Chapter 156: Poor Yu Zhao, No Wonder She Doesn’t Want to Go Back
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Yu Zhao had made up her mind—she was done with Lone Moon Peak. She no longer cared what Master Qing Yan thought, whether he regretted his actions or not. She just wanted to cut all ties and move on.
“Actually, Master Qing Yan didn’t mean it like that. He just… well, never mind,” Wu Sang started to explain, but when he saw the cold look in Yu Zhao’s eyes, he decided to drop it. Instead, he changed the topic. “Mu Ye has made great progress before the assessment, thanks to your help. The Green Wood Sect wants to show our appreciation by giving you this gift. Please, take it.”
He pulled out a square box from his sleeve and used his spiritual power to float it over to Yu Zhao.
Yu Zhao was surprised. Since leaving Lone Moon Peak, she had been receiving more and more gifts from people. It was as if leaving Lone Moon Peak had lifted some kind of bad luck from her life.
“Sect Leader Wu Sang, Mu Ye and I became friends quickly. Helping her was the least I could do, so I don’t feel right accepting this gift. But I do have a small favor to ask, and I hope you might grant it,” Yu Zhao said, speaking with both respect and determination.
Sect Leader Wu Sang thought she was just being polite and hesitant to accept the gift. But when she asked for a favor right after, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“You must be thinking about your two senior brothers, right? Don’t worry, for Master Qing Yan’s sake, the Green Wood Sect won’t ignore their situation.”
He thought he had guessed correctly, but when he saw Yu Zhao’s surprised expression, he realized he was wrong.
“Sect Leader Wu Sang, their matters have nothing to do with me. My request is about something else,” Yu Zhao clarified.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Sect Leader Wu Sang cleared his throat and asked, “What is it you need?”
“I’d like to borrow your sect’s alchemy chamber,” she replied.
Without much thought, Sect Leader Wu Sang agreed, but then he realized something strange and asked, “Wait, aren’t you of the Water Spirit Root? Can you practice alchemy?”
Now it was Yu Zhao’s turn to feel a bit awkward.
“I can’t.”
“Then why do you need the alchemy chamber?” Sect Leader Wu Sang asked, confused.
Yu Zhao forced a small smile. “Honestly, I was hoping to use the chamber’s fire veins to forge my life-bound artifact. I promise it will only be this once, and I won’t make a habit of it!”
Sect Leader Wu Sang was stunned. In all his years as sect leader, he had never heard of someone asking to use an alchemy chamber to forge weapons.
“Sect Leader Wu Sang, I’m in a bit of a bind. Could you help me out, for Mu Ye’s sake?” Yu Zhao pushed, sensing a chance.
Yu Zhao hadn’t planned to ask for this favor, but their earlier conversation made her realize that Sect Leader Wu Sang was very fond of Mu Ye, the future head of the sect. She also didn’t want to ask Mu Ye directly, as it might lead to gossip that could hurt Mu Ye’s reputation in the sect. So, she decided it was best to go straight to Sect Leader Wu Sang.
Whether or not he agreed, at least it wouldn’t involve Mu Ye.
“You’re really something,” Sect Leader Wu Sang said, pointing at Yu Zhao with a mix of amusement and frustration.
The tension in Yu Zhao’s shoulders eased instantly.
“Alright, alright. For Mu Ye’s sake, I’ll help you this one time,” Sect Leader Wu Sang finally agreed, pulling out a stone token from his sleeve and tossing it to her. “This is the token for Alchemy Chamber Thirty-Nine. Remember, this is a one-time favor.”
Yu Zhao caught the token and bowed deeply. “Thank you, Sect Leader Wu Sang.”
“Take the box too. I’m not about to take back a gift from the head of a sect,” he added.
Since he insisted, Yu Zhao accepted the box, thanked him again, and respectfully took her leave.
As he watched her walk away, Sect Leader Wu Sang couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head. “Such an interesting disciple, but what a pity she has the Water Spirit Root.”
He felt relieved that he had secured Mu Ye’s future, and any lingering regret he had quickly faded. He believed Mu Ye’s future accomplishments would be nothing short of amazing.
“Yu Zhao, you’re out! What did the sect leader say to you?” Mu Ye asked eagerly as soon as she saw Yu Zhao.
Yu Zhao looked around to make sure no one else was nearby. She then bowed formally to Mu Ye, saying, “Greetings, Junior Sect Leader.”
Mu Ye was caught off guard for a moment but then burst into laughter.
“Ahem, you may rise,” she replied, trying to sound serious but failing to hide her amusement.
The two exchanged a look before breaking into genuine laughter. Mu Ye quickly hugged Yu Zhao tightly.
“Yu Zhao, thank you. Thank you for being here.”
Thank you for showing up when I needed you the most. And thank you for helping me without holding back.
“You don’t need to thank me. You deserve it,” Yu Zhao said softly, patting Mu Ye’s back.
Yu Zhao didn’t know what had happened during the alchemy disciples’ assessment in her previous life, nor did she know why Wang Qian had become the Junior Sect Leader instead of Mu Ye. But in this life, she had seen Mu Ye’s hard work and dedication. The position of Junior Sect Leader was rightfully hers.
After calming down, Mu Ye invited Yu Zhao to a banquet her fellow disciples were holding in her honor. Yu Zhao politely declined, explaining that she planned to use the alchemy chamber to forge her life-bound artifact.
Mu Ye was initially shocked by Yu Zhao’s request, but she quickly dismissed her doubts. Since Yu Zhao had placed her trust in her, she would trust Yu Zhao in return. She escorted Yu Zhao to Alchemy Chamber Thirty-Nine, watching the doors slowly close behind her. For some reason, she felt an unexpected excitement.
During the banquet, Mu Ye’s thoughts kept drifting back to Yu Zhao, wondering how her forging was going.
“Junior Sect Leader.” As the event was winding down, an unexpected visitor approached Mu Ye.
Raising an eyebrow, Mu Ye greeted him, “Senior Brother Fang.”
Fang Cheng Lang hesitated before speaking, his concern evident. “Why isn’t Junior Sister Yu Zhao with you?”
He had seen Mu Ye at the Dragon’s Roar Valley before and knew that Yu Zhao had come to the Green Wood Sect for her. Seeing Mu Ye at the banquet without Yu Zhao made him uneasy.
“She… she’s busy with something,” Mu Ye replied, deciding not to reveal Yu Zhao’s plan to forge her artifact.
Mu Ye had noticed before that Yu Zhao wasn’t particularly close to her senior brother. Since Yu Zhao didn’t seem to want anything to do with him, Mu Ye had no intention of sharing her business with him.
Fang Cheng Lang sensed the distance in Mu Ye’s response. He forced a bitter smile and said, “I mean no harm. I’m just concerned about whether she might be in danger.”
Mu Ye frowned. “Senior Brother Fang, what are you implying? Why would Yu Zhao be in danger on the Green Wood Sect’s territory?”
“That’s not what I…”
“And with Yu Zhao’s strength, no one but the Nascent Soul elders could pose a threat to her. Are you suggesting that the elders of the Green Wood Sect intend to harm her?”
“No, I didn’t mean…”
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“Oh, I see! You must think that Yu Zhao is unhappy at the Five Elements Sect, so you assume she’s constantly in danger. Senior Brother Fang, maybe you should reflect on yourself. Are you not caring enough for her? Have you failed to keep the other disciples in check? Yu Zhao must have had a tough time. No wonder she doesn’t want to go back.”
Mu Ye’s sharp words hit Fang Cheng Lang like a punch.
His face turned pale as he stammered, “Did Junior Sister Yu Zhao really say she didn’t want to return…?”
Would she rather stay in a strange sect than go back to the one that raised her?
Did she hate them so much that she didn’t even want to return to the sect?
“Hey, don’t jump to conclusions! She didn’t say anything—this is just my guess!” Mu Ye quickly clarified.