Chapter 1 Part 2
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Chapter 1: The Netherworld Seal (2)
Sundowners.
Tong Yao walked briskly towards Qingyu Peak.
Every month, at the end of the month, her biological father, the Lord of the Hades Hall, would send something to her.
Although she would verbally refuse, a trace of disdain would still show on her face, yet deep down, this was one of the things she looked forward to the most.
Before opening the box with her own hands, she would repeatedly guess what might be inside.
Medicinal pills?
Spirit Tools?
Weapon materials?
Or maybe a special cultivation method?
Tong Yao never guessed right, but she wasn’t angry or regretful.
The things inside the box were paintings, snacks, and clothes!
The portrait painted for her by the Lord of the Hades Hall wasn’t as skilled as Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian’s, but it wasn’t ugly either.
The snacks were handmade by the Lord of the Hades Hall, with an unremarkable appearance and taste.
As for the clothes, they were sewn together with a thread and needle, crookedly stitched, and with loose threads left untied.
Anyway, Tong Yao wouldn’t wear them outside to show off.
But that didn’t stop her from flipping through the clothes when she had nothing else to do.
“What will it be this time?”
Tong Yao thought as she walked.
It would be best if there were Medicinal Pills to boost one’s cultivation base.
If she had that, she could impress Xiao Jinse and Su Youwei by tickling them with her feet!
Soon, she arrived at the disciples’ residence area of Qingyu Peak.
Her “entourage” had gathered to discuss something.
“We’ve been doing a really poor job with our work lately!”
“Yes, yes.”
“We arrogantly claimed to be the strongest support group for Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian, but even a newcomer knew her glorious accomplishments while we didn’t—this is truly embarrassing!”
“Let’s have a meeting. We need to reflect. Elder Martial Sister Tong is not here, but we can’t let her great achievements go to waste.”
“Yes…Ah, Elder Martial Sister!”
Tong Yao nodded and asked, “What are you all doing?”
“This is the case.”
A female disciple came over embarrassedly.
She told Tong Yao the rumors she had heard about Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian these days.
Listening to them, Tong Yao’s face changed.
Aren’t these the stories she made up to fool Martial Sister Lu?
No, these weren’t made up; they were real and undeniable!
Tong Yao spoke earnestly, “You all need to reflect! You can’t rely on me for everything. Otherwise, if I’m not around one day, will this backup group just dissolve?”
Someone hung their head in shame.
“Elder Martial Sister…”
Someone said, “How could Elder Martial Sister be not here?”
Tong Yao looked serious. “What I meant was, what if, what if!”
“Considering how talkative you are, hah… Elder Martial Sister, don’t worry, we will work hard.”
Tong Yao nodded courteously.
She remembered the way Bai Lian looked when she was training her.
She sighed, “Cultivation is personal. You all need to get this soon!”
“Yes.”
She walked into her room with her head held high and chest out.
To her surprise, she didn’t see the familiar purple box on the shelf.
“Where is it?”
It should be today, right?
Tong Yao scratched her head.
She didn’t panic but left immediately to search for Master Qin. This box was usually handed over to her by Master Qin.
As expected.
When she walked up to the main hall of Qingyu Peak, she saw the box placed on the table in front of Master Qin.
“Master?”
Tong Yao called out softly.
She noticed that Master Qin’s face was very serious, his eyes fixed on the box.
Not until she called out “Master Qin” again did he snap out of it.
“You’re here. This just arrived too.”
Tong Yao walked past and said, “Master, I’ll take the box now.”
Master Qin stopped her. “Wait. Open it right here.”
“Huh?”
How embarrassing!
But Master Qin’s eyes were fixed on her, so Tong Yao could only awkwardly lift the box.
In an instant, a soft purple light shone from the box, completely illuminating the room in purple.
“This is…”
Tong Yao’s eyes widened.
Suddenly, a perfectly square seal appeared in front of her, with strange patterns inscribed on its back.
Master Qin relaxed a bit.
Even with the box shielding the seal, he still felt a massive oppressive force.
He feared what bad thing could be hidden in the box.
“Is this a Spirit Tool?”
Tong Yao took the seal out.
She hadn’t had time to read the words engraved on the front when three words suddenly appeared in her mind.
The Netherworld Seal.
Then she felt a faint, yet present, connection between herself and the Netherworld Seal.
“This must be the memento your father left for you,” Master Qin guessed.
Tong Yao nodded, confused.
It was impossible for her to refine a Spirit Tool with her cultivation base.
“Why doesn’t he just give me some Medicinal Pills instead?” Tong Yao muttered, putting away the Netherworld Seal.
“Master, I’m heading back first. I still have to go see Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian tomorrow for the training.”
“Go, go,” Master Qin said with a smile.
These days, Tong Yao seemed more composed.
Since she’s no longer involved with the Younger Martial Brothers and Sisters, she no longer caused trouble.
Master Qin was very pleased!
It seemed like letting Bai Lian polish Tong Yao had been the right decision.
At most, it would take ten years for Tong Yao to gradually take on the responsibilities he was doing.
“Good things come to those who wait; my daughter is finally growing up…”
He watched Tong Yao until she was out of sight, smiling slightly, then lowered his head to deal with Qingyu Peak’s matters.
At 23 o’clock, Master Qin stretched languidly.
He was about to go out for a walk when he received Jue Yunzi’s message.
[Something bad happened.]
“…”
Master Qin stopped at the entrance of the main hall.
He raised his head and looked up at the moon, which seemed veiled in a light purplish glow.
The evening wind whistled through the hallway.
The rustling of the leaves sounded like a plaintive wail of distress.
Yes.
Something had happened.
Master Qin smiled wryly.
No wonder today’s gift was so different from the rest.
He turned and walked toward Tong Yao’s place.
He walked very slowly.
A journey that usually took just a few breaths of time took him a full quarter of an hour.
Master Qin stood outside the window.
Through a hazy layer of paper, he saw Tong Yao sitting in a lotus position on the bed.
The room was ablaze with candles.
Tong Yao placed the Netherworld Seal between the folds of her snow-field wind coat.
She held her cheeks in her hands, and even the corners of her eyes were filled with a happy smile.
She was muttering to the Netherworld Seal.
“To be honest, I’m not interested in Spirit Tools or anything. I don’t need them, and Medicinal Pills… whatever, they don’t matter.”
“It would be great if there was something else to eat.”
Tong Yao poked the Netherworld Seal, just like poking a frog’s butt.
“When it comes to eating, I think of Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian!”
“Today was the first time I tried food made by Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian, and the taste… wow! It was much better than what you cooked.”
Tong Yao licked her lips.
She squinted her eyes, as if savoring the taste of lunch.
Then, she nervously clutched the ends of her hair.
“I’m not blaming you either.”
“Well, I guess there’s a bit of truth to it—because your cooking skills are too bad!”
“I’m sure you’ll improve soon. You’re already so grown up, you can’t be so clueless about cooking, can you?”
“Well, let’s not talk about that anymore. Let’s talk about Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian instead.”
“Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian is nice to me, but her other Martial Sisters are too annoying!”
“They bully me for no reason, and I can’t beat them. If this goes on, something bad will happen between me and Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian…?”
Tong Yao suddenly fell silent.
She heard a discordant sound coming from outside the door.
She quickly turned around and saw Master Qin standing at the doorway.
Finished!
Tong Yao hurriedly got up from the bed in a fluster.
One of her white socks was only halfway on, dragging on the ground. She stepped on it, almost tripping herself.
Tong Yao’s face turned pale. “Master… please don’t tell anyone what I said just now, or else I…”
Master Qin nodded gently.
But there were some things that had to be said.
Tong Yao was no longer a child, and news in the cultivation world spread like wildfire. It was impossible to keep a secret.
“Tong Yao.”
Alas.
After calling her name, Master Qin sighed.
Someone once said that tragedy is showing people the destruction of something beautiful.
It was true.
Even though Tong Yao usually acted silly, she could sense something was wrong this time.
“Master, is something wrong?”
“Hmm.”
Master Qin nodded.
“I don’t know if this counts as a bad thing, but at least it’s not something good.”
Tong Yao stood silently, just staring blankly at Master Qin.
It was almost summer, yet tonight felt a bit cool.
Master Qin said, “I just received news from the Sect Leader that two days ago, the Hades Hall suddenly sank, and nobody has seen it since.”
“…”
When Tong Yao heard that the Hades Hall suddenly sank, her mind went blank.
What was said after that no longer mattered at all.
She turned around in a hurry.
She saw the faint purple light emanating from the Netherworld Seal.
The light was warm.
Like a mother’s hand gently caressing her body, but she suddenly fell into an icy cave.
Tong Yao realized why this time the gift sent to her was a mysterious seal, instead of the usual clothes, snacks, or drawings.
No more.
Because it was no longer possible to make something like that.
Was this the final gift?
No, it’s just beginning.
Even her mindset hadn’t adjusted yet.
She felt joy in reconnecting with her roots, but also a dilemma about her true identity.
She hadn’t thought about how to handle the relationship between her master and her father.
Now?
No need to think further.
All the troubles had disappeared.
It was like going back to the past.
But…
I can’t go back.
Tears suddenly flooded Tong Yao’s face.
The world is vast.
She was like a small boat without sails, completely lost in a sea of darkness with no way out.
Her loneliness.
“I understand.”
Master Qin stepped forward and tightly embraced Tong Yao.
“I’ll take you to find him. It’ll be alright, it will definitely be alright.”
