Since nothing had happened while they were outside and they also hadn’t found any traces from an earlier time, Song Yu Zheng didn’t have much to say. He simply told Mu Qing that they had finished their patrol and there wasn’t anything to worry about and then left after making sure that their senior martial brother didn’t have any further instructions for them.
On the way out, he gave Zhi Guan an encouraging look and then carefully closed the door behind them. In the future, these two might be brothers-in-law so it was best to give them some privacy when they were starting to deepen their familial relationship. In fact, they should probably stand guard so none of the other disciples could bother them.
Inside the room, Mu Qing laid down an array to keep the sounds in before turning to Zhi Guan. “You’re really brave to come here alone.”
Zhi Guan finally pulled down the veil and sat down opposite Mu Qing. “I came to save one of our disciples.”
Mu Qing thought for a moment but then nodded. “First senior martial brother mentioned they caught somebody.” His brows furrowed faintly. “That … how is Shen Lei? Did you guys manage to save him?” He had also heard about that from Qu Yijun. He wasn’t happy about it but there was nothing he could do.
Zhi Guan nodded. “Yeah, he’s out of danger by now and will definitely survive.” He didn’t tell him that Shen Lei was completely back to his peak state. Even though Mu Qing clearly held some remaining feelings for the Teng Yong Sect and its people contrary to his first senior martial brother, that didn’t mean that he could trust him without limits. No, if he exposed too many details, Mu Qing might still inform his Master.
Mu Qing heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. When first senior martial brother said they fought, I was afraid …” He shook his head and didn’t speak about it further. Instead, he looked at Zhi Guan deeply. “I can’t do much for you but I can let you and that disciple leave. Right now, my Master isn’t here so there’s no need to worry.”
Zhi Guan gave a hum. “I did give an excuse to the other three so I already intended to go if possible. As for Yang Wu Huang … you’d need to arrange for that. Can I trust you on this?”
Mu Qing nodded. “Believe me, if I could, I wouldn’t fight against you. None of you. The Teng Yong Sect was my home for a long time, after all.”
Zhi Guan furrowed his brows. “Then why do it? It’s not too late to turn back, you know? If you were to leave here, follow me back, and tell the Elders what you know, the past could be forgiven. Your little junior is working on that for himself and he’s been somewhat successful.”
Yes, even though Mei Chao Bing might never be able to get back the reputation he had originally had, he wouldn’t be treated as a possible traitor all the time in the future. In fact, he might even be seen as trustworthy again and still have a bright future ahead of him.
For Mu Qing, it would be more difficult. After all, he hadn’t just had the bad luck of being the disciple of a traitor. He had left himself and had lived in the Wu Yun Sect for several years as far as they could guess now. Still, turning back now and making amends could open up a new path for him as well.
Mu Qing shook his head though. “Believe me, if it was possible, I’d do it at once. I … I really miss everyone. Chao Bing, Ju Hai … my friends. If time could be turned back, I’d do it without any hesitation. I also know that what we are doing here is wrong but … I can’t help it. He is my Master. I owe him. Since this is what he is asking of me, I can’t say no to it, no matter what my own thoughts are.”
Zhi Guan shook his head as well. “My Master did a lot for me as well but if he dared to betray the Teng Yong Sect, I’d still pick up a sword to confront him. That wouldn’t be the Master who brought me to the sect anymore. How is he worthy of me listening to him and doing his dirty work?”
Mu Qing could only sigh. He didn’t expect Zhi Guan to understand. Elder Baili was very different from his own Master, after all. You could probably talk reasonably to him. As for his Master … it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried.
When he found out that the man he looked up to was actually a demonic practitioner, he had been devastated. He had begged him to reconsider, to abandon the demonic faction and wholeheartedly turn to the righteous faction. In fact, what Zhi Guan was telling him today — that he could turn back as long as he confessed to his wrongdoings and then made up for it by offering up relevant information — he had said all of that to his Master as well. It was a pity … Feng Bai Xiao had never felt a shred of sympathy for the cultivators of the righteous side. In fact, he probably didn’t feel much sympathy for the cultivators on the demonic side either.
Mu Qing lowered his gaze, a trace of hurt flashing past. When he was young, he had adored his Master. The older he got, the more he had lamented that his Master was really too cold. It had still been alright when it was directed at him but it had hurt his heart when he saw it happen to his little junior.
Now … he really didn’t feel much for this man any longer. He could see that he was simply power-hungry and doing all of this only for his own benefit. And yet, he couldn’t just leave because he had his own set of morals, and discarding a person he was indebted to was something he couldn’t bring himself to do. Thus, he had only been able to drag it on.
Since nothing had happened while they were outside and they also hadn’t found any traces from an earlier time, Song Yu Zheng didn’t have much to say. He simply told Mu Qing that they had finished their patrol and there wasn’t anything to worry about and then left after making sure that their senior martial brother didn’t have any further instructions for them.
On the way out, he gave Zhi Guan an encouraging look and then carefully closed the door behind them. In the future, these two might be brothers-in-law so it was best to give them some privacy when they were starting to deepen their familial relationship. In fact, they should probably stand guard so none of the other disciples could bother them.
Inside the room, Mu Qing laid down an array to keep the sounds in before turning to Zhi Guan. “You’re really brave to come here alone.”
Zhi Guan finally pulled down the veil and sat down opposite Mu Qing. “I came to save one of our disciples.”
Mu Qing thought for a moment but then nodded. “First senior martial brother mentioned they caught somebody.” His brows furrowed faintly. “That … how is Shen Lei? Did you guys manage to save him?” He had also heard about that from Qu Yijun. He wasn’t happy about it but there was nothing he could do.
Zhi Guan nodded. “Yeah, he’s out of danger by now and will definitely survive.” He didn’t tell him that Shen Lei was completely back to his peak state. Even though Mu Qing clearly held some remaining feelings for the Teng Yong Sect and its people contrary to his first senior martial brother, that didn’t mean that he could trust him without limits. No, if he exposed too many details, Mu Qing might still inform his Master.
Mu Qing heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. When first senior martial brother said they fought, I was afraid …” He shook his head and didn’t speak about it further. Instead, he looked at Zhi Guan deeply. “I can’t do much for you but I can let you and that disciple leave. Right now, my Master isn’t here so there’s no need to worry.”
Zhi Guan gave a hum. “I did give an excuse to the other three so I already intended to go if possible. As for Yang Wu Huang … you’d need to arrange for that. Can I trust you on this?”
Mu Qing nodded. “Believe me, if I could, I wouldn’t fight against you. None of you. The Teng Yong Sect was my home for a long time, after all.”
Zhi Guan furrowed his brows. “Then why do it? It’s not too late to turn back, you know? If you were to leave here, follow me back, and tell the Elders what you know, the past could be forgiven. Your little junior is working on that for himself and he’s been somewhat successful.”
Yes, even though Mei Chao Bing might never be able to get back the reputation he had originally had, he wouldn’t be treated as a possible traitor all the time in the future. In fact, he might even be seen as trustworthy again and still have a bright future ahead of him.
For Mu Qing, it would be more difficult. After all, he hadn’t just had the bad luck of being the disciple of a traitor. He had left himself and had lived in the Wu Yun Sect for several years as far as they could guess now. Still, turning back now and making amends could open up a new path for him as well.
Mu Qing shook his head though. “Believe me, if it was possible, I’d do it at once. I … I really miss everyone. Chao Bing, Ju Hai … my friends. If time could be turned back, I’d do it without any hesitation. I also know that what we are doing here is wrong but … I can’t help it. He is my Master. I owe him. Since this is what he is asking of me, I can’t say no to it, no matter what my own thoughts are.”
Zhi Guan shook his head as well. “My Master did a lot for me as well but if he dared to betray the Teng Yong Sect, I’d still pick up a sword to confront him. That wouldn’t be the Master who brought me to the sect anymore. How is he worthy of me listening to him and doing his dirty work?”
Mu Qing could only sigh. He didn’t expect Zhi Guan to understand. Elder Baili was very different from his own Master, after all. You could probably talk reasonably to him. As for his Master … it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried.
When he found out that the man he looked up to was actually a demonic practitioner, he had been devastated. He had begged him to reconsider, to abandon the demonic faction and wholeheartedly turn to the righteous faction. In fact, what Zhi Guan was telling him today — that he could turn back as long as he confessed to his wrongdoings and then made up for it by offering up relevant information — he had said all of that to his Master as well. It was a pity … Feng Bai Xiao had never felt a shred of sympathy for the cultivators of the righteous side. In fact, he probably didn’t feel much sympathy for the cultivators on the demonic side either.
Mu Qing lowered his gaze, a trace of hurt flashing past. When he was young, he had adored his Master. The older he got, the more he had lamented that his Master was really too cold. It had still been alright when it was directed at him but it had hurt his heart when he saw it happen to his little junior.
Now … he really didn’t feel much for this man any longer. He could see that he was simply power-hungry and doing all of this only for his own benefit. And yet, he couldn’t just leave because he had his own set of morals, and discarding a person he was indebted to was something he couldn’t bring himself to do. Thus, he had only been able to drag it on.
