Chapter 35 : Chapter 35
Chapter 35: A Deeper Conversation
After getting up, Ye Liuyun quickly returned to normal. The pill she had taken could only maintain its effect for five minutes.
“Phew… alright, the effect is over,” Ye Liuyun said as she stretched her body and let out a comfortable sigh.
Lin Aoxue had just stood up as well. She dusted off the dirt from her clothes, straightened her garments, and then reached out to grab Ye Liuyun.
“Come on. Our part here is finished. Let’s find somewhere else to talk. There are too many people here,” Lin Aoxue said quietly.
Ye Liuyun nodded.
Under Yun Yun’s watchful gaze, the two of them left the Martial Arena. Yun Yun did not stop Lin Aoxue.
After leaving the arena, the two found a quiet place and sat down to talk.
“Hey, what exactly are you thinking about? I have noticed that ever since you came to the Yunxia Sect, your personality has become strange. You are nothing like the person I remember,” Lin Aoxue asked.
The reason was simple.
Lin Aoxue felt that Ye Liuyun had been pretending ever since they arrived at the Yunxia Sect.
Did she not understand Ye Liuyun’s personality?
In his previous life, Ye Liuyun had been someone who feared trouble above all else. Even in this life, back in Qixia Town, she had still avoided trouble whenever possible.
But after arriving at the Yunxia Sect, Lin Aoxue felt that Ye Liuyun was deliberately creating a false impression of herself.
What kind of impression?
Acting innocent. Acting pure.
Sometimes she appeared clever, while at other times she behaved a little foolish.
Altogether, it gave people a strange and contradictory feeling.
If Lin Aoxue did not know Ye Liuyun’s true nature so well, she might also have been deceived by her appearance.
“Aoxue, my cultivation talent is not as good as yours. I am not the same as you,” Ye Liuyun said calmly. “When you cause trouble, someone will clean it up for you. But I do not have that luxury.”
“Ever since I became a woman, I have been constantly thinking about what I should do in the future and what path I should walk.”
“You can simply focus on cultivating. You do not need to worry about anything else. The higher your cultivation becomes, the higher your status in the Yunxia Sect.”
“To say something a little embarrassing… in this world, trouble often comes looking for you even when you do nothing. In fact, this is true anywhere people gather.”
“As for the cultivation world, I am also a newcomer. I am still figuring things out myself.”
Ye Liuyun put away her smile and looked at Lin Aoxue with a serious expression as she explained the thoughts that had been on her mind.
“Sigh… is that not exhausting?” Lin Aoxue asked. “Didn’t you say you are an alchemist? Alchemists are quite valued in the cultivation world. Your alchemy skills must already be fairly good.”
“If you reveal just a little of your alchemy talent to the sect, I am sure they will treat you as an important asset. Wouldn’t life in the Yunxia Sect become much easier for you then?”
However, Ye Liuyun shook her head.
“Everything has two sides. Keeping a low profile has its advantages, and being high-profile also has its advantages,” Ye Liuyun said.
“You must remember that there is always someone stronger and a sky beyond the sky. Do not think that being the Sect Master’s personal disciple means you can rest easy within the Yunxia Sect. That is impossible.”
She was clearly reminding Lin Aoxue.
Lin Aoxue was not foolish. Sometimes she simply lost her composure because she cared too much.
“Relax. What happened today was just an accident. You affected my judgment,” Lin Aoxue said. “But you… you deliberately stayed out of everyone’s sight for three years, didn’t you?”
After all, it was not normal for someone to avoid returning to their residence for three entire years.
“Well, now you are accusing me unfairly,” Ye Liuyun replied. “I simply stayed somewhere else.”
“Besides, staying out of the spotlight is not a bad thing. In any case, you should also keep a lower profile. I am worried that some people might pay special attention to me because of you.”
Lin Aoxue understood exactly what Ye Liuyun meant.
Some people might not openly target Lin Aoxue, but who could say whether they might secretly target Ye Liuyun instead?
Anyone could see that Ye Liuyun was very important to Lin Aoxue.
That meant Ye Liuyun was Lin Aoxue’s greatest weakness.
And today, Lin Aoxue’s actions had already exposed that weakness.
“Then I will have to cultivate even harder,” Lin Aoxue said seriously. “Only when I become stronger will they not dare to cause trouble for you.”
Ye Liuyun nodded.
There was truth in that.
However, relying on others was often unreliable. The most dependable support was still oneself.
Over the past few years, while researching pills that might allow her to return to being a man, Ye Liuyun had also created many strange pills.
If she used them properly, those pills could become her greatest means of self-protection.
She could not rely too heavily on her immortal body either.
Within the Yunxia Sect, the two of them were restricted in many ways.
If only one of them had joined the sect alone, life would have been much easier.
The problem was that both of them were within the same sect.
They had become each other’s bond—and each other’s weakness.
For example, if the Yunxia Sect discovered that Ye Liuyun was a genius alchemist capable of refining pills that could rapidly increase cultivation, any sect would want to control such a person.
And if they wanted to control Ye Liuyun, they would only need to firmly hold Lin Aoxue.
The same logic applied in reverse.
As long as Ye Liuyun remained under the sect’s control, Lin Aoxue would never betray the Yunxia Sect.
Of course, these were merely speculations.
It did not necessarily mean the Yunxia Sect would act in such a way.
However, wherever people gathered, there would always be interests and benefits.
And wherever interests and benefits existed, there would always be people with ulterior motives.
As newcomers to the cultivation world, the only person they could fully trust was each other.
Everyone else—and everything else—could only be trusted partially.
Meanwhile, the arena competition continued.
Before long, it finally came to an end.
That evening, inside the main hall of the Yunxia Sect—
“Lin Aoxue, as the Sect Master’s personal disciple, even if there was a misunderstanding today, your actions were far too reckless. The entire sect witnessed you pointing your sword at your own master. We must give an explanation to the disciples,” Yun Ling said.
“After discussion, we have decided to punish you with three months of confinement in Wind Sword Valley. Do you have any objections?”
Wind Sword Valley was a forbidden area within the Yunxia Sect.
However, it was also a place used both to punish and to test disciples.
Fierce winds blew there all year round—winds as sharp as blades. When they struck the body, the pain was unbearable.
However, it would not kill a person.
If used properly, it could even become an excellent place for cultivation.
“This disciple accepts the punishment,” Lin Aoxue replied without bargaining.
“Very well. Remember today’s lesson and do not repeat such mistakes. Otherwise, even if the Sect Master wishes to protect you, it will not be possible,” Yun Ling said sternly.
Thus, Lin Aoxue’s punishment was finalized.
The next morning, the announcement was made throughout the entire sect.
When Ye Liuyun heard the news, she immediately became worried.
“Master, will Aoxue be in danger?” Ye Liuyun asked.
She had just walked out of the new disciples’ residence. They were about to move to the outer sect disciples’ residence, since the current area was reserved only for new disciples.
“Do not worry. That girl is the Yunxia Sect’s precious treasure. How could they allow her to face mortal danger?” Lin Qingyou said. “She will suffer a little, but that is all.”
Ye Liuyun sighed softly.
Before anything else, she first needed to visit the Sect Affairs Pavilion to upgrade her disciple status.
When Ye Liuyun walked out of the Sect Affairs Pavilion again, she had already changed into a white dress with green patterns.
From this point onward, it was considered the attire of an adult disciple.
However, Ye Liuyun suddenly felt that the new disciple uniform had actually been more convenient for movement.