Chapter 22: A Case of Failure!
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
For a brief moment…
Ye Cong Xin felt she might suffocate and die.
But in that critical moment, her emotions steadied.
She knew Master Qing Yan would not abandon her.
Indeed.
The next moment, her body lightened, and in the blink of an eye, she found herself in Master Qing Yan’s sanctuary.
A warm flow of energy surged steadily into her body.
The dizziness gradually subsided. Ye Cong Xin weakly blinked her eyes, then mustered a pale, pitiful smile and silently called out, “Master.”
Master Qing Yan’s face showed traces of anger, though his voice remained calm. “Little Seven, your body is already slightly weaker than others. You must cherish it more.”
“Master, it’s because I heard Sixth Senior Sister’s voice and got anxious. It won’t happen again,” Ye Cong Xin obediently lowered her head, revealing her slender, pale neck as she admitted her mistake.
Master Qing Yan reluctantly accepted her apology but couldn’t help but offer a few more words of caution.
Ye Cong Xin responded to each one earnestly.
The back-and-forth between the two made Yu Zhao, who had arrived earlier, feel like an unnecessary extra.
Yu Zhao lowered her gaze, standing quietly to the side, treating herself as mere furniture.
In her past life, such a harmonious scene of a loving master and filial disciple would have filled her with jealousy.
When Yu Zhao first became Master Qing Yan’s disciple, the master was immersed in a breakthrough in his cultivation and left all her matters to Eldest Senior Brother Fang Cheng Lang.
It wasn’t until Yu Zhao chose to practice Master Qing Yan’s Bright Moon Over the Sea Technique that they began spending more time together.
To be fair, Master Qing Yan wasn’t the most responsible teacher.
Aside from Fang Cheng Lang, he invested little time in his other disciples. A genius by nature, he taught Yu Zhao with a simple and direct approach.
He handed her all the techniques and spiritual energy methods at once, letting her practice on her own and only permitting questions when she encountered problems.
The Bright Moon Over the Sea Technique was quite profound. Yu Zhao had to balance her daily cultivation with fulfilling the endless requests from her senior brothers, leaving her stretched thin and unable to progress quickly.
Master Qing Yan, ever the perfectionist, could not tolerate his sole female disciple being seen as unskilled and mediocre.
It was likely from that point that Master Qing Yan began to grow cold toward Yu Zhao, even to the point of disdain.
Yu Zhao’s failure became a cautionary tale. After taking Ye Cong Xin as a disciple, Master Qing Yan completely changed his approach. He spoke gently, teaching thoroughly.
The stark difference once made Yu Zhao doubt herself.
“Yu Zhao.”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Yu Zhao looked up to meet a pair of disapproving eyes.
She cupped her hands and bowed. “Master?”
“Little Seven called you. Why did you ignore her?”
As he spoke, a powerful aura erupted in the hall.
Yu Zhao felt her shoulders weigh down, and her knees hit the floor with a bang.
Her expression remained calm as she looked toward Ye Cong Xin, who was completely unaffected, and replied in an icy tone, “Having been in seclusion for too long, I was momentarily distracted and didn’t hear Little Junior Sister calling me. It’s my fault. I ask for her forgiveness.”
Ye Cong Xin, preoccupied earlier with Master Qing Yan, had barely noticed Yu Zhao. Now hearing her apology, she turned to Yu Zhao and was taken aback.
It had been three years since they last met, and Yu Zhao had changed so much.
Ye Cong Xin remembered Yu Zhao as a youthful girl, her eyes blazing with defiance and a strange hatred for the world.
Now, though Yu Zhao’s features remained the same, it was as if she were a different person. Especially her eyes—dark, deep, exuding an air of aloofness.
Though apologizing, her tone was detached as if discussing something unrelated to her.
Was this still Yu Zhao?
Ye Cong Xin hesitated for a moment before murmuring, “It’s not Senior Sister’s fault. My voice was too soft.”
Yu Zhao didn’t continue the conversation. After offering another apology, she turned to Master Qing Yan, redirecting the topic. “Master, I wish to join the expedition to Dragon Roar Valley in three days. I hope for your approval.”
Master Qing Yan’s punishment of kneeling was just a light reprimand, so he didn’t press further.
He glanced at Yu Zhao and nodded slightly. “To have rebuilt your Foundation Establishment stage in three years is commendable…”
Ye Cong Xin was startled and alarmed.
Yu Zhao’s progress was faster than she anticipated. Even after restarting her cultivation, Yu Zhao had caught up to her. Such talent with her water spiritual root was extraordinary.
Worse, Master Qing Yan’s tone hinted at approval.
A team could only accommodate so many Foundation Establishment cultivators before it became a liability. Adding another would create tension, even if Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu vouched for her. The other disciples would surely harbor complaints.
Most importantly, with Yu Zhao present, how could Ye Cong Xin draw closer to Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu?
She had to stop Yu Zhao!
Her eyes shifted as she knelt down as well.
“Little Seven…”
“Master!” Ye Cong Xin’s voice rang out. “Master, Little Seven and Sixth Senior Sister are connected in spirit. I also wish to go to Dragon Roar Valley. Please allow me!”
It’s happening.
Yu Zhao smirked inwardly.
In her previous life, Ye Cong Xin had also joined the Dragon Roar Valley expedition.
That was when Senior Sister Zhou Jin Yue, covering their retreat, died in an ambush. Fang Cheng Lang, Lan Zi Yu, and many others were gravely injured. Only Ye Cong Xin remained unharmed, gaining fortuitous opportunities that furthered her cultivation.
What seemed accidental in the past was now clearly Ye Cong Xin’s malicious scheme.
If Ye Cong Xin wanted to harm others, Yu Zhao wouldn’t interfere. But if Zhou Jin Yue was her target again, Yu Zhao would defend her!
And if Ye Cong Xin tried her tricks, Yu Zhao would make sure Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu suffered the consequences of her schemes instead.
“Nonsense,” Master Qing Yan’s expression darkened. “The journey to Dragon Roar Valley is fraught with danger. Little Seven, I forbid it!”
“Master!” Tears welled in Ye Cong Xin’s eyes. “Master, I’m also a cultivator! I’m your disciple! I don’t want others to call me useless! I want you to be proud of me! Master, if even you don’t believe in me, who will?”
Her heartfelt plea was moving and full of emotion. Yu Zhao doubted Master Qing Yan could resist.
Sure enough, he sighed deeply. “Fine, fine, you may go.”
His tone was filled with the helplessness and affection of an elder.
“Thank you, Master!”
Ye Cong Xin’s eyes brimmed with joy.
But her excitement wasn’t about Master Qing Yan’s words.
It was about the chance to grow closer to Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu.
By stealing their fortunes, she could survive. She never wanted to endure the torment of illness again!
Besides, if such fools could become legends in the cultivation world, why couldn’t she?
She, Ye Cong Xin, would become the most legendary female cultivator!
She would make the name Ye Cong Xin echo throughout the cultivation world!