Zhu Mingyan walked with great difficulty.
She felt that she might die today.
If there was anyone in the world who was good at wasting opportunities, it was probably her. She had been reborn for less than a day and was already about to die again.
She had not even seen her master after being reborn.
If he learned of her death, how would he feel?
Looking at herself now, she truly felt she had let her master down.
Lost in these thoughts, her body finally reached its limit.
The forceful use of her spiritual flame had caused blood to flow from all seven openings of her face. Her vision blurred, and a loud ringing filled her ears.
At last, she could no longer hold herself up.
Her legs gave out, and she fell backward.
But instead of hitting the ground, she fell into a warm embrace.
Struggling to open her eyes, she saw a familiar face.
It was her master, Li Xiushan.
Behind him, the black dog froze for a moment.
Then it suddenly went mad and lunged at Li Xiushan.
Its golden eyes burned with rage.
For the first time, Zhu Mingyan saw such violent killing intent from the dog.
Li Xiushan did not even turn around.
A red wall of light instantly rose behind him and blocked the charging dog ten steps away.
Looking at Zhu Mingyan, who was covered in blood, he sighed.
His expression was complicated.
“Mingyan, I have only been away from the sect for a little over a month.”
“How did you manage to end up in such a miserable state?”
But Zhu Mingyan could no longer hear him.
She closed her eyes, leaned against him, and softly called out, “Master…”
Then she lost consciousness.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in bed.
Above her was a familiar pale-white curtain.
This was her bedroom on Huai’an Peak.
Struggling to sit up, she felt as though her entire body had been smashed apart and rebuilt.
Every muscle ached.
“Awake?”
Li Xiushan’s calm voice sounded nearby.
She immediately turned her head.
Most sect leaders in the cultivation world liked to wear black or white robes to appear dignified and detached from worldly affairs.
Li Xiushan was different.
He preferred red.
Even during formal gatherings of the immortal sects, he would only casually throw a black cloak over his red robes.
He looked exactly as she remembered.
Dressed in flowing red robes with wide sleeves, his long hair was half tied back.
Sitting at a desk, he calmly looked at her.
“You have been unconscious for most of the day.”
“It is now evening.”
Zhu Mingyan immediately jumped out of bed.
“Master, you’ve finally come back!”
She pulled out a chair, sat down across from him, and immediately began complaining.
“Master, you have no idea how much I’ve suffered since you left!”
“The Enforcement Hall kept sending me to the confinement room behind the mountain every few days…”
Li Xiushan frowned.
His expression finally changed slightly.
“Mingyan, why did you never tell me these things?”
“I left you a communication token before I departed.”
Zhu Mingyan laughed awkwardly.
Of course she had not dared to tell him.
After falling from genius to useless, she hated both the person who stole her spirit beast and herself for disappointing her master.
Whenever she suffered, she silently endured it.
She had never wanted to complain.
Li Xiushan sighed.
“Forget it.”
“You are fifteen now and old enough to make your own decisions.”
“I will not lecture you.”
Then he continued:
“But remember one thing.”
“No matter who you are now or who you become in the future, I will always be your master.”
“Do not look down on yourself.”
Zhu Mingyan was deeply moved.
It had been Li Xiushan who found her wandering alone as a child and brought her back to the Broken Blade Sect.
He carefully taught her how to cultivate from the beginning.
Even after her cultivation collapsed and she no longer seemed worthy of being the Sect Master’s disciple, his attitude toward her had never changed.
Now her spiritual energy flowed smoothly, and most of her injuries had already healed.
It was obvious that her master had once again treated her personally.
If he had not returned today, she probably would have become the first cultivator in history to be burned to death by her own spiritual flame.
Her spiritual flame?
Suddenly, she remembered something.
“Master, besides telling you about those things, there’s something else I want to discuss.”
“The black dog from the back mountain?” Li Xiushan immediately guessed.
“You want to make it your spirit beast?”
“Yes…”
Li Xiushan fell silent for a moment.
Then he said,
“It is indeed a powerful high-grade spirit beast.”
“However, it does not seem fully intelligent yet.”
“I am afraid it will not be easy to tame.”
“And with your current condition…”
“Do not push yourself too hard.”
“I understand, Master.”
Zhu Mingyan’s expression became serious.
“Master has always protected me and worried about me.”
“But I cannot stay under your protection forever.”
“That spirit beast is extremely powerful.”
“It can also help me control my spiritual flame.”
“If I can tame it, perhaps my strength can recover.”
“Please allow me to try.”
Li Xiushan suddenly asked,
“The seal I placed on you… you removed it, didn’t you?”
“Master, the situation was urgent.”
“That black dog was trying to hurt me.”
She looked away awkwardly before continuing.
“Besides, the seal was only a temporary solution.”
“It prevented me from losing control, but it also limited my strength.”
“Now that the seal is gone and I happened to meet that black dog…”
“Perhaps this is an opportunity given to me by Heaven.”
“I am willing to try my best.”
“Please allow it.”
Li Xiushan looked at her quietly.
Just one month ago, she had been timid and depressed.
Whenever cultivation was mentioned, she would lose focus and become discouraged.
Now she seemed like a completely different person.
She was even asking to tame a dangerous beast like the black dog.
His expression was complicated.
But in the end, he did not stop her.
Instead, he smiled gently and patted her head.
“Very well.”
“I believe in you.”
“However, you must keep this with you at all times.”
He handed her a jade token.
It was the Elder’s Token she had used yesterday to intimidate Si Huizhou.
“I have already informed the elders of the Five Peaks and Nine Halls.”
“While I am away, all matters concerning Huai’an Peak will be under your authority.”
“Anyone who deliberately bullies you is challenging Huai’an Peak itself.”
“This token is proof of that authority.”
After a pause, a rare trace of fierceness appeared on his face.
“As for Si Huizhou, I personally went to the Enforcement Hall.”
“I removed his name from the records, publicly gave him fifteen lashes, and sent him back to the outer sect.”
“I haven’t shown myself around the sect for some time.”
“It seems people have become bold enough to bully Huai’an Peak.”
Zhu Mingyan was almost speechless.
Her master truly treated her exceptionally well.
…
“I will leave for the Northern Region again tomorrow.”
“If things become too difficult, you can simply stay on Huai’an Peak and rest.”
“As for that spirit beast…”
“I have temporarily confined it in Mingxi Forest.”
“You can decide what to do with it later.”
Having finished everything he wanted to say, Li Xiushan stood up.
Outside, the Vice Sect Master and others were waiting for him in the council hall to discuss sect affairs.
“Master, take care.”
Zhu Mingyan stood and bowed respectfully.
She watched him leave.
Looking at his departing figure, she softly whispered,
“Master has helped heal my spiritual meridians and suppress my spiritual flame.”
“I will not disappoint him.”
“I will definitely tame that spirit beast.”