Chapter 373: Chapter 373: With Master Here, I’m at Ease
’Since Master is asking, she must have never met Martial Aunt Liu Lan Yi.’
She lifted her head, looked directly into Leng Qingzhu’s eyes, and replied earnestly, word by word:
"Gu Qingyuan fell in love with his own disciple. He was willing to betray the Sect for her, and even tried to harm me..."
"In the end, he died by my hand."
Song Wanning stared intently at her master’s face, not wanting to see a look of disappointment.
Upon hearing this news, Leng Qingzhu froze.
Leng Qingzhu had already ascended by the time Ye Chuxue joined the Sect.
But Gu Qingyuan was the disciple she had raised herself. She had put great effort into guiding him when he was young, pouring her heart and soul into his development.
How could she not be shocked to hear that he was now dead—and at the hands of her younger disciple, no less?
But seeing her younger disciple’s nervous expression, her heart softened, and she let out a long sigh.
"Since he was willing to give up everything, he has no one else to blame."
"Instead, he’s the one who wronged you..."
Leng Qingzhu pulled her younger disciple into an embrace, gently patting Song Wanning’s back in silent comfort.
It was as much to console Song Wanning as it was to console herself.
’Gu Qingyuan actually fell in love with his own disciple. Even if he hadn’t died, I would have personally expelled him!’
’A disciple who would engage in such a taboo relationship is better off gone.’
’And this disciple in my arms... She appears bright and bold, but she’s actually sensitive and delicate on the inside. Gu Qingyuan must have broken her heart.’
She worried that her young disciple was just putting on a brave face, and she blamed herself for having been completely unaware.
Feeling the warm embrace, Song Wanning smiled with contentment.
’Master isn’t disappointed in me. She loves and protects me, just as she always has.’
’That’s more than enough!’
After savoring the warmth for a moment longer, she sat up straight and changed the subject.
"Martial Aunt ascended long ago. Master, have you ever seen her?"
It had been several years since Liu Lan Yi ascended, yet there had been no word from her. ’I wonder if she’s run into any danger.’
Leng Qingzhu’s expression turned serious. "I heard the Sect Master mention this," she said gravely. "Back when you asked him to deliver things to us, he tried to ask about Lan Yi’s whereabouts."
"But even now, I haven’t been able to contact her. The Spirit Realm is vast and full of wonders. Finding someone would take considerable effort."
Leng Qingzhu wasn’t well-known in the Spirit Realm; she had only joined the Ancient Cold Sect the previous year. Liu Lan Yi would certainly have had no way to find out where she was.
Thus, they had missed each other, never managing to meet.
"But your martial aunt is a cautious person. She should be fine, so you don’t need to worry."
Leng Qingzhu then changed the subject. "Speaking of which, I hear that as soon as you arrived, you started challenging the Bai Mu List. You’re quite the hot topic in the Sect now."
A teasing tone filled the air between them.
Song Wanning laughed heartily, her expression growing even more bright and bold.
"You know me, Master. I’ve always been one for the spotlight. I don’t know how to lie low."
Even without the foundation of the Song Family, she was unwilling to be subservient. Her only focus was to improve her strength and climb higher.
The ambition in her eyes was plain to see. Leng Qingzhu couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head.
"You silly girl. Aren’t you afraid of making too many enemies?"
"Since you’ve just arrived, let me first explain the current situation in the Ancient Cold Sect."
Her expression turned grave. With a wave of her hand, she set up a privacy barrier before whispering, "The Ancient Cold Sect is one of the five Major Sects in the Southern Domain, but things within the Sect are not peaceful."
"The Ancient Cold Sect has three Supreme Elders in total: Jiang Wentian, who is at Mid-stage Integration; Ruan Mingyue, at Late-stage Integration; and the last one is my own master, your grandmaster, the Late-stage Integration Cultivator Song Que."
"With the three Supreme Elders at the top, those beneath them have also split into several factions, none of which submits to the others..."
Leng Qingzhu then briefly mentioned a few representative figures from each faction to Song Wanning.
The internal strife within the Ancient Cold Sect was constant, but the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. After all, the competition between factions also motivated the disciples to cultivate.
When it came time to face external threats, however, they would unite as one to confront the challenge together.
Thus, the relationship between the three factions was quite delicate.
Since Leng Qingzhu had taken Song Que as her master, she had joined his camp, and now, the same was true for Song Wanning.
At least, that’s what anyone would assume.
’I see. No wonder there were rumors about me the moment I joined the Sect...’
’It seems to be the work of the other two factions. They just didn’t expect that my forceful approach would end up building my own momentum instead.’
"Yes. Be more careful in the future, especially in Secret Realms..."
Leng Qingzhu left it at that, saying no more.
She chatted with Song Wanning for a while longer. When she learned that her disciple had already challenged her way up to the thirtieth rank, she fell silent for a moment.
’This young disciple’s momentum is unstoppable. Sooner or later, she will surpass me.’
But she wasn’t jealous; on the contrary, she felt deeply gratified.
A student is not necessarily inferior to their teacher, nor must a teacher be superior to their student.
She was very open-minded about it.
"I understand, Master."
Song Wanning nodded, then asked about Pursuing Peak.
"You can rest easy and stay here. Your martial uncles are all forthright and spirited people; they’ll certainly be delighted to meet you."
"It’s just that some of them are away, and others are still on their way back. I’ll introduce you to them later."
Leng Qingzhu pointed to an empty space near the entrance. "If you don’t like it here, you can build your own house. As for your grandmaster, he’s currently in seclusion, so we won’t disturb him for now."
’None of my senior brothers and sisters have taken on disciples yet. They’re bound to be overjoyed when they meet Song Wanning.’
"Great! In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony!"
Song Wanning smiled. She also preferred having her own private space, which would make things more convenient.
However, she had something very important to do at the moment. She tugged on Leng Qingzhu’s sleeve and said, "Master, your disciple has a treasure that needs to be refined, but I fear it may cause a strange phenomenon..."
She was worried the treasure would be exposed, so she had never dared to use it.
Now that her master was back, this might be her chance.
Hearing this, Leng Qingzhu pondered for a moment. "Go ahead and refine it with peace of mind. If there is a phenomenon, I have ways to deal with it."
’I’ve only just returned from a Secret Realm. Even if something is exposed, others will just assume I was the one who had a fortuitous encounter.’
"Alright. With you here, Master, I have nothing to worry about."
At that moment, Song Wanning finally felt a sense of belonging, and her heart was at ease.
With Leng Qingzhu standing guard, she wasted no time and went into the training room.
Leng Qingzhu, in turn, activated the Peak Protection Array, completely enveloping the entire mountain.
...
At the Ancient Cold Sect’s battle arena, the disciples had been waiting with bated breath, but there was still no sign of Song Wanning.
The thirtieth-ranked prodigy had also arrived early, but as they waited and waited for Song Wanning, a flicker of confusion crossed their refined features.
"Why isn’t Senior Sister Song here yet today? I was waiting to see her win!!!"
"Yeah, she comes every day. Did something hold her up today?"
"What? I just got back to the Sect today and rushed over specifically to see the show. Don’t tell me I’m this unlucky!"
"Sigh, I’ve gotten used to coming here every day. If Senior Sister Song doesn’t show up for a single day, I feel anxious just thinking about it!"
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