in the moonlight, with a cliff ahead signaling no escape. They turned around to see the crowd pursuing them drawing ever closer. Their graceful silhouettes were especially enchanting under the moonlight.
"Why?" Dugu Qianye asked the leader, her sister, Dugu Qianlan.
"Why? You ask why?" Dugu Qianlan scoffed, "My dear sister, you're known as the most extraordinary martial artist of our time, so astute. How could you not know why? Your talent, your beauty, drawing all the attention, with you around, I will always be overshadowed."
"Just because of this, you would ally with the Great Elder to instigate a rebellion? How can you justify this to our parents?" Dugu Qianye asked furiously. She couldn't believe her sister could commit such an atrocious act out of jealousy.
"They are not my parents! They might have doted on me since I was a child, but they gave all the good cultivation techniques and weapons to you, entrusted you with all the important missions to build up your prestige. What about me? What did they give me? I used to think, we had blood ties, how could they treat me like this?! It was only yesterday, overhearing their conversation in the bedroom by chance, that I found out they aren't my real parents at all. My real parents lost their lives because of yours less than a year after I was born. They never saw me as their daughter, their affection was merely compensation!" Dugu Qianlan cried out, nearly insane.
Dugu Qianye looked at the crazed Dugu Qianlan, her heart aching indescribably. She had long known Qianlan wasn't their parents' biological daughter, but they truly loved her as their own. Cultivation techniques are determined by the cultivator's constitution, and weapons are given for missions. They wanted to give Qianlan a peaceful, warm life, that's why she was sent on those missions. Weren't those missions perilously dangerous, often a matter of life and death?! She practiced hard and completed every mission, hoping that once she took over as clan leader, she could afford Qianlan a tranquil life. But the sister she thought was sweet-natured harbored other intentions!
Baili Ruyan, standing beside, clasped Dugu Qianye's hand tightly as she watched her in pain. As Dugu Qianye's partner, she understood best how much effort they had put in to earn the title of "Dark Twin Stars," and how much she loved Dugu Qianlan.
"Where are mom and dad?" Dugu Qianye had a bad feeling.