Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Five Years Ago… It Wasn’t Me…

Chang Le An’s background was unusual.

His parents were people of the Devil Path, later hunted down and killed.

He struggled alone to survive and finally reached the Sword Sect to seek a master. His aptitude was decent, a single earth spiritual root.

But his parents had been of the Devil Path, so the Sword Sect debated fiercely about whether to keep him.

In the end they decided that, since he wished to be good and had talent, the sect should take him in and guide him to the right path. The Sect Master worried that the five Peak Masters would not accept him, so he directly assigned Chang Le An to Ling Xu Peak.

At first, Chang Le An was just an ordinary disciple, not Immortal Ling Xu’s personal student.

Because of his background, many looked down on him and bullied him in secret. They called him cursed, Devil Path scum, and the Heaven’s Doom Lone Star.

Li Shuang pitied him, since she too was an orphan. She would step in to stop it whenever she saw it, but it did not help much.

So she came up with a plan.

She would quietly leave small things in places where Chang Le An would pass, letting him “find” them by chance.

After a few times like that, the rumors slowly changed. Guided by her, the name of Heaven’s Doom Lone Star faded. People began to say he was blessed with amazing luck, so he found good things wherever he went.

Chang Le An began to believe it too.

He had decent talent, and once he let go of his burdens, Immortal Ling Xu noticed him and accepted him as a Direct Disciple.

Li Shuang kept maintaining that image in secret. When they entered a secret realm, she would quietly place spirit herbs she found along the path he would take. When they went out on missions, if Chang Le An picked a road at random, Li Shuang would go ahead and clear the Demonic Beasts from that road.

In this way, Chang Le An became known across the Sword Sect as the disciple with astonishing luck.

Li Shuang lowered her eyes: [I built that image with my own hands, and he took it as something to flaunt.]

She glanced at the excited Chang Le An, then ignored him completely. Stepping forward, she addressed the Disciplinary Hall Master and said: “Hall Master Pang, First Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother showed restraint today, and Third Senior Sister did not use spiritual power. She only tossed Ye Zhao Zhao aside. Shen Yue is already at the Golden Core Stage. He should not be this fragile. The Peak Master of Ling Xu Peak claims Shen Yue is still in a coma. There must be more to it. Instead of arguing, we should send people to check on Shen Yue first.”

Everyone paused at her words.

Immortal Ling Xu frowned and looked toward Sheng Yuan.

Sheng Yuan said quickly: “Junior Sister is by Second Junior Brother’s side at Ling Xu Peak and will not leave him. There will be no problem.”

Li Shuang said calmly: “If there is no problem, why did you just say he was badly hurt and still unconscious? Are you worried about Shen Yue or not?”

She truly was curious. If Shen Yue was seriously hurt, why did they have time to run to the Disciplinary Hall to argue instead of treating him first? If he was fine, then what would the quarrel change? At best both sides would be blamed.

Stung by her clear gaze, Sheng Yuan flushed red and said: “Second Junior Brother’s condition is serious, but I believe Junior Sister can take good care of him.”

Li Shuang nodded and said: “Then let us go see Shen Yue first and decide after, how about that?”

At last the case moved forward, and Pang Zhi Xue nodded again and again, saying: “Good, good. We will do as Li Shuang says.”

Chang Le An glared at Li Shuang and said: “Go look then. You hurt Second Senior Brother so badly that Junior Sister has to nurse him day and night. I want to see if you feel any shame then.”

Li Shuang gave him a glance, then walked past without wasting a single word.

Chang Le An trembled with anger: [What attitude is that? Does she not know I am the Child of Destiny, bound to rise?] He held his breath and followed.

The group headed straight to Ling Xu Peak.

Sheng Yuan led the way and said: “Up ahead is Second Junior Brother’s room. Junior Sister is taking good care of him.”

As they reached the place, Sheng Yuan’s face changed.

Why were there flames inside Shen Yue’s room?

Almost everyone from Ling Xu Peak had gone to the Disciplinary Hall to watch the fuss, so no one had noticed. No, that was not right. Where was Junior Sister?

Junior Sister should be inside too. Had something happened to her? Sheng Yuan panicked, kicked the door open, and rushed in.

Inside, only Shen Yue was there, his whole body blazing as he groaned in pain.

Ye Zhao Zhao was nowhere to be seen.

Sheng Yuan’s heart thudded as he shouted: “Master, it looks like Second Junior Brother has had a Qi Deviation. Junior Sister is missing!”

Chang Le An rounded on Li Shuang and demanded: “Was it you? Did you do something to Junior Sister?”

Luo Ming Yue snapped back: “Are you sick? Little Shuang and I just got back from the market. What could we have done to your Junior Sister?”

A bright, crisp voice sounded from outside as Ye Zhao Zhao walked in with a confused look and said: “What happened? Why are there so many people here?” Her thoughts were a mess: [What is going on?] She had worried that the Treasure Pavilion might tail her, so she took a long detour before returning to Ling Xu Peak, only to walk into this scene.

Sheng Yuan stared and said: “Junior Sister, you are fine? I thought you were staying to look after Second Junior Brother.”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s heart jumped, and she said without thinking: “I only stepped out for a little while. When I left, Second Senior Brother was fine.”

Something felt off to Sheng Yuan, but he looked at Shen Yue writhing in flames and said: “This looks like a Qi Deviation. We need to suppress his heart fire at once.”

Immortal Ling Xu glanced at Li Shuang and ordered: “He has a fire spiritual root. An Ice Spiritual Root is best to suppress him. Li Shuang, you do it.”

Li Shuang answered evenly: “I am only at the Qi Refining Stage now. I am afraid I cannot.”

Immortal Ling Xu’s expression shifted. He had actually forgotten that Li Shuang had lost her cultivation.

Li Shuang gave a small smile and said: “Five years ago, Junior Brother Shen also had a Qi Deviation. That time, did he not recover under Junior Sister’s careful care? Since Junior Sister is here, what is there to worry about?”

Her gaze stayed calm. Five years ago, she had been the first to notice Shen Yue’s Qi Deviation. She used her ice spiritual power to suppress his heart fire for an entire night. The flames burned her too, and she was badly hurt. When his condition finally stabilized, she slipped away to heal so he would not feel guilty. When she returned, everyone scolded her for leaving in such a crisis, saying that as First Senior Sister she had abandoned him. They claimed Ye Zhao Zhao had watched over him for three days and nights and saved him.

Li Shuang had tried to explain, but they mocked her for seeking credit after the fact.

Now, her cultivation was too low to help anyway. This was the perfect time to let them see for themselves how effective Ye Zhao Zhao’s “careful nursing” really was.

At her words, all eyes turned to Ye Zhao Zhao.

Sheng Yuan said urgently: “Zhao Zhao, we must ask you again.”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s hands trembled as she whispered: “I…”

She had no idea how to handle a Qi Deviation. With everyone watching, she forced herself to step forward. But as soon as her hand neared the flames on Shen Yue’s body, she yelped and jerked back.

Sheng Yuan grew anxious and said: “Junior Sister, do what you did before. Just repeat it. Second Junior Brother is in danger. We cannot delay.”

Staring at Shen Yue, who was engulfed in fire, Ye Zhao Zhao’s lips shook. She reached out again, but before her fingers touched the flames, she recoiled in fear.

Immortal Ling Xu looked at her in confusion and said: “Zhao Zhao?”

Tears glazed Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes as she blurted out, voice full of struggle: “N… not me. Five years ago, when I went to Senior Brother Shen, he was only sleeping. There were no flames on him.”

The room went silent.

Sheng Yuan reeled as if struck. His mind swam. He turned and snapped his gaze to Li Shuang.