Chapter Four: I Think You've Lost Your Mind!

Yu Wanqiao had stayed here for several days, and only after finally releasing the oppressive gloom that had weighed on her heart did she let out a long sigh. She reached into her space pouch and pulled out a handful of spiritual herbs, stuffing them into her mouth. As she chewed, she opened the door, ready to face the sunlight.

Though the events of the past few days had shaken her mind, and she had taken a different path for herself, she had now fallen back to the Qi Refinement stage and lost her life-bound sword. The only difference between her and ordinary people was that she possessed a cultivation talent—a gift many longed for but could not obtain.

Back then, everyone envied the Qingfeng True Lord for taking in such a prodigy. Thinking of this, Yu Wanqiao gave a bitter smile. Now, everyone claimed that although she had talent, her character was deteriorating. Jealous that her master had accepted a new disciple, they had resorted to underhanded tactics to push her out. Fortunately, a few of her junior brothers were sensible and did not believe only one side of the story.

Yu Wanqiao recalled the time when she was expelled from the Lanyue Pavilion. Filled with resentment toward those few, she refused to listen to them and went to the place originally meant for Bai Chuwei to stay. Although they said it was only temporary, Yu Wanqiao knew well that once she moved, she would never get it back.

She had protested, but all she received in return was the Qingfeng True Lord’s lighthearted remark: “Qiao'er, you are the senior sister of Xuantian Sect, and yet you have such a narrow mind?”

In that instant, it felt as if all her strength had been drained away. Only those words echoed in her mind.

She refused to move because when Qingfeng True Lord first brought her to Xuantian Sect, he pointed at the plaque that read “Lanyue Pavilion” and said to her, “Look, this will be your home from now on. You have no name, so I will give you mine. My original name before cultivation was Yu Jingze; henceforth, you shall be Yu Wanqiao. Wanqiao means serene beauty at dusk, tall and elegant trees—noble in character, graceful in bearing, and peaceful in temperament.”

After saying this, Qingfeng True Lord gently patted her head and smiled, “I have cultivated for nearly five hundred years and almost forgot my original name. Now, thanks to little Wanqiao…”

Snapping back to reality, Yu Wanqiao wiped away tears she did not know when had fallen. She glanced once at the high-hung plaque, then withdrew her gaze. The Lanyue Pavilion had not changed; only the people within it had.

...

Without her life-bound sword, she could not immediately fly by sword to wherever she wanted to go. She had to travel on foot.

After much hesitation, she still took the broken sword with her. The sword was named “Return.” It had been a gift from Qingfeng True Lord when she formally became his disciple.

“Return” was well-known in the cultivation world, belonging to the “Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow” ranking system, classified as “Mysterious.” In the cultivation realm, spiritual herbs, pills, and magical tools are ranked from low to high as Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. Magical tools above “Mysterious” are rare for sword cultivators. There were only two swords classified as “Yellow” in the world.

One was “Snow Kite,” and the other belonged to Xuan Shuang Xianjun, who had ascended to the Heavenly Realm and was but one step away from becoming a deity. In the cultivation world, those titled “Xianjun” were few and far between.

Qingfeng True Lord’s level was only that of a True Lord, despite his great cultivation. Three hundred years ago, during his ascension, Xuan Shuang Xianjun did not resist the final heavenly thunder, falling just short of godhood by a single step. Since then, no one had seen his figure.

His sword, “Frost Splendor,” along with “Snow Kite,” were the only two “Yellow” ranked swords in the “Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow” hierarchy.

Now, the Three Realms were separated into the Human Realm, Heavenly Realm, and Demon Realm, each existing independently.

The Human Realm was further divided into humans, ghosts, and demons. When humans died, they became ghosts, which belonged to the Human Realm. Some ghosts refused reincarnation and wandered the mortal world, disrupting its order. As the number of ghosts grew uncontrollable, they formed a realm beyond the Human Realm called the Ghost Realm.

Demons were animals that had cultivated into humanoid forms, forming the Demon Realm.

Humans were the weakest beings, frequently bullied by ghosts and demons in the Human Realm. One day, a group of people declared their intent to cultivate immortality to protect the Human Realm. Thus, cultivators appeared. Cultivators could ascend to become immortals; those who lost their way were taken by the Demon Realm to become demonkind.

Beneath the Human Realm lay the cultivation world.

The Heavenly Realm was home to immortals, filled with celestial spiritual energy. Immortals cultivated and lived there, free from mortal sufferings like birth, aging, sickness, and death, and governed many affairs, including maintaining order among the Three Realms.

The Demon Realm was typically opposed to the Heavenly Realm. Its denizens were fierce, aggressive, and powerful, often clashing with the Heavenly Realm in attempts to disrupt the balance among the Three Realms.

Yu Wanqiao still felt reluctant to part with “Return.” She resolved to return it to her residence and keep it safely, since its sword spirit had already dissipated.

“Hey, isn’t this the senior sister? Why are you coming out of Lanyue Pavilion?”

“That person really has no shame, the most shameless in the world. No wonder little junior sister’s mood has been bad these days—our senior sister took away her place to live.”

Yu Wanqiao halted and turned toward the speaker. The man was Wu Yu, a disciple under Sect Master Guo Feng of Xuantian Sect.

“Wow, our flower guardian finally shows up!”

“The secondary female lead is really pitiful—unconscious for so long, and even returning to her original residence sparks gossip.”

“What’s the fuss? The Lanyue Pavilion was abandoned by the secondary female lead herself out of anger; how can this be blamed on our female lead?”

As the surrounding murmurs continued like a live commentary, Yu Wanqiao’s heart grew heavier. Wu Yu had been Bai Chuwei’s flower guardian too, no wonder he always treated her with disdain.

Noticing Yu Wanqiao’s gaze, Wu Yu straightened his chest and said loudly without reservation, “See, someone’s getting nervous.”

Yu Wanqiao instantly raised the branch in her hand. Instantly, an invisible force appeared at Wu Yu’s feet. Startled, he took several steps back, staring at the marks left behind, disbelief written across his face.

“Yu Wanqiao! How dare you hit me?”

The moment he spoke, he sensed something was wrong.

“No, you’ve fallen to the Qi Refinement stage, and you destroyed your own sword. How can you still wield sword energy?”

Though the sword intent just now felt somewhat different, for the current Yu Wanqiao, it was unbelievable.

Yu Wanqiao shook the branch in her hand, raising an eyebrow. It seemed she had been slandered beyond recognition these past days. Now even Wu Yu knew—probably the entire Xuantian Sect was rife with rumors.

Seeing her expression turn serious, Wu Yu quickly added, “Why are your eyes rolling? Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me talking to you?”

“The secondary female lead and the male supporting character really have that kind of love-hate relationship! Who understands! No wonder they’re the official couple!”

“Alas, the secondary female lead has always liked Wu Yu, which is why he’s had her wrapped around his finger all these years. No wonder the female lead used sword energy on him today; that’s why he’s so angry.”

“But now that our female lead is here, the official couple thing is thrown aside. In the end, the secondary female lead sees the one she likes always by the female lead’s side—and dies, probably.”

???

What? How did she not know that the person she liked was Wu Yu?