Chapter 11: I’ve Endured You for Too Long

“Master, Master…” Qiao Yu’s voice was so faint that Wen Jinge had already run off with Shan Hongxing.

“Nephew.” Song Huan stood behind him. “Yesterday, when you went to the outer mountain, did you notice anything? Or encounter anything strange? Or perhaps hear any odd sounds?”

Song Huan knew Wen Jinge was not a good master. For Qiao Yu to advance so quickly, something must have happened to him in the forest last night.

This area was fairly close to the Seven Peaks, not far from where the inner disciples cultivated, yet still some distance from the outer mountain. The wilds here teemed with ordinary beasts, which were used as extra meals or hunting practice for inner disciples.

Once admitted to the inner sect, a disciple's spiritual energy was over the eighth rank—ordinary beasts could not harm them.

But yesterday, Qiao Yu was just an ordinary person. For him, the wild beasts in the mountains were a deadly threat.

Whatever took place here yesterday, perhaps Qiao Yu had truly seen it. The aura lingering on him was familiar to Song Huan, for he had studied it for twenty or thirty years.

“I…”

“Don’t rush. Tell your uncle—were you here last night?”

“Yes.” Qiao Yu nodded. “An elder in black saved me, but when we left, this place wasn’t like this. There was a stone monster here. It asked me for the most precious thing I had, and took the letter Master had sent me to deliver. It was the elder who helped me retrieve the letter, and he also sent me to the outer mountain.

On the way, I felt unwell. The elder gave me a phrase, telling me to think on it myself.

He also said, if I returned, to ask Master to teach me the mental method.”

“What phrase did he teach you?” Huo Yongfei asked. “What did he look like?”

“‘All laws stem from the heart; the heart contains stillness and movement.’” At this, Qiao Yu was ashamed. “Though I didn’t understand its meaning, I followed the instructions. When I calmed my mind, the agitation in my body subsided, and even my earlier injuries healed.

When I arrived at the outer mountain and opened my eyes, the elder was already gone.

He came and went without a trace. I never saw his face clearly, but he must have known Master. He could tell at a glance I was her disciple, and knew about the recruitment—he must be an inner sect elder!”

“Was it a man or a woman?” Bai Teng asked.

In the Xuan Yun Sect, apart from a few peak lords and their direct disciples, everyone else wore white. This tradition had lasted over a hundred years—where would a black-robed person come from?

“A man, supported by a cane, with a hunched back—he must have been forty or fifty.”

“No cultivator can be judged by age.” Song Huan worried. “A man who reaches the sixth rank at forty or fifty is rare, but not unheard of. How are we to search for him?”

“The stone Qiao Yu mentioned is likely the Blue Sand Beast,” Huo Yongfei said, brushing away some sand and stones from the ground. “That demon beast can regenerate as long as it retains part of its body. Life and death mean little to it—most likely, the black-robed man took it away.”

“Doesn’t Senior Brother find it odd?” Bai Teng’s brow furrowed. “For such a commotion, it must have been a fifth or sixth rank demon beast. How could such a powerful demon beast be wandering outside in our sect, unnoticed?”

“Heh, ha, haha, heheheh…” Fan Zifan laughed inappropriately. “I couldn’t help it, couldn’t help it. Please, continue.”

“Why is the Lord of Qinghong Peak laughing?” The speaker was an outer sect member, Yuan Qingling, the head of the Moon-Shrouding Sword Sect.

The rivalry between Peak Lord Wen Jinge of Wanzhang Peak and Peak Lord Shan Hongxing of Fenglei Peak had long been the talk of the cultivation world. What she saw today matched the rumors. It was said that the Lord of Qinghong Peak had once been at odds with one of them, but today, they seemed reconciled.

Yet this laughter carried hidden meanings.

“I was laughing at Wen Xiaowu. In our Xuan Yun Sect, even the stones can cultivate. The Blue Sand Beast is immortal, just an unfeeling rock—doesn’t that just prove my point? If anyone is sharp, it’s Wen Xiaowu and those eyes of hers.”

Yuan Qingling, finding herself the butt of the joke, looked crestfallen. “Is that so!”

“What rank are you now, Qingling? If you’re not too proud, why not resign your post and come train in our sect? You could still make progress.” Fan Zifan hadn’t expected to stump her with his words, but seeing her withdraw, he thought he’d struck a nerve and added kindly, “Your looks are still maintained with pills, but in a few years, you’ll have to face the ravages of time.”

“No need for your concern, Lord of Qinghong Peak.” Yuan Qingling gathered her robes, summoned her sword, and prepared to leave.

“Hey! I meant well, why are you in such a hurry?” With that, he patted Qiao Yu on the shoulder. “Boy, get along with your master. It may be hard, but good days are ahead for you.”

Qiao Yu’s past was hardly different from that of the wild beasts. He could sense the undercurrents among the elders, but since none of it concerned him, he smiled obediently and replied, “Yes.”

“What are you angry with her for?” Song Huan nudged him and, seeing Yuan Qingling gone, spoke through spiritual sense, “There’s nothing more to see here. Bai and I can handle things. Senior Brother Fan, be charitable and take Brother Huo to find those two troublemakers. One is reckless, the other still ill, and both are sword fanatics. If either gets hurt, it will be a problem.”

Fan Zifan replied with a wily smile that sent shivers down Song Huan’s spine, and he hurried over to talk with Bai Teng.

…

[What do you intend to do?] When the two of them landed at the foot of a deserted mountain, “Nonexistent” appeared once more.

Like a parent used to their child’s antics, knowing the outcome was inevitable, it could only follow along to keep them safe.

“Fight.”

[You’re using formations again? That’s easy to expose.]

“I told Qiao Yu already—I want to get beaten up.”

[Huh? Didn’t you ask Shan Hongxing? You said he was spoiling for a fight!] Was Wen Jinge just mocking its stupidity?

“Oh, don't sweat the details! Why are you so concerned with what I do? Don’t tell me you like me!” Wen Jinge put on a bashful face.

[Qiao Yu! Weren’t you—weren’t you going to meet Qiao Yu?]

“He’s so obedient, I’d almost expect him to sell me out!” This time, she looked pitiful and helpless.

[…]

“Nonexistent” felt sick and withdrew silently.

As for Shan Hongxing, after realizing Wen Jinge was staring at him like that, his hand began to tremble, spiritual energy gathering, the air around him surging, space itself quivering…

He! Truly! Wanted! To fight!

“Waaah!” Wen Jinge raised her paws and twisted her body. “Nonexistent” hastily shut down all senses.

Shan Hongxing nearly choked on his own blood. The scene before him was so appalling it made his eyes ache. “Wen Jinge! Is this your so-called technique?”

“Waaah! Why are you so fierce? I’ll hit your chest with my tiny fists! Hmph!”

Shan Hongxing gripped his sword, the ringing in his ears intense, and forced himself to speak calmly, “If we’re going to fight, let’s just fight—don’t use such underhanded tricks.”

“Waaah! I’m not! Big West letters, little tiger brain…”

Shan Hongxing took a deep breath, struggling to remain composed. “I! Have tolerated! You! Long enough!”

“What a coincidence—I feel the same way.”