Chapter 51: Forsaking Kin for Justice Does Not Make a Good Man

The moment Xu Yu showed signs of the Sprouting Stage, a crowd had already gathered outside her room. When she walked out, they erupted in cheers. “Congratulations on your breakthrough, Senior Sister Xu!”

“Senior Sister, Zhang Kuang’s arrogant expression when he broke through was so annoying. For you to follow right after him is so satisfying!”

“That’s right! No matter how strong he is, the best he can do is a draw with Senior Sister Xu. But we also have Senior Brother Murong! Right, Senior Brother Murong?”

A disciple with a somewhat lewd expression looked from Murong Chao to Xu Yu, then had a flash of inspiration. “Senior Sister Xu is a heroine among women, and Senior Brother Murong is a dragon among men. With the two of you as a perfect match, what are Zhang Kuang, Zhang Yang, or Li Jing? They’ll all have to step aside!”

At this bit of flattery, a wide smile bloomed on Murong Chao’s face, but a look of disgust flashed across Xu Yu’s.

It was only then that Qin Haoxuan noticed Murong Chao’s elegant figure in the crowd. He was beaming, as joyful as if he himself had been the one to break through. “Congratulations, Junior Sister, on sprouting your seedling!” he said to Xu Yu. “Just now, Zhang Kuang’s followers were spouting nonsense, and then you immediately broke through. It’s a huge boost to our faction’s morale!”

“Our faction?” Qin Haoxuan wondered. “Could it be that in the 20 days I was gone, Xu Yu and Murong Chao joined Li Jing’s camp, or started one of their own?” His senses sharp from his Body Tempering Cultivation, he quickened his pace.

Surrounded by sycophants, Xu Yu’s expression was calm; it was clear she was not used to this kind of attention. A hint of impatience was on her face, but the moment she saw Qin Haoxuan in the distance, a radiant smile blossomed, as if seeing him released from confinement made her happier than her own breakthrough.

“Brother Haoxuan! Brother Haoxuan!” she called out, no longer paying any attention to the crowd around her. She pushed her way out to greet him.

Seeing that she was still as affectionate as ever towards him, the strange weight in Qin Haoxuan’s heart finally lifted.

“Junior Sister, congratulations on your breakthrough!” he said with his usual faint smile, looking into her bright, star-like eyes. His words, which came from the heart, were tinged with a fond affection.

“Thank you, Brother Haoxuan!” Xu Yu looked at him with a guilty expression. “I’m sorry. I’ve been in seclusion cultivating these past ten days and missed the time of your release. I wasn’t there to greet you.”

Qin Haoxuan laughed and gently tapped her on the head. “Silly girl, I’m a regular at Confinement Mountain. It’s not the first time I’ve been locked up. Getting out is no big deal, why would I need you to greet me? It’s a good thing you broke through today. Otherwise, if the Sect Master thought you had delayed your cultivation just to greet me, what would I do if he threw me back in there for another year or two?”

His joke made the self-reproachful Xu Yu giggle.

“Oh, right, Brother Haoxuan, I went to the Discipline Hall and filed a complaint against Gu Xiaoyun,” she said, her smile even brighter than when she had broken through.

His heart skipped a beat. Gu Xiaoyun had a powerful backer. He had dared to beat him because he knew Master Guyun was plotting against him and couldn’t retaliate openly. But Xu Yu was different. Even if she was a Purple Seed, she was still going up against a Hall Master.

“The surprising thing is… when I got there, Hall Master Guyun was already there,” she continued. “But he wasn’t there to plead for his relative. He demanded that the Discipline Hall punish him severely. I never thought he could be such a good person.”

Qin Haoxuan smiled in agreement, but his heart grew colder. This Master Guyun is truly ruthless! And so decisive. By doing this, if the higher-ups were to investigate, he could claim that he was placing righteousness above family ties, and even earn a good reputation for it.

“In the end, Gu Xiaoyun was sentenced to three years of hard labor as a farmer in The Melting Gorge. And the next two harvests from his field will be given to you as compensation for your losses,” Xu Yu said, her eyes curving into crescent moons. “So, although you were confined, you still came out ahead. I asked around. His field may not be as good as yours, but he planted high-grade spirit wheat, which is much better than our spirit corn. Isn’t it a blessing in disguise?”

He smiled and nodded, though he still felt a little sad about his corn. After all, he had planted it with his own two hands, and it had been destroyed just before the harvest.

As Xu Yu was talking to him, the other disciples, led by Murong Chao, also came over to congratulate her.

One of them, seeing how close the two were, immediately offered some flattery. “Senior Brother Qin, congratulations on your return! You must be a lucky star. The moment you came out, Senior Sister Xu had her breakthrough!”

“That’s right! Senior Brother Qin is a role model for all of us with weak seeds. Inspired by you, I’ve been cultivating diligently and can already feel the signs of the Rooting Stage. It’s all thanks to you!”

“Senior Brother Qin, you must have suffered in confinement. That villain Gu Xiaoyun is despicable. If I were stronger, I would have definitely given him a good beating for you!”

Blindsided by this sudden torrent of flattery, even the usually calm Qin Haoxuan was taken aback. He cast a questioning look at Xu Yu and Murong Chao.

Xu Yu leaned in and whispered in his ear, “After you were confined, Senior Brother Murong said our group was too small and weak, without anyone to help in a crisis. So, he accepted all those who came to me seeking to join our faction.”

Although Qin Haoxuan disliked forming cliques, he wasn’t opposed to it. In the Taichu Sect, which was full of factions, it was indeed strange for a Purple Seed disciple like Xu Yu not to have a few people she could call upon.

He glanced at her new followers, then turned to Murong Chao. “I was away for 20 days. Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother Murong.”

Murong Chao bowed slightly. “You are too kind, Senior Brother Qin. It is my duty to serve Junior Sister Xu.”

There was a new formality between them, but Qin Haoxuan didn’t pay it much mind. He exchanged a few more words with him before turning back to Xu Yu.

Since his appearance, Xu Yu’s smile had been brighter than it had been for the past 20 days. Her breakthrough had given her an even more elegant and ethereal air, and her every smile was captivating. But it seemed her smiles were reserved only for him. This not only made the other disciples envious, but also sparked a hint of jealousy in Murong Chao’s heart.

In the 20 days Qin Haoxuan was gone, he and Xu Yu had attended classes and worked in the fields together. He had gradually come to like the quiet, gentle girl and had even begun to fantasize about becoming her Dual Cultivation Partner, protecting her for the rest of their lives.

But now, with Qin Haoxuan’s return, their easy rapport had vanished. She only had eyes for him. He had stood guard outside her door for over an hour while she was breaking through, yet she had barely said a word to him since.

I must separate them.

Qin Haoxuan is just a weak seed. Although he is strong, cultivation is a vast field of study that requires aptitude and comprehension, not just brute force. If Xu Yu stays with him, her own cultivation will surely be affected.

So, whether it’s for my own sake or for hers, separating them is the only right thing to do. After Xu Yu and I become a couple, we can still be good friends with him. When we are strong, we can protect him, so he won’t be bullied for his weak seed.

While Xu Yu and Qin Haoxuan were talking, and Murong Chao was lost in his own dark thoughts, others who had heard the news of her breakthrough gradually arrived to offer their congratulations. The scene was a far cry from when she had completed the Rooting Stage. This time, a large crowd of menial disciples had come, bearing gifts.

They were soon surrounded on all sides by people trying to curry favor.

Li Jing also arrived.

The fact that Zhang Kuang and Xu Yu had both broken through at the same time was a blow to his pride, as he considered himself the most talented of the three. But in order to win over Xu Yu, especially now that she was starting her own faction, he had to redouble his efforts.

“Junior Sister Xu, congratulations on your successful breakthrough, leaving an unworthy senior brother like myself far behind!”

From a distance, a sincere-looking Li Jing clasped his hands and offered her a jade bottle filled with pills. Even without knowing what kind of pills they were, the precious jade bottle used to contain them was a clear sign of their value.

As he handed her the bottle, his eyes fell on Qin Haoxuan.

What’s going on? Li Jing froze for a moment. How is he not dead? To be safe, I sent five waves of assassins after him, all Sixth-Leaf experts. How could a mere mortal possibly have survived? And what’s more, he doesn’t have a single bruise on him. How did he escape?