To Love & To Loathe (Jingliu X Fem Reader)

Chapter 8: Drifting

Jingliu gripped her sword tightly, feeling a growing resentment towards her lover and the betrayal that she committed against her.

"You really did come here to help our enemy... I should have known you would betray me."

She watched as her lover stopped what she was doing and slowly turned around to face her, looking at her with a calm expression that had no sign of remorse or guilt for what she had done.

"Mentor, I was expecting your arrival. Although I never would have thought that you would be... stricken with mara during this war."

Instead, Y/n had a neutral look on her face as she greeted her lover. Jingliu couldn't help but feel even more betrayed as she witnessed this scene, as if Y/n's presence was taunting her and her condition right now.

She could only growl out in fury as she pointed her sword at her lover, still trying to control the effects of the mara within her.

"How can you just stand there and talk to me so casually as if you don't know the severity of your betrayal?"

She hated the fact that her lover was able to remain so nonchalant and collected in her presence despite what had happened.

"Do you have no remorse... emanator of The Abundance?"

Y/n only stayed silent as she looked at her lover.

"Since when did you have your suspicion of me, mentor?"

Jingliu's sword twitched in her hand, as she now knew the answer but couldn't believe the full extent of her lover's betrayal. To think that her partner was actually a loyal follower of Yaoshi, it felt like a slap to her face and a stab to her heart.

"Since the very first day you met me... there was always something off about your behavior. The way you heal others' wounds so effectively with no flaws nor drawbacks."

Jingliu's voice lowered as she spoke quietly yet firmly.

"...It already gave me the answer. But I was just blindly trying to ignore the truth as I even let you become my apprentice and teach you the way of the sword, hoping that a follower of Yaoshi such as yourself would change your perspective on us— on me."

"Yet I didn't even notice that the one I picked couldn't ever be change as she was an emanator, a person who was blessed and trusted fully by their Aeon."

Jingliu then aimed her sword at the faint outline of the symbol of The Abundance hidden above Y/n's chest, for it signified her allegiance to Yaoshi, who granted her their power.

"...."

Jingliu wanted to hear something from her— to hear a reason for Y/n's betrayal, a way to at least justify her actions; but there was nothing but silence.

"How could you do this to me? As my student and my lover, you have betrayed me beyond my greatest imagination."

Jingliu still held her sword directed at the symbol, her heart was now filled with pure hatred and malice against the person she thought was her lover. She also felt like a fool for ever trusting someone like Y/n.

"Mentor, let me remind you that the Xianzhou Alliance now considers you as a traitor for freezing all those soldiers who were with you when you lose control of its effects."

"In short, they're searching for you all over the Luofu to put you in the shackling prison for in their minds, the sword champion of the Luofu was now in a breach of losing her sanity due to effects of the mara which is quite saddening."