Shan Chengming’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
The dungeon inside Lingxiao Palace was located at the foot of Wuwang Peak. Dark and damp, it rarely saw sunlight year-round, and almost every cultivator imprisoned within had driven themselves mad. From the founding of Lingxiao Palace down to its current eleventh-generation Sect Leader, those thrown into the dungeon were almost exclusively disciples who had committed heinous crimes, such as betraying the sect or falling into the demonic path. Shan Chengming could hardly believe that he would actually be locked inside.
He dropped to his knees in panic, pleading with his master, Fang Gan, “Master, your disciple truly did no such thing! Your disciple is genuinely innocent!”
Fang Gan naturally could not bear to part with this extraordinarily talented disciple either. However, Lingxiao Palace had always operated as an autocracy, where the Sect Leader and every elder possessed the right to pass direct judgment. He himself was merely at the Nascent Soul realm; how could he take the risk of opposing Yi Ling, who was at the half-step Void Refining stage?
Disciples with exceptional talent appeared every year, so how could that compare to his own life?
Fang Gan coughed twice and said, “Chengming, since you have committed a fault, then honestly confess it. If you correct yourself in time, perhaps Elder Yi will not treat you harshly.”
Hearing these words, Shan Chengming felt a sharp pain like a knife piercing his heart, his eyes rimmed with red. He said in a trembling voice, “Master, your disciple truly never did such a thing! Why will you not believe your disciple?”
Fang Gan turned his back, seemingly unable to bear watching any longer, his voice carrying a trace of helplessness: “As your teacher, I also believe in your character, but the evidence in this matter is conclusive, and I am powerless to turn back the tide.”
Watching this scene of deep devotion between master and disciple, an expression of impatience appeared on Yi Ling’s face. He closed his eyes, raised his hand, and rubbed his brow. Sending his divine sense into his storage ring, he searched through it for an instrument of punishment that would satisfy him.
Seeing this from the side, Lu Yufeng rapped his knuckles heavily on the desk, “Come in.”
Two disciples clad in black robes entered at the command, standing respectfully before Lu Yufeng to await orders.
Lu Yufeng pointed at Shan Chengming on the ground and said, “Escort him to the dungeon to await Elder Yi’s judgment.”
The disciples acknowledged the order, hoisted Shan Chengming up, and marched him outside. Shan Chengming struggled all the way, but it was to no avail; he could only watch helplessly as he grew farther and farther from his master, his heart filled with bitterness.
Inside the dungeon, the cold and damp environment made Shan Chengming shudder uncontrollably. He was tossed into a corner surrounded by icy stone walls, where the air was thick with a nauseating smell of mildew.
Curling his body up, Shan Chengming remained bewildered: Why did Yi Ling target him so relentlessly? Why did he refuse to believe his defense at all, placing such complete trust in Cang Yu?
Even Master Fang Gan had abandoned him.
At that moment, a figure came to a stop before the cell door holding him.
Shan Chengming looked up and saw Yi Ling.
The look in Yi Ling’s eyes bore no resemblance to the gentle warmth shown on the day of the disciple acceptance ceremony; there was only bone-chilling coldness. This icy gaze completely extinguished the last spark of hope he had to defend himself. He lowered his head helplessly, leaving bloody prints on the rough ground of the cell.
Naturally, Yi Ling had already realized from Shan Chengming’s reaction that perhaps it truly was not him who had harmed Cang Yu, but he did not care.
How much slander and frame-ups had Cang Yu suffered in his previous life, and how many humiliations had he endured? What did this bit of suffering on Shan Chengming’s part count for?
Thinking of how Cang Yu used this method to borrow his hand against those who sought to harm him, Yi Ling felt half angry and half pleased.
What angered him was that Cang Yu had actually injured himself so severely, giving no thought to anything else. For instance, if Yi Ling had truly forgotten about this matter entirely, had Cang Yu intended to lie on the ground for a whole day? With a body like his, he might very well have turned into a corpse.
What pleased him was that his young disciple was finally willing to trust him. This was very good.
With a flick of Yi Ling’s sleeve, a silver whip appeared in his hand: “Sect Leader Lu has given me full authority over this matter. Since you remain so stubbornly obstinate, I shall punish you personally.”
Accompanied by a sharp crack through the air, the silver whip struck Shan Chengming across the back with a loud snap.
His body swayed, and he nearly failed to remain on his knees.
Having grown up without ever experiencing such hardship, Shan Chengming subconsciously cried out, “I know my mistake! I know my mistake! I beg the elder to show mercy!”
Yet Yi Ling did not soften his heart in the slightest. He did not reduce his strength, though he kept it within a range that Shan Chengming could bear; after all, Yi Ling quite enjoyed watching flesh tear open before his eyes bit by bit.
As the silver whip rained down repeatedly, Shan Chengming’s cries grew fainter and fainter. Only when the silver chain was stained deep red did Yi Ling toss it aside in weariness. Without sparing a single glance at Shan Chengming, whose breath was as faint as a thread on the ground, he stepped out lightly.
In front of the dungeon door, Lu Yufeng frowned at Yi Ling and said, “Why must you lay such a heavy hand on him?”
“He will not die,” Yi Ling said nonchalantly. “Moreover, he was impolite first; I am merely administering a bit of discipline.”
“The person was almost beaten to death by you,” Lu Yufeng said, almost laughing out of anger. “Is this discipline of yours not a bit too severe?”
Yi Ling looked at him indifferently: “Would I be afraid?”
Lu Yufeng was instantly left speechless.
Indeed, whether in the cultivation world or the mortal realm, Yi Ling possessed more than enough strength to decide Shan Chengming’s life and death.
In the cultivation world, he was a prodigy who reached half-step Void Refining at twenty-three years old. In the mortal realm, as the heir to the Prince of Huai, the only prince with a different surname in the State of Yin, Yi Ling had been born with a silver spoon. At least thirty percent of the incense money Lingxiao Palace received in a year was sent by the Prince of Huai.
Not beating Shan Chengming to death directly was already considered an act of benevolence.
Snowfall Peak.
Cang Yu held the Spirit Aura Scroll in his hand, its spiritual screen displaying various voice transmissions in the Chat section.
Yi Ling had been gone for far too long, a full two hours. Cang Yu grew genuinely bored waiting, so he decided to explore the Spirit Aura Scroll.
To his surprise, the very first voice transmission he clicked on in Chat was related to himself.
【Fellow cultivators, I have a theory: Do Elder Yi and his personal disciple have some undisclosed secret?】
Cang Yu: “?” What secret could there possibly be?
With confusion, he clicked open the transmission, only to see countless replies already posted beneath it.
【To be honest with everyone, I thought something was off between them on the very day of the acceptance ceremony.】
【I have been at Lingxiao Palace for five years, and I have never seen Elder Yi act so close to anyone!】
【Same here. Although Elder Yi is gentle toward everyone, he always gives off an unapproachable vibe. Yet seeing them standing together these past two days, I actually felt like Elder Yi was like 】
【Why did the fellow cultivator above stop halfway? Stop leaving us in suspense! Nobody can tell who anyone is in Chat anyway.】
【Wasn’t that out of fear that Elder Yi might find out? Well, whatever, he never reads the Spirit Aura Scroll anyway. At that time, I really felt that the look Elder Yi gave his disciple was just like one gives to a Dao companion.】
Reading up to this point, Cang Yu shuddered, nearly dropping the Spirit Aura Scroll.
Wait, like what?
Only after tapping that reply countless times did Cang Yu slowly process its meaning.
It was absolute nonsense!
Cang Yu did not know what he was angry about, but he felt a wave of rage trapped in his chest.
A romance between master and disciple disregarded human relations entirely. It was one thing if others harbored such thoughts, but how could Yi Ling possibly do such a thing!
He forced himself to steady his mind and keep reading.
【Heavens, I thought I was the only one who thought so; turns out there are like-minded people!】
【It is said that Senior Brother Cang suffered severe injuries today and Elder Yi carried him back in his own arms. Did any of you notice Elder Yi’s expression?】
【I saw it! I have never seen Elder Yi’s face look so heavy and deeply worried. Ah, such deep affection from Elder Yi is truly moving.】
Cang Yu: ” “
He slammed the Spirit Aura Scroll shut, tossing it onto the inner side of the soft daybed.
This was definitely something he could not read any further. These disciples truly lacked respect, actually daring to gossip about Yi Ling!
Right at that moment, the hall doors were pushed open. A scent of snow plum blossom mingled with blood drifted in; it was Yi Ling.
The phrases “like one gives to a Dao companion” and “indescribable love” lingered in Cang Yu’s mind, echoing continuously. His face flushed red, and he immediately closed his eyes to pretend he was sound asleep.
The crimson hue in Yi Ling’s eyes had not yet faded. Carrying a faint, indiscernible smile, he walked over to Cang Yu’s bedside and sat down.
“No need to pretend to sleep; I know you are awake.” Yi Ling simply found Cang Yu quite endearing like this, never expecting that the latter would be startled into a cold sweat upon hearing his words.
“M-Master…” Cang Yu’s voice trembled slightly. He was unsure whether Yi Ling knew about the gossip in Chat, nor did he know what Yi Ling thought of it.
Yi Ling raised his hand and gently stroked the top of his hair, saying, “There is no need to wrong yourself like this in the future.”
Cang Yu was stunned for a good while before understanding Yi Ling’s meaning. He froze, the color draining from his face: “Master, you know everything?”
Yi Ling smiled faintly and nodded: “In the future, if you suffer any grievance, just tell me directly. There is no need to be so harsh on yourself.”
“Master, are you not angry?” Cang Yu bit his lip and asked.
In Cang Yu’s few memories of Yi Ling, the man hated being used and betrayed by others above all else. Legend had it that before Yi Ling became an elder, he had a close friend; however, because that friend attempted to leverage Yi Ling’s family background to aid his own cultivation, Yi Ling executed him without a shred of mercy.
Yi Ling acted this way toward a close friend of many years, whereas Cang Yu…
Cang Yu felt he had only been his personal disciple for two days; having been caught using him by Yi Ling, could he truly be forgiven?
He also blamed himself for being too anxious to bring down Shan Chengming, failing to consider the consequences at all.
Yet Yi Ling did not fly into a rage as Cang Yu had imagined. Instead, the smile on his face deepened slightly as he said in a soft voice, “You are my only disciple. Naturally, I will do everything in my power to help you. Why would I be angry?”
Cang Yu looked at Yi Ling in disbelief. He had thought Yi Ling might be feigning it, but the emotions transmitted through their bond clearly indicated that Yi Ling was very happy at this moment, showing no sign of anger whatsoever.
Perhaps he would not have felt it was too unusual before, but…
He recalled those voice transmissions in Chat, and the more he dwelt on them, the more he felt Yi Ling was completely off.
“A look like one gives to a Dao companion…”
Cang Yu: ” ” He quickly shifted his gaze away.
It was terrifying.
“It is getting late.”
As Yi Ling spoke, he cast a cleansing spell on himself, washing away the faint scent of blood. He casually placed the Spirit Aura Scroll on the outer side of the daybed, removed his shoes and socks, and lay down beside Cang Yu in a completely natural manner.
Cang Yu was startled, hastily moving toward the inner side of the bed. He stammered, “Master, th-this is not appropriate…”
Yi Ling said, “You have just recovered from a severe illness. If you have another nightmare and wander around the hall, what will you do if you bump into something? Sleeping together with me is more convenient.”
Yi Ling’s words made complete sense, leaving Cang Yu with no ground to refute them. He could only take extra care to maintain a distance from Yi Ling, terrified of accidentally touching him.
It was truly strange. Before seeing those comments, Cang Yu had not felt there was anything wrong with being a bit close with Yi Ling, as he was certain he would never harbor feelings for his Master again. But after seeing those comments, everything he did felt entirely wrong.
Especially Yi Ling’s behavior.
Yet when Cang Yu woke up from his sleep, he discovered that this time he was not tightly hugging Yi Ling in a dream without letting go; it was happening in reality.
When he opened his eyes, an expanse of fair skin met his vision. Turning his head in confusion, he realized that he had directly hugged Yi Ling, burying his head right in the crook of the man’s neck.
Cang Yu: ” ” No wonder his entire dream had been filled with the scent of snow plum blossom.