Chapter 36: A Disciple Who Betrays Their Master and Ancestors

Inside the Phoenix Palace, the Empress, clad in undergarments embroidered with gold thread, received an urgent dispatch from the Imperial Board of Astronomy. Her brows furrowed as she summoned her maids to dress her in formal attire.

An old, nameless matron hurried through the palace, walking straight into the Empress’s bedchamber, where the maids had already finished dressing her.

"Has the matron heard the news?" the Empress asked.

"Your Majesty, many parts of the capital are in chaos. Fortunately, the Board of Astronomy discovered it in time, and many practitioners have already gone out to purge the major streets and alleys," the matron reported.

"Why has the Day of Exorcism arrived so early? It has always been on the thirtieth of the tenth month," the Empress whispered to herself. "And it arrived so suddenly; no one had any forewarning."

The matron immediately asked, "Your Majesty means to say... there are hidden motives?"

The Empress smiled slightly. "Anyone would be suspicious. This matter must be investigated not only by the Board of Astronomy but also by the Eastern and Western Depots. Someone, draft an edict; we shall depart for the Board of Astronomy immediately."

...

Chen Yi sprinted through the night. His struggle with Huang Liuqing had taken about half a stick of incense's time—enough for Min Ning to get Yin Weiying to a safe distance. Huang Liuqing possessed a blade technique but lacked refined movement and agility; as long as Chen Yi exerted himself, he could escape at any time. Engaging in a tussle was merely to buy time for the two women. That time was sufficient for them to reach the vicinity of the Donghua Gate, where the Prince Jing’s Mansion would not dare to commit murder.

They had chosen to ambush him during the Day of Exorcism, hoping to let him die in the chaos without a trace, thereby covering up their crime. If they killed him outside the Donghua Gate, the nameless matron in the palace—who was not yet blind—and the Board of Astronomy would sense the presence of a fifth-rank expert, knowing full well it was the work of the Prince Jing’s Mansion.

"Where will they go? The Eastern Depot or the Western Depot?" Chen Yi pondered while running. He concluded that Min Ning would take her to the Western Depot. The Eastern Depot still held remnants of the Ding'an faction, whereas the Western Depot was almost entirely free of them—the reason being that it had been established by the Empress Dowager herself just three years ago.

Upon arriving at the Western Depot, the guard immediately opened the gate for him. Chen Yi stepped inside and saw Min Ning in the great hall, her blade pointed downward, standing guard. Yin Weiying sat on a meditation cushion, forming hand seals.

"Are you hurt?" Min Ning noticed the blood on the web of his thumb.

"A minor wound. Was the journey alright?"

Min Ning shook her head. "It was fine. Near the Imperial City, there are no demons or ghosts."

Chen Yi nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Yin Weiying. Yin looked up, dropped her hand seals, and said, "It seems you didn't die." Though her voice was ethereal, beneath the calm lay a hint of revulsion, as if she were questioning why he was still alive.

Chen Yi grinned playfully. "I have to keep my life to be the Daoist partner of the Immortal."

Stung by the humiliation of being deceived, Yin Weiying lost her composure. She lowered her voice and said, "Do you know that you have committed the sin of disrespecting a Daoist again?"

Chen Yi didn't answer but sneered, "It seems the Immortal no longer wishes to be my Daoist partner?"

Yin Weiying was about to lash out, but she collected her thoughts and said coldly, "You are not the 'Golden Boy.' In the lineage of Mount Taihua, the Golden Boy matches the Jade Girl, and the Jade Girl matches the Golden Boy." After speaking, she glanced at Min Ning. Min Ning frowned, ready to walk away.

Chen Yi pondered for a moment, then reached out and pulled Min Ning by the waist. "Immortal, she is mine." As he spoke, he squeezed Min Ning’s well-toned waist. It was resilient; her abdominal muscles tightened instantly. Min Ning’s face turned scarlet; she clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling, but she endured it.

"What?!" Seeing this, Yin Weiying’s pupils dilated, her face filled with unconcealable shock.

Chen Yi leaned forward and laughed. "Don't you understand yet? The 'Golden Boy' partner in your prophecy has long been mine."

Yin Weiying was instantly incensed. More than the shock, she felt the humiliation of her intended partner being snatched away.

[Negative Emotion: 80]

On his status panel, Chen Yi saw his internal energy increase by another three years. One hundred and fifty years of internal energy was enough to condense five true essence pellets; now, he just had to wait for the little fox to recover.

Yin Weiying gritted her teeth so hard they nearly cracked. She swallowed her rage, stood up abruptly, and moved to leave the Western Depot. Chen Yi slightly raised his blade, and Yin Weiying collided with the back of it. Her chest brushed against the blade, and through the conduction of the metal, he could feel that soft, firm presence.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yin Weiying turned her head, her voice icy.

"Your father wants me dead, and I am wounded. As his child, you should offer some compensation," Chen Yi said leisurely.

"I have said, I have nothing to do with this," Yin Weiying stated coldly.

"It doesn't matter what you say; I believe you are involved," Chen Yi replied.

Yin Weiying’s expression chilled further. Seeing the gleaming blade, she realized she had to give something up. Suppressing her anger, she said, "I only have a manual on alchemy with me. Do you want it or not?"

Alchemy. Chen Yi’s eyes lit up. With an alchemy manual, he could refine his own pills to nourish his body and temper his bones. In his previous life, he hadn't obtained such a manual until he reached the Shangqing Dao.

"Hand it over."

As the words left his lips, Yin Weiying pulled a booklet from her robe. Chen Yi took it and saw the yellowed pages and frayed edges, realizing she must have read it many times.

"Purple Medicine Elixir Mirror." Chen Yi flipped through it, and a new skill appeared on his panel.

"Go on then. Do you want me to escort you back?" Chen Yi asked.

"The Prince Jing’s Mansion is not far from here," Yin Weiying coldly refused.

"A word of advice: do your best to stop your father," Chen Yi said softly.

Yin Weiying did not respond and walked straight out of the Western Depot. Once the white-robed Daoist disappeared, Min Ning quickly pushed away the hand Chen Yi had wrapped around her waist. She turned around, ashamed and angry. "If you do that again, I will cut off your hand if it touches me, and your foot if it follows me."

Chen Yi chuckled sinisterly. "You cannot stop me."

Min Ning shivered, glanced at him with trepidation, and whispered, "Give... give me some time to accept you..."

Chen Yi watched her for a moment and gave a grunt of acknowledgment. Min Ning let out a sigh of relief. Seeing the wound on his hand, she took out some medicinal salve from her belt and handed it to him—less out of concern than as a gesture of appeasement.

Chen Yi didn't tease her further; he applied the salve to his split palm. As he did, he heard Min Ning say abruptly, "You cannot defeat that person, can you?"

"I cannot. Huang Liuqing of the Bailiu Sect is at least a fifth-rank martial artist. What? Do you want him to kill me?" Chen Yi asked with a smile.

"I am not that kind of person. Besides, you have done me a favor." *If I were to kill you, I would do it myself*, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath. "I have a blade technique I recently realized."

Chen Yi looked at her curiously. "You want to teach it to me so I can defend myself?"

"Yes. You cannot die. I... I need you." Her voice trailed off, but Chen Yi heard her clearly.

"Need me for what?"

"To investigate my grandfather's death together." Min Ning turned her face away from the hall. "My father often suspected there were hidden motives. In the Grand Chancellor's case, my grandfather should not have died. I have no friends in the Eastern Depot; you are the only one I am... relatively close to."

Chen Yi nodded. "Very well."

Min Ning turned back, deep in thought for a moment. "According to the rules of the pugilistic world, if you learn this, it counts as my true transmission. From now on, I am your master. You don't have to kowtow, but in private, we must address each other as master and disciple."

Chen Yi raised his eyes and scrutinized her face. Min Ning shuddered, her heart racing; she didn't know if he had seen through her intentions. Between master and disciple, there was the duty of "Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, and Teacher"—a bond of loyalty and filial piety. Once she became his master, she could use that to sever his desires and cut off this ill-fated connection.

"Are you trying to use ethics and rules to restrain me?" Chen Yi asked with a sneer.

Min Ning realized she had been seen through. Her ears burned, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

"Do you think that can stop me?" Chen Yi asked, amused.

Min Ning was stunned. Indeed, he never cared for ethics or worldly eyes; otherwise, he would never have done those things to her...

Chen Yi swung his blade and loosened his joints. Min Ning's words reminded him of his past life. He spoke quietly: "Yuechi, I will not take you as my master. Not because of ethics—I don't care about such things."

Min Ning stared at him, confused. "Then why?"

"Because I only have one master... Zhou Yitang."

"The Sword Armor of Yin Jian Mountain?! But you... why are you not at Yin Jian Mountain?"

Chen Yi recalled the past, lowered his eyes, and sighed: "Because I often defied my master... I am a disciple who betrayed his teacher and destroyed his ancestors."