Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Did He Buy It?

Ling Yun Gao stepped out of the fog and found two figures seated opposite each other in the pavilion.

“Martial Uncle Hua. Martial Uncle Ku Mu.” He bowed with measured respect.

Only then did Hua Wu Sheng and Venerable Ku Mu turn their heads, as if they’d been so absorbed in discussion that his arrival had barely reached them.

“The Sect Master is here.” Hua Wu Sheng’s voice carried a faint, carefully placed weariness. “Please sit. Serve tea.”

Tao Jiao moved to clear the table, but Ling Yun Gao stopped her with a small smile. “No need to fuss.”

His eyes flicked toward the inner rooms. “Martial Uncle, I’m here to see Bu Fei. Where is he? How is he right now? I heard his devil qi relapsed. How could I possibly sit still?”

With concern like that, who wouldn’t call him a good uncle?

Hua Wu Sheng’s expression didn’t shift. She only let relief soften the edges of her face. “It’s good that you still remember him. He’s fine for now. It’s under control, and he’s resting.”

Ling Yun Gao let out a slow breath. “That’s good. May I go see him?”

Hua Wu Sheng nodded. “Song Zi, lead the way.”

“Yes.” Song Zi bowed. “Sect Master, this way.”

Seeing neither elder rise, Ling Yun Gao seemed to relax a fraction. He followed Song Zi into the guest rooms.

At the door, Song Zi knocked. “Senior Sister Bai, the Sect Master is here.”

The door opened at once. Bai Meng Jin bowed low. “This disciple pays respects to Sect Master.”

Ling Yun Gao gave a brief nod and stepped inside.

Ling Bu Fei lay on the bed with his eyes closed, his face pale enough to blur into the pillow. It was hard to tell whether he was asleep or unconscious.

Ling Yun Gao moved closer. He touched his nephew’s forehead, tucked the edge of the blanket as if by habit, then reached for his wrist.

The instant his fingers found the pulse, his brows drew together.

Chaotic. Turbulent. Like a river breaking its banks.

He glanced at Bai Meng Jin. She stood a respectful distance away, head lowered. Her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying and hadn’t managed to stop.

Ling Yun Gao released Ling Bu Fei’s wrist, slid the hand back beneath the blanket, and made a small gesture toward the door. “Come.”

Bai Meng Jin followed him out.

In the main hall, Ling Yun Gao’s voice sharpened. “Why is Bu Fei’s internal aura so chaotic? You didn’t smooth it out for him?”

Bai Meng Jin clasped her hands so tightly her knuckles blanched. “Reporting to Sect Master… I did. Several times. But this relapse was too severe. I couldn’t keep up.”

Her voice shook. “Forget calming it completely—I nearly suffered backlash myself.”

Ling Yun Gao’s eyes narrowed. “Didn’t Martial Uncle Hua say it was under control?”

“It is.” Bai Meng Jin lowered her voice even further, like someone afraid of being blamed for a storm. “Martial Uncle said the devil qi is violent, but mostly sealed. For now, we can only wait for the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron to press it down…”

Ling Yun Gao’s expression eased a notch. “I heard you were the one who wanted to go to Flowing Moon City?”

Bai Meng Jin’s lashes trembled. She flicked a quick glance at him and immediately lowered her gaze again. “Yes.”

Ling Yun Gao sighed, the tone of a man trying to sound patient while weighing responsibility. “You know why the sect accepted you. Bu Fei’s safety is your greatest duty.”

His gaze pinned her. “In the future, think through the consequences before you act. Don’t be driven by sudden impulse.”

“Yes.” Bai Meng Jin’s voice trembled, as if the word hurt. “This disciple won’t dare again.”

Ling Yun Gao turned slightly aside, as though to avoid the impression of bullying a young girl. “Let me ask you. Have Bu Fei’s meridians improved at all? Since he managed to cast a barrier this time, is there a chance he can be cured?”

“I… I don’t know.” Bai Meng Jin looked up timidly. “When the Young Sect Master suddenly cast the barrier, I was shocked too. Then he fainted. His devil qi went wild. Martial Great-Uncle brought us back, and it took the whole night to suppress it.”

Ling Yun Gao studied her face for signs of cleverness and found only fear and uncertainty. He tried another angle. “Then can he cast a barrier again in the future?”

Bai Meng Jin hesitated, then answered carefully, “Once the Young Sect Master’s devil qi is pressed back down, it should be the same as before. Since he could do it this time… maybe he can again later?”

She looked at him as if clinging to his judgment. “Sect Master, what do you think?”

Ling Yun Gao waved it away, light on the surface. “We’ll see after Bu Fei wakes. If there’s a first time, there can be a second. There’s still hope.”

Bai Meng Jin’s face brightened, relief blooming too quickly to be faked. “You think so too, Sect Master? That’s wonderful. I asked Martial Uncle and Martial Great-Uncle, but the two elders wouldn’t say anything.”

Ling Yun Gao nodded once. “Mm. Go back and take good care of Bu Fei. I’m leaving him to you.”

“Yes,” Bai Meng Jin replied obediently.

When he turned and left, she watched his back disappear, then pressed her lips into a small, satisfied smile.

Back in the pavilion, Hua Wu Sheng and Venerable Ku Mu sat as if they’d never stopped discussing their mysterious matter. When they saw Ling Yun Gao approach, they paused naturally.

“You’ve seen Bu Fei?” Hua Wu Sheng sighed. “This child is so responsible. If his luck hadn’t been so bad—if his meridians hadn’t been ruined—he would have grown into a fine Sect Master someday.”

Ling Yun Gao nodded, the right kind of sorrow in his face. “Martial Nephew Ying reported to me. His intentions were good, but he didn’t know his limits. He didn’t think about what kind of body he has. If something happened to him… what would we do?”

He let out a long sigh, thick with performance and something like genuine fear. “My brother and Senior Sister Jiang left only this one lifeline. If something happened to Bu Fei, I’d have no face to meet them in the afterlife.”

Hua Wu Sheng nodded, as if every word rang true. “Exactly.”

Ling Yun Gao judged the moment ripe and finally asked what he’d come for. “Martial Uncle, logically, with Bu Fei’s meridians, even if he forced his qi he shouldn’t be able to cast a defensive barrier. How could he do it? He cast a spell and was fine—doesn’t that mean his meridians can still be saved?”

Hua Wu Sheng’s expression darkened. She glanced at Venerable Ku Mu.

Venerable Ku Mu answered in her place, voice steady. “We thought that at first too. But after examining his meridians, we found it isn’t that simple. After he used his cultivation this time, the devil qi sealed in his acupoints sank even deeper.”

Ling Yun Gao sucked in a small breath. “What?”

Hua Wu Sheng sighed, sorrow settling like ash. “Even if he can act again in the future, it will be at the cost of his own life. If it happens a few more times, I’m afraid even the Devil-Suppressing Cauldron won’t be able to save his battered body.”

“So that’s how it is…” Ling Yun Gao’s face tightened with the right kind of horror.

“In any case, we can’t let him act again.” Hua Wu Sheng’s voice turned firm. “What matters more—his life, or showing off? He needs to live first.”

Venerable Ku Mu nodded.

*

Ling Yun Gao left.

Hua Wu Sheng drank a cup of tea in silence, then asked softly, “Do you think he believed it?”

Venerable Ku Mu snorted. “With Ling Old Two’s brain? How could he not?”

Hua Wu Sheng laughed under her breath. “You really are the same as always. You’ve never liked him.”

“How could I?” Venerable Ku Mu’s eyes went cold. “Back then, Yuan Province City was overrun with Devil Creatures. Senior Sister Mei went to purge them—if he hadn’t failed when it mattered, would Senior Sister Mei have died?”

His voice sharpened like ice. “Even as she was dying, Senior Sister Mei handed over her entire fortune to him. Otherwise, how would he have reached Divine Transformation?”

Hua Wu Sheng sighed and nodded. “His Divine Transformation was bought with Senior Sister Mei’s life. But if Senior Sister Mei was willing to sacrifice herself for her disciple… what can we say?”

Venerable Ku Mu’s anger didn’t fade; it curdled into something darker. “I’m not blaming him for her sacrifice. I just dislike him as a person. His mind isn’t clean. He weighs personal gain in every breath. Even with his own nephew, he guards more than he pities.”

He looked away. “In the end, I can’t like him.”

Hua Wu Sheng didn’t argue. She only shook her head. “Forget it. At our age, it’s not worth playing mind games with him.”

Her gaze drifted toward the guest rooms. “That Bai girl seems all right. We’ll spend more time with her and see what she’s truly like. If she’s reliable, then before we pass on, we’ll do our best to push her into Divine Transformation. So Bu Fei will have someone to rely on later.”