Chapter 9: Going Out

Compared to his First Senior Brother, who insisted on striking poses under a tree with his conical hat regardless of the wind or rain, the Third Senior Brother, Yuling, preferred to stare blankly into the shadows. In Su Tao’er’s eyes, he was like a traumatized, withdrawn boy who would spend long stretches of time in isolation.

However, the Third Senior Brother was incredibly hardworking and never complained. He was responsible for everyone’s three daily meals, occasionally went out hunting, and spent time cleaning and wiping down the Main Pavilion.

Aside from those duties, Yuling spent most of his time staring into space in some corner. He would sit with his mouth slightly agape and his eyes glazed over, staring vacantly at the sky or the nighttime stars, unwilling to utter a single word.

Su Tao’er knew that the Third Senior Brother had once been captured and imprisoned by the Xuannv Sect for seven or eight years. During that time, he had suffered significant inhuman treatment. It seemed he had been subjected to constant Essence Gathering, causing even his weight to plummet.

However, today, as Si Yan was taking Su Tao’er out to gather medicinal herbs, he discussed the matter with the Second Senior Brother, Bai Lan, with an air of complete indifference.

“Actually, Yuling used to be quite arrogant and loved to challenge various sects. His personality only changed drastically after he escaped the Xuannv Sect,” Si Yan remarked while stroking his chin. “Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal, was it? Essence Gathering is just Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation. He essentially took advantage of those young women. I don’t see why it’s taking him so long to recover.”

‘If I were the one in that den of beauties, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even want to leave,’ Si Yan thought to himself.

Bai Lan was still dressed in the attire of a male scholar. As they walked, he explained, “Honored Master, you have the wrong idea. Although the Xuannv Sect is comprised entirely of women, the young ones are all untouched maidens or married women. Why would they be willing to dual cultivate with a man they aren’t properly involved with? Such a stroke of luck doesn’t just fall from the sky. Besides, there are many beautiful women in the Xuannv Sect. If they really just picked anyone for Essence Gathering, men would be lining up all night. If Junior Brother had been gathered by a young woman of pure status, he wouldn’t have come back to our Destiny Pavilion — he would have stayed there as a live-in son-in-law.”

Si Yan paused and asked, “Then wasn’t Yuling imprisoned by them for seven or eight years?”

Su Tao’er followed behind them, remaining silent throughout the conversation. She was still a virgin and had never been married; she naturally wouldn’t participate in such a spicy topic, as it was quite improper. However, women are curious by nature, and even a girl with a fine upbringing like Su Tao’er was no exception. She kept her cherry-red lips tightly shut and her large, dark eyes focused on her feet as she stepped on the bamboo needles in the forest, but she kept her ears perked up. ‘I don’t want to miss a single detail of these secret scandals,’ she thought.

Following Si Yan’s question, Bai Lan explained, “Honored Master, in the Xuannv Sect, the ones who capture young men with strong yang energy and cultivation for Essence Gathering are the elders. They are usually 500 or 600 years old, facing a bottleneck in their realm, and are essentially old vixens with one foot in the grave. I heard that when Yuling was captured, he had just finished a battle with a powerful expert and was physically weak. Rumor has it that the Sect Leader of the Xuannv Sect is already 738 years old. Back then, she desperately needed a man for her cultivation and even mobilized the entire sect to corner him. So, Honored Master, you understand.”

Si Yan’s body stiffened for a moment before he blankly muttered, “That is a tragedy…”

*Pfft!*

Upon hearing this, Su Tao’er could not help herself and let out an impolite laugh.

Even though she realized it was quite terrible of her, at least regarding her Third Senior Brother, Su Tao’er simply could not hold it in. Even with her hands covering her mouth, she was stifling her laughter so hard that her neck turned red.

Si Yan turned around and teased, “Tao’er, you’re being naughty. You can’t make fun of your Senior Brother in the future. But for now, laugh if you must, because it really is quite amusing. Besides, your Senior Brother isn’t here anyway. Hahaha!”

‘I’m not envious of him anymore,’ Si Yan mused happily.

Su Tao’er playfully stuck out her tongue, shrugged her shoulders, and didn’t dare speak again.

They seemed to be heading to a very distant place today to gather herbs for refining pills. It was roughly a two-day journey, so the three of them were carrying some luggage.

It was an overcast day, and the road was even a bit slippery. Combined with the fact that the Phantom Sea was a large basin with terrains like mountains and canyons, all they could see in the distance today was thick fog.

The region of the Phantom Sea was vast, but for various reasons, it was sparsely populated. While there were settled city-states, there had never been a nation that truly ruled over the area.

Their current goal was to reach a town ahead before dark to rest for the night.

Si Yan scratched his head and asked again, “Lan’er, how did Yuling escape from the Xuannv Sect? He was held captive for such a long time.”

Bai Lan held up a paper fan and said, “I heard that on the day Yuling escaped, the Sect Leader of the Xuannv Sect and her daughter got into a fight for some reason. The mother and daughter fought until they were bloodied and their clothes were torn apart. One cursed her daughter as a little slut, while the other insulted her own mother as a shameless old hag. The fight was quite brutal.”

Bai Lan paused as if reminiscing, then added, “Although Yuling has never mentioned a single word about it himself, I heard that someone secretly brought him a blade. He activated his heart method and Blade Intent, slicing through the Divine Iron Golden Crystal that had imprisoned him for years, and finally escaped into the light.”

“Yuling is a Blade Cultivator. As long as he has a blade in hand, there is nothing in this world he cannot cut,” Si Yan said thoughtfully. “But why would the Sect Leader of the Xuannv Sect fight so brutally with her own biological daughter?”

After a moment, Si Yan slapped his forehead as if realizing something. “It seems this is not just a tragedy, but a moral disaster as well…”

*Pfft!*

Su Tao’er once again could not help but laugh out loud.

After the master and his two disciples had traveled for most of the day, a town finally appeared within the mist ahead.