207: Chapter 207 Returning to the Snowfall Sect

Now, Zhou Heng had already perished.

The old man returned the shattered jade and the jade tablet to their original places, then scanned the other three fragments.

He had heard of the names on them; they were all Inner Sect Disciples, with cultivation bases between the Great Martial Master Ninth Level and the Half-step Martial Spirit.

They could not be considered key figures, and their deaths would not stir up any waves.

Only with Zhou Heng's death would his brother, Zhou Yu, who possessed formidable strength and valued loyalty, absolutely refuse to let the matter rest.

The old man shook his head slightly, turned to walk out of the hall, and sat back down in his worn rattan chair.

The warm sun still spilled over his body; he picked up the wine gourd at his waist, took a sip, squinted his eyes, and muttered to himself.

"Now that this brat from the Zhou family is gone, the Academy is likely going to be lively for a while."

These disputes and entanglements would naturally be handled by the upper echelons of the Academy.

He was merely an old man guarding the hall and had no need to intervene.

However, he could not help but feel a bit curious.

To be able to kill four Inner Sect Disciples in succession within a few short breaths, causing four life-bound jade tablets to shatter simultaneously.

The person who struck must have had a cultivation base of at least the Martial Spirit Realm.

Furthermore, the act was extremely swift and decisive, leaving him not even a chance to use secret techniques to track the aura.

"Interesting."

The old man smacked his lips, took another sip of old wine, closed his eyes again, and bathed leisurely in the warm sunlight.

On the wooden shelf of the Soul Lamp Hall, the four shattered jade tablets lay quietly on display.

The bloodstains on the jade surfaces had long since dried up completely.

They had turned into dark red lines, firmly embedded within the cracks.

He did not reach out to touch them, nor did he order anyone to come and dispose of them.

Four jade tablets had shattered.

This meant that four Inner Sect Disciples of Tianyang Academy, along with one deacon, had all perished.

This matter could be light or heavy, with a blurred boundary that was hard to define.

Yet, in the old man's heart, there were no ripples, and certainly no sense of urgency.

He had guarded the Soul Lamp Hall for over a hundred years.

The separations and deaths he had witnessed were far more numerous than those seen by any Elder in the Academy.

Geniuses dying halfway through their journey, experts perishing in the Secret Realm.

Fellow Disciples turning into enemies, ambushes and assassinations in the shadows.

Year after year, it had never ceased.

When jade tablets shattered, their clans and relatives would naturally come to ask for the reason.

If the Zhou family remained silent, he would just guard the hall well and not cause extra trouble.

He was merely the guardian of the Soul Lamp Hall, never anyone's messenger.

Furthermore, the Zhou family had been deeply rooted in Tianyang Academy for many years, with forces intertwined.

The family head, Zhou Tiande, held the position of Academy Vice Dean, with a cultivation base at the Peak of the Martial Spirit Realm.

Their eyes and ears were spread throughout the inside and outside of the Academy, and they were extremely well-informed.

The news of Zhou Heng's jade tablet shattering could not be hidden at all.

There was no need for him to say anything; the Zhou family would find out on their own sooner or later.

When they came to his door, he would just return the fragments then.

As for Zhou Yu, who was in the top five of the True Transmission Ranking.

What kind of storm would be raised upon learning of his brother's tragic death had nothing to do with him anymore.

The old man raised his hand to take down the wine gourd hanging at his waist.

He tilted his head and took a small sip of the plum wine he had brewed himself.

This wine was made from the fruits of the old plum tree in the backyard of the Soul Lamp Hall.

It had been buried at the bottom of the Soul Jade Tower, cellared for three years.

The taste was crisp and clear, with an aftertaste carrying a faint, tangy sweetness.

He smacked his lips lightly and placed the wine gourd steadily on his knee.

He changed to a more relaxed posture, leaning lazily against the rattan chair.

Sunlight slowly spilled through the gaps in the eaves.

It gently covered his graying beard and hair, radiating warmth.

The old man closed his eyes and lowered his gaze, dozing off peacefully amidst the warm sunlight and the fragrance of wine.

A thousand miles away, the deep autumn official road was desolate and long.

Ye Yun and Han Qingxue had been traveling day and night for two days.

The phoenix trees by the roadside had all turned withered and yellow, and fallen leaves covered the ground in layers.

Footsteps trod upon the withered leaves, with the rustling sound accompanying them all the way.

The two had not ridden horses.

But the extraordinary footwork of cultivators had long surpassed the fast horses of the world.

During these two days of travel and rest, the sword wound on Han Qingxue's shoulder had healed rapidly under the continuous nourishment of Pure Yang Mystic Power.

The wound had long since scabbed over and hardened.

Her posture, which had been tense and stiff when walking before, was now relaxed and natural.

However, whenever Ye Yun turned his head to look back.

She would instinctively avert her gaze, and a faint crimson flush would quietly rise on her fair ears.

Her feelings were shy and reserved, with every subtle change hidden in the dodging of her eyes.

As they gradually approached the mountain gate of Luoxue Sect.

Han Qingxue suddenly slowed her pace.

"Junior Brother."

Ye Yun stopped at the sound and turned back to look.

Han Qingxue stood under an old locust tree by the roadside.

Her plain white dress was fluttered by the gusts of autumn wind, her sleeves lifting lightly, looking cold and elegant.

She lowered her head and hesitated for a moment, deliberating carefully, then spoke softly.

"After we return to the Sect, I will go to pay my respects to Revered Master first; you can come later."

Ye Yun looked at her quietly and did not answer immediately.

Han Qingxue felt her heart flutter under his calm gaze and added in a low voice.

"Doing it this way is safer. If you and I return to the Sect together, others will inevitably create idle gossip and criticism."

"Why overthink it?"

Ye Yun's lips curled slightly, his tone light and calm.

"Is Senior Sister afraid that the people in the Sect will know that you and I have been traveling together for several days?"

The flush on Han Qingxue's ears deepened, but she still maintained her usual cold indifference on her face.

"I am afraid of causing you trouble. Within the Inner Sect, there are many people who covet and target you, and Murong Yun's faction is even more eager to strike. If rumors arise again, it will only increase trouble."

"Senior Sister."

Ye Yun interrupted softly, his tone peaceful but carrying a hint of certainty.

"We return together, we pay respects to Revered Master together. You and I are fellow Senior Sister and Junior Brother, returning from executing a Sect mission together; it is upright and honorable, no need to avoid it."

Han Qingxue stared at him in a daze.

Her lips parted slightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and for a moment, she was speechless.

He spoke so openly and honestly, as if this were just an ordinary, trivial matter.

But she knew in her heart that today was different from the past.

Ye Yun had already achieved a Breakthrough to the Martial Spirit Realm, his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds.

As the Revered Master's Personal Disciple, he was the most dazzling new Prodigy of the Luoxue Sect at the moment.

And her cultivation had stalled, having long been quietly overtaken by Junior Brother.

With the two of them now having such a disparity in status and cultivation, returning side by side so intimately.

In the eyes of the Sect members, this would never be just a simple return of fellow Disciples.

"Do you really want to do this?"

She lowered her eyelids, her voice as thin as the wind.

Ye Yun did not say much, only extending a hand toward her.

His palm was slender and clean, with distinct knuckles, spread steadily with the palm facing up.

Just like on the official road back then, quiet and firm, waiting for her.

Han Qingxue gazed at that warm palm, silent for a long time.

Finally, she lifted her hand gently, slowly placing her cool, slender palm into his.

"Let's go."

Ye Yun curled his fingers slightly, holding her hand firmly, and turned to continue walking.

Han Qingxue trailed half a step behind him, her fingertips curling slightly.

The warm and steady sensation from the palm he held tightly made her heart beat irregularly.

The Luoxue Sect mountain gate soon appeared at the end of their sight.

At the foot of the snowy mountain, the white jade archway stood towering.

The flying eaves and upturned corners were hung with transparent icicles.

The afternoon sun spilled down, refracting scattered, colorful streams of light, cold and magnificent.

On both sides of the mountain gate, four Outer Sect Disciples stood solemnly on guard.

Wearing uniform light-green Disciple robes, with long swords hanging at their waists, their postures were upright.

As Ye Yun and Han Qingxue walked closer side by side.

A round-faced Disciple on the left cast a casual glance, and his gaze suddenly froze.