Chapter 99: Let Yu Zhao Stay
This novel is translated and hosted only on bcatranslation.
Master Zi Wei paced anxiously, her nerves frayed, as Elder Qiu Shuang and the other elders accompanied Yu Zhao up the steps to the main hall.
“Up ahead is the main hall of the Clear Wind Sect. We shall first pay our respects to the Sect Master before sitting down to discuss matters,” Elder Qiu Shuang said.
Yu Zhao nodded in agreement.
Master Zi Wei heard their voices outside, her gaze flickering. They didn’t seem to be here to cause trouble for the Clear Wind Sect. Could it be that she wouldn’t have to flee after all?
Still uncertain, she hesitated as Qiu Shuang and the other elders entered the main hall and bowed to her. Yu Zhao, surrounded by the elders, followed suit.
Initially, Master Zi Wei didn’t notice Yu Zhao. She was about to ask who had requested to meet her when Yu Zhao suddenly raised her head. Their eyes met, and both were startled.
Yu Zhao was surprised because she had seen this Sect Master of the Clear Wind Sect in a painting before. The painting depicted Shui Qing Yue teaching her disciples with extraordinary detail. The other figures were sketched briefly, but one stood close to Shui Qing Yue, their half-profile unmistakably clear. That half-profile was enough for Yu Zhao to recognize Master Zi Wei.
Master Zi Wei’s shock, however, was more easily understood. Anyone who had known Shui Qing Yue would be stunned upon meeting Yu Zhao—they looked far too alike.
Even Qiu Shuang and the others, aware that Yu Zhao wasn’t Shui Qing Yue, couldn’t help but occasionally find themselves in a daze when looking at her face.
“Palace… Palace Master!” Master Zi Wei blurted, her expression turning frosty. “No, that’s not right. You’re not Shui Qing Yue. Who are you?”
“I am Yu Zhao,” Yu Zhao replied calmly.
But her answer did nothing to ease Master Zi Wei’s tension; in fact, it only heightened her wariness and fear.
“What is your connection to Shui Qing Yue? Why have you come to the Clear Wind Sect?” Master Zi Wei demanded harshly.
Her tone was far from polite, causing the elders, including Qiu Shuang, to frown but remain silent.
“Master Zi Wei, are you afraid of me? Is it merely because I resemble Shui Qing Yue? Or is it because you’re somehow involved in the calamity that befell the Water Cloud Palace all those years ago?” Yu Zhao’s voice was steady yet piercing.
Respect me an inch, and I’ll return a foot.
Master Zi Wei had addressed Yu Zhao with hostility, so Yu Zhao saw no reason to be conciliatory in return. Their first meeting was already filled with tension, like drawn swords ready to clash.
“Utter nonsense! I see you’ve come with ill intentions! Leave immediately! The Clear Wind Sect does not welcome you!” Master Zi Wei declared angrily, her voice sharp as she flung her sleeve in dismissal.
“Sect Master, please calm your anger. Yu Zhao meant no disrespect!” Elder Qiu Shuang quickly interjected, trying to mediate.
The other elders chimed in as well, some even casting Yu Zhao pleading looks, urging her to offer an apology.
Yu Zhao hesitated for a moment. Not wanting to make things more difficult for the elders, she clasped her hands respectfully and said, “Master Zi Wei, my earlier words were indeed inappropriate. I apologize if they offended you.”
“Hmph, no need for excuses. Leave at once!” Master Zi Wei’s tone only grew more severe, refusing to relent.
Yu Zhao had yet to respond when the other elders rose to defend her.
“Sect Master, Yu Zhao has already apologized. Why must you press her so hard?”
“Indeed. Yu Zhao’s striking resemblance to the Palace Master suggests a possible blood relation. She could very well have ties to the Clear Wind Sect. Let her stay.”
“Sect Master, please show mercy and allow Yu Zhao to remain!”
“Let Yu Zhao stay!”
The voices of the elders converged into a single plea: Let Yu Zhao stay.
Master Zi Wei was livid, laughing bitterly. “Fine! Fine! You’re all so righteous. It seems I’m the only one here willing to play the villain!
“Have you all forgotten the catastrophe twenty years ago? As the Sect Master of the Clear Wind Sect, it is my duty to ensure the safety of every disciple under our roof. This person’s origins are unclear, and she cannot explain her connection to Shui Qing Yue. She must not stay!”
Master Zi Wei’s words instantly brought back memories of the nightmare from twenty years ago for the elders present.
It had been an ordinary day, with the Palace Master overseeing their practice in the training grounds. Suddenly, dark clouds loomed over the skies, and waves of enemies surged through every entrance of Water Cloud Palace, attacking the mountain gates.
The echoes of battle cries, clashes, and explosions filled the air.
Even to this day, traces of that fight could still be found throughout the Clear Wind Sect.
Those who had once thought the sect leader was cold-hearted could no longer argue. Instead, they looked at Yu Zhao with eyes filled with guilt.
Yu Zhao understood at that moment—there was no way she could remain at the Clear Wind Sect today.
Without another word, she scanned the group one last time and resolutely left.
Elder Qiu Shuang instinctively took two steps forward to follow.
“Don’t go.”
Master Zi Wei’s stern command carried on the breeze and reached Yu Zhao’s ears.
Yu Zhao’s lips curled into an enigmatic smile, and she quickened her pace.
…
Night.
Elder Qiu Shuang sat on the swing in her courtyard, drinking alone.
She was strikingly beautiful, with a faint blush from the wine adding a unique charm to her face.
“Palace Master… why haven’t you come back to see me yet…”
She muttered softly, her eyes half-closed, as if lost in a dream.
Whoosh—
A cool night breeze swept past, sending a shiver through her.
She raised the wine jug and tilted her slender neck back.
“Hmm?”
The expected wine didn’t pour down.
Lowering her gaze, she saw a firm, slender hand holding the jug.
When she looked up, the person before her was none other than Yu Zhao, who had been expelled from the sect not long ago.
The sight sobered Elder Qiu Shuang up considerably. She lowered her voice, her surprise mixed with joy. “How did you get in?”
Yu Zhao chuckled lightly. “Just a few trivial tricks—not worth showing off in front of an elder.”
Noting that Yu Zhao didn’t wish to elaborate, Elder Qiu Shuang refrained from pressing further. She gestured for Yu Zhao to follow her into the study.
“I know what you want to ask, but before that, I have a question about your identity.”
Yu Zhao shared a few key points about her life, such as being an orphan and her later survival after joining the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Upon learning that Yu Zhao was a disciple of the Five Elements Dao Sect, Elder Qiu Shuang felt a deep sense of relief. “You are truly blessed. No wonder you found your way to the Clear Wind Sect. However, you may be disappointed. Among the elders, I have been with Water Cloud Palace for the shortest time. I’ll share what I know, but beyond that, I’m afraid I can’t help.”
She then recounted the story of her meeting with Shui Qing Yue, the Palace Master of Water Cloud Palace.
Stripped of her lengthy praise for Shui Qing Yue’s beauty and grace, the story boiled down to a talented female cultivator refusing to be used as a mere tool for others’ cultivation. She was hunted down until Shui Qing Yue saved her and took her in.
“The Palace Master rarely spoke of her past, but we all knew she had a brother. They were separated as children and lost contact.
“She founded Water Cloud Palace for two reasons: to provide a haven for female cultivators who didn’t want to wander aimlessly and to use its influence to find her family.
“Unfortunately, that day never came. The upheaval twenty years ago not only destroyed the Palace Master’s years of hard work but also left her missing ever since.”