"Youran, would you be willing..."
A-Chen's deep gaze was fixed intently on me, his eyes seemingly holding a thousand unspoken words. But before I could react, a rapid set of footsteps sounded from behind. We turned around simultaneously to see Elder Qu walking toward us, his sharp eyes seemingly able to pierce through everything.
"Congratulations, Youran. Your performance today was impressive." Elder Qu stopped in front of me, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
I quickly bowed in greeting. "Thank you for the praise, Elder. This disciple merely won by a stroke of luck."
"Haha, the victor is the king; there is no need for excessive modesty." Elder Qu laughed heartily, his tone turning solemn the next moment. "Youran, would you be willing to enter my tutelage and become my personal disciple?"
This sudden invitation caught me off guard. I instinctively looked over at A-Chen and saw that he, too, was looking at me in surprise. Entering Elder Qu's tutelage meant gaining access to the finest cultivation resources and opportunities for advancement—something any disciple would dream of.
"What? Unwilling?" Seeing me hesitate, Elder Qu's tone carried a hint of scrutiny.
"No, this disciple is willing." I took a deep breath, raised my head, and looked steadily at Elder Qu.
"Good! Good! Good!" Elder Qu repeated the word three times, his face beaming with gratified smiles. "From today onward, you are my closing disciple. I will impart everything I know to help you break through soon."
I bowed once more. "Thank you, Master!"
A wave of murmuring broke out among the crowd, and I could feel countless envious and jealous gazes landing on me. At that moment, a sharp, caustic voice rang out from nearby. "Hmph, she just happened to win a single match and got completely carried away, completely unbothered by how high the wind blows!"
I turned to look. It was Senior Sister Liu, staring at me with venomous eyes as if we shared some deep, irreconcilable hatred.
"Senior Sister Liu, you..." A-Chen stepped forward, wanting to speak up for me, but I pulled him back.
"A-Chen, pay her no mind." I offered him a slight smile, then turned back to Senior Sister Liu and said in a calm tone, "Senior Sister Liu is right; this disciple indeed still has many shortcomings. I ask for your continued guidance in the days to come, Senior Sister."
Senior Sister Liu let out a cold snort and said nothing more, though her venomous glare never left me. I knew that from this moment on, I would face not only the challenges of cultivation, but also the jealousy and ostracization of my fellow disciples.
Upon returning to my quarters, I immediately began cultivating, hoping to raise my strength as quickly as possible. Deep in the quiet of the night, while I was immersed in my cultivation, I suddenly sensed an unusual aura...
I snapped my eyes open and vigilantly surveyed my surroundings. The room was deathly quiet; moonlight streamed in through the lattice window, casting mottled shadows across the floor. Could I be overly sensitive? I shook my head, trying to dispel that uneasy feeling.
Just then, I sharply caught a glimpse of a dark figure flashing past the window. I held my breath, walked silently to the window, gently pushed open a small gap, and peered outside with concentrated focus.
In the dark of night, a blurred figure flashed by, its speed shockingly fast. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, I could be certain it was no hallucination! Someone was keeping watch on me in the dark!
My heart sank heavily, and a chill surged straight from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. Who was it? Why do this? Could it be because I had become Elder Qu's personal disciple, thus drawing jealousy?
Various speculations churned through my mind, yet I could not find a single logical explanation. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. The most important thing now was to figure out the intruder's identity and objective.
"What's wrong?" A-Chen's concerned voice sounded from behind, pulling me back from my thoughts.
I turned around to see A-Chen standing in the doorway, looking at me with worry etched on his face. I forcefully suppressed the unease in my heart and managed a strained smile for him. "It's nothing, just ran into some issues while cultivating."
"Really?" A-Chen clearly did not believe my excuse. He walked over to my side, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room. "You look very tense. Did something happen?"
"I..." I hesitated, ultimately deciding to tell him what had just occurred.
After hearing my account, A-Chen's expression grew grave as well. "It seems we've run into trouble."
"Who do you think it could be?" I asked.
A-Chen pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, "It's hard to say right now, but one thing is certain: their target is you."
"Me?" I was startled. "Why?"
Instead of answering my question, A-Chen said, "We cannot take this lightly. We must uncover the culprit's background as soon as possible."
Over the next few days, A-Chen and I secretly launched an investigation, hoping to find clues pointing to the mastermind behind the scenes. However, the adversary was extremely cunning, leaving behind only a blurred silhouette each time, giving us nothing to go on.
Just as we were at our wits' end, Senior Sister Liu suddenly appeared before me, a meaningful, mocking smirk hanging at the corners of her lips. "Oh, if it isn't Elder Qu's prized pupil? What's the matter, hiding away here all by yourself daydreaming?"
My heart chilled, and an ominous premonition welled up within me...
I looked at her coldly, my tone level. "Senior Sister Liu, is there something you need?"
Senior Sister Liu covered her mouth with a chuckle, feigning surprise. "Oh my, look at me, truly absent-minded. You're Elder Qu's personal disciple now, of noble status—how could I ever dare to seek you out without reason?"
Her sarcastic tone heightened my vigilance. I certainly did not believe she was kind enough to make a special trip just to exchange pleasantries with me. Sure enough, no sooner had her words fallen than a wave of whispering broke out around us, with many disciples casting strange looks my way.
I took a deep breath and said composedly, "You jest, Senior Sister. We are fellow disciples of the same sect; why be so distant? If Senior Sister has no other business, I will be returning first."
With that, I turned to leave, only to have Senior Sister Liu block my path. "Don't be in such a rush to leave," she said with a humorless smile. "I heard your cultivation speed has been astonishing lately—truly something to celebrate. Why not take advantage of having everyone here today to let us all witness your strength? How about it?"
I sneered inwardly. So this was her true purpose! She wanted to humiliate me in front of everyone! The surrounding disciples, having their curiosity piqued by Senior Sister Liu's words, began clamoring and urging me to "perform."
I thought to myself: Since you want to play, I'll play along with you! Feigning apprehension, I said, "You jest, Senior Sister. My cultivation is still shallow; how could I dare make a fool of myself in front of everyone?"
"Oh, child, why so modest?" Senior Sister Liu grabbed my wrist, pulled me into the center of the crowd, and said loudly, "We are all fellow disciples here to spar, learn, and improve together—what is there to be shy about? Isn't that right, Junior Sister Qu?"
As she spoke, she secretly increased the force in her grip, her sharp nails nearly piercing my skin. I endured the pain, forcing a troubled expression onto my face.
Just then, a clear voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Senior Sister Liu, what are you doing?"
Following the sound, I saw A-Chen and Xuanfeng walking over side by side, neither of their expressions looking particularly pleasant. Seeing this, a flash of panic crossed Senior Sister Liu's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. Releasing my wrist, she smiled and said, "Oh, it's Junior Brother A-Chen and Junior Brother Xuanfeng. I was just sparring in martial arts with Junior Sister Qu; you've come at just the right time. Why not join in and offer some pointers?"
A-Chen walked to my side, seamlessly shielding me behind him. He stared coldly at Senior Sister Liu, a hint of warning in his voice. "Senior Sister Liu, enough is enough."
Senior Sister Liu's expression flickered, but before she could retort, a deep voice rang out from outside the crowd: "What is going on here?"
Hearing that voice, the color drained completely from Senior Sister Liu's face, while a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart...
My heart gave a jolt. That voice... it was Elder Qu!
Elder Qu slowly approached the crowd, his majestic gaze sweeping across them before finally landing on me, a trace of imperceptible shrewdness flashing in his eyes. My internal alarm bells rang wildly, though I kept my expression composed, lowering my head slightly to bow. "This disciple pays respects to Elder Qu."
"Mm." Elder Qu grunted faintly, turning his gaze to Senior Sister Liu with a hint of displeasure. "What is the meaning of this?"
Senior Sister Liu's face was ashen as she stammered, "N-nothing at all... This disciple merely wished to spar with Junior Sister Qu to deepen our fellowship..."
Before she could finish, Elder Qu coldly interrupted her. "Nonsense! Cultivation is a serious matter; is it child's play?"
His stern tone made Senior Sister Liu tremble all over, daring not to utter another word as she lowered her head in submission. The surrounding disciples fell silent like cicadas in winter, not daring to carry on their previous uproar.
Having finished reprimanding Senior Sister Liu, Elder Qu turned back to me, his tone softening considerably. "Youran, you have just arrived and still need to apply yourself diligently to cultivation; you must not slack off."
"This disciple will keep the Elder's teachings in mind," I replied respectfully, though I was sneering inwardly. The surface-level act was played quite well, but unfortunately, I had already seen through his true face.
Elder Qu nodded with satisfaction, exchanged a few parting words of caution with A-Chen and Xuanfeng, and then turned and left. As soon as he departed, the surrounding disciples scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only the four of us behind in no time.
"Youran, are you alright?" Linger asked with concern.
I shook my head to indicate I was fine, but my gaze turned toward A-Chen and Xuanfeng. "How is it? Did you find anything?"
Xuanfeng said with a solemn expression, "We investigated in secret and discovered that Senior Sister Liu has been getting very close to Elder Qu lately. It seems... there is some sort of transaction between them."
"A transaction?" A thought stirred within me. Could Senior Sister Liu's targeting of me have been instigated by Elder Qu?
A-Chen nodded, his tone icy. "It seems this Elder Qu of ours is not as simple as he appears on the surface."
I took a deep breath, pressing down the unease in my chest, and said in a low voice, "When the enemy comes, flood defenses; when water comes, earth blocks. Since they want to play, we'll play with them to the end!"
"That's right!" Linger clenched her fists, determination shining in her eyes.
"Everyone be careful during this period and try not to move about alone," A-Chen cautioned.
"Understood," Linger and I answered in unison.
The sun set in the west, setting the horizon ablaze with fiery clouds that stained the entire peak in hues of blood. I gazed into the distance, an inexplicable sense of unease suddenly welling up in my heart as if something was about to happen...
"A-Chen, we should get going," I said, turning to A-Chen with a trace of unperceived urgency in my voice.
"Alright," A-Chen nodded, walking shoulder to shoulder with me down the mountain.
Our destination for this trip was a secret realm a hundred miles outside the sect—Blackwind Ridge. It was said to be rich in Spiritual Energy and an exceptional place for trials.
However, none of us expected that what awaited us was not opportunity, but rather...
"Careful!" A-Chen suddenly grabbed my hand and yanked me backward fiercely.
With a thunderous crash, right where we had been standing, a massive snake head burst forth, and a foul, fishy stench rushed toward our faces...