Everyone instantly recognized it as Sect Master Ji Hanyue’s voice. They were all startled and quickly looked up.
They saw that today, Ji Hanyue had actually changed out of her usual plain daoist robe and was instead wearing an exquisite deep-purple long dress. The hazy gauze-like fabric quietly outlined her perfect slender waist and rounded, seductive hip curves. Most striking of all was the overwhelmingly full and proud swell of her chest, as though it might burst through the dress at any moment.
The lower half of the long dress was designed with an opening, revealing a pair of long, snow-white legs swaying beneath it. Paired with those enchanting purple high heels with red soles, she looked like heaven’s favored creation. Calling her a peerless beauty of the mortal world wouldn’t be an exaggeration in the slightest.
She wore no makeup, yet beside her, Xianglan—who only had a bit of beauty—looked utterly ordinary compared to a breathtaking woman like Ji Hanyue who carried a mature, irresistible charm.
The moment they stood together, Xianglan was instantly crushed into dust, the gap so vast it left no desire in anyone’s heart to even compare them.
Elder Qingxuan was an old fox.
Seeing the sect master dressed like this today, and recalling what she had said before stepping inside, he immediately guessed most of the truth.
While silently marveling at how “spectacular” this was, Elder Qingxuan’s survival instinct kicked in at full force, and he hurriedly declared, “Since Sect Master did not instruct Xianglan to do such a thing, then it should all be handled according to sect rules!”
Xianglan and Xu Fan’s expressions both changed at once, but the corners of Ji Hanyue’s lips curved into a faint, barely noticeable smile.
Seeing Ji Hanyue remain silent, Elder Qingxuan immediately shouted loudly, “Law Enforcement Hall disciples, where are you?! Quickly escort disciple Xianglan to the Reflection Cliff at the rear mountain to receive punishment!”
Xu Fan’s pupils shrank sharply!
Reflection Cliff?
That was the place specifically used to imprison disciples who had committed serious crimes within the sect. The living conditions there were extremely harsh. Xianglan had only concealed something during a mission—how could her offense warrant this?!
Realizing how serious things had become, Xu Fan immediately tried to speak up and plead for leniency, but Elder Qingxuan sternly refused.
Xu Fan was unwilling to accept it and tried to take all responsibility for Xianglan. “Elder Qingxuan, to be honest, I instructed Xianglan to do this. It has nothing to do with her!”
“According to Sect Rule Article 97, if this matter must be pursued, I alone should bear the blame!”
“And if punishment is to be carried out, then according to Sect Rule Article 53, the one who should be locked up at Reflection Cliff should be this disciple!”
To prevent Ji Hanyue from intervening, Xu Fan deliberately phrased everything in terms of sect rules when he said this, pushing all responsibility onto the regulations.
Elder Qingxuan’s expression changed. He hadn’t expected Xu Fan to have studied the sect rules so thoroughly. Elder Qingxuan instantly became hesitant and troubled.
Ji Hanyue saw Xu Fan still trying every possible way to protect Xianglan right in front of her, and her expression immediately turned ugly. She snorted coldly. “When a disciple errs, the master is at fault.”
“Qingxuan, since Fan’er has committed such a mistake, my responsibility cannot be shirked.”
Ji Hanyue was speaking to Elder Qingxuan, but her gaze never left Xu Fan. “So there’s no need to trouble sect rules. I have decided to punish Fan’er personally… do you have any objections?”
Hearing this, Elder Qingxuan silently cried inwardly, thinking, How would I dare object? He immediately stated that the sect master was wise.
Xu Fan’s expression changed again when he heard this. He took a deep breath and still looked toward Ji Hanyue, as if he wanted to plead for Xianglan.
However, Ji Hanyue saw through his thoughts.
With a light wave of her delicate hand, her power drifted out, and in an instant she brought Xu Fan back to the sect master’s peak, leaving only a cold sentence echoing in place.
“Immediately escort the offending disciple Xianglan to Reflection Cliff and punish her strictly according to sect rules!”
Xianglan turned pale with fright, while Elder Qingxuan hurriedly nodded. “This elder obeys the Sect Master’s order!”
…
On the Sect Master Peak, within a beautiful garden. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
“Master!”
Seeing Ji Hanyue’s icy expression, Xu Fan immediately panicked. “Didn’t you promise earlier that you wouldn’t make things difficult for Xianglan? What is the meaning of this now?”
Ji Hanyue stood before a flowerbed with her back to Xu Fan. Her lotus steps moved lightly as she slowly spoke, “I have not made things difficult for that female disciple called Xianglan.”
“This is simply a disaster caused by her own lack of ability. She cannot blame anyone else.”
Xu Fan took a deep breath and pressed further. “But if you hadn’t assigned her those impossible missions, how could things have reached this point?”
Ji Hanyue turned around. A faint, ambiguous smile hung on her exquisitely beautiful face. “Then tell me—if in the future you leave the cultivation world and someone makes things difficult for you, will you speak to your enemy like this as well?”
“I…”
Xu Fan choked. “Master, you’re twisting the concept!”
“And even if Xianglan really did something wrong, that was my decision. It has nothing to do with Xianglan! She’s a very good girl!”
Hearing this, Ji Hanyue’s expression finally changed. The calm and composure on her face vanished. A sour, jealous swelling rose uncontrollably in her heart.
Ji Hanyue prided herself on not being narrow-minded. She could tolerate Xu Fan causing small trouble. She could clean up mess after mess for him. She could even accept Xu Fan having normal interactions with other female disciples.
But she wasn’t blind.
From Xu Fan’s recent behavior, Ji Hanyue could see he seemed to have truly fallen in love. Her mood instantly shifted from sunny to overcast, and her face also grew ugly. She stared coldly at Xu Fan. “Yes! Xianglan is a very good girl, and I, your master, am the evil woman tearing you apart!”
Xu Fan froze, not knowing what to say.
Ji Hanyue’s pretty face was frosty, but she wasn’t truly angry.
Because in the past, even the slightest sign of her anger would make Xu Fan grin and come over to coax her with all sorts of tricks, and before she could really get mad, her mood would already improve.
But this time seemed different.
Ji Hanyue waited and waited, yet Xu Fan didn’t show that familiar warm, attentive side. Her expression gradually darkened, her gaze turning hostile as she looked at him.
Xu Fan also knew his master was likely truly angry. But thinking that Xianglan might currently be suffering punishment at Reflection Cliff, he couldn’t help continuing, “Master, Fan’er has never asked you for anything, but this time I want…”
Unexpectedly, Ji Hanyue saw through him at a glance and rejected him outright. “Not this time. Any other request, I can satisfy you!”
Xu Fan had always been good-tempered, but seeing Ji Hanyue deliberately making things difficult for Xianglan like this, he finally grew displeased. He said coldly, “Master, you don’t understand Xianglan at all!!!”
“She’s not some bad woman. She is the light in my heart. She is my only one…”
Ji Hanyue still had lingering anger. Now hearing Xu Fan confess his love for another woman right in front of her, she almost exploded on the spot. She only felt a wicked fire burning up from her lower abdomen. The sour bitterness and pain that followed nearly crushed the last of her rationality!
In her usually cold voice, there was a rare trace of anger and disappointment. She glared at Xu Fan with an offended expression. “Fine, Fan’er. Very fine. Your wings have hardened. In your heart, your master is nothing now!”
A faint sadness appeared on her breathtaking face, as if her heart were shattering. “I raised you for so many years. I gave you the best cultivation resources, everything you needed. And now, for a woman you’ve only known for a short time, you dare to defy me like this, even refusing to listen to my words!”
Xu Fan fell silent.
But he did not lower his head as Ji Hanyue had expected. He simply stood there stubbornly, unwilling to yield.
Seeing him like this, Ji Hanyue completely lost control. Her voice became incomparably cold. “Fine! Since you insist on speaking this way, then I will give you a choice!” Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
“Either you stop interfering in Xianglan’s matter, and from now on you will still be my best disciple. We will pretend nothing ever happened!”
“Or today you take Xianglan away, and from this moment onward I will pretend I never accepted you as my disciple. Our master-disciple bond ends here!”
Xu Fan felt as if struck by lightning. Urgency appeared on his face. “Master, why must it come to this? Your disciple never meant that!”
Seeing Xu Fan’s attitude, Ji Hanyue felt slightly more comfortable inside, yet she refused to budge in the slightest. “There is nothing to discuss! I’m only giving you these two options. Decide for yourself!”
Hearing this, sorrow suddenly appeared in Xu Fan’s expression. He looked at Ji Hanyue with reluctance, his lips trembling. “Master… must it really be like this?”
Ji Hanyue feared that if she saw the wronged look on Xu Fan’s face, she would soften. So she turned away and didn’t look at him, saying coldly, “It can only be this way.”
But for some reason, the moment she said this, a terrifying throbbing pain seized her heart, as if something extremely important was gradually slipping away from her.
Ji Hanyue comforted herself that it was only an illusion, and that she was doing this for Xu Fan’s own good.
However, the next moment, a voice came from behind her—one that made her soul tremble instantly, like a thunderbolt on a clear day!
“Sect Master, I’ve decided. I’m taking Xianglan with me!”
Ji Hanyue felt her vision go dark. Her mind turned into chaos. When she turned to look at Xu Fan, her body nearly lost balance and she almost collapsed to the ground. Even her voice trembled. “What did you just call me?!”
“Fan’er, say it again if you dare!”
Xu Fan’s expression carried an indescribable sorrow, yet there was also deep, unshakable resolve. “I said, Sect Master. I’ve decided. I’m taking Xianglan with me!”
Ji Hanyue felt as if her heart were being carved apart. Her face turned so dark it was as if it could drip water. Her chest heaved uncontrollably, and her voice turned fierce. “Xu Fan! Do you know who you’re talking to?!”
“Do you even understand what you just said?!”
“I can give you one last chance. If you now…”
However, Xu Fan shook his head and revealed a bitter yet resolute smile. “Sect Master, this disciple understands everything, and I will never forget your kindness.”
Before Ji Hanyue’s collapsing gaze, his figure slowly retreated, yet his eyes still held reluctance and guilt. “It’s just that this disciple ultimately lacks such fortune and cannot repay your kindness… I only hope Sect Master will take good care of your health from now on…”
When Ji Hanyue heard this, her pretty face turned deathly pale, all color drained away!
She never imagined that the good disciple she had raised with her own hands would truly sever their master-disciple bond of many years for the sake of a woman!
Ji Hanyue seemed to lose all support at once. She sat down on the ground in a daze, watching Xu Fan’s decisive departing back. She only felt as if someone had suddenly gripped her heart. Wave after wave of indescribable pain surged through her chest—so painful, so piercing, so bone-deep, that it instantly birthed countless dark, desperate thoughts in her heart!
“You heartless little thing!”
“I fed you, clothed you, gave you everything you needed, helped you cultivate… I even gave you my heart, and this is how you treat your master…”
In the empty garden, only Ji Hanyue’s sickly murmurs echoed softly. They even carried a trace of crazed love and obsession. “Fan’er, you’ve become bad. You’re no longer obedient!”
“You won’t listen to Master anymore…”
…