Chapter 20.2
The fierce winds between her residence and Wild Wave Hall still failed to clear her chaotic mind.
Things had already reached this point.
She could only take one step at a time.
Shen Fangzhou sighed.
Looking at the bold, sweeping characters spelling Wild Wave across the distant golden hall, she steadied herself and strode inside.
Almost the instant she crossed the threshold, she saw the person in the distance.
Crimson robes flowed freely.
Her features were sharp and striking.
The divine sword Shattermountain gleamed brilliantly, while an empty jade ornament hung from her waist.
Her eyes carried a smile when she looked at others, yet every movement naturally possessed the arrogance of a genius.
She was like a solitary sword standing guard over the immortal realm.
Sword Pavilion Master Qi Yu had been waiting for a long time.
Upon seeing her master, Shen Fangzhou immediately beamed.
Her heart unconsciously settled back into place.
She called out with the same familiar ease she had used when returning home in her previous life.
“Master, Master! I’m back!”
Qi Yu spun around at the sound.
A familiar sword cultivator in green stood at the far end of the hall.
Who else could it be but her disciple?
Without thinking, Qi Yu stepped forward with tears in her eyes.
“Disciple!”
Shen Fangzhou was deeply moved.
“Master!”
Ji Fuguang in the distance: “…”
Ji Fuguang coughed sternly several times.
“Inside Canglan Hall, what sort of behavior is this?”
The moment Solitary Peak’s master spoke, the master and disciple immediately separated and stood properly, not daring to move again.
Qi Yu looked somewhat aggrieved.
“Senior Sister, what would be wrong with simply saying this place is Wild Wave Hall?”
The hall had indeed originally been called Wild Wave Hall.
When the Sword Pavilion’s founding ancestor established the sect, she named it for the idea of turning back a collapsing tide.
The title displayed the Sword Pavilion’s power to the world and naturally carried a fierce arrogance.
Later, because of the Immortal Alliance treaty, a succeeding pavilion master voluntarily changed one character, renaming it Canglan Hall to demonstrate the Sword Pavilion’s sincerity.
When Qi Yu inherited the position, she replaced the plaque with Wild Wave again on her second day in office.
She nearly angered her senior sister Ji Fuguang to death.
Shen Fangzhou thought that was perfectly normal.
After all, throughout the Thirteen Provinces, who had not been confronted by the invincible Qi Yu standing with her hands on her hips?
Qi Yu had originally been the eldest princess of a declining dynasty in one of the Thirteen Provinces.
Her father favored her extravagant, pleasure-seeking older brothers and treated her coldly.
Qi Yu did not care in the slightest about her brothers’ persecution.
While pretending to maintain a loving relationship between father and daughter, she secretly plotted to seize a divine artifact and ultimately forced her father to pass the throne to her.
However, when the old man was gravely ill, he still clutched the imperial decree and refused to release it.
He glared resentfully at Qi Yu and forced her to swear that she would treat her three elder brothers kindly.
Qi Yu immediately swore,
“If I harm any of the three, may heavenly lightning strike me and divine punishment descend! May I never practice martial arts or become an immortal throughout all eternity!”
The old man relaxed, nodded, and handed Qi Yu the decree.
Then Qi Yu immediately dragged her eldest brother over and strangled him to death in front of the old emperor.
The old emperor: “???”
The old emperor flew into a rage.
“Y-you have committed treason and defied the sovereign’s command! Heavenly lightning will strike you dead!”
Qi Yu laughed and immediately ordered the second brother brought forward as well.
Then she beheaded him.
She stared coldly at the old emperor lying on his sickbed.
“Their crimes deserved death a hundred times over! Did you think I had forgotten what they once did to me?”
“You believe a little heavenly punishment can stop my revenge?”
“Then let the lightning strike. Consider it Heaven’s congratulations to me!”
After speaking, she immediately stripped the third crown-prince brother of his status, reduced him to a commoner, and exiled him to the frontier.
Qi Yu then took control of the entire country.
However, the tree had grown too large while its roots had rotted.
She knew that although she possessed ability, it was insufficient to save such a disastrous situation.
So she simply opened the city gates and allowed a neighboring rebel army into the imperial capital to violently purge the aristocracy.
Then she dusted off her robes, walked away, and leisurely began cultivating.
By accident, she became the strongest person in the immortal realm.
When the recently rescued Shen Fangzhou first heard the story, she had admired her master beyond measure.
She cautiously asked,
“Then, Master, what happened to the old emperor and the former crown prince?”
Qi Yu replied disdainfully,
“The old emperor was not attractive, and the deposed crown prince was ugly and talked too much.”
“If they were lucky, perhaps they died.”
“If they were unlucky, perhaps they are at the city gates—”
Shen Fangzhou: “…fighting stray dogs for garbage?”
Qi Yu smiled.
“Do not say that, Disciple. You are insulting the dogs.”
Shen Fangzhou stared at her with sparkling eyes.
“Yes, Master!”
Unfortunately, the Sword Pavilion Master’s image within the Immortal Alliance had always been that of an immensely powerful and inscrutable figure.
Qi Yu could no longer behave entirely as she pleased.
Besides, Ji Fuguang was watching her.
Qi Yu therefore had no choice but to restrain herself and entrust her grand ambitions to her disciple instead.
One quarter of Shen Fangzhou’s current uninhibited personality came from her family.
Another quarter had been completely cultivated by Qi Yu.
As for the remaining half…
Wasn’t that only because Ji Fuguang’s deathly stare prevented either of them from expressing themselves fully?
Shen Fangzhou looked at the two elders who always stood side by side.
Qi Yu smiled lazily, her crimson robes fluttering.
The Shatterstone Sword at her waist struck against the jade ornament with a clear, bright sound.
Ji Fuguang wore robes as dark as ink.
The Jade-Cutting Sword at her waist remained steady as a mountain.
She stood straight as a pine, strictly observing propriety, and frowned at the master and disciple before her.
Ji Fuguang looked toward Shen Fangzhou, disapproval passing through her eyes.
“Your master and I have already heard of your movements with Sect Master Xie.”
“Although you rendered great service to Huizhou Pass, it was still far too dangerous.”
“Furthermore, Sect Master Xie is the Tianji Sect’s sole—”
Shen Fangzhou stood beside Qi Yu, both of them wearing an expression that clearly meant, Here she goes again, but we must respectfully listen.
Seeing that Ji Fuguang was about to begin with sect rules and continue all the way to Immortal Alliance regulations, Qi Yu hurriedly interrupted her senior sister to rescue her disciple.
“Senior Sister, should we not first ask about Sect Master Xie’s condition?”
Ji Fuguang paused, then nodded and looked at Shen Fangzhou with concern.
“That is true. How is Sect Master Xie now? Was she too exhausted last night to leave her room temporarily?”
Shen Fangzhou: “…”
Master, perhaps you should have let her keep lecturing.
She coughed several times.
“Sect Master Xie was exhausted last night—no, from traveling over the past several days.”
“She is currently resting in the residence and probably will not be able to go out for several days.”
Ji Fuguang became even more confused.
“But when I visited Sect Master Xie this morning, her residence seemed empty.”
Shen Fangzhou paused and spoke cautiously.
“Well, the sect master felt unwell last night, so she simply stayed… stayed overnight at my residence.”
Qi Yu: Wow. Disciple, you act as quickly as I did in my youth!
Ji Fuguang: “…?”
Ji Fuguang’s expression shifted like a traffic light on Earth.
She wanted to criticize her martial niece for violating propriety, but remembering the sect master’s health, she could not deny the necessity.
Qi Yu hurriedly sent her disciple a meaningful glance.
Then she stepped forward, cleared her throat, and smiled.
“Leaving everything else aside, Disciple, you handled the matter at Huizhou Pass beautifully.”
“Tomorrow, I will host Dao Sect Master Si Honglei and treat it as a welcoming banquet for your return.”
At the name Si Honglei, both the previously composed Ji Fuguang and Shen Fangzhou changed expressions.
Neither wished to deal with this person.
Shen Fangzhou lowered her voice.
“Master, Senior Sister said the Huizhou Pass incident involved the Dao Sect. Are you planning to…?”
“Hah.”
Qi Yu sneered.
“The distress talisman in your senior sister’s possession reached the Immortal Alliance, but someone deliberately withheld it for two full days.”
“Otherwise, the Immortal Alliance’s reinforcements should have reached Huizhou Pass much earlier!”
Withheld for two days?!
Shen Fangzhou was abruptly startled.
She immediately remembered Xie Guiwan bitterly defending Huizhou in the original novel, and anger surged through her heart.
She had never imagined that this was the reason they had been forced to hold out alone!
Shen Fangzhou’s expression darkened.
“Who was responsible?”
“A disciple of the Talisman Sect who was on duty that day.”
“The Immortal Alliance claims he became drunk and forgot about the matter.”
Qi Yu sneered as well.
“Si Honglei has always been famous for her control over her subordinates, yet this time someone from my Sword Pavilion had to clean up her mess.”
“I would like to see how she intends to brush this aside.”
“If I do not squeeze several additional places in the Hidden Edge Secret Realm out of her, then I might as well change my surname to hers.”
Shen Fangzhou’s eyes lit up.
The Hidden Edge Secret Realm was the second major plotline in the original novel.
It was near the conclusion of that arc that an event occurred which shook the entire Thirteen Provinces.
Bian Yingxue’s Golden Core shattered.
All her meridians broke.
She hovered on the brink of death.
Because of Solitary Peak’s special nature, the Immortal Alliance had no choice but to seek assistance from every direction.
In the end, Tianji Sect Master Xie Guiwan secretly made a deal with Hidden Immortal Yun Biechen.
Yun Biechen personally entered the secret realm, broke through the seal, and took Bian Yingxue away.
She then used a method of exchanging blood through intertwined destinies to bring her back from death.
Afterward, however, Yun Biechen vanished and never appeared again.
That section had been the most intense part of the original novel’s otherwise bland romantic plot.
After the Hidden Edge Secret Realm arc, Shen Fangzhou had become convinced that the two female leads must share a romantic storyline.
Yet in the end, Bian Yingxue displayed no feelings toward Xie Guiwan beyond gratitude.
The sect master, meanwhile, seemed not to have taken the matter to heart at all.
Many things had now changed, but the Hidden Edge Secret Realm was genuinely about to open.
If her master could tear several more entry slots from the Talisman Sect, Shen Fangzhou would gain additional assistance.
When the time came, she might be able to destroy the restriction and save her senior sister’s life.
Shen Fangzhou was just about to encourage her master when Ji Fuguang shook her head first.
“Using this matter to threaten them may give others grounds for criticism.”
“Perhaps we could seek justice through another method.”
Qi Yu answered decisively,
“No! I insist on doing it this way!”
Ji Fuguang became furious.
“That is not the conduct of a gentleman!”
Qi Yu planted her hands on her hips.
“I am a scoundrel!”
“You are the Sword Pavilion Master!”
“Then I quit! I have had enough of being the pavilion master!”
Qi Yu shouted at full volume,
“Being pavilion master means I cannot kiss you or marry you! I stopped wanting this position long ago!”
Ji Fuguang’s hair practically stood on end with rage.
“Qi Yu, what nonsense are you causing now? When have you ever failed to kiss me? When have I ever refused to let you through my door?”
Shen Fangzhou at the side: Trembling in terror.jpg
Please spare me, both of you.
Is this something I am allowed to hear?
Seeing the triumphant amusement flash through her master’s eyes, Shen Fangzhou quietly slipped out of Wild Wave Hall.
She desperately blocked her ears from the Sword Pavilion Master’s private affairs behind her and fled without hesitation.
By the time Xie Guiwan awakened, it was nearly noon.
She lazily opened her eyes and checked the time.
The Tianji Sect Master, who ordinarily rose early without fail, unusually displayed a trace of unwillingness to leave the bed.
She turned over again and simply burrowed back beneath the quilt.
She was exhausted.
Truly exhausted.
Remembering Shen Fangzhou from the previous night, Xie Guiwan pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
Although watching the person she loved cry out and shed tears during the first half of the night had been deeply satisfying, matters had become much harder to resolve once the secondary Gu spread into her own body.
Physical exhaustion made Xie Guiwan close her eyes to rest.
Yet the delight in her spirit had swept away the fatigue of several days of travel.
The divided soul clicked its tongue in wonder.
“It seems Sect Master Xie enjoyed herself greatly last night. I certainly did not notice much reluctance from you.”
Xie Guiwan gave a soft, amused snort.
“You already know perfectly well. Why make me repeat it?”
“Did you find that creature?”
At the question, the divided soul’s voice lowered, containing faint irritation.
“Without the Ten Eternal Hatreds Formation, it escaped again.”
“I attempted to destroy it, only to discover that it was merely a fragment of a soul.”
“A soul fragment?”
“Yes. However, I managed to seize a trace of its aura.”
“You should perform another divination. Perhaps a new opportunity will appear.”
“That is precisely what I should do.”
The concern that had occupied her heart for so long had finally shown progress.
Xie Guiwan felt considerably more at ease.
Perhaps this was the best possible moment.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Her ordinarily pale-brown pupils became covered in pure, brilliant gold.
Countless divinatory patterns seemed to circulate within them, producing an almost emotionless coldness.
The thirteen divination rods she carried leaped out like swimming fish.
In the unseen, it seemed as though a pair of eyes looked across every part of the Thirteen Provinces, attempting to demand an answer from the Heavenly Dao.
In the past, such inquiries had always sunk into silence without the slightest response.
This time, however, the divination was clear as water.
A mysterious sensation utterly unlike anything before rose within her heart.
Her spiritual platform became spotless.
In an instant, an answer as awakening and overwhelming as the ringing of a vast bronze bell blazed into existence!
Xie Guiwan’s eyes flew open.
The divination rods in her hands scattered across the floor beneath the force of her shock.
The divided soul asked urgently,
“What did you see?”
Xie Guiwan remained unable to recover for a long time.
She stared at her hands in disbelief and gave the unacceptable answer in a trembling voice.
“The Heavenly Dao told me—
to kill Shen Fangzhou.”
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