Chapter Fifty-Two

How was that possible?

The Spring Entanglement was a potent aphrodisiac — something Harmonious Union Sect disciples commonly used to force others into compliance in the bedchamber. How could Ziyang have administered that drug to Chu Rong?

"Im…pos…sible!" Lian Ci's hoarse denial broke from him. Blood obscured his vision, and his body was in too much pain to move, but his mouth still stubbornly argued on Xu Ziyang's behalf.

In Lian Ci's impression, Xu Ziyang had always appeared warm toward Chu Rong but been inwardly indifferent.

When Cen Yan had accused Chu Rong before and presented evidence, Xu Ziyang had looked through all of it — and had never put in a word or two in Chu Rong's defense. How could Ziyang possibly have developed any other feelings toward Chu Rong?

Lian Ci spread his fingers and dug them into the earth, his knuckles whitening with the force. He raised his head with great difficulty, still wanting to argue back — then met Ning Yuan's gaze, its coldness carrying tangible, physical weight: "What you imply is that I am fabricating this against him?"

The chill climbed his spine and spread through every inch of blood in his body, solidifying into a bone-deep, piercing cold. Lian Ci could no longer deceive himself — by everything he knew of Ning Yuan's conduct, the Immortal Venerate would never stoop to something so base and beneath him.

Then only one possibility remained: the Immortal Venerate's words were true, and Xu Ziyang had indeed done what he was accused of.

Lian Ci's face went white. It was as though someone had slapped him across the face in public. He lowered his head in shame and couldn't bring himself to meet the man's eyes. His jaw trembled, his lips entirely bloodless. All the anger and accusation that had surged in his chest on the way here dissolved entirely — replaced by shame, embarrassment, and the bitter fury of being let down by someone he had trusted.

Cen Yan had been held motionless by the oppressive force, but he had heard the exchange, and watched Lian Ci's expression change. In an instant he had guessed what it meant, and the color drained from his face.

"Senior Brother really…?" His refined face was written all over with shock, and he looked at Lian Ci with eyes that refused to believe.

Lian Ci's gaze shifted evasively, avoiding his. Without saying a single word, his attitude had already said everything.

What was there for Cen Yan not to understand now?

Everything Yun Zhi had said was true. Senior Brother had really imprisoned Chu Rong, set a restriction, and prevented anyone from getting near.

The Body-Binding Technique and the Sealed-Voice Incantation — were those also techniques Senior Brother had used on Chu Rong?

And what was the Spring Entanglement?

Cen Yan had not spent an especially long time in the sect, and with his mind wholly devoted to cultivation, he had never interacted with anyone from the Harmonious Union Sect. Naturally, he didn't know what the Spring Entanglement was. But the first two items alone were enough to overturn Cen Yan's understanding of everything.

The surface calm Cen Yan had been maintaining was torn apart entirely. His mind fell into chaos. Stricken and breathless, he was pushed back step by step by the oppressive force.

In his sea of consciousness, the spot of light burst with brilliant radiance. The purple mist clinging to the spot of light squirmed and writhed twice — and then, perceiving some threat, went still again, not moving further.

Ning Yuan's deep-pool gaze swept past Cen Yan, who had lost his composure: "Cen Yan, you are the one who wronged him."

Not just the events of today — there were countless past wrongs too. Cen Yan owed Chu Rong far, far too much.

Cen Yan clenched both fists. He pressed his lips tightly together and could not refute a word.

When Yun Zhi had returned the spirit sword, he had already sensed something was off. But still he had followed his ingrained habit, forcibly ignored it, and put all the blame squarely on Chu Rong's head.

In that alone, he had genuinely wronged Chu Rong.

Cen Yan's heart weighed heavy as a mountain pressing down on him. He could barely draw breath. A thousand words rushed to his lips — but none of them could come out.

"He saved your life, and you have no way to repay it. Then: repay with your life, or forfeit your entire cultivation." Ning Yuan spoke in a voice completely devoid of inflection. Since Qingyang Heavenly Sect so enjoyed using the power of cultivators to bully mortals, he would let these people have a taste of what it was to bow their heads before a mortal.

What?!

Cen Yan raised his head in shock. Ning Yuan's words detonated every thought in his mind into a blank.

"You cannot!" Lian Ci stared wide-eyed, his expression aghast. Xu Ziyang's golden core had been ripped out, every tendon and bone in his body shattered — even if he survived by some miracle, he would be a cripple.

Qingyang had already lost one Golden Core disciple. If Cen Yan was lost as well, what future would the sect have to speak of?

Ning Yuan, however, didn't look at either of them. He raised his palm, and another surge of immense oppressive force bore straight down on the two of them — and in an instant, they were flung away from Wusong Residence like discarded refuse, sent flying several zhang: "Before dawn, I want a satisfactory answer."

Ning Yuan paid the two of them no further mind. His tall frame moved like a phantom — in two steps, he was back inside.

In the room, candlelight swayed. A young man in deep-purple gauze robes stood at the window. Ink-black hair flowed down around him like a stream, and his jade-pale fingers appeared and disappeared in the long sleeves.

Hearing the sound of the door, the young man turned his head. Candlelight leapt across a pale face of celestial, soul-seizing beauty — a loveliness that robbed one of one's senses.

Ning Yuan's breath caught slightly. Meeting Chu Rong's shining gaze, the frost in his eyes thawed into a faint ripple. His cold, deep voice took on a trace of hoarseness: "Why haven't you eaten yet?"

A mortal body was fragile — it couldn't miss a meal, and Chu Rong in particular had gone at least a full day without eating.

Chu Rong was in no state of mind to eat. His crow-feather lashes quivered as he glanced out toward the outside of Wusong Residence, the flush at his eye-tails not yet fully faded: "What did Lian Ci say?"

It wouldn't affect his departure from the sect, would it?

Everything was ready — only that last step remained. Chu Rong had no desire for anything to go wrong.

"Before dawn, you will have your answer." Ning Yuan stepped slowly toward Chu Rong, his long, powerful fingers spreading open as he took Chu Rong's hand and led him to the table.

The food on the table had been kept warm with spiritual energy, and even after sitting so long it still gave off thin wisps of steam. Ning Yuan picked up some of the dishes with chopsticks and placed them in the white porcelain bowl before Chu Rong. His every movement carried a natural, innate dignity.

Outside Wusong Residence.

The gap between the Great Vehicle stage and the Golden Core stage was too vast. The two of them took quite a long time before they even began to recover.

Lian Ci coughed up a mouthful of blood and clots, swaying unsteadily to his feet. He still wanted to go back and plead with Ning Yuan, but Cen Yan grabbed hold of him.

The young man had blood running from the corner of his mouth, yet he seemed entirely unaware. His lips moved — as though he didn't know what to ask first — and after a long pause, what finally came out was: "Sect Master, what is the Spring Entanglement?"

Lian Ci's expression shifted drastically. His body went rigid. His voice came out sharp and severe, but it couldn't conceal the evasive flicker in his eyes: "What are you thinking about at a time like this?!"

Did Cen Yan actually understand that the Immortal Venerate might truly take his life?!

Cen Yan didn't know himself why that was the first thing that had come out of him. And looking at Lian Ci's reaction, it didn't take guessing to know it was nothing good.

The Body-Binding Technique, the Sealed-Voice Incantation, and the restriction weren't enough — Senior Brother had also drugged Chu Rong?

Since Cen Yan had entered the sect, Xu Ziyang had always been at his side — not a blood brother, but better than one. Senior Brother had always been gentle of temperament. When had he become someone who… stopped at nothing?

Cen Yan's face went three shades paler. He pressed a hand over his churning chest and stood there for a long while — like a stray dog that had lost its way — then staggered and stumbled back toward the main peak.

Lian Ci was both urgent and worried. He glanced at Cen Yan, then toward Wusong Residence, and turned to go after Cen Yan.

Main peak.

The two entered the main hall one after the other. He Ming was still keeping vigil at Xu Ziyang's side, not having dared to move even a step. He lifted his sleeve and carefully wiped the sweat from Xu Ziyang's brow.

Xu Ziyang lay with his eyes shut, unconscious. His complexion had begun to turn bluish, a dead pallor seeping through, his body wracked with continuous convulsions. Anyone with eyes could see how much suffering he was in.

Lian Ci fixed a murky, heavy gaze on Xu Ziyang. Emotion churned in his eyes. After a long moment, it condensed into a cold, hard command that reached every person in the hall: "Someone come — take Xu Ziyang to the Hall of Everlasting Life!"

The Hall of Everlasting Life was where the sect's disciples' remains were kept awaiting burial. Xu Ziyang was not yet dead — why was the Sect Master sending him there?

"You cannot — Ziyang still has a thread of life left in him!" He Ming looked up in shock. Taking in Lian Ci's appearance, he startled again: "Sect Master?!"

How badly injured was the Sect Master?

"I am fine." Lian Ci cut off He Ming. Given the trouble Xu Ziyang had caused, that thread of life was something no one could preserve anyway.

Lian Ci still couldn't quite bring himself to believe that Xu Ziyang could have been this foolish — yet somehow, all of it was fact, and it had even embroiled Cen Yan, putting Cen Yan's life in jeopardy too!

Lian Ci steeled his heart, turned his face away from Xu Ziyang, and spoke in a tone that left no room for argument — the full authority of a sect master behind it: "Take him away!"

The two disciples guarding outside the hall heard the order and hurried in, one taking the feet, one the shoulders, and carried Xu Ziyang away.

Cen Yan stood at the hall entrance, watching them disappear into the distance. His fingers dug hard into his palms. He said nothing.

He Ming snapped back to himself and instinctively moved to chase after them. Lian Ci stopped him with a sharp shout: "Stay where you are! Does Qingyang not have enough trouble already?! Do you know that Yan'er's life is also hanging by a thread?!"

The matter of the baleful energy was still unresolved. Xu Ziyang had now added this disgraceful affair on top of it all. If the immortal sects staying in the sect got wind of it, what face would Qingyang Heavenly Sect have left in the cultivation world?

No.

Loss of face was a minor concern. The real fear was that the sects would wash their hands of it and leave, abandoning Qingyang alone to face the baleful energy.

With the Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation now destroyed, if the immortal sects abandoned Qingyang on top of that, every single person in Qingyang would truly have no way out!

His life was hanging by a thread?

He Ming was brought up short by the second half of Lian Ci's words, his mind reeling. Hadn't the Sect Master gone to confront Chu Rong and petition the Immortal Venerate to save Ziyang? How did this involve Yan'er?

He Ming held some fondness for Xu Ziyang, but nowhere near as much as he did for Cen Yan. He looked anxiously at Cen Yan, his eyes asking what had happened.

But Cen Yan — unusually — averted his gaze and didn't respond to He Ming. He lowered his head, lost in thought, and absently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before turning and leaving the main hall.

Zhengjing Courtyard.

The guest quarters set aside specifically for Qingyang's visiting honored guests. When Cen Yan had originally brought Chu Rong into the sect, he had intended to place Chu Rong here too — but Chu Rong had insisted on staying with Cen Yan.

And so, the courtyard had remained empty. This time, most of the visiting immortal sect members were housed here.

Cen Yan made his way to the courtyard and stopped outside Jing Heng's door. He knocked lightly three times, bowing in respectful greeting: "Valley Master Jing, this one is Cen Yan. There is a matter on which I would like to consult the Valley Master."

On the other side of the door, Jing Heng had one hand propped under his chin, his pale lips curved faintly. His aura was chillingly cold, and a faint medicinal fragrance drifted around him. He was somewhat absently toying with a white porcelain medicine vial in his hand. On the vial's surface was a neat little label, on which three characters were written in traditional script: Puppet Pill.

Two medicine boys stood one on each side behind Jing Heng, motionless, their faces utterly expressionless — like two puppets without any life in them.

Hearing the sound of knocking, Jing Heng didn't even lift his eyelids. Two words came out from his pale lips: "Not receiving."

The words had barely fallen before he seemed to notice something — glancing at the medicine vial in his hand — and immediately changed his mind: "Come in."

Jing Heng's temperament was peculiar, and Cen Yan made nothing of his reversal. He pushed the door open, stepped into the room, walked two or three steps inside, and stopped at a respectful distance.

"I apologize for the intrusion." Cen Yan didn't waste time with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Valley Master Jing's medical expertise is unrivalled, and you are familiar with countless medicines. I would like to ask — what is the Spring Entanglement? What are its effects?"

Jing Heng's hand paused on the medicine vial. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. The Spring Entanglement was something of a secret drug of the Harmonious Union Sect — how did Cen Yan know of it?

"A bedroom drug of the Harmonious Union Sect." Jing Heng's cold, eerie tone drew the words out with a slow, suggestive relish: "As for its effects — I imagine there is no need for me to say more?"

What an aphrodisiac did — any normal man would know.

Cen Yan's already-pale face went dead white in an instant — cracking apart inch by inch. He walked out of Zhengjing Courtyard in a daze, as though his very soul had left his body.

The immortal sects had all been keeping a close eye on events in the main hall. What had happened in the hall spread quickly to all ears.

The next day. The sky had not yet brightened.

He Ting rose from bed with his attendant's help, and hearing the news coming from the main hall, he looked toward the partially-unrolled letter on his writing table. His knuckles curved slightly as he idly ran his fingers over the letter, back and forth.

It seemed Qingyang Heavenly Sect had come to an impasse with the Immortal Venerate and was throwing Xu Ziyang over.

The Immortal Venerate valued Chu Rong more than He Ting had anticipated.

If things continued like this without his doing something, Chu Rong might truly end up belonging solely to the Immortal Venerate.

He Ting's hand suddenly clenched, crushing the letter into a ball. The warm, handsome face showed not a trace of a smile: "Find two disciples. Keep it discreet. Spread the intelligence in the letter."