Her master was utterly useless—a proper disciple ought to earn their keep.
Yu Zhiling sniffled, munching on chestnuts with a crunch, oblivious to the person approaching from behind.
Suddenly, someone smacked the back of her head.
Startled, Yu Zhiling dropped the chestnut in her hand. Before she could mourn its loss, a booming voice demanded:
"Yu Xiao Wu, confess! Did you plant the Heart-Devouring Gu in Mo Zhu?"
Yu Zhiling: "..."
Well, now she knew who it was.
Yesterday, she had asked Yan Shanqing to look into the whereabouts of the Immortal Wood Sprout. Naturally, he had deduced that she needed it as an antidote ingredient for the Heart-Devouring Gu.
"Good morning, Eldest Senior Brother..."
Yu Zhiling didn’t dare look up, fumbling to pick up the fallen chestnut. At least it was still in its shell—a quick dust-off and it’d be edible.
Seeing her still fussing over the chestnut, Yan Shanqing’s temper flared. He grabbed her by the nape and hauled her up like a scruffed kitten.
Yu Zhiling froze, shrinking like a quail, not daring to move a muscle.
Yan Shanqing glanced at the dense forest and said coldly, "Mo Zhu’s practicing his sword in there, isn’t he?"
Yu Zhiling nodded eagerly. "Mhm, mhm!"
She tried her best to look sincere, hoping to charm her way out of trouble.
But Yan Shanqing only scoffed in anger. Worried he might hurt her, he switched to gripping the back of her collar and marched her down the mountain.
"You’re coming with me."
Nooo! This was the executioner’s blade!
Mo Zhu, save your master!
But her disciple was too absorbed in his training. Yu Zhiling clutched her chestnuts, on the verge of tears.
Yan Shanqing dragged her back to her courtyard. Once the gate shut behind them, Yu Zhiling noticed another person seated inside.
Xiang Wuxue sat stiffly on a stone stool, his expression unreadable. Yu Zhiling immediately realized Yan Shanqing must have consulted him about the Immortal Wood Sprout. Since Xiang Wuxue dabbled in medicine, he’d likely figured out she’d poisoned Mo Zhu.
"Good morning, Third Senior Brother too."
Her guilty demeanor only deepened the two elders’ fury.
Yan Shanqing sat down, drained the cup of water on the table, then fixed her with a glare.
Yu Zhiling didn’t dare sit. "I... I know I was wrong..."
Yan Shanqing demanded, "Why would you poison Mo Zhu? He’s your disciple."
Both he and Xiang Wuxue wore stormy expressions, making Yu Zhiling shrink further.
She stood up, mumbling, "Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, can I explain the gu poison later?"
Yan Shanqing sneered. "Oh? Can’t you explain now?"
Yu Zhiling forced a weak smile.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t—she just hadn’t concocted a good excuse yet.
Should she just admit it was because Zhuo Yu despised Mo Zhu?
Then Yan Shanqing would surely ask why she’d taken him as a disciple despite that hatred.
And Yu Zhiling didn’t know the answer herself.
She wasn’t the real Zhuo Yu Immortal—she had none of her memories. With her soul not fully merged, she couldn’t even fabricate a plausible reason. She’d already slipped up too much.
So she blurted out, "Eldest Senior Brother, I’m already working on an antidote. I just emerged from seclusion after my tribulation, and my memories haven’t fully returned... I’ll cure him as soon as possible."
Seeing their skepticism, Yu Zhiling hastily raised three fingers. "I swear, if I don’t cure him, may I die a gruesome—"
"Enough!"
"Xiao Wu!"
Yan Shanqing and Xiang Wuxue cut her off before she could finish the oath.
Yu Zhiling blinked. Their lips were pressed into thin lines, their thoughts unreadable.
She tentatively sat beside them. They didn’t react, nor did they scold her further.
Yu Zhiling grinned, trying to lighten the mood, but their expressions only darkened.
Her smile faltered. "Senior Brothers, I truly regret my actions. I’ll turn over a new leaf."
Yet their faces remained grave, if anything, even heavier.
Panic rising, Yu Zhiling clenched her fists. "I swear, I’ve learned my lesson—"
"Xiao Wu, we found the Immortal Wood Sprout," Xiang Wuxue interjected softly. "It’s with the Zhongli Clan."
"...You found it?"
"We did. But we came here for another matter." He paused. "Xiao Wu, what are your true feelings toward Mo Zhu?"
Yu Zhiling: "Huh?"
She quickly raised three fingers again. "Senior Brothers, I’ve truly reformed! Haven’t you seen me diligently teaching Mo Zhu? I’m upholding my duties as his master!"
(Though in her opinion, Mo Zhu hardly needed teaching. The protagonist only lacked sword techniques, and as a Yingshan Sect elder, Zhuo Yu could access any manual from the sect or the Central Continent.)
Yan Shanqing rapped the table, cutting her off. "You were the one who fought to keep Mo Zhu in the sect. You knelt before me, swearing you’d suppress the demonic blood in him and guide him to righteousness. That’s why Yingshan Sect accepted a half-demon."
Yu Zhiling’s throat went dry. "I..."
She hadn’t known Zhuo Yu had gone that far—even knelt?
Yan Shanqing took a deep breath. "What other atrocities have you committed against him? Are those scars on his body from demon-slaying... or from you?"
Yu Zhiling hung her head.
"I... beat him often, for years. The old wounds are all from me. And the Heart-Devouring Gu..."
That was all she knew. The novel hadn’t elaborated further.
A long silence followed. Yan Shanqing’s fists trembled; Xiang Wuxue’s lips thinned.
The air grew suffocating.
Yu Zhiling reached for them. "Senior Brothers, I truly—"
"Yu Zhiling!" Yan Shanqing slammed the table.
She flinched, meeting his furious gaze. "Eldest Senior Brother..."
Xiang Wuxue restrained Yan Shanqing. "Don’t be too harsh on Xiao Wu."
Though he held back their eldest brother, his own eyes held a complicated gleam when they landed on Yu Zhiling.
A lump formed in her throat. Though these weren’t her sins, the disappointment radiating from her senior brothers made her eyes sting.
Yan Shanqing gave her one last piercing look. "Yu Zhiling, if our master knew of this, even his spirit would know no peace."
With that, he stormed out, robes billowing.
Xiang Wuxue couldn’t stop him. He sighed, glancing between the exit and Yu Zhiling’s bowed head.
"Xiao Wu, don’t dwell on it. Rest now."
He patted her head, left a pouch of candied fruits, and hurried after Yan Shanqing.
Alone in the courtyard, Yu Zhiling sat motionless, lost in thought—petrified.
I don’t know how much time had passed until light footsteps sounded behind me, carrying the cold wind tinged with the distinct scent of sandalwood unique to a young man.
"Master, would you like more tea?"
Yu Zhiling blinked, only then realizing she had been sitting motionless until dusk. Her eyes ached terribly. She turned her head away, rubbing them, and murmured, "But I don’t want tea."
Her voice was heavy, choked with emotion at the end, as if she were crying—or perhaps confiding her grievances to him.
Mo Zhu paused, frowning as he looked at her.
He had returned from sword practice to find the courtyard gate wide open, her motionless figure seated in the yard. He had assumed she was meditating, but never expected…
Was she crying?
The Zhuo Yu Immortal… crying?
Mo Zhu frowned, unwilling to meddle. Since she said she didn’t need tea, he turned to leave—only for his sleeve to be tugged.
Slender, jade-like fingers clutched his sleeve. He followed the movement upward, meeting a pair of reddened eyes.
"Mo Zhu, don’t go."
The mountaintop mist had yet to disperse, the forest deep and silent, where a lone figure stood quietly among the dense trees.
"You know she’ll regret it if you scold her. Why bother?"
Xiang Wuxue approached with light steps, as though afraid to disturb the peace.
Yan Shanqing crouched before a stone tablet, meticulously wiping its already polished surface. At the words, his hands stilled briefly, but he didn’t respond, continuing to brush away nonexistent dust.
Xiang Wuxue stood beside him, his gaze darkening as it fell upon the tablet.
Finally, Yan Shanqing finished cleaning the tablet, tucked away the silk cloth, and stood, lighting several incense sticks before handing them to Xiang Wuxue.
He accepted them, silently joining Yan Shanqing in a few respectful bows.
The incense was placed into the burner. The stone slab was adorned with offerings of fruit and pastries, meticulously tended to every day.
"...Did Little Five cry?"
It was Yan Shanqing who spoke first.
Xiang Wuxue cast him a lazy glance. "How would I know? When I left, she was looking down—couldn’t tell if she was crying or not."
Yan Shanqing pressed his lips together, silent for a moment before speaking hoarsely, "Was I too harsh?"
"Harsh?" Xiang Wuxue replied, but seeing the regret on Yan Shanqing’s face, he flicked open his folding fan with a faint smile. "But you weren’t wrong. Little Five was in the wrong this time."
"Third Brother, I didn’t mean to be harsh. I just… I blame myself. I can’t believe it. I feel like I’ve failed Little Five and Master."
Yan Shanqing stared at the tombstone before him, his throat bobbing.
"When Little Five was young, she was lively and playful. When Master passed, none of us were there. She witnessed it firsthand, carried Master’s body back alone. She trapped herself in that memory, chasing that demonic cultivator across the Central Continent. The world praises the Zhuo Yu Immortal’s strength, but Third Brother… I’d rather have the Little Five from back then."
"The Little Five who chased us around the mountains, who played pranks when she was angry—not the Immortal Alliance’s Zhuo Yu Immortal, and certainly not the Yu Zhiling who cut ties with us, with everyone, for the past ten years."
"Third Brother." Yan Shanqing suddenly turned, his eyes bloodshot. "Ten years ago, when she returned from the Four Slaughter Realm, she changed completely. She wouldn’t let us near her. I… why did I let pride keep me from seeking her out? How could I not have realized she’d go down this twisted path?"
He had failed. As the eldest brother, no matter how Yu Zhiling treated him, he should never have let his temper drive her away.
He should have stayed by her side.
Yan Shanqing covered his eyes with trembling hands, his voice breaking. "I failed her. I didn’t take care of her… I didn’t take care of her…"
Xiang Wuxue turned away with a long sigh, wiping the moisture from the corner of his eye.
When they first suspected Yu Zhiling had placed a Heart-Devouring Gu in Mo Zhu, it had struck them like a thunderbolt, nearly knocking them off their feet.
They had thought her cold withdrawal over the past decade was simply her pushing everyone away. Never had they imagined she would harm the disciple she had once saved—with such cruelty.
Just how far had her Dao heart strayed?
The Zhuo Yu path required unwavering righteousness. If her Dao heart was corrupted, the consequences ranged from a steep decline in cultivation to divine retribution during tribulation—death itself.
After Immortal Fuchun’s passing, Yu Zhiling had taken up her master’s mantle as the Zhuo Yu Immortal. Though she had shed her childish mischief for solemnity, her actions remained just, governing the Central Continent with fairness—its very backbone.
But ten years ago, she had changed. She shut herself away, abandoned her duties, distanced herself from them all—and they, in turn, had respected her coldness, letting the bonds between fellow disciples wither.
Yan Shanqing was still weeping. "Third Brother, I was wrong… I should have gone to see her…"
Xiang Wuxue murmured, "You were wrong, and so was I… Did I notice her Dao heart faltering?"
Yan Shanqing collapsed to his knees before the tomb of their late master, the towering leader of the Yingshan Sect now prostrate in remorse.
"Master… Master… I was wrong. I was wrong… I shouldn’t have stayed away for ten years. I shouldn’t have neglected her. She walks the path of clarity—she can’t do this…"
Xiang Wuxue shut his eyes, exhaling heavily.
Yu Zhiling had always been closest to Yan Shanqing. The eldest brother, years older than his juniors, had been fiercely protective, doting on his younger martial siblings.
His guilt and anger had driven him to scold her—only to regret it immediately after.
Xiang Wuxue wiped his tears as Yan Shanqing wept on.
He knelt before Yan Shanqing, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But Eldest Brother… Little Five has changed again. Doesn’t she seem familiar now?"
His voice trembled as he continued, "The Yu Zhiling now… she isn’t the Zhuo Yu Immortal who succeeded Master, nor is she the cold, distant woman who shut us out for ten years…"
Yan Shanqing lowered his hands, slowly meeting Xiang Wuxue’s gaze.
Xiang Wuxue whispered, "She… she’s Little Five."
The Little Five who whined, pretended to be obedient, was mischievous yet earnest—radiant as a little sun.
Yan Shanqing murmured, "She’s Little Five…"
Xiang Wuxue nodded firmly. "She’s our Little Five. As her elder brothers and sisters, it’s our duty to protect her—to bear the weight of her mistakes. Eldest Brother, she needs us."
Yan Shanqing was silent for a long time before he finally steadied himself and stood, glancing once more at their master’s tomb.
Years ago, Immortal Fuchun had returned with an infant Yu Zhiling in her arms, placing the half-year-old child into the hands of Yan Shanqing and the others—already grown.
With Fuchun often occupied, the four of them, still unmarried, had taken turns raising her. Against all odds, they had nurtured her into the woman she was now—the foremost cultivator of the Central Continent.
Yan Shanqing’s lips parted. "Master, I understand now."
"I’ll go to Little Five. No matter what happens, we’ll stand by her side."
