Chapter 80: Senior Brother, Someone Bullied Us

Chapter 80: Senior Brother, Someone Bullied Us

That night, Xiang’er indeed struggled to sleep.

She closed her eyes, opened them again, and repeated the process many times, unable to fall asleep. Every time her eyes opened, they were filled with fear, only to find some relief when she saw Chen Yin sitting quietly at her bedside.

Chen Yin simply held her hand silently, staying with her without saying a word.

Feeling the warmth in his palm, Yu Xiang closed her eyes for what felt like the countless time, forcing her mind to recall the happy days on Yushan Mountain.

This time, she finally drifted into a light sleep.

Chen Yin remained by her side until midnight. Then, he gently tucked her hand back under the blanket, stood up, and left the room.

At the door, a figure dressed in sapphire blue stood with her back to the room, silently waiting.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Chen Yin asked softly.

Shen Shuanglian bit her lips lightly, her eyes glistening as she spoke:

“Is this… the reason you had me stay on Yushan Mountain? So I wouldn’t be put in a difficult position?”

Chen Yin replied slowly, “That’s the sect you grew up in.”

“I know that no matter what choice you made, it would have been hard. So, I made the decision for you and took on the responsibility myself.”

“You can simply say you were imprisoned on Yushan Mountain by me and Master, unable to return during the sect’s time of crisis.”

Shen Shuanglian froze for a moment, hesitating for a long time before asking in a small voice, “What are you planning to do? Destroy the entire sect?”

“Of course not,” Chen Yin shook his head and answered earnestly. “You must have overheard earlier—’A life for a life. A debt must be repaid.’ I’m there to settle accounts, not to commit senseless slaughter.”

“Most of the disciples in the Misty Spirit Sect are unaware of the events at Changli Palace. Why would I kill them?”

Hearing this, the sadness in Shen Shuanglian’s eyes faded slightly, replaced by a clear and resolute gaze.

“This matter… must have been the choice of the sect leader and elders,” she said quietly.

“It’s possible my Master was also involved,” she added, her expression tinged with unspeakable sorrow.

“He’s the sect leader. Naturally, he would know about such a significant event.”

Chen Yin ruffled her hair gently. “Tomorrow, just wait here in peace. I’ll personally get an explanation from him.”

“Can… Can I go with you?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Disappointment flashed in Shen Shuanglian’s eyes.

“Because if you’re there pleading for your Master, I might hesitate,” he said calmly.

Shen Shuanglian pursed her lips and murmured, “I won’t… I just want to hear the truth directly from him.”

“What if the truth is something you can’t accept?”

Her expression grew increasingly pained and conflicted.

Chen Yin understood the turmoil in her heart and merely patted her head silently, his gaze calm.

“It’s fine.”

“This one time, you can choose to avoid it.”

“Stay on Yushan Mountain, pretending nothing happened. Just wait for me to return.”

“Even if you hate me or blame me afterward, that’s fine.”

Shen Shuanglian’s gaze turned blank, and she remained silent for a long time.

“…If I really do avoid it,” she said softly, her eyes reddening, “would you be disappointed in me?”

Chen Yin chuckled lightly.

“Of course not.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to be strong. To me, you’re still that little girl who used to cry by the flowerbed.”

“If you want to cry, cry on my shoulder. If you want to hide, hide behind me. That’s what I’m here for,” he said gently.

Shen Shuanglian seemed moved by his words. She lowered her gaze, remaining quiet for a long while before nodding slowly.

“All right. I’ll wait for you.”

Only then did Chen Yin lean down and place a light kiss on her forehead.

“Go to bed early. Tomorrow, take in the beautiful sights of Yushan Mountain.”

“Come back soon,” she whispered.

“Mm.”

<+>

When Yu Xiang opened her eyes, faint tear marks remained at the corners.

For once, she hadn’t had a nightmare.

But she still missed her parents.

The warmth in her hand remained reassuring. Turning her head, Yu Xiang saw Chen Yin sitting by the bed, holding her hand as he spoke softly, “Are you awake?”

“Mm…” Xiang’er nodded timidly.

“Then wash up and get ready to set off.”

Yu Xiang slowly propped herself up, her disheveled hair and slightly reddened eyes making her look particularly weary.

“Senior Brother… are we really going to the main sect of the Misty Spirit Sect?”

“Did you think I was joking yesterday?” Chen Yin asked in return.

“Injustice has a cause, debts have a creditor. Be it your matter or Master’s, they owe us an explanation.”

He gazed silently into the distance. “If they can’t give us one, then we’ll demand it ourselves.”

Yu Xiang stared blankly at Chen Yin’s profile for a long time before rubbing her slightly sore nose. Her tear-filled eyes gazed at him intently.

“Senior Brother, thank you.”

“You haven’t even asked me for help yet,” he said, his eyes softening as he lowered his gaze.

Xiang’er pursed her lips and smiled faintly, the gentle sound of Mist Rain Flowers blooming echoing in the air.

“Senior Brother, someone bullied Master and me.”

“Will you avenge us?”

Chen Yin closed his eyes with a light smile. “Those who dare bully my family… I won’t let them go.”

“Let’s go. To Misty Spirit Sect.”

<+>

Inside the Misty Spirit Sect, in the underground chamber of the main hall.

Sect leader Wu Xun sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. His aged and cloudy eyes were fixed on six or seven others, all clad in black and seated cross-legged in front of him. His expression was slightly grim.

“…How is it?”

“Barely half recovered,” one person said slowly as he removed his mask. It was none other than Elder Chang Wen of the Scripture Hall.

“I was already injured before, and after being wounded by Yu Ling, it’s only gotten worse. I’ll need ten days to half a month just to recover enough to circulate my energy properly.”

Another voice, muffled with displeasure, spoke as the owner removed his mask. It was Elder Mo Jie, also present at the Heavenly Beauty Summit.

“I had expected Yu Ling to be difficult, but I didn’t anticipate she’d be this formidable,” another black-clad figure sighed with a hint of malice. “Even with the Celestial Summoning Flask and the combined efforts of seven Great Purity Realm experts, we still ended up with mutual destruction.”

“The First Under True Immortal… truly terrifying.”

Wu Xun remained silent for a long time before he sighed deeply.

“…We underestimated her, after all.”

“sect leader, what should we do?” Elder Chang Wen asked anxiously. “Yu Ling’s status is unique. Now that our desperate gambit has failed to eliminate her, if word of our attack on her spreads, the consequences could be far more catastrophic than the exposure of the Changli Palace incident.”

“It’s not impossible that our Misty Spirit Sect will find itself surrounded by enemies on all sides.”

Wu Xun’s aged brows furrowed deeply as he pondered.

“…Where is Qing Ying? I instructed her to follow Shen Shuanglian. Why has there been no news since?”

“No idea,” Mo Jie replied slowly. “If everything had gone smoothly, Qing Ying should’ve already killed Yu Ling’s eldest disciple and returned to report. The fact that we’ve heard nothing… likely means the worst has happened.”

At this, Wu Xun let out a weary sigh.

“One misstep leads to a thousand regrets. The Changli Palace incident… truly a complete loss.”

They had failed to retrieve the Heavenly Dao Fragment, and somehow let a survivor slip through their fingers.

A single lie required countless more to sustain it, and any failure to seal the breach would lead to total collapse.

It was greed that had led to their downfall.

In the silent chamber, the group was lost in thought.

The malicious voice spoke again. “Since we’ve already broken ties, why not strike first?”

“Yu Ling is also gravely injured. Under the pretext of eliminating the remnants of the demonic Changli Palace, we could storm Yushan Mountain and root out both lingering threats completely.”

“Even if we can’t discredit Yu Ling, we could spread rumors about her disciples, ruining their reputation in the cultivation world.”

“Not wise,” Elder Chang Wen shook his head.

“If we can’t deal with Yu Ling, then given her connections, even the wildest rumors would be little more than the antics of clowns.”

“Then what do you propose?” the malicious elder snarled.

“We still don’t know whether the Heavenly Dao Fragment is in Yu Ling’s possession,” Chang Wen reasoned. “She’s harbored the Changli Palace orphan for years without exposing us. She must have her reasons.”

“If we can’t eliminate Yu Ling, we should seek peace. Offer compensation to placate her anger and ensure her disciples stop pursuing the Changli Palace matter.”

“That orphan has stayed silent for over a decade; she might not persist in seeking revenge. We could find her, make peace, and concoct a story blaming the tragedy on the demonic faction.”

The malicious elder sneered. “Hah! Do you think Yu Ling can be so easily fooled?”

“We’ve torn the mask off; she won’t hold back now!”

“But we were in the wrong,” Chang Wen frowned. “I advised against provoking Yu Ling before. It was you who insisted!”

“You—!”

Their bickering grew heated until Wu Xun barked, “Enough!”

“No amount of arguing will solve our predicament.”

After much deliberation, he finally said softly, “We acted recklessly with Yu Ling. Dragging this on will only make matters worse. Reconciliation is the best course.”

“I will personally admit my faults to Yu Ling and do whatever it takes to pacify her anger.”

“And if she refuses?” Mo Jie frowned. “What if she insists on a fight to the death?”

“She won’t,” Wu Xun muttered, his expression uncertain.

“Yu Ling’s focus… isn’t on people like us.”

“She has greater concerns.”

“If she wanted to fight to the death, she wouldn’t have agreed to be a guest elder for Misty Spirit Sect in the first place.”

“As for the orphan, we’ll follow Chang Wen’s plan. Shift the blame to the demonic faction, then—”

Before Wu Xun could finish, Chang Wen’s expression changed drastically.

“Trouble! People from Yushan Mountain are making a scene at the sect gate!”

The group was stunned. Wu Xun asked in shock, “How is that possible? Even if Yu Ling is extraordinary, she couldn’t have recovered from her injuries in just a day or two—”

“It’s not Yu Ling,” Chang Wen’s face grew strange.

“It’s… her two disciples. Yu Xiang and Chen Yin.”

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