Chapter 14
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 14: Title
The misunderstanding from last night was big.
Mu Rongyan clearly didn\’t believe Ye Qingshang, so he kept his distance from her. Whenever they might be alone, he made sure to avoid her.
This made Ye Qingshang worried. With him so guarded, finding out the truth later would be much harder.
What confused Ye Qingshang even more was Mu Huaiyun. After she had to leave Mu Rongyan\’s room, she saw Mu Huaiyun walking toward her with a dark face. She wanted to explain because she had dragged someone over just to show him a good show.
But Mu Huaiyun didn\’t even look at her and walked right past!
Fine, if he left, she accepted it. With his proud and stubborn nature, he was hard to calm down. Yet she hadn\’t expected him to pack up without a word before dawn and take the Yunshan Sect disciples back to the sect.
She could imagine the Yunshan Sect disciples, looking completely worn out, flying on their swords. So why was he so angry? Over such a small favor?
It really matched what she thought of him before.
She looked away without thinking.
Beside her, Qiu Huayi blinked, glanced at Mu Rongyan, then hooked her arm with Ye Qingshang\’s. Her eyes pleaded like a child\’s. \"A\’shang, when we fly back, will you still come with me?\"
Meaning: I have little spiritual power, and now my senior brother is here, so don\’t drain me—let him carry you on his sword.
Ye Qingshang knew her junior sister\’s plan but still refused. \"Of course I\’ll go with you. Our Huayi is the most thoughtful and kind, right?\"
\"Oh… yes…\" Qiu Huayi\’s face fell, and she leaned on Ye Qingshang\’s shoulder with a soft sigh.
Why was she like this? A\’shang never used to be this way; it was really…
Qiu Huayi\’s small grumbles faded away in the streets.
After the group left, whispers started in the area, telling the story vividly as if seen firsthand.
\"Did you hear? Fang Gongzi jumped into the lake!\"
\"Which Fang family?\"
\"Oh, who else? It\’s Fang Xun, Scholar Fang\’s son. He was pitiful—his whole family died, leaving him alone. I guess he couldn\’t take it anymore.\"
\"But Scholar Fang\’s funeral was just a while back; how could Fang Gongzi…?\"
\"You don\’t know? Besides grieving, he couldn\’t win over his love and was turned down for marriage.\"
\"I never heard Fang Gongzi had a sweetheart. Which girl?\"
\"Zhou Yuanyi from Zhou Mansion. I heard a Zhou Mansion servant say they liked each other, but Mr. Zhou said Fang Gongzi was too poor and not good enough for her, so he broke it off. He might have said something rude too. Maybe Scholar Fang died from Mr. Zhou\’s words.\"
\"Now that you mention it, I recall Zhou Yuanyi hasn\’t been seen for ages. Could she be…?\"
\"Maybe. Today, passing Zhou Mansion, I saw the gates shut tight, with mourning sounds inside. Did Zhou Yuanyi hear about Fang Gongzi and kill herself?\"
\"If that\’s true, Zhou Mansion might…\"
\"Oh, they lost their son; now their daughter too…\"
\"So sad…\"
That night, mourning sounds filled Zhou Mansion, and screams came from the main room.
Mr. Zhou, hair messy like he was cursed, told everyone he saw ghosts. Steward Liu bravely checked the room but found only Mrs. Zhou sleeping, with nothing strange.
He calmed Mr. Zhou with gentle words.
But the next night, Mr. Zhou acted the same. It went on for days without peace, yet Steward Liu saw nothing wrong. He called in Taoists and doctors, but nothing helped.
Later, Mr. Zhou went mad, and Mrs. Zhou fell ill.
It was said that one day, Mr. Zhou stood in a crazed state at the city gate, grabbing people entering the city to confess his sins. He claimed he had committed wrongs by sending men to kill Fang Hanyu and believing in evil spirits…
That day, rumors swept through Qizhou. Zhou Mansion drowned in the townspeople’s gossip as the Zhou family’s businesses collapsed overnight. Other merchants seized the chance to swallow their assets, tearing apart the Zhou family’s empire…
Evil people are ultimately bound by their own misdeeds. But how could bearing responsibility or making amends ever bring back the dead? Thus the wheel of heavenly justice had long destined this outcome.
Why defy morality?
*
Ye Qingshang returned to Frostbite Sect three days later.
The journey back proved much swifter than the departure, thanks to Mu Rongyan’s grand gesture of opening the barrier to channel spiritual power to all disciples.
Yet while Mu Rongyan hurried home like an arrow shot, Ye Qingshang hesitated.
She couldn’t quite grasp her master’s thoughts.
Having broken sect rules this time, how would her master react?
He wouldn’t truly punish her… would he?
\"A\’shang, A\’shang…\" Qiu Huayi whispered urgently, pinching Ye Qingshang’s arm to snap her from her thoughts. \"Elder Ning!\"
Ye Qingshang looked up.
Beside Frostbite Sect’s stone monument stood Ning Jiwei before the gates, his expression cold.
Among all disciples, Ye Qingshang’s temperament most resembled Ning Jiwei’s—at least outwardly.
Having joined Frostbite Sect at ten, she’d spent five years in near-meditation under Ning Jiwei. Those years of seclusion and relentless cultivation forged the reputation that later made Tao Zhi submit to her in the Illusionary Battle Arena.
Her childhood liveliness had long been ground away by Ning Jiwei’s influence. She mirrored his aloofness until detachment became her second nature.
Their familiarity meant that even when Ning Jiwei’s unreadable face revealed nothing, prolonged observation sometimes let Ye Qingshang guess his thoughts—though never with certainty.
Like now, as she followed him silently to his quarters. She stole glances: his continued silence and unchanged expression surely meant he wasn’t too angr—
\"Kneel.\" Ning Jiwei’s icy command cut through her thoughts before she could finish.
Ye Qingshang: …
\"A\’yan informed me of your deeds in Qizhou. Have you any defense for conspiring with monsters?\"
Ye Qingshang lowered her eyes. \"I have none.\"
\"Explain why you unleashed the Flame Beast upon the Zhou family.\"
\"Mr. Zhou had blood on his hands,\" Ye Qingshang replied. \"This was his due.\"
\"His due? Had he killed, the authorities would’ve jailed him by law! And who can say whether those illusions held truth? How could you be certain he committed murder?\"
\"The killings were done by monsters,\" Ye Qingshang countered. \"Outwardly, Mr. Zhou bore no blame. All Qizhou knew monsters plagued Zhou Mansion—with the Flame Beast as witness. Master, do you believe mortals would trust a demon’s word?\"
\"Suppose they did believe. The Zhous topped the merchant class. They’d bribe officials to escape consequences. Mr. Zhou would suffer only reputation damage—gone after years in hiding. Is that punishment enough for three lives?\"
\"Lastly, I merely had the Flame Beast assume Miss Fang’s form to speak with him. Had he never known the Fangs, never harmed them—why would an innocent man fear a ghost?\"
\"Master…\" Ye Qingshang met his gaze with an unusual touch of emotion. \"Do you truly believe I was wrong?\"
