Leaving the Council Hall, father and son walked along the corridor leading to the study. The surroundings fell quiet, with only the soft echo of their footsteps.
After a moment of silence, Su Jing did not look at Su Yi. Keeping his gaze fixed ahead, he spoke in a steady voice, asking a question that had lingered in his mind for a long time: “Yi'er, there is something your father does not understand.”
Su Yi’s heart stirred slightly, though his expression remained unchanged. “Please speak, Father.”
“Why do you... regard Tantai Yunzhi in such a different light?” Su Jing halted his steps and turned to face his son. “Do not try to brush me off. I know you. You are not someone who would defend another at all costs without regard for the consequences merely because she possesses a heaven-defying talent like the Five Elements Dao Physique. Taking all the blame upon yourself back in the Council Hall was definitely not as simple as merely cherishing talent.”
“Indeed, it is not merely because of her extraordinary talent, not to mention that her physique is flawed. If I must state the reasons... first, perhaps it truly was a moment of compassion on my part. Seeing someone endowed with peerless talent suffer cold glares and isolation due to a physical defect, I could not bear to stand by.”
He paused before continuing in a more pragmatic tone, “Second, as Father knows, though Tantai Yunzhi hails from the Tantai clan, everyone has seen how her family treats her. Entering our Divine Might Manor, she is all alone with nothing to rely on. If our manor can grant her shelter and aid her growth, she will inevitably come to see Divine Might Manor as her sole reliance. Although the heights she can truly reach remain unknown, with such talent and character, if nurtured properly, her loyalty and future value will far exceed ordinary disciples. Doing this is beneficial whether considered by emotion, reason, or the sect's long-term interests.”
Su Jing listened quietly, his expression betraying neither joy nor anger.
Only after Su Yi finished speaking did he sigh, dropping a piece of news Su Yi had not known from him: “Long before, while you were still reflecting on Repentance Cliff, your mother... had already met her privately.”
Hearing this, Su Yi’s expression did not shift much; he had already learned of this from Tantai Yunzhi.
Su Jing continued, his tone tinged with complexity: “Rou'er... even cast a divination for Tantai Yunzhi.”
“What?!” Su Yi was startled. Gongsun Rou was uniquely skilled in the art of divination. Back when she saved Su Jing, she had cast a hexagram and deduced that Su Jing would achieve great things in the future.
In the game, players roaming around the sect had a chance of encountering Gongsun Rou. Sometimes she would assign tasks, and sometimes she would grant a divination. Whenever players followed her guidance, they would reap massive amounts of cultivation resources or techniques.
Yet this was not a game. Casting divinations took a heavy toll on his mother, so he had never asked her to get involved in matters with such massive ramifications.
“What did the hexagram show?” Su Yi pressed hurriedly.
Su Jing’s brows knitted slightly, a flicker of reminiscence passing through his eyes, accompanied by an unmistakable pang of heartache. “Your mother spoke only four words: ‘Misfortune and fortune intertwined.’ Yet your father has never seen her exert so much to cast a divination for someone! When the hexagram formed, her face was deathly pale, and her aura remained languid for days...”
He let out a sigh, looking at Su Yi. “After learning of this, your father was unwilling to let Rou'er have too much contact with Tantai Yunzhi. This girl’s destiny is far too bizarre and involves far too much; I fear it may not be an auspicious bond. Yet... Rou'er seems exceptionally interested in Tantai Yunzhi, perhaps even... fixated. Your father will not say more. Your temperament is just like your mother’s, so you likely won’t abandon her over a few words. I only want you to keep this in mind and know your limits. Go back.”
Arriving at the entrance of the study, Su Jing did not let Su Yi inside, merely waving his hand to dismiss him.
...
In the side hall of the Council Hall...
Watching Tantai Yunzhi’s eager attempts to clear herself while remaining firmly rooted in her stance, Gongsun Rou found her inner amusement growing even stronger. Outwardly, however, she feigned deep thought. Tapping her slender fingers lightly against the table, she presented a practical dilemma: “Oh? Having such determination is a good thing. But Yunzhi, you are only at Ninth Layer Qi Condensation, your cultivation still shallow. As for your greatest reliance—medical and pharmacological expertise—Zhao Qian has also had quite the ‘serendipitous encounter’ recently. She is already no slouch in this field, perhaps even surpassing you. On what grounds... are you certain you can defeat her and seize that position of vice commander?”
She deliberately pointed out the current gap between them, serving both as a test and to see just how steadfast this young girl's resolve truly was.
Tantai Yunzhi pursed her lips slightly, a flicker of contemplation passing through her clear blue eyes before being replaced by an even fiercer emotion. Lifting her gaze, she looked straight at Gongsun Rou. Her voice was not loud, yet it carried an indisputable firmness: “I do not know.”
She frankly admitted her current shortcomings. “I do not know how long it will take, nor do I know what specifically must be done. But—”
Her tone abruptly hardened, carrying an almost stubborn conviction: “Senior Brother... must never be betrothed to Zhao Qian!”
She knew Zhao Qian all too well; the girl possessed the heart of a complete scoundrel. Senior Brother together with Zhao Qian! The mental picture was so toxic she didn’t even dare imagine it!
Zhao Qian was simply not worthy!
Even she felt herself unworthy of entertaining such thoughts toward Su Yi, yet Zhao Qian had the audacity to reach her hands out!
In her eyes, not even describing it as a delicate flower planted in cow dung could do it justice.
Looking at her dead-serious expression, Gongsun Rou felt an inexplicable tremble in her heart.
She had originally only meant to tease the two girls to see their true attitudes toward Yi'er, never anticipating that Tantai Yunzhi’s reaction would be this intense.
‘Did I... take the joke too far?’ A tiny pang of guilt for playing tricks flashed in Gongsun Rou’s mind. But seeing Tantai Yunzhi’s eyes brimming with resolve—as though ablaze with fire—that sliver of guilt was instantly replaced by the exhilaration of striking gold.
After all, the mood had been set, and it was time to reveal her true intention.
Once an arrow left the bowstring, how could it ever turn back?
She immediately waved her pale hand, her playful, teasing expression completely vanishing. In its place arose the solemnity and majesty befitting a powerhouse, her voice ringing clear and resounding with conviction: “Good! What this seat wants is precisely this indisputable attitude and resolve of yours!”
Her gaze burned brightly as she looked at Tantai Yunzhi, asking word by word, “Tantai Yunzhi, this seat asks you—are you willing to join my tutelage and become a personal disciple... under me, Gongsun Rou?”
“What?!”
The moment those words were spoken, Gongsun Lin was the first to gasp in disbelief, shock plastered across her face!
Although she was nominally a disciple of Su Jing and Gongsun Rou, granted cultivation techniques and their protection, it was more along the lines of a named disciple—though Su Jing would still teach her without holding back.
Yet Gongsun Rou had a whimsical temperament, too lazy to even attend sect elder meetings, and had never officially and publicly taken any personal disciple! Now, she was actually extending the olive branch of personal disciple status to Tantai Yunzhi, who had entered the sect barely a month ago and possessed a Flawed Great Dao physique?!
Tantai Yunzhi was also completely stunned, her mind going entirely blank as her azure eyes widened slightly in utter shock.
A personal disciple? Becoming the disciple of Senior Brother Su’s mother?
She had never dared harbor such wild hopes! Ever since the problem with her physique was exposed, she had grown accustomed to being scrutinized, abandoned, and cast aside.
Even though Su Yi had defended her time and again, she had only thought of it as the Young Manor Lord’s pity or a passing whim; she had never imagined she could receive such an immense honor!
The colossal shock left her momentarily at a loss for how to respond. She could only stare blankly at Gongsun Rou, as if trying to confirm from the woman’s face whether these words were true or false.
Rate on N.U.
