Chapter 27 - 2: Where on Earth Did It Go?

Master Lingxu said slowly, "There’s no use saying all this now. Whether or not it was Li Shuang who saved Shen Yue back then, Zhaozhao knew nothing about it from start to finish. She didn’t lie. If we must assign blame, we can only blame Li Shuang for not making things clear at the time, which led to a small misunderstanding."

Li Shuang lowered her gaze slightly.

’Was it that she hadn’t made herself clear, or that no one would have listened to what she had to say anyway?’

It was true. She wasn’t as interesting as Ye Zhaozhao, nor as well-spoken.

Ye Zhaozhao’s mind was always brimming with all sorts of new and fascinating things.

She would tell Sheng Yuan stories from scripts she’d written herself. Those scripts couldn’t be found anywhere on the market, and their brilliance was simply astounding. Never mind Sheng Yuan; even Li Shuang loved listening to them.

Ye Zhaozhao could make all sorts of little trinkets. The various fluffy little dolls she made were still on display in Shen Yue’s room to this day.

Ye Zhaozhao invented all kinds of games. Chang Le’an was the youngest, so the two of them got along best and often played together. Sometimes they played what Ye Zhaozhao called ’soccer,’ other times they played poker or mahjong.

Ye Zhaozhao also knew how to brew wine. The wine she made was unlike anything the Immortal Cultivation World had ever seen, and their Master cherished it.

At first, she had actually been quite fond of this little junior sister who always brought so much laughter to Lingxu Peak.

But later...

Li Shuang lowered her gaze, her heart clear and tranquil.

’I could never be as clever and lovable as Ye Zhaozhao, so it’s understandable that they favored her.’

But she now had people who would stand by her side and always protect her.

She hadn’t revealed the truth this time hoping for some kind of repentance. She did it simply because it was the truth.

"A bunch of blind fools," Lin Qingling sneered. She glanced at Shen Yue, who was writhing in agony on the ground, and said, "You’d be better off figuring out how to handle Shen Yue’s condition!"

Qi deviation was incredibly dangerous.

If it were caught right away, it would be easier to handle. All it would take was finding a High-level Disciple with a Water or Ice Attribute to help.

But now... who knew how long Shen Yue had been in a state of deviation!

The Heart Fire should have first appeared only in his Dantian. Now, Shen Yue’s Heart Fire had already spread throughout his entire body. This meant, at the very least, that the Qi deviation had been going on for one or two hours.

Lin Qingling shot another derisive look at Ye Zhaozhao.

’Only left for a little while?’

’This Ye Zhaozhao probably left a long, long time ago!’

"I also have a Fire Spirit Root. If I were to intervene, I’m afraid I would only worsen his symptoms," Master Lingxu said slowly, his brow furrowing.

He couldn’t help but glance at Li Shuang.

’If Li Shuang were still at the Nascent Soul Stage... it would be risky, but she could have barely managed to suppress it. But if it were any other Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, they would never take on such a risk!’

But now, Li Shuang was only at the Qi Cultivation Stage. No matter what, she would be of no use.

In Shen Yue’s condition, the chances of saving him would only be greater if a Cultivator at the Divinity Transformation Stage or higher—and one with a counteracting Single Spirit Root—were to intervene.

There were only a few such individuals in the entire sect.

And they weren’t people he could just summon at his beck and call.

Master Lingxu pressed his lips together. "I’ll go find help!"

Master Lingxu hurried away.

The others didn’t disperse. News of the situation inside spread, and the spectating disciples began to discuss it with great relish.

"Shen Yue had a Qi deviation five years ago? How come no news of it ever got out?"

"And the people from Lingxu Peak actually thought Shen Yue got through it because Ye Zhaozhao called out to him..."

"HAHAHA, is that supposed to be a joke? After so many years of Cultivation, they still have such naive ideas?"

"Senior Sister Li is so pitiful. She worked so hard to suppress his Heart Fire, only to be resented by everyone."

"So, about that incident at the Snow Mountain, what do you all think the real story is? Did Senior Sister Li really abandon them?"

The crowd chattered on.

Even the unresolved case of the Snow Mountain—an incident where everyone had their own version of the truth—was brought up for analysis again.

Ye Zhaozhao vaguely heard these voices, and her face grew paler and paler.

"Little Junior Sister! Don’t listen to them." Chang Le’an looked at her with pity. "They have no idea what a gentle and kind person you are."

’There’s no way Zhaozhao would lie! What happened five years ago can only be called a strange twist of fate. How could Zhaozhao be blamed for that?’

Chang Le’an couldn’t help but glare at Li Shuang.

’So, Li Shuang didn’t say anything back then, but now, today, she suddenly blurts it out. Is she deliberately trying to ruin Little Junior Sister’s reputation? What a truly conniving person.’

"First Senior Brother, you have to stand up for Little Junior Sister! Li Shuang, she..." Chang Le’an couldn’t stop himself from saying something to Sheng Yuan.

Sheng Yuan’s thoughts were in complete turmoil. Provoked by Chang Le’an’s words, he snapped, "Enough! I said, enough!"

At Sheng Yuan’s sudden shout, both Chang Le’an and Ye Zhaozhao were stunned.

Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes reddened with grievance. "First Senior Brother..."

Sheng Yuan looked at her tear-streaked face, pressed his lips together, and lowered his voice as much as possible. "Second Junior Brother’s life hangs in the balance. I have no time to think about other things."

He looked at Shen Yue, who was wreathed in flames, an indescribable feeling in his heart.

The Heart Fire was scorching. Even from a distance, he could feel a searing heat.

’Just what kind of pain and what kind of injuries did Senior Sister suffer back then to save Shen Yue, forcing her into seclusion? But what about us? What had we all done? We accused Li Shuang of abandoning her junior brother, accused her of failing to fulfill her duties as the Eldest Senior Sister! What must Li Shuang have been feeling back then?’

Sheng Yuan couldn’t help but glance at Li Shuang.

She was surrounded and protected by the people of Heartless Peak, her expression placid, her heart as clear as ice.

He didn’t know what Li Shuang was feeling then.

But the Li Shuang of today... ’Her emotions would no longer be stirred by us, would they?’

A sharp pain lanced through Sheng Yuan’s heart. To this day, he still didn’t understand how things had ended up like this.

’It... it wasn’t supposed to be like this.’

Seeing Sheng Yuan like this, Chang Le’an and Ye Zhaozhao didn’t dare say another word. An eerie silence fell over the scene.

Before long, Master Lingxu returned. Having paid a huge price, he had managed to invite a Divinity Transformation Stage Steward from within the sect to intervene.

The Steward entered the room, and everyone else withdrew.

Master Lingxu stared at the closed door, his heart trembling. He had no other hobbies besides his love for wine and his love for money. This time, to save Shen Yue, he had truly been bled dry.

"As everyone knows, Qi deviation is caused by a mishap in one’s Cultivation. I’m afraid your disciple has developed a Heart Demon," Lin Qingling said coolly. "You can’t blame that on us."

Master Lingxu gritted his teeth. "This Heart Demon is definitely related to you all. Heartless Peak will pay for half the Spirit Stones it cost to hire Deacon Fang, and we’ll call this matter even."

Lin Qingling let out a cold laugh. "You dare ask me for Spirit Stones? It took at least one or two hours for Shen Yue’s Qi deviation to become this severe. If it had been discovered sooner, how could it have gotten this bad! You should first ask that little disciple of yours, the one who claims she was only gone for a ’little while,’ where exactly she went!"

Everyone couldn’t help but turn their gazes toward Ye Zhaozhao.

Ye Zhaozhao’s heart filled with bitterness. ’Isn’t this over yet?!’

She was desperately trying to think of an explanation.

Suddenly, the voice of Sect Leader Meng Yifei rang out. "Old Hong, this is Lingxu Peak. Who exactly are you looking for this time?"