The Weight of a Secret and a Shattered Promise

Shattered porcelain exploded across the floor, delicate pastries mingling with crystalline fragments that glittered almost blindingly beneath the pure, bright light. Liu Ruyan paid no mind to the debris; she couldn’t even feel the tiny shards that had scattered near her feet. All her senses had been violently seized by Qiu Yue’s words, her heart clutched by an icy hand, abruptly stilling before launching into a frantic beat.

“Sister Lin Wan’er? What happened to Sister Wan’er?!”

Liu Ruyan’s voice, usually sweet and naive, had completely lost its charm, becoming sharp and trembling, tinged with a hint of a sob.

‘Could it be… that the commotion this morning… the one who was taken away was Sister Wan’er?!’

At that moment, Liu Ruyan’s mind was a tangled mess, her steps faltering. She stumbled forward, her knees almost brushing the shards on the floor, her hands helplessly gripping Qiu Yue’s arm, her knuckles white from the force.

“Senior Sister! Tell me! What exactly happened?! Please! Was it… this morning… was it truly Sister Wan’er who was taken away this morning?!”

That morning, she had been sleeping in, only learning of the incident after she had entered the Jia-Domain and overheard others discussing it. Apparently, a conflict had erupted between disciples from the Jia and Yi-Domains. However, no one spoke of the victor; instead, their conversations were filled with chilling tales of the Yi-Domain disciple’s miserable state. Liu Ruyan hadn’t paid much attention at the time, her focus entirely on listening to Host Yun’s lecture. But… she never imagined… it would turn out to be her own Sister Wan’er?

A fleeting, almost imperceptible gleam, a mixture of cruelty and satisfaction, flickered swiftly through Qiu Yue’s eyes.

‘Liu Ruyan’s reaction was even more intense than she had anticipated. Perfect.’

On her face, a profound sorrow and urgency quickly gathered, her eyes instantly reddening. She gripped Liu Ruyan’s cold hand firmly, the pressure hinting at an unyielding hold.

“Liu Ruyan, calm down! Listen to Senior Sister!”

Qiu Yue’s voice was hushed, carrying the grave weight of a terrible secret.

“I shouldn’t be telling you this now, I know it will worry you, but… the situation is far too serious, and you’re likely the only one who can help Sister Wan’er.”

She glanced around, as if confirming no one else was present, then a sinister smile touched her lips. She pointed towards the side of the dormitory where a vegetable patch lay, then pulled the distraught Liu Ruyan, carefully navigating around the mess on the floor, to the side of the bed. Drawing Liu Ruyan down onto the bed’s edge, her gaze was fervent, filled with the urgency of ‘shared hatred and common struggle’.

“Ruyan, do you know about the Bright Jade Profound Yin?”

“I know… Xuanji Zhenren’s self-created cultivation method, the symbol of the Xuan Nv Sect, a cultivation method only the Sect Master’s successor can learn…”

This was knowledge she had acquired even before joining the sect; almost everyone knew of it.

“I… I truly didn’t want to speak of it, and Master also admonished me not to tell you, but now, seeing Lin Wan’er’s display this morning, I fear I can no longer bear the burden alone.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan’s expression faltered. Immediately after, Qiu Yue began recounting the events of that morning. She described how incredibly powerful Lin Wan’er had been, how he had defeated multiple opponents in quick succession, astonishing everyone and shining brilliantly! Liu Ruyan’s heart pounded wildly as she listened, her face a mixture of disbelief and an instinctive yearning for such power. Yet, confusion soon followed.

“Senior Sister, if Sister Wan’er is so powerful, does he really need my help?”

“It is precisely because he is so powerful that it causes concern.”

This explanation, beyond making Liu Ruyan’s head spin, offered no clarity whatsoever. Qiu Yue leaned in closer, her voice dropping to an almost inaudible whisper, imbued with a heavy, mysterious significance.

“The dominance and might of the Bright Jade Profound Yin are undeniable, but the backlash it brings… is equally terrifying.”

“B-backlash?!”

Liu Ruyan’s eyes widened, her voice trembling.

“Ruyan,” Qiu Yue sighed, her tone laced with a guiding insinuation, “have you never wondered why it is Master and I who now wield the sect’s authority and handle all its affairs?”

Liu Ruyan shook her head blankly. She only knew that Master was formidable and highly respected, but she remained utterly oblivious to the reasons behind these arrangements.

“That is…”

Qiu Yue deliberately paused, creating an atmosphere ripe for a momentous revelation.

“Because the Sect Master herself is suffering the agonizing backlash of the Bright Jade Profound Yin!”

Her voice dropped even lower, tinged with deeper sorrow.

“The Sect Master expends nearly seventy to eighty percent of her cultivation simply to suppress the Profound Yin energy within her, which could spiral out of control at any moment! Even with such efforts, her strength has been severely compromised. Living in deep seclusion? It’s not about cultivating a pure heart or a profound love for spiritual practice. It’s because the Sect Master is compelled to confine herself within a restrictive barrier, unable to move even an inch!”

Liu Ruyan listened, utterly dumbfounded!

‘The Bright Jade Profound Yin actually harbors such a hidden truth? Doesn’t that mean…’

Seeing Liu Ruyan’s expression of sudden enlightenment, Qiu Yue immediately added,

“Precisely, it’s just as you’re imagining. The Sect Master, by forcibly imparting the Bright Jade Profound Yin to Lin Wan’er, is essentially harming him! She completely disregards Lin Wan’er’s life! She merely wishes to use this disciple to affirm her position as Sect Master, to bolster her own authority and influence.”

“It’s likely she injected her own aura into Lin Wan’er’s body long ago; Lin Wan’er’s unusual strength, far beyond that of a typical Qi Condensation cultivator, probably stems from this. The purpose of doing so is… to slow down the speed of the Bright Jade Profound Yin‘s backlash.”

“Our Master saw through the Sect Master’s scheme, which is why she planned to forcefully claim a disciple on the day of the Discipleship Ceremony. However, that day, she was ultimately a step too slow, allowing the Sect Master to succeed. But due to sect regulations, and to avoid making a spectacle for the new disciples, she had to endure, planning to rescue Lin Wan’er later, during the trials at the Hall of Clarity.”

“Originally, Master didn’t want you involved in these matters. You are pure-hearted and not good at fighting, so she asked me to find a way to defeat Lin Wan’er as much as possible in the Hall of Clarity, lower his assessment score, and then legitimately remove the harmful Bright Jade Profound Yin through the Hall of Clarity trials.”

“However, today, witnessing Lin Wan’er’s formidable prowess, I realized this was no longer something I could accomplish. Openly, I cannot do it. A disciple at the Grand Completion of the Qi Condensation stage cannot withstand even a single move or two from him. Ruyan, to defeat Lin Wan’er head-on is now virtually impossible.”

Qiu Yue’s face was etched with a pained expression, mixed with a hint of helplessness.

“Senior Sister… you don’t need to say anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan’s expression hardened with resolve. She looked at Qiu Yue, asking softly,

“What… what should I do?”

“You have a good relationship with Lin Wan’er, so first, get close to him, and inform me of his movements. When necessary—”

As she spoke, a small white porcelain bottle suddenly appeared on the edge of the bed. Its implication… was self-evident. Even Liu Ruyan understood now.

“However, if you’re unwilling, I can find someone else. It’s just that others would find it much harder to get close to Lin Wan’er.”

Speaking softly, Qiu Yue rose, taking the white porcelain bottle with her. But as Qiu Yue extended her hand, Liu Ruyan stood up and clasped it firmly.

‘Heh, this little girl… she truly is easy to deceive.’

With joy and disdain hidden deep within her heart, Qiu Yue feigned surprise, turning her head to look at Liu Ruyan. She pretended to be bewildered,

“Junior Sister… what are you—”

“I know what I need to do, Senior Sister. Leave the white porcelain bottle.”

“Junior Sister, this endeavor is about saving a life, not harming one. If you must act, be firm in your resolve. If you truly hesitate, then you can entrust everything to Senior Sister.”

After delivering these eloquent words, Qiu Yue left the white porcelain bottle behind. She then exited the room, departing cloaked in the moonlight’s dew.

In the empty room, only Liu Ruyan and the white porcelain bottle remained. She gazed at it, biting her lip tightly, her voice a faint whisper,

“Master… it’s just as… you said.”

She rose, walked to the bedside table, and picked up a yellowed talisman. Returning to sit on the edge of the bed, she infused it with spiritual energy. After speaking a few words to the talisman, it instantly incinerated in the air, transforming into a wisp of green light that vanished before her eyes.

Liu Ruyan slowly rose and walked to the terrace, settling onto the long chair with a soft sigh.

“Intrigue and scheming… they are abundant everywhere. Sister Wan’er, I hope you are different from everyone else.”

She retrieved a dagger from her storage ring, her fingers delicately tracing its familiar hilt. With a gentle flick to the side, a flash of cold light gleamed! The nearby vase shattered instantly.

“The blade is dull. How can I protect Sister Wan’er like this?”