Chapter 24

Everything went exactly as Yun Zhou had intended.

After speaking those words, Yun Yao stood there in a daze. He was Yun Zhou’s senior brother; he should have remained clear-headed and self-disciplined, never straying onto a wayward path. Yet, what was he doing? His junior brother needed only a single sentence to make him cast aside all defenses and easily spill the feelings he had hidden for years. His mind was a chaotic mess, and he hurriedly shook his head. "No, Junior Brother, I—"

Yun Zhou raised an eyebrow. "I heard you. You said 'okay.' You agreed to me."

Yun Yao tried to leave, but Yun Zhou did not let go. Instead, he applied force to his wrists, pulling Yun Yao into his embrace. Yun Yao slammed into the other man’s chest, struggling in a panic to pull away, only to hear Yun Zhou lean in and whisper against his ear, "Senior Brother, be good."

Yun Yao froze. In the end, he did not move.

An Wuxue still held the Soul-Nurturing Tree essence in his hand, its golden light flowing and filling his eyes. As he watched the past unfold before him, he felt as if his own history was, in some unseen way, being dragged out and lashed before him. Beneath the Underworld Sea, was it not that same call of "Senior Brother" that had caused him to lose his composure?

His eyes stung, and he blinked rapidly, unable to distinguish whether it was the past of Yun Zhou and Yun Yao that hurt to look at, or the piercing brilliance of the tree branch. Yet, the stifling sensation that should have surged in his heart never came. He touched his own chest. There was no feeling at all—not even as much as the pain from the wound on his shoulder caused by the ice spike Xie Zhefeng had thrown.

He had let go.

What a pity, though; for one to truly let go, one must first have held on. Just like the Yun Yao in his memories. He had known full well that Yun Zhou was only doing this to advance his cultivation, yet he still clung to a shred of hope: since they had practiced dual cultivation, surely, as the years passed, he would carry at least a little bit of weight in his junior brother's heart?

And so, when Yun Zhou pulled back his sleeve to imprint the dual cultivation mark on his hand, he allowed it.

The mark was set. An Wuxue’s face tightened. He recognized this mark! Even Xie Zhefeng glanced at his arm. An Wuxue immediately pulled back his own sleeve—there was an identical mark on his own skin.

This was no method of dual cultivation. This was the mark of a human furnace. Yun Zhou had deceived Yun Yao.

Yun Yao, knowing nothing of this, allowed Yun Zhou to channel his own aura into the mark after it was set and lead him by the hand into the room. Within the room, spiritual energy rippled, and some vague sounds drifted out. An Wuxue let out a soft sound, lowered his head, and stared at the golden-glowing branch in his hand, his thoughts drifting. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of the man standing beside him, who seemed not to have moved at all.

He was truly worthy of being the Immortal Venerable Xie, who had entered the Dao of Ruthlessness. He shut off his sense of hearing, toyed with the treasure that Yun Zhou had spent so long plotting to obtain, and pondered the matter of the furnace mark. If he wanted to leave, the mark on Su Xue’s body was a major hidden danger. He had previously thought he could leave first and then find a way to suppress the thing, but after experiencing the recent flare-ups, he had begun to realize something—this was no ordinary furnace mark. Yun Zhou had obtained it from somewhere unknown. Ordinary methods would likely be unable to counter it.

***

Had Yun Yao eventually broken the seal? If he continued to follow the memories of Yun Yao’s remnant soul, would he find some clues? As he pondered, the scenery before him shifted several times.

Yun Zhou’s cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Before long, he reached the peak of the Great Completion stage, just one step away from becoming a Tribulation-Transcending expert capable of looking down upon both realms. Yun Yao’s progress, however, was much slower than before. When he and Yun Zhou had begun dual cultivation, he had already been stuck at the early stage of Great Completion for a long time and was on the verge of a breakthrough. But after dual cultivating with Yun Zhou, he had barely reached the mid-stage by the time Yun Zhou had mastered the peak.

One day, after their session, Yun Yao walked out of Yun Zhou’s room. He stood before the door, his back turned to it, and gazed up at the towering mountains of the Cloud Sword Sect, falling into a long silence.

"Why is Senior Brother still here?" Yun Zhou walked out. "Didn't they say the Master and the others wanted to discuss something with you at the main peak?"

"Hmm?" Yun Yao turned back at the sound. "I..."

Yun Zhou smiled, walked up to him, leaned in slightly, then looked up with a teasing grin. "Senior Brother, can't bear to part with me?"

Yun Yao’s expression went blank. He actually wanted to ask Yun Zhou what that dual cultivation mark was really about. Yun Zhou wasn't blind to the fact that his progress was slowing down; why didn't he say anything? He hesitated for a long time.

After a while, he narrowed his eyes, offered a gentle smile, and nodded. "Yes. But I must be going; it is getting late." He feared that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from asking, so he hurried to turn and leave on his sword.

He went to the main peak, and only after seeing the sect leader did he learn that an ancient immortal calamity ruin had appeared near the Cloud Sword Sect and Zhaoshui City. Inside was a demonic creature formed from a bronze mirror, seemingly at the early Great Completion stage. Subjugating demons was the duty of immortal cultivators; naturally, the Cloud Sword Sect could not sit idly by.

Yun Yao accepted the mission and led several disciples to the ruins. Who would have guessed the information was wrong? The mirror demon was already at the half-step of Tribulation Transcendence. Yun Yao was no match for it and, at the cost of grievous injury, only managed to bring the Cloud Sword disciples back safely. The one who had inflicted the wounds was a half-step Tribulation-Transcending demon, and within the entire sect, only the sect leader—also at the half-step—could treat him.

When the sect leader examined Yun Yao’s injuries, he saw the furnace mark on his hand. Yun Yao had been obsessed with cultivation since childhood; the only things of importance in his life were the Cloud Sword Sect and Yun Zhou. He had never seen a furnace mark, but what level of experience did the sect leader possess? He saw what it was at a single glance.

Just then, Yun Zhou, having heard that Yun Yao was severely wounded, rushed over and happened to see the sect leader stand up abruptly and strike the already wounded Yun Yao to the ground with a single palm.

"Senior Brother!" Yun Zhou’s expression changed drastically as he rushed forward to support him.

Yun Yao, his injuries compounded, coughed up a large mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale and his expression dazed. "Master..."

The sect leader was furious. "What is that thing on your hand!? As the head disciple of the sect, a model for your peers, how could you act as a furnace for another? I wondered why your progress was slowing down; I thought perhaps you had been under too much strain and it was only natural to be occasionally playful or negligent, but you—!!!" He seemed so enraged that he couldn't catch his breath, coughing repeatedly.

Yun Yao was stunned. He looked at Yun Zhou, his eyes misted over. Yun Zhou’s gaze flickered, his eyes darting away. Finally, he turned his head and said nothing. Yun Yao felt the pain of his injuries intensify.

The sect leader demanded, "Who is the owner of the furnace mark on your body!?"

Silence. Yun Zhou did not speak.

Yun Yao leaned blankly against his junior brother, forgetting even to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. He didn't know what he was waiting for. Was he waiting for Yun Zhou to speak? Yet, even now, with the confirmation that the mark Yun Zhou had placed on him was a furnace mark, he still didn't want Yun Zhou to be discovered by their master.

But seeing Yun Zhou stand there so calmly, he felt as if his heart were being pricked. The wounds caused by the demon and the palm strike from his enraged master were nothing compared to the agony filling his chest at this moment.

In the end, he did not say a single word.

The sect leader of the Cloud Sword Sect, in his fury, sentenced Yun Yao on the spot for his defiance, ordering him to undergo the lightning punishment. When the punishment began, Yun Yao’s original wounds had not yet healed. Yet, from beginning to end, he did not utter a sound. From the moment he saw Yun Zhou’s evasive eyes, he had not spoken again.

When the punishment ended, Yun Wan and the other junior brothers and sisters rushed over, weeping. Yun Wan was quite young then, and having watched the entire ordeal, her small face was deathly pale. With tear-stained cheeks, she said, "Senior Brother has always been upright in his actions; how could the sect leader be so harsh? There must be some misunderstanding..."

Yun Yao blinked and looked at Yun Zhou, who was still standing not far away. He smiled miserably. "No. Everything Master said... is true."

Yun Zhou finally walked up slowly. He said, "Senior Brother, let me take you back."

Back in Yun Yao’s bedroom, Yun Yao remained silent. He had never been a man of many words; when alone with Yun Zhou, he would always sit silently by his side, occasionally smiling when Yun Zhou looked over. But this silence made Yun Zhou feel a sense of unease.

Yun Zhou sat by the bed, grasping Yun Yao’s hand, his fingers tracing the mark that had been scorched by the lightning, and whispered, "Is Senior Brother angry with me?"

Yun Yao’s internal organs were throbbing with pain; Yun Zhou’s words seemed to come from far away, indistinct and blurry. He frowned, hearing them only in fragments, and did not answer.

Yun Zhou continued, "I obtained this mark by accident; I didn't know it was a furnace mark. Had I known, I would have placed it on myself. If Senior Brother is angry, you can cut me into a thousand pieces, just don't ignore me." He seemed truly frightened, his expression tense and anxious as he watched Yun Yao.

"...Is that truly so?"

Yun Zhou nodded vigorously. "Senior Brother, believe me just this once!"

Yun Yao lay on his side, lifting his eyes to look at his junior brother. He thought, *Just this once, then, for the last time.* Whether Yun Zhou was telling the truth or he was merely deceiving himself, he would pretend it was as Yun Zhou said.

He spoke softly, "Okay."

Yun Zhou’s face brightened. "Then Senior Brother, rest well and heal. Don't worry about other trivial matters; I will discuss everything with Junior Sister Yun Wan and the others."

"...Okay."

From then on, due to his successive injuries and the lightning punishment, Yun Yao remained behind closed doors for several months to recover. He was oblivious to the world outside, unaware that the sect leader, deeply disappointed in him, had stripped him of his position as the head of the Cloud Sword Sect, bestowing it instead upon the young Yun Zhou, who was already on the verge of transcending his tribulation. Yun Wan and the others didn't know the reason, and since they were forbidden by the sect leader from speaking, no one dared to say anything more.

An Wuxue had thought that Yun Zhou had achieved his goal: having reached the half-step of Tribulation Transcendence and secured the position of head disciple, the future of the Cloud Sword Sect would be his. Yun Yao was now useless to him, and in all likelihood, Yun Zhou would no longer pay him any mind.

Yet, Yun Zhou still visited Yun Yao every so often, bringing him medicinal herbs and spiritual items to help him heal. Yun Zhou also liked to stare at the furnace mark he had placed on Yun Yao. Once, when Yun Zhou was in the mood, he tried to pull Yun Yao into dual cultivation despite his unhealed wounds.

Yun Yao’s eyes dimmed, and he hurriedly blocked him, saying, "Junior Brother, let us not do this anymore."

Yun Zhou, who had been smiling just a moment before, saw the gesture and his face suddenly darkened. "What does Senior Brother mean? Is Senior Brother still angry with me? But didn't you agree that we would turn the page on the past?"

"Perhaps you misunderstood my meaning, Junior Brother," Yun Yao said, enunciating every word. "I do not blame you, but... Master was right; I should not have done this. I still think of you as my junior brother, but from now on, let us not—"

"I don't want that," Yun Zhou said firmly.

Yun Yao finally lost his temper. He paused, then said with resignation, "If you don't want that, then so be it; that is your own affair. I will not engage in dual cultivation with you again."