The pressure around Gu Qingyuan grew darker and darker. By the time Ye Chuxue finished recounting everything, killing intent was already radiating from him.
While he was unconscious, Lan Le had joined forces with Song Wanníng to scheme against Chuxue?
And now her years of savings were gone too. The thought made his heart ache even more.
Then he heard her say, "Master, to bid for that pill, I even borrowed two hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones from the sect. Now I'm drowning in debt, and I didn't even get the pill in the end. It's all because I wasn't strong enough!"
Ye Chuxue's chest tightened with grief. If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have taken the Heavenly Origin Heart-Nourishing Pill herself. At least then, she could have detoxified her system and kept others from snatching it first.
But now, it was all too late.
"I really don't know what I did to offend Aunt-Master Song. Why would she go so far to bully me like this?" Tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing his disciple like this only stoked Gu Qingyuan's fury.
And now she was saddled with a debt to the sect? That was the last straw.
"Come. We're going to find her. I want to hear from her own mouth what exactly she thinks she's doing!" He grabbed Ye Chuxue's arm and led her straight toward Yunxiao Peak.
But when they arrived, Song Wanníng was nowhere to be found. Only Bai Yang and Li Ruo were present. Even Lu Nanfeng hadn't shown his face in quite some time.
Gu Qingyuan's anger was clear, but Bai Yang met him calmly and offered an unshaken explanation of what had happened a few days prior.
What he described was completely different from Ye Chuxue's version of events.
Gu Qingyuan frowned, doubt creeping into his mind.
Song Wanníng had followed him for over a hundred years. He knew her character well. She was a little proud and willful, yes, but never the type to use such dirty tricks. That flicker of hesitation in his heart grew stronger.
Ye Chuxue stiffened. She bit her lip hard, a flicker of resentment surfacing in her gaze as she looked at Bai Yang. All that camaraderie from the past—gone like smoke in the wind, leaving only bitterness behind.
"Forget it. If the storage ring is lost, I'll find another way to replace what you lost," Gu Qingyuan said at last. There's no proof either way, so don't spread rumors again. You might provoke Song Wanníng further." He was worried she would anger Song Wanníng and bring more trouble on herself.
But to Ye Chuxue, those words meant something else entirely.
"You believe her over me, don't you?" She stared at her master, devastated. In that moment, she felt truly alone.
What was so good about Song Wanníng?
Why did everyone trust her so easily?
Gu Qingyuan's frown deepened. He said, "That's not what I meant. It's just that everyone saw what happened with their own eyes. I think you may have misunderstood her."
He favored his disciple, but facts were facts. He couldn't bring himself to twist the truth.
The situation was complicated enough. They couldn't afford to confront Song Wanníng head-on right now.
"Hah! Of course. I'm the schemer, I'm the one who falsely accused her. Are you all satisfied now?" Ye Chuxue's eyes turned red. Her voice cracked with rage and sorrow as she shouted, then spun on her heel and ran.
Gu Qingyuan, worried for her, quickly followed.
Before leaving, he instructed Bai Yang not to tell Song Wanníng they had come. Bai Yang nodded. He had no interest in worsening things between the two. He would keep quiet.
After they left, he turned to Li Ruo and gave the same warning.
Li Ruo didn't reply. But the way she looked at Bai Yang had changed completely.
There was no longer any admiration or respect in her eyes. Ever since her two senior brothers had sided with outsiders against her, she no longer regarded them as family. To her, they were just strangers sharing the same mountain.
Her master had been right. In this world, some bonds weren't worth clinging to.
As long as she had her master, that was enough.
Word of Gu Qingyuan's recovery quickly spread through the sect. Song Wanníng had just returned when she heard the news. The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
After getting played so thoroughly, Ye Chuxue was probably fuming. Still, the plan wouldn't have gone so smoothly without Lan Le's cooperation. Song Wanníng lowered her eyes in thought.
Fine. Lan Le was slightly more tolerable now.
Only slightly.
She turned her steps toward the Sect Master's Hall first, kindly reminding the sect master about Ye Chuxue's punishment.
Only then did the sect master remember the ancestral decision: once Gu Qingyuan woke up, Ye Chuxue was to be sent to Wind-Erosion Cavern for punishment.
So Song Wanníng was clearly set on clashing with Ye Chuxue now.
Not that he could blame her. After all, Ye Chuxue had stolen her fiancé. If she had taken it quietly, that would've been the real shock.
"I understand. Don't worry, Junior Sister Song. I won't cover for her," the sect master promised. And how could he not? In such a short time, Song Wanníng had advanced again.
At this terrifying pace, who could keep up?
Not even Gu Qingyuan could match her anymore.
The sect master silently cursed his past self. If he had known things would turn out this way, he never would've crossed Song Wanníng.
As soon as she left, he went to see Gu Qingyuan to deliver the news about Ye Chuxue's punishment.
Gu Qingyuan's expression darkened at once. "Sect Master, Chuxue still hasn't fully recovered. She's been running herself ragged taking care of me. Giving her punishment now is inappropriate."
"Besides, I'm awake. I won't be pursuing the matter. The punishment should be revoked." Wind-Erosion Cavern was extremely dangerous. With Ye Chuxue's current condition, sending her in was the same as pushing her into the fire.
He wouldn't allow it.
"The problem is, she didn't just offend you. There was another disciple involved."
The sect master's tone grew tight.
"If Song Wanníng hadn't intervened back then, that disciple would've died." Thinking back on it, he realized Ye Chuxue really was a magnet for trouble. Even the high hopes he'd once had for her began to fade.
But Gu Qingyuan's gaze turned cold. "Just a regular disciple. They didn't die. I'll offer compensation." As long as Ye Chuxue didn't have to go into that cavern, he'd do whatever it took.
But this time, the sect master shook his head. "No. This was the Ancestor's order. I can't change it."
He sighed and patted Gu Qingyuan's shoulder.
"It's only a year. It'll pass before you know it. If you offend the patriarch now, she'll have a harder time in the sect later. And you won't always be able to protect her, will you?"
They all knew the Ancestor disliked Gu Qingyuan.
Gu Qingyuan knew it too.
He fell silent.
A long moment passed before he finally nodded.
"Understood."
Ye Chuxue was sent into Wind-Erosion Cavern. Her heart was heavy with betrayal and resentment. She even blamed Gu Qingyuan now. She had thought her master would protect her, that he would find a way to spare her from punishment.
But what happened?
Hah.
All her loyalty had been fed to dogs.
She stepped into the cavern without looking back, her posture firm and filled with bitter resolve. Gu Qingyuan had given her his storage ring. It contained many powerful treasures that could protect her inside. She glanced down at it, her gaze frosty. She didn't refuse.
Because to her, this was compensation she deserved.
Her white-robed figure vanished into the cavern's entrance.
Gu Qingyuan stood there in a daze, watching the empty path for a long time before turning to leave. Little did he know, the moment he walked away, Song Wanníng arrived—bringing the Ancestor, Liu Lanyi, with her.