Chapter 181: A Petty Trick, Unworthy of True Masters
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Li Jing Rang couldn’t help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction when he saw Quan Ye’s growing frustration. It seemed that Mu Ye wasn’t just targeting him—she had set her sights on everyone present.
As the tension in the room grew, Elder Sun from the Five Elements Sect noticed the commotion and approached to see what was happening. Quan Ye had no choice but to swallow his anger and glared at Mu Ye, who remained unbothered. She briefly exchanged words with Zhou Jin Yue before coolly returning to the Green Wood Sect’s group without sparing another glance at him.
Soon after, the three sects proceeded to enter the Achievement Pavilion in the order they had arrived.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhao, who typically kept herself focused on her cultivation, had an unusual change in routine today. She left her door and windows wide open, paying attention to the bustling activity outside. As soon as she heard the whispers of the approaching group, she stood up and went outside to wait.
“Disciple Yu Zhao greets the Sect Master, Peak Masters, and Elders,” she said, bowing respectfully.
Sect Master Ji Yuan was pleased to see Yu Zhao and was about to tell her to rise when Master Bai Lian, the head of the Achievement Pavilion, suddenly spoke, “Sect Master Ji Yuan, Yu Zhao performed exceptionally well in both rounds of the individual competition. I believe the Five Elements Sect is poised to claim the top spot in both the sect and individual categories in this year’s competition.”
“Not at all, not at all! Your disciples from the Achievement Pavilion are impressive as well. You’re flattering us too much, hahaha!” Sect Master Ji Yuan waved his hand modestly, but his wide grin betrayed his pride, making Master Bai Lian feel a twinge of jealousy.
The elders of the Five Elements Sect couldn’t help but enjoy the compliment, though they kept their smiles restrained, especially with Master Qing Yan’s stern expression reminding them to remain composed.
Suddenly, Master Qing Yan spoke in a cold, measured tone, “A petty trick, unworthy of true masters.”
Master Bai Lian and the other elders from the Achievement Pavilion were momentarily taken aback, suddenly recalling Yu Zhao’s difficult position. They weren’t sure how to respond.
Yu Zhao kept her gaze lowered, her heart steady. There was no point in arguing. Once the competition was over, the results would speak for themselves.
“Sect Master Ji Yuan, Master Qing Yan is just modest and dislikes praise. Please forgive him,” Ji Yuan Sect Master said, hiding his displeasure as he tried to smooth things over.
After the people from the Achievement Pavilion finally left, Sect Master Ji Yuan immediately went to Master Qing Yan’s room, his expression cold as he gave him a stern warning.
“Qing Yan, this is the Achievement Pavilion, not the Five Elements Sect. Remember your position as a Peak Master. Don’t let your personal feelings damage the sect’s reputation!”
Master Qing Yan’s expression remained indifferent, his silence only fueling Ji Yuan’s anger.
“I don’t know what’s going through your mind, but Yu Zhao is a good child. I won’t let you destroy her! If you continue this stubbornness, I’ll go to the Grand Elder myself, even if it costs me my position as Sect Master!”
With that, he stormed out, his anger barely contained. Back in his room, Sect Master Ji Yuan quickly sat down, grabbed the teapot on the table, and took a large gulp of tea.
“Phew—at least that old fool didn’t go crazy,” he muttered to himself.
He had been genuinely worried that Master Qing Yan might cause a scene here, on someone else’s territory, which would have been disastrous. Thankfully, Master Qing Yan hadn’t completely lost his mind yet, but why couldn’t he see clearly when it came to Yu Zhao?
Sighing deeply, Sect Master Ji Yuan sat in his room, troubled, while laughter filled Yu Zhao’s room.
After Senior Sister Jin Yue had settled down, Mu Ye joined them, and the conversation naturally turned to Li Jing Rang.
Mu Ye frowned, “That guy Li Jing Rang, he keep talking nonsense about you even though he’s never met you. But don’t worry, I already gave him a piece of my mind.”
Li Jing Rang? A cold gleam flickered in Yu Zhao’s eyes.
Since her rebirth, she had almost forgotten about him.
“Li Jing Rang is quite close to Ye Cong Xin,” Zhou Jin Yue added, noticing that Mu Ye didn’t catch the significance, but Yu Zhao understood.
In her previous life, Li Jing Rang had immediately taken a liking to Ye Cong Xin when they met, calling her a kindred spirit and praising her talents in poetry and painting. Meanwhile, he had mocked Yu Zhao, describing her as a coarse, foolish rock trying to compare itself to a gem, even going as far as writing several sour poems to insult her.
At the time, Yu Zhao was still weak and infamous, with no one to protect her, so she could only endure the humiliation.
But perhaps karma does exist. Li Jing Rang didn’t stay smug for long.
He had been engaged to Liu Zheng, the head disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, since childhood. They were supposed to exchange tokens after the sect competition and prepare for their dual cultivation ceremony.
However, he openly showed affection for Ye Cong Xin multiple times, infuriating the Heavenly Sword Sect. Liu Zheng privately asked him to break off the engagement, but Li Jing Rang refused and even accused Liu Zheng of being petty and slandering his “pure” friendship with Ye Cong Xin.
At first, Liu Zheng had wanted to preserve Li Jing Rang’s dignity, but after his repeated provocations, she decided not to hold back. Not only did she slice off half of his hair with one sword stroke during the sect competition, but she also publicly broke off the engagement and shattered the tokens during the award ceremony.
From then on, Li Jing Rang became a laughingstock in the entire cultivation world.
Later, it was said that Li Jing Rang was consumed by inner demons, failed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and died in a self-consuming flame.
Thinking of Li Jing Rang’s fate, Yu Zhao smiled faintly, “I’ve heard that Senior Sister Liu Zheng from the Heavenly Sword Sect lives up to her name…”
The three of them exchanged a knowing look and laughed, understanding each other without needing to say more.
After sending Zhou Jin Yue and Mu Ye off, Yu Zhao was about to return to her room when Su Ming suddenly jumped out from the corner, his voice cheerful, “Yu Zhao!”
Yu Zhao pretended not to hear him and continued walking towards her room, ready to close the door.
Su Ming hurried forward, pushing against the door with both hands, “Don’t close the door, don’t close the door! I came to apologize!”
“Apologize?” Yu Zhao found the idea amusing.
She never expected to hear those words from Su Ming. Was the sun rising in the west, or had Su Ming been possessed by some polite elder?
“Really, really!” Su Ming nodded quickly, clearly worried that Yu Zhao might use her illusions to throw him out. His dimples, not too deep or too shallow, seemed filled with sincerity.
Yu Zhao was intrigued. She was curious to see if Su Ming could actually say something worthwhile.
“Go ahead,” she said.
Clearing his throat, Su Ming put on a serious face and said, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have borrowed your spirit stones without returning them. From now on, I promise I won’t borrow spirit stones recklessly. Even if I do, I’ll return them on time and even buy you small gifts. I’ll also stand up for you when others talk badly about you.”
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“Is that all?” Yu Zhao asked.
“That’s it,” Su Ming replied, looking satisfied with himself.
Yu Zhao chuckled softly. She knew better than to expect much from Su Ming.
“Since you’ve finished, you can leave now.” Yu Zhao pried Su Ming’s hands off the door and slammed it shut.
“Yu Zhao! Yu Zhao! Did you forgive me or not? Why did you shut the door? Didn’t I apologize? Say something!” Su Ming yelled, banging on the door with a mix of frustration and hurt on his face.
Hadn’t he apologized sincerely? Why was Yu Zhao still mad at him? What more did she want from him?
Yu Zhao’s temper was getting stranger by the day. She was nothing like the adorable junior sister. No wonder Fifth Brother said she was a fake—she brought it all on herself.