Jade Dynasty: I am the master of the Burning Sword, my swordsmanship is unparalleled.

Chapter 44 The Secret of the Ancestral Temple

"what?"

Master Shuiyue's voice rose a few decibels, and the next moment, a pair of cold and sharp eyes swept over Tian Buyi beside him.

The affair between Wenmin and Song Daren naturally reached Master Shuiyue's ears, but she generally wouldn't interfere too much.

Tian Buyi was also stunned when he heard Lu Xueqi's words, but then, after noticing Master Shuiyue's gaze, he couldn't help but show a hint of smugness.

Master Shuiyue was already furious. Now, seeing that this damned Fatty Tian still dared to be so smug in front of her, she immediately shouted angrily.

"As expected, like father, like son. It was one thing for you, Tian Buyi, to come here and secretly meet my junior sister back then, but now you dare to instigate your disciple to come and secretly meet my disciple. You have truly disgraced the ancestors of your Great Bamboo Peak!"

As soon as Master Shuiyue uttered these words, the surroundings fell silent instantly, with only the sound of wind rustling through the ancient trees and leaves in the forest.

Lu Xueqi and Tian Ling'er both stared at Master Shuiyue in shock, and then their gazes fell on Su Ru, whose face was flushed with embarrassment.

Su Ru also felt a sense of shame at this moment. She was young at the time. Although she was not young, she was still a teenager. She was impulsive and did things impulsively. She did not feel ashamed of such a rebellious thing. On the contrary, she was quite proud.

Now that she is a mother, and in front of her children and younger generations, Master Shuiyue exposed her past, which made Su Ru feel somewhat ashamed.

Su Ru immediately reached out and tugged at Master Shuiyue, wanting to plead for Tian Buyi, but to her surprise, Tian Buyi had an even worse temper. When Master Shuiyue brought up the past, he couldn't help but retort.

"You old nun, it's fine if you want to live a solitary life, but why do you have to drag your junior sister along with you? Now that you're someone else's master, you still want to drag your disciple along to be lonely for the rest of your life, is that it?"

"I, Tian Buyi, am making my point clear right here: your disciples from Xiaozhu Peak, Dazhu Peak is determined to have them..."

Seeing that Tian Buyi was about to say something, Su Ru quickly reached out and pulled him back, then turned to Master Shuiyue and said.

"Senior sister, senior sister, let's go back and talk about it. This is the resting place of our ancestors. Let's not disturb their peace."

Seeing that Master Shuiyue remained silent, but her anger was still palpable and seemed to be growing, and that she was about to lose control, Su Ru couldn't help but speak again.

"Senior Sister, let Senior Brother Wan quietly serve the ancestral masters!"

Upon hearing the words "Senior Brother Wan," Master Shuiyue immediately fell silent. Although the anger on his face remained, a hint of sorrow flashed in his eyes.

After glancing at Tian Buyi, Master Shuiyue said nothing more, but turned and walked towards the front peak. Lu Xueqi quickly followed.

Tian Buyi didn't show any smugness. He craned his neck and looked towards the location of the Ancestral Temple a few times. Then, with a complicated expression, he shook his head, sighed, and followed the others towards the front peak.

Behind them, Su Ru pulled Tian Ling'er along and followed closely. Zhang Xiaofan glanced around and then walked up.

After a long while, a faint sigh finally came from the dense forest. Wan Jianyi's figure appeared on the mountain path at some point, with a complex and guilty look on his face.

"Perhaps, it was a mistake for me to save you back then!"

A somewhat weary voice slowly came from behind Wan Jianyi. Dao Xuan Zhenren, dressed in a dark green Daoist robe, walked out of the night and stood behind Wan Jianyi, speaking with a sigh.

Upon hearing this, Wan Jianyi slightly twitched the corners of his mouth, his face seemingly carrying a hint of amusement, and responded with a smile.

"But you've already made this mistake, haven't you?"

"You remind me of that junior brother from back then, he's come back."

Dao Xuan Zhenren chuckled softly, not dwelling on right or wrong. Some things cannot be measured by right or wrong.

Those who cultivate the Tao cultivate the Tao itself, the Tao within their hearts. If one's heart is lost, one will naturally not see the road ahead. But if one's heart is clear and open, even if one is trapped in a prison, one can still move forward without hesitation.

"My senior brother has accompanied me on the road ahead for a hundred years. On the journey back to the end of my life, shouldn't I give my senior brother a proper send-off?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Jianyi chuckled. Dao Xuan Zhenren's expression changed slightly, and his aura of a reclusive master vanished instantly. He burst into a tirade of curses.

"I was just trying to congratulate you, and you're cursing me to die, aren't you?"

"Hehe, everyone has to die, but you're older than me, so it's normal for you to die before me, right?"

After chuckling, Wan Jianyi flashed and ran directly towards the Ancestral Hall. Dao Xuan Zhenren, seeing this, couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

After shaking his head and chuckling to himself while standing on the mountain path, Dao Xuan Zhenren stepped into the dense forest and headed towards the front peak.

Behind the Jade Purity Hall, in the secluded courtyard where Master Shuiyue resided.

Master Shuiyue sat at the head of the table, Su Ru sat to the side, Tian Buyi sat to the left, and Zhang Xiaofan, Lu Xueqi and Tian Ling'er could only stand in the middle.

"Xueqi, tell me, when, where, and with whom did Wenmin meet?"

Master Shuiyue took a deep breath, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her already cold and stern face became even more icy as she glared at Tian Buyi.

Tian Buyi was not to be outdone. He looked up and met Song Daren's gaze, deliberately showing a smug look on his face, as if he had the words "Song Daren has my style" written all over his face.

Lu Xueqi silently apologized to Wen Min, and then recounted the events of that night in detail, including her encounter with Zhang Xiaofan on the way.

At that moment, Master Shuiyue's gaze became even more dangerous as she stared intently at Zhang Xiaofan, gritting her teeth and speaking each word with utmost venom.

"Good, good indeed, worthy of being a disciple of Dazhu Peak!"

"Senior sister, don't rush, let's hear what Ling'er has to say first."

Su Ru remained calm, but vaguely sensed something unusual. She turned to Tian Ling'er and asked.

Although Tian Ling'er usually liked to play around, seeing Su Ru's serious expression, she had no choice but to tell her everything.

It was her idea; she originally just wanted to go out and have some fun with her junior brother, but feeling embarrassed, she thought of bringing Senior Sister Wenmin along as well, which would also be a good opportunity for her senior brother and Senior Sister Wenmin to get together. Then, that night, because Su Ru had detained her in the villa, Tian Ling'er had no choice but to tell Wenmin the location in advance so that she could go there by herself.

Then Lu Xueqi noticed that Wen Min had gone out and followed her, where she encountered Zhang Xiaofan, who was alone.

"What happened tonight? Why are you back so early?"

Su Ru narrowed her eyes slightly. She knew her own daughter well. Knowing her personality, once she took Zhang Xiaofan with her, she wouldn't come back so soon.

Master Shuiyue also looked over upon hearing this.

Master Shuiyue's original plan was to go directly to the Ancestral Hall to confront Zhang Xiaofan. Once there, he would make Zhang Xiaofan kneel down in the Ancestral Hall to admit his mistake and swear never to associate with the disciples of Xiaozhu Peak again, thus eliminating any future troubles.

But to their surprise, Zhang Xiaofan and his group had already returned before they even arrived at their destination.

"Mother, I told you, you mustn't punish me."

Tian Ling'er said softly, and after seeing Su Ru nod, she explained in a low voice.

"When Xiao Fan and I offered incense to the ancestral master, we felt like we were being watched by something, which made us very uncomfortable, so we came back directly."

Su Ru's eyes widened instantly, and her breathing changed slightly. Master Shuiyue, standing to the side, looked somewhat displeased upon hearing this.

Although Master Shuiyue felt that Tian Ling'er was disrespectful to the patriarch, she didn't say anything. After all, going there for a rendezvous in the middle of the night was obviously a sign of something to be ashamed of, and it was normal for her to be afraid.

Tian Buyi rolled his eyes, as if he was disgusted that Tian Ling'er was too timid.

Back then, even though Master Zhenyu, the master of Su Ru and Master Shuiyue, lived in the same courtyard, and Su Ru lived with Master Shuiyue and even Master Zhenyu, he still dared to secretly invite Su Ru to a rendezvous in the middle of the night.

"Alright, all three of you should go back and rest."

Su Ru waved her hand and said something. Master Shuiyue wanted to say something, but Su Ru stopped him.

Upon hearing this, Tian Ling'er, who was standing in the middle, felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly grabbed Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi, who had not said a word, and ran out.

After stepping outside, Tian Ling'er finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"I was so scared. I thought I was going to get yelled at by my mom and dad again."

"Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Sister Tian, ​​I'm so sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been..."

Lu Xueqi said apologetically, but then she hesitated for a moment before stopping. Zhang Xiaofan waved his hand gently and said meaningfully.

"Senior Sister Lu, there's no need to worry. Perhaps it's not such a bad thing after all."

Zhang Xiaofan hadn't expected what would happen tonight, but judging from his master's wife's expression, she probably already guessed what had happened.

"It's getting late, Senior Sister, Senior Sister Lu, let's go back and rest."

The three parted ways and each returned to their own villa to rest.

Inside Master Shuiyue's villa, Master Shuiyue looked at Su Ru with a puzzled expression, not understanding why Su Ru wanted the three of them to leave.

A complex look flashed in Su Ru's eyes. After calming herself down, she deliberately lowered her voice and said.

"Not easy, Senior Sister, when Senior Brother Wan died, did you examine his body?"

Although Su Ru's voice was low, Tian Buyi and Master Shuiyue were both highly accomplished individuals and were listening intently, so they heard every single word.

Immediately, Master Shuiyue and Tian Buyi's expressions changed, and they both stared intently at Su Ru, not understanding what she meant. Seeing this, Su Ru spoke again.

"Today, Xiao Fan's mastery of the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique is already superb. While Xiao Fan's talent is indeed extraordinary, I doubt he could have reached this level in such a short time by practicing alone!"

Master Shuiyue couldn't help but recall what happened during the day, and her pupils narrowed slightly. Tian Buyi couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face and whispered.

"You mean there was something wrong with that body from back then?"

"After the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament ends tomorrow, Xiao Fan and Xue Qi will soon be going down the mountain for training. We can take this opportunity to go to the Ancestral Temple together to pay our respects and pray for Xiao Fan and Xue Qi."

A glint of wisdom flashed in Su Ru's eyes. Tian Buyi hesitated upon hearing this and said softly.

"If that's really the case, the sect leader might not agree."

"Hmph, if Senior Brother Sect Leader disagrees, wouldn't that just prove Junior Sister guessed right? Another day, we can sneak in together to take a look."

Master Shuiyue snorted and said, glancing at Tian Buyi with disdain, which made Tian Buyi's face darken with anger. Seeing this, Su Ru quickly spoke up.

"No, Senior Brother Daoxuan is kind-hearted. As long as we don't reveal it, it'll be fine. But, Senior Sister, you..."

Su Ru stopped halfway through her speech and couldn't help but sigh. The secret of the Ancestral Temple could only be buried there forever, resting there with the spirits of the ancestors of all generations.

Because once that secret is revealed, it will no longer be a matter of one person's reputation or life and death, but a matter of the reputation and survival of the entire Qingyun Sect.

The fact that a disciple murders his master is already a scandal. If the Qingyun Sect, the leader of the righteous path, were to spread the word that its most treasured weapon, the Zhuxian Sword, is a deadly weapon that can drive people to madness, the Qingyun Sect would likely be labeled as a demonic sect.

"Junior sister, don't worry, as long as I know he's still here, that's enough."

Master Shuiyue slowly walked out of the hall, looked up at the full moon overhead, as if trying to see that face that had been blurred but was gradually becoming clearer, and murmured softly.

Perhaps you no longer recognize me, and I no longer recognize you?

(End of this chapter)