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Join the ServerThe Seven Sects had never expected the Demon Sect’s countermeasures to be so swift and effective.
Hidden deep within the remote valleys, any attempt to assault the Demon Sect’s headquarters required traversing a vast, dense forest.
Under Shui Jingxuan’s arrangement, the forest had long been transformed into a poisonous grove riddled with traps, teeming with hidden dangers.
The Seven Sects dispatched two waves of forces, but before they could even approach the Demon Sect’s gates, more than half had been lost.
Coupled with the Wolf Girl’s high-profile resurgence a few days later, the Seven Sects, after much deliberation, ultimately abandoned this formidable target and turned their attention to pursuing the Wolf Girl.
In their reckoning, the heterodox faction, having lost its three leaders, was now nothing but a rabble, unlikely to pose a significant threat. Since they were content to hole up in the deep valley, they could stay there forever.
Within the Demon Sect, all the elders closely monitored the movements of the Seven Sects. When news arrived that the Wolf Girl had reappeared to seek revenge against the Seven Sects, they were genuinely surprised, yet beyond the surprise, they felt a measure of relief.
“I never thought the Wolf Girl would refuse to collude with those Han dogs. After all, she was raised by our tribe; she hasn’t completely forgotten her roots.
Now she is slaughtering members of the Seven Sects, killing the sect masters of Qingcheng, Diancang, and Kunlun, throwing them into disarray.
Left Protector, what do you think? Should we take the initiative and lend her a hand? This is a perfect opportunity for our tribe to exact revenge,” proposed Elder Miao, one of the Ten Great Elders.
The other nine elders who had come to consult the Left Protector on countermeasures nodded in agreement, finding Elder Miao’s words reasonable—this was indeed an opportune moment to exploit the chaos.
“Not forgotten her roots?” Shui Jingxuan sat in the chief seat of the council hall, his expression ambiguous—a faint, cold smile played on his lips.
His phoenix eyes, half-closed, brimmed with a chilling murderous intent as he asked softly, “May I ask Elder Miao, if betraying one’s master and colluding with outsiders to assassinate one’s own teacher is not forgetting one’s roots, then what is? Why should I help such a person?”
Elder Miao was stumped, momentarily unable to respond.
Without waiting for his reply, Shui Jingxuan continued,
“Moreover, this is not revenge for our tribe—it is revenge for herself. She is merely venting the heartbreak of being betrayed by her lover.
You are overestimating her. She first betrayed her clan, then was betrayed by her lover; landing in this state of alienation is her own doing, undeserving of sympathy.
Besides, she is highly skilled in martial arts, elusive and unpredictable. Even with countless enemies, no one can catch her. If we offer her our aid, do you believe the Seven Sects will not turn against us tomorrow?
Do not think our defenses are impregnable. In truth, the Seven Sects need not attack us head-on; they could simply besiege us from outside the forest for a few months, and we would starve to death.
Helping her comes at the cost of harming our own people. Do you still wish to go? Do not be fixated on revenge. As the saying goes, a gentleman seeks revenge after ten years.
Our tribe is weak; our current priority is to develop our strength and recuperate, not to drag everyone down in a fit of impulsiveness.”
After his words fell, the Ten Great Elders remained lost in thought, unable to snap out of it. The more they pondered, the more they realized how far-sighted and substantive the Left Protector’s considerations were.
Inwardly, they felt grateful that the Left Protector had stepped forward to take charge at this critical moment; otherwise, the Demon Sect would be in grave danger.
Seeing their expressions relax, showing signs of agreement, Shui Jingxuan continued to guide their thinking in his direction, speaking slowly,
“In recent years, the Sect Master has been solely focused on revenge, concentrating on teaching our people martial arts but neglecting their livelihoods. Little does he know that for a nation to become strong, it relies on population and the next generation, not merely on combat strength.
If every clan member can have enough to eat and wear, grow up healthily, learn both literature and martial arts, then in five or ten years, our tribe will surely prosper with a flourishing population and an abundance of talents. Imagine what our tribe would be like then? Would we still be bullied and slaughtered at will?”
Upon hearing the Left Protector’s vision for the future, the Ten Great Elders’ eyes shone with anticipation, their hearts pounding with excitement.
“If it truly is as the Left Protector says, in five years our tribe can fully contend with the Seven Sects,” Elder Mu said with a smile, but then frowned, hesitating.
“However, what the Left Protector has described cannot be achieved without sufficient funds. The valley our tribe occupies is extremely remote and barren; we cannot grow crops or develop trade and commerce.
The only valuable items are some medicinal herbs. But relying solely on these herbs to realize the Left Protector’s vision is very difficult.”
“No rush,” Shui Jingxuan waved his hand, his expression confident.
“I have my own methods. The elite disciples of the Seven Sects have just been slaughtered by me; five years later will be their period of transition, when they lack capable successors.
At that time, wiping out the Seven Sects will not be difficult. But let’s leave future matters for later. For now, the Sect Master and my master are still severely injured in bed, and I cannot consult with them.
The Seven Sects still have remnants lurking outside the valley to besiege us. Once the crisis is fully resolved, we can then discuss the long-term plan.”
Although the Left Protector’s words were vague, his calm tone seemed to possess a certain magic that instantly convinced the Ten Great Elders.
Considering the extraordinary wisdom and leadership he had displayed during this crisis, they had no doubts and quickly accepted his strategy of ‘rest and recuperation, biding one’s time.’
The heterodox faction did not forget their hatred, but the clansmen were struggling to make a living. Thus, Shui Jingxuan’s words undoubtedly resonated deeply with them, and as word spread, his status within the tribe rose. But that is a matter for later.
Just as everyone finished their discussion and prepared to disperse, a newcomer rushed in, not even bothering to bow, and shouted loudly, “Left Protector, terrible news! The female Sect Master’s injuries are too severe; she cannot be saved.”
“What did you say?!” Shui Jingxuan asked in disbelief, then abruptly stood up. The elders, also horrified, followed closely behind him.
Shui Jingxuan stepped inside. The woman’s face was serene, as if she were merely sleeping. But she had no breath; she was already gone.
“I came too late! It’s all my fault!” After a moment, confirming that the female Ji Wushuang had left this world, Shui Jingxuan lowered his head, covering his face, his voice hoarse with endless guilt and regret.
At this moment, he could only hate himself for not arriving a moment earlier to kill Zhuo Yihang and the Wolf Girl, thus preventing the two from being ambushed.
He could only hate that his special ability was so weak. If he were stronger, he could not only repair their severed meridians and blood vessels but also regenerate the large amount of blood lost in a short time.
Then the female Sect Master would not have died. But a person’s death is like a lamp going out; no amount of remorse could change that.
After a long while, Shui Jingxuan fought to maintain a calm expression, lowered his hands from his face, and knelt beside the bed of the female Ji Wushuang, heavily knocking his head three times.
‘The grace of upbringing and teaching, I will never forget!’ As he kowtowed, this thought surfaced in his mind.
Seeing the usually composed and calm Left Protector showing deep sorrow for the first time, his narrow phoenix eyes turning faintly red, and a glint of tears at the upturned corners, the accompanying elders were all moved.
Grieving deeply for the female Sect Master’s death, they also knelt beside the bed and kowtowed.
“Give the Sect Master a lavish burial,” Shui Jingxuan said as he stood up, then added with a darkening gaze,
“A lavish burial, but no public mourning. We must prevent the Seven Sects outside the valley from learning the news and taking advantage of the situation, and also avoid demoralizing our people.
In the future, when our tribe prospers, I will surely demand blood debt from the Seven Sects to comfort the Sect Master’s spirit in heaven.”
The Ten Great Elders, united in their hatred, chorused their agreement.
Shui Jingxuan nodded and said to the High Priest, who was still kneeling and had not risen, “How is my master? Take me to see him.”
The High Priest quickly assented and led the group to the adjacent room of Ji Wushuang, speaking as they walked,
“Left Protector, the Sect Master has profound internal energy. Although he lost a lot of blood, he has barely crossed the threshold of life and death. He will naturally wake up in two or three days, and will only need a few months of recuperation afterward.”
Shui Jingxuan nodded and strode to the bedside. Leaning over, he saw that though Ji Wushuang’s complexion was pale, his chest was still rising and falling. The tightly strung tension in his heart instantly relaxed.
He slowly sat beside Ji Wushuang, took his large hand, and gently squeezed it. Feeling the warmth from his palm, the sorrow and regret within him from the female Sect Master’s death diminished considerably.
He had to admit that, compared to the female Sect Master, he cared more about his master. If the person who had died today were his master, he could not guarantee that he would still have the rationality to arrange his funeral.
He thought he would regret it for the rest of his life and would unleash a crazy revenge on the Seven Sects, even at the cost of destroying this goldmine-like home.
At this thought, he was suddenly startled, his heart churning with turmoil. He realized that Ji Wushuang had taken such an important place in his heart.
No wonder he always subconsciously compared his own standing to that of the Wolf Girl in Ji Wushuang’s affections;
No wonder seeing Ji Wushuang favor the Wolf Girl made him feel so stifled and disappointed;
No wonder that day in the pond, he, with his excellent self-control, had felt desire for Ji Wushuang;
No wonder every time he thought of Ji Wushuang dying according to the original plot, his heart ached.
This was not a trivial concern; even if it had not yet reached the level of love, it was not far off.
Thinking this, Shui Jingxuan tightened his grip on Ji Wushuang’s hand, propped his forehead with his hand, and smiled bitterly, silently thinking to himself:
‘Shui Jingxuan, Shui Jingxuan, after two lifetimes, you still haven’t improved! In the previous life, you misjudged another’s heart; in this life, you misjudged your own. How ironic! Indeed, is the human heart the most difficult thing to predict in this world?’
As he was wallowing in self-reproach, on the other side, the unconscious Ji Wushuang seemed to sense the presence of his beloved disciple and muttered unconsciously, “Disciple, don’t go… Master will never kill you…”
Ji Wushuang’s personality was withdrawn and he was never good with words. Thus, even though he had a thousand words to pour out to his beloved disciple, what came out were only these few phrases, repeated over and over, and their ambiguous meaning easily led to misunderstanding.
“Alas, the Sect Master’s heart still belongs to the Wolf Girl. Even in his coma, he wants to chase after her. It makes sense; after spending so many years together day and night, the Sect Master’s feelings for her have taken deep root. It’s not something he can just abandon,”
Elder Mu said with a sigh, naturally assuming that the Sect Master’s ‘disciple’ referred to the Wolf Girl after some mental embellishment.
Upon hearing Ji Wushuang’s muttering, Shui Jingxuan’s face darkened. Hearing Elder Mu’s sigh, his grip on Ji Wushuang’s hand tightened fiercely.
‘The fingers are connected to the heart; I wish I could break all of Ji Wushuang’s fingers to make him taste the pain.’ For a traitor—a woman who had despised him from beginning to end—Ji Wushuang, having fallen to such a state, still wholeheartedly cared for her!
What a steadfast love! What a refusal to repent even in death! Shui Jingxuan gritted his teeth, thinking bitterly that even though he had long known the plot, his heart still ached in spasms.
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