Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Sect Master Ji Yuan
The Sect Master of the Five Elements Dao Sect, Dao name Ji Yuan, had a tall, sturdy build and firm features. When he walked, his steps were like a dragon and a tiger, giving off a bold, carefree air.

Just from his looks, he did not seem like the head of a sect, but more like a swordsman hero from storybooks.

“We greet the Sect Master.”

Ye Cong Xin and Su Ming bowed at once with a disciple’s salute, shocked in their hearts.

Usually, Sect Master Ji Yuan rarely came to Lone Moon Peak.

Even if he had matters to discuss with Master Qing Yan, he mostly used Paper Crane Message Talismans or Voice Transmission instead of coming in person.

Why did he suddenly come in person today?

However, when the two of them finished saluting, they saw Yu Zhao following closely behind Sect Master Ji Yuan, and they instantly clenched their teeth.

[Despicable!]

[She actually went to look for help!]

After Sect Master Ji Yuan entered the main hall, he did not act like an outsider at all. He went straight to an empty chair and sat down.

At this time, Yu Zhao stepped forward and said: “Greetings, Master.”

When she finished speaking, Master Qing Yan acted as if he had not heard and instead turned his head to ask Ji Yuan why he had come.

Ji Yuan laughed and said: “Master Qing Yan, please do not blame me. I did not mean to disturb you. It was only that when I went back to the Main Peak, I happened to run into Yu Zhao crying to my first disciple. She said she had offended Master by accident and felt so guilty and uneasy that she wanted to kill herself to make up for it. She was crying so hard that it shook the heavens.

“I thought she looked pitiful, so I volunteered to come as a mediator. Yu Zhao is still young and childish. I hope Master Qing Yan can give her one more chance.”

[Shameless!]

Su Ming glared angrily at Yu Zhao.

[What guilty and uneasy, what crying that shook the heavens, it was all fake!]

[There was no guilt on her face at all!]

[She clearly acted on purpose just to escape her punishment!]

[The Sect Master must have been fooled by her!]

Su Ming firmly believed that Sect Master Ji Yuan had been tricked by Yu Zhao’s fake kindness, but Master Qing Yan knew Ji Yuan much better.

Ji Yuan would not come in person for only one purpose.

Master Qing Yan did not show his thoughts. He took back his gaze and looked at Yu Zhao, who was still holding her bowing posture.

“Yu Zhao, do you have anything to say?”

“This disciple knows she was wrong.”

“What wrong did you commit?”

Yu Zhao lifted her head. Her eyes did not dodge as she met Master Qing Yan’s gaze.

“If Master says this disciple is wrong, then this disciple is wrong.”

Everyone present was shocked by how bold her words were.

Her tone was so tough that it did not sound like an apology at all. It sounded more like a challenge.

Even Sect Master Ji Yuan, who had been invited by Yu Zhao, could not help thinking that Yu Zhao was too bold. She actually dared to talk back to Master Qing Yan face to face.

“Heh.”

Master Qing Yan was so angry that he let out a cold laugh.

Yu Zhao truly had a rebellious nature. She was beyond saving.

“You say you do not know your mistakes. You fought with Little Seven over the Starry Sky Stone, you made fun of the Senior Brother who was passing on my words, and you disobeyed your Master’s orders. Are all of these still somehow wronging you?”

The pressure of a Divine Transformation cultivator suddenly burst out. Yu Zhao felt her breath stop, as if a thousand pounds had been pressed onto her shoulders.

“Ugh.”

She let out a dull groan. Her knees bent and she almost fell to her knees.

[I am not wrong!]

[I will not kneel!]

Yu Zhao gritted her teeth and stubbornly looked up at Master Qing Yan. The spirit power in her meridians rushed madly.

Under the huge pressure, she slowly straightened her back bit by bit. Cracking sounds came from all the bones in her body, loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear.

A trace of appreciation flashed in Ji Yuan’s eyes.

Su Ming froze, and a hint of confusion showed on his face.

Yu Zhao at this moment felt too strange to him.

He felt a kind of helplessness he could not understand or describe.

Seeing that Yu Zhao was still stubborn and would not yield, Master Qing Yan did not hesitate to increase his pressure.

Seeing that Yu Zhao’s body was about to be crushed, Sect Master Ji Yuan could no longer sit still.

He flicked his fingers and blocked the overwhelming, unbroken force for Yu Zhao.

He had come this time at his eldest disciple’s request to back Yu Zhao up, not to watch her get bullied.

Sect Master Ji Yuan said with a smile: “Master Qing Yan, if there is something to talk about, we can talk it out. Do not get so angry. It is bad for your health.”

Master Qing Yan could see that Sect Master Ji Yuan was standing on Yu Zhao’s side.

[Family shame should not be spread outside.]

Yet Yu Zhao did the exact opposite.

Master Qing Yan’s dislike toward Yu Zhao rose to its peak.

Sect Master Ji Yuan said: “Master Qing Yan, why not first listen to how Yu Zhao answers?”

Master Qing Yan did not want to listen, but in front of several disciples he had to give the Sect Master some face, so he stayed silent and did not object.

Yu Zhao at once seized the chance and poured out everything that had been buried in her heart for a long time.

“Master, all feelings go both ways. People say that if a father is kind, the child will be filial, and if the elder brother is friendly, the younger brother will be respectful. Only when the father is kind can the child be filial, and only when the elder brother is friendly can the younger brother respect him. If only one side keeps giving in and pleasing the other, while the other side does nothing, then there is no equality between them. How can such a relationship be maintained?

“You say I do not respect my Senior Brothers, but do you know what my Senior Brother has done to me?

“Take Third Senior Brother as an example. Since the day I entered the sect, the Mid-grade Spirit Stones he has borrowed from me are more than seven hundred. He even took my monthly supplies in my name. When I asked him to give them back, he refused and threatened me with force.

“Tell me, why should I respect a Senior Brother like that? On what grounds should I respect him?”

In front of his Master, the Sect Master, and his most beloved Junior Sister, Su Ming had his fig leaf ripped away by Yu Zhao. He was both shocked and furious, and his face turned green and purple.

“Yu Zhao! You…”

He wanted to say that Yu Zhao was talking nonsense, but everything she said was true. With Zhou Jin Yue as a witness, he had no way to argue.

Sect Master Ji Yuan opened his eyes wide.

He had never thought he would hear such shocking news. This trip was really worth it.

Master Qing Yan was also stunned when he heard this.

He was addicted to cultivation and never cared about how his disciples got along.

In his mind, all his disciples were Qilin Scions with great talent, and he had Fang Cheng Lang to teach them for him. There was no need for him to spend time on such things.

He never thought Su Ming would use the name of Senior Brother to greedily take his Junior Sister’s Spirit Stones.

Even though he did not care about worldly affairs, he still knew that each Personal Disciple received ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones every month.

Seven hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones were almost all of Yu Zhao’s savings since she entered the sect.

Only disappointment remained in Master Qing Yan’s eyes when he looked at Su Ming.

Ye Cong Xin did not know the full story, but she had long guessed that Su Ming had taken Spirit Stones from Yu Zhao. Otherwise, with his monthly supplies, he could not support his wasteful spending.

What she did not expect was that Yu Zhao would expose this matter at this moment.

[Will Yu Zhao talk about my faults next?]

It had to be said, Ye Cong Xin did understand Yu Zhao.

“As for Ye Cong Xin…” Yu Zhao let out a cold laugh. Since she had decided to tear their relationship apart, she did not even call her Junior Sister anymore. “After she entered the sect, I never did anything to hurt her, but Master and several Senior Brothers kept warning me, guarding against me, and guessing my motives at every turn.

“That sparring match was also brought up by Ye Cong Xin herself. She was not as skilled and lost the match, but I was the one punished instead. I not only took a palm strike from Master, but was also sent to the Black Prison to reflect.”

Sect Master Ji Yuan’s brows knitted tighter and tighter.

He was straightforward and bold by nature, the opposite of Master Qing Yan. Because of that, the two of them interacted less than with the other Peak Masters.

He had sometimes heard news about Yu Zhao, mostly bad rumors, but he never paid much attention. After all, he had a huge sect to manage.

But now, hearing Yu Zhao’s suppressed complaints, he felt guilty.

[If I had discovered the signs earlier, could I have stopped Yu Zhao from suffering so many grievances?]