Chapter 74: Discovered
Tianyan Sect.
The Sealed Cliff.
Towering ancient trees spread their branches thickly, grotesque rocks jutted out from the earth, and sunlight scarcely touched the ground all day.
In the dappled shadows beneath the leaves, a woman sat cross-legged beside a deep pool, her mind focused in cultivation.
Chi Yushu hid silently behind a jagged stone, his gaze fixed intently on the woman by the pool.
“Is Junior Sister truly repentant?”
His eyes burned with intensity, yet the woman remained oblivious.
After a while, the woman opened her eyes. She casually picked up a withered branch and tapped it on the surface of the deep pool, sending ripples and splashes rolling outward in waves.
Chi Yushu swiftly averted his gaze, as if having reached a conclusion.
He quickly departed. The woman spun around abruptly, the withered branch snapping in her hand.
“Senior Brother Chi, is that you?” Qu Youyou caught a green leaf that floated down without a breeze, unable to suppress her longing for his arrival.
She had been confined on the Sealed Cliff for so long, yet her senior brother had never come to see her.
A touch of bitterness flashed through Qu Youyou’s eyes as she looked toward the rippling surface of the deep pool, and the flawless face of Qu Yiqiu surfaced in her mind.
“It’s all your fault. You’re the reason I’m imprisoned here! You’re the reason I can’t see Senior Brother, the reason you sowed discord between us!”
Her fingertips flicked rapidly, and she floated lightly in the air, her face twisted with anger as she cast spell after spell of water-blue spiritual light.
The deep pool surged violently, countless sprays of water bursting forth, splattering against the stones and etching spiderweb cracks upon their surfaces.
By then, Chi Yushu had long since left the Sealed Cliff, unaware of all that transpired behind him.
He made his way to Luo Tangyu’s cave dwelling, intending to inquire about his master’s seclusion.
Just then, he happened to see Wang Shaoyang emerging from the cave, his face heavy with worry.
“Hall Master Wang.” Chi Yushu bowed in greeting.
Wang Shaoyang offered a perfunctory gesture in return, worry deepening between his brows.
“Here to visit the Sect Master? Go on in; the barriers haven’t been closed yet.”
Chi Yushu was puzzled by his concern but knew it was not his place to ask. He simply replied, “Yes, Hall Master Wang, take care.”
Wang Shaoyang looked at him with gratified eyes, nodded, and left with his hands clasped behind his back.
When Chi Yushu entered the cave, Luo Tangyu had already prepared spiritual tea, waiting for him.
Gazing at Su Xichen’s eldest disciple, Luo Tangyu felt deep satisfaction. With a gentle smile, he said, “Sit. You’re here about your master, aren’t you?”
Chi Yushu nodded and took a seat, asking, “Do you have any idea when my master might return from this journey?”
As the first disciple of Nine Sword Peak, Chi Yushu knew all too well that “seclusion” was just a convenient excuse.
Luo Tangyu tapped his finger lightly on the sandalwood cloud-patterned table, thinking for a moment before replying, “Perhaps a few days, perhaps a month. The task this time is in demonic cultivator territory, so I can’t say for certain.”
Chi Yushu nodded in understanding, then asked, “Does the Sect Master know whether the destruction of the spiritual fields on Little Ping Peak has anything to do with my junior sister?”
Luo Tangyu looked at him with a slight smile. “I know about it. Qu Yiqiu from Little Ping Peak is probably aware as well.”
Chi Yushu’s expression paused. “Junior Sister Qu never mentioned anything about my little junior sister in the main hall…”
“I heard they’re cousins. Perhaps Qu Yiqiu didn’t want to damage their relationship, so she chose not to bring it up.” Or perhaps she thought silence would yield a larger compensation, and so she held her tongue.
Luo Tangyu silently considered the exorbitant compensation Qu Yiqiu had fabricated out of thin air but refrained from voicing this last thought.
Chi Yushu was still young and not as familiar with Little Ping Peak as Luo Tangyu. Yet, recalling Qu Yiqiu’s contributions during the chaos in Qu’nan City, he instinctively trusted Luo Tangyu’s judgment.
“My little junior sister should apologize to her. Master only confined her to the Sealed Cliff, but it’s not likely to do much good,” Chi Yushu said softly.
Luo Tangyu regarded him with admiration and stood up. “The matter has already passed. Since Qu Yiqiu isn’t pursuing it, there’s really nothing wrong with Master Su’s actions.”
Watching Luo Tangyu’s movement, Chi Yushu asked in confusion, “Sect Master Luo, where are you going?”
Luo Tangyu bent over and patted the small cave door behind him, sighing, “Hall Master Wang entrusted me with the Nine-Colored Deer. I need to coax it to eat now.”
“Didn’t the Nine-Colored Deer already recognize Uncle-Master Mo as its master?”
This was already well known throughout Tianyan Sect. Chi Yushu stood, surprised to see the Nine-Colored Deer emerge.
Luo Tangyu scooped up the sulking Nine-Colored Deer, sighing again. “Keep this to yourself—Peak Master Mo left Little Ping Peak some time ago. Hall Master Wang has been searching for him but hasn’t found him yet. Lately, the Nine-Colored Deer has been refusing to eat unless coaxed daily.”
“Does Junior Sister Qu or her junior brother know where Uncle-Master Mo went?” Chi Yushu asked in puzzlement.
Setting the deer down and trying to soothe its mood, Luo Tangyu replied with some frustration, “They don’t know. Peak Master Mo left before you all returned from Qu’nan City!”
Chi Yushu stared at the Nine-Colored Deer in surprise, imagining the scene of Qu Yiqiu returning to find her master missing.
“Sect Master Luo, since it’s time to feed the deer, I won’t disturb you further. I’ll visit you another day,” Chi Yushu said with a bow.
Luo Tangyu glanced at him and replied, “Very well, you may go.”
Watching Chi Yushu’s decisive departure, Luo Tangyu frowned. Today, Chi Yushu seemed to leave rather hastily.
After leaving Luo Tangyu’s cave, Chi Yushu headed straight for the southern region of the Tianyan Sect.
At the foot of Little Ping Peak, Chi Yushu hesitated, murmuring, “Is it too strange to visit unannounced?”
He lowered his head, opened his storage pouch, searched for a moment, then wrapped a ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb, preparing it as a gift.
Only then did he begin his ascent.
A sixth-grade defensive array barred his path. Sensing the fluctuation of spiritual energy from the formation, Zhou Chen immediately took notice.
He spread his divine sense, spotted Chi Yushu outside the barrier, and after a moment’s surprise, opened a path.
“Senior Brother Chi, what brings you here?” Zhou Chen left Zhao Wen and Huang Lan behind to greet him at the entrance.
Chi Yushu hadn’t met Zhou Chen before, but could guess his identity. He replied warmly, “I never got the chance to thank Junior Sister Qu for her help in Qu’nan City, so I came to visit her today.”
Zhou Chen looked at him with admiration, responding enthusiastically, “Senior Sister Qu seems to be in seclusion lately. Senior Brother Chi, you can ask Senior Brother Mu.”
Chi Yushu was slightly surprised; perhaps his timing was off.
Nonetheless, he remained courteous. “Thank you, Junior Brother.”
Zhou Chen was taken aback and waved his hands repeatedly. “No need to thank me! It’s my honor to guide you!”
Chi Yushu was someone all the disciples of Tianyan Sect looked up to, and Zhou Chen had long held him in high esteem, though he’d never had the chance to meet him up close.
Chi Yushu pressed his lips together in a grateful smile and walked up the mountain.
Zhou Chen’s admiration only grew stronger.
At mid-mountain, Chi Yushu stood behind a bamboo grove, taking out the prepared spiritual herb.
If Junior Sister Qu was in seclusion, he would entrust the herb to Senior Brother Mu.
But just as he was about to step out of the bamboo forest, he saw Mu Yunjin emerge from Qu Yiqiu’s cave dwelling.
So, Junior Sister Qu wasn’t in seclusion after all?
And Senior Brother Mu… had already formed his foundation?
Chi Yushu watched Mu Yunjin return to the cave in astonishment.
“What is going on?”
Mu Yunjin looked no older than twelve. Back then, even Mo Qingli, a genius among geniuses, had only reached Foundation Establishment at fifteen.
— End of chapter notes —
Senior Brother Chi appears once more~