A Consequence of Opposing the Heroine’s Halo (GL) - Chapter 24

Liu Sanye followed Xun Qiu onto the celestial crane. The scenery along the way was stunning, but she was in no mood to admire it. She tentatively asked, “Elder Xun, what does the Sect Leader want with me?”

Xun Qiu rolled her eyes at her. “To take you as a disciple, obviously.”

Liu Sanye’s face fell unhappily. “Why does he have to take me as a disciple?”

Xun Qiu was unusually patient. “Because you are a Top-tier Heavenly Spiritual Root.”

“Just because I’m a Top-tier Heavenly Spiritual Root, he has to take me?!”

Xun Qiu looked at her with a hint of amusement. “You’ve only been away from Bai Tong for how long? Has your brain already rotted?”

Liu Sanye was furious. “Whose brain is rotted!”

“Oh,” Xun Qiu looked at her mischievously. “Did I hit a nerve? Flying into a rage out of shame?”

If Xun Qiu weren’t an elder, Liu Sanye really would have wanted to smack that face.

She looked out at the wind and clouds with a depressed expression, thinking only of how to get back. She didn’t want to go to Heaven-Reaching Peak! There was nothing there; aside from the male lead, you couldn’t even see a human or ghostly shadow. Plus, that male lead was such a poser—he’d mutter a few cryptic, “profound” words and act like he’d actually taught you something. The heroine was much better; she’d actually demonstrate things herself. If she had to take a master, Liu Sanye would rather acknowledge Bai Tong.

Furthermore, she had to stay by the heroine’s side to steal her luck. No matter what, she could not stay on Heaven-Reaching Peak.

The more Liu Sanye thought about it, the more right it felt. She couldn’t help but ask, “What happens if I refuse the apprenticeship?”

Xun Qiu looked at Liu Sanye as if looking at a “brave warrior.” “The Sect Leader is a Great Ascension cultivator with his own inherent pressure. If you even dare to speak in front of a Great Ascension cultivator, I’ll be impressed.”

Liu Sanye looked at her skeptically. “That exaggerated?”

Xun Qiu curled her lip and stroked her big red tail. “Truly uncultured. You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Liu Sanye was suddenly afraid. What if she was so scared she couldn’t even speak? She carefully crawled forward and tugged at Xun Qiu’s sleeve flatteringly. “Elder Xun, could I trouble you with a small favor?” She held up her pinky, pinching off a tiny section with her thumb and squinting her right eye. “Just this much of a tiny thing.”

Xun Qiu didn’t even think before declining. “No!”

Liu Sanye shamelessly used her youthful face to act cute and spoiled. “Please, Elder, just help me once~”

Xun Qiu didn’t even look at her. “Sorry. I’m a straight girl. That move is useless on me.”

Liu Sanye: “…” I really want to smack her! What the hell is in her head every day!

Seeing that Xun Qiu was unreliable, Liu Sanye could only rely on herself. She asked, “Elder Xun, do you have paper and a pen?”

Xun Qiu replied lazily while playing with her tail, “I do. Why?”

“Can I borrow them for a second?”

Xun Qiu was decisive this time; with a wave of her hand, she tossed a large notebook and a brush to Liu Sanye. After thanking her, Liu Sanye buried her head in the notebook and started writing.

Xun Qiu tried to peek out of curiosity, but a vengeful Liu Sanye turned her body to block her view. Xun Qiu gave an indifferent “Tsk.”

Before long, the crane arrived at the Yuxu Palace halfway up Heaven-Reaching Peak. This was the Sect Leader’s residence, already the highest point in the Hegui Sect. Further up was the forbidden area where the Grand Elders meditated in seclusion—off-limits to most, and most people couldn’t fly that high anyway.

Stepping onto Heaven-Reaching Peak, Liu Sanye felt as if she were walking among the stars, able to touch the clouds with a reach of her hand. It was dreamlike, though the air was thin. Luckily, she had already “Drawn Qi into the Body” and could barely adapt.

Xun Qiu seemed to be a frequent visitor. She skillfully used a pass talisman to open the barrier. The mist parted, revealing a magnificent cloud palace. As they walked, a set of stairs shifted to meet Liu Sanye’s feet. She was amazed. “Was I just seeing things? Did the palace move?”

Xun Qiu laughed. “Was it moving, or were you?”

Liu Sanye was confused. “Was I moving?”

“Hurry up,” Xun Qiu urged. “If you don’t move, you’ll be trapped there forever.”

Looking back, Liu Sanye saw the stairs stretching out significantly. Terrified, she quickly caught up to Xun Qiu. Along the way, she saw strange beasts in the forest to the left: three-headed snakes, eight-winged golden chickens, flying pigs, running trees, and black eagles that wailed like babies…

“What are those?” she couldn’t help asking.

Xun Qiu told her to look to the right. There, she saw shifty-eyed merchants, hardworking peasants, braggarts, lazy bums hoping for a fortune, and newborns crying as they entered the world…

Liu Sanye grew more lost. “These stairs are weird.”

“This is the Floating World Staircase,” Xun Qiu explained. “It records everything happening in the world at every moment. It’s a peerless treasure for those seeking the Dao of Interrogating Emotions.” She then asked, “Looking at it, do you have any insights?”

Liu Sanye shook her head quite calmly. “I have zero insights.”

Xun Qiu laughed. “It seems you aren’t suited for this Dao. Just as well; those who walk this path all care for the common people, living and dying for the world. Since ancient times, not one has successfully ascended. For you personally, it might not be a bad thing.”

Liu Sanye: “…” Does that mean everyone who ascends is selfish? But Bai Tong definitely wasn’t; she cared most for the common people. Her path was exactly the Dao of Interrogating Emotions, and in the end, she would sacrifice her soul to take down the Demon Lord of the North… Of course, the heroine wouldn’t actually die. She’d be saved by the male lead using a Soul-Summoning Curse.

Wait—Liu Sanye suddenly realized a dire problem. If she messed up the harem and the male lead didn’t like the heroine anymore, who would save Bai Tong?

The thought made her bite her finger in shock.

The interior of the Yuxu Palace was grand beyond measure, but it was empty and silent. Xun Qiu called out: “Sect Leader, I have brought the child.”

A cool voice drifted from afar: “Are you Liu Sanye?”

A man of peerless beauty appeared before them. With pale brows and clear eyes, heart as cold as ice—this was the high-and-mighty male lead, Yun Yixian.

The pressure of a Great Ascension cultivator was no joke. The moment Liu Sanye entered the palace, she felt suffocated. Once Yun Yixian appeared, her knees buckled and she fell straight into a kowtow. Whether intentional or not, her mouth felt sealed shut. She was desperate, but luckily she had written what she wanted to say in the notebook. But when she reached into her bag—the notebook was gone!

Liu Sanye felt as if she’d been dropped into an ice cellar. This guy definitely did it on purpose!

Yun Yixian asked, “Are you willing to be my personal disciple?”

Liu Sanye couldn’t speak, and cold sweat broke out on her brow. She looked at Xun Qiu for help, but the elder was pale and clearly powerless. This was the suppression of pure strength; she wasn’t even being given the chance to say no. In this moment, Liu Sanye truly realized the cruelty of this world.

“If there are no objections, you shall stay here from now on,” Yun Yixian decreed.

Liu Sanye gritted her teeth. She remembered her promise to Bai Tong this morning. She absolutely could not stay here. Tomorrow was the Grand Competition; if there wasn’t a single person cheering for Bai Tong, how helpless would she feel?

Liu Sanye bit her lip until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She forced her mouth open, letting the pressure pour into her like seawater. Her internal organs felt damaged, and blood seeped from her nose and eyes. She managed to choke out: “No…”

Yun Yixian seemed surprised. Raised as a Sect Leader since childhood, he couldn’t imagine anyone risking their life to refuse the position of a successor. Because once he took a disciple, that child became a candidate for the future leadership—as his first disciple, she had over a fifty percent chance of being the next leader.

“Give me a reason,” Yun Yixian said.

Liu Sanye closed her eyes in agony. She was in too much pain. “No reason… let me go back…”

Yun Yixian looked at her coldly. Since ancient times, others had begged to be his disciple; he had never chased someone to take them in. “Since you are unwilling, then return.”

With a wave of his hand, he sent Liu Sanye flying out of the hall, vanishing from the palace himself.

Once he was gone, Liu Sanye could breathe again. She sprawled on the stairs, gasping for air. Xun Qiu rushed to her side, using her big red tail to fan her. “That was defiance, you know that?” she asked worriedly.

Liu Sanye looked at her. “What happens to those who defy?”

“Do you know what the Hegui Sect taboos most?”

“What?”

“Disobedient disciples.” Xun Qiu made a throat-slitting gesture. “If this were the previous Sect Leader, you’d already be finished.”

Liu Sanye wiped the blood from her face. “That scary?”

“Fortunately, the current Sect Leader is relatively mild.”

Liu Sanye was shocked. This counts as mild?! She wanted to curse Yun Yixian out, but remembered she was in his sect and quickly killed that dangerous thought.

Xun Qiu looked at her bloody face. “By the way, how can you act like nothing happened?”

Liu Sanye realized and clutched her chest, coughing. “Who’s fine? It hurts like hell!” She looked at Xun Qiu pitifully. “Can I have a pill?”

Xun Qiu threw her a bottle of healing medicine with a look of disdain.

It was late night when Liu Sanye returned to the outer sect courtyard. But the light was still on. Bai Tong was standing at the door, waiting for her. Who knew how long she had been there?

The sounds of insects filled the night. The dim light of the talisman lamp flickered on Bai Tong’s youthful face, making her look like a celestial child stepped out of a painting.

Looking at the girl waiting for her, Liu Sanye’s nose suddenly tickled. “I’m back.”

Bai Tong looked at her with visible relief. She smiled. “You’re back.”

It’s so good to be back.