Ye Tianxin’s head was lowered. Due to her prolonged stay in the cave, she appeared listless. Most of the time, she appeared unconscious. Although her cultivation base had been disabled by her master, her physical constitution was good. The cold from the Cave of Reflection was not enough to take her life.
Out of curiosity, Mingshi Yin approached Ye Tianxin before helping her up. However, as soon as he touched her, he almost pushed her away out of shock. He discovered her skin was currently as white as jade, and her hair was much whiter than before as well. Without her cultivation base, it was inevitable that her body would deteriorate. However, it should not have deteriorated to this extent. He furrowed his brows as he thought to himself, ‘What’s happening? In any case, this isn’t normal.’
Zhao Yue asked, “Fourth Senior Brother, what’s wrong with Junior Sister Tianxin?”
“I’m not sure… I’ve never seen anything like this. She doesn’t seem to be hurt, and this isn’t a residual effect from losing her cultivation base. Look closely…” Mingshi Yin motioned toward Ye Tianxin’s skin with his eyes. There were no wrinkles on her skin. It was smooth just like a piece of white jade. He was also at a loss as to why she was unconscious.
“Junior Sister Zhao Yue, please look after her. I’ll try to beg for mercy from master.”
“Senior brother… Junior Sister Tianxin has committed such a grave mistake, what if master no longer cares about her?” Zhao Yue was slightly worried. She had a feeling there was something else afoot apart from her cultivation base that had been disabled. She could not help but feel that it was dangerous.
Mingshi Yin did not waste any time and shot out of the Cave of Reflection. When he saw some of the female cultivators from the Derived Moon Palace hurrying about, he called out to one of them, “Prepare a stretcher…”
“M-mister Fourth! Why do you need a stretcher?”
“Just go get it. Why’re you asking so many questions?” Mingshi Yin did not have the time to explain himself to them.
Mingshi Yin’s words made the female cultivators nervous.
The female cultivators from the Derived Moon Palace had been taking care of Golden Court Mountain lately. Apart from repairing the damaged buildings, they stayed in the Evil Sky Pavilion’s west pavilion. Although they felt the villains of Evil Sky Pavilion were eccentric, it was fine as long as they were able to keep their lives intact. They, naturally, carried out Mingshi Yin’s order.
…
In no time at all, Mingshi Yin arrived at the great hall of the Evil Sky Pavilion. When he saw his master and Little Yuan’er, he quickly made his way to them.
Lu Zhou frowned. ‘So, Old Fourth isn’t satisfied at all…’
Mingshi Yin had no time to think about other matters. He quickly kneeled on the ground and said, “Master… Junior Sister Tianxin is dying!” That was all he said. He did not plead for mercy nor did he badmouth Ye Tianxin. He only waited silently for his master’s reply.
Mingshi Yin did not understand his master’s thoughts. Did his master intend to torture Ye Tianxin and make her life a living hell? Or was he only seizing this chance to punish her harshly? If it was the former, no good would come out of him pleading for mercy on her behalf. If it was the latter, there might still be some hope left. Since he was not certain of his master’s intention, he did not dare to act recklessly.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “Has she thought things through in recent times?”
“Well…” Mingshi Yin hesitated, caught in a dilemma. He visited Ye Tianxin frequently in the Cave of Reflection. Her stubbornness had exceeded his expectations. She had never once reflected on her actions.
Little Yuan’er only watched, not daring to speak up.
Lu Zhou shook his head. He searched his memories for information about Ye Tianxin, but he found nothing. He did not make a decision instantly. Instead, he left the Evil Sky Pavilion with his hands behind his back.
When Mingshi Yin saw this, he was overjoyed. He hastily got up to his feet and followed Lu Zhou.
…
On the mountain.
Lu Zhou saw the female cultivators from the Derived Moon Palace gathered together as they prepared a stretcher. They kneeled in unison as soon as he appeared. He ignored them and made his way to the Cave of Reflection.
The others had no choice but to follow Lu Zhou.
When the female cultivators from the Derived Moon Palace saw Lu Zhou and the others going to the Cave of Reflection, they kneeled again and pleaded for mercy.
Without waiting for Lu Zhou to reprimand them, Mingshi Yin spoke in his deep voice, “Don’t cause trouble! Three or four of you stay back. The others can go back to their tasks!” He had wanted to tell them to get lost, but he did not think it was appropriate for him to lose his temper when his master was present.
…
Lu Zhou walked into the Cave of Reflection, and Little Yuan’er followed closely behind.
“Greetings, master.” Zhao Yue endured the cold and kneeled to greet her master.
Lu Zhou waved his hand in reply before walking to the other corner of the cave. He saw Ye Tianxian leaning against an ice-cold wall, and her head was hung at an awkward angle. Her hair obscured her face.
Just by looking at Ye Tianxin’s shoulder, he knew what was happening. Skin as white as jade. He brushed her hair to the side and frowned when he saw her face.
Little Yuan’er covered her mouth in shock and took a step back. She had never seen anything like this before. She asked in confusion, “What happened to senior sister?”
Lu Zhou merely frowned, he did not seem surprised. He was calm as though he had expected this day to come.
In fact, Lu Zhou had been more shocked when he had met Ye Tianxin for the first time. However, due to the circumstances back then, he did not have time to ponder about the matter. When he had first met her, he had felt she was pure and unsullied, she had principles and was incorruptible even though she had grown up in mud. More importantly, the system dashboard displayed a completely different notification.
Name: Ye Tianxin
Race: Bai
Cultivation base: Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm (disabled)
Hatred: 40%
‘Her hatred level has decreased,’ Lu Zhou thought to himself. The main point was not her hatred, but her race.
Lu Zhou had noticed this during their first meeting. He knew people from Bai Nation had white complexion and white hair. They were like white jade. However, that was all he knew about her since he had no memories of her. Therefore, he had no choice but to keep her confined in the Cave of Reflection.
“Master…” Mingshi Yin cupped his hands again.
Lu Zhou’s expression was indifferent as he said, “There’s no need to worry. She won’t die. Keep her in the south pavilion. I have questions for her.”
Mingshi Yin nodded. He quickly called two female cultivators from the Derived Moon Palace over to carry Ye Tianxin out.
Zhao Yue was left alone in the cave.
Lu Zhou glanced at Zhao Yue’s forehead that still bore the mark of a golden lotus. He called out, “Zhao Yue.”
“Yes, master.”
“This is the Evil Sky Pavilion, it’s also the only place where you can stay alive. This witchcraft Restriction doesn’t just seal your cultivation base, it’ll expose your whereabouts as well,” Lu Zhou said.
“Please master, have mercy on me and help me undo this Restriction,” Zhao Yue said as she fell to her knees immediately.
“Do you think that I can undo the Restriction?” Lu Zhou asked.
Zhao Yue gave it some thought before answering, “I don’t know.”
“When you’ve sorted out your thoughts, we’ll talk more about witchcraft,” Lu Zhou said before he left. He saw that Zhao Yue’s loyalty was only about 30. That was far from enough.
Moreover, this was Lu Zhou’s first time dealing with witchcraft. It would be easier for him to kill someone. A Deadly Strike Card would have done the trick. However, item cards could not be used to undo witchcraft spells. Since he was still uncertain about Zhao Yue, it was best to leave her in the Cave of Reflection for now.
After leaving the Cave of Reflection, Lu Zhou made his way to the south pavilion. This was where his nine disciples once lived.
Little Yuan’er and Mingshi Yin quickly caught up to Lu Zhou.
Little Yuan’er asked, “Master, how did Senior Sister Tianxin end up in that state?”