Chapter Sixty-Seven: Within the Sword Sovereign Sect

The cultivators from the Xuanchan Palace, who had given chase, found themselves caught in a dilemma. Even though Ye Qianzhong and Night Five had not explicitly stated their intention to stand up for the Poison Lady, it was clear to them that if they insisted on fighting her to the end today, these two would not simply stand by. Weighing their options, they finally decided to withdraw and deal with the aftermath, leaving only the Third Elder to say to Ye Qianzhong and the others, “The ritual has been disrupted by the Poison Lady; I fear the blood pool cannot be opened. We must ask your forgiveness.”

“It’s of no concern. However, the matter of our alliance will have to be discussed another time. I shall take my leave,” Ye Qianzhong replied, departing briskly with his entourage.

Night Five was even more nonchalant, disappearing without so much as a word. His followers, caught off guard, hurried after him.

The Snow Ridge Twin Fiends and the Prince of Ice and Snow, Li Bing, also left with their people without much formality. Only the Demon Star, Lu Shuangxing, lingered to exchange a few pleasantries with Li Yang and his group before taking his leave.

The news of the Poison Lady causing havoc at Xuanchan Palace spread swiftly across the Eastern Continent. The Sword Sect soon learned of it as well. Yu Shiyu, who had been confined by his elders, couldn’t help but feel a chill as he recalled the delicate figure of Yu Youwei—he found it hard to reconcile her with the notorious Poison Lady. Still, he understood all too well that her vendetta against Xuanchan Palace was on Mu Yuyan’s behalf.

“It’s a relief that Yuyan is unharmed, or she would have had my hide,” Yu Shiyu muttered, suddenly feeling somewhat frustrated. What were those elders in his family thinking, ignoring Yu Youwei for all these years and even trying to force her to marry that fool from the Ning family? Thinking back to their first meeting, when he had actually tossed her into the water, he felt a lingering sense of dread.

“Who would have your hide?”

A gentle female voice called out. Yu Shiyu turned to see his fourth uncle’s eldest daughter, Yu Ruoshuang, standing prettily at the entrance of the courtyard. She bore a close resemblance to Yu Youwei, her features delicate and lovely like dewdrops on a petal, fragile as dawn’s first light.

“There are plenty who’d want my hide.” He laughed it off and quickly changed the subject. “What brings you here?”

“I heard you were under confinement. I went to ask Grandfather to let you go, but he wouldn’t agree—he only allowed me to come see you,” Yu Ruoshuang said, pouting slightly.

She knew perfectly well that her confinement was her mother’s doing. The Sect Master was her maternal grandfather, so he wouldn’t heed his granddaughter’s pleas. Yu Shiyu didn’t expose this, only smiled and said, “Confinement isn’t so bad—it’s just like a closed-door cultivation retreat. Ruoshuang, you should go back. I need to make the most of this time to train.”

But Yu Ruoshuang didn’t leave; instead, she walked in and said, “Mother said she’ll be coming to see you soon.”

Was Fourth Aunt about to lay her cards on the table? Yu Shiyu’s expression darkened. He had to marry Mu Yuyan—openly and honorably as his principal wife. Only then could he draw Yu Youwei closer to the Yu family; at the very least, Yu Youwei would be willing to help. He knew too that Fourth Aunt, who had managed to keep the entire Yu family from acknowledging her husband’s illegitimate daughter for fourteen years, would never agree to let Yu Youwei’s cousin become his principal wife.

“What are you thinking about, Second Brother?” Yu Ruoshuang asked softly.

Yu Shiyu didn’t reply, his gaze shifting to the courtyard gate, where he saw Fourth Aunt, Ying Ximei, approaching with his father across the stone bridge that linked the main peak to Purple Bamboo Peak. He’d been confined at Purple Bamboo Peak since being brought back to the sect—a punishment in name, but in reality, a chance to train in this blessed land. The Elders’ Hall was at the peak, and the presiding elders often came to visit. The peace and tranquility here stood in sharp contrast to the bustle of the main peak.

He hadn’t expected Fourth Aunt to bring his father so quickly! Yu Shiyu could barely conceal his displeasure. In the Yu family, though Fourth Aunt seldom appeared in public, her influence was immense. She was the greatest obstacle to his marriage with Mu Yuyan.

When Fourth Aunt married into the Yu family, her husband had promised never to take a concubine, and no one in the family had dared utter a word against it. After his uncle’s death, there was no need for Fourth Aunt to say a word—Grandmother had sent away all the servant girls around him, and even Mu Qingxi, who was pregnant with Yu Youwei, was not allowed to stay. Given Fourth Aunt’s contributions to the family, this was understandable. After all, it was only after she married in, with the full support of her father, the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, that the Yu family began to prosper.

Yet Fourth Aunt had also cost the Yu family a peerless genius!

The Poison Lady—without relying on the Yu family—had achieved such astonishing feats. To singlehandedly storm Xuanchan Palace and leave unscathed was enough to stir any heart. To berate the likes of Ye Qianzhong, Night Five, and Lu Shuangxing at will—how audacious she was!

Poison Lady, my good sister, just what cards are you still holding?

Yu Shiyu wished he could sprout wings and fly to Yu Youwei to press her for answers. As for Fourth Aunt, he no longer felt the awe he once did. If she could unleash dozens of venomous crocodiles to self-destruct in Xuanchan Palace, could she not do the same in the Sword Sect?

As Fourth Aunt and his father neared the courtyard gate, Yu Shiyu suddenly said, “Ruoshuang, I hope you’ll reconsider marrying Ling Yanfeng. With your gentle nature, he’ll have you completely under his thumb, and his family will never agree to his not taking a concubine.”

The sole condition for Fourth Aunt’s marriage had been that her husband take no concubines—Yu Shiyu knew she couldn’t refute his reasoning.

A flush quickly crept up Yu Ruoshuang’s cheeks, all the way to the base of her neck. Shyly, she lowered her head and murmured, “Brother Yanfeng said he wouldn’t take a concubine.”

Noticing his father intentionally slowing his steps, signaling him to stop, Yu Shiyu pressed on regardless: “And you believe him? The Ying family is thin on heirs, and the Yu family’s foundation is still weaker than the Wu family’s. Once you’re married and the Sect Master retires to pursue the Way in seclusion, the Ling family will be in sole control. If he wants to take a concubine then, what power will you have to stop him?”

“What should I do then?” Yu Ruoshuang looked up in panic.

Two daughters from the same father could be so utterly different—Yu Youwei was a poisonous mandrake, while Yu Ruoshuang was a fragile orchid. If they’d swapped soil, Yu Ruoshuang would likely have withered away long ago. Yu Shiyu, moved by genuine concern, sighed softly, “A man should fear the wrong career, a woman the wrong husband. You’re too gentle by nature; it just won’t do. If you want to marry Ling Yanfeng, you must learn to be stronger.”

If Yu Shiyu’s only aim had been to prevent Yu Ruoshuang from marrying Ling Yanfeng, Ying Ximei would have ignored his words. But that last remark struck a chord. For a mother, even the most gentle-hearted woman can become strong to protect her child. She, too, had once been as gentle and naive as her daughter. It was only after her husband’s tragic death that she learned to be strong.

Over the years, she’d come to understand a simple truth: a woman’s standing in her husband’s family is directly tied to the strength of her birth family.

Ying Ximei could see Yu Shiyu’s ambition and understood the real reason he objected to Yu Ruoshuang’s marriage. But she could not deny that, with her daughter’s gentle disposition, she was indeed powerless to protect herself if she married into the Ling family. Yet even if the Yu family grew stronger, how much would her daughter truly gain from it?

“A family’s unity lies in its ability to shelter its own, including daughters who have married out,” Yu Shiyu said, casting a glance at the bewildered Yu Ruoshuang. “Honestly, I think it would be best for you to take a husband into our family—choose a branch member of the clan to marry in and support our fourth branch. With you and me watching over things, no one would dare mistreat you. Marrying out, I fear if you are wronged, no one will even know.”