Chapter 106: Xue Yang Arrives
“If I had meant her any harm,” Bai Shengyun said, “I would have taken her away when she was delirious with fever, or let her perish when she was on the edge of death.”
He turned then, fixing his gaze on Xie Yingying behind him. His eyes were clouded and hard to read, carrying a streak of disappointment.
“So I pulled you back from the underworld more than once, and this is how you treat your benefactor?”
Xie Yingying wanted no more of his words. She strode straight to Huo Tianqing, thinking to herself, *A benefactor, of all things—if you had truly saved me, I would never have gone back to Guofeng Mountain to throw my life away for nothing. Leaning on others is no better than leaning on oneself.*
The memory of her former self being stripped and killed in such a ruinous way flashed through her mind, and she ran faster.
Her foot caught on something unseen. She almost fell, but Huo Tianqing moved quickly enough to pull her into his arms. He felt, to his alarm, how thin she had become—bone too close beneath skin.
The more Huo Tianqing thought, the angrier he became. He looked up at Bai Shengyun and snapped, “What did you do to her?”
Bai Shengyun answered with a bitter smile. “What could I have done? Your so-called life still hasn’t been claimed by Yama, so you should be grateful.”
Xie Yingying noticed the faint self-mockery in his smile and felt a twinge of pity.
But Huo Tianqing did not believe him at all; he dismissed it as lies. He handed Xie Yingying to Yinling and Bomeng, who had just arrived in haste, and struck again with his sword.
Bai Shengyun met the blow with effortless calm. The clash of swords shrieked so sharply that everyone in the clearing instinctively covered their ears.
The two men glared at one another with equal ferocity, neither yielding.
Soon the disciples at the gates of the Palace of Joyful Union parted to make way. In the lane they had formed stood Xue Feng, with Jingling and Lieyang at his side.
They all bent in deference. “Elder.”
Xue Feng gave no reply, only advancing with a cold face.
Not far away, as Xie Yingying and the others moved to bow, Lieyang intercepted Xie. The small, lean master folded his arms and said with resigned impatience, “With a body like yours, spare yourself the courtesy.”
Seeing no objection from Jingling or Xue Feng, Xie straightened, though she remained too weak to hold herself fully and leaned half her weight on Yinling.
Her pale lips parted faintly. “Elders, I’ve caused you trouble.”
Jingling peered at her face, then used her insight. She saw that Xie’s golden core was fragile, her meridians damaged, her five organs injured, her qi weak, heartbeat unsteady—she stood with one foot already at the gate of ghosts. She also saw how gaunt she was, nearly all flesh gone. Pity touched her.
She shook her head gently. “This is not your fault. You must heal properly.”
Lieyang nodded as well. “What happened here concerns the ties between two sects. Leave it to your elders.”
Though his tone was cold, concern ran beneath it.
Xie Yingying gave a faint nod.
The two fighters saw the newcomers arrive, yet their confrontation did not stop; it only became fiercer. Flashes from clashing blades rained like fallen sparks and died out in midair.
Xue Feng frowned and struck the ground with the cane he carried as if it were no more than an ornament.
At once the air in this quarter shuddered. Dark cracks sprang up in the void and were rapidly stitched closed by a flood of force.
The purple serpent and the ghosts all froze, their assaults stilled as if held down by an unseen hand.
Even Bai Shengyun and Huo Tianqing felt their weapons tremble slightly; their spiritual blades clattered to the ground.
“Is this enough?” The severe, resonant voice of Cangzang rolled through the entire Palace.
No one dared answer.
For Bomeng, it was the first time she had seen such a powerful cultivator. She gasped, eyes full of awe, and sent a whispered message to Yinling: “What level is Elder Xue?”
Yinling shot her a quick glance, impressed by her nerve in whispering while the mood was so heated, and did not rebuke her. She answered in return. “Tribulation stage.”
Bomeng breathed, “How powerful must that be?”
Yinling: “He can flick his hand and shake heaven and earth; he can move mountains and turn seas as if they were dust.”
Bomeng drew in a sharp breath. The two were about to continue when Jingling shot them a warning glance, and both fell silent.
Xue Feng spoke again, his voice full of authority. “Go. Everyone go where you belong. If you must cultivate, cultivate. If you have duties, perform them.”
The disciples by the palace gate, hearing only this, ran off in a rush.
When they had all gone, Xue Feng turned to Huo Tianqing.
“Tianqing, compose yourself. Return first and calm your heart. I will handle this.”
Huo Tianqing opened his mouth to argue, but Xue Feng’s hard gaze cut him off. Reluctantly, he headed back toward the Palace of Joyful Union, casting Bai Shengyun one last glare before he passed.
On the way, he took Xie Yingying with him.
Yinling and Bomeng exchanged a glance, then skipped after him, eager and alert.
And so, within the Palace of Joyful Union, only a few remained.
Xue Feng fixed Bai Shengyun with a long breath, then said in a low, hard voice, “Young Celestial Fox Emperor, while you remain here, I do not oppose it. But what I told you that day—you heard me. If there is a repeat, we old ones will personally ask you all to leave the Evil Sect.”
Bai Shengyun, hands folded, met his gaze coldly. “Elder Xue, I have long respected all you have done for the relations between the two clans, and I have heard you are especially upright. Then you surely know this as well: one hand cannot make a sound alone.”
“As for Tianqing’s side, I will go speak myself. You need not trouble yourself.”
With that, Xue Feng turned and left, leaning on his cane. The Palace of Joyful Union felt truly empty then.
Bai Shengyun noticed Xie Yingying had gone with Huo Tianqing. He stood still for a long while, reluctant to enter the Hall.
After some time, he finally stepped out of the Palace and made his way toward the Hall of Bonded Fate.
Inside, Bai Qirui had not yet returned. It was as cold and still as the Palace, yet Bai Shengyun found it strangely easier to bear.
Just as he thought this, Bai Qirui entered the Evil Sect with hands behind his back.
Some disciples and elders there, remembering what had happened moments before, felt a sour annoyance.
But with Xue Feng above them, they could only give Bai Qirui a restless, displeased glance and then turn away.
Bai Qirui noticed none of it.
He had gone all the way there in search of Bai Shengyun, only to find him absent, so he came to the Hall of Bonded Fate first.
The door stood open. Bai Qirui entered quickly, and seeing Bai Shengyun there, he hurried to sit beside him.
“How is it?” Bai Shengyun asked lightly.
Bai Qirui pulled a bundle of papers from his sleeve and handed them over. “Everything’s here.”
Bai Shengyun took the folded documents and opened them. As expected, everything was exactly as it should be.