Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Drawing the Line
At the foot of Lone Moon Peak.

It was completely silent.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on that slight figure.

An invisible pressure hung over the area, and even the sky seemed a little darker.

In this strange atmosphere, Yu Zhao stepped forward and broke the silence.

“Junior Sister, during our spar that day, I was too careless. I forgot that your body is weak, so I went all out and ended up injuring you. These past few days in the Black Prison, every time I think about you coughing blood and fainting, I feel terribly guilty.”

Yu Zhao’s voice rose and fell in the right places, and she even put on a pained, regretful expression. She really did look like someone who had just suddenly seen the light.

However, the others’ faces slowly turned strange.

Many of them had been there that day and knew the truth.

The reason Ye Cong Xin got hurt was because she had gone to Yu Zhao on her own and asked for a spar to test her strength.

Yu Zhao had politely refused at first.

But she could not withstand Ye Cong Xin’s repeated begging, and with the onlookers egging them on, Yu Zhao had finally agreed, unwillingly.

One was the only female disciple of Lone Moon Peak, and the other was the sect’s most popular Junior Sister. As soon as they started sparring, they drew a crowd of disciples.

At the start, their exchange of blows had been proper and restrained, but later Ye Cong Xin’s attacks grew more and more fierce, and Yu Zhao started to struggle.

Just when everyone thought Yu Zhao was about to lose, she suddenly exploded with strength, seriously injuring Ye Cong Xin in one move and turning defeat into victory.

In the sect, Yu Zhao had always performed only so-so. To the disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect, that sudden outburst could only mean she had secretly used some dirty trick.

That was why so many people had spoken up for Ye Cong Xin.

Yu Zhao’s victory did not look honorable.

Now, after hearing Yu Zhao’s words, everyone suddenly realized that Ye Cong Xin had always been weak and frail to begin with. Losing to someone on the same level as her, like Yu Zhao, did not seem that strange.

An unnatural look flashed across Ye Cong Xin’s face.

When she looked at Yu Zhao now, there was a trace of scrutiny in her eyes.

Your enemy will always know you best.

Ye Cong Xin had squeezed Yu Zhao out of her place, taken the position of Lone Moon Peak’s Junior Sister, and spent a lot of effort on the people of Lone Moon Peak.

She could even say that, out of everyone, she was the one who understood Yu Zhao the best.

Yu Zhao might look stubborn and tough, but inside she was fragile and full of self-doubt.

She was like duckweed without roots, drifting with nowhere to stay. She tried her best to please the people around her, even lowering her pride and groveling, just to get a little warmth.

To deal with someone like that, you could not attack her directly. You had to break the people around her one by one.

Then, with just a light push, she would fall easily into a bottomless abyss.

At first, the plan had gone very smoothly. Ye Cong Xin had even already guessed how Yu Zhao would react next. She never thought Yu Zhao would suddenly stop acting the way she usually did.

A faint feeling of unease rose in Ye Cong Xin’s heart, as if her plan was slipping out of her control.

On the other side, Yu Zhao was still speaking.

“Words alone are too little as an apology, so I have decided to give this Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute to Junior Sister Ye to show my regret.”

As she spoke, a purple bamboo flute appeared in Yu Zhao’s hand.

The body of the flute was smooth and fine, clear like jade. One glance was enough to see that its owner had cherished it very much.

A murmur spread through the crowd.

As soon as her words fell, the place burst into noise.

Everyone could not help turning to look at Lan Zi Yu, who stood beside Ye Cong Xin.

Right now, the playful smile that had been on Lan Zi Yu’s face at the start was gone. His face was dark, and he glared at Yu Zhao as if fire was about to shoot from his eyes.

Everyone in the Five Elements Dao Sect knew that the Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute was the entrance gift Lan Zi Yu had given Yu Zhao.

On normal days, Yu Zhao treated that Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute like a treasure and never let it out of her hands. Once, a disciple had jokingly asked her for it, and Yu Zhao had turned hostile on the spot. That alone showed how much she valued it.

But today, she was actually saying in public that she was going to give that Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute to Ye Cong Xin?

This…

People all had different thoughts, but with Lan Zi Yu standing right there, they could only exchange looks with each other.

There was definitely a good show to watch.

Fang Cheng Lang’s heart also sank.

He was very pleased with Yu Zhao’s attitude in admitting her mistake.

But he did not agree with the way she was handling it.

He had known Lan Zi Yu for many years and understood his character.

Lan Zi Yu was very possessive. When he loved, he wanted the person to live; when he hated, he wanted them to die.

Even for something he had already given away, he could not stand someone else touching it.

Yu Zhao giving away the Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute he had personally crafted, even if she was giving it to their Junior Sister, was sure to enrage him.

This was not a good thing.

“Little Six…”

Fang Cheng Lang wanted to persuade Yu Zhao to take back what she had just said, but Yu Zhao did not give him a chance to finish.

She looked straight at Lan Zi Yu and said calmly, “Second Senior Brother, this Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute was something you gave me. Now that I am passing it on to Junior Sister, you should not be unwilling to part with it, right?”

Provocation.

This was open provocation.

Lan Zi Yu’s breathing grew rough, and cold killing intent flashed in his eyes.

[Yu Zhao, how dare she! How dare she!]

Even though this was not the first time she had faced Lan Zi Yu’s malice, Yu Zhao’s heart still began to ache with countless tiny stabs.

“Junior Sister, this is for you.”

“Ah, what a beautiful flute! And it’s purple! It’s so pretty, Second Senior Brother, is this for me?”

“Of course. I made this with my own hands. I polished every joint of the bamboo myself. There is only one like it in the world. If you dare to lose it, you are not allowed to tell anyone you are my Junior Sister ever again.”

“Mm! I will take good care of it! Even if I get lost, the flute will not! Second Senior Brother, can you teach me how to play it?”

“Hmph, that’s more like it. Give it here, I’ll teach you.”

Yu Zhao took a deep breath, pushing the voices in her head away.

In her previous life, she had remembered that conversation with Lan Zi Yu clearly and had treated the Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute like her own eyes.

Yet Lan Zi Yu had rushed over to ask her for the Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute just because Ye Cong Xin accidentally mentioned it once. When she refused to give it to him, he flew into a rage and spat out many hurtful words.

There was one sentence she remembered very clearly.

“The thing I regret the most is giving the Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute to you, because you do not deserve it!”

Later, to make Ye Cong Xin happy, Lan Zi Yu personally crafted a Black Bamboo Flute for her, one that was even higher grade than Purple Cloud Bamboo.

Not only that, he had tricked Yu Zhao with excuses, taken the Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute from her hands, and then destroyed it right in front of her.

No matter how bitterly Yu Zhao begged, Lan Zi Yu had not hesitated for even a moment.

Since it was something she could not keep anyway, it was better to throw it away early, so it would not take up the place that should belong to her.

“Heh! Of course I am not unwilling. It was never yours to begin with. I was just blind back then.”

Lan Zi Yu almost ground this sentence out between his teeth.

“That is really great then.”

A small smile actually appeared on Yu Zhao’s face.

She walked lightly over to Ye Cong Xin, held out the Purple Cloud Bamboo Flute to her, and then looked at her with expectation.

Ye Cong Xin felt as if the air around her had turned hot. Lan Zi Yu’s gaze seemed to have turned into blades, ready to slice her the moment she reached out her hand.

She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head timidly: “Th-this is Second Senior Brother’s gift, I cannot take it.”

“It is fine. You heard it just now too. Second Senior Brother has already agreed.” Yu Zhao smiled again. “And this is also my own wish. If you do not accept it, that means you do not plan to forgive me. Senior Sister will be very sad.”