Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Failed Example!
For a moment, Ye Cong Xin felt she was going to die from suffocation. At that critical moment, she instead became calm, because she knew Master Qing Yan would not just stand by and watch. Sure enough, in the next instant her body suddenly felt light, and in the blink of an eye she appeared inside Master Qing Yan’s cave residence. A warm current then poured into her body without end. The dizziness slowly faded. Ye Cong Xin blinked weakly, then lifted a pale, pitiful smile and silently called: “Master.”

Master Qing Yan’s face carried a trace of anger, though he tried his best to keep his voice even as he said, “Little Seven, your body is already weaker than most. You must cherish it even more.”

“Master, I heard Sixth Senior Sister’s voice, so I got a little anxious. It won’t happen again.” Ye Cong Xin lowered her head obediently to admit her mistake, revealing her fair, slender neck.

Master Qing Yan was barely satisfied, but he still could not help giving her a few more reminders.

Ye Cong Xin answered each one carefully.

Their gentle back-and-forth only made Yu Zhao, who had arrived first, feel like a useless extra. Yu Zhao lowered her eyes and stood quietly to the side, treating herself as nothing more than a decoration.

In her past life, a scene of such a loving master and filial disciple would have been enough to make her burn with envy.

When Yu Zhao had first become Master Qing Yan’s disciple, he happened to gain a small insight in his cultivation. He handed all matters related to Yu Zhao over to First Senior Brother Fang Cheng Lang.

Only later, when Yu Zhao decided to cultivate Master Qing Yan’s Sea Moon Scripture, did she start spending more time with her master.

To be fair, Master Qing Yan was not a very competent teacher. Other than First Senior Brother Fang Cheng Lang, he did not spend much time on any of his other disciples. He himself was a genius who learned everything easily and understood new things with little effort, so his way of teaching Yu Zhao was very simple and rough.

He stuffed all the cultivation technique formulas and spiritual power circulation methods into Yu Zhao’s head at once, then told her to cultivate on her own. Only when she ran into a problem was she allowed to come ask him.

The Sea Moon Scripture was very profound. Every day, Yu Zhao not only had to cultivate, she also had to spare energy to deal with all kinds of requests from her senior brothers. Since she had no way to “clone” herself, her cultivation speed naturally fell short of expectations.

The spotless and aloof Master Qing Yan could not accept that his only female disciple was an ignorant, empty-headed mediocrity.

It was probably from that time on that Master Qing Yan gradually began to neglect Yu Zhao, and even started to dislike her.

With Yu Zhao as such a failed example, after he accepted Ye Cong Xin as his disciple, Master Qing Yan completely changed the way he treated his disciples. When he spoke to her, his voice was gentle. When he taught, he was thorough and careful.

The sharp contrast once made Yu Zhao deeply doubt herself.

“Yu Zhao.”

Yu Zhao came back to herself from her memories and looked up, meeting a pair of eyes full of displeasure.

She cupped her fists and said, “Master?”

“Little Seven called you. Why did you ignore her?”

As he spoke, a huge pressure exploded inside the hall.

Yu Zhao’s shoulders sank, and her knees slammed onto the floor with a bang.

Her expression did not change. She looked at Ye Cong Xin, who was completely unaffected by the pressure, and said in a cool, calm voice, “I have been in closed-door cultivation for too long. I was a bit dazed and did not hear Junior Sister calling me. It is this Senior Sister’s fault. I hope Junior Sister can forgive me.”

Just now, Ye Cong Xin had been busy dealing with Master Qing Yan, so she had not paid much attention to Yu Zhao. Now, hearing Yu Zhao apologize to her, she followed the sound and looked over, then was truly shocked.

It was nothing else. They had simply not seen each other for three years, and Yu Zhao had changed far too much.

Ye Cong Xin still remembered that when Yu Zhao first entered closed-door cultivation, she had been a girl with a tender face, a fire burning in her eyes, and a strange, bitter hatred toward the world clinging to her.

But now, Yu Zhao’s features were still the same, yet the person seemed completely different. Especially her eyes. They were dark and deep, giving off a cold, distant feeling.

She was clearly apologizing, but it sounded as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with Ye Cong Xin at all.

Was this really still Yu Zhao?

Ye Cong Xin stared blankly for a long moment, then mumbled, “It is not Senior Sister’s fault. My voice was too soft.”

Yu Zhao did not follow along with Ye Cong Xin’s words. After she voiced another brief apology, she turned to Master Qing Yan and drew the topic back: “Master, this disciple would like to join the trip to Dragon Roar Valley three days from now. I hope Master will allow it.”

When Master Qing Yan made Yu Zhao kneel, it had only been a small punishment, so he did not press the issue.

He gave Yu Zhao a light look and nodded. “To rebuild your cultivation back to mid Foundation Establishment within three years is still quite diligent…”

Ye Cong Xin first flinched, and in her heart thought: [This is bad.]

Yu Zhao’s cultivation speed was actually even faster than she had expected. After resetting her foundation, she could still reach the same level as Ye Cong Xin. A water spiritual root really did have excellent talent.

What made her even more uneasy was that Master Qing Yan’s tone clearly sounded like he was about to agree.

One mid Foundation Establishment cultivator in the team was already a drag. If they added another, even if Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu tried their best to argue for it, the other disciples would definitely develop all kinds of resentment.

Most importantly, if Yu Zhao went, how could she still get closer to Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu?

She had to stop Yu Zhao.

Ye Cong Xin’s eyes turned, and she also knelt down.

“Little Seven…” Master Qing Yan began.

“Master!” Ye Cong Xin called out loudly. “Master, Little Seven and Sixth Senior Sister share the same mind. I also want to go to Dragon Roar Valley. Please, Master, allow us to go together!”

[Here it comes.] Yu Zhao let out a cold laugh in her heart.

In her last life, Ye Cong Xin had also been part of the Dragon Roar Valley trip.

It was during that trip that Senior Sister Zhou, Zhou Jin Yue, died while covering the disciples’ retreat. Lan Zi Yu, Fang Cheng Lang, and many other disciples were severely injured. Only Ye Cong Xin, protected by everyone, did not suffer any harm at all. Instead, she turned misfortune into blessing and raised her cultivation level by another stage.

All those “accidents” from her past life now looked, in Yu Zhao’s eyes, like malicious traps carefully set by Ye Cong Xin.

If Ye Cong Xin wanted to harm other people, Yu Zhao would not complain. But when it came to Zhou Jin Yue, she would protect her no matter what.

If Ye Cong Xin dared to play tricks again, Yu Zhao would push Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu forward and let them taste what it felt like to be fed to beasts.

“Nonsense.” Master Qing Yan’s face darkened slightly. “To go to Dragon Roar Valley, you have to travel through many places. The journey is full of danger. Little Seven, Master will not allow you to go.”

“Master!” Tears filled Ye Cong Xin’s eyes. “Master, I am also a cultivator! I am your disciple! I do not want others to call me useless trash. I also want Master to be proud of me! Master! Others may not believe in me, but do you not believe in me either?”

Ye Cong Xin’s words were moving and full of emotion. Yu Zhao felt that Master Qing Yan probably would not be able to withstand it.

Sure enough, she heard Master Qing Yan let out a long sigh. “Fine, fine. You can go.”

His voice held an elder’s helplessness and indulgence.

“Thank you, Master!”

Ye Cong Xin’s eyes shone with excited tears.

Of course, it was not because of Master Qing Yan’s approval alone.

She was happy because this meant she could get closer to Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu.

Only by stealing their fortune could she continue to live. She never wanted to suffer the torment of sickness again.

Besides, Fang Cheng Lang, Lan Zi Yu, and the others were all idiots. If they could become a generation of Heaven’s Chosen in the cultivation world, why could she not take their place?

[She, Ye Cong Xin, would become the most legendary female cultivator in the cultivation world. She would make the name “Ye Cong Xin” echo throughout the cultivation world.]