The disciple went inside to report, and a message soon came back asking Yan Lin to wait outside for a moment. He was accustomed to this, so he rested a hand on his sword, composed his expression, and stood beneath the corridor eaves.
In the silence, the only sound was the soft rustling of wind and snow beyond the corridor. Suddenly, Yan Chen’s low voice rang out from inside: “You’re being ridiculous!”
Immediately afterwards, a clear, youthful voice protested indignantly, “I’m not being ridiculous! They clearly found someone to impersonate Seventh-shixiong and tried to deceive me with it. They deserved to be beaten!”
Yan Lin recognised the voice as that of He Zhanyang, Peak Master of Yingzhong Peak. He came from the Eastern Sea Dragon Clan, and his original form was a little silver dragon.
Among their generation, He Zhanyang was the youngest. His temperament was impulsive and fierce, and Yan Lin guessed that he had probably caused trouble somewhere again. From the sound of it, it seemed to have something to do with the Illustrious Sage.
His guess was correct.
Ever since that night, when the lamp-flame in the Illustrious Sage’s study had suddenly flared and burst, the entire Xuantian Tower had been thrown into turmoil.
The news could not yet be made public. On the one hand, they had been using various soul-searching arrays to look for traces of Ye Huaiyao’s soul; on the other, they had sent large numbers of people down the mountain to search everywhere.
In the end, all their hopes had come to nothing. He Zhanyang, however, had encountered a small Taoist temple where people were putting on fraudulent supernatural displays. They had deliberately found a pretty young man to impersonate the reincarnation of the Illustrious Sage and thereby swindle offerings from believers.
Not only had He Zhanyang been disappointed for no reason, he had also encountered an outright fraud. He immediately flew into a rage, tore apart the Taoist temple, and beat the mortals there.
Yan Chen gave a cold snort and fixed He Zhanyang with a chilly look.
As the eldest shixiong and sect leader, Yan Chen was upright and stern by nature and commanded considerable authority in ordinary times. Even someone as hot-tempered as He Zhanyang ultimately dared not shout any more when subjected to that gaze, although his face remained full of indignation.
Zhan Yu stood to one side with his hands behind his back. That night, he had been on patrol with Yan Chen when they discovered that Ye Huaiyao’s soul lamp had lit up. From that day onwards, Zhan Yu had worked almost without sleep, monitoring the soul-searching arrays day and night, yet had found nothing. The depth of his disappointment and grief could well be imagined.
He was already rather exhausted, but seeing his shixiong and shidi arguing again, he rubbed his temples and said to He Zhanyang, “Zhanyang, stop shouting at Shixiong. You nearly beat a mortal to death this time, and you still think you’re in the right? Even if Seventh-shixiong were here today, he’d have something to say to you.”
The Seventh-shixiong Zhan Yu referred to was naturally Ye Huaiyao.
He Zhanyang had been born into the noble Dragon Clan and had never received much instruction in proper conduct. He often enjoyed stirring up trouble on the sea for his own amusement. Later, Ye Huaiyao happened upon him, gave him a thorough beating, and literally dragged him back to Xuantian Tower.
Of the entire sect, he was closest to Ye Huaiyao and respected him the most. He had once followed Ye Huaiyao around like a little shadow, and whenever there was something about He Zhanyang that others found difficult to discipline, they would always invoke Ye Huaiyao’s name to keep him in line.
Since Ye Huaiyao’s disappearance, however, He Zhanyang had become considerably more obedient and withdrawn.
Zhan Yu had merely said it offhand, but the moment the words left his mouth, he felt that he must truly have worked himself to the point of losing his wits.
Sure enough, He Zhanyang’s eyes turned red the instant he heard this, but he refused to show weakness. Stiffening his neck, he said, “Yes, I didn’t listen to him… I relied on my immortal arts to disturb mortals, and I even talked back to Shixiong. Just call him up and let him blame me!”
Before the final battle, us brothers had reluctantly bid one another farewell. I still remember smiling as I told you that I would obediently wait for you to return, and that the two of us would go and get some wine together.
And now, I didn’t listen to you. I miss you so much.
Come and scold me, Shixiong!
Sitting high above them, Yan Chen felt his breath catch, his heart twisting as though cut by a knife. His shidi’s sudden words had stirred the grief buried within his chest all over again.
He saw the room fall completely silent, while Zhan Yu had already quietly turned his head away. The separation between life and death was the most painful thing in the world to begin with, to say nothing of the torment they had endured over these past days, first searching desperately with hope in their hearts, then being repeatedly crushed by disappointment.
But he was the Law Sage. Even if the grief made his heart ache and left him unable to speak, at a moment like this, he had no choice but to step forward and hold up that final sliver of hope, continuing to persevere.
Yan Chen remained silent for a moment, in truth using the time to compose himself. Then he raised a hand, signalling for He Zhanyang to get up and stand to one side, which also meant that he would not pursue the matter any further.
He then turned and instructed someone to call Yan Lin, who had been waiting outside, into the room.
He Zhanyang was so overwhelmed that he almost wanted to collapse to the ground and weep, but Zhan Yu forcibly hauled him up and pulled him aside.
He turned his head, intending to say something, but when he saw that his shixiong’s eyes were bloodshot and his expression was sorrowful and exhausted, his heart faltered, and he could not bear to say another word.
Yan Lin could faintly hear their conversation from outside. Although he too was deeply moved, he was a junior and did not dare to say anything. He could only pretend not to have heard and enter the room to pay his respects.
Yan Chen nodded and said, “You must have had a hard journey. Sit down and tell us about it.”
Although Xuantian Tower was a major sect, the atmosphere had always been relaxed and there were not many formalities. The people in the room were simply gathered around several round tables, sitting wherever they pleased.
At Yan Chen’s words, someone casually dragged a chair over and placed it beside Yan Lin, then poured him a cup of hot tea.
“It’s cold outside. Have some tea first and warm yourself up.”
Yan Lin hurriedly accepted the cup with both hands. “Thank you, Martial Uncle.”
One did not refuse what an elder bestowed, so he first took two sips of tea before methodically reporting to Yan Chen all the recent matters from the branch that needed to be conveyed.
Yan Chen steadied himself and asked, “You said Yuan Xian also went to the Ghost Wind Forest?”
Yan Lin replied, “It was this disciple who invited Young Master Yuan to go. At the time, only the Flame of the Lang Bird could resolve the predicament…”
Someone nearby gave two cold laughs and said,
“That heartless bastard Yuan Xian! Back then, it was their Guiyuan Manor that came begging at our mountain gate, insisting that their own son become Dao companions with Ye-shidi. They benefited from the protection of our Xuantian Tower, and the moment Ye-shidi left, he nearly went out beating gongs and drums in celebration! If you ask me, I’d rather die than have anything more to do with the Yuan family!”
Yan Lin glanced over and recognised the speaker as Liu Jingxu, Head of the Zhonglu Division.
Zhan Yu said, “You can’t put it quite like that. They were the ones who owed us in the first place, so why shouldn’t we benefit from them? I say we should make full use of them and work him to death. Besides, wasn’t he sent to rescue the disciple of Chensu Sect?”
As he spoke, he asked Yan Lin, “How did it go? Did you manage to rescue him in the end?”
Yan Lin answered honestly, “Yes, we did. That disciple of Chensu Sect is extremely capable. In fact, he didn’t really need our help… He also asked me to bring this token back for all the senior uncles and masters to examine.”
He actually felt that Ye Huaiyao seemed to understand his techniques extremely well, but that judgement was too subjective. After hesitating for a moment, Yan Lin decided not to mention it. Instead, he took the token from his person and respectfully handed it to Yan Chen with both hands.
Yan Chen had been thinking about Ye Huaiyao constantly these past few days. The sudden burst of the lamp-flame still troubled him, and he would toss and turn at night, turning the matter over in his mind again and again. During the day, he still had to deal with sect affairs and behave as though nothing had happened.
There was still nothing unusual to be seen on his face now, but in truth his mind was somewhat dazed. He casually took the jade token and glanced at it. His expression froze, and his gaze immediately became fixed.
He Zhanyang was the closest person to Yan Chen. Seeing his shixiong’s hand trembling slightly and his expression so utterly unlike himself, he could not help asking, “What’s wrong?”
As he spoke, He Zhanyang leaned over to look as well. The moment he saw it, he froze.
Beside him, Zhan Yu stammered, “Seventh… Seventh… Seventh-shixiong?”
He had only just managed to force the words out when his throat closed up.
Yan Chen gripped the token tightly in one hand and seized Yan Lin’s shoulder with the other. His voice was hoarse as he asked, “This person, the one who gave you the token, where is he?”
Seeing the drastic change in everyone’s expressions, Yan Lin realised how serious the matter was.
“He’s a disciple of Chensu Sect. He should be returning to his sect by now…”
Yan Chen asked, “His name really is Ye Huaiyao? What does he look like? How old is he?”
Yan Lin replied, “Yes. That’s what everyone from Chensu Sect called him. He looks about sixteen or seventeen, and he’s very… handsome.”
He wanted to describe Ye Huaiyao’s appearance, but could not think of the right words, so he could only say, “This disciple has never seen anyone with such exceptional looks.”
The remark might have sounded rather amusing, because there were more than ten people present in the room, from Yan Chen down to Zhan Yu, He Zhanyang and the others, and every one of them was an exceptionally handsome man. Yet not one of them was offended by Yan Lin’s words. Instead, excitement appeared on all their faces.
He Zhanyang could no longer remain seated. He sprang to his feet and called out, “Yan-shixiong, let me go!”
“Go back and make your preparations,” Yan Chen said, without the slightest hesitation this time. “We’re going to Chensu Sect. All of us.”
For a second-rate sect like Chensu Sect, a personal visit from the Law Sage of Xuantian Tower would unquestionably have been an honour capable of bringing glory to the entire sect. But if their Sect Master, Master Jingyin, knew what was happening, he might not have been in any mood to rejoice at the news.
At present, he already had more than enough troubles on his hands.
It was simply inconceivable. After leaving Mount Chensu, Ye Huaiyao had actually beaten Yan Jin in front of everyone until he knelt down and admitted his mistake!
It was unbelievable. Once inside the Ghost Wind Forest, Cheng Yuan had inexplicably been killed!
Looking at Peak Master Cheng, who was beating his chest and weeping as he complained, together with a group of junior disciples pleading on Ye Huaiyao’s behalf, Master Jingyin was utterly overwhelmed.
To be fair, Cheng Yuan was neither his direct disciple nor his own son. Although Master Jingyin was naturally furious about Cheng Yuan’s death, he was by no means as heartbroken as Peak Master Cheng.
What he considered first was the aftermath this incident would bring.
Cheng Yuan was not only one of the most outstanding young disciples of his generation, he was also the only beloved son of the Peak Master of Taixin Peak. If the matter were handled improperly, it could even cause turmoil within Chensu Sect.
On the other hand, Ye Huaiyao’s performance had far exceeded Master Jingyin’s expectations. He could not help secretly regretting that he had failed to discover the young man’s talent earlier and cultivate him properly.
But now, no matter what he said, it was already too late. Ye Huaiyao’s greatest mistake was not killing Cheng Yuan, but that his character and convictions had already been set. After the two earlier incidents, in which his spiritual veins had been crippled and he had been sent to the Ghost Wind Forest, it was absolutely impossible for him to devote himself wholeheartedly to Chensu Sect again. There was even a strong possibility that he would harbour resentment.
If that was the case, then the only option was to eliminate this young man while his wings were not yet fully grown.
Once all these thoughts had passed through Master Jingyin’s mind, he had already made his decision. He ordered, “Invite all the elders to the Hall of Punishments. We shall convene a formal hearing.”
As soon as Ye Huaiyao returned to Chensu Sect from the Ghost Wind Forest, he was taken directly to a quiet room and locked inside.
Fortunately, the things he had done during this journey had been so astonishing that, before the higher-ups reached a decision, no one dared treat him poorly. They merely kept their distance and avoided speaking to him.
Left alone in confinement, Ye Huaiyao was quite content to amuse himself. In any case, Huaijiang provided him with food and drink, so he could sit there eating melon seeds and exchanging banter with the old man, perfectly at his ease.
This leisurely state, however, did not last long. Before long, disciples from the Hall of Punishments arrived to take him to the formal hearing.
