"Master, why are you just standing there?"
Ye Chuxue did not see Song Wanníng. She only noticed Gu Qingyuan suddenly freeze and immediately shouted in panic.
Gu Qingyuan snapped out of his daze, scrambling to his feet with all limbs, turning to face the demon beast inside the cave.
Ye Chuxue was still behind him; he had to protect her.
But the next moments became unbearably difficult. Those eyes behind him felt like burning flames, making his heart restless. Besides worrying about Song Wanníng's sudden appearance, there was an unbearable sense of shame.
Once, he had been ten times stronger than Song Wanníng.
Now, she was like a distant star unreachable in the sky, while he had fallen to this low state.
Puff
He was thrown again by the demon beast, coughing up blood on the ground.
"Master!"
Ye Chuxue shouted anxiously, stomping her foot in the corner, yet showed no intention of helping.
In that moment, Gu Qingyuan's mind wandered. He thought back to the past. Whenever danger came, his Junior Sister never let him face it alone. She even took the brunt of the attack so he could escape.
Many times she had saved his life, suffering serious injuries. Perhaps because of that, her cultivation had stalled and fallen behind his. Though blunt and never sugarcoating words, his Junior Sister was truly loyal and willing to give everything, even her life.
Gu Qingyuan's heart tightened, but the demon beast charged again. He gritted his teeth and rose, facing the beast with all his strength.
Ye Chuxue watched his distracted expression with a flash of anger.
"What is Master doing? Does he not know how important the Xuyan Grass is?"
Her eyes filled with resentment, not a trace of worry.
Gu Qingyuan cast a glance her way and suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
Shouldn't he have gotten used to this by now?
Why did it still make him shiver inside?
Could he really be worth less than a single plant?
It seemed as though Song Wanníng's gaze was piercing him with ridicule.
Almost as if saying, Look, this is the reward for giving up everything...
He closed his eyes and vowed fiercely, fighting the demon beast wildly. No matter how injured he became, he did not care. His only thought was not to lose face before Song Wanníng.
Yet, to Ye Chuxue, this was proof that Master was risking everything for her.
Moved, she immediately regretted her earlier attitude.
Master treats her well, and she would definitely do the same for him in the future.
...
Gu Qingyuan's dramatic performance appeared ridiculous in Song Wanníng's eyes. She curled her lips, eyes flashing with mockery.
"No matter when, Senior Brother's pride was always so strong."
Mo Yuan stood nearby, sneaking glances at Song Wanníng's expression. Once he confirmed there was no pity for Gu Qingyuan in her eyes, he finally relaxed.
Gu Qingyuan was not even worthy of polishing Senior's shoes. Fortunately, Senior had long since made her decision.
Mo Yuan was curious. Did Senior really intend to kill them?
Especially Gu Qingyuan—he was Senior's fellow disciple and Senior Brother.
Their Master had already ascended to the spirit realm. If Senior killed Gu Qingyuan, how would she face that?
After much thought, Gu Qingyuan finally displayed his power and killed the demon beast.
Ye Chuxue's heart leapt with joy. She immediately rushed to the Xuyan Grass without thinking to help Gu Qingyuan up first.
She carefully pulled out the Xuyan Grass, eyes shining with happiness.
"Master, with this Xuyan Grass, my cultivation will recover much faster! Soon, we will take revenge on Song Wanníng!"
Seeking revenge on Song Wanníng had become her obsession. But Gu Qingyuan did not echo her excitement. Instead, he closed his eyes, utterly exhausted. With Song Wanníng behind them, did he and Ye Chuxue have a future?
"Master, what's wrong?"
Ye Chuxue noticed Gu Qingyuan's abnormality and hurried over, worry written all over her face.
"I'll give you the pills now."
She took out the few remaining pills, intending to feed them to Gu Qingyuan. He shook his head, signaling her to put the pills away. If danger really came, he hoped Ye Chuxue would survive. As for him...
Song Wanníng probably would not be so merciful, right?
A flicker of hope crossed Gu Qingyuan's mind, still clinging to illusions.
"Master, what are you—"
Before Ye Chuxue could finish, footsteps sounded at the cave entrance. Her body instantly tensed, and she sprang to her feet.
The footsteps grew closer. Ye Chuxue's face drained of color.
When the nightmare-like face of Song Wanníng appeared, her body froze and then stepped back a few paces.
Seeing Song Wanníng was like reliving the day she was crippled.
The feeling of her eyes being gouged out was still vivid. If not for Master healing her injuries, she would be blind and useless now.
That fear had been etched into her soul.
Though she always shouted for revenge on Song Wanníng, when faced with her, she instinctively wanted to run.
But her feet were rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Her gaze flicked to Mo Yuan nearby and froze, seeming to remember something.
"You—you?"
Though his facial scars were gone, she would never forget those eyes and the ruthless glare.
"So you really were working together!"
Ye Chuxue trembled with anger.
She had said all along that Song Wanníng was harboring demon cultivators, stealing the Tianyuan Heart-Nourishing Pills from the auction, and even taking the storage ring.
But Song Wanníng denied it, causing the Sect Master to blame her instead.
Since then, Bai Yang had grown estranged from her...
"The Tianyuan Heart-Nourishing Pill was a setup by you, wasn't it? That was Master's life-saving pill, and you made sure to snatch both the pill and the storage ring. How cruel you are!"
Ye Chuxue's eyes reddened with grievance. No one had believed her before, not even Master. They all said comforting words, but did not believe that Song Wanníng was behind it.
Now she finally had proof.
Her words hung in the air, drawing everyone's gaze to Song Wanníng.
Gu Qingyuan looked shocked and stunned.
Mo Yuan's pupils constricted, disbelief flashing in his eyes. He was cautious and suspicious by nature and still remembered the Tianyuan Heart-Nourishing Pill incident.
After considering Ye Chuxue's words, everything suddenly became clear.
The Tianyuan Heart-Nourishing Pill had never fallen into Ye Chuxue's hands.
The one who crippled him could not have been her.
In other words, he had been targeting the wrong enemy all along.