Chapter Fifty-Three: Reproach and Trial

As expected, the questioning began immediately.

If not for the stroke of fortune that led her to learn the “Return of All Streams,” and if that skill hadn’t leveled up the moment she entered the secret realm—perfectly countering Jian Hui—if not for Shi Qingxiang’s timely aid, then the one standing here racking their brain to conceal the truth from their master would surely be Jian Hui, not herself.

Hong Jian respectfully said, “I feel I have gained immensely, all thanks to the opportunity you granted me to enter the sect’s secret realm, Master.”

Yan Changqing responded with a muted “Mm,” then instructed, “Tell me in detail how you cultivated inside, and what you encountered.”

Hong Jian, looking honest and straightforward, began from the start: “...Disciple meditated and refined my spiritual sense repeatedly in the White Mist Valley, and indeed found that progress was much faster, soon discovering the key to breaking through. After advancing to the seventh level of Qi Refining, I thought it was getting late, and decided to explore other parts of the secret realm. Finding the valley’s exit was purely luck. After leaving the valley, it was as if I’d dreamed—I saw my parents and spent two hundred years with them in the dream. When I awoke, I was still outside the valley. Then, passing through a vast stretch of yellow sand, I reached a deep mountain forest, where I searched for spiritual herbs. Along the way, I met the Qi Refining disciples from Brocade Peak and even traveled with them for a while. When time was up, I was sent out.”

Yan Changqing pondered, “So, you never saw Jian Hui from beginning to end?”

“Never saw him. Master, did Third Senior Brother have an accident?” Hong Jian tried to make her expression appear more anxious, but standing before Yan Changqing, no matter how hard she tried, she felt her worry lacked true emotion.

She quickly took out her half of the “Flowing Water Resonance,” offering it to Yan Changqing. “When entering the secret realm, Senior Brother Jian said we could use this to communicate. After entering, he sent me a message, but I was in the misty valley and couldn’t meet him. After leaving, the artifact no longer responded.”

Yan Changqing took the “Flowing Water Resonance,” immediately frowned, and showed displeasure. “He tampered with this just to find you after entering, yet his mind is never on the proper matters!”

With a sharp toss, he flung the artifact aside, paused as if restraining his anger, then his expression softened to one of melancholy. “Ever since he learned you were entering the secret realm, he pleaded with me for a long time. Among my disciples, he’s always the one who causes the most worry. I hoped he’d quickly find a path to continue cultivating. A single misstep is no great matter, but what I fear most is a lifetime without repentance.”

Hong Jian furtively observed Yan Changqing, calculating inwardly, “He doesn’t know Jian Hui wanted to kill me? It seems so—he doesn’t suspect me, but rather... he’s shifting blame. Yes, Master is annoyed that I attracted Jian Hui’s obsession to enter the realm, where his mind wandered, and ultimately lost his life. Jian Hui died with no one to blame, so the blame falls on me.” If that was the case, at least the worst scenario she imagined had not come to pass, and Hong Jian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Afraid of lingering and becoming her master’s scapegoat, she was eager to leave, raising her head obediently to ask, “Master, how is Second Senior Brother’s seclusion going? Does he know yet that Third Senior Brother... didn’t make it out?” As she asked, she recalled Shi Qingxiang’s speculation about Second Senior Brother, her gaze fixed on Yan Changqing’s face, pupils contracting ever so slightly.

Yan Changqing was in a foul mood and did not wish to discuss it. He waved his hand, “He failed in his attempt to break through to late Foundation Establishment. Go inform him. You two stay out of my way these next few days.”

Hong Jian respectfully acknowledged and prepared to leave.

Just then, Yan Changqing’s ears twitched; he seemed to be listening intently, then slowly got to his feet.

Hong Jian had already reached the entrance of her master’s cave when she suddenly heard a clear laugh from outside. The laughter was crisp, as if the speaker were right before them. It was a woman, and Hong Jian soon heard her gentle voice sigh, “These Snow Cliffs are as desolate as ever. Decades have flown by in a blink, Senior Brother Yan, your little sister has come especially to see you!”

Yan Changqing had already emerged, and Hong Jian’s vision blurred as a white-robed woman appeared before them.

Her skin was as pale as fresh snow, her figure alluring, her slender waist delicate enough to be encircled with one hand, eyes like autumn waters. At first glance, she seemed full of tender affection, but upon a second look, a trace of worry emerged in her gaze, her brows cool and distant, making one hesitant to approach.

Hong Jian stared in a daze, then hurriedly bowed her head. Since the woman called Yan Changqing “Senior Brother,” she must be her own Master Aunt. In the world of cultivation, age was hard to guess; this stunning beauty, who appeared barely in her twenties, if she was like her master and already a Golden Core cultivator, must be nearly a hundred years old at least.

Yan Changqing seemed to have cast aside his earlier displeasure, his demeanor now exceptionally gentle. Smiling at the white-robed woman, he said, “How did you find time to return to the sect? Let me think—it’s been nearly twenty years since I last saw you.”

The white-robed woman gazed at Yan Changqing, her eyes showing a hint of reproach, but she did not respond. She glanced at Hong Jian, who had respectfully stepped aside, her delicate brows furrowing as she asked, “Senior Brother, who is this young girl?”

Yan Changqing laughed, introducing, “This is the disciple I took in last year, little Hong Jian. Come, this is your Master Aunt Ying. Don’t underestimate her because she’s a woman—she’s a Golden Core master from our Late Tide Peak, and now the matriarch of the Qi family on Nanping Island.”

Following instructions, Hong Jian stepped forward to greet her Master Aunt Ying. Normally, elders would give some token when meeting juniors for the first time, but Master Aunt Ying seemed to forget, her gaze complex as she studied Hong Jian, then tilted her head toward Yan Changqing. “Seventh level of Qi Refining—Senior Brother, you’re truly partial.”

The remark puzzled Hong Jian, yet she couldn’t shake a foreboding feeling: “This Master Aunt Ying seems to have come with ill intentions.”

Yan Changqing was also perplexed. Master Aunt Ying sighed, “I’ve returned for a reason—nothing brings me here without purpose. I’ve come specifically to ask a favor of you, Senior Brother.”

Yan Changqing replied, “There’s no need for formality between us as siblings.” He paused, then probed, “Did you not pay respects to Master?”

Master Aunt Ying’s expression darkened. “As a mere female disciple with little achievement in cultivation, all I could do was follow Master’s orders and marry far away. I am ashamed to see him, lest I provoke his displeasure.”

Yan Changqing looked embarrassed. With such a commotion upon her return, their master could not possibly be unaware. His probing question only added fuel to the fire, so he quickly changed the subject. “Let’s go inside and discuss matters slowly.”

Hong Jian felt that the less she involved herself in these tangled affairs, the better. Since Master Aunt Ying ignored her, she could slip away unnoticed and return to her own long-term plans. Just as she turned to leave, Master Aunt Ying called out, “Young lady, don’t rush off. This matter concerns you as well.”