Volume One, Chapter 20: Who Truly Matters

"Sixth disciple Xie Liangyu, bidding farewell to Master!"

The voice was not loud, but it was resolute.

Seeing this, Fu Ming quickly stooped and slipped inside, tugging at Xie Liangyu. "Sixth Junior Brother, what is the meaning of this? Master is furious, and you doing this..."

"Master, your disciple is going to bring Mistress back! No matter what, she is still my Mistress!"

Ignoring Fu Ming, Xie Liangyu stubbornly kowtowed once more. Without waiting for Yuan Lingqing to respond, he rose and left.

Left behind in the courtyard, Fu Ming panicked. Always accustomed to being mischievous and boisterous, he suddenly found himself at a total loss. With his master silent, his eldest senior brother indifferent, and the others afraid to intervene, he felt caught in a dilemma. Now that his sixth junior brother was determined to find Mistress, he was even more flustered.

Clenching his fists, Fu Ming turned and kowtowed toward the room. "Master! I am going to bring the sixth junior brother back!"

Without waiting for an answer from within, he turned and sprinted toward the foot of the mountain as if pursued by ghosts. Yuan Lingqing watched his retreating back, his gaze hollow.

*

"Sixth Junior Brother! Wait for me!"

Xie Liangyu turned around, puzzled. "Second Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you. I want to find Mistress, too."

Xie Liangyu frowned. "You..."

"I wronged Mistress before." Fu Ming scratched his head, recounting the events at the black market as they walked, which made Xie Liangyu furrow his brows deeply.

"Mistress has indeed done too much for us. To be framed like that, it is no wonder her heart has turned cold."

"Framed? You mean... you think Junior Sister framed Mistress? But what could she possibly gain from that?"

Fu Ming looked back in the direction of the Yunqing Sect and sighed. "But I still have doubts... Mistress didn't buy the Star River Flower at the black market, and she denied taking Junior Sister's. Where did the flower in her hand come from?"

"Regardless of the truth, I do not believe Mistress would be so enraged by a single flower that she would rather endure the Heavenly Tribulation than remain married to Master," Xie Liangyu said with certainty.

"True. In any case, those minor matters are in the past; finding Mistress is more important now," Fu Ming said, casually placing his hands behind his head. "It’s just a pity... Mistress might not..."

"Second Senior Brother! Sixth Senior Brother!"

A crisp, melodious voice came from behind. Both turned to see Lin Caibing running toward them, landing before them like a white butterfly in the wind.

"Are you going to find Mistress? I'm coming too..."

"Did you tell Master?"

"I did!"

Xie Liangyu nodded calmly, while Fu Ming watched Lin Caibing on the side, a flicker of indiscernible impatience flashing in his eyes. Ever since Mistress suffered the Heavenly Tribulation, a series of Lin Caibing's behaviors had made him feel something was wrong, though he could not quite put his finger on it.

Lin Caibing did not notice Fu Ming’s probing gaze, though she felt a mysterious tension whenever she looked at him. She possessed the ability to see the fortune of others. Before Bai Zhi left, their fortune had been high, but after her departure, the fortunes of the other disciples—save for Xie Liangyu—had inexplicably dwindled.

She was no fool; she had discovered the crux of the matter. The true center of fortune for the entire Yunqing Sect was, in fact, Bai Zhi. Regardless, she had worked too hard for the favor of these senior brothers to let them go now. If she could bring Bai Zhi back, it would surely restore their fortunes.

"Second Senior Brother, Sixth Senior Brother, Mistress will definitely come back with us, won't she?"

"...She should... yes."

After three days of traveling day and night, the three reached the territory of the Demon Clan. They were immediately intercepted by a group of demon guards.

"Who goes there? Why do you trespass into the Demon Clan's territory?"

"We are from the Yunqing Sect, here to find True Immortal Bai Zhi." Fu Ming stepped forward, his tone tinged with arrogance. He had visited the Demon Clan before, and due to Bai Zhi, the demons had always treated visitors from the Yunqing Sect with courtesy.

"Yunqing Sect?" The guard stood motionless, looking at him with indifference. "Do you have a Yunqing Sect token?"

Fu Ming was displeased by the guard's demeanor. He impatiently produced his token, his tone sharp. "Take us to see True Immortal Bai Zhi."

"So it really is the Yunqing Sect." The guard's face fell. "We do not welcome people from the Yunqing Sect. Please return."

"What? Say that again?!" Fu Ming was incensed by the reaction. Last time he came, the mention of the Yunqing Sect had earned him the treatment of an honored guest.

Xie Liangyu pulled Fu Ming aside, shaking his head slightly. After Jiu Ze had caused such a scene at the Yunqing Sect and left it in ruins, he must have issued an order.

"We can wait here. Please, brother, could you deliver a message? We truly have urgent business with the True Immortal." Xie Liangyu bowed politely, but the guard remained cold.

"We are here to find True Immortal Bai Zhi; she is our Mistress. We have something important to discuss with her. Please, we ask for your help." Lin Caibing stepped forward, bowing gracefully with a sweet, gentle smile that made her instantly likable.

The lead guard’s expression softened as he looked her over. "So the Yunqing Sect does have some normal people after all." He grunted, then turned away. "Fine, wait here. I will go and report."

"Who are you calling abnormal..." Fu Ming’s temper flared again, but Lin Caibing tugged at his sleeve and shook her head.

*

When Bai Zhi received the message, her brows locked. She had anticipated someone might come to hold her accountable, but she had not expected Lin Caibing to be among them. She truly did not want to see that face. She had intended to refuse, but remembering her Master's gaze, she wondered if perhaps... there was a deeper meaning behind his instructions for her to bring the girl along.

Sighing, Bai Zhi rose and followed the guard out.

Only a moment after she left, a dark, wind-like shadow leapt into the cave. "You stubborn old woman! I found the Divine Desolation Water! You have a chance—eh? Where is she?"

Seeing the bed empty, Jiu Ze’s face stiffened, a flash of panic crossing his eyes. At the entrance, a guard stepped forward. "Young Master, True Immortal Bai woke up two days ago and just left."

"Left?" Jiu Ze’s face turned cold, anger burning within him. "Damn it... she abandoned me again! And here I was, running around trying to find her the Divine Desolation Water!"

He raised the porcelain bottle in his hand, ready to smash it, but paused in mid-air, eventually lowering his hand slowly with a dark expression. "Where did she go?"

"Returning to Young Master, some people from the Yunqing Sect requested an audience, and the True Immortal has gone to meet them."

Jiu Ze’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the bottle. That rabble from the Yunqing Sect! After how they insulted him back at their sect, they actually dared to come to the Demon territory?! And even injured, Bai Zhi had gone to meet them!

"Men! Gather the guards and follow me!" Jiu Ze radiated a piercing chill, his voice cold through gritted teeth. "Follow me to clear out the trash from the Yunqing Sect!"