Chapter 9

Gu Changqing spoke in a tone full of grievance, "Disciple dare not trouble Master. I intend to head to the North City in a few days, but, but..."

"Speak!" Yu Jinghua’s eyes darkened.

Gu Changqing bowed in sorrow, "Although I will keep an eye on him, if something were to happen, Master Ji would likely be furious. Disciple..."

"Disciple only wishes to live out the rest of my days in peace."

The words were as pitiful as they could possibly be. He had essentially already written Ji Yan off as a dead man, and himself as the poor wretch caught up in the fallout. Not only would he suffer the backlash of the contract, but he would also have to worry about the elders coming to make trouble. His situation was truly miserable.

Most of his fellow disciples felt a sense of relief, fortunate that their master had sent them down the mountain for training beforehand, allowing them to dodge this troublesome marriage. However, others were gloating.

Chen Yifeng sneered, "If you truly cared, Junior Brother, you would be able to watch over a cripple. Do not make excuses for yourself."

Gu Changqing felt impatient. Why wouldn't this guy just give it a rest? Was he still bitter about having his "soft rice" bowl snatched away? A few days ago, Gu Changqing had encountered the Second Senior Brother by chance and used his appraisal ability on him. The result had been shocking.

He had once thought the Second Senior Brother was a discarded pawn, which was why their master had left him behind to compete for the hand of the Ji family's grandson-in-law. However, the truth was that the Second Senior Brother adored Bing Ning but knew he wasn't good enough for her. He had planned to sacrifice himself to help his beloved resolve the marriage contract, and by marrying Ji Yan, he could help her gather resources. He never imagined he would fail the selection, which led him to harbor hatred for Gu Changqing. The reason for his resentment was simple: although he detested Ji Yan, he couldn't stand seeing someone else marry him, as the dowry was enough to make anyone green with envy.

Gu Changqing was speechless. Since the Second Senior Brother had no shame, he wouldn't bother saving face for him either.

"What does Senior Brother mean by this? Are you harboring a grudge against me? It was the Ji family who rejected you, what does that have to do with me? I have already been reduced to this state; why must you kick a man when he is down? If not for..."

He paused, his tone shifting. Gu Changqing wore a mournful face and added, "No one wishes for him to live a long, healthy life more than I do."

This was the truth, and everyone believed it—because if something happened to Ji Yan, Gu Changqing would suffer as well. However, the Ninth Junior Brother’s comment was interesting: if not for Gu Changqing stepping in to bear the burden, in the absence of other candidates, the unlucky one might well have been Chen Yifeng.

"Cease your wild chatter!" Chen Yifeng’s face changed, and he secretly seethed.

"Enough," Yu Jinghua said impatiently, having no time to deal with the petty squabbles of his disciples.

Bing Ning hurriedly stepped in to mediate. She moved with light, graceful steps and bowed slowly, her delicate posture designed to evoke pity. "Master, please calm your anger. It is all this disciple’s fault. I regret provoking the Ji family and causing trouble for my Senior and Junior Brothers. Master has shown me such great kindness, and I do not wish to cause more strife. At the very least, I am willing to sacrifice my 'Ice Marrow Physique' so that I will no longer owe him anything, and the Ji family will have no reason to pester us."

"Nonsense!" Yu Jinghua’s expression sank. "What does this have to do with you?"

Although Ji Yan’s spiritual roots were crippled while trying to save Bing Ning, the deeper reason was the infighting among the Ji brothers. Otherwise, given Ji Yan’s strength, he would never have been crippled.

"I know you have a good heart. Do not mention this again." If he had been willing to agree, he would have done so long ago; there would have been no need to tangle with Ji Wuchou for two years. Furthermore, the Ice Marrow Physique would not necessarily compensate for damaged spiritual roots.

Gu Changqing’s eyes flickered as he suddenly recalled a prompt from the Taixu Treasure Mirror: if one were to absorb pure yin energy, Ji Yan’s spiritual roots would recover. Did the Ice Marrow Physique count as pure yin energy? Did Master Ji know this? If he did, giving up on the marriage to Bing Ning was equivalent to giving up on Ji Yan’s hope for recovery. If he didn't know, why was he clinging so tightly to the marriage contract until Ji Yan uncovered the truth behind his injury? Gu Changqing suddenly felt that the situation was deeper than it appeared.

"Senior Sister, you must not!" Ye Zixuan said anxiously.

Chen Yifeng was equally distressed, perhaps a classic case of concern clouding judgment. "Junior Sister, don't be like this. You didn't choose this marriage contract; what does it have to do with you?"

Gu Changqing’s mouth twitched; he almost couldn't help but laugh. It was obvious that Bing Ning was playing a game of "advancing by retreating." Anyone could tell the Master wouldn't agree. Chen Yifeng was a true "pig teammate," speaking without thinking. The Master’s face had already gone dark.

The marriage contract had been set by the Master himself.

Gu Changqing said with understanding, "Senior Sister, there is no need for this. The contract between Ji Yan and me is already sealed; it is what it is. But you are different. Master has spent so much effort on you; wouldn't these words just break his heart?"

If she were truly willing to sacrifice, she would have done it long ago. Master had gone to great lengths to protect her. If she acted so self-righteously now, wouldn't it make the Master look like he was being sentimental for no reason? She was innocent, she was kind, and everything had been decided by the Master—how would that make him feel? Perhaps she was even blaming him in her heart for setting the contract in the first place.

Chen Yifeng was truly a divine assist. Gu Changqing sowed discord without showing a trace.

"Master, that was not what this disciple meant." Bing Ning’s face changed. Tears welled up in her eyes as she gritted her teeth. "I just don't want to be entangled with the Ji family anymore. Master Ji has caused so much trouble because of Ji Yan, and now that Ji Yan is... I truly wish I had never been saved by him. If my Ice Marrow Physique could restore Ji Yan and allow me to make a clean break, I would be willing."

She spoke beautifully. Yu Jinghua’s expression softened slightly, and he said gently, "You possess a special constitution and have the potential to reach the Nascent Soul stage. Never speak of giving it up again. Do you know that extracting your constitution would severely damage your foundations? Do not ruin yourself for a moment of righteousness."

"Master..." Bing Ning was moved to tears.

Gu Changqing sighed inwardly. As expected of a Daughter of Destiny, she had managed to soothe the Master perfectly.

Yu Jinghua added, "If you have the heart, just compensate your Junior Brother a little. This karma is something he took upon himself for your sake."

Bing Ning’s face stiffened, then she smiled, saying sincerely, "If Junior Brother has any needs, I will certainly do my utmost, even if it means going through fire and water."

Yu Jinghua nodded in satisfaction, pleased to see his disciples getting along.

Gu Changqing’s eyes lit up. "That won't be necessary, truly." He smiled shyly. "Junior Brother happens to be in need of a Tier 3 mountain protection array. One can be exchanged for in the Merit Pavilion."

"Very well."

Bing Ning was silent for a moment. "I do not have enough merit points, so Junior Brother may have to wait a few days."

"That is no problem at all."

Gu Changqing sighed heavily. "With a mountain protection array, I wouldn't have to run around so much to earn spirit stones just to buy one. Then I would have the free time to keep a close eye on Ji Yan. If that fails, I could even hire a few people to serve him, so that..."

"Ah, my heart is heavy, Junior Brother."

With things put this way, what else could Bing Ning do? She gave a stiff smile. "Don't worry, Junior Brother. I will certainly exchange for the array for you as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Gu Changqing bowed in gratitude.

Chen Yifeng glared at him.

Ye Zixuan said, "Senior Sister, I have some merit points. Take mine to use first."

"I have some as well," Chen Yifeng chimed in, not wanting to be left behind.

"This..." The other disciples looked less than pleased. But with the Second Senior Brother and the Junior Brother having already contributed, they couldn't be left behind either—the Master was watching.

"I will contribute a portion as well."

"I..."

"Hahaha!" Yu Jinghua laughed loudly. "Good, very good. My disciples are united, loving, and look out for one another. Excellent, excellent."

"You don't need to use your own points. I happen to have a Tier 3 array right here. Changqing, take this."

"Thank you, Master."

Gu Changqing thanked him quickly while thinking to himself, *Is the Master blind? Where does he see unity and mutual support?* The senior brothers and sisters all looked miserable. Though, to be fair, their anger was directed at the sycophants.

...

"Yu Jinghua, come out here!" A thunderous roar came from Xiaoquan Peak.

"Ji Wuchou, I haven't even settled accounts with you yet!" Yu Jinghua gritted his teeth, his figure flashing as he vanished from the cave dwelling with a *whoosh*.

"Boom!" A heaven-shaking sound erupted from outside. The flowers and plants of Xiaoquan Peak were suffering once again. Fortunately, the cave dwelling was protected by an array, so they were unaffected.

Gu Changqing couldn't help but sympathize with the Sect Master. The two peaks had just formed an alliance yesterday, and today it had become a laughingstock. The veneer of respectability the Sect Master had worked so hard to maintain was completely ruined. Dealing with a Core Formation cultivator like Ji Wuchou, who would argue his way through anything regardless of reason, was exhausting.

"Yu Jinghua, my grandson only arrived at Xiaoquan Peak yesterday, and today he is unconscious! You must give me an explanation!"

"Bah! Your grandson sought his own death. Why even bother with the marriage? Just raise him yourself and spare my disciple from being dragged down with him!"

"They are dao companions! My grandson was injured; he is responsible!"

"Hmph!" Yu Jinghua sneered. "As if anyone values this dao companion status." If not for the pressure from the Fire-Governing Peak, he would never have agreed to this marriage. He might not like Gu Changqing, but he was still his disciple.

"You..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The two cultivators began to clash. Master Ji was in the late stage of Core Formation, his cultivation slightly higher. Yu Jinghua grew more irritated with every strike, fed up with the Fire-Governing Peak.

"Stop! Enough..."

The Sect Master arrived late once again, his face livid, his anger simmering. He had finally managed to resolve the marriage issue between the two peaks, only for Ji Yan to cause more trouble—how could he not be furious?

"Sect Master, my grandson..."

"Shut up!" the Sect Master snapped impatiently. Who had the energy to deal with these trivialities all day long? "From now on, the two peaks are not allowed to cause any more disturbances. Ji Wuchou, you will stop this at once. Whether Ji Yan lives or dies is up to fate. I have already unsealed his dantian; he can do whatever he likes. I don't care anymore. If he dies, it is simply his destiny..."

"Hmph!"

"Lest you come here making unreasonable demands again when he tries to break the seal and gets himself killed."

"I—I would never dare!" Ji Wuchou said sheepishly.

The Sect Master gave him a warning look. "Better if you don't. If you had told me about Ji Yan’s condition earlier, I would never have agreed to this marriage. Gu Changqing has suffered a grievance in this matter, so I will grant him the right to choose a technique from the Scripture Pavilion, with the merit points deducted from the Fire-Governing Peak."

"How can you do that?" Ji Wuchou was shocked.

The Sect Master sneered. "Why not? You handle your family affairs first. Otherwise, I don't mind lending a hand. The Southern Wilderness is currently in need of manpower."

"I would never dare trouble the Sect Master." Ji Wuchou quickly refused. He knew his own family better than anyone; those useless children and grandchildren of his would likely not return in one piece from the Southern Wilderness.

"Heh!" Yu Jinghua chuckled. "Serves you right!"

...

On the other side, Gu Changqing was secretly overjoyed. He had been coveting the techniques and secret arts in the Scripture Pavilion for a long time. Although he had the Taixu Treasure Mirror, it couldn't conjure techniques out of thin air; he had to appraise them first for the mirror to provide supplements.

The Sect Master was truly effective. He must have been truly pushed to his limit. Gu Changqing clapped silently. *Keep arguing, keep arguing; I’ll be the one to benefit.* He had profited again: an array, spirit stones, and the Scripture Pavilion.

The fellow disciples looked at him with envy, though they quickly calmed down. While the secret arts of the Scripture Pavilion were precious, with Ji Yan as a burden, Gu Changqing’s life was effectively over even if he went there. It wasn't worth their jealousy. Perhaps the Sect Master thought the same, which was why he was so generous—techniques couldn't be spread to outsiders, so letting him look at them was the most he could do. After all, given the mess Ji Yan had caused, some compensation was necessary.

Gu Changqing had been dragged into this the moment the dao companion contract was signed, and Ji Yan had insisted on courting death. If he had just courted death, that would be one thing, but he had to make such a loud spectacle of it. To save face for the sect and appease the hearts of the people, the Sect Master had to provide an explanation to prevent Gu Changqing from harboring resentment. Otherwise, his situation would truly be miserable. A giant, capital-letter "miserable." A perfectly good personal disciple, and yet... who could handle that? The Sect Master’s own face was also on the line, as he had been the one to facilitate the marriage.

...

The farce ended. Master Ji, despite his dissatisfaction, wilted under the Sect Master’s threatening gaze. He hadn't wanted to cause a scene, but his grandson had been severely injured the day after the wedding; he had to save face. The Sect Master clearly understood this, and by bringing up his other descendants, Master Ji immediately lost interest in his eldest grandson.

Gu Changqing felt a sense of irony. *So this is the depth of Master Ji’s love—truly very limited.*

"Hmph!" Master Ji let out a cold snort, his spiritual sense sweeping across the area as he warned Gu Changqing, "Take good care of my grandson."

With that, he stepped into the air and left. Yu Jinghua’s expression was ugly; his Xiaoquan Peak was being treated like a public thoroughfare.

"Hmph." He also snorted coldly and departed through the air.

At Guanlan Pavilion, the disciples looked at one another. It was clear the Master didn't want to deal with them, especially not Gu Changqing.

"Let’s go, too."

...

"It’s all your fault," Chen Yifeng glared at Gu Changqing. "If you hadn't failed to take care of Ji Yan, these things wouldn't have happened."

Li Chengfeng defended him, "What does this have to do with the Ninth Junior Brother? If you want to blame someone, blame the Fire-Governing Peak."

"Exactly. The Ninth Junior Brother has been unlucky enough as it is."

Gu Changqing’s "sympathy points" were proving quite useful. He said with a pained expression, "Sigh, I’ll head back as well. I don't know how Ji Yan is doing; I must keep a close watch on him."

"Don't worry, Master Ji has already seen him; he should be fine."

"The Sect Master also came over from that side. If Ji Yan were truly in trouble, Master Ji wouldn't let it go so easily; he’d have turned the place upside down."

"Junior Brother, don't worry. The Sect Master said it himself: whether Ji Yan lives or dies is up to fate."

"What are you talking about? If something happens to Ji Yan, the Junior Brother will suffer the backlash."

"I think the most important thing is for him to pick a technique for strengthening his foundation."

The fellow disciples exchanged a few words and bid each other farewell. In the absence of direct conflicts of interest, they were quite friendly toward Gu Changqing—with the exception of the sycophants, of course.

Ye Zixuan was conflicted. Should he lend the Senior Sister the spirit stones or not? If he lent them, he wasn't willing to let Gu Changqing benefit. If he didn't, his heart ached for his Senior Sister. *Sigh, how annoying.*

...

Gu Changqing didn't care about the troubles of a sycophant. He only felt a chill—not a single person cared about the severely injured Ji Yan. With Master Ji gone, the onlookers left in twos and threes. No one intended to visit the patient, including Master Ji himself, who seemed to have only made a scene for the sake of appearances. Ji Yan, the person involved, was practically irrelevant.

Oh, wait. He was important. He had finally completely infuriated the Sect Master. Even the Sect Master no longer wanted to care if he lived or died.

*Why bother?* Gu Changqing couldn't understand the point of Ji Yan courting death. He knew he couldn't break the seal on his dantian, so why go to such lengths? Perhaps he had other plans. Gu Changqing pondered for a moment before casting the thought aside. *Whatever. No use overthinking it.* He had profited, and that was enough.

Gu Changqing put on a look of sorrow, quickly adjusting his expression. He returned to his cave dwelling in a state of mourning, winning even more sympathy from those he passed. Then... he stared at the scene of devastation before him in shock.

*Where am I? Where is my cave dwelling? Where is the array?*

"I went to the wrong place." Gu Changqing quickly stepped back and looked around. He hadn't gone to the wrong place, but...

The cave dwelling before him was in shambles. The walls were collapsed, the arrays he had meticulously set up had been violently destroyed, and the red wedding silks were tossed everywhere. And... was this the destructive power of a Core Formation cultivator?

"My tree!" Gu Changqing exclaimed, rushing to check on his prized possession. Thankfully, the tree wasn't severely damaged; his "Green Wood Longevity Art" could heal it.

Gu Changqing gritted his teeth, adding another tally to Master Ji’s debt. Although he had indeed forgotten to deactivate the array, a Core Formation cultivator had the skills to bypass it without such total destruction. This was just using the array as a punching bag to vent his anger. *Who did I offend?* It seemed only a Tier 3 array could truly stop a Core Formation cultivator.

"Senior Brother Gu." A strange voice came from inside. The room was the only part of the cave that remained intact enough to be habitable.

"Who are you?" Gu Changqing frowned slightly.

Chen Jian replied nervously, "I am an outer sect servant. Master Ji ordered me to stay behind to help look after Senior Brother Ji."

Gu Changqing nodded. "Which peak are you from? And how is Senior Brother Ji?"

"I am from Xiaoquan Peak. Senior Brother Ji has yet to wake up, but he is in no immediate danger. Master Ji treated him and left a bottle of pills. One pill a day, and he should recover in half a month. He just needs to recuperate his vitality, as it has been damaged."

Gu Changqing understood. It was no wonder his vitality was damaged after being injured repeatedly. He glanced at the servant disciple. "You may stay." He could trust a disciple from Xiaoquan Peak. If it had been someone from the Fire-Governing Peak, Gu Changqing would have kicked them out immediately.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Chen Jian was secretly pleased. Serving a personal disciple was a good job. Regardless of whether Ji Yan was crippled or not, the scraps of resources that fell from his fingers were enough to support his own cultivation for a while.

"This is what Master Ji left behind." Chen Jian hurriedly produced a jade bottle.

Gu Changqing opened it and looked inside: Tier 3 Vitality-Nourishing Pills. They were suitable for Ji Yan’s injuries, but not as effective as Tier 4 Green Spirit Pills. Master Ji’s affection was only skin-deep—just enough to keep up appearances.

"Hmph!" Gu Changqing sighed with feigned sorrow, frowning at the wreckage of his home.

Chen Jian, reading the room, quickly said, "I wanted to clean this up, but I was afraid of damaging your arrangements, so I didn't dare to move anything."

"It’s fine." Gu Changqing maintained his persona. "Go ahead and clean it up." He was moving soon anyway; he didn't plan on repairing these broken arrays.

"Yes!" Chen Jian replied respectfully, busying himself diligently.

Gu Changqing entered the cave. He looked around; the furniture in the living room remained unchanged, with no signs of having been touched, which slightly dissipated his anger. At the same time, he felt a sense of luck. He had been cautious enough to pack away his important items because of the wedding.

Master Ji truly had no sense of honor. He would have to be even more careful in the future. He had noted this debt down.

Gu Changqing looked toward the bedroom, his eyes narrowing slightly. He wondered: if the reincarnated Ji Yan regained his memories, how would he treat the Ji family? He suddenly felt a flicker of anticipation.