Chapter 934: I Received the Letter!

Outside the room, Guan Fangyi stood beside the door listening to the conversation within. She could only shake her head over and over, marveling inwardly. Master Dao was Master Dao. What did it mean to turn clouds and rain with a flip of the hand? This was it. Among all of Maolu Villa's people, no one could compare with him!

Inside, Kunlin Shu froze when he heard Niu Youdao explain that closed loop of cause and effect. In the end, realization dawned on his face. His expression was no longer quite so grief-stricken, as though he finally understood something.

Even so, he still hesitated. "Even if that's true, my master's days in Tianhuo Sect won't be easy from now on."

Niu Youdao said, "After something like this, you still expect him to live comfortably? So long as no one physically harms him, that's better than anything else. First protect yourself, and protect your Junior Sister. As long as people are still alive, everything remains possible. Your master may have to endure hardship for a while, but don't worry. I won't simply ignore him. I'll find a chance to get your master out."

Kunlin Shu looked up at him. "You'd really be kind enough to help us?" His suspicion of Niu Youdao's goodwill was obvious.

Niu Youdao said, "You need to understand one thing. I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself. You should know how I became an Elder of Zijin Cave. If they trade the two of you back to Tianhuo Sect for benefits, that does me no good. You're my people. If I can't protect my own people, I lose face here too. I won't let them do whatever they please."

Kunlin Shu gave a short laugh, perhaps mocking himself. "Looks like no matter which sect you're in, internal struggles are unavoidable."

"Where there are people, there are disputes over right and wrong. It can't be avoided. Enough. Whether you go or stay is for the two of you to decide. I won't force you. Yuwen Yan is waiting to see husband and wife. Let's go." Niu Youdao threw down the words and turned out of the room.

Kunlin Shu remained silent inside for a moment. In the end, he followed. He could not hide from what had to be faced.

The moment Niu Youdao came out, Guan Fangyi gave him a smile that was not quite a smile, as though she had something to say about him. Whether she was suppressing praise or abuse was impossible to tell.

They left that courtyard and crossed nearly half the Maolu Annex before arriving at another courtyard, the place where Fire Phoenix was being kept under soft confinement.

Niu Youdao and Kunlin Shu did not enter. Guan Fangyi went inside, and before long she brought Fire Phoenix out.

When Senior Brother and Junior Sister met again, every sort of emotion surged up. They immediately began worrying over one another again, each asking whether the other was all right.

"Junior Sister, you saw the Sect Leader just now. Did you truly say those flagrantly rebellious words about leaving the sect in front of everyone?"

Once their mutual concern had settled a little, Kunlin Shu still confirmed the matter with Fire Phoenix directly. He was not stupid. He could hardly believe everything merely because Niu Youdao said it. Naturally he needed to verify it himself.

Fire Phoenix was filled with guilt, but she still gripped Kunlin Shu's arm tightly. "Senior Brother, I didn't want to do this either. But after something like this, you can't go back anymore. The sect won't spare you lightly."

"You..." Kunlin Shu very much wanted to call her foolish. He wanted to ask whether she had ever thought about their master.

Fire Phoenix did not know that Qian Fucheng had previously used their master Pang Zhuo to threaten them. She knew only that leaving the sect would betray her master and put him in a difficult position. She had never imagined that the sect's senior figures might actually use their master as leverage against them.

But when Kunlin Shu's reproach reached his lips, he simply could not say it. With matters having come to this, who exactly had been the fool?

He could not blame his Junior Sister. She had thrown everything away to protect him. She had already been dragged down because of him, and he understood the depth of her devotion.

At a time like this, Niu Youdao had no desire to let the two of them sort things out too clearly between themselves. He cut in at just the right moment. "You two, this isn't the time for romance. Yuwen Yan and the others are still waiting outside. Drag this out any longer and he'll start saying I'm threatening you again. Stop dawdling. You can't avoid what has to be faced. Let's go."

The group emerged from the rear of the annex and made its way to the front courtyard.

Niu Youdao strode ahead, leading the way. Kunlin Shu and Fire Phoenix truly did feel too ashamed to face the people from Tianhuo Sect, especially now that the Sect Leader himself had personally come. Husband and wife both walked with their heads lowered.

Once they entered the pavilion and covered walkway, Niu Youdao signaled for people to protect husband and wife closely, giving Tianhuo Sect no opportunity to strike them down. Then he went to Gong Lince and said, "Sect Leader, the people are here."

Gong Lince asked, "Sect Leader Yuwen was getting impatient. Why did it take you so long?"

Niu Youdao cleared himself with a single sentence. "Ask the young couple."

He turned back and saw Kunlin Shu and Fire Phoenix kneel together before everyone from Tianhuo Sect.

At last the people they had been waiting for were here. Yuwen Yan examined the kneeling pair and said heavily, "Kunlin Shu, Nie Yunshang spoke wildly just now. I understand the circumstances you're in. I understand that you may be acting under duress, so I can choose not to pursue it. Don't worry. With me here, no one dares do anything to you. Tell me: were Nie Yunshang's earlier words forced out of her by someone's threats?"

Even now he could not believe that disciples of Tianhuo Sect would openly say such things. He refused to believe that the disciples Tianhuo Sect had raised could be so lacking in backbone, especially in front of outsiders. He simply could not accept it.

"No one threatened us!" Kunlin Shu lifted his head and took responsibility without the slightest hesitation. "Sect Leader, this has nothing to do with Junior Sister. It was my own intent. I forced Junior Sister to say those words. The mistake was mine. I dragged Junior Sister into this. I have wronged the sect. I made the wager, and I accept the loss. I will bear responsibility for the mistake I made myself!"

"Rubbish! Can you bear responsibility for this?" One Tianhuo Sect Elder could not help shouting angrily.

Yuwen Yan raised a hand to stop him. Then he said slowly, "Kunlin Shu, do you know what you're saying? Do you understand the consequences?"

Kunlin Shu's face was full of shame. But after looking at his Junior Sister, who was gripping his hand anxiously, he still said painfully, "This disciple understands! This disciple does not wish to create any more trouble for the sect. This disciple is willing to remain here as a slave! This disciple swore a dire oath to Elder Qian. Even if I remain here, I will never reveal the slightest secret concerning the sect."

Given how low his own master's standing was, how many genuine secrets of Tianhuo Sect could Kunlin Shu possibly know? What he meant was naturally the Heavenly Fire Limitless Art.

The moment he invoked Qian Fucheng, Qian Fucheng was enraged again. He rebuked him furiously, "The Sect Leader personally came here to save the two of you, and you dare be this ungrateful! Don't forget that Pang Zhuo brought both of you into the sect when you were children. Pang Zhuo raised you with his own hands and exhausted himself teaching you cultivation and transmitting his arts. And this is how you repay such grace? Are you trying to get your own master killed?"

Anyone could hear the threat inside those words. Yuwen Yan turned and shot him an icy glare, as though asking whether certain things were fit to be said in front of outsiders.

Qian Fucheng lowered his head slightly and stopped speaking. He had been unable to hold back because of his anxiety. If this affair could be resolved properly, his own circumstances might still improve somewhat after they returned. If it went badly, the others would inevitably continue venting their anger on him.

The people from Zijin Cave exchanged glances. Some wore mocking smiles, plainly enjoying the spectacle. For a dignified major sect like Tianhuo Sect to produce disciples like these was somewhat entertaining. Tianhuo Sect had lost a great deal of face today, with disciples actually declaring in public that they were leaving the sect.

Gong Lince likewise watched with a half smile. If anything, he hoped Kunlin Shu and his wife would enrage Tianhuo Sect enough that Tianhuo Sect refused to let them go, determined to take them back at any price to enforce sect discipline. The more determined Tianhuo Sect became, the more Zijin Cave could extract.

The corner of Niu Youdao's mouth lifted slightly. He had still been considering how to find an opportunity to steer the conversation toward Pang Zhuo, the couple's master. He had not expected Qian Fucheng to jump out and raise the subject himself, saving him the trouble.

The instant their master was mentioned, Fire Phoenix visibly tensed. Her grip on her Senior Brother's hand tightened. She plainly had not expected the sect to use Pang Zhuo to threaten them.

That was also the result of Niu Youdao separating husband and wife in time, leaving them unable to share every detail of what had happened.

Kunlin Shu grew visibly agitated as well. He raised his voice. "A teacher for one day is a father for life! We can never repay Master's great kindness. I beg the sect not to implicate my master. So long as the sect guarantees it will not harm my master, this disciple will never reveal any secret of the sect. If anyone dares harm my master, I would rather suffer Heaven's punishment for breaking my dire oath and fight to mutual ruin, fish dead and net torn!"

"Insolence!" Several Tianhuo Sect Elders shouted almost in unison. This was outrageous. He was openly threatening Tianhuo Sect.

Those who remained somewhat calmer frowned, seeming to taste something deeper in his words. One person moved toward Yuwen Yan as though intending to whisper in his ear.

Yuwen Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly having guessed what the approaching Elder intended to say. He raised a hand to stop him, then said slowly, "Do you think the food you ate, the clothes you wore, and the cultivation resources you used all fell from the sky? Those were foundations laid by generations of predecessors. They were bought by fellow disciples who gave their lives and shed their blood. You didn't simply pick them up for free, and they were never something you were entitled to. You remember only your master's grace. Have you forgotten the great grace of the sect that supported you for all these years?"

Kunlin Shu looked almost ready to cry. He had no answer.

Yuwen Yan continued, "Since the wager already exists, and since husband and wife's resolve to leave the sect is firm, I won't force you. I only ask one thing: does the promise you made before still count?"

Kunlin Shu said sadly, "I don't know which matter Sect Leader means. Please instruct me."

Yuwen Yan said, "You promised to go to Sacred Realm on behalf of the sect. Go, and I will believe your promise. If you don't even dare go there, why should I believe you dare break your oath and fight to mutual destruction?"

Kunlin Shu had no authority to decide that by himself. Niu Youdao had already agreed to let him go, but Kunlin Shu still looked toward Niu Youdao, hoping he would first say something.

Before Niu Youdao could respond, Yuwen Yan said again, "Kunlin Shu, I went to great lengths trying to protect you. You know that. I even spoke to you alone about it! I originally thought highly of you and intended to make you a focus of the sect's cultivation... but what you've done has disappointed me too deeply!"

He turned away. "We're leaving!"

"Sect Leader!" One Elder called out in surprise. They were simply leaving like this?

Yuwen Yan strode on without looking back. The people from Zijin Cave were surprised as well. What did this mean?

Just after the group exited the gates of the Maolu Annex, Yuwen Yan suddenly stopped with his back turned and called, "Niu Youdao. Elder Niu!"

Niu Youdao, who had come out to see the guests off, paused in surprise. In the end, he still hurried over and cupped his hands. "Does Sect Leader Yuwen have some instruction for me?"

Yuwen Yan leaned slightly forward, brought his mouth close to Niu Youdao's ear, and said in a low voice, "I received the letter!"

Niu Youdao's heart gave a thump. His face, however, showed nothing but confusion. "Sect Leader Yuwen, what do you mean by that?"

Yuwen Yan cast him a cold glance. Without another word, he raised a hand and brushed him aside, ignoring him as he continued striding away.

The Tianhuo Sect people passing afterward looked Niu Youdao over one by one, none of them knowing what their Sect Leader had just whispered to him.

The people from Zijin Cave had witnessed the exchange as well, and suspicion gradually appeared on their faces.

[End of Chapter 934]