“How could Jiang Han be living here?” Mo Qiushuang frowned. “Why would he give up the cave dwellings at the mountain summit, where the spiritual energy is abundant, and choose a place with such thin spiritual energy instead?”
“Eldest Senior Sister, did you forget?” Xia Qianqian frowned at the somewhat dilapidated gate. “When Jiang Han first came, he was dressed in rags. Who knows which cesspit he crawled out of? He was filthy and stinking, so we threw him down the mountain.”
“He probably couldn’t bear to leave, so he climbed up here and found a cave dwelling to settle in.”
Hearing that, Mo Qiushuang recalled it as well. When Jiang Han first arrived, he had indeed been dirty and in tattered clothes.
However, she remembered that at the time, young Jiang Han had very beautiful eyes. His large eyes were clear and pure, without a trace of impurity. When he looked at her, they were filled with curiosity and admiration.
A strange stir rose in Mo Qiushuang’s heart, but she quickly suppressed it.
“He really is useless. We threw him down to test his perseverance. He could have just climbed back up.”
“The height of Heavenly Dominion Peak is only a bit over 3,000 meters. You’d reach the summit in no time.”
Even Lin Xuan was startled by that remark, but he dared not say anything. He found an excuse to leave first. The spiritual energy here was too thin. He simply could not endure staying any longer.
“Eldest Senior Sister, you all can keep looking. I’ll go back to cultivate.”
“Alright, go ahead. Don’t let this distract you. Focus on your cultivation. I’ll definitely bring him back.”
After Lin Xuan left, Fourth Senior Sister Xia Qianqian struck the cave gate with a palm. The protective formation on it could not withstand an attack from someone in the Golden Core Realm. It shattered instantly.
“Is that useless thing this poor? What kind of trash formation is this? It probably couldn’t even withstand an attack from someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm.”
Mo Qiushuang looked at the dissipating formation and felt a flicker of thought. She glanced in the direction Lin Xuan had left and casually asked, “Fourth Junior Sister, I heard that Jiang Han was driven down the mountain this time because he snatched Lin Xuan’s flying sword?”
“Yes. Jiang Han must have gone mad. Junior Brother finally obtained a flying sword containing Innate Divine Lightning and was planning to use it when breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Jiang Han actually schemed to steal it.”
“Innate Divine Lightning?!” Mo Qiushuang was shocked and stared at Xia Qianqian. “Do you know the details?”
“I know a bit.” Xia Qianqian thought for a moment. “Lin Xuan said that day he went to the Back Mountain Forbidden Area to temper his body with gale force winds and accidentally found a flying sword. He put in great effort to bring it back. On the way, he ran into Jiang Han.”
“Jiang Han grew jealous of Junior Brother’s flying sword and directly attacked, snatching it away.”
“Master was furious when she found out and had Third Senior Sister drag him to the Enforcement Hall. At the time, I sensed the aura of the War Heaven Divine Art on him. With both witnesses and evidence present, guess what happened, Eldest Senior Sister.” This story is hosted at g.com.
“You’d never guess. That bastard was unbelievably bold. Even when he was caught red-handed, he refused to admit it. In front of Master, he actually destroyed the flying sword!”
Xia Qianqian clenched her right fist, mimicking Jiang Han’s motion. “Just like that, he destroyed it outright. Even Master didn’t have time to react.”
“Destroyed?” Mo Qiushuang was stunned.
“Yes, destroyed. I was completely shocked. Jiang Han used to endure beatings and scoldings without ever fighting back. That day, I don’t know if he went crazy, but he dared to openly defy Master. Third Senior Sister was so furious she nearly beat him to death.”
“I see…” Mo Qiushuang pondered for a moment. “Are you certain he snatched it from Lin Xuan?”
“Of course. Lin Xuan said so himself. And the flying sword was indeed found on Jiang Han. There’s no mistake. It had to be him.”
“What’s wrong, Eldest Senior Sister? Why are you so interested in this?” Xia Qianqian was puzzled. Mo Qiushuang usually focused only on cultivation and never concerned herself with sect affairs.
“Nothing.” Mo Qiushuang shook her head. “I just can’t understand. Lin Xuan carries quite a few Profound-tier magical treasures, and even Earth-tier treasures for protection. Even if he encountered a late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, he could retreat unharmed.”
“Jiang Han was only in the 1st stage Qi Refining Realm and didn’t even have a decent magical treasure. How could Lin Xuan’s flying sword have been snatched by him?”
Xia Qianqian paused. That did seem strange.
But she quickly reacted. “He must have launched a sneak attack!”
“Yes. That must be it!”
“Lin Xuan has always been soft-hearted. He must have spared Jiang Han out of consideration for their fellow disciple bond. Who would have thought Jiang Han would be so ungrateful and vicious, suddenly attacking and stealing the treasure?”
“Don’t forget, Jiang Han often stole magical treasures and spiritual herbs from the sect. He even abused and killed the sect’s spirit beasts. He’s a sinister and malicious villain. It’s not strange for him to do something like that.”
“Besides, Lin Xuan is pure-hearted. He must have been deceived by that bastard. When we catch him and drag him back, I’ll make sure to vent Lin Xuan’s anger!”
“Perhaps.” Mo Qiushuang was a cultivation prodigy and no stranger to battle. Yet she could not quite make sense of this matter.
“Maybe I’m overthinking it.” She shook her head, casting aside those unrealistic thoughts, and looked up at Jiang Han’s cave dwelling. “Let’s go in and take a look. Hopefully we’ll find some clues. That useless thing is truly worthless, always causing trouble and only delaying my cultivation.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
But the moment Mo Qiushuang stepped inside, she was stunned.
“How can it be this shabby? Where did he pick up this broken table, from some garbage heap? It’s hideous. And this stool, was it just a stone he picked up from the mountain?”
Xia Qianqian looked utterly disgusted.
“With spiritual energy this thin, no wonder his cultivation never improved. There isn’t even enough spiritual energy here to properly raise a spirit beast.”
“It’s small and dilapidated, with barely any spiritual energy. It’s worse than the cave dwellings of outer disciples. There isn’t even a window. How did he live here all these years?”
Mo Qiushuang felt a complicated sensation in her chest. No matter what, Jiang Han was still her junior brother. Even if his talent was poor, he should not have suffered like this.
Were the people in the Deacon Hall all dead? Had no one cared about this for so many years?
And Jiang Han truly was useless. If the Deacon Hall treated him like this, why didn’t he speak up? Even if she disliked him, for the sake of Sect Master Ji Yuchan’s dignity, she would have stood up for him.
Because this was not just about Jiang Han. It concerned their master’s reputation. How could a disciple of the sect master live in such a rundown place? The Deacon Hall was slapping their master’s face!
She would go to the Deacon Hall later and demand an explanation. Those useless fools must have lost their minds to dare disregard their master’s dignity!
She truly had never imagined that Jiang Han had been living in such a place all along. It was so small that even the Ten-Thousand-Year Red Jade Bed in her own cave dwelling would not fit. Could anyone really live here?
That said, the cave dwelling was kept fairly clean. Though the items were worn, they were neatly arranged. Only a thin layer of dust on top was somewhat glaring.
“Judging by the thickness of the dust, no one has entered for at least a month.”
“A month?” Xia Qianqian froze. “He was driven down the mountain by Master exactly a month ago. That means he never came back after that?”
Mo Qiushuang felt an inexplicable heaviness in her chest and sighed softly. “Let’s search first. See if we can find any clues.”
“Huh? What are these?” Xia Qianqian looked curiously at the stone cabinet by the wall.
Mo Qiushuang followed her gaze. When she saw what was inside, her heart trembled, and a long-forgotten memory suddenly surged back into her mind.