Chapter 14

Chapter 14: People Like Him Were Just Pathetic

The new little junior sister could build her home right beside the main hall?

That kind of treatment…

Bai Yang had never received it.

His fist clenched so hard his hand trembled. Face tight, he strode toward Song Wan Ning. His injuries made him look far more haggard than usual, but his posture remained proud, his presence still sharp.

Song Wan Ning’s smile didn’t fade. She finished patting Li Ruo’s head without even glancing at Bai Yang.

Only when he drew close did she turn slightly, her tone flat. “What are you here for?”

Bai Yang’s chest was burning with questions, but he remembered why he came. He forced them down like swallowing blood.

“Master,” he said, voice rough, “I’m sorry.”

He lowered his head—finally.

“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have stolen the pills.”

He hated the words even as he said them.

And he was afraid.

Afraid that Song Wan Ning would truly never acknowledge him again.

Song Wan Ning stared at him for a beat.

Then she laughed.

Not warm. Not amused.

Mockery gleamed in her eyes, bright and merciless.

People like him…

Truly pathetic.

Treat him well a hundred times and he ignored it all. Turn cold once, and he came crawling back as if that proved something.

Song Wan Ning’s lips curved, but the laughter died too quickly, leaving nothing but coldness behind.

What did Bai Yang take her for?

Someone cheap?

Someone he could summon at will and discard at will?

Song Wan Ning’s expression sank. “If you’re here for pills, you don’t need to grovel. I’ll ‘reward’ you.”

She flicked her wrist and tossed a pill bottle.

It landed at Bai Yang’s feet and rolled, the porcelain white catching the light as it bumped against his black boots threaded with gold.

The sound was small.

The humiliation was not.

Bai Yang jerked his head up, disbelief flaring across his face—shock, confusion, then rage, all breaking like a wave.

His pride felt trampled into the dirt.

He’d already apologized. Why was Master still humiliating him like this?

And with Li Ruo standing right there, staring wide-eyed…

His face flushed hot. His bloodshot eyes fixed on Song Wan Ning like a wounded wolf.

“What?” Song Wan Ning asked lightly, as if she couldn’t see his fury. “Not enough?”

She tossed another bottle.

It rolled to a stop beside the first.

“That should be enough now, right?”

Bai Yang’s gaze dropped to the bottles.

Hatred rose, black and terrifying.

In humiliation, he dug his nails into his palm until skin split, pain blooming bright.

But beneath it all, deeper than the hatred, was fear.

The fear of losing Song Wan Ning’s favor.

That tangled mess of emotion reddened the corners of his eyes. A shadowy, oppressive aura poured off him, thick enough to make the air feel heavy.

Bai Yang lifted his head and looked at Song Wan Ning for a long moment, eyes dark and unreadable.

Then he turned and left.

His steps were unsteady, stubborn, unyielding. His figure disappeared down the path in quick, jagged strides.

“Master,” Li Ruo whispered, eyes following him, confusion written across her small face. “Eldest Senior Brother…”

Song Wan Ning didn’t look away from the direction Bai Yang had gone. “Do you think Master is very bad?”

Li Ruo shook her head immediately. “No.”

Song Wan Ning’s voice remained calm. “But I hurt him. I humiliated him. You still don’t think I’m bad?”

Li Ruo’s chubby cheeks tilted up as she shook her head again and again. “Master is good to me. So to Li Ruo, Master is the best person in the world.”

Naive. Childish.

And yet, the words fell like gentle rain into Song Wan Ning’s chest.

Her expression softened. She reached out and smoothed Li Ruo’s hair.

Even a child understood such a simple truth.

Some people lived their whole lives and still never did.

The Heavenly Prodigy Tournament was about to begin.

This year, the competition site was in the Heaven-Questioning Sect.

The Heavenly Prodigy Grand Competition took place once every 10 years. Participating cultivators came from the Seven Sects and Four Factions.

As host, the Heaven-Questioning Sect had long begun preparing to welcome cultivators from outside. On Guest-Welcoming Peak, pavilions and towers rose one after another. The surroundings were quiet, birdsong threading through flower-scented air.

The sect’s competing disciples trained relentlessly.

Recently, Ye Chu Xue and Bai Yang had both been injured. Fearing they wouldn’t be able to seize first place, pressure naturally shifted onto everyone else.

On Cloudsky Peak, Ye Chu Xue spotted Song Wan Ning from afar, just as Song Wan Ning was about to head out.

“Martial Uncle Song!”

Ye Chu Xue ran toward her. “Martial Uncle Song, wait!”

Her feet moved like wind. In a blink, she was at Song Wan Ning’s side.

Song Wan Ning looked at her, cold and sharp, suppressing the killing intent that rose instinctively. The corner of her mouth tugged, almost like a smile.

“What is it?”

“Martial Uncle Song,” Ye Chu Xue said quickly, forcing earnestness into her voice, “I’m sorry. Senior Brother Bai’s matter is all my fault. Can you please stop being angry at him?”

Ye Chu Xue wasn’t surprised by Song Wan Ning’s hostility.

Song Wan Ning had never been someone who hid her temper. Only Master Gu Qing Yuan had ever been able to soothe her.

Ye Chu Xue pressed down her irritation, though envy prickled beneath it.

To her, Song Wan Ning was no different from those rich heirs who grew up with power and arrogance and mistook it for virtue.

If it weren’t for the Song Family’s background, where would Song Wan Ning get such confidence?

“Martial Uncle Song,” Ye Chu Xue continued, voice softening, “Senior Brother Bai took the pills to save me…”

“Heh.” Song Wan Ning cut her off, expression turning colder. “So you told him to do it?”

“N-No. I didn’t.” Ye Chu Xue shook her head quickly. Bai Yang had done it willingly. It had nothing to do with her.

“Then what does Bai Yang’s matter have to do with you?” Song Wan Ning’s gaze swept over her like a blade.

Ye Chu Xue’s heart jumped.

By the time she steadied herself, Song Wan Ning was already walking away, her red dress disappearing down the path.

If it weren’t for the protagonists’ heaven-defying opportunities, Song Wan Ning would have killed her the moment she returned, eliminating future trouble.

But living was fine, too.

Living could be more painful than dying.

Ye Chu Xue stared at Song Wan Ning’s retreating back, and a dark glint flashed through her eyes. Anger lodged in her chest like a stone. She bit hard on her lower lip.

One day, she would surpass Song Wan Ning.

After adjusting her expression, Ye Chu Xue climbed the steps and headed toward Bai Yang’s courtyard halfway up the mountain.

The moment she reached the entrance, she saw Bai Yang standing there.

Was he waiting for her?

Ye Chu Xue’s heart sped up.

“Senior Brother Bai,” she asked, stepping closer with concern, “are your injuries any better?”

She took out a pill bottle and held it out. “I heard Martial Uncle Song cut off your pills. Take these.”

Her voice dipped, heavy with guilt. “This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have angered Martial Uncle Song.”

She looked up, eyes shining with worry. “But no matter how angry she is, Martial Uncle Song shouldn’t have hit you so hard. Doesn’t she feel any pain for you?”

Bai Yang didn’t respond.

His gaze was unfocused, as if he was somewhere far away.

“Senior Brother Bai?” Ye Chu Xue waved her hand in front of his eyes.

Bai Yang blinked, then looked directly at her.

His voice was low, tight. “What did you say to Master just now?”

“What?” Ye Chu Xue froze, then realized—Bai Yang had seen her speaking with Martial Uncle Song.

She pressed her lips together. “I apologized to Martial Uncle Song and asked her not to take it out on you, but… Martial Uncle Song seemed very angry.”

“And she said your matter has nothing to do with me.”