Upon hearing that the leaders of the various sects had already arrived in the front hall, a subtle, obscure emotion flashed through Yu Qingya’s eyes.
“Elder Sister, what is this?”
Qin Yu also had a bad premonition in her heart as she looked toward Yu Qingya.
Sure enough, had this day finally arrived? “It is fine. We had to face this eventually, one way or another.” Yu Qingya comforted her before turning her gaze to Cheng Jian. “How did you manage to find this place? Master never mentioned cultivating here.”
Yu Qingya’s pressure-laden linguistic coercion filled the air entirely, and the look she directed at Cheng Jian was charged with probing scrutiny.
Beads of dense sweat oozed across Cheng Jian’s forehead. The opposing party’s Nascent Soul cultivation was already more than he could comfortably handle, but he still gritted his teeth and replied, “This disciple accidentally passed by it once and searched the places Master usually frequented. Not seeing Senior Sister, I thought of trying my luck here.”
The explanation sounded heartfelt, completely devoid of any logical loopholes.
However, since the Sect Master’s soul might have been taken away, Yu Qingya could not afford to let a single opportunity slip by.
“Xiaoyu.”
Yu Qingya called out softly, and Qin Yu instantly understood what the other wanted.
Lifting her slender, jade-like hand, she pointed directly at Cheng Jian. “Spiritual Detection.”
A burst of white light enveloped Cheng Jian, completely painless.
Yet, a trace of confusion flickered in the depths of Qin Yu’s eyes. She continued to increase her spiritual power detection, but the puzzlement in her eyes only deepened until she finally withdrew her hand.
“How is it?” Yu Qingya asked.
Qin Yu shook her head with a solemn expression. “No spiritual power fluctuations detected.”
That was truly bizarre. Qin Yu thought to herself, could the male protagonist not have begun cultivating spiritual power at this point? She had not found any traces of spiritual practice whatsoever.
Yu Qingya nodded slightly. “My apologies, Junior Brother. I am merely doing this for the safety of our sect. I hope you can understand.”
A glimmer of cunning flashed through the depths of Cheng Jian’s eyes, though his outward expression remained thoroughly humble. “Senior Sister need not apologize to me. This is simply a disciple’s duty.”
After Cheng Jian departed, Qin Yu stepped forward. “Elder Sister, could we have truly misunderstood him?”
After all, he was the male protagonist of the book; surely he would not commit such heinous acts against the loyal and upright. Perhaps she was simply overthinking it.
Unexpectedly, Yu Qingya disagreed. “Master always sets up barriers around this cave whenever she cultivates here normally. It is impossible for him to have seen it. He could only have seen it if he concealed his cultivation level, and that might be the real reason why your detection yielded nothing.”
Though kind-hearted, Yu Qingya was never someone who believed everything she heard; she always maintained her own independent judgment.
Yet, more pressing matters awaited her attention right now, leaving her no choice but to bring Qin Yu along to the front hall.
As soon as they stepped through the door, an elderly man’s sarcastic voice greeted them: “Senior Niece Qingya really kept us waiting.”
The speaker was none other than the Sect Master of Lingyin. Seeing Yu Qingya enter, he first sized her up before uttering those words, likely revealing a deep sense of caution and wariness.
“For all sect leaders to come here today, are you attending Master’s funeral?”
Yu Qingya’s voice was soft, carrying a heavy undertone of grief that tugged irresistibly at the heartstrings of anyone listening.
Her words directly laid bare their true purpose, and seeing this, the various sect leaders abandoned all pretense of concealment.
“Qingya, your master and we were old acquaintances. We felt deeply saddened upon hearing this news. However, considering our friendship and understanding how difficult it must be for someone so young to inherit the position of Sect Master, we have come to offer timely assistance.” Lingyin put on a heartbroken, sorrowful act.
“Indeed, Qingya. We never expected your master to suddenly pass away like this. Ah, but words are of little use now.”
Gazing at the hypocritical displays of sorrow from these people, Yu Qingya’s expression remained characteristically devoid of emotion. “I simply wonder how everyone plans to offer this timely assistance.”
“Each of our sects will send disciples to help you manage the affairs of Qinglian Pavilion, so that you can worry a little less,” Lingyin declared.
Qin Yu’s expression shifted drastically. This was nothing short of wolfish ambition laid bare in broad daylight; they might as well have explicitly stated their desire to send people to take over Qinglian Pavilion.
Presumably, because Qinglian Pavilion had stood as the peerless leader among all sects for so many years, it had long since drawn the covetous, predatory glances of these people.
“These are internal affairs of Qinglian Pavilion. There is no need to trouble the esteemed sect leaders.” Even now, Yu Qingya’s expression remained completely unperturbed. Had this happened to anyone else, they likely would have vomited blood from sheer rage.
Her most respected master had just died, and these people were already clamoring to carve up Qinglian Pavilion under the guise of concern.
“Qingya, why are you such an unfilial child who does not understand the bigger picture?” Another elderly person nearby immediately began chiding her.
“Everyone has laid their thoughts of swallowing up Qinglian Pavilion right out in the open. Do you expect Elder Sister Qingya to be endlessly grateful to you all?” Qin Yu sneered as she looked at the crowd, her eyes blazing with intense fury.
“How can a child like you speak in such a manner? Do you have any respect for your elders left in your eyes?” Lingyin, whose ulterior motives had been ruthlessly exposed and laid out for all to see, grew instantly furious and slammed his hand down on the table, rising to his feet.
“If elders want respect, they must first do things worthy of respect.” Qin Yu had no intention of sparing these people any face. If she yielded at this step, they would only become increasingly overbearing.
“We have already concluded our discussions on these matters. How dare you act so insolently?” Having his flaws called out by a junior left Lingyin with nowhere to put his face.
“Does Sect Master Lingyin mean to say that you intend to take this by force?” Qin Yu scoffed, casting a gaze full of mockery toward Lingyin.
Having his authority challenged repeatedly, Lingyin’s complexion turned exceptionally grim. “What? Does the Ancient Tree Sect intend to meddle in this as well?”
With Qinglian Pavilion’s Sect Master gone, regardless of how high Yu Qingya’s talent might be, she was still merely a child at the Nascent Soul stage and posed little threat in their eyes.
Qin Yu, however, was a different story. The reason these two factions had been able to spar in secret for so many years lay in their fundamentally different foundations.
Over the years, the Ancient Tree Sect had kept its edge concealed while housing numerous powerful experts. Aside from Qinglian Pavilion, all these other sects combined might only barely muster the strength for a single battle against them.
“Safeguarding peace among the seven great sects has always been the duty of every sect. Could it be that Sect Master Lingyin is unaware even of this?” Qin Yu raised her gaze, her stance clear beyond words.
The disciples present finally exhaled a collective sigh of relief. After all, submitting in such a cowardly fashion to these despicable sects would be far worse than death itself.
Yet judging by the current situation, Lingyin and the others clearly had no intention of letting the matter rest peacefully.
“A mere yellow-haired child, what qualifications do you have to speak on behalf of the Ancient Tree Sect?” Lingyin sneered. Even if she was the Sect Master’s daughter, she was not the Sect Master herself; as long as they forcefully took over Qinglian Pavilion today, opportunities would abound in the future.
“That is right, the Ancient Tree Sect is so far away from us, what can we even do?”
“Are we really just supposed to sit here and let ourselves be slaughtered like fish on a chopping board?”
“These scoundrels! We would rather die than submit to them.”
Discussions broke out among the disciples in the back row, though none could hide the panic etched across every face.
Ever since joining Qinglian Pavilion, their paths had been smooth sailing; they never anticipated facing such a catastrophic upheaval today.
Apart from Yu Qingya’s calm composure, everyone else struggled to maintain control over their expressions.
Hearing this, Qin Yu let out a light laugh. Her left hand gripped Yu Qingya’s hand in a comforting gesture while her right hand raised high. “I wonder if this is qualification enough?”
When everyone looked over, it turned out to be the Sect Master’s Token!