"Qingzhu, what on earth is going on?"
At this moment, Qin Xiuqing was furious.
Her two most brilliant disciples—the very future of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace—had turned against each other like this! How could her heart not ache?
Chen Xuan had assumed things had already gone this far, and judging by her character in the original novel, Ayin Qingzhu would surely admit it herself, even if she'd rather die than name the culprit.
Yet, to his absolute shock, Ayin Qingzhu covered her face and began to sob.
Playing the defensive retreat, she said, "Junior Brother Chen, since there is no longer any place for me in your heart, why must you continue saying such hurtful things? It makes it sound as though Qingzhu is entirely in the wrong."
With just a few words, she had cast herself entirely as the victim.
Such advanced emotional manipulation took centuries of mastery to pull off.
Where was the cool, aloof fairy Ayin Qingzhu he was supposed to know?
Which idiot had rewritten her character profile?
Chen Xuan knew that the Ayin Qingzhu before him was no longer the one he recognized.
It was as if she had been swapped with a completely different person. The gap was simply too vast!
[Ding! Ayin Qingzhu generates grievance + loss, Emotion Value +100]
Seeing her cry, Qin Xiuqing's iron-hard heart began to soften.
After a long moment, she let out a long sigh toward the heavens, as if resigning herself to her fate.
She knew that perhaps the person who had taken her female disciple's maidenhood truly wasn't Chen Xuan after all! And even if it were, what could she possibly do about it?
Both palms and the back of her hands were made of flesh. Besides... she was the one who had orchestrated this marriage in the first place. If blame were to be assigned, she would be the first in line!
Qin Xiuqing thought it over and decided she still needed to understand the full sequence of events before making a final decision.
"Qingzhu, when all is said and forth, Xuanger is still your husband; you two are married. You owe him a reasonable explanation!"
"Master, that matter truly isn't my fault. I was a victim as well—I was forced into it!"
Qin Xiuqing said in a deep voice, "Tell me every single detail clearly. Right and wrong, this master will judge fairly!"
"It happened like this..."
Then, Ayin Qingzhu slightly doctored the story of how she had fallen into a trap in the Tianyan Mountains and lost her chastity, recounting it with careful adjustments.
In her version, she had indeed been controlled by someone and violated while vulnerable. However, the difference was that the moment she recovered, she had torn that person into a thousand pieces to avenge herself.
She omitted entirely the fact that Chen Xuan had long since warned her not to go to the Great Yan Empire alone.
Hearing her story, Chen Xuan almost laughed.
His review was simple: the ending of the story was well-crafted, but unfortunately, completely fabricated.
Though Qin Xiuqing was the master of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, she was still a woman. After listening to Ayin Qingzhu's account and putting herself in her shoes, she thought: if her own man were going behind her back to mess around with other women, she certainly wouldn't spare them.
However, the one who had erred was her most prized personal female disciple—the person with the highest hope of comprehending the Supreme Path in thousands of years. On the other side was a disciple who possessed terrifying natural talent, whose unique assistance was crucial for comprehending the Supreme Path.
After weighing the matter repeatedly, she still wanted to salvage their marriage and decided to play the peacemaker.
Qin Xiuqing persuaded him, "Xuanger, you heard it too. This matter truly wasn't Qingzhu's fault, and she even killed that person with her own hands. That can be considered revenge for both you and her. Can't we just let it go?"
What was going through her mind when she said something like that? Was she trying to smooth things over, or just pouring oil on the fire?
[Ding! Ayin Qingzhu generates agreement, Emotion Value +50]
You actually have the nerve to agree?
Even Chen Xuan hadn't expected that someone would actually believe Ayin Qingzhu's amateurish storytelling, which wasn't even half as good as his own.
Was the master of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace really this mentally deficient?
However, once Chen Xuan made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back.
"Master, since you already know the truth, please grant your disciple this request."
"No, I refuse!"
Just as Chen Xuan's voice fell, Ayin Qingzhu cut in ahead of her master to express her stance.
However, Chen Xuan's heart was as steadfast as stone; he didn't care about her opinion in the least. "Master, whether you agree or not, I have already given the letter of annulment to Senior Sister. That is final."
"Wait!"
Just as Chen Xuan turned to leave, Qin Xiuqing suddenly called out to him.
"Does Master have something else to say?" Chen Xuan turned back and asked.
Qin Xiuqing continued to persuade him, "Xuanger, you two are the golden boy and jade girl in the eyes of all the super sects in the Eastern Xuan Region. To dissolve a marriage over such a trivial matter is simply too great a pity."
[Ding! Ayin Qingzhu generates relief, Emotion Value +100]
Hearing their master say this, Ayin Qingzhu breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Xuan's brow, however, furrowed deeply.
You call this a trivial matter? What on earth counts as a major matter, then?
Before he could speak, Qin Xiuqing continued, "How about this: both of you go back and calm down for a while. Perhaps after some time passes, you won't want to divorce anymore?"
Calm down?
Even if he were to calm down for a hundred or a thousand years over something like this, he would never let it go! Who on earth could accept being cheated on?
Naturally, Chen Xuan could never agree to such a request.
He had already given her the letter of annulment, so he flatly refused: "I am already calm enough; no further persuasion is needed!"
Seeing his resolute attitude, Qin Xiuqing knew that trying to make a broken mirror reflect again was wishing for the impossible.
"I have important matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you two any longer." Seeing that everything had been made clear, Chen Xuan turned and left.
He couldn't even be bothered to call her Master anymore.
He was deeply disappointed in Ayin Qingzhu, and even more disappointed in Qin Xiuqing.
From beginning to end, his gaze had not lingered on Ayin Qingzhu for more than two seconds.
This particular detail made Ayin Qingzhu feel immensely uncomfortable.
Prior to this incident, as long as she was around, Chen Xuan's eyes would never wander from her.
And this time?
He had actually ignored her entirely!
In an instant, a pair of fair hands gripped her skirt in sheer reluctance. Her pearly teeth bit hard into her lower lip, though it was unclear what she was thinking.
Qin Xiuqing watched Chen Xuan's retreating figure with a helpless sigh.
In truth, she had known all along that Ayin Qingzhu was going to the Great Yan Empire. At first, she hadn't agreed to let her go there either. But upon learning that the strongest person in the Great Yan Empire was merely at the One-Yuan Nirvana Stage, she had consented to let her seek her fortune.
Damn it, if she had known this would happen, she would have sent an elder along to protect her!
Well, look at it now! She had lost the battle and sacrificed her general to boot.
"Qingzhu, starting today, you will enter seclusion. You are not permitted to step out until you reach the Nirvana Stage!"
"Your disciple obeys."
Ayin Qingzhu nodded and turned to leave.
Watching Ayin Qingzhu's retreating figure, Qin Xiuqing sighed once more.
This was the only form of punishment she could impose. At the same time, she was calculating whether she should send someone to the Great Yan Empire to investigate who was responsible and slaughter them.
She had a strong intuition: if she didn't do something, she might very well lose a talented disciple like Chen Xuan because of the decision she had just made!
Though keeping the disciple most likely to comprehend the Supreme Path seemed worth it on the surface... Chen Xuan's cultivation talent was truly terrifying. If he were to defect to another sect, it would spell massive trouble for the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace!