Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Storm Approaches

After sending off Ling Xuzi, Sun Yougong finally calmed down. He pondered for a moment, then summoned all the cultivators on Evening Tide Peak and had Yan Changqing recount the matter of Qin Baoxian to everyone.

Some among them already knew that Qin Baoxian had been imprisoned, while others had not yet heard. Qin Baoxian had always been someone they interacted with often, so the news that he had practiced demonic arts and killed a fellow disciple with a Wood Spirit Root struck them all as utterly inconceivable.

Hongjian stood beside her eldest senior brother, Ding Chunxue. She had shot up in height over the past few years, and now her head reached the level of her senior brother’s ears.

As she listened to her master awkwardly explain how, years ago, Jian Hui had bribed Qin Baoxian to give up entering the sect’s secret realm, she immediately understood the hidden truth. For years, she had kept her distance from Qin Baoxian because of this very matter. Now that the truth had come to light, she couldn’t help but feel relieved, thinking to herself, “I wonder where Jian Hui got all those things. No wonder he looked down on my divine sense techniques.”

But why, then, did Qin Baoxian kill Pan Cong?

Sun Yougong’s expression was grave. He glanced at the disciples he usually relied upon and slowly relayed the reactions from the other peaks. Now that the matter concerned themselves, the roomful of cultivators could no longer keep their composure. Though no one dared make a scene, their faces all looked unpleasant.

Sun Yougong’s eldest disciple, Jing Baixi, was already at the Nascent Soul stage and held considerable sway on Evening Tide Peak. He could not help but show his indignation. “Master, what do you intend to do?”

Sun Yougong replied, “I have already informed the Sect Leader that Evening Tide Peak will never agree to this. I am telling all of you the same. Keep this in mind.”

But the second disciple, Huo Chuanxing, hesitated and said, “But if the Sect Leader issues a command…”

Yan Changqing and the others felt a chill in their hearts. Indeed, if things escalated, Evening Tide Peak could not simply ignore the Sect Leader’s orders and act outside the Dan Cliff Sect.

Sun Yougong did not answer right away, but everyone could tell from his expression that he had already considered this possibility.

He rose from his long couch, his gaze sweeping over his disciples and their pupils, then turned his back to them to regard a calligraphy painting left by the previous Sect Leader hanging on the wall. With a deep voice, he said, “I oppose this, not for the reputation of Evening Tide Peak, nor for your pride. No matter the time, the interests of the Dan Cliff Sect must come first. As for you, those who are innocent need not trouble yourselves. Go back and focus on your cultivation.”

His words were deliberately vague, but the disciples evidently understood and fell into silent contemplation.

Hongjian glanced sideways and saw even her senior brother’s expression had become grave. Turning the other way, she noticed that Chen Zaizhi’s face mirrored her senior brother’s exactly. She had never liked Chen Zaizhi much, and seeing him acting so mature made her purse her lips in silent scorn.

After that, Evening Tide Peak enjoyed a rare spell of calm. Even Ding Chunxue did not urge Hongjian and Chen Zaizhi to train. With unexpected leisure, Hongjian felt it was simply the calm before the storm.

Yet even in such times, Sun Yougong did not forget his promise.

One day, Ding Chunxue brought the two younger disciples to pay respects to their grandmaster. Sun Yougong just happened to be at leisure. He had always held Ding Chunxue in high regard and waved them off their formalities. After asking Chen Zaizhi a few questions about his cultivation since establishing his foundation—and learning that all was going well—the old man actually smiled for once. He then told Ding Chunxue and Chen Zaizhi to go back, leaving Hongjian alone.

Hongjian sensed at once that her grandmaster intended to ask about her long-delayed advancement. Sure enough, Sun Yougong’s tone was gentle: “Little Hongjian, tell me, what difficulty are you encountering in your cultivation? With your talent, unless there’s something unusual, I find it hard to believe you still haven’t established your foundation after all these years, even falling behind Zaizhi.”

Hongjian flushed; evidently, her grandmaster had been watching her and Chen Zaizhi all along.

After that heart-to-heart talk with her grandmaster in the depths of the Endless Sea, Hongjian had truly felt his care for her. If the matter of demon cultivators and demonic arts weren’t so sensitive right now, she might well have let slip the secret of her divine sense in a moment of recklessness. But with the trouble concerning Qin Baoxian still so fresh, she hesitated before replying, “Grandmaster, I think the issue might be with the breakthrough from the sixth to the seventh stage.”

This was not a lie. The scene of that breakthrough had been bloody and terrifying—Jian Hui’s self-destruction, and Hongjian’s desperate use of the myriad streams returning to the source technique to survive. She had often wondered if that advancement had left some hidden harm, preventing her from progressing further.

But Sun Yougong was unaware of these details and smiled, “What, the Azure Cloud Festival is coming and you’re thinking of entering the sect’s secret realm again?”

Having deceived her grandmaster, Hongjian felt a pang of guilt and quickly replied, “No, grandmaster—there’s no need to consider me for the secret realm this time.”

Sun Yougong sighed, clearly troubled by Hongjian’s words, and beckoned her, saying, “Very well, it’s rare for you to be so considerate. Come, let grandmaster take a closer look.”

Apprehensively, Hongjian sat before him.

Sun Yougong’s long eyebrows twitched as he reached out to grasp her wrist.

Hongjian thought to herself, “Grandmaster doesn’t have that detestable insight technique—he shouldn’t discover anything, right?”

After a long while, a look of puzzlement gradually appeared on Sun Yougong’s face. His lips parted as if to ask a question, but he suddenly frowned, released her hand, and said, “I’ll speak with you again in a moment.”

A surge of spiritual energy rushed in; Hongjian instantly realized that someone powerful had arrived, interrupting their conversation. Before she could ponder further, two people suddenly appeared before her. She stood and bowed. “Greetings, Sect Leader, Grand Elder.”

It was none other than Ling Xuzi and the Nascent Soul cultivator Jin Donglou.

Both elders looked solemn. Ling Xuzi glanced at Hongjian, as if he remembered her, but paid her little heed and did not ask her to withdraw. He greeted Sun Yougong directly, saying, “Senior Brother, Master Uncle and I have come together to discuss the matter we raised with you the other day.”

Sun Yougong had already risen; his smile faded as he looked at Jin Donglou. “Master Uncle, what is your view?”

No one had asked Hongjian to leave, but after bowing, she tactfully withdrew. As she left, she heard Jin Donglou’s aged voice: “The Sect Leader and I share the same view. Things have gone this far; we cannot say the uproar from the two Wood Spirit Root peaks is entirely without cause. For the sake of the bigger picture, we’ve come up with a compromise. With just the three of us present, let Ji Youyun examine matters privately first. If the origin of that jade slip truly cannot be traced, then we’ll explain everything to Fengshan and the others.”

Hongjian’s heart tightened. She wondered whether her grandmaster would agree. After stepping outside, she did not go far. Since the three elders had not shielded their conversation with magic, they clearly did not mind her overhearing a word or two from outside.