Chapter 14: Something Is Wrong With This World

Qiao Yu climbed up, took a beating, and was nearly beaten half to death.

Shan Hongxing emerged victorious, yet his face was filled with dejection.

“He hasn’t even reached the first rank yet!”

Though Qiao Yu had attained the ninth rank, he could not wield its power.

Shan Hongxing deeply resented Wen Jinge’s irresponsible attitude. Fortunately, at the last moment, he saw clearly—otherwise, he might truly have slain a future Sword Saint.

“I know,” Wen Jinge tilted her head, signaling him to look at Huo Yongfei, who was supporting her. “The Sect Master is here! Do you really think you could have killed him?”

Shan Hongxing stormed off, fuming. “Don’t come to regret this!”

“What would I regret?” Wen Jinge curled her lip and called out to Qiao Yu, “How do you feel now?”

Qiao Yu hesitated for a moment, uncertain. “It… hurts even more.”

He waited anxiously for his master’s next words, only to hear, “That’s exactly as it should be.”

So… did his master still dislike him and intend to torment him deliberately?

“It’s true that all things pale before absolute strength, but have you ever thought about how strength is attained?”

Qiao Yu was stunned for a moment, at a loss. “I… I don’t know.”

“From your bout with your Uncle-Master Shan, what did you learn?”

“Disciple… Disciple is quite useless.” He dared not meet Wen Jinge’s eyes.

“See? Isn’t that something gained?”

Qiao Yu’s eyes widened. Was… was that really the case?

“In the future, you must learn to seek out beatings on your own, understand? Each time you take a beating, you must improve a little. Learn to adopt others’ strengths and make up for your own shortcomings.”

“Yes, Master. Your disciple understands.”

Huo Yongfei, who had listened to the entire exchange, struggled to keep a straight face. The reasoning sounded plausible, but it would only work on someone as naïve as Qiao Yu.

Wen Jinge was feeding him empty promises. For a newcomer, it was fine if his heart was undistracted; but if he wavered, unable to see the summit or have a goal for reference, the more difficult cultivation became, the more likely he was to give up. Even the most promising talent could fade into mediocrity.

Moreover, with Qiao Yu’s peculiar constitution, he advanced quickly but was slow to solidify his foundation. If left to his own devices, he might squander much precious time.

Holding Wen Jinge in his arms, while Fan Zifan supported Qiao Yu, Huo Yongfei waited until they were flying far apart before asking, “Where did you pick up such crooked logic?”

“My old man taught me this way.” The Predictor had passed away many years ago, and since Wen Jinge’s unique constitution kept her from training with the others, pushing the blame onto someone deceased was reasonable enough.

Huo Yongfei nodded. “That does sound like something our old master would say. But Qiao Yu knows nothing yet—if you teach him this way, it might cause trouble later. You stand too high; if he cannot reach your level, it will become a knot in his heart.”

“He has a strong fate.”

Huo Yongfei grew thoughtful. “Since when did you learn divination?”

“I’ve visited the library a few times when I was bored. I picked up a little.”

“…I see.” Huo Yongfei’s face clouded with worry. “You fought a great battle today. With your constitution, you’ll need ten days or half a month to recover. Don’t bother going to the new disciples’ selection. I’ll help you choose a few candidates, and after the trial, you can decide whether to keep them. For now, just focus on recuperating at Wanzhang Peak.”

“That’s just what I wanted.”

“And your disciple’s robes should be collected from the inner court.”

“No need. He has tough skin—let him wear what he has. In a few days, Bai Rongfa will send new ones.”

“Bai Rongfa?” The Grandcloud Sect was enormous, with countless elders inside and out. Those who often lingered near Huo Yongfei were all top elders of the inner court. Bai Rongfa was just a newly promoted outer mountain elder, not someone he would normally know, but he could guess. “An elder from the outer mountain?”

“Yes. The disciples’ clothes are too unsightly—they ruin my mood. Before, Wanzhang Peak had no disciples, so it didn’t matter. Now that there are, it feels like they’re mourning me.”

Huo Yongfei burst out laughing. “You’re just like our master when he was alive. He traveled for decades and, upon returning, thought we were in mourning for him because of the uniforms. He insisted on abolishing them. I heard you settled the matter, so he let it go!”

“Was he fond of me?”

“Very much so. If you hadn’t been so young and uninterested in worldly affairs, the position of Sect Master would have been yours.”

Wen Jinge gave an awkward laugh. “Better you hold it, Senior Brother! We’ve arrived—set me down.”

Standing outside the house, Liang Si saw Wen Jinge being carried back, and exclaimed in surprise, “Master… you’re hurt?”

“Take good care of your master,” Huo Yongfei instructed, glancing at Fan Zifan, who was approaching with Qiao Yu. “And your junior brother as well.”

“Sect Master Uncle, what happened? How did both Master and Junior Brother get injured?”

“If you hadn’t slept so late, would I have been hurt?” Wen Jinge retorted.

Liang Si blushed with shame. “I just… lost track of time practicing.”

…

After that fierce battle, Wen Jinge lay in bed for days, idly flipping through books and practicing calligraphy, living in leisure.

Huo Yongfei sent over more than ten suitable disciples for her to consider. Though none boasted Qiao Yu’s talent, their foundations far surpassed his. But Wen Jinge remained on Wanzhang Peak, not bothering to see them.

“Master, Junior Brother has gone to sleep,” Liang Si came to report. Tomorrow, the new disciples would enter the minor boundary for their trial. Even though Qiao Yu’s position was set, he still had to complete the process.

He took out a box and presented it to Wen Jinge. “Master, Uncle Ai said your ring was destroyed. This new one was fetched by his disciple.”

Wen Jinge was stunned for a moment. “That’s thoughtful of him.”

“Uncle asked me to pass along a message: he still has to secretly save up materials, so Master should use it sparingly.”

Wen Jinge acknowledged, yet something weighed on her mind, filling her with doubt. “Liang Si, I’ve been pondering something these past days—can you help me analyze it?”

“What is it?”

“My good disciple,” Wen Jinge pinched his still-chubby cheek, “tell me: between your Uncle-Master Shan and me, whose cultivation is greater?”

“Of course it’s Master,” Liang Si replied proudly. “In swordplay, Uncle-Master Shan isn’t even as good as Uncle Ai. If Uncle Ai hadn’t had his cultivation ruined by demonic cultivators, he’d be a grandmaster of the sword by now.

“Master, though you won’t start your own sword sect, your technique is so unorthodox that no one dares copy it.

“If it were in the past…” He checked Wen Jinge’s expression; seeing no change, he continued, “Master is already capable of reaching the second rank, while Uncle-Master Shan has been stuck at the third for centuries.”

“Then do you think I’d need to kill your Uncle-Master Shan in secret?”

Liang Si’s face went pale with fear. He glanced around—the doors and windows were tightly shut—and wondered if he’d misheard. “Master… just now…”

“Tell me—would I need to?”

“There’s no need. But… but…”

“With my current cultivation, if I killed your Uncle-Master Shan, could I escape unscathed?”

“If it were a sneak attack… perhaps.” He swallowed nervously. “But Master would never do such a thing.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know why Master asks, but I do know your character is always forthright. You would never stab someone in the back.”

“Very good.” Wen Jinge patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. “Go on now. Let me think on this.”

[What are you up to now?] “Nonexistent” was weary.

“This world isn’t right. Huo Yongfei and Shan Hongxing both know I want to kill them, yet they won’t kill me. So when Wen Jinge was framed, why did they believe it?”