CHAPTER 19

— Trouble —

"So it's Senior Brother Su Yan from Qiuye Peak. What a rare guest! May I ask what brings you to Xiangzhu Peak?" The girl in white robes smiled sweetly, but a flicker of jealousy and resentment flashed in her eyes.

Although the disciples of Xiangzhu Peak generally held little respect for those from the main peak, the mention of Su Yan's name was enough to make almost everyone think twice—despite his calm and aloof demeanor, who knew if he might draw his sword at any moment?

Not to mention ordinary cyan-robed disciples like them, even the typical white-robed direct disciples would consider themselves unlucky to cross paths with Su Yan.

The girl, accustomed to being spoiled, had been promised by the Peak Master that she would be accepted as a direct disciple once she successfully formed her Golden Core. Now, on the verge of reaching Foundation Establishment perfection and just one step away from forming her Golden Core—perhaps even receiving a precious Baining Pill to boost her cultivation—how could she have expected such a mishap during the pill collection?

If she couldn't provide a satisfactory explanation, being demoted from white robes to cyan robes would be the least of her worries!

The thought of the vast difference in treatment between white and cyan robes made her tremble almost imperceptibly. Her gaze fixed on Tong Tong, filled with malice. "This girl is of suspicious origin and has been acting sneakily—she must be the thief who stole the pills! I must apprehend her and hand her over to the Peak Master for punishment. I ask that you, Senior Brother, do not interfere!"

These words were spoken with neither humility nor arrogance, clearly appearing to hold the moral high ground. Yet the row of cyan-robed disciples standing guard behind them inwardly cried out, "Oh no!"—this was bound to offend this god of slaughter!

Sure enough, Su Yan's expression remained unchanged, but her willow-leaf brows furrowed slightly. Holding her sword, she looked down at the white-robed girl and said coldly, "Tong Tong is a direct disciple of Qiuye Peak and has absolutely no connection to the thief you speak of."

As if echoing Su Yan's words, Tong Tong, her face flushed, shook her dizzy head. She felt as if her rationality had completely left her mind, with a voice clamoring inside to teach this girl a lesson and some force stirring restlessly within her. She revealed a polite smile: "Hey there, little miss, I am the legendary Seventh Disciple of Qiuye Peak. Need an autograph...?" 'Or perhaps, a little sparring?'

She was about to say more when her throat suddenly tightened, and no sound came out. Puzzled, she looked up and met Su Yan's icy, piercing gaze. Licking her lips, she wisely shut her mouth.

The white-robed girl holding the Tianqing Jingye vial flushed red, her small chest heaving as her breathing grew increasingly rapid, clearly struggling to suppress her anger. "Wearing the robes of a cyan-robed disciple despite being a white-robed disciple—that's the first offense. Entering the alchemy room of Xiangzhu Peak without invitation—that's the second. And just when these two things happened, our peak lost a freshly refined batch of Baining Pills—that's the third. Tell me, how can we not suspect her?"

As she spoke, the white-robed girl's long fingernails pointed directly at Tong Tong's face, as if aiming to gouge out her eyes. Terrified, Tong Tong stumbled backward, her muddled mind suddenly clearing as a cold sweat broke out on her back.

"Is your peak's negligence in guarding the pills an excuse to shift the blame onto my junior sister?" Su Yan accused without batting an eye, showing no guilt for twisting the facts and shifting blame in front of the victim. "As for her—she merely indulged in too much wine."

With that, Su Yan summoned her Changhong Sword in front of the stunned disciples, grabbed the weak-limbed Tong Tong, and leaped onto the sword. Before they could react, she soared into the sky with an air of arrogance.

Only when their figures gradually disappeared into the night did an ear-piercing, sharp female voice erupt from Xiangzhu Peak: "Come back here—!"

Still dizzy and unsteady on her feet, Tong Tong quickly grabbed hold of Su Yan's sleeve. Glancing down at the endless darkness below, so different from the bizarre, glittering steel forest in her memory, a wave of loneliness and sorrow washed over her. She wrapped her arms around Su Yan's slender waist, burying her face in her back and inhaling the faint scent of pine, finally feeling a little better.

Su Yan, her back stiff, initially intended to push her away. But upon feeling a dampness on her back, she softened her movements, though her face remained dark and her lips tightly pressed, as if enduring something with great effort.

Neither of them spoke, with only the howling wind serving as background noise.

After a while, Tong Tong, her mood somewhat restored, finally released Su Yan's waist and stepped back. Though she still felt light-headed and unsteady, she could at least manage to stand upright.

She also realized that it was a bit unreasonable to press her entire weight onto Su Yan's seemingly slender and thin back, but she didn't realize that as an unmarried young girl, she shouldn't casually hug and hold onto other men—perhaps in Tong Tong's heart, she didn't regard her cold-faced but warm-hearted senior brother as "other" men, or maybe she simply didn't see the beautiful, Big Iceberg as a "man" at all?

At that moment, Tong Tong, who felt she had forgotten something, let out a low gasp. Her hands, which had just loosened, grabbed Su Yan's sleeve again, causing her to frown abruptly. "What is it?"

"I... I forgot about Young Master Ding..." Tong Tong was so anxious that she broke into a cold sweat, her voice trembling with tears.

'What should I do? What should I do? I was so focused on escaping myself, I don't know if Young Master Ding is trapped inside... What if he gets caught? What will happen then?'

At this moment, her little brain began automatically replaying scenes from certain movies and TV shows she had seen before, especially those involving torture and interrogation. These images reminded her over and over of the suffering Ding Ding might endure—her face turned pale, as if she herself were the one being tortured.

"Ding Ding?" Su Yan snorted coldly. "It's him, as expected."

She knew it. With this girl's scatterbrained nature and unfamiliarity with the place, it was unlikely she could even find Xiangzhu Peak, let alone steal elixirs. Someone must have instigated and led her, and without a doubt, that mastermind was Ding Ding, who thrived on chaos.

How reckless! What nonsense!

Su Yan mercilessly judged in her heart, only to feel her sleeve being tugged forcefully again. In her ear, Tong Tong shouted nervously, "Turn around! Turn around! We need to go back quickly and rescue Young Master Ding!"

"We?" Su Yan sneered coldly, retorting, "What does it have to do with me?"

Hearing the chill in her words, Tong Tong shrank her neck but still persisted, "After all, we were taught by the same master... Just like an old song says, 'Seven melons on one vine, loving and joyful in bloom.' Senior brother, you wouldn't just stand by and watch him die, would you?"

—'How come she had never heard this song?'

Su Yan rolled her eyes behind her back and calmly replied, "I would."

"Oh, heavens! Earth! How can you just stand by and watch a fine young man trapped in a den of tigers and wolves without lifting a finger? Senior brother, you are so wonderful and kind-hearted. You can't bear to see it, right? You'll go save Young Master Ding, won't you?"

—'He certainly holds a significant place in your heart!'

Su Yan let out a long sigh in her heart, suppressing the throbbing vein on her forehead, and still replied coldly, "I won't."

"D@mn it! This is unbearable! Su Yan, I'm telling you, I'm angry! How can you call yourself a First Senior Brother? I always thought you were a good person! It seems Young Master Ding was right—you're just a cold, heartless, and ruthless person! I don't want to be friends with you anymore! Hmph..." Tong Tong felt both furious and wronged, along with an indescribable sense of loss, as if a beloved celebrity she had always admired had suddenly been exposed for using underhanded means to get ahead—the cherished beauty in her heart had crumbled in an instant.

The swiftly flying Changhong imperceptibly faltered for a moment before accelerating toward Qiuye Peak.

After shouting, Tong Tong immediately felt a pang of regret, but the words had already been spoken—like spilled water, impossible to take back. The discomfort from taking the pills, the urgency of Ding Ding's disappearance, all tangled together, pulling at her frayed nerves and making her unable to control her agitation.

She knew perfectly well that Su Yan hadn't done anything wrong. The fault lay with her and Ding Ding.

Sneaking to Xiangzhu Peak to steal elixirs behind their master's back was already a breach of the rules, and being caught and handed over for punishment was only to be expected. She was fortunate enough to have been rescued by Su Yan, who had already gone above and beyond. How could she possibly expect Su Yan to risk turning back to save Ding Ding again?

Given Su Yan's fearsome reputation in Chonghua, it was a miracle she hadn't been kicked off the flying sword.

Yet, why did she always cling to that impractical hope, thinking perhaps that person treated her differently...

Just as she was lost in thought, Su Yan suddenly remarked, "He Gu went too."

Those four simple words made Tong Tong's eyes light up. She eagerly asked, "Really? Second Senior Sister went too? You mean she went to rescue Ding Ding?" Overjoyed, she forgot her earlier disappointment and melancholy, wrapping her arms around Su Yan's arm behind his back. With a beaming smile, she said, "Actually, you two had already planned to rescue us together, right?"

"I never said I was a good person." Su Yan paused, pulling his hand out of Tong Tong's grasp. His muffled voice was torn apart by the wind, but Tong Tong caught the hint of self-mockery in it.

Hiss—was he sulking with her?

Tong Tong widened her eyes, staring intently at Su Yan's straight back. A memory surfaced in her mind—from when she was a child, teasing the neighbor's kitten, only to be scratched by the little creature in a fit of anger. The corners of her mouth slowly curved upward.

Her eyes darting mischievously, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Su Yan's slender waist again. Ignoring his feigned stern scolding, she even reached out to pat his firm, smooth abdomen, cooing sweetly, "Oh, don't be like that... Senior Brother Yan? Brother Yan? Little Stone..."

T/N: [The character 岩 (Yan) literally means "rock," "cliff," or "crag." By calling her "Little Stone" (小石头 - Xiao Shítou), Tong Tong is taking the meaning of Su Yan's name and "de-formalizing" it. It is the equivalent of someone named "Cliff" being called "Pebble" or "Little Rock."]

"Shut up." Su Yan finally spoke, unable to bear it any longer. If she didn't stop her now, who knew what embarrassing nicknames she might come up with next.

Though her tone was full of authority, the tips of her ears flushed a faint pink. Fortunately, it was too dark to see clearly, or else her lifelong reputation would have been ruined in an instant.

Su Yan turned her head away uncomfortably, prying Tong Tong's hands from around her waist—the undeniable softness pressing against her back nearly made her lose control of her sword. She forced herself to stay calm and changed the subject. "Where is the Baining Pills?" Judging by the panic state of the Xiangzhu Peak disciples earlier, they must have succeeded. "Are they with him?"

"Um... well... they're with me." Tong Tong swallowed nervously, stammering, "But... there was a little accident... so..."

"So?" Su Yan prompted, following her lead. She glanced into the distance—they were only a few dozen miles from Qiuye Peak. After dropping her off, she should head to Jiuhan Palace to report to their master.

"In the heat of the moment, I was afraid they'd catch me, so I was determined to destroy the evidence... and I swallowed them all!" Tong Tong blurted out in one breath, hanging her head and fidgeting with her fingers, waiting for the scolding.

"..." The flying sword wobbled, and Tong Tong gasped, immediately clutching Su Yan's waist.

Startled by her words, Su Yan ignored her audacious hands and steadied herself before asking cautiously, "How many?"

Tong Tong shook her head honestly, and just as Su Yan breathed a sigh of relief, she replied with a pitiful expression, "There were eight in total, and I ate them all!"

Su Yan slowly exhaled, barely managing to halt their momentum. She turned the flying sword toward Luoxia Peak—these two fools had really stirred up trouble!

Xiangzhu Peak, Caiyun Palace, the Peak Master's private chamber.

In the hall, a Xiangzhu-style daybed was placed to the south. Crafted from thousand-year-old redwood and cushioned with woven cloud brocade, it was luxurious and opulent, yet it paled in comparison to the beauty reclining upon it—phoenix eyes, willow-leaf brows, a rosy face that concealed authority, and lips that seemed to smile before they even spoke. She was the epitome of grace and allure.

She was the Peak Master of Xiangzhu Peak, a direct-line true disciple of the same generation as the Sect Leader, Ye Zhiqiu—Yin Xiaoxiang.

When the young woman in white hurried in to report the theft of the Baining Pills, Yin Xiaoxiang was leisurely reclining on a chaise lounge, meticulously staining her nails with balsam flower juice.

Her delicate fingers carefully dabbed a silk cloth into the vibrant, fresh dye, meticulously outlining the shape of her rounded nails. Without even looking up, she instructed, "I am aware. You may leave."

"Master?" The young woman was taken aback, not expecting such a casual response, as if everything had been anticipated.

"Hmm? Do not make me repeat myself." She shot a displeased glance at the girl—even though her eyes held a charming, autumn-like allure, it still sent a chill down the young woman's spine, prompting her to bow hastily and retreat.

Yin Xiaoxiang curled her lips as she examined the four freshly painted fingers, nodding in satisfaction before preparing to finish the last one.

Just then, a disciple in cyan robes stumbled in, crawling and scrambling, and before she could frown and reprimand him, he wailed pitifully, "Peak Master, something terrible has happened!"

"I am perfectly fine!" She rolled her eyes at him, scolding irritably, "Who taught you your manners? Making such a fuss as if your father had died! Speak slowly!"

"Peak... Peak Master, the shelves in the alchemy room—they're empty!" the disciple continued miserably.

"What?" Yin Xiaoxiang's hand slipped, and a drop of crimson balsam flower juice splattered onto the back of her hand and between her fingers, resembling the color of bl0od.

"Who did this? I will tear them to pieces—" Her sharp roar was even fiercer than that of the young woman in white, truly a testament to their master-disciple relationship.

Far away, a hundred miles off, Ding Ding seemed to sense something, shuddered slightly, then turned away indifferently, grinning playfully at the person in front of him. "Hehe, Senior Sister, we've hit the jackpot this time!"

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