Chapter 150: The Human Heart Cannot Be Indulged (Part I)

The next day, after carefully tidying up and washing, Bai Qi went out to the courtyard opposite to call Liu Xiaojie so they could visit their master together to report on his situation. (Earlier, when Bai Qi first arrived at the Wusha Sect, he lived in the same courtyard as Liu Xiaojie. After he was taken in as the personal closing-door disciple by Wu Yunque, he moved into a residence assigned by Wu Yunque that combined weapon-refining and alchemy.)

Along the way, there were both strangers and acquaintances. The acquaintances naturally exchanged greetings, and the news of Bai Qi's return had gradually spread. People knew that Bai Qi was heading to the First Elder Wu Yunque's place, making the atmosphere within the Wusha Sect exceptionally lively today.

As for the strangers, they were naturally the newly recruited disciples. Their tender faces and innocent eyes made Bai Qi feel as though he was seeing himself when he first arrived in this world, back when he had the exact same look in his eyes. However, upon hearing of the formidable reputation of the Senior Brother Bai before them, the female disciples naturally let out bursts of cheers and boundless admiration. Some of the bolder female disciples even openly cast flirtatious glances, accompanied by meltingly soft tones and highly suggestive hints.

After all, for female disciples, having a powerful cultivation partner was undoubtedly of infinite help to themselves; after all, powerful men could always attract the attention of the opposite sex. (Ahem, fellow Daoists, please do not misunderstand anything.)

On Bai Qi's way to report to the First Elder, someone had already carried the news to the First Elder.

Without even taking the time to tidy his disheveled hair, Wu Yunque rushed out the door in a flurry. From afar, he saw Bai Qi and Liu Xiaojie walking side by side toward his dwelling.

Wu Yunque's heart surged with intense excitement. Bai Qi's return felt to him as though his most cherished treasure had been restored. Disregarding all decorum, he rushed straight down the steps, walking rapidly toward Bai Qi, even completely forgetting his ability to fly. This simple movement was enough to show how highly Wu Yunque valued Bai Qi.

Watching Wu Yunque hurry over, Bai Qi dropped to his knees with a loud thud the moment they closed the distance. The speed of this kneel almost caught Liu Xiaojie off guard, but seeing Bai Qi kneel, he quickly dropped to his knees as well to pay his respects.

Looking at Wu Yunque, a sense of profound gratitude arose in Bai Qi's heart. Being able to meet such an elder was a blessing cultivated over lifetimes. The other man regarded him like a biological son, and he was determined to fulfill all the filial duties expected of a disciple to repay Wu Yunque.

Without hesitation, Bai Qi kowtowed heavily three times, striking the ground with echoing thuds, and said loudly, "Master is above, please accept three bows from your disciple. I beg Master to punish your disciple for his unfilial actions, which caused you, respected elder, to worry and live in anxiety for so long. I also beg Master to punish your disciple for failing to protect my fellow apprentices, as well as the elders who traveled with us. Your disciple has failed them and lacked the ability to protect them."

Bai Qi's carefully chosen words vividly and thoroughly described the predicament he had been in through subtle subtext. Anyone could imagine that if they had been in his shoes, surviving at all would have been a luxury, let alone figuring out how to protect their sect members in such a complex situation.

These few sparse sentences painted him in a selfless, tragic, and stirring light, while also conveying that his own survival had caused worry to his master and friends. Every word of Bai Qi was meticulously chosen, pouring out his grief and apologies from the very depths of his soul.

As soon as these words were spoken, the moods of everyone around were instantly affected by Bai Qi's speech, plunging into gloom. The expression on everyone's face gradually froze; some felt even deeper sorrow, biting their lips to keep from crying out. The reason they felt this way was because of those "fallen" fellow apprentices and elders—some were their close friends, some were their elder brothers, and some were the mentors of certain disciples. Such bonds were indelible to the Wusha Sect.

Bai Qi slowly stood up, looked at Wu Yunque, then turned around to sweep his gaze across his fellow sect members, and began to speak, "Brothers and sisters, the fellow apprentices who went with me did not sacrifice themselves in vain. We cannot dwell on past grief for long; instead, we must transform this grief into strength, a catalyst to elevate our own power. What we face is the future of the Wusha Sect, and that future requires us younger generations to fight for and protect. If one day in the future, the sect encounters a formidable opponent, that will be the moment for you to rise up and demonstrate your strength."

Looking at those youths, the mist in their eyes vanished upon hearing Bai Qi's rousing words, replaced instead by a firm conviction. This spirit of shared hatred against a common enemy stirred even Wu Yunque, who had lived for countless years. Looking at his disciple once more, his heart swelled with extreme gratification.

"My brothers and sisters, everyone understands the recent situation. Forces led by the Ghost King Sect have begun forming alliances. Once the Bronze Palace opens, what we will face is a cruel battle. If that is the case, you will need your own strength to fight back, and when that time comes, the enemy will not show you sympathy just because of a few tears. Therefore, the only way is to..."

Before Bai Qi could finish his sentence, a resounding roar echoed across the entire plaza hall.

"Enhance our strength! Enhance our strength!"

"We will not let down those who silently carry heavy burdens for us!"

"That's right, a war is coming soon, and when it arrives, only strength can ensure our survival!"

...

The continuous echoes made Bai Qi feel immensely gratified. A sect like this was worth risking his life to protect, because this was a profound, encompassing love.

After finishing his conversation with all the fellow apprentices, Bai Qi followed Wu Yunque into the main hall.

This hall served as the meeting chamber, though recently the First Elder had basically stayed here continuously due to his preoccupation with the affairs of the Sand Alliance.

The three of them sat directly around a table, and since there were temporarily no outsiders present, such rigid formalities were unnecessary.

Bai Qi recounted his experiences to Wu Yunque, just as he had previously told Liu Xiaojie.

At this moment, Bai Qi casually brought up the matter between himself and Xietu. At first, even Liu Xiaojie thought he had misheard. It was only after Bai Qi repeated it, seeing Liu Xiaojie's jaw drop in shock, and noticing that his master's initially relaxed brows were gradually knitting together, that Bai Qi realized he had miscalculated.

The First Elder suddenly swept all the memorials and consultative documents off the desk, flying into such a rage that his beard and hair stood on end. Just a moment ago, he had been beaming with joy, feeling immensely proud of his prize disciple; yet at this very moment, his eyes were brimming with raw fury.

Wu Yunque snapped furiously, "If you dare bring that demoness back, this old man will sever our master-disciple relationship and expel you from the sect! If you stubbornly persist... this old man's hands... will show no mercy!"

Hearing Wu Yunque utter such harsh words, Bai Qi wanted to explain, wanting to say that Xietu had killed those disciples back then only because she was being manipulated by the Ghost King. However, before he had the chance to speak, Wu Yunque stood up abruptly, flicked his sleeve, kicked the door open, and stormed out.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiaojie remained in a state of shock, slowly stepping closer to Bai Qi, reaching out to touch Bai Qi's forehead, and pausing as if talking to himself, muttered, "He doesn't have a fever, does he?"