He Qingqing finally crawled out of the mine shaft, her white dress in tatters and her body covered in filth.
Looking up, she suddenly saw a jade-like moon flickering in and out of view.
Without her veil, everything appeared clearer to her.
Wind and clouds gathered in the night sky, the moon sometimes hiding behind dark clouds, sometimes radiating clear light, causing the wilderness to alternate between brightness and shadow.
A heavy rain was imminent.
The female cultivators who had been playing "Hide and Seek" earlier had already scattered like birds and beasts. He Qingqing touched her Storage Bag, calming her racing heart—it contained the jade vial filled with Sky-Supporting Tree sap.
In the dead of night, not a sound could be heard.
Strangely, there were no patrols along the way, not a single lantern in sight—the silence was abnormal.
He Qingqing ran against the wind to Lotus Peak, where she suddenly spotted a figure standing outside the Glazed Palace.
By the lotus pond, three thousand strands of white hair and sleeve veils fluttered in the wind.
Jiangyun's face bore the marks of time. Compared to immortals skilled in preserving their youth, she appeared more awe-inspiring and dignified.
Especially now, with dust covering her temples and loneliness etched between her brows.
"Master, you're back!" He Qingqing exclaimed with delight. "I should have gone to the mountain gate to welcome you."
She hurried forward like a child who had suffered grievances and finally found her mother. After not seeing each other for days, she had missed her deeply.
Jiangyun didn't respond. She only stared at her, her gaze cold as if examining a stranger.
He Qingqing's smile gradually faded, leaving her momentarily bewildered and at a loss.
Her master must be exhausted after traveling thousands of miles.
She decided to share the good news first: "Master, I'm about to reach Foundation Establishment."
The Sky-Supporting Tree sap was truly divine—entering the Purple Palace, it generated Spirit Qi, cleansing the Meridians and eliminating impurities. Its miraculous effects in enhancing cultivation surpassed any Elixir.
He Qingqing had joined the sect relatively late with a poor foundation and late start. Any master would be delighted to hear of such fortune.
Yet Jiangyun acted as if she hadn't heard.
"This master asks you: for what purpose do you cultivate immortality?"
Her voice was severe, her expression solemn.
He Qingqing composed herself and bowed cautiously. "We cultivators naturally seek truth and ascension."
A faint smile finally curled at Jiangyun's lips—but it was a cold, mocking smile, as if she had heard a joke.
Her voice rose sharply: "You apprenticed yourself to me, came to the Celestial Sound Sect as the senior disciple—what do you truly want?!"
He Qingqing didn't know what she had done wrong. Her usually kind master had suddenly become harsh and severe.
She shivered in the wind, lifted her skirt, and knelt. "This disciple only seeks to cultivate diligently, lead by example, bring glory to our sect in the future, for our Celestial Sound Sect..."
Slap! A crisp slap rang out.
He Qingqing fell to the ground, covering her face in shock.
Anyone in the Celestial Sound Sect might strike her, but she had never imagined Jiangyun would be the one to do so.
The night wind howled mournfully, thunder rumbled across the sky, and the red lotuses in the pond trembled.
Jiangyun advanced, shouting angrily: "Speak the truth!"
Her voice was like a whip, her fury igniting the entire Lotus Peak.
He Qingqing's mind went blank as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her slender frame trembling uncontrollably. "I... I... This disciple only seeks successful cultivation to serve Master in the future..."
"Still lying?!" Jiangyun screamed, raising her hand high.
Slap!
Blood instantly trickled from the corner of He Qingqing's mouth, her cheek swelling, making her already damaged face appear even more ghastly.
Withered flowers and leaves scattered wildly through the air as a brilliant lightning bolt tore through the sky.
The master and disciple stood facing each other in the lightning, like two trapped beasts in desperate straits.
Countless silver lights descended from the heavens as the torrential rain finally began to fall.
He Qingqing knelt collapsed in the cold rain.
The downpour poured relentlessly, striking her body like countless unavoidable silver needles piercing through flesh and blood into the very marrow.The lightning illuminated the marsh, reflecting her ravaged face. From Azure Cliff Academy to the Celestial Sound Sect, it turned out her life had never truly changed.
She suddenly began to laugh.
The laughter grew louder, stirring the wind and rain.
Her torn and soiled robes soaked in the muddy water. Raindrops fell upon Jiangyun’s protective Spirit Qi, instantly evaporating and rising as wisps of white mist, lending an ethereal and noble aura.
Her master’s cold, mocking face overlapped with the disdainful sneers of her Green Cliff classmates and the meaningful smiles of the Fairy Sound Sect Female Cultivators.
Countless faces flashed before her eyes across the curtain of pouring rain.
"The little girl saved by Ziye Wenshu" had become "the useless disciple taken in by Jiangyun." In the end, she was still He Qingqing, at the mercy of others’ bullying.
A single performance of the "Wind and Snow Array Entry Tune" could make her famous overnight, but it couldn’t save her for a lifetime.
"Pah!" He Qingqing spat out a mouthful of blood. "Pah!"
She lifted her face high, eyes wide open, allowing the cold rain to lash against her:
"What do I want? What do you think I want? I want the most beautiful face in the world! I want to cultivate the strongest Cultivation Method! I want to form a Dao companion with the most peerless man! I want all those who humiliated me to die without a grave!
"I want power, status, beauty, and love! I want the best of everything!
"I don’t want everyone to like me—I want everyone to fear me! To hell with the rules! To hell with the Celestial Sound Sect!"
He Qingqing cursed at the sky, her clothes and hair drenched, charging about like a cornered beast, roaring hoarsely: "Why do they all treat me like this? Why?"
In the heavy rain, she uttered the most vicious words she had never dared to speak in her entire life.
Amid the lightning and thunder, Jiangyun suddenly burst into laughter.
"Good! Good!" she exclaimed repeatedly, just like on the night of the Music Examination when she accepted her as a disciple.
Jiangyun leaned down, staring intently into He Qingqing’s bloodshot eyes:
"Only those who dare to speak the truth are worthy of being my disciple. I took you as my personal disciple because I saw your undying hatred—a hatred that will surely lead to great achievements. Not to make you a second Miaoyan!"
Before He Qingqing could catch her breath, still trembling and panting heavily,
Jiangyun’s cool fingers gently brushed the swollen, bleeding corner of her lips:
"To possess the most beautiful face in the world, you must endure the pain of a thousand cuts and the agony of ten thousand ants gnawing at your heart. Are you afraid?"
He Qingqing raised her head and shouted, "I am not afraid!"
"If your will wavers and you cannot endure it, you may even lose your life. Are you afraid?"
"I am not afraid!"
Jiangyun helped her disciple to her feet, smiling. "Master, please begin the procedure."
"Amitabha." An aged voice chanted the Buddhist invocation. "Well said, well said."
Startled, He Qingqing turned toward the voice and realized there had been a third person present all along.
An old monk emerged from the shadows of the trees. He was tall in stature, with kind eyebrows and gentle eyes.
Raindrops fell upon him without producing any white mist, as if soaking into his kasaya yet leaving no trace behind.
"This is the 'Divine Hand Monk,' Wu Xiang," Jiangyun said.
He Qingqing stared blankly at the old monk’s face, her violent aura inexplicably softening.
Wu Xiang’s cultivation was not the strongest, but his medical skills were unparalleled, and his reputation for compassion was widespread. It was said that even the most vicious and cruel demonic cultivators would feel a spark of Buddhist compassion upon meeting him.The old monk looked directly into He Qingqing's eyes: "The gu poison has penetrated your facial skin and distorted your bone structure. This procedure involves scraping the bone to remove the toxin, requiring you to remain fully conscious and endure excruciating pain. I advise Immortal He to reconsider carefully."
He Qingqing bowed: "Venerable Master, my resolve is firm."
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