Chapter 85

Chapter 85: I Didn’t Do Anything

At last, after the one-sided beating, Gu Qing Yuan passed out completely.

Before the darkness swallowed him, humiliation and hatred burned in his eyes—sharp enough to carve Lu Xing Yao into a thousand pieces.

In the end, all he got was a scornful chuckle.

Gu Qing Yuan’s anger surged up his chest. His injuries were far too severe; he staggered, then collapsed in full view of everyone.

The huge plaza fell silent again.

Disciples looked at each other, stunned. No one had expected it to end like this. A chorus of sighs rose and fell.

But when they looked at Lu Xing Yao, reverence and fear braided together in their eyes. Power like this was terrifying.

“Fellow Daoist Gu is certainly persistent.” Lu Xing Yao shook his head, looking almost regretful, and hopped down from the fighting stage.

The steward elder of the Heaven-Questioning Sect went the color of bruised liver. Grinding his teeth, he hurriedly announced the result, his voice so low it sounded like he was afraid the words might carry. The embarrassment in it was heavy enough to choke on.

Once the outcome was declared, the formation dispersed.

Ye Chu Xue rushed onto the arena and carried Gu Qing Yuan away. Her face was pale with heartbreak and shame; she only wanted to escape this shadowed place as fast as possible.

She had taken only a couple of steps when Song Wan Ning’s voice rang out, calm and clear.

“Martial Niece Ye, I heard Senior Brother Gu not only owes the sect spirit stones, but also used up quite a few precious pills from the sect these past days.”

Ye Chu Xue’s steps paused.

Song Wan Ning continued, smiling faintly. “I imagine the sect has no spare strength to support him anymore. Tell Senior Brother Gu that if he truly has nowhere to turn, he can come to me to buy pills.”

It sounded casual, but the knife-edge beneath it was obvious. She was making sure every disciple understood what the sect had poured into this duel—and what it had gotten in return.

Even the Sect Master jolted as if someone had slapped him awake. So many top-grade pills, and yet the result was…

His face twisted like he’d eaten manure, regret written all over him.

Ye Chu Xue frowned, biting down on her molars until her jaw ached, hatred boiling in her chest.

She didn’t answer. She lifted her foot to leave again.

Song Wan Ning suddenly gasped, like she’d remembered something important. “Oh, I almost forgot. Martial Niece Ye can refine pills too. How could Senior Brother Gu come to me for pills?”

She covered her mouth and giggled. “I really was being overly sentimental… hehehe…”

Everyone knew she was mocking both Ye Chu Xue and Gu Qing Yuan. No one dared say she was wrong.

Some even thought that if Song Wan Ning had represented the Heaven-Questioning Sect, the ending might not have been like this.

That thought was practically written across their faces.

Ye Chu Xue’s gaze swept over them, and the rage in her chest only grew harder to contain.

In the Cultivation World, people were brutally practical. They fawned on the high and trampled the low. She was already used to it.

Today’s humiliation would be repaid—master and disciple together—doubled in the future.

She looked once at Lu Xing Yao, then glanced at Song Wan Ning on the high platform. Then she lowered her head and left quickly.

They arrived in high style and left with their tails between their legs.

Li Ruo was delighted.

Let them show off blindly. They’d embarrassed themselves, hadn’t they?

She blinked her big eyes, grinned, and picked up a dried fruit to feed Song Wan Ning.

Song Wan Ning accepted it with a smile and winked back.

Master and disciple both grinned.

Seeing this, the Sect Master was so angry his nose almost twisted sideways. Song Wan Ning had no sense of the bigger picture. Even if she hated Gu Qing Yuan, she should have put the sect’s interests first!

With a stiff face, he said to Lu Xing Yao, “Fellow Daoist Lu, the duel is over. I won’t keep you any longer. Do as you please.”

Then he flicked his sleeve and left.

Just thinking about the problems to come made his head ache. The anger only made it worse.

Once the Sect Master left, the other elders couldn’t sit still either. Red-faced, they hurried away. They had completely lost face today, and who knew how wildly people would spread the story?

The disciples began to disperse as well. Every so often, someone would look back at Lu Xing Yao while chattering their way out.

Before long, only Song Wan Ning and her two disciples remained, along with Lu Xing Yao.

Lu Xing Yao looked at Song Wan Ning’s relaxed face and smiled helplessly.

That woman.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Song. You let me look impressive today.”

He lowered his voice, the words carrying a pointed hint.

Song Wan Ning raised her head. A flicker of confusion flashed in her innocent eyes. “Fellow Daoist Lu, you speak so strangely. I didn’t do anything.”

Lu Xing Yao smiled indulgently. “Yes. You didn’t do anything.”

[You were only one step away from stripping Gu Qing Yuan down to his underwear.]

“Now that it’s done, I shouldn’t stay any longer.”

He didn’t want to leave, but after offending the Heaven-Questioning Sect, staying would only bring Song Wan Ning trouble.

After giving Gu Qing Yuan a proper humiliation, he felt much better.

Besides, that heartless woman showed no sign of wanting him to stay.

He shot Song Wan Ning a mournful sidelong glance. Then, when he looked at Bai Yang, a warning flashed in his eyes.

He strode away.

Bai Yang’s expression shifted. His lashes trembled as he stared hard at Lu Xing Yao’s back.

His instincts were right. Lu Xing Yao’s feelings for Master were definitely not ordinary—and he even held hostility toward Bai Yang.

Hmph. So what?

Master had no thoughts of love right now. No matter how much Lu Xing Yao schemed, it would be a waste of time.

“All right. The show is over. Let’s go back.”

Song Wan Ning wiped her hands, packed up the snacks on the table, and stood.

Whether Lu Xing Yao came or went, she remained calm. Only the curve of her lips betrayed how good her mood was.

“Sister, Sister, Gu Qing Yuan lost face so badly today!”

The Sword Spirit swung happily through her sea of consciousness, puffed up with pride, practically itching to beat him up itself.

But it had been satisfying enough. Lu Xing Yao had beaten him to the point of questioning his life.

Song Wan Ning’s lips curved, and she hummed a little tune as she walked.

Bai Yang followed behind, glancing at her several times with an unreadable expression.

Master no longer held the slightest attachment to Martial Uncle Gu.

She had loved him so deeply before, yet she could let go the moment she decided to. Even 100 years of feeling could be severed like that.

If Bai Yang kept being stubborn, would Master also let go of him this completely?

He frowned, thoughts churning. In the past, he had been blinded by Junior Sister Ye’s kindness. Was it still not too late to wake up now?

What did he have to do for Master to forget the past and accept him again?

While his mind was a mess, Song Wan Ning chatted lightly with the Sword Spirit.

“In my past life, Gu Qing Yuan became famous worldwide with his sword formation. The moment anyone mentioned Sword Lord Qing Yuan, they praised that new method of combining sword techniques with formations—and its terrifying power.”

“Later, he even compiled his sword techniques into a manual and placed it in the sect’s Scripture Pavilion, leaving a legacy sword art for future generations.”

For a cultivator, that was the greatest recognition. Beyond strength, his status became unimaginably high.

“After I fell into demonic cultivation, I suffered losses to him a few times. Before I died, I was even trapped by these moves. How could I forget?”

In that past life, as the vicious final boss, Song Wan Ning’s strength skyrocketed after she fell into demonic cultivation.