Chapter 27: Where Has It Gone?
True Immortal Ling Xu spoke slowly, his voice calm yet heavy like a mountain, “There’s no use speaking of this now. Whether Li Shuang truly saved Shen Yue back then matters no more. Zhao Zhao was unaware from start to end and never uttered a falsehood. If blame must fall, let it be on Li Shuang for not clarifying clearly, causing this misunderstanding.”
Li Shuang lowered her eyes softly.
[Did I truly fail to speak clearly, or was no one ever willing to listen?]
She knew she was not as lively as Ye Zhao Zhao, nor as gifted with words.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s mind overflowed with fresh and wondrous ideas. She would weave incredible tales for Shen Yue, stories that could not be found anywhere in the Martial Arts World. Her tales excited the spirit, making hearts race. Even Li Shuang herself had been enchanted by them.
Ye Zhao Zhao crafted all manner of charming trinkets—soft, intricate dolls that still adorned Shen Yue’s room.
She created games unseen before. The youngest disciple, Chang Le An, often played with her, spending long hours kicking around what Ye Zhao Zhao called a “soccer ball” or playing strange games with tiles and cards, which she named poker and mahjong.
Ye Zhao Zhao even brewed unique wines, unmatched in flavor throughout the entire cultivation world. Their Master treasured this wine dearly, reluctant to share even a drop.
Initially, Li Shuang had genuinely liked this cheerful Little Junior Sister who brought such brightness to Spirit Void Peak.
But later…
Li Shuang lowered her gaze again, her heart calm like an untouched lake.
She knew she could never be as clever or charming as Ye Zhao Zhao. It was natural others favored her.
Yet now… she had people at her side who would stand by her without hesitation.
Today, she had spoken not to beg forgiveness but simply to reveal the truth.
“Fools, every one of you!” Lin Qing Ling scoffed coldly, glancing toward Shen Yue, who twisted and groaned painfully on the ground. “Rather than debating old tales, shouldn’t you first consider what to do about Shen Yue?”
Demonic deviation—it was a terrifying thing.
If discovered early, it could be dealt with swiftly. A skilled cultivator with Water or Ice affinity could suppress the raging fire in his meridians.
But now…
Who knew how long Shen Yue had been tormented by this inner fire?
Originally, the demonic flames should have remained in his dantian. Yet now, they raged unchecked throughout his body. He had likely been suffering this torment for at least an hour or two.
Lin Qing Ling sneered again, her gaze filled with disdain toward Ye Zhao Zhao.
“Only left for a short while?”
Ye Zhao Zhao had probably abandoned him long ago!
“I also possess a Fire Spiritual Root. If I intervene, his suffering will worsen,” True Immortal Ling Xu admitted gravely, his brows deeply furrowed. His eyes shifted toward Li Shuang.
If Li Shuang were still at the Nascent Soul stage, perhaps she could barely contain the flames, though at great peril. For others at her former cultivation level, risking themselves for Shen Yue was simply unimaginable.
But now…
Li Shuang’s cultivation had fallen back to mere Energy Refining. No matter how willing her heart, she simply lacked the power to save him.
Shen Yue’s only hope rested in a Divine Spirit Transformation Stage expert—or stronger—someone who wielded a single elemental affinity directly opposite his fiery Qi.
Such masters were exceedingly rare in the sect.
And even if they existed, True Immortal Ling Xu could not summon them at his whim.
His lips tightened into a grim line. “I will seek help!”
Without wasting another breath, he turned swiftly and vanished from sight.
The others lingered, reluctant to disperse. Word of the troubling events had already drifted beyond the hall, sparking whispers among the gathered disciples like ripples across a quiet pond.
“Shen Yue fell to demonic deviation five years ago? Why has no one ever mentioned such a thing?”
“Spirit Void Peak truly believed Shen Yue was cured just because Ye Zhao Zhao called him back?”
“Ridiculous! After so many years on the martial path, they still cling to such childish fantasies?”
“Poor Senior Sister Li. She risked her life to suppress the demon flames, only to bear blame in the end.”
“And what about the Snow Mountain incident? Do you believe Senior Sister Li really abandoned them?”
Speculations swirled like sword shadows, resurrecting old rumors from the shadows of the past.
Ye Zhao Zhao listened to the whispers, her face turning as pale as jade.
“Little Junior Sister, don’t listen to their nonsense,” Chang Le An said gently. “They don’t know how kind your heart truly is.”
[Zhao Zhao could never deceive anyone!]
Events from five years past were mere twists of destiny—how could Zhao Zhao shoulder the blame?
Chang Le An cast a fierce glare toward Li Shuang.
So, Li Shuang had kept silent all these years, only to speak now? Was she intentionally tarnishing Little Junior Sister’s reputation?
Such deep, hidden schemes!
“Eldest Senior Brother, you must protect Little Junior Sister! Li Shuang, she—” Chang Le An turned urgently to Sheng Yuan.
But Sheng Yuan’s thoughts were chaotic as a storm, and he snapped sharply, “Enough! I’ve heard enough!”
His sudden anger stunned both Chang Le An and Ye Zhao Zhao.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes brimmed with sorrowful tears. “Eldest Senior Brother…”
Seeing her grief-stricken face, Sheng Yuan softened slightly, yet his voice remained strained. “Second Junior Brother’s fate hangs by a thread. I have no energy to spare for anything else.”
His gaze shifted to Shen Yue, engulfed in raging demonic flames. A pang of guilt twisted within him.
Even from afar, he could feel the searing torment Shen Yue endured. What agony had Senior Sister Li borne to rescue him? How deeply had she been wounded to choose secluded retreat?
And what had they done?
They had wrongly accused Li Shuang, blaming her unjustly for neglecting her duties!
[How much pain had Li Shuang hidden back then?]
Sheng Yuan glanced furtively at Li Shuang.
She stood calmly amidst the disciples of Emotionless Peak, her face serene, her heart as cold and untouched as a secluded mountain lake.
He couldn’t fathom the turmoil she had faced back then.
But now?
Now, Li Shuang was beyond the reach of worldly slander.
A sharp ache pierced Sheng Yuan’s heart. How had things reached such a point?
This was never how it should have been.
Chang Le An and Ye Zhao Zhao sensed Sheng Yuan’s turmoil and wisely remained silent, plunging the atmosphere into eerie stillness.
Soon after, True Immortal Ling Xu, having paid dearly, invited a powerful Steward from within the sect, one who had reached the lofty Divine Spirit Transformation Stage.
The Steward entered the hall; everyone else withdrew respectfully.
True Immortal Ling Xu stared at the closed doors, his heart trembling. He had few passions in life—fine wine and wealth among them. Today, to save Shen Yue, he’d truly suffered a great loss.
“Cultivation deviation arises from one’s inner flaws,” Lin Qing Ling remarked coldly. “Your disciple succumbed to his own heart demons—don’t lay blame at our feet.”
True Immortal Ling Xu gritted his teeth. “Those demons were stirred by Emotionless Peak! I spent precious Spirit Stones to summon Steward Fang. You must bear half the cost to settle this matter!”
Lin Qing Ling laughed frostily. “Spirit Stones? Shen Yue’s deviation did not strike suddenly—it surely worsened over hours. If discovered sooner, would it have reached this severity? Perhaps you should first question your attentive little disciple about her whereabouts during that time!”
All eyes turned accusingly toward Ye Zhao Zhao.
Bitterness surged in Zhao Zhao’s heart. Would these accusations never end?
She struggled for words to defend herself when suddenly—
Sect Master Meng Yi Fei’s voice echoed clearly, commanding attention. “Old Hong, this is Spirit Void Peak. Whom have you come seeking?”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation