Chapter 66: Gathering of the Clan Members

Qin Yue looked at Chu Wanqing, who seemed eager to try, and said, “You stay down here. I’ll go up and take a look.”

There was a hint of doubt in Chu Wanqing’s eyes. Everyone acknowledged Brother Qin Yue’s abilities when it came to plants, but in other areas... well...

Qin Yue laughed. “What’s that look for? This height isn’t enough to stump me.”

Perhaps not wanting to embarrass him, Chu Wanqing covered her mouth and giggled. “Alright then, I’ll stay below and keep watch for you. Besides, these people will be under your care from now on. If you rescue them yourself, the effect will be much better!”

The girl was innocent and kind, but by no means foolish—she understood the basic ways of the world.

Qin Yue nodded, leapt up, and though his movement seemed forceful, he only made it halfway before grasping at protruding stones on the cliff, dislodging several pebbles beneath his feet.

Chu Wanqing’s heart leapt into her throat as she prepared to fly up and catch him at any moment.

Brother Qin Yue’s cultivation realm was still lacking; she’d need to find him more pills to help him advance in the future.

Qin Yue pushed off again, finally reaching the entrance of the cave. He took a deep breath, broke through the barrier at the entrance, and stepped inside.

Below, Chu Wanqing heard a brief gasp from within the cave, followed by the faint sound of crying.

But soon, all fell silent.

At that moment, Tang Qingxuan rushed over from the distance. Seeing Chu Wanqing waiting anxiously below, she asked in surprise, “How did you find this place?”

Then, as if recalling something, she eyed Chu Wanqing. “Is this another of your childhood secret bases?”

Chu Wanqing nodded.

Tang Qingxuan sighed helplessly, then reached out to pat Chu Wanqing’s head, speaking gently, “You must be upset about Elder Qiao’s death, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know. It just feels like so much has happened in the sect recently, and many people I used to see all the time have vanished,” Chu Wanqing replied softly.

“It will get better,” Tang Qingxuan promised, lifting her gaze to the high cave entrance above. She smiled. “You let him have the chance to play the hero and rescue the damsels this time?”

“He barely made it up there after taking a break midway,” Chu Wanqing said with a quiet laugh.

“Elder Qin’s strengths don’t lie in this sort of thing. He never trained in the major sects, and I doubt he had many resources growing up.”

“So in the future, can we give him more?”

“Of course! It’s up to you.”

…

Inside the spacious cave, Qin Xin, Qin Zi, and Ye Yu stared in shock at the young man before them, who had seemingly returned from the dead, transformed in both appearance and bearing.

Xia Nianyun, Yan Shuang, and Lu Lingxue—the three girls from the Ice Abyss—felt more fear than joy, their terror outweighing any relief.

They hadn’t recognized Qin Yue, nor did they know what his arrival would mean for them.

But the three who did know him—Qin Xin, Qin Zi, and Ye Yu—were all too familiar with him! Even though his appearance and even skin tone had changed greatly, they recognized him at a glance.

The startled cry earlier had been instinctive; the weeping that followed was because Qin Yue had sent them a message, telling them he was alive, not a ghost, and had come to rescue them.

Qin Yue didn’t force them to compose themselves quickly. After surviving death, any reaction was understandable.

So even if Chu Wanqing had come up with him, he could have warned Qin Xin, Qin Zi, and Ye Yu in advance.

As long as his identity wasn’t exposed, their tears were only natural.

“Fourth Sister, Little Sister, Ye Yu, you need to rid yourselves of the poison in your bodies as soon as possible. Don’t worry, from now on, no one will dare bully you again. Just treat me as a stranger of some importance,” Qin Yue sent another message to the three, and seeing their nods, he walked to the cave entrance and waved to Tang Qingxuan and Chu Wanqing below.

Tang Qingxuan smiled lightly, flew up gracefully to land at the entrance, and upon seeing the blue-skinned girls from the Ice Abyss, her expression darkened. She drew a deep breath and said to Qin Yue, “Their poisoning is severe. They must be treated immediately, or their lives will be at risk.”

Qin Yue nodded. “I’ll go ask Elder Yu for help.”

Tang Qingxuan hesitated, then sighed softly, saying no more. Inner sect elders held great power and status, comparable to the leaders of major sects beyond their own walls, with extraordinary freedom that outsiders could rarely interfere with.

Like corrupt officials in the mundane world... no matter how strict the law, it was hard to root them all out.

Still, she would have to find an opportunity to discuss this with her master. If things went on like this, more would be led astray.

She summoned a magic boat, aligning its door with the platform at the cave entrance, and together with Chu Wanqing, helped the exhausted and weakened Ice Abyss girls aboard.

…

“I’d originally intended to attend your ceremony, but something came up at the last moment. By the time I got there, it was over—and I heard there was some unpleasantness?” Elder Yu, invited to Qin Yue’s residence, examined Qin Xin and the others for signs of poisoning while glancing at Qin Yue.

“It was indeed unpleasant. I said these people from the Ice Abyss were valuable, and that their worth should be realized in cultivation, but some elders clung stubbornly to the sect’s traditions, and were downright rude. If they serve another, it’s punishment; if they serve me, it’s pardon—so all logic is in their mouths, is it?” Qin Yue spoke openly in front of Tang Qingxuan and Chu Wanqing, voicing his dislike for those people without reservation.

Elder Yu’s lips twitched—this boy was ruthless, daring to act so boldly after only a couple of days here.

Still, he admired Qin Yue’s social skills. This young man had a real knack for making connections!

He’d even managed to get Vice Sect Leader Yue Mingxi and her faction to stand firmly behind him, forming a powerful support.

In that light, even if some old fiends who’d participated in the massacre at Green Bamboo Garden years ago were still alive in the sect, they might not be able to touch Qin Yue.

In truth, many within Zhaoyang Sect knew that the Sect Leader Ling Jinsong and Vice Sect Leader Yue Mingxi were at odds.

But such disputes among the great and mighty were things ordinary people could only pretend not to hear of; no one dared speak of them.

“The toxins in their bodies are troublesome, but treatable. It’ll just take some time,” Elder Yu concluded.

Qin Yue breathed a sigh of relief and smiled his thanks. “On behalf of these Ice Abyss people and the sect, I thank Elder Yu. These people will demonstrate a value in the future that few can imagine!”

Elder Yu waved him off. “We’re all family here, and all for the sect. No need for thanks.”

Qin Xin, Ye Yu, and Qin Zi hardly dared breathe now, as nervous and bewildered as the other three women.

They had no idea why Qin Yue had returned from the dead, or how he had become a figure of such importance in Zhaoyang Sect.

When they’d arrived earlier and seen Dong Zhuang and three other Ice Abyss people here, their emotions had been a tangled mix of grief and joy.

And that reaction matched the impression most people had of those from the Ice Abyss.

At that moment, Ling Chen strode in, his brow furrowing at the sight of Qin Xin and the others with their ghostly blue skin. “To think I once believed Elder Qiao was a good man—turns out he secretly practiced forbidden arts, trying to turn Ice Abyss people into living elixirs! What a disgrace to the sect!”

Tang Qingxuan glanced at the young master with some resignation. Only he dared say such things aloud; the rest could only grumble in private.

Elder Yu wrote a prescription on the spot, which Qin Yue handed to Xu Liang to have filled from the sect’s medicinal stores.

Soon, Yue Mingxi, Dongfang Qingyu, Yang Yidong, and several others returned, bringing five or six more Ice Abyss people.

Some were so ill their skin had turned a sickly, iron-grey hue instead of pale; some were battered and bandaged, their eyes vacant and lifeless, shrouded in a pall of death.

They entered timidly, heads lowered, only showing a flicker of emotion when they caught sight of Dong Zhuang and a few others.

Even though Qin Yue had tried to prepare himself, seeing so few survivors—and the state they were in—filled him with rage.

His soul was not that of an Ice Abyss person, but he was still human; there were good people in Zhaoyang Sect, but there were far more beasts in human skin.

Seeing his dark expression, Yue Mingxi, too, felt some shame. There were too many things in this world that could be done but not spoken of.

In the past, few in Zhaoyang Sect cared about the fate of these so-called sinners.

Even girls as innocent and cheerful as Chu Wanqing had only ever focused on cultivation, never paying much attention to this group.

Now, witnessing it firsthand, her eyes filled with pity.

Yue Mingxi spoke. “The sect’s handling of the Ice Abyss people has indeed been problematic, but there are historical reasons. It won’t be easy to change overnight, but from now on, any Ice Abyss people brought here will go directly to Elder Qin.”

Perhaps having been informed of certain things in private, Dongfang Qingyu and Yang Yidong were notably warmer toward Qin Yue.

Dongfang Qingyu said gently, “Meeting Elder Qin is a blessing for these people.”

Yang Yidong nodded. “From now on, I’ll keep a close eye on things—any Ice Abyss people that arrive will be sent straight here.”

Qin Yue thought to himself: There won’t be any more sent here. Within two years, I’ll overturn this wretched sect of yours!

He instructed the two inner sect disciples, Wen Lang and Ruan Jun, to make proper arrangements for the newcomers, then joined Yue Mingxi and the others for a drink.

Ling Chen personally prepared the feast, which was incredibly lavish—supposedly even better than what his father would serve at tomorrow’s banquet.

During the meal, as the conversation turned to Elder Qiao’s death, Yue Mingxi stated plainly, “The sect is too large to manage perfectly. Some things have happened internally; Elder Qiao most likely died at the hands of a traitor.”

She then comforted Qin Yue, telling him not to worry about these matters.

“Elder Qin, you need only do your own work well. Leave everything else to me.”

After a few drinks, Ling Chen even declared that there were those in the sect practicing forbidden arts and that the whole rotten lot needed to be purged.

Xuan Xiao, more mature, remarked that a sect was like a nation—occasional problems in some departments were normal, and should be dealt with as they arose.

Qin Yue observed closely and realized that these people probably had no idea that the sect itself was sheltering such evil; they pinned everything on individual wrongdoers.

It echoed what Liu Tong had once told him: the sect master of Zhaoyang Sect personally oversaw the cultivation of evil!

Tang Qingxuan handled her liquor well and was personable and quick-witted, soon steering the conversation to lighter topics and enlivening the gathering.

Halfway through the banquet, Sect Leader Ling Jinsong sent over a generous supply of spirit stones, pills, and magical artifacts.

It was, in a sense, a gesture of appeasement and goodwill—which Qin Yue accepted without hesitation.

From what he’d gained the night before from Qiao Cheng’s storage ring, his supplies for cultivation were now abundant! For the time being, he had no worries about resources, and could even restore the bronze rat head and the giant bronze rat on the wheel.

When the banquet ended, everyone took their leave except for Elder Yu, who was the last to go.

When no one else was around, the elder’s previously tipsy eyes became clear as he looked at Qin Yue. “You’ve made enemies of some powerful people. Even with the vice sect leader and others behind you, you must still be careful.”

Qin Yue smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll show my worth soon enough.”