Within the Heavenly Profound Sect, life continued as usual after Hun Yu’s departure. Yun Lianxing’s return from seclusion caused a brief commotion, but once the excitement faded, everything returned to normal. Everyone performed their duties, and the disciples cultivated in an orderly manner.
At dawn, Yun Lianxing walked alone along a small path. When she saw Elder Li from the Disciplinary Hall busy at work, she casually stopped him and asked, “Elder Li, how has the sect’s income been these past few years? Have the spiritual stone resources distributed to the disciples been fair and reasonable?”
Elder Li replied truthfully, “Reporting to Sect Master Yun, in the past few years during your seclusion, the Heavenly Profound Sect did not fare well in the competition for resources against other sects. So for a period, the spiritual stone resources distributed to the disciples and Elders were relatively low. Though things were tight, it was still enough to sustain normal cultivation.”
“Later, however, a disciple under Sect Master Zhou—Hun Yu—discovered a spiritual vein near our sect territory during an expedition. The vein was rich in resources, and even yielded upper-grade spiritual stones. It could be mined for more than ten years. Thanks to that, the disciples’ monthly allowances and rewards have been significantly better these years. The distribution was carried out based on Sect Master Zhou’s system, and it has been relatively fair. It’s just that—”
Hearing Hun Yu’s name, Yun Lianxing’s brows furrowed slightly. “Just what?”
Elder Li hesitated for a moment, but seeing the displeasure on Yun Lianxing’s face, he finally said, “Hun Yu was the exception. Although he discovered the vein and risked his life to report it to the sect, he received none of the rewards. Sect Master Zhou gave them all to her other disciple—Xiao Han. She claimed that Hun Yu had a crippled body and couldn’t cultivate, so giving him so many rewards would be a waste. Therefore, she awarded everything to Xiao Han instead.”
“As for his monthly spiritual stones and other resources, he was originally treated like a core disciple. But later, Sect Master Zhou repeatedly reduced them. Now, his monthly resources are even less than those of the outer sect disciples.”
Yun Lianxing’s delicate fist clenched tightly. Her eyes were filled with disbelief as she murmured, “Hun Yu was her personally chosen disciple. How could she be so cruel? Has she forgotten that if she hadn’t sworn to treat Hun Yu as her own son, I would never have passed on the sect master’s position to her? The Peak Master of Lingjiu Peak was stronger and more capable than her in every way.”
“During my seclusion, I truly believed she would honor her promise—take good care of Hun Yu, raise him into a fine disciple. I never expected she’d cross the river and tear down the bridge, using Hun Yu as nothing more than a stepping stone.”
“And how did Hun Yu end up crippled? He’s not the kind of child to cause trouble. Why would Huayu Tower seek revenge on him and destroy his Meridians?”
Elder Li glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Actually, everyone knows the truth, and many witnessed it. But Sect Master Zhou gave strict orders forbidding us to speak of it. She told outsiders that Hun Yu brought disaster upon himself by provoking someone he shouldn’t have.” Read the latest chapters at g.com.
Yun Lianxing narrowed her eyes. “What really happened?”
Elder Li said, “It was Xiao Han. A disciple from Huayu Tower—who had exceptional talent—met Xiao Han during a training mission in the Monster Beast Mountain Range. The two explored together. During this time, the Huayu Tower disciple accidentally found a rare high-grade spiritual herb inside a cave.”
“He showed it to Xiao Han, boasting about his good fortune. But Xiao Han saw how useful the herb would be to himself and grew malicious. He drugged the disciple, knocked him out, and dragged him to the den of a demonic beast. He enraged the beast, staging a scene to make it appear as though the Huayu Tower disciple had been mauled to death by the monster.”
Yun Lianxing asked coldly, “And then?”
Elder Li continued, “Xiao Han miscalculated. That Huayu Tower disciple was much stronger than he thought. Though seriously injured—losing an arm and having his chest crushed by the beast—he survived and confronted Xiao Han. A battle broke out. Even heavily injured, he still drove Xiao Han back several times. In a direct fight, Xiao Han was no match and had to request aid from the sect.”
“Sect Master Zhou immediately sent Mu Qingwan, Hua Wucuo, and other core disciples to assist. During the rescue, they believed Xiao Han’s slander—that he had found the spiritual herb and was being hunted down by the Huayu Tower disciple. Mu Qingwan and the others fully trusted Xiao Han’s lies and attacked with full force, eventually killing the Huayu Tower disciple.”
“Huayu Tower, upon learning that their personal disciple had been killed, sent someone to seek justice. They threatened to cripple Mu Qingwan and the others right in front of Sect Master Zhou and all the Elders. Sect Master Zhou couldn’t stop them, but she did try to protect her disciples with all her strength. At that moment, Hun Yu stood up, unwilling to let Mu Qingwan and the others suffer. He admitted to killing the disciple himself and bore the blame alone. Huayu Tower flew into a rage and crippled Hun Yu’s cultivation without mercy, shattering both his Dantian and Meridians.”
“Even worse, Sect Master Zhou, Mu Qingwan, and the others—none of them stepped forward to defend Hun Yu. They just watched as he was destroyed. Afterward, they used his crippled state as a weapon, endlessly mocking and humiliating him. In the months that followed while he lay bedridden, not one of them visited him—not a single bowl of porridge or sip of water was brought to him. Even we—those of us watching from the sidelines—couldn’t bear to see it. It was simply too cruel.” Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
At this point, Yun Lianxing’s eyes were red with tears. Her hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
She was furious. Furious at Sect Master Zhou and Mu Qingwan’s coldness and treachery—their venomous hearts, their utter betrayal.
She was heartbroken too. Hun Yu, the boy she had doted on since childhood, had ended up in such misery the moment she entered seclusion.
She hated herself for not keeping Hun Yu at her side. For not raising him personally. For not waiting until he could protect himself—until he could tell right from wrong—before retreating.
She hated Zhou Yashi’s cruelty and incompetence. Hated how she taught Hun Yu to be loyal and selfless. Hated Xiao Han’s viciousness. Hated Mu Qingwan and Hua Wucuo’s ruthless hearts.
Back when she was around, no one dared say a word against Hun Yu. Even when he made mistakes, she would always cover for him, spoil him without restraint—never willing to let him suffer the slightest grievance.
And now… he had endured years of hardship, suffered the deepest torment. Her heart felt like it was bleeding.
Her gaze turned icy as she looked in the direction of Zhou Yashi and Mu Qingwan. The chilling aura that erupted from her froze the very air around her.