The Sect Leader Raised a Fox to His Own Detriment - Chapter 15

Ever since A-Yin realized that the masked man shared so many similarities with Yue Xichen, he stopped speaking ill of his Master in front of him.

He had a gut feeling that this masked man must have some connection to his Master. As for the specifics, he was too lazy to think about it; as long as the masked man could guide his cultivation and help him grow stronger, he was far better than his Master.

Three months later, A-Yin was finally released from his penance of kneeling at the snowy summit. When Zhan Ning saw him again, his eyes were red with emotion, as he assumed A-Yin had suffered greatly. Only A-Yin himself knew that far from suffering, he had turned a misfortune into a blessing with a massive increase in cultivation. If it were possible, he would have preferred to stay up there, enjoying a world of just him and his “Little Master.”

However, just a few days after returning to the sect, A-Yin was personally selected by Yue Xichen to accompany him to the Northern Cloud Secret Realm.

A-Yin remembered the last time the Qinggu Secret Realm had opened; a divine weapon named Cold Frost had emerged, which Yue Xichen had bestowed upon Lin Fengfei.

Standing atop the flying vessel, A-Yin looked down at the stone sword hanging from his waist.

“Maybe another divine weapon will be born in this Northern Cloud Secret Realm. When that time comes, I’ll replace this broken sword of yours!” A-Yin vowed with absolute conviction.

He was no longer the person he used to be; his cultivation had reached the first level of the Golden Core stage. If Lin Fengfei could wield a divine weapon, then he could as well.

He figured that even if his Master hated him, there would be no reason to deny him a divine weapon this time. After all, with his current cultivation, carrying a stone sword around was simply inappropriate!

The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and he began to smile giddily.

There were a total of twenty disciples on the vessel, all of whom were the elite of Lingyun Mountain, including Lin Fengfei.

Lin Fengfei, however, was bewildered as to why A-Yin was there.

Entering a secret realm was not like descending the mountain for routine experience. Even with the protection of the Sect Leader, secret realms were incredibly dangerous. One had to fight for resources against other sects, making conflict inevitable.

Yue Xichen hadn’t even brought his eldest disciple, Zhan Ning, yet he had brought his youngest, A-Yin. This forced Lin Fengfei to grow suspicious of the true relationship between A-Yin and the Sect Leader.

“Sect Leader Junior Brother…”

Su Muzhi approached Yue Xichen and asked softly, “Why must you bring A-Yin to the Northern Cloud Secret Realm this time? You know full well that his meager cultivation isn’t enough to handle the slaughter within… Sometimes I really can’t tell if you’re favoring him or trying to get him killed.”

Listening to Su Muzhi, Yue Xichen’s long-lashed eyelids drooped slightly.

He knew his decision had led many disciples to believe he was not a fair Sect Leader.

In fact, the decision to bring A-Yin had been unanimously rejected by the elders of both the inner and outer sects. Fortunately, he was the Sect Leader; otherwise, A-Yin would have missed this opportunity entirely.

Yue Xichen admitted that this time, he was indeed biased toward A-Yin.

However, A-Yin’s cultivation was already on par with Lin Fengfei’s, so bringing him was beyond reproach.

It was just that he couldn’t easily explain this to the others, so he had resorted to the blunt method of a Sect Leader’s direct command, which had naturally sparked dissatisfaction among the elders.

“I have my own considerations,” Yue Xichen replied flatly after a long silence.

Su Muzhi opened his mouth to ask more, but he swallowed his words. He knew that even if he asked, Yue Xichen wouldn’t offer much of an explanation.

“You, my Junior Brother… you just speak too little. If you don’t say anything, how can others ever understand what you’re thinking?”

With a sigh, Su Muzhi shook his head and walked away.

Speaking too little…

Subconsciously, Yue Xichen reached out, his slender fingertips brushing against his own lips.

One had to know that since becoming the Sect Leader, he actually spoke much more than he used to.

During his first five years on Lingyun Mountain, everyone had assumed he was a mute.

Closing his eyes, Yue Xichen let out a sigh.

He thought of A-Yin.

He thought of what A-Yin had said to the masked man.

A-Yin said he hated him.

What could he do to make A-Yin understand that he didn’t hate him at all?

Yue Xichen’s delicate features furrowed slightly as he sighed once more.

At this speed, it would take about a day to fly to the Northern Cloud Secret Realm. A-Yin stood on the vessel with his arms crossed, feeling utterly bored.

If only Eldest Senior Brother were here…

A-Yin missed Zhan Ning.

But Zhan Ning’s cultivation was too low. Places with high danger levels like the Northern Cloud Secret Realm were off-limits for him.

“Hmm? Wait a minute…”

Suddenly, A-Yin realized something.

Although he was currently at the first level of the Golden Core stage, only he and the masked man knew that.

In other words, in the eyes of everyone else, he was still a weakling at the first level of Qi Refining someone with even lower cultivation than Zhan Ning!

If that were the case, then why did his Master want to bring him into the secret realm?

“Could it be…”

A-Yin’s eyes grew round and wide.

Master wants me dead?!

Everyone in the cultivation world knew that secret realms were fraught with danger. The previous Qinggu Secret Realm was considered relatively safe and was close to Lingyun Mountain, which is why other major sects hadn’t arrived in time when the divine weapon Cold Frost appeared!

Even so, he had heard that Zhan Ning had been seriously injured back then.

Since that incident, Yue Xichen had never allowed Zhan Ning to enter another secret realm.

The Northern Cloud Secret Realm was located on Vulture Ridge. True to its name, the ridge was home to many vicious, blood-red vultures. Furthermore, the entrance to the sealed Demon Realm the Blood Demon Abyss was nearby.

It was said that the Founding Ancestor of the cultivation world had led eight thousand cultivators in a non-stop effort lasting forty-nine days to finally seal that entrance, ensuring the Demon Race could no longer plague the mortal world. That entrance was the Blood Demon Abyss.

The Abyss was originally a clear spring, but after aeons of erosion by the Demon Realm, it had transformed into the ghostly, terrifying place it was today. It was said that if an ordinary person came within hundreds of miles of the Abyss, they would lose their sanity and fall into a frenzy, as if possessed by evil spirits.

Thinking of this, A-Yin couldn’t help but shiver.

Could it be that Master felt the month of kneeling wasn’t enough, so he’s using this secret realm as a chance to torment me further—to make sure I’m either badly injured or dead?!

A-Yin clutched his head, dumbfounded.

Was his Master really such an insidious person?

What a waste of such a beautiful face.

A-Yin felt deeply indignant.

“But… that’s not right…”

If his Master truly hated him to the point of wanting him dead, why had he taken him a half-demon as a disciple in the first place, and gone to such lengths to ensure his identity wasn’t discovered?

Keeping a half-demon within the sect was an incredibly risky move. If he were exposed, Yue Xichen would be the first to face the sect’s condemnation. If other sects found out, they would certainly use it against him, and Yue Xichen’s position as the Leader of the Immortal Alliance would likely be forfeit.

“…Hmm…”

Pouting, A-Yin tousled his unique silver hair, his mind in a total muddle.

Involuntarily, his gaze drifted toward Yue Xichen.

Yue Xichen was standing alone, looking breathtakingly beautiful even from behind.

He rested one hand on the ship’s railing, his plain white robes dancing in the wind. A few stray locks of black hair fluttered across his cold, exquisite face.

His eyes, looking straight ahead, were bright and steady like still water, as if he had seen through the vanity of the world and understood all things.

For some reason, A-Yin felt a strange sensation in his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

His Master was as he had always been beautiful, quiet, and aloof.

But A-Yin suddenly realized that within Yue Xichen’s calm, composed, and frost-cold expression, there existed something hidden extremely deep—a profound and intense sense of…

Loneliness.