Chapter Thirteen: I Wish to Descend the Mountain

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Yu Wanqiao had only just arrived at the cave when Lord Qingfeng came as well.

“Wanqiao, you’re alive.”

Yu Wanqiao paused.

“Mm.”

Everything inside was as spotless as it had been two years ago.

She refused to believe that no one had been secretly tending to the place for her.

For a moment, the two stood facing each other in silence.

In the end, Lord Qingfeng was the first to speak.

“Wanqiao, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention then.”

“Master.”

Yu Wanqiao did not want to hear any more and hurriedly cut him off.

Lord Qingfeng gazed at her, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

Two years ago, he had asked Shen Que to keep watch over Yu Wanqiao’s soul lamp.

But when Shen Que returned, he told him that Yu Wanqiao’s lamp had already gone out.

At the time, Lord Qingfeng had stared at it in disbelief for a long while before finally coming to his senses.

Now that he truly saw Yu Wanqiao return alive, he found himself unable to say a word.

“Master, I’m a little tired. Could I explain what happened over the past two years another day?”

Though Lord Qingfeng had countless questions he wished to ask, he could not bring himself to voice them.

All he could do was nod.

“All right.”

Lord Qingfeng left.

Only then did Yu Wanqiao realize that after two years, her heart no longer stirred as it once had.

At the foot of the cliff, climbing the mountain had been all she could think about. Yet now that she had returned to the mountain, why was she no longer filled with the same feelings?

Yu Wanqiao did not know how to put it into words.

Over the past two years, the snow lotus within her had never truly been digested.

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Her cultivation had stagnated as well.

She could feel that her cultivation was not meant to remain at its current level.

Yet because of the snow lotus, she could not advance any further.

At this thought, Yu Wanqiao’s eyes darkened.

No. Two years had already been wasted. She had to leave the mountain.

…

“That is what happened.”

Yu Wanqiao spoke to the assembled elders.

“I see. Who would have thought that the Cliff of Reflection would contain a teleportation array? Poor child, these past two years must have been hard on you.”

“When your soul lamp went out, we all thought… It is enough that you have returned. Enough that you have returned.”

“Looks like I’ll have to go down there myself and see what exactly lies beneath the cliff.”

The elders chattered among themselves.

By the time Yu Wanqiao returned, her soul lamp had already resumed its former brightness.

Yu Wanqiao suspected that this had been Yanran’s doing.

However, she did not tell everyone about Xueyuan and Yanran. She merely offered an account that was half true and half false.

After the elders had left, Yu Wanqiao immediately knelt on the ground.

“Master, this disciple wishes to leave the mountain.”

The moment she said this, everyone present fell silent.

Lord Qingfeng had not expected Yu Wanqiao to want to leave so soon after returning.

“What would you go down the mountain for now?”

Yu Wanqiao did not conceal the truth and answered honestly.

“Two years ago, this disciple consumed the snow lotus. Yet even after two years, I have still been unable to make it my own. My cultivation has consequently stagnated. Xicheng happens to produce the Blazing Flame Herb in abundance, and it can help me.”

Lord Qingfeng fell silent.

Even he had forgotten about that.

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He had long since seen that Yu Wanqiao’s cultivation had returned to its former level within a mere two years—a terrifying rate of recovery.

Now she had a valid reason to leave the mountain.

Lord Qingfeng agreed after all.

Having obtained his consent, Yu Wanqiao turned and left.

She had no inclination whatsoever to speak with anyone else.

She had not gone far when Xie Wenyun caught up with her.

He reached out to seize Yu Wanqiao, but she struck him with one palm, sending him stumbling several steps backward.

“You… have recovered?” he asked, unable to conceal his disbelief.

Over the past two years, his cultivation had also advanced. He had never expected that even now, he would still be no match for Yu Wanqiao.

Yu Wanqiao did not deny it.

She wanted everyone to know that in a mere two years, she, Yu Wanqiao, had regained her former strength—and had even advanced beyond it.

She cast Xie Wenyun a cold glance and turned to leave.

Xie Wenyun, however, quickly regained his composure.

“Yu Wanqiao, you planned all of this from the beginning, didn’t you? Lu Xiao was nothing more than a pawn to you.”

Yu Wanqiao found it somewhat amusing. She had been the one harmed by Lu Xiao, yet in the end, he had somehow become the victim.

When he saw her stop, Xie Wenyun grew bolder and continued.

“You never said how you fell from the bottom of the cliff without suffering so much as a scratch. I refuse to believe this wasn’t part of your scheme. You resented our junior sister, so you devised this false-death ploy to draw our attention and make us focus on you again. Let me tell you this now: stop dreaming. You will never compare with our junior sister.”

Everyone who had followed them out from behind was stunned.

Especially Lu Xiao.

He hurried forward and grabbed Xie Wenyun, trying to stop him from saying anything more.

He knew better than anyone that this had all been her fault.

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