Chapter 90 - The Past

90 – The Past

Returning to a slightly earlier time.

After Xue Qilin left, Shui Yuner removed all expression on her face at once.

She sighed.

“Young Teacher?”

The girl masticated the two words.

Although she tried to behave as usual in front of Xue Qilin just now, but there is still a feeling of estrangement in her heart.

However, the other party didn’t mention that something isn’t right. Does she really believe the girl has opened her heart?

… She doesn’t want to lose or hurt the other party, yet at the same time, she won’t open herself up.

It’s contradicting and insincere.

Maybe it’s a kind of self-deception.

“Sorry.”

She doesn’t even have the courage to say this in front of the lass.

The girl stared straight at the pipa, in a daze.

It reminds her all the time not to forget.

Not to forget those important things that she lost – that were taken from her.

She will die alone in the wilderness one day – Shui Yuner believes this from the bottom of her heart.

With the flow of time, the waves in her heart gradually subsided.

Shui Yuner got up and left her room.

“The Sword Mound…?”

Standing in the courtyard house, the girl is gazing in the direction of the restricted area far in the distance.

Then, she set off.

*

A pair of eyes lurking in the shadows silently followed the girl.

The gaze is glued to the water-colored figure in front.

“… Are you going to the martial arts ground again?”

The voice is very quiet. Only its owner can barely hear it.

Under his surveillance, Shui Yuner went to the martial arts ground every day to practice.

Even so, he still followed her.

His Teacher told him to follow Shui Yuner wherever she goes.

After a while, the tracker found out that his target isn’t heading in the direction of the martial arts ground.

“… Where is she going?”

With this question in mind, he continued to track her – whether he wanted to know the answer or not.

After detouring the Middle Peak, Shui Yuner headed towards an unexpected place.

“This isn’t right! This road leads to the North Peak…”

In their calculations, Shui Yuner will eventually go there one day.

… But not now.

In other words, something unexpected took place, which caused the girl’s actions to deviate from their plan.

“No, I must notify Teacher immediately!”

The tracker ended his surveillance and hurried to the West peak.

*

“You said … Shui Yuner went to the Sword Mound?”

After receiving his disciple’s report, Liu Chengzong paced back and forth in his quarters.

Why did she go to the Sword Mound? Liu Chengzong pondered.

No matter the reason, the only thing that can be confirmed is that Shui Yuner’s actions have deviated from what he expected.

Did she find out that “past” from somewhere by chance?

That past.

Liu Chengzong joined the Merak Temple from an early age. In fact, his seniority is even higher than Ye Zhen’s.

When he first joined inner temple, something happened in the temple.

A disaster has nearly befallen the temple… Liu Chengzong still remembers it vividly.

At that time, a disciple of the Mound Guardian Elder sneaked into the Sword Mound without permission and pulled out a sword despite the taboo.

What’s worse, the sword the disciple pulled out was the sword of the founder of the temple – Phecda.

A relic sword of a Grandmaster.

Relic swords are wicked things. Even if their masters were righteous in life, but the swords they left behind inadvertently contain a taboo.

Appearing to have their own consciousness, they are violent and aggressive, and can even manipulate people’s minds.

The disciple who pulled out “Phecda” lost his sense of self and killed the then Mound Guardian Elder who was a Heaven Realm master and seriously injured two Heaven Realm masters and a dozen plus Earth Realm experts.

However, the scariest part is that the disciple’s cultivation base was just at the Earth Realm.

So where did the power come from?

There is only one explanation – it came from “Phecda”.

The worsening situation finally alarmed the then Merak Temple’s Grandmaster – Qi Guiyuan, who has gone into seclusion, forcing him to come out of seclusion early.

However, the disciple suddenly collapsed before Qi Guiyuan could take action.

He didn’t die, but he seemed to have lost his ego, leaving only an empty shell behind.

After going through this incident, Liu Chengzong finally realized the significance of the Sword Mound.

It’s not the just for mourning, but more so for quelling.

… quelling those taboo swords.

Regarding this past, only Liu Chengzong has experienced it firsthand in the present Merak Temple. As for others, even if they know of it, they only heard about it from other people.

Therefore, he understands the danger hidden in the Sword Mound better than anyone else.

He wants to use Shui Yuner to lit the fuse of this danger.

If Shui Yuner pulls out “Phecda” just like he expects and reproduces the disaster of the past, then with Qi Guiyuan gone, only Ye Zhen and Xue Qilin are left in the Merak Temple to cope with the crisis.

Although it is not clear if Shui Yuner can reach the level of a Grandmaster when she pulls out Phecda, nor whether she will inflict heavy damage on Xue Qilin.

However, regardless of the result, Shui Yuner won’t be able to escape the same fate as the disciple at that time.

As for Ye Zhen, he doesn’t care about him.

The guilt stemming from the fact that he couldn’t protect Qin Chen covers his eyes like a black cloth, making him almost go crazy.

He can’t forget that choking feeling in his chest and the self-blame that followed when he saw Qin Chen’s dead body.

However, what’s more important now is…

“Take my jade pendant and go to Zhang Ming. Tell him that I have something important to talk to him about, and have him come to see me immediately…”

Liu Chengzong took out a jade pendant with the word “Liu” carved on it form a chest pocket and gave it to his disciples. This jade pendant represents the Law Enforcement Elder.

“What reason should I provide?”

The disciples asked so.

“Say that it’s related to the Sword Mound, and he will come.”

Zhang Ming has a one-track mind. So long as it concerns the Sword Mound, he will abandon everything else.

To put it bluntly, he is a responsible and diligent individual.

There is only one path leading to the Sword Mound, and Zhang Ming is guarding it.

Although Zhang Ming only has Earth Realm cultivation base, but Shui Yuner hasn’t even reached the Human Realm. There’s no way she can pass right under Zhang Ming’s nose.

Liu Chengzong leading Zhang Ming away with an excuse is in fact him opening up a road for Shui Yuner.

A road leading to the Sword Mound.

A road leading to where she thinks hope lies.