Chapter 916

Zhang Liuyuan chuckled softly, but as he laughed, his voice grew increasingly shrill.

He seized the sword in one hand, his eyes blazing red as he glared at Zhang Liuyuan: "You're unfit to be the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi. With you in charge, the Zhang clan will destroy its thousand-year legacy. Zhang Liuyuan, you will be the Zhang clan's traitor!"

He scanned the surroundings, his voice deep and grave: "You've chosen the wrong man. In his heart, the state's interests, the commoners' interests, the interests of other cultivators—all outweigh the Zhang family's! You will regret this. You will surely regret it!"

With that, he laid the blade across his throat and slashed hard—blood sprayed, he collapsed, yet his eyes remained locked on Zhang Liuyuan, lips curling in a faint, mocking whisper: "I wait for you to regret it…"

With the death of Zhang Zhengchang and his grandson, the second branch lost all will to resist.

The two Weilaozu Sect Laozu sat but did not interfere with Zhang Liuyuan's actions.

They merely watched, waiting for him to overstep before stepping in to stop him.

But Zhang Liuyuan gave them no such opportunity—he handled everything with perfect precision.

He did not punish the disciples who had followed the second branch in rebellion; instead, he released both groups seated across from each other on the platform, ordered them to go below and heal their wounds, and declared that since the masterminds, Zhang Zhengchang and his grandson, were dead, he would pursue no further charges.

After calming the crowd, Zhang Liuyuan turned to Pan Yun, whose face was pale: "What's wrong?"

Pan Yun shot him a glare; her dizziness had just eased, and she turned to find her senior brothers and sisters.

Zhang Liuyuan rubbed his nose, then realized—he hurried after her and whispered: "I absorbed your Yuan energy. How are you?"

Pan Yun lowered her voice: "Shut up. If your Laozu finds out your self-created technique has such a fatal flaw, they might not even agree to let you become clan head."

Zhang Liuyuan fell silent.

Pan Yun leapt onto the platform to support Master Xuanmiao, who was drenched in blood.

Master Xuanmiao leaned against Tao Ji; as Pan Yun arrived, she shifted her weight onto her.

Seeing her covered in blood, Pan Yun worried: "Senior sister, where are you injured?"

Zhang Li: "It's not my blood."

Pan Yun exhaled in relief and helped her down from the platform.

Below the platform, many others sat or stood, their bodies streaked with blood, staring at Master Xuanmiao with either reverence or hatred.

Master Xuanmiao passed before them without expression, stopping only before a middle-aged couple.

Pan Yun looked up curiously and felt they seemed familiar.

The middle-aged man spoke without expression: "Go. Don't return to the Zhang clan again."

The middle-aged woman tugged at his sleeve, but he shook his head, took her hand, and pulled her away.

The woman kept glancing back even as they walked far away, yet never broke free of her husband's grip.

Pan Yun blinked, unable to help saying: "This Lady looks somewhat like Senior Sister."

Tao Ji: "They're Master Xuanmiao's parents."

He glanced worriedly at Master Xuanmiao and whispered: "Won't you explain?"

"What's there to explain?" Master Xuanmiao said. "What I've done is known to all. There's no misunderstanding between us—only differing beliefs."

Tao Ji: "When Zhang Zhengchang tried to kill you, Sixth Uncle Zhang stopped him."

"When I tried to kill Zhang Zhengchang, didn't he stop me too?"

Tao Ji had no reply.

Pan Yun fidgeted beside them, unable to resist asking: "Will Senior Sister really never return to the Zhang clan?"

Master Xuanmiao glanced at her: "Why wouldn't I return to the empire I fought so hard to win?"

Of course she would return!

Not only would she return—she would return openly and proudly!

Pan Yun exhaled in relief; she had many things to discuss with Senior Brother Zhang too. With Senior Sister staying, it would be easier to talk.

Pan Yun eagerly supported Master Xuanmiao toward rest, but when they reached the courtyard's center, she hesitated: "Where are we resting? Senior Sister, where's your room?"

Master Xuanmiao glanced at her: "You've forgotten so quickly? I was just expelled from the clan. Now you want me to go back?"

"But…"

"I said I'll return to the Zhang clan—not to my old room, not to my home."

Okay, understood.

Pan Yun supported her toward the gate: "Then let's return to the Academy. I'll let you rest in my room."

Only when they reached the mountain did Pan Yun notice the Academy was filled with many Qi signatures—she froze.

Master Xuanmiao said flatly: "You and Seeing Miao Zhen missed nearly half a year of classes."

"Nonsense!" Pan Yun protested. "We only left for training in August. Isn't the term usually over by October? We missed only two months."

? ￠o

Master Xuanmiao: "Due to celestial anomalies, the late Emperor perished, True Person Zhang passed away, demons and monsters stirred across the land. All Academy students and Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion disciples were ordered to remain, dispatched to suppress evil, reinforce arrays, or aid the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion on Long Hushan. No one returned home for New Year's Eve."

Pan Yun's confidence vanished; she whispered: "No one told us…"

Master Xuanmiao glanced at her: "You're the State Advisor now, living in the Imperial Palace—who dares disturb you?"

Pan Yun rubbed her nose and eagerly guided her to Phoenix Perch Courtyard.

As soon as she entered the gate, she sensed something was wrong and looked toward the parasol tree.

Master Xuanmiao walked straight toward Seeing Miao Zhen's room.

Her arm slipped free; Pan Yun rushed to support her, but her eyes kept darting toward the parasol tree.

Master Xuanmiao said flatly: "Don't look. I've reconfigured the array. Everyone else in this courtyard has been dispatched. No one noticed anything unusual."

Pan Yun exhaled in relief.

Master Xuanmiao sat cross-legged on the mat, closed her eyes, and began to meditate.

Tao Ji pulled out vials of pills while scolding Pan Yun: "You're incredibly bold—daring to bury Little Red inside the Academy. Do you know, when the celestial anomalies occurred and Qi signatures grew chaotic, she was influenced by the great entity in Si Guo Cliff and nearly mutated?"

Pan Yun blinked: "What great entity in Si Guo Cliff?"

Tao Ji ignored her and continued: "If we hadn't been hiding in this courtyard the night we returned from Datong, the next time you saw her, it would've been either you dead or her alive."

Pan Yun: "... What's the difference? Isn't it all the same—I die?"

Tao Ji, slightly nettled, shoved the wooden bucket into her arms: "Go get spring water."

Pan Yun hugged the bucket. The spring source was on the mountain, far from Phoenix Perch Courtyard: "Why do you need spring water?"

"To cleanse your senior sister."

Pan Yun widened her eyes: "Can't we use well water? There's river water too—our Long Hushan water is perfectly clean!"

"None of that. Spring water is best. Hurry up—I'll prepare and brew the medicine."

Pan Yun thought Third Brother spoiled Fourth Sister too much—what difference could well water and spring water possibly make?

Others climb the mountain for spring water to brew tea or soak wine, but he was using it to give Fourth Sister a bath.

Though reluctant, Pan Yun grumbled as she climbed the mountain.

Of course, since she was climbing the mountain anyway, she wouldn't just fetch two buckets of spring water.

She took out the large wooden bucket she'd always kept in her space, filled it to the brim with water, stored it away, then casually filled two more buckets and carried them downhill as if it were exercise.