Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Another Push on the Furnace Progress

When the group from Ling Xu Peak returned, Ye Zhao Zhao opened her door and found Immortal Ling Xu waiting with an ugly look on his face.

“Master,” Ye Zhao Zhao said with a bright smile as she hurried over to knead his shoulders.

In the past, Immortal Ling Xu liked her sweet, attentive ways. This time he only waved a hand and said flatly: “Enough.”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s heart sank and she stood obediently at the side.

“Zhao Zhao,” Immortal Ling Xu looked at her and asked in a stern tone: “I will ask you one last time. On the snow mountain, who picked the Tianshan Snow Lotus?”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s heart skipped hard.

“Master, the Tianshan Snow Lotus was picked by Junior Sister,” Chang Le An blurted as he grew anxious, then he looked toward Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue.

By habit, Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue should have stepped up to back Junior Sister. But this time, both showed doubt. They looked at Ye Zhao Zhao, waiting for her answer.

Chang Le An grew angry and said: “First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, what is this? Has that Li Shuang gotten to you? She has always been jealous of Junior Sister. Anything ugly she says is normal. Do we not know what kind of person Junior Sister is?”

After a long pause, Sheng Yuan asked softly: “Junior Sister, the Snow Fiend on that mountain was not weak.”

He had listened to Li Shuang’s words and could not shake them. Though Ye Zhao Zhao’s realm was higher than Li Shuang’s, by true skill she was far behind. He had also seen that Ye Zhao Zhao was not being modest; she truly did not understand the sword. Since that was so, how did she get out of a Snow Fiend encirclement with her life? She came back looking badly hurt, but on close look the wounds were mostly skin deep. When Li Shuang returned…

Sheng Yuan’s hands trembled. He remembered Li Shuang’s line: [Cut the soul, scorch the bones, then start over.]

First Senior Sister… why would she say such a thing, why did she suddenly turn to the Emotionless Path, and why had she grown so cold to them?

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face turned white at his question. She spoke in a wounded voice and said: “First Senior Brother, I am at Nascent Soul Stage. That time I barely escaped with my life. If you speak like this, you have already judged me and think I am lying, is that it?”

She then dropped to her knees before Immortal Ling Xu, tears falling, and said: “Master, what happened on the snow mountain, I did not lie. Now she is turning black into white just because there was no third person to see it. I have no other way to prove my words. If even Master and my Senior Brothers doubt me, I might as well kill myself.”

Saying that, she suddenly leaped up and rushed headfirst toward the wall.

Immortal Ling Xu watched her desperate move and sighed. He waved his hand; spiritual force cushioned Ye Zhao Zhao. She failed to hit the wall and looked up at Immortal Ling Xu with a pitiful face.

Immortal Ling Xu spoke in a calm voice and said: “I will not ask about the snow mountain again.”

He would not ask again, but he planned to investigate in secret. [I must find out the truth.]

His chest felt tight. He had driven Li Shuang out of Ling Xu Peak because of the snow mountain incident. Now he could not tell who was right. If Ye Zhao Zhao was telling the truth, that would be fine; he had not chased the wrong person away. And if he found proof that Li Shuang had ignored a fellow disciple’s life, then with Lin Qing Ling’s fierce sense of justice, she would not keep Li Shuang either.

But if Li Shuang was the one telling the truth… Immortal Ling Xu’s heart thumped hard. He would be a complete fool. He could have had a genius disciple, but ended up handing the credit to someone else. Thinking of Lin Qing Ling’s recent smug face made him seethe.

[Just wait. The matter on the snow mountain will come clear sooner or later.]

“Sheng Yuan,” Immortal Ling Xu turned to him and said: “The Sect Master wants me to return all of Li Shuang’s cultivation resources from these years. In total, that is two thousand top grade spirit stones. I will pay half. For the rest, you and your junior brothers and junior sisters should put it together. After all, most of her resources were split among you.”

Sheng Yuan was stunned. His lips trembled and he said: “Master, we… we truly cannot come up with that…”

He had emptied his savings to pay Ye Zhao Zhao’s fine. He had nothing left.

“No problem. I will pay your share for now,” Immortal Ling Xu said, then he looked at Chang Le An and added: “You are about to enter the Langya Secret Realm. By the rules, half of the harvest goes to the sect and the rest belongs to you. What you bring out, same as last time, hand it all to me directly. If it is worth enough, a lot of the debt will be offset.”

Chang Le An’s lips moved. He wanted to say they were short on spirit stones and needed resources to cultivate. But when he saw Ye Zhao Zhao’s tearful face and worried she would be blamed again, he agreed at once and said: “If this disciple gains anything, of course it will be given to Master.”

Only then did Immortal Ling Xu nod with satisfaction and say: “Good. Then make your preparations.”

Immortal Ling Xu left.

The few who remained looked at each other in silence.

To be honest, Immortal Ling Xu had always loved wealth. Before, with Li Shuang carrying the load, the juniors of Ling Xu Peak did not feel much pressure and even thought this Master was kind and protective.

Now that Li Shuang had left Ling Xu Peak, the moment they felt Immortal Ling Xu’s greed for real, they all fell quiet.

Sheng Yuan turned to Chang Le An and said: “Third Junior Brother, this time in the Langya Secret Realm, try to bring back as much as you can.”

If the haul was big, perhaps Immortal Ling Xu would leave them something. Sheng Yuan also had a headache. For Ye Zhao Zhao’s sake, he had diverted some of the Ordinary Disciples’ cultivation resources. He needed to repay them fast, or those disciples would complain.

Chang Le An answered with full faith: “First Senior Brother, do not worry. With my luck, even that Yan Fan cannot match me. Coming back loaded is only natural.”

Sheng Yuan finally relaxed a little.

Three days later, Immortal Ling Xu stalled until the last moment, then reluctantly handed the spirit stones to Li Shuang.

In the next few days, Li Shuang covered her face and split her time to visit the market several times. She quickly exchanged the top grade stones for treasures that held all kinds of spiritual power.

Once her preparations were complete, Li Shuang sat cross legged with a trace of excitement. [This time, can I open the Heaven and Earth Furnace in one push?]