165 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 855: Promises When Xiang Shi Yan awoke, she discovered that she had returned to the small courtyard of Mo Zhu Peak. Although she hadn't lived in her room for four years, it remained spotless, clearly maintained with care. Everything was just as she had left it, and even after their absence of more than half a month, there was not a speck of dust. Zhu Yun and Zhu Yu had taken great care of the place. Her spiritual core was still depleted. Having faced Yu Zi Ming and Tian Jie, by the time she confronted Gui Wang, she had been completely exhausted. Fortunately, she managed to hold out until their master and others arrived to help. ...In hindsight, she regretted reaching out to Lian Long for help. Although it was uncertain whether Lian Long would make a move against Huai Ye immediately, the coveting was troublesome nonetheless. Xiang Shi Yan, with neither the title nor the power currently, couldn't evict her. Only she and Li Huai knew of Huai Ye's celestial physique, and they hadn’t even told Yu Ming. How Lian Long found out remained a mystery. Pondering this, Xiang Shi Yan realized she hadn't yet warned her senior brother Li Huai and Huai Ye. Had Lian Long possibly done something while she was unconscious? Her hopes for peaceful rest vanished instantly. An uneasy premonition told her that Lian Long wished to exploit Huai Ye and would not act as simply as they might expect—there must be some unforeseen plot. Lian Long pursued the Way of Emotions like she did, but their "Ways" were entirely different. His conduct was wild and unpredictable, making it impossible for Xiang Shi Yan to predict his actions. Her only thought was to rush to the main peak and inform the two. "Ugh..." She groggily sat up, feeling entirely drained. Her toes couldn't quite reach her slippers, and an irritation in her throat began to bother her. The yin energy she absorbed when enveloped by ghostly mist, though mostly dispelled while countering Tian Jie, still lingered. Now, her body was alternately hot and cold, as if she were feverish. She threw on a nearby outer garment, got out of bed to pour herself some water, warmed it with her spiritual power, and drank it to ease the knife-like soreness in her throat. Though she had acquired new injuries, they were fortunately not severe. The exhaustion of channeling qi into her body and the fatigue of her spiritual senses left Xiang Shi Yan a bit depleted in spirit, but with rest, she should recover. After all, she had finally broken through to the Mahayana stage, and in comparison, minor injuries were trivial. With her spiritual power depleted, she couldn’t use the usual means of sending messages via paper cranes. Xiang Shi Yan had no choice but to muster her energy, carefully writing down what she wanted to convey, and summoned He He, who was practicing swordplay in the courtyard, to deliver the message to the main peak. The young girl was delighted to see her awake: "Master, you've been asleep for a whole day and night. Are you alright? When I saw your clothes drenched in blood at the camp, I was nearly scared to death." It wasn't as dramatic as she said. Xiang Shi Yan touched her abdomen; the clothes she wore now were ones she had quickly washed and bandaged at the camp. It had only been a day and two nights, and the flesh wounds were nearly healed. Seeing He He was about to speak further, Xiang Shi Yan quickly stopped her, urging her to hurry on her way. Reluctantly, the girl flew on her sword. After six years of training, the girl with three spiritual roots had finally reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, having learned sword flight during Xiang Shi Yan’s retreat. Xiang Shi Yan had little concept of the passage of time in those four years, still thinking of He He as that fragile Qi Refining disciple, unaware that the girl had followed them back to the camp after realizing she was missing. Before she left, Xiang Shi Yan set a barrier on the door, but her spell had mistaken He He for someone else often enough. She probably realized that Xiang Shi Yan had brought her to the black market to keep them away from danger. "Master." A gentle call came from nearby. Zhu Yun returned from the herb field behind the house, face flushed and faintly sweaty, carrying a few herbs. Though lacking Xiang Shi Yan's constant guardianship, Zhu Yun's health had significantly improved over the years thanks to attentive care and prescriptions left by her. Now she appeared quite robust. "What are you doing?" Xiang Shi Yan asked, using a cloth to wipe Zhu Yun’s forehead. "Xiao Yu went to the main peak to listen to the elders' teachings and asked me to harvest the matured herbs for her to prepare later," Zhu Yun replied, holding up the still-earthy herbs. "Hearing you were unwell, she wants to make you a medicinal meal. Over the years, she's gotten very skilled, so just you wait." Though boisterous, the girl grew shy in her presence, something Xiang Shi Yan couldn’t quite explain. Clearly, the girl in the book wasn’t supposed to be like this, but to Xiang Shi Yan, the book might as well be a scroll of scratch paper, nothing worth referencing. "Is that so," Xiang Shi Yan murmured, coughing lightly. "Very well, I’ll wait then." She smoothed Zhu Yun’s bangs. "Though you and your sister have become my disciples, I've spent most of these years in seclusion without teaching you much... Are you adapting well?" The three children had grown into graceful young women, leaving Xiang Shi Yan a bit at a loss since she wasn't skilled at social interaction. Facing the now somewhat unfamiliar Zhu Yun, she didn’t know how exactly to act. Seeing her unease, Zhu Yun softly reassured her: "Our senior sisters and the others have treated us very well, so there's no need to worry. If you're feeling unwell, you should rest. I’ll handle these herbs." As she finished speaking, Zhu Yun couldn't help but sneeze softly, to which Xiang Shi Yan gently nudged her shoulder: "The weather is getting colder, be careful not to catch a cold. Change out of your sweaty clothes, I still have to talk with you." "...Yes," Zhu Yun replied, bowing as she retreated. Zhu Yun knew what Xiang Shi Yan wanted to discuss. Her bond with Gong Ning was akin to sisterhood. For someone like Zhu Yun, simply killing Zhu Cheng wouldn’t suffice. She wouldn’t rest until Zhu Jia had fallen with Zhu Cheng, dragging what he valued most down with him. Moreover, according to He He, over the years, not only had Xiang Shi Yan’s influence hunted those who had helped Zhu Cheng, but even the demon clan companions from their tumult in Huaihai City were also rooting out those affiliated with him upon Xiang Shi Yan’s command. Six years had passed, and her fury had not dimmed; she wanted to unravel this entire chain from beginning to end. The accomplices outside the core of the families were easy to trace, but affecting the families internally involved in this matter was not so simple, which was why she retained their surname. Five years ago, when ten-year-old Zhu Yun had accepted her fate, why did she now feel so sorrowful and reluctant? Humans are greedy—originally, all she wanted was for Zhu Yu to escape this mire, even if that meant sinking herself entirely. Later, Zhu Cheng died, and she learned the truth. Gong Ning hadn’t been blind, and she lost her last excuse to flee from reality. It turned out she had no right to blame her mother for bringing her into this world. In her final moment, the dying woman must have hated the two children that had lived as parasites inside her. With Zhu Cheng dead, having not achieved his wish of fathering a son, it should have been the perfect moment for her to claim the position as head of the Zhu family. In the end, no one anticipated someone as ruthless as He He would massacre the clan leader and others. So, while legitimate, it was best to seize control of Zhu Jia before others did, even without her own strength, for Yu Cang Shan could help her hold her ground against Zhu Feng. Xiang Shi Yan was a good person; she truly cared for them as her disciples, not as mere pawns to use at will. Zhu Yun understood this back then. Their master brought them back and let Zhu Feng take over Zhu Jia simply out of concern for their youth and vulnerability, sparing them from public criticism. But as time passed, Huaihai City’s three families, disrupted by He He’s attack, settled—Xu Jia was stable, Bai Jia’s upheaval had been swiftly controlled, and even the leader of Xu Jia considered bringing back the daughter once sent away by her father. If they didn’t seize this opportunity, such an opening might not come again. Even if they succeeded in leading Zhu Jia later, a family defeated in this aristocratic struggle would inevitably lose power, and it’d be uncertain if seizing them would be even worthwhile. She understood this completely... Since arriving at Yu Cang Shan, Zhu Yun frequently pondered when she’d leave. Whether stealthily sneaking down the mountain with her senior sisters to explore mortal festivals, sampling He He's purloined spiritual wine under the moon, or savoring every unpretentious meal, each sip of tea unsought by watchful eyes, every breath of uninhibited air—always, she wondered. She wondered if she had stolen the peaceful life meant for Gong Ning. Her studies progressed—so she delved into formations, talismans, and medicinal concoctions, perusing over half the tomes in the library over five years. The requests she sent with Xu You Qing for excursions or familial visits no longer asked for snacks or trinkets but increasingly detailed letters filled with negotiations and alliances... Perhaps, in the end, Zhu Cheng did win. He had managed to instill in Zhu Yun and Zhu Yu a deep-seated belief that they were nothing more than despicable Zhu family members, dirty vessels, and burdensome nuisances. The two girls remained uneasily guilty, feeling the shadows of the past constantly looming over them, always pondering how they might compensate Xiang Shi Yan, and what they could offer to the memory of the deceased Gong Ning. It was somewhat shameful to admit, but in the four years Xiang Shi Yan was in seclusion, Zhu Yun occasionally found herself wishing that their master’s cultivation progress would stall. If Xiang Shi Yan then noticed the value of a heavenly root vessel like her, Zhu Yun thought she might willingly dedicate herself, perhaps finding relief from her inner turmoil. Despite having rehearsed these scenarios in her mind countless times, the moment of departure filled her with reluctance. Zhu Yun puzzled over this—was she truly so attached to the tranquility here? Perhaps so, but more than that, it was the fear of her past, as if the shadows still clung to Huaihai City, and that crossing its threshold would revert everything back to five years ago. And yet... it was a debt she had to repay. Slowly changing out of her sweat-dampened clothing, a complex torrent of emotions welled up inside her. She couldn't help but think, maybe she shouldn’t have told Zhu Yu about all this from the start, sparing her sister the insistence on following her back... Xiang Shi Yan had already prepared some tea. Curiously, this tea was unearthed from He He’s private collection, and Xiang Shi Yan had no recollection of it. During a phase of obsessive interest in spiritual teas, she might have gathered it, and its familiar taste and aroma were vaguely remembered, likely from somewhere she had tasted it in the past. Like a prisoner before execution, Zhu Yun sat across from her, not reaching for the teacup, her hands clenched into fists on her lap, trembling slightly. "Your grand-master, Lian Long, plans to stay with the sect for some time. He... probably isn’t a good person, so you and Zhu Yu should steer clear of him as much as possible." Zhu Yun remembered Lian Long vividly, especially after He He, who had returned before them, mentioned something was off about him. It felt odd that she had just sent the unconscious Xiang Shi Yan back to Mo Zhu Peak herself. Adding to the unease was that Gong Ning was reputedly Lian Long’s most beloved disciple, making Zhu Yun and Zhu Yu even more apprehensive, though their grand-master’s attitude turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. However, the fact that Lian Long never mentioned Gong Ning puzzled them. According to He He, they expected either cold disdain or tearful lamentations, yet Lian Long appeared indifferent to the matter. Zhu Yun kept these thoughts to herself, merely nodding. The atmosphere grew tense once more, and Xiang Shi Yan gently traced the rim of her cup, breaking the silence first: "When I rescued you from Huaihai City back then, I considered whether you should change your surname." Zhu Yun took a deep breath. "To be honest, Master, I have thought about it as well. But I feared offending those who have passed." Xiang Shi Yan chuckled softly. "You underestimate her." "It’s understandable for unwanted children to bear resentment." Something about this statement seemed to touch a nerve in Xiang Shi Yan, for she diverted her gaze abruptly. "That’s natural. But the dead are gone, and any perceived offense is just a knot in the living’s hearts." Both imagined what Embracer Jun might have felt if she were alive, but no matter how much they speculated, it remained just that—speculation. She was, after all, gone. "Heart ailments are hard to cure, so, Master, administer whatever drastic measures you deem necessary," Zhu Yun replied, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "The cultivation world is headed for major changes. Capturing Zhu Jia—or even all of Huaihai City—would prevent being so passive. Privately, though my motive is vengeance, pruning some surface roots isn’t enough. Without completely removing the toxic roots, I can’t dispel the hate in my heart. Publicly and privately, I wish for you and Zhu Yu to take control of Zhu Jia." As expected, the conversation turned there. Zhu Yun couldn’t parse the origin of the disappointment she felt. Did she hope Xiang Shi Yan, forever the kind-hearted one, would exempt her from the burden of revenge? Would such clemency allow Zhu Yun to enjoy a peaceful life guilt-free? "If this is so, why discuss the changing of surnames?" Zhu Yun asked, quietly gripping her sleeve. "Without carrying that vile man’s name, how would I have legitimacy to control Zhu Jia?" "The last thing I want is for that scum’s wish to be granted—a remarkably talented and shrewd inheritor walking right into his shoes. But I trust you," Xiang Shi Yan said, her gaze locked onto the girl’s, her voice firm and calm. "Have you never considered a way to dismantle the Zhu clan without breaking everything apart?" Startled, Zhu Yun realized that Xiang Shi Yan had somehow seen through her plans that had been slowly forming over the years. At the same time, she felt a certain bittersweet solace in being understood. "Huaihai City’s current instability is an opportunity," she insisted, urgency in her tone. Yet, Xiang Shi Yan promptly dismissed her eager proposal: "It’s impossible; you’re too weak right now. Even with Yu Cang Shan backing you, there’s no ensuring you won’t encounter danger." Despite the book and Xiang Shi Yan’s fractured memories both bearing witness to Zhu Yun’s remarkable restructuring of the Zhu family, the notion of a young, weak girl pulling Zhu Cheng down from his position and holding firm in a turbulent aristocratic struggle seemed unimaginable to Xiang Shi Yan. She couldn’t fathom the costs Zhu Yun had incurred. She trusted Zhu Yun's intelligence and capability but couldn't bear to see her face adversity unguarded. "Precisely why we should act now. If we can maneuver amidst the conflicts of the Xu and Bai families, that’s much better than facing the Zhu familial elders on our own." "Those wily old creatures with centuries under their belts won’t be coerced easily. Without bargaining chips or overwhelming force to intimidate them, what right do you have to sit at the table and contest with them?" "So what? I recognize that my sister and I are different; even as a heavenly root, I’ll never become the kind of strong protector you hope for. And if I could, how long would that take?" Unloading years of pent-up anxiety in one breath, Zhu Yun suddenly felt a freeing elation. Her meridians, once frail and narrow, had, through Xiang Shi Yan’s unrelenting regimen of herbs and elixirs over the years, normalized significantly. However, their differing pathways meant difficulty in adapting to standard cultivation techniques. Already, she faced the threshold her body might not endure, both of them knowing that further advancement might be futile. "Six years." "What?" "Huai Ye took only six years to form her core from scratch, and like you, she’s not comparable to ordinary cultivators. Using her as a benchmark, you could form your core in six years; by then, whatever you choose to do, I’ll have no concerns." Xiang Shi Yan’s lips curled, assured as if she already had plans firmly in place. She pushed a jade slip toward Zhu Yun. "I await the day when you finally acknowledge your right to bear her surname." Writer’s Note: Lian Long isn’t a prankster; he’s seriously engaged in cultivation. He thrives on twisting others’ emotions and relationships, gaining unique insights into the complexity of “feelings.” Summary: The grand-master is a cold-blooded ENTJ focused on business. Thanks to all the little angels who voted or irrigated with nutrient fluids from 2022-09-15 35:58:17 to 2022-09-85 19:45:30~ Gratitude to those angels for irrigating with nutrient fluids: Abu 30 bottles; The Easygoing Temato 5 bottles; Thank you all for your support, I will continue to work hard!