Chapter 54: Revenge

They first returned to the December Sect to exchange for the items they would need.

In the main hall of the December Sect, disciples bustled back and forth, the air thick with noise.

Zora didn't notice that the voices around her dropped significantly the moment she entered, nor did she catch the subtle, lingering gazes following her.

Is that Zora? And Vane?

The crowd stole glances.

After all, the December Sect had a massive population, but most were cultivators of average aptitude who struggled for centuries at the Foundation Establishment stage. Sword cultivators like Zora and Song Zhihuai were rare; every new one was a precious anomaly.

Vane scanned the surrounding onlookers. Finding no malice, he withdrew his gaze with indifference.

In his view, these curious and envious looks were only natural; Zora was bound to attract them.

Zora suddenly looked at an outer disciple in the Qi Refining stage. She paused, then recalled something from when they had first entered the sect.

On the way out of the hall, she asked him: "Do you still remember the appearance of that outer disciple in the Qi Refining stage we sparred with when we first joined?"

She was referring to the month after their talent test, while they were studying at the Bamboo Sound Courtyard, when they encountered disciples at the training grounds who bullied others using their seniority.

Under the guise of helping them practice basic sword techniques, those disciples had violated the rules by using spiritual power, suppressing and beating the two of them in the early days.

Vane: "I remember."

It wasn't that he was magnanimous; rather, by the end of their time at the training grounds, he was already able to suppress those individuals. He had kept within the boundaries and vented enough of his frustration.

But there was one more thing—

"..." Vane fell silent for a moment, then said: "Apologies. After that, I also gave the disciple who fought you a beating."

Zora’s face instantly became solemn, looking very displeased.

She frowned and first asked: "Is he dead?"

"No," Vane lowered his eyes, his head slightly bowed. His lashes hung low, making him look like a dog admitting a mistake, occasionally lifting his gaze to steal a glance at her. "He should be fully recovered by now."

Zora’s brow relaxed. Since that person wasn't her possession, anyone could naturally hit him; however, if her servant had beaten him to death, it would be a huge trouble.

She paused, then asked: "Why did you hit him?"

"..." Vane froze for a bizarre few heartbeats.

"Because he bullied you using his position."

Zora gave him a puzzled look: "I don't need others to seek revenge for me."

Furthermore, Vane gained no benefit from doing such a thing. This was an active behavior outside the Master-Servant Covenant, making it impossible for her to read his intent for a moment.

"Why did you do it?"

"..." Vane seemed to be weighing his words, as if they were difficult to say. He hesitated for a long time before speaking.

"...Because what he did to you made me feel angry."

"..."

What did that mean?

Zora stared at him expressionlessly for several heartbeats.

Silence.

Silence spread.

A white crane flew over their heads, letting out a sharp cry.

The two remained silent for another long while.

Zora: "Wait a moment, let me think."

Vane: "...Alright."

She woke the Oracle: [Was the conquest successful?]

The Oracle woke up, and upon hearing this, it immediately trembled with excitement.

What—?! A change in emotion that even the block-of-wood host noticed? Then it must be—

The Oracle immediately clicked to check.

Then its face went instantly expressionless.

[No.]

...Haha, come to think of it, if it were successful, the system backend would have alerted it immediately.

The Oracle gave a few dry laughs.

Zora wasn't disappointed either. She asked: "If he gets angry because my interests are harmed, does that count as good progress in conquest?"

Oracle: [Of course it does! This is 'A hero's rage for a beauty'! I'm telling you, Host, this is a sign of success! It's even just one step away! Some conquest targets don't show success because they haven't realized their own feelings. Host, you can subtly drop a hint, pull at him a bit, say you like him too, and then blah blah blah blah...]

It went on and on, rattling off words like beans from a jar until Zora’s head ached.

"Mhm. Hibernate."

[—I haven't finished! ...Fine.]

The Oracle fell into hibernation blissfully, harboring beautiful hopes for the future.

Promotion and a raise are just around the corner!

Only then did Zora look up at him.

Vane pursed his lips.

Thinking of the Oracle's earlier words—she hadn't listened to the rest at all—she said bluntly: "Is it because of me that you are angry?"

"...Yes," she was too direct, and Vane couldn't help but look at the floor for a moment before looking up again. Like mending the fold after the sheep were gone, he added a sentence: "After all, you are the Master. It is only natural."

"?"

Hadn't he realized it? The conquest still isn't successful?

Zora frowned in confusion.

She tried once more to emphasize the point: "So you are very loyal now."

"Yes." He answered without hesitation this time.

"Only to me?"

"Yes."

"..."

Liar. The conquest isn't successful at all.

Zora grew unhappy, turned around, and walked away.

Vane was slightly startled and instinctively followed her.

He tilted his head to look at her cautiously.

...Is she angry? Why is she angry? Did I say something wrong?

Vane replayed the conversation.

Or is she angry that I took matters into my own hands?

Zora flew toward the grounds of the outer disciples on her sword. On the way, Vane stole several glances at her.

Vane suddenly said: "Apologies. I shouldn't have taken matters into my own hands."

Zora: "What are you talking about?"

That wasn't the reason.

Vane was silent for a few heartbeats, then said: "Zhang Jingshu and Hong Yan should be settled by now. They said they would write to you once they are stable."

Zora was in a bad mood and didn't want to think. Hearing this, she couldn't remember those two names for a moment.

"Who are they?"

"........."

He skipped over those two and naturally shifted the topic: "The courtesan Chun Ling you saved before—I heard she ended up in the Zen Meditation Temple by a twist of fate."

She had a slight impression.

Zora gave a hum of acknowledgment.

Arriving at that disciple's courtyard, Zora landed and said to Vane with dissatisfaction: "You are lying. You aren't loyal enough."

Vane was momentarily stunned. He didn't refute her, but nodded in agreement: "I indeed should do better."

Zora: "Be faster about it."

Vane: "Yes."

Then, she bluntly issued a challenge. The disciple recognized her as the new disciple he had bullied before.

But he had never seen a genius come back specifically for revenge!

At the very least, they would only punish someone if they happened to run into them. Because geniuses were proud, and the intersection between outer and inner disciples was nearly zero, those geniuses usually wouldn't specifically seek out low-level figures for revenge; it could be said that the outer disciples had long since vanished from their sights.

Furthermore, some valued their reputation. This was a rank suppression; those geniuses would only accept challenges from low-cultivation修士 who provoked them. Who would come and actively issue a challenge!

Zora didn't care at all. In her eyes, she only saw the fact that he had hit her before, and that was enough; she ignored all other social conventions.

Rank suppression. The challenge talisman, which functioned forcibly, flew into the air, projecting a semi-circular barrier that formed the challenge area.

Vane placed another barrier over the outside and whispered in her ear: "Better not to kill him. The sect will definitely find out."

Zora gave a casual hum, and the River Snow sword unsheathed.

There was no killing intent around her, but the clear, cold blade was so frigid that the dense spiritual power could have decapitated him instantly.

The disciple fell to the ground in terror, backing away frantically: "No... wait, s-s-sorry, I was wrong! Please forgive me! You are a great person, it was my audacity!"

He even began to kowtow, showing he could yield as necessary.

Zora simply felt his posture wasn't good for combat. "Get up."

Seeing her ignore him, the disciple grit his teeth: "Are... aren't you afraid people will know you are using your cultivation to bully others!"

He did the same thing, but as the saying goes, a tall tree catches the wind. No one cared about the misdeeds of a small figure like him, but it was different for a natural-born sword cultivator like Zora, who was watched by countless eyes.

Zora didn't quite understand his logic.

"I am taking revenge on you," she reminded him, then asked in confusion, "otherwise, what is the use of this cultivation?"

Cultivation that cannot be used for revenge—how is it any different from the empty spiritual power of a mortal?

...

Turi Qi spotted the barrier on her way to the outer disciples' quarters. With her current cultivation, she only needed a little effort to enter.

She found Vane standing at the edge of the barrier. Seeing it was Turi Qi, the hand he was about to use to grab his spear relaxed naturally, and he smiled: "Senior Sister Turi."

She didn't notice Vane's movement. Upon entering the barrier, she could hear strings of screams. A challenge talisman floated in the air, enveloping the ground. There was the muffled thud of a human body hitting the challenge barrier.

Turi Qi: "Is Zora inside?"

"Yes," he said. "Because Zora was bullied by this senior brother when she first joined. If there were no grievance, she wouldn't waste time coming to challenge him."

Vane continued: "I hope Senior Sister Turi won't interfere. Zora has a sense of proportion and won't cause a disaster. Besides, some outer disciples enjoy bullying new disciples year-round. This lesson is to correct the sect's atmosphere; Zora is doing this for the sect's sake."

"Since the sect lacks a department like a Yamen, as a highly watched disciple of the Sword Gate, her leading by example to correct this trend is also beneficial."

In a few sentences, he draped a cloak of righteousness over Zora, making the matter sound as if it were for the sake of the sect's development.

Turi Qi was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed.

"I understand."

She was not some inflexible, old-fashioned do-gooder. Places like the Yamen or the Disciplinary Hall had existed before, but they were abolished due to major conflicts with certain Elders and Immortals. Sect Leader Ling was not yet an absolute authority and could not prevent it.

"...The sect indeed has all sorts of problems, and so do the people—some are good, some are bad." She stared at the challenge talisman and said dazed, "Sect Leader Ling has done well enough. I heard that before she became Sect Leader, the December Sect was a nest of bandits with cultivation, chaotic and looting at will. It was Sect Leader Ling who made it look like a proper sect... it's just that in recent years, she has become a bit weary."

Ling Zhihuan had long known how flawed the sect was, but she wasn't cut out for leadership. To have reached the current state was already the best she could do. She was once a mortal general and knew nothing of power struggles or sect building; she must have put in immense effort to reach where she was today.

Turi Qi loved the sect and was full of gratitude, but she also knew it was riddled with loopholes. Just as there were people in the sect who were good to her, there were those who were not. Turi Qi had long known there are no absolutes in the world, yet she remained full of kindness.

After a while, the challenge barrier shattered. A girl walked out, her hem stained with a tiny bit of blood.

Seeing Turi Qi, Zora nodded expressionlessly: "Senior Sister Turi."

"Junior Sister Zora." Turi Qi smiled. She looked toward the unconscious, blood-covered disciple on the ground. Seeing that his life was still there and his cultivation intact—he just needed to lie down for a hundred days—Turi Qi notified other disciples to come and carry him away.

Zora originally had no reaction, but Turi Qi took out a handkerchief and wiped a drop of blood from her face, her smile looking a bit forced.

Vane first looked at Zora.

No injuries.

Then he lightly observed Turi Qi for a while and made a judgment.

No threat to Zora, and no intent to oppose Zora.

So he shifted his gaze with indifference, looking at Zora, his gaze lingering on her face.

"My apologies, Junior Sister Zora," Turi Qi said. "I noticed you back when you were on the Cloud Stairway, yet I didn't pay attention during that month when you had entered the sect but hadn't yet taken a master, allowing you to be bullied."

"..." Zora blinked. The handkerchief on her face was very gentle. She thought for a moment and decided to comfort Turi Qi.

Zora pointed at Vane: "It's okay. He was there. We spar often."

"?"

Turi Qi laughed, mysteriously understanding her meaning.

She meant that Junior Brother Vane often sparred with her, allowing Zora to vent her emotions and feel better.

Vane appeared to have his arms crossed, standing not far away, staring at the blood-stained ground in thought. In truth, he was listening to the conversation of the two disciples carrying the person away; their voices were very small, but they couldn't hide from his ears.

"How is it this bad?"

"I told you, with him bullying people like that, he was bound to hit a wall sooner or later!"

The disciples Turi Qi notified held no great ill will.

Seeing no unfavorable comments toward Zora, Vane stopped listening and walked toward her.

Having only taken a few steps, he happened to hear Zora mention the sparring.

The youth’s brow relaxed slightly.

It seemed she was no longer angry; her attention had long since been diverted.