Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Xuan sat inside Heavenly Dominion Sect Hall, watching several senior sisters chatting and laughing, yet his mood was extremely irritable.
It had already been a month. Where exactly had Jiang Han run off to?
At first, he could still wait patiently. But after all this time, not only had that useless trash not returned, there was not even the slightest news from him. Could he really have died outside?
“Fifth Senior Sister, you’re closest to Senior Brother. Have you heard any news about him lately?”
“You mean Jiang Han, that wretch?” Shao Qingyun lifted her eyelids lazily. “Who knows where he died. Why do you care about him?”
“Exactly. Junior Brother, don’t mind him.” Lu Jingxue handed over a cup of wine with a doting smile. “I just obtained a few jars of Clear Mind Brew. It can help you condense your divine sense. Try some.”
“Thank you, Third Senior Sister.” Lin Xuan had no mood for wine, but he could not show it. He took the cup and said with a worried expression, “But Senior Brother has been gone so long. I’m truly concerned. Why don’t we let him come back? It doesn’t matter if I don’t get a treasure infused with innate divine lightning. What if Senior Brother gets injured outside?”
“Xiao Xuan, you’re just too kind.” Ji Yuchan frowned. “Did that evil disciple beg you? What did I tell you before? No matter how he begs, you must not soften your heart.”
“But I’m really worried about Senior Brother…” Lin Xuan lowered his head pitifully, his eyes reddening.
Ji Yuchan’s heart softened at the sight. “Since Xiao Xuan is pleading for that wretch, then let him come back.”
“He dared commit such a rebellious act. When he returns, I will beat him half to death!”
“Master is right! That wretch dared bully Xiao Xuan. This time I’ll slap him dozens of times!” Lu Jingxue added fiercely.
“Thank you, Master.” Lin Xuan was overjoyed, smug in his heart.
Jiang Han, you think you can hide? Master has ordered you back. I want to see if you dare disobey.
“Third Senior Sister, please contact Senior Brother and tell him to return quickly.”
“I don’t want to. I feel annoyed just seeing that wretch.” Lu Jingxue instinctively refused, but when she saw Lin Xuan’s reddened eyes, her heart softened immediately. “Fine, fine. For Xiao Xuan’s sake, I’ll reluctantly contact him.”
She took out a sound-transmission jade slip and sent spiritual power into it. A white light burst forth and hovered in the air.
“Jiang Han! You wretch, get back here within one hour! Kneel and kowtow to Xiao Xuan to admit your mistake. If you dare be late, I’ll beat you to death!”
Lu Jingxue arrogantly infused spiritual power into the jade slip, her expression full of disdain, as if she were tossing scraps to a beggar.
But moments later, the white light suddenly dissipated, and the jade slip floated back down in front of her.
“This is…”
Lu Jingxue froze, then her face darkened. “That wretch!!”
Unwilling to believe it, she tried again. Just like before, the jade slip spun briefly before falling back down.
Lu Jingxue exploded in fury. “That wretch actually cut off my jade slip transmission!”
“What?!”
“Impossible!” The other senior sisters clearly did not believe it.
“Third Senior Sister, are you mistaken? That little bastard has always been terrified of missing our messages.”
“Every time we called him, no matter what he was doing, he would definitely rush back within one hour.”
“That wretch must be playing tricks. Is he trying to force Third Senior Sister to contact him multiple times?”
“As if!” Lu Jingxue roared. “Daring to play tricks on me? When he comes back, I’ll beat him half to death!”
“I won’t fall for his tricks. Fifth Sister, you have a slightly better relationship with him. Use your jade slip to contact him.”
Shao Qingyun was unwilling, but she still took out her jade slip. “That little beast dares cut off Third Senior Sister’s transmission? Completely lawless!”
She tried contacting Jiang Han.
“Little beast! Get back here now! How dare you play tricks on me? Just wait and see how I deal with you!”
She tried three times. The transmission would not go through.
“Ah! That little beast! He cut off my jade slip too!” Shao Qingyun nearly crushed the slip in her fury. “When I find you, I’ll skin you alive!”
“Let me try.” Fourth Senior Sister Xia Qianqian stepped forward confidently. “He’s always been most afraid of me. I refuse to believe he’d dare cut off my jade slip.”
But moments later, she stared at the fallen jade slip in disbelief. The anger in her eyes flared uncontrollably.
“How is this possible?! That little bastard! He even dared cut off my transmission! How dare he?!”
Her eyes turned red with rage. “Just wait, you little bastard! None of you stop me this time. I’ll beat him to death!”
“Even if he kneels and begs, I won’t forgive him! He can forget about me accepting his spirit herbs ever again!”
“Fourth Senior Sister is right. From now on, we won’t accept anything from that beast. Even if he begs us to take it, we won’t!”
“I want to see who panics then!”
The senior sisters cursed endlessly, their agitated auras crashing against the hall.
Seventh Junior Sister Su Lingxi watched them shouting curses and felt uneasy.
She had always thought they treated Senior Brother poorly, but she never imagined they harbored such deep hatred toward him.
If Senior Brother truly returned now, they might tear him apart.
Recalling his words before leaving, Su Lingxi gradually understood.
Senior Brother’s departure had likely been planned for a long time. Living in such a place every day, no one could endure it.
At least she knew she could not. Let alone thirteen years. She would not last even thirteen days.
Senior Brother probably would never come back.
Perhaps leaving was for the best. At least he would no longer suffer.
Su Lingxi lowered her head, avoiding the furious senior sisters so they would not notice her.
“Enough!” Ji Yuchan’s sharp gaze swept over them, and her pressure suppressed the hall instantly.
“Lingxi, go call your Eldest Senior Sister out of seclusion. Aside from me, that evil disciple favored her the most. Let Qiu Shuang contact him.”
Su Lingxi nodded and went to the back mountain to summon Eldest Senior Sister Mo Qiushuang, who was in seclusion preparing to undergo tribulation.
On the way back, Mo Qiushuang had already learned what happened. The moment she entered the hall, she raised her voice.
“If that little beast wants to play tricks, let him. Why bother calling him back?”
“You all know that to please us, he endured our beatings and scoldings without resisting. How could he truly dare cut off our transmissions?”
“He’s just trying to threaten us, wanting us to panic and bring him back. I refuse to look for him. I don’t believe he can endure it.”
“Without Heavenly Dominion Sect, he’s nothing. He won’t last long outside. In the end, he’ll definitely crawl back and beg for forgiveness!”
Mo Qiushuang was extremely confident.
But Su Lingxi did not think so. She still remembered the look in Senior Brother’s eyes when he left. That firmness was something she had never seen before.
This time, he had made up his mind. He would not return so easily.
She had a vague feeling that the senior sisters had truly misjudged him.
But she remained silent and silently resolved to follow his advice and cultivate diligently.
Heavenly Dominion Sect was not a place to stay long.
“No. Contact him now.” Ji Yuchan’s brows knitted tightly. An uneasy feeling rose in her heart.
Mo Qiushuang reluctantly took out her jade slip and sent a message.
“Little beast! Get back here immediately! If I don’t see you in Heavenly Dominion Sect within one incense stick’s time, you’ll bear the consequences!”
She formed a hand seal and sent the jade slip flying. It rose briefly before falling back down again.
Mo Qiushuang’s eyes widened.
That little beast had even cut off her jade slip transmission?
Didn’t he like her the most? He used to follow behind her every day at every opportunity, though she had warned him countless times not to approach.
Yet he would return again and again. Even when she beat or scolded him, he would still hide at a distance to watch her.
But now, Jiang Han had cut off her jade slip transmission?
How could he bear to do that?
“I don’t believe it!!” Mo Qiushuang roared. “How dare he cut off my transmission? Isn’t he afraid I’ll never speak to him again?!!”