The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 18

Shen Yanting had no intention of acknowledging Cui Huaizhou. His insipid words couldn’t wound her; for years, she had been secretly infusing medicinal pills into the Outer Sect’s meals. Any Outer Sect Disciples who benefited from the pills had long since advanced to the Inner Sect. Those who followed He Yongshi’s departure were of no consequence.

A sect’s strength and legacy never depended on Outer Sect Disciples, but rather on those with the potential to enter the Inner Sect. Currently, excluding Bo Xuenong, the Inner Sect comprised six disciples, each of whom had received Top-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills from her. Their foundations were far more solid than their Master’s, ensuring they would progress further on the path of sword cultivation. The Imperial Tranquility Sect’s future inheritance was secure.

As for the Elders, who formed the sect’s foundation, Shen Yanting had been remarkably generous to Cui Huaizhou and his cohort, showering them with medicinal pills and spirit stones. Otherwise, Cui Huaizhou wouldn’t have lived long enough to confront her today. Unfortunately, limited by his innate talent and unstable foundation, despite the vast resources poured into him, Cui Huaizhou remained at the early Golden Core Stage. Ye Zhiyao fared slightly better, reaching the mid-Golden Core Stage. Fortunately, the Golden Core Stage granted a lifespan of fifteen hundred years, ensuring their presence would sustain the Imperial Tranquility Sect for at least several more centuries. Moreover, there was Feng Yingbo.

Feng Yingbo was considered an anomaly within the Imperial Tranquility Sect. Her village lay close to the sect, yet she had never harbored any ambition for immortality, content to live a peaceful life with her parents. However, as she grew older, her parents’ pressure for her to marry intensified. Unwilling to wed, she ascended Imperial Peak Mountain to join the sect.

By the time she entered the sect, Feng Yingbo was already thirty-five, well past the optimal age for embarking on the path to immortality. Moreover, the reigning Sect Leader was nearing the end of her lifespan, and all the elders of her generation had perished. The newly admitted disciples were left entirely unattended. Yet, without the aid of medicinal pills or guidance from senior cultivators, Feng Yingbo achieved Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment in less than a decade, establishing a foundation even stronger than that of Ji Caiyan and the others, who had benefited from Top-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills.

Shen Yanting was astonished when she first saw Feng Yingbo. She immediately urged the dying Sect Leader to accept her as a disciple.

Although the Imperial Tranquility Sect lacked a formation to precisely assess the grade of spiritual roots, Shen Yanting knew that Bo Xuenong possessed a full-grade spiritual root. Bo Xuenong had already reached the peak of the Golden Core Stage, and Feng Yingbo, only forty years older, had already attained the lower tier of the Nascent Soul Stage.

Part of the reason Shen Yanting had deliberately prevented Bo Xuenong from cultivating with medicinal pills was because Feng Yingbo, though not possessing a full-grade spiritual root, still had a high-grade one. Sooner or later, she would have been admitted to the Inner Sect of the Cloudmist Sect. With Feng Yingbo’s presence, the Imperial Tranquility Sect could survive for at least another three thousand years. Shen Yanting had long fulfilled her promise to the sect’s former leader, and she felt no guilt, regardless of what Cui Huaizhou might say.

Cui Huaizhou was free to continue criticizing her, but he shouldn’t have used Fu Yunqing’s death to wound her.

Shen Yanting’s close companions had always enjoyed long lifespans. This was the first time she felt so helpless in the face of mortality. Seeing Cui Huaizhou about to retort, she felt an overwhelming urge to silence him. “Junior Brother Cui…”

Before Shen Yanting could finish addressing him, Bo Xuenong had already acted.

Clutching the Suspended Ink Sword, Bo Xuenong charged forward, slamming the sword sheath mercilessly into Cui Huaizhou’s mouth. The blow was so forceful that Cui Huaizhou’s lips instantly turned crimson, and his jaw swelled.

The searing pain twisted Cui Huaizhou’s gaze into a cold, venomous glare. He clutched his bleeding lips with one hand while reaching for the longsword at his waist with the other, positioning himself to ambush Bo Xuenong. Shen Yanting, ever observant, was the first to notice Cui Huaizhou’s subtle movement and reacted swiftly.

Without a word, she flicked out a wisp of spiritual energy that landed precisely on Cui Huaizhou’s wrist, the pain forcing him to drop his sword.

Shen Yanting’s action was subtle, but only a few in the hall could injure Cui Huaizhou so silently. Cui Huaizhou needed only a moment’s thought to realize who was responsible. His venomous gaze shifted from Bo Xuenong to Shen Yanting, resentment burning in his eyes. He was furious that Shen Yanting had not stopped Bo Xuenong earlier, yet now intervened against him.

Before he could speak, Bo Xuenong stepped in front of Shen Yanting. “Martial Uncle Cui, I’m the one who beat you. Why are you glaring at my Master?”

No one in Warm Moon Hall had seen Shen Yanting’s intervention. Cui Huaizhou was left with no recourse, forced to swallow his humiliation. He glared fiercely at Bo Xuenong, who had struck first. “You… hiss… you disrespect your elders! You…”

Cui Huaizhou struggled to speak. Each movement of his swollen lips tugged at the tender flesh, drawing sharp intakes of breath. He wanted to say so much, but could only manage a few fragmented words.

Bo Xuenong, the true instigator, felt no remorse. If not for Shen Yanting behind her, she would have laughed aloud and shouted, “Serves you right!”

She had endured Cui Huaizhou’s provocations for far too long. His initial remarks about Shen Yanting had already infuriated her, and now she finally had a chance to retaliate.

She had only dared to act after seeing Shen Yanting’s frown, ensuring she wasn’t truly disrespecting her elders.

Shen Yanting would never blame her.

Bo Xuenong feigned innocence, glancing at Cui Huaizhou before tugging at Fu Yunqing, who was still stunned beside her. “Sect Leader, Martial Uncle Cui has always valued rules above all else. His disrespect towards you and Senior Sister Shen must be the work of a treacherous plot. I was worried he’d been cursed, so I intervened to break the curse!”

Cui Huaizhou was so enraged he wanted to stab Bo Xuenong’s sanctimonious face with his sword. His swollen lower jaw trembled grotesquely as he sputtered, “You… you… do you really think… anyone will believe that?”

His words came out in disjointed fragments, barely audible to the others.

Fu Yunqing stepped closer. “Senior Brother Cui, can you speak clearly?”

Cui Huaizhou’s face darkened further. Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting, who were closely watching his every move, heard him perfectly. Bo Xuenong ignored him, turning to check if the frown between Shen Yanting’s brows had eased. Shen Yanting replied earnestly, “Junior Brother Cui, Nong’er only meant well.”

Her earnestness only fueled Cui Huaizhou’s fury. He raised his wrist, which had inexplicably swollen. “You’re not… not what you…”

Before he could utter the word “good,” Bo Xuenong sealed his mouth with a swift hand seal. A mouth that spoke only ill should remain shut.

Bo Xuenong circled Cui Huaizhou twice, feigning concern. “Martial Uncle Cui, what are you saying?”

Her gaze lingered on Cui Huaizhou’s wrist, but she couldn’t recall ever striking him there.

Bo Xuenong deliberately shielded her hand, which was still forming the sealing gesture, behind her back. Though her methods were taught by Shen Yanting and undetectable to others, they couldn’t escape Shen Yanting’s notice. Yet Shen Yanting didn’t expose Bo Xuenong. Instead, after Warm Moon Hall had fallen silent again, she announced another matter: “Sect Leader, I will be taking Nong’er away next month.”

“Senior Sister Shen!” Fu Yunqing turned back in shock. “What are you saying? Are you abandoning the Imperial Tranquility Sect?”

Shen Yanting replied, “The Former Sect Leader should have told you about this.”

The mention of the previous sect leader reminded Fu Yunqing. “Before Master passed away, she did say that Senior Sister wouldn’t remain with the Imperial Tranquility Sect forever. After five hundred years, she would… Has it already been five hundred years?”

“Mm,” Shen Yanting nodded lightly in confirmation.

Fu Yunqing had long forgotten this matter, which was precisely why she had been so insistent on Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting succeeding her as sect leader. Now that the truth had resurfaced, she found it difficult to accept. “Senior Sister Shen, where are you going? I was counting on Xuenong to take over as sect leader. Can’t you stay?”

Shen Yanting still held deep affection for the Sect Leader she had personally supported for five centuries. However, she had a mission she couldn’t abandon. After a moment’s contemplation, she simply stated her destination: “The Cultivation World’s once-in-a-millennium Cultivation Journey to Scale Mountain County is about to begin. I want to take Nong’er to participate.”

Fu Yunqing, unaware of the true circumstances, assumed Shen Yanting was acting for Bo Xuenong’s growth. She asked, “Xuenong, do you want to go?”

She hoped Bo Xuenong would say no, but Bo Xuenong simply echoed Shen Yanting’s sentiment: “Yes!”

Did she really want to go?

Absolutely.

Bo Xuenong had already seen the story’s trajectory through Guan Caimei’s memories. She knew Shen Yanting was taking her away from the Imperial Tranquility Sect because the trials were about to begin. The Scale Mountain County Cultivation Journey was their opportunity to meet the male and female leads, marking their official debut in the narrative. According to the original plot, they would both die there.

But this time, Shen Yanting wouldn’t die.

If I kill the male lead, she’ll die too. I won’t give Shen Yanting the chance to sacrifice herself rather than kill me.

The more Bo Xuenong thought about it, the more delighted she became, her eyes nearly overflowing with laughter.

For Bo Xuenong, as long as Shen Yanting lived, it would be a happy ending, completely disregarding Shen Yanting’s own desire for her to survive as well.