Watching the Mountain

Chapter 21: Chapter 16: Caique’s Rage

Not long after Ye Shan was severely injured, the Sect announced its withdrawal from the Secret Realm, vowing never to interfere with it again.

It was said that the Sect’s losses this time were catastrophic. Several Supreme Elders were grievously wounded. However, the opposing Four Major Sects fared no better, losing over a hundred Core Formation Stage cultivators. As for the younger generation within the Secret Realm, more than half of them were killed.

Previously, conflicts within the Secret Realm rarely resulted in death. This time, the Four Major Sects dispatched their older generation of experts to besiege Ye Shan, a member of the younger generation. This act completely shattered the unspoken rules that the Cultivation Realm had always maintained, provoking a frenzied retaliation from the Profound Pure Sect.

Although the Profound Pure Sect’s power was far inferior to that of the Four Major Sects, the Four Major Sects had broken the rules. The experts they sent for reinforcements were held back by other powers. Only after the Profound Pure Sect had more or less exacted its revenge did the matter come to a close under the mediation of various factions.

The news of the Sect’s defeat caused the morale throughout the Profound Pure Sect to plummet.

Many couldn’t understand. When Ye Shan had first entered the Secret Realm, the situation had been excellent. How had it suddenly taken such a drastic downturn?

They had sacrificed so much, only to gain nothing in the end. Instead, their losses were devastating. The fact that Ye Shan, considered the pride of the Sect, had been critically injured—his newly formed Golden Core shattered and his path of cultivation essentially severed—was especially hard for many to accept.

After a few days of suppressed emotions, or perhaps at the instigation of certain individuals with ulterior motives, many rumors about Yue Qingyu suddenly began to circulate within the Sect.

Normally, such talk would never occur. But now, whether due to the provocations of those with ill intent or because she was one of their own and they felt they could act with impunity, Yue Qingyu became an outlet for everyone’s frustrations.

In any case, within a few days, these discussions had sprung up.

”Don’t you think the timing of Senior Sister Yue’s appearance was a bit too convenient? She showed up right after Senior Brother Ye Shan’s foundation was critically damaged, but not when his life was in immediate danger.

”Could it be true, like the rumors say? That she could have arrived earlier, but deliberately delayed because Senior Brother Ye Shan was a threat to her position as the future Sect Leader?”

”That seems unlikely, doesn’t it? Senior Sister Yue doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”

”You can’t be so sure. After all, the human heart is hard to fathom. Who can really say? Everyone saw what happened. She rescued Senior Brother Ye Shan so calmly and left just as calmly.”

”That... seems to be true, now that you mention it. Could it be that Senior Sister Yue really...”

One day, as Xu Ran was walking along as usual, he overheard some disciples huddled together, discussing things in hushed tones. But unlike other days, their discussion was only halfway through when a sudden, angry shout interrupted them.

”You people! Senior Sister Yue fought desperately for the Sect, and you’re here slandering her! Can you live with yourselves?”

”Did you not see her white robes, stained red with blood?”

Hearing this voice, Xu Ran looked back and saw Ning Caique, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time. With her arms crossed, she was glaring at the disciples, her face filled with righteous indignation.

Compared to the last time they had parted, Ning Caique had aged considerably. Strands of white had appeared in her hair, and more wrinkles had formed at the corners of her eyes.

He didn’t know if it was out of nostalgia or because it made her look fiercer, but she was now once again wearing her hair in two buns.

The way she looked now was remarkably similar to when they had parted in Xu Family Village, when she had shaken her small fists at Xu Ran and said, ”I’m definitely going to put Senior Sister Yue in her place!”

The same imposing presence, the same fierce gaze.

The only difference was that back then, she was just a little girl. Now, she was an old woman with white hair.

After hearing Ning Caique’s words, the faces of the disciples whose discussion had been interrupted stiffened. They were just about to turn around and apologize when they got a clear look at her. Suddenly, one of them let out a sneer, then bowed respectfully and said:

”Ah, it’s Steward Ning in person. My apologies, Steward Ning. We had no intention of slandering Senior Sister Yue. Of course we don’t believe she’s that kind of person. The only reason we’re discussing it is to unravel the mystery, get to the bottom of the truth, and prove Senior Sister Yue’s innocence, isn’t it?”

”Everyone in the Sect knows that you, Steward Ning, were brought into the Sect by Senior Sister Yue and have followed her since you were a child. We can understand your desire to defend her. We just hope you won’t stop us from seeking the truth and proving Senior Sister Yue’s innocence, alright?”

The man put a heavy emphasis on the word ’innocence,’ his words clearly laced with hidden meaning.

”You...” Ning Caique clenched her fists, her chest heaving violently. She was clearly furious.

’Once upon a time, what Qi Cultivation Stage disciple would have dared to speak to me like this? But ever since my foundation was damaged and my Cultivation plummeted, everything has changed.’

’Although I’ve come to accept this change, I still can’t hide the pain in my heart. But I never complain. The Cultivation Realm has always been this pragmatic.’

She had originally planned to stay in the Chores Courtyard and never return. But now, hearing people slander Senior Sister Yue, she could no longer bear it. She had stepped back into the main sect area, a place she hadn’t entered for a long time, and whenever she saw someone gossiping, she would step forward to interrupt.

Some would meekly apologize under her criticism, some would argue back, and others, like these disciples, would respond with ridicule.

She felt helpless, hating that she couldn’t do more for Senior Sister Yue.

Just as she was racking her brain for a retort, a serious voice suddenly sounded in her ear:

”Oh, if I may be so bold as to ask, which branch are you fellow disciples from, and in which hall do you serve? Listening to you, it seems the Sect has entrusted you with the important task of investigating Senior Sister Yue’s actions in the Secret Realm. Is that right? I wonder, could you show me your letter of appointment?”

The disciples’ faces froze. When they saw the speaker was Xu Ran, their expressions became even more rigid. They hurriedly performed a Daoist salute and said:

”Junior Brother Xu, you’ve misunderstood! We weren’t commissioned by the Sect to investigate. We were just simply...”

But before he could finish, Xu Ran cut him off sternly, ”If you weren’t commissioned by the Sect, then why were you talking about investigating the truth? What the truth is, the Sect itself will investigate. What need is there for you to worry about it?”

”Or could it be... that you’ve been paid off by some other power...”

Xu Ran hadn’t even finished his sentence, but the disciples shuddered as if struck. They quickly waved their hands and admitted their fault, ”No, no, no! We haven’t! We were just curious because we heard others talking about it! Junior Brother Xu, we were wrong! We won’t discuss it again! We’ll leave right now.”

After speaking, without waiting for Xu Ran’s reaction, they bowed to both him and Ning Caique before scrambling away in a panic.

The Cultivation Realm is a very pragmatic place. The disciples recognized very clearly that Xu Ran was different from Ning Caique. Although his Cultivation wasn’t high, he was held in high regard by both Qing Xuan Master and the Grand Elder of Celestial Sea Peak, and he interacted with them often.

Furthermore, it was said that he had recently grown close with several of the Sect’s Spirit Plant Masters. From this, one could see that his network was far from simple, and he was not someone who could be easily offended.

Watching the disciples flee in disarray, Ning Caique looked at Xu Ran with a complicated expression.

’I never would have thought that these people, who paid me no mind whatsoever, would react like this after seeing Xu Ran.’

’His current strength is no match for even me in my injured state, yet he still accomplished what I could not.’

’Sure enough, no matter how much time has passed, the Brother Xu I looked up to as all-powerful when I was little is still just as capable as he was back then.’

Ning Caique opened her mouth, trying to think of what to say, but Xu Ran spoke first, asking, ”Have you been to see Senior Sister Yue?”

Ning Caique was slightly taken aback by the question, then shook her head. ”What good would it do if I went?”

”What do you mean, ’what good would it do?’ You can still offer Senior Sister Yue a few words of comfort, can’t you?”

”Senior Sister Yue understands everything clearly. How could she possibly need my comfort?”

”What she understands is her business. Whether or not you go is your business. Come on, let’s go together.”

Without another word, Xu Ran took Ning Caique’s hand and pulled her along toward Yue Qingyu’s residence.

Ning Caique lowered her head slightly, looking at the hand holding hers. An image surfaced in her mind: back in that small mountain village, it was this same hand that had pulled her along to play everywhere, showing her that there were so many fun things in the world.

”Senior Sister Yue.” After arriving at Yue Qingyu’s Cave Mansion, Ning Caique looked at her ethereal, white-robed senior sister and called out timidly.

Yue Qingyu turned her head at the sound. Her gaze fell upon Ning Caique, and then her face broke into a smile, looking especially happy.

”Xiaoque’Er, you’re wearing your hair in buns again.”

Ning Caique had never imagined that her Senior Sister Yue could show such a happy, such a beautiful smile. She was completely stunned.