"Wait, Grand Sect Leader Su!"
Tianyin Sect Leader Yun Tian flew into the path of the white qi lightning released from Su Qingyue's hand. Seeing her junior block her attack made the woman clench her fist immediately, detonating the white lightning.
A burst of energy went off in the sky above the sect, pushing Yun Tian and the other sect elders back. Su Qingyue stayed hovering right where she was, completely unaffected.
"Are you trying to protect a madman like Wang Wei, Junior Yun?"
"This junior did not come to protect him. But the sect still needs him."
Su Qingyue went quiet, glancing back at Wang Wei, then turning her gaze back to Yun Tian.
"I can train ten Core Formation cultivators into ten Nascent Souls better than him!" Su Qingyue said firmly.
"This junior understands Senior Su's capabilities fully. This is not about his cultivation," Yun Tian replied.
"This is about his talent and insight, Senior Su."
"Please consider a punishment for Core Elder Wang instead."
It wasn't only Yun Tian who pleaded. The other elders did the same. They lowered their heads, pressed their hands together, and begged for mercy from Su Qingyue, a woman known for being cold, ruthless, and completely without sentiment.
Su Qingyue still said nothing, her eyes fixed on Elder Wang Wei, who now looked completely powerless.
He dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground, over and over, begging for forgiveness. The other disciples were stunned.
They all knew Core Elder Wang held considerable standing in the Tianyin Sect. But when faced with Su Qingyue, who carried the title of sect ancestor, Wang Wei was nothing.
Su Qingyue took a step, flashing in an instant to stand directly in front of Wang Wei. Yun Tian and the other sect elders were caught off guard.
"You are lucky that Junior Yun still values your talent and insight," Su Qingyue said, her voice flat and cold.
"I will not kill you."
Wang Wei worked up the nerve to lift his head and look at Su Qingyue. His forehead was bleeding from being slammed repeatedly into the floor, tears running down a face twisted with shame.
"Thank you for your mercy, Grand Sect Leader Su!" Wang Wei praised.
"However..."
Su Qingyue raised her hand, forming a white qi energy orb at her fingertips. Once it had taken shape, she fired it straight at Wang Wei's forehead.
"That does not mean I will not punish you."
Wang Wei groaned in pain, crying out and complaining about a burning sensation spreading through his head and chest. Su Qingyue stood in silence and watched.
A burst of white qi went off and was felt by everyone present. A restriction array pattern appeared like a tattoo on Wang Wei's forehead, and the old man with the white beard felt his body begin to recover.
"What punishment have you placed on me, Grand Sect Leader Su?" Wang Wei asked.
"The Three-Zhang Restriction Seal!"
"What is that?" Wang Wei asked, confused.
Su Qingyue drew a white thread from Wang Wei's forehead toward Mu Chen with nothing but a hand gesture. The two were now bound to each other, though not in any way that was good for Wang Wei.
Yun Tian smiled, flew down low, and stood beside Su Qingyue. "I think... that is a fitting punishment for him."
"The Three-Zhang Restriction Seal is a specific restriction seal that prevents you from getting within three zhang of the seal's target, in this case that mortal," Yun Tian said.
"If you try to force it, the seal will harm you, and it is more than capable of destroying your cultivation base."
Wang Wei narrowed his eyes. "He is just a mortal! Will Sect Leader Yun really allow a piece of trash like him to damage a pillar that has stood in the Tianyin Sect for thousands of years?"
"Watch your mouth! Grand Sect Leader Su understands what the Tianyin Sect needs far better than you ever will!" Yun Tian snapped.
Su Qingyue said nothing. Yun Tian had already explained everything for her. She swept her hand to the side, clearing the rolling thunder and black clouds and returning the sect grounds to their normal state.
"Yun Tian," Su Qingyue called. Yun Tian turned immediately.
"I have no intention of going back to the ancient ruins. Send someone else."
Yun Tian nodded, pressing his hands together in a respectful bow. "This junior will send the elders right away."
Without looking back, Su Qingyue walked gracefully toward Mu Chen, who lay wounded and helpless on the courtyard floor, surrounded by a pool of blood that had soaked into the hem of Su Qingyue's beautiful gown.
But she felt no disgust at that. It was Mu Chen's blood, after all, the blood of a man she needed and wanted badly.
If Mu Chen died, there would be no chance for Su Qingyue to advance her realm and reach a level she had never allowed herself to imagine.
She lifted her fingers, and Mu Chen rose from the ground, wrapped in white qi energy. She reached out and placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, which was faint.
"From this moment, no one is to disturb Mu Chen. He is my disciple!"
"We understand, Grand Sect Leader Su," everyone said at once.
Su Qingyue flew slowly, carrying Mu Chen within her qi energy's embrace. Yun Tian narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky.
One of the other core sect elders, not Wang Wei, came over and whispered something to Yun Tian.
"What is it about that mortal that has Senior Su so interested?" Elder Han asked.
Yun Tian was quiet for a moment, then let out a slow breath. "No one knows. Only Senior Su knows the reason."
***
Two days passed since the incident with Su Qingyue's thunder and black clouds over the sect sky. Disciples and elders slowly returned to their normal routines.
The sound of birdsong echoed brightly through the sky above Jiuxiao Mountain. Deer came down from the mountainside and lingered at ease in the garden of a grand residence, the only one of its kind on Jiuxiao Mountain.
Flowers bloomed, swaying with quiet grace each time the mountain wind swept down. Drops of dew refreshed the leaves, and clean air filled every corner of the residence.
Fish leaped happily from the lake, sending out gentle ripples that set the lotus blossoms rocking.
In the middle of that natural stillness and harmony, a woman in a beautiful silver-white gown sat inside a pavilion at the center of the lake.
TING...
Su Qingyue's slender fingers plucked the zither strings softly, following the melody she had always played. With each pluck, a low pulse of qi energy rang out like music, soothing the ears, calming the soul, drawing every living thing around her into a deep and quiet peace.
Inside the Jiuxiao Lotus Residence, Mu Chen still lay in bed, his condition recovering.
His wounds had healed. His clothes had been changed. The gentle scent of incense drifting through the air gave a calm, comfortable feeling with every breath.
That afternoon, Mu Chen slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the ceiling above him.
Where... am I?
Mu Chen coughed, his hand gripping his aching chest. The memory of Wang Wei's spiked lash still haunted him, the moment that had nearly cost him his life.
He tried to settle himself down, drawing a long breath, working to ease the restlessness in his chest.
He glanced to the side and took in the room around him. It was large and filled with wooden furniture, deeply artistic and oriental in style, as if he were staying in a luxurious ancient inn.
The blanket slipped aside. Mu Chen was a little startled to see how different he looked, wearing the same silver-white robe as Bai Han.
His curiosity kept growing. He pushed himself out of bed, opened the door, and came down from the second floor. Before he reached the front door of the residence, his steps paused on their own.
His eyes went wide when his ears caught a sound, a melodious, soul-soothing voice that was not coming from inside the house, not from any audio recording.
That melody... came from someone pouring everything they had into their instrument.
Was that sound coming from outside?
Mu Chen stretched out his hand, grabbed the door handle, and pulled it open. He was met by the beautiful sight of the residence's front grounds, where a lake and garden blended seamlessly with the natural world around them.
Cool air swept across his body and face. Birds flew overhead, humming and chirping along in time with the flowing melody.
Mu Chen followed the birds with his eyes and saw them perched on the roof of a pavilion sitting at the center of the lake, surrounded by blooming lotus flowers.
The pavilion curtain shifted in the breeze, and through the gap Mu Chen caught a glimpse of breathtaking beauty, a woman with fair skin and long black hair falling softly around her.
Her hands moved across the zither strings, answering the curiosity he had felt about where the sound was coming from.
"Master... Su?" Mu Chen said softly.
Su Qingyue stopped plucking the zither. Her head turned with a graceful tilt, and she smiled wide. She rose and walked out of the pavilion, one hand lifting the curtain aside.
"Mu Chen?" Su Qingyue greeted.
Mu Chen and Su Qingyue stood facing each other across a fair distance, Su Qingyue still near the pavilion, Mu Chen still standing at the front door.
Once again, Mu Chen found himself caught by Su Qingyue's beauty as sunlight fell across her face.
I never could have imagined it. A woman as beautiful and as perfect as Su Qingyue... needs me.
What... am I supposed to do?