Chapter 186: Ice That Freezes Three Feet Doesn’t Happen in a Day
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
The competition between the Heavenly Sword Sect and Taibai Academy had finally concluded, and the final sixteen teams for the sect ranking matches were decided. Among these, the top seven sects in the cultivation world, known as the “One Sect, Two Schools, and Four Clans,” had secured twelve of the spots, once again proving their dominance.
With three days until the ranking matches began, the participants were given time to rest and prepare.
Yu Zhao returned to the Five Elements Sect’s residence with Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and the others. After a few words of encouragement from Sect Master Ji Yuan, she headed back to her room. As soon as she sat down to meditate, a soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
A quick scan with her spiritual sense caused a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.
It was him again.
Fang Cheng Lang had been knocking for a while with no response. A shadow passed over his face as he realized that Yu Zhao was intentionally ignoring him. He had seen her enter the room, so he knew she was inside. Was she avoiding him out of guilt, or did she simply not want to see him?
“Little Six, I know you’re in there. I need to talk to you about something important,” he called out, his voice steady. Yet, silence was the only reply he received.
Taking a deep breath, he continued, “It’s about Yao Wuji.”
The door swung open suddenly.
Fang Cheng Lang forced a bitter smile. “I knew you’d care about her.”
Yu Zhao’s brow furrowed. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Fang Cheng Lang’s emotions flared. “She made Cui Jue suffer so much, and he’s still bedridden! Since she dared to show her face, she should suffer just as much as he did!”
Yu Zhao’s heart sank.
She had overlooked this matter. Yao Wuji had once poisoned Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue, turning them into enemies. She should have warned Yao Wuji to avoid the competition, even if it meant missing out on the grand event. That would’ve been better than letting Fang Cheng Lang exact his revenge.
“What are you thinking? Are you planning to help her escape?” Fang Cheng Lang’s anger grew as he noticed the hesitation in Yu Zhao’s eyes.
“Little Six! Cui Jue is your senior brother! Have you forgotten how he treated you back then? Are you really going to abandon him for an outsider? How can you live with yourself? How can you betray the Lone Moon Peak, where you were raised?” Fang Cheng Lang’s voice cracked with emotion, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
He had always believed that, no matter how much Yu Zhao changed, she would still be that kind and gentle junior sister deep down. But now, she seemed so cold, so heartless, as if the harshness of her cultivation had stripped away all her warmth.
“Fang Cheng Lang, do you believe in karma?” Yu Zhao asked, her tone calm as if discussing something mundane.
“Karma? Are you saying Cui Jue deserves this as some kind of payback?” Fang Cheng Lang scoffed in disbelief. “Yes, Cui Jue admits he sometimes neglected you and wrongfully accused you during the medicine garden incident. But does that mean he deserves to suffer from a poison that’s destroying him from the inside out? Yu Zhao, don’t you think you’re being too extreme?”
“Fang Cheng Lang, the only reason you can stand here and speak so boldly is because you’re not me. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
“You’re wrong! You grew up on Lone Moon Peak; I know everything you’ve been through!” Fang Cheng Lang’s hands trembled as he spoke.
“So, just because we paid more attention to Junior Sister Cong Xin than to you, you want to sever all ties with us? Don’t forget that it was our master who brought you to Lone Moon Peak, giving you a place to belong. I was the one who took care of you, taught you to read and cultivate. Zi Yu carved you that bamboo flute, Su Ming played with you and got into trouble with you, Cui Jue made medicine for you, and Quan Ye even saved your life! Are all these acts of kindness really not enough to make up for a few years of neglect?”
Yu Zhao didn’t want to think about the past. Those memories brought her nothing but pain and darkness, offering no value or meaning. But Fang Cheng Lang and the others kept appearing before her, trying to use their past friendship to bind her. They had no idea that in her past life, they had already squandered all the goodwill she had toward them.
Take Cui Jue, for instance. In her previous life, did he only make her swallow that one Bone-Eroding Pill? He knew she was terrified of the dark after being locked in the Black Prison, yet he still tricked her into taking a pill that sealed off all her senses. Did he ever think of their past friendship as he watched her stumble around in fear, crying and searching for help?
Yes, Ye Cong Xin had made a deal with evil forces, using many insidious techniques that were difficult to defend against, including some that could confuse the mind. But if others could stay true to themselves and resist her influence, why did Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue become willing accomplices?
Admit it.
Yu Zhao told herself. Admit that they never really cared about you. In their hearts, you were never more than an afterthought. She had seen the truth clearly now, but it was laughable that Fang Cheng Lang and the others were still trapped in their own lies, unable to see the reality.
“Fang Cheng Lang, ice that freezes three feet deep doesn’t happen in a day, so there’s no point in arguing with me. I’ll say this one last time: from the moment I left Lone Moon Peak, there was nothing between us anymore. I owe you nothing, and I owe nothing to anyone from Lone Moon Peak.”
Yu Zhao finished speaking and turned to leave.
Fang Cheng Lang quickly drew his sword, blocking her path. His voice was filled with a bitter resolve as he asked, “You’re going to find Yao Wuji, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Yu Zhao replied without hesitation.
Fang Cheng Lang let out a harsh laugh. “As long as I’m here, you’re not going anywhere!”
Yu Zhao looked at him calmly. “You can’t stop me.”
Before she had refined her life-bound artifact, Fang Cheng Lang might have been able to fight her on equal ground. But now, she no longer saw him as a worthy opponent. The figure she once had to look up to was now far behind her. She no longer needed to chase after anyone. She was strong on her own.
“I can’t, but someone else can,” Fang Cheng Lang said quietly.
A sense of dread washed over Yu Zhao. She quickly released her soul power, intending to trap Fang Cheng Lang in an illusion. But he was faster, crushing the jade pendant hidden in his palm.
A powerful pressure suddenly descended upon Yu Zhao from all directions, robbing her of control over her body.
“What’s going on?” Master Qing Yan’s voice echoed in their ears.
Fang Cheng Lang dropped to his knees with a thud. “Master, please seek justice for Fourth Brother.”
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
As he spoke, the scene before Yu Zhao twisted. When her vision cleared, she found herself standing in Master Qing Yan’s room. Outwardly, she remained calm, but inside, she was quickly trying to think of a way out. The more she thought, however, the more hopeless it seemed. Before the strict and domineering Master Qing Yan, no words could change his mind.
“Master, during the Great Competition, I saw the demoness who poisoned Fourth Senior Brother. She’s Yao Wuji, the one who made it into the top twenty,” Fang Cheng Lang said, wasting no time in revealing Yao Wuji’s identity.
Master Qing Yan’s cold gaze swept over Yu Zhao, his eyes filled with suspicion and disdain. Anyone with eyes could see that Yu Zhao and Yao Wuji were close, their relationship anything but ordinary. He suspected that Yu Zhao had been behind the poisoning of Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue all along.
A heart as poisonous as a viper, beyond redemption.