Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Secret to Winning Favor

When Mistress Ying saw that things had already been discussed to this point, yet Hongjian still reacted with a lukewarm indifference, she felt the girl was rather ungrateful. She was about to speak again when Sun Yougong, lying on the couch, interjected, “Enough. You all may leave for now. Hongjian, stay behind. I have some questions for you.”

Even Ding Chunxue, the newly advanced disciple, was dismissed, yet Hongjian was asked to stay alone for questioning. No matter how one looked at it, something was unusual.

Hongjian understood at once—her grandmaster must want to ask about what had happened with Jian Hui.

What should she do? Should she repeat the same words she’d told her master Yan Changqing? Or should she imitate Mistress Ying’s approach and try to win favor with some wheedling? The mere thought of Mistress Ying’s earlier demeanor made Hongjian’s skin crawl.

With only Sun Yougong and her left in the room, Sun Yougong stared at Hongjian with an unreadable expression until she grew uneasy and called out, “Grandmaster.” Only then did he slowly pick up his teacup and take a sip before saying, “There’s no one else here now. Tell me exactly what happened in the sect’s secret realm.”

So it had come to this.

Hongjian dared not be careless and answered respectfully, “Yes.” But as the words formed, a thought struck her: “Why did he stress ‘exactly’? If I say I never saw Jian Hui inside, will he believe me? Can the excuse I gave my master fool my grandmaster as well? If not, that would be terrible. My grandmaster has always treated me well—if I start off by making him think I’m a liar, how can I continue here?”

But telling the truth was also fraught with risk. Fortunately, Jian Hui was the one who initiated the violence, and now Shi Qingxiang had gone to his Talisman Sect. The grandmaster was unlikely to air the sect’s dirty laundry and seek out Jian Hui for a confrontation.

Sun Yougong was still waiting for her reply. There was no time for hesitation. Hongjian steeled herself and thought, “Come what may, I’ll take my chances.”

She knelt with a thud before her grandmaster’s couch and bowed her head. “Grandmaster, before, I did not dare tell the sect leader the truth. When Master asked, I even lied. Please punish your disciple.”

Sun Yougong was taken aback. “So there really is something you’ve concealed? Start from the beginning.”

“Yes!” Hongjian replied, and began recounting how she had accidentally discovered Yao Zhen’s jewelry, how she’d wheedled and pleaded until her second senior brother, Qin Baoxian, gave up his spot, allowing her to enter the sect’s secret realm, and how Jian Hui had helped her select a suitable magical artifact.

Sun Yougong’s expression darkened. “Since you discovered his lack of virtue, why did you pretend not to know? You should have told your master immediately—then Jian Hui would never have gotten a chance to enter the secret realm.”

Hongjian was at a loss for words. She dared not argue that she wasn’t close to her master Yan Changqing, nor could she mention that Jian Hui knew about her unusual spiritual sense. All she could do was stammer, “I… didn’t expect the consequences would be so serious.”

Sun Yougong stared at her and sighed inwardly. “Still just a child. She probably doesn’t even understand how Yao Zhen’s jewelry ended up by Jian Hui’s bedside.” Letting the matter drop, he asked in a low voice, “And after you entered the secret realm? What happened then?”

This was the trickiest part. Fortunately, Hongjian had taken her time telling her story earlier and had prepared her explanation. She only wanted to keep the “Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Sect” a secret, and figured her grandmaster would focus on Jian Hui’s death and not press her on that small matter.

“I fell into a misty valley, where I cultivated up to the seventh level of Qi Refining. Senior Brother Jian used the magical artifact ‘Water’s Melody’ to call to me. I already felt something was wrong and put the artifact into my pouch. Later, while I was searching for spirit herbs in the mountains, Senior Brother Jian suddenly appeared. He started raving like a madman, saying he’d already thrown Yao Zhen into the Endless Sea, and that with me always haunting his eyes, once he killed me, he could cultivate in peace.”

“That beast—he deserved to die.” Sun Yougong grunted heavily. “How did you handle it?”

“I had very little spiritual energy left and had no choice but to strike first with all my strength. Senior Brother Jian used the artifact ‘Reflecting Shadow’ to defend himself, and unleashed a powerful spell. I couldn’t match him, but barely dodged. Just as he was about to kill me, it happened that Sect Leader Dai’s new disciple passed by. Fearing discovery, Senior Brother Jian fled.”

“That boy surnamed Shi?” Sun Yougong recalled Shi Qingxiang with some interest from their recent encounter in the Hall of Splendor.

Hongjian nodded, head lowered. “Yes, it was him. He saw Senior Brother Jian and was worried he’d return to harm me, so he stayed to protect me. Even so, the next day, while we were fighting a stone beast, Senior Brother Jian ambushed us. Fortunately, Shi Qingxiang’s ‘Demon-Subduing Vine’ was formidable, and we had magic artifacts to defend ourselves. For some reason, Senior Brother Jian seemed distracted, and in the end, the two of us captured him together. Later, seeing his fierce resistance, I tried to frighten him by saying the Talisman Sect had a spell that would force him to obey. Who knew—who knew Senior Brother Jian would suddenly take his own life.”

Sun Yougong’s expression turned odd and he pressed further, “You tried to frighten him? Was that you or Shi Qingxiang who said it?”

Hongjian looked up and answered honestly, “It was me who made it up.” Her story was a mix of truth and fabrication, but she guessed Sun Yougong would be too embarrassed to trouble the Talisman Sect for confirmation.

Indeed, Sun Yougong fell silent for a while, not inquiring further into the details of Jian Hui’s capture, and only said, “You were lucky. Why did that Shi boy help you?”

Hongjian hesitated, her mind recalling Shi Qingxiang’s words at the time, and answered, “He said helping others is the foundation of happiness, and that since I’d made a bet with him, leading to his being chosen by a Nascent Soul master, he owed me a favor and should repay kindness with kindness.”

Sun Yougong snorted dismissively, “Nonsense, what a load of rubbish.” Yet despite his words, his expression relaxed a little. “He’s not the type to gossip carelessly, is he?”

Hongjian hurriedly assured him, “Such a serious matter—we both understand the gravity of it.”

Sun Yougong gazed at her for a while, then asked, “And the things Jian Hui carried—did you and Shi Qingxiang split them?”

Hongjian thought to herself, “Good thing Shi Qingxiang was cautious.” She replied, “No. Everything was left in the secret realm.”

Sun Yougong was surprised. “You two really covered your tracks well. Stand up.”

He stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment, then said to Hongjian, who had obediently risen and stood by his side, “Let this matter rest. Don’t dwell on it. Focus on your cultivation and build your foundation quickly. Learn more from your senior brother.”

“Yes!” Hongjian was filled with emotion. Jian Hui’s death had weighed on her greatly; although she’d tried to cope, such a heavy secret was a tremendous burden for someone so young. Now that her grandmaster knew and hadn’t blamed her, she felt a weight lift from her heart. After a moment’s hesitation, she couldn’t help but ask, “But my master—I’m still hiding it from him…”

Sun Yougong’s eyes sparkled. “No need to let him know. Let this be our little secret.” As he spoke, the old man even winked at Hongjian.

Her spirits instantly lifted. She nodded vigorously, a smile breaking out on her face.

Sun Yougong put down his teacup and Hongjian, attentive as ever, refilled it with spirit tea for him. She suddenly realized that making herself agreeable before her grandmaster wasn’t so difficult after all.