Chapter 20: How Dare She Trust Him?
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Quan Ye staggered back a few steps, then fell to the ground in disbelief.
The man, strong as an eagle, broke into tears as if his defenses had collapsed all at once. Staring at his trembling hands, he mumbled, “How… how could this happen…”
He was sure he held back his strength!
In the past, whenever he sparred with Yu Zhao, he used no more than fifty percent of his power. Occasionally, when excitement got the better of him, it would increase to sixty or seventy percent. Yu Zhao would suffer minor injuries but never anything internal.
So how had this happened?
“Quan Ye! You beast! You shattered Yu Xiao Zhao’s foundation! You deserve to die!”
Hearing Fang Cheng Lang’s words, Su Ming’s body swayed. He then stormed forward, grabbed Quan Ye by the collar, and unleashed a tirade of furious shouts, punctuated with a punch square to his face.
Then came the second punch. And the third…
Quan Ye remained silent, allowing Su Ming to pummel him, his expression brimming with regret.
“That’s enough! Stop it!”
Su Ming, his fury uncontrollable and fists bloody, was finally pulled away by Lan Zi Yu. Even Fang Cheng Lang, though overwhelmed with grief, showed no intention of stopping the assault.
Su Ming shoved Lan Zi Yu away angrily. “Second Senior Brother, don’t stop me! I have to avenge Yu Xiao Zhao!”
“Don’t make things worse!” Lan Zi Yu’s voice was icy. “First, we need to deal with Junior Sister’s condition. Leave Fifth Junior Brother to Master’s judgment.”
Su Ming begrudgingly let go of his anger and hurried back to Yu Zhao’s side.
Cui Jue had just finished administering medicine. Yu Zhao’s complexion showed a hint of warmth, and her chaotic breathing began to stabilize.
Su Ming’s heart ached at the sight.
Yu Zhao’s cultivation, which had barely reached the early Foundation Establishment stage, had now dropped to the ninth level of Qi Refinement. Three years of hard work—gone in an instant.
He dreaded how devastated she would feel upon waking up to this reality.
Cui Jue put away the jade bottle and turned to Fang Cheng Lang with a solemn expression. He shook his head gravely. “Her injuries have stabilized, but the shattering of her foundation is irreversible. She’ll have to rebuild it from scratch.”
Fang Cheng Lang gazed down at Yu Zhao, her eyes closed tightly as if shielding herself from the pain of the world. Guilt gnawed at him.
He had known Quan Ye’s impulsive, uncontrollable nature. Zhou Jin Yue had even reminded him moments earlier. So why hadn’t he stopped Quan Ye?
He was as much at fault as Quan Ye.
No, not just him—everyone present, except for Junior Sister, was guilty!
Fang Cheng Lang carried Yu Zhao to her cave dwelling step by step, a heavy silence following in his wake.
The moment they stepped inside, everyone froze in astonishment.
Yu Zhao’s cave was almost barren, furnished only with a few essential items. The place was stark and cold, resembling an icy cavern—nothing like the cozy retreat one might expect of a young woman.
Fang Cheng Lang couldn’t help but recall the lavish and meticulously decorated chambers of Ye Cong Xin, his heart aching with bitterness.
His Little Six had been living in such hardship.
For the first time, even Su Ming felt a pang of guilt toward Yu Zhao.
He had never seen such a desolate dwelling. It reminded him of the austere quarters of ascetic monks.
Yu Xiao Zhao had lived here all this time.
No wonder she was frugal.
Lan Zi Yu and Cui Jue were also affected in their own ways. Perhaps they didn’t know Yu Zhao as well as they thought.
Fang Cheng Lang gently laid Yu Zhao on her stone bed. Stroking her hair softly, he spoke in a low, heavy voice, “Junior Sister… forget it. Fourth Junior Brother, stay here and look after Little Six. The rest of you, come with me to see Master.”
His voice carried a chill that sent shivers down their spines.
“Yes,” they responded, knowing their eldest senior brother’s rage was genuine. None dared to provoke him further.
Cui Jue stayed behind in Yu Zhao’s cave while Fang Cheng Lang dragged the utterly drained Quan Ye toward the summit of Lone Moon Peak, accompanied by Su Ming, Lan Zi Yu, and Ye Cong Xin.
…
Inside the cave, silence prevailed.
Cui Jue sat by the bed, staring intently at Yu Zhao’s sleeping face. After a long while, he broke the quiet with a soft murmur.
“Does Little Zhao not want to see Fourth Senior Brother?”
No response echoed in the cave.
Yu Zhao lay still, her face serene.
Cui Jue continued, unhurried, “Was it something I did wrong that made you unwilling to face me?”
“Surely, it’s still about the incident in the medicine garden. I scolded you, and you got upset, didn’t you?”
“Fourth Senior Brother didn’t mean to blame you. I only wanted you to learn to be cautious and honest.”
“…”
Normally reserved and reticent, Cui Jue seemed more patient and animated when speaking to Yu Zhao. Yet no matter how many words he uttered, the person on the bed offered no reaction.
Eventually, all his words condensed into a helpless sigh.
Yu Zhao, feigning sleep, heard every word. Her heart remained unmoved, even feeling a hint of irritation.
These words…
She had heard enough of them in her past life.
Whether it was Cui Jue, Fang Cheng Lang, or Su Ming, they always judged based on what they saw, never listening to explanations.
Take the medicine garden incident, for instance.
As an alchemist, Cui Jue required a steady supply of herbs, so he had established a dedicated garden on Lone Moon Peak. He entrusted its care to Yu Zhao, knowing she was meticulous and well-versed in herbal cultivation. For years, she managed it without incident.
But one day, shortly before he began an intensive alchemy session, Cui Jue found the garden in disarray—many herbs had withered, and a portion was dead.
Upon inspection, he discovered traces of Dragon Tongue Flower roots, a highly toxic substance, mixed in the water used for irrigation. The garden itself had a small patch of these flowers, and Cui Jue concluded that Yu Zhao must have been careless, contaminating the water with their roots.
Yu Zhao adamantly denied the accusation.
She had tended the garden for longer than Cui Jue, knowing its every requirement. It was inconceivable for her to make such a mistake. Moreover, she hadn’t touched the Dragon Tongue Flower during that period. Someone had deliberately sabotaged her.
Yet Cui Jue dismissed her arguments as excuses.
He believed no one else on Lone Moon Peak would bother tampering with the garden.
Yu Zhao had no way to defend herself.
The two parted on bad terms.
To Yu Zhao, reborn and hardened by greater tragedies, this incident had long faded into irrelevance. She no longer cared.
She had endured far worse injustices.
Cui Jue, who once treated her as a sister, who coaxed her to sleep, who taught her about herbs, would one day poison her with his own hands.
Watching her writhe in agony, clawing at her skin, convulsing as venom coursed through her veins, he had coldly declared, “This is the price for bullying Little Junior Sister.”
How could she ever trust him again?
How could she dare?
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