My Husband’s Ascension C28 (Part 1)
Chapter 28.1 What the Heart Desires
Hearing those words, Zhongli Shun remained frozen for a long moment.
Had he heard her right?
Did she just say…he could become her disciple?
A surge of overwhelming joy filled his chest, only to be swiftly weighed down by something heavy and daunting.
“But—”
“No ‘buts’!” Yao Ling, who regarded injustice as a sworn enemy, nearly seethed with anger. “Hit him back, or Rong Yu and I will never welcome you to Beaconlight Mountain again!”
Startled at suddenly being named, Rong Yu paused. Turning his head, he met Yao Ling’s warning look and had no choice but to nod meekly in response. “Hit him!”
Zhongli Shun stared at the small, elegant sword before him, feeling the expectant eyes of his clansmen and friends on his back.
After a long hesitation, he finally raised his hand, tentatively reaching for the hilt.
“Want to court death? Then here’s your chance!” Zhongli Yao, who had been leaving the platform, sensed danger and immediately preempted him.
Zhongli Shun reacted just in time.
Gripping the sword’s hilt, he pivoted to deflect the sneak attack, and as he leapt into the air, he drew Yao Ling’s blade, launching himself toward Zhongli Yao’s face with a fierce thrust.
Zhongli Yao was momentarily stunned by his reaction speed.
In past academy sparrings, Zhongli Shun had always focused on defense, never had he attacked with such deadly intent.
But Zhongli Yao, after all, had been personally trained by many elders of the Zhongli Clan. Though his innate talent was limited, he was no more than nine years old, far from the age where natural aptitude alone could outmatch carefully cultivated skill.
Thus, after receiving a few of Zhongli Shun’s strikes, he adjusted his breathing and stance, quickly meeting the boy’s blade once more.
On the practicing platform, all other onlookers hastily stepped aside, leaving only the two of them, their sword lights crisscrossing fiercely.
Li Feng, arms crossed, watched from the side, offering his commentary, “That rascal Zhongli Shun is quite the trouble.”
Zhao Zhao had noticed it too.
This was likely the first time Zhongli Shun had wielded a real sword in combat, and so he was still learning to master the edge.
It wasn’t that Zhao Zhao fully understood swordsmanship; rather, both boys’ techniques were cultivated according to Zhongli Clan methods.
On the practicing platform, Zhongli Shun’s sword intent was sharp yet overly hasty, aligning with the image of that young boy she had witnessed in the Soul-Binding Willow’s illusion.
Yao Ling focused intently for a while before turning to Zhao Zhao, “Master, their moves…are a lot like the ones you used when training me.”
She thought for a moment, then added, “Though neither of them is as skilled as you.”
The Zhongli Clan steward nearby couldn’t help but glance over.
Not to mention Zhongli Shun, who had no one to guide him, Zhongli Yao was personally taught by the elders of the Zhongli Clan, who themselves were closely related by blood to Dao Lord Tianshu.
How could a few outsiders possibly understand the Zhongli Clan’s teachings better than the clan itself?
“Not good.” Li Feng abruptly shed his leisurely, spectator’s demeanor, his expression turning sharp.
Zhongli Shun had never wielded a real sword before. Though he knew the moves by heart, his execution was hesitant; uncertain when to strike and when to withdraw. After only a few dozen moves, he already showed signs of faltering.
“Take the sword along the Fire* (离火), then divert it into the Water* (兑泽); exploit the opening, slip through the gap, evading blue to pierce red.”
(TLN: The fire and water should be referring to the five elements.)
Zhao Zhao’s sudden instruction immediately drew the attention of many Zhongli Clan members in the courtyard.
Zhongli Shun instantly grasped her guidance, adjusting his stance and movements as she suggested without ever questioning why a Divine Farmer Dao practitioner would understand swordsmanship.
Zhongli Yao had originally scoffed at her remarks; an outsider without even a sword by her side could hardly appear to know anything about the Way (aka Dao) of the Sword.
Yet in the next moment, the strike from his sword was effortlessly dismantled.
The single sentence from Zhao Zhao seemed to unlock something within Zhongli Shun. With astonishing insight, he condensed his hurried, chaotic moves into a single, precise strike. Before Zhongli Yao could even gather for a counterattack—
Clang!
A sword’s whistle rang out as Zhongli Yao’s weapon was deflected by Zhongli Shun’s strike.
Had he been more ruthless, it wouldn’t have been the sword that was deflected, but his flesh.
More than being bested by Zhongli Shun, what shocked Zhongli Yao the most was the female cultivator standing calmly on the sidelines, her smile faint yet unnervingly composed.
“Who are you? How do you come to know the Zhongli Clan’s techniques? Whence did you steal it?”
She had only offered a few pointed suggestions, yet she had accurately exposed the flaws in Zhongli Shun’s practiced method, flaws he had deliberately had the tutors teach him as part of a scheme. How could an outsider discern such things?
Zhao Zhao merely smiled. “You mistake me, young master. The Way of the Sword is hard to master. I have only begun cultivating for less than a year and am unaware of any Zhongli Clan techniques.”
“Lies! You clearly—”
“Merely that I have seen the Zhongli Clan’s sword-forms before, and I noticed certain discrepancies between Young Master Shun’s movements and the ones in my memory, so I voiced this concern.” She feigned hesitation for effect. “This is the Zhongli Academy, the place most versed in your clan’s techniques—how then could one be taught the wrong forms here?”
Zhongli Yao’s face flushed from pale to crimson. The Zhongli Clan’s standing rested upon its cultivation methods; if it became known that he had tampered with the sword-forms and led tutors to instruct incorrectly, the elders, however indulgent they were of him, would be enraged.
“Wh–Who allowed you to speak so brazenly in the Zhongli Academy? Seize her and throw her out at once!”
Zhao Zhao had no wish to linger in this muddle. She made a brief gesture to Zhongli Shun, preparing to lead him away, when a voice rang from beneath the gallery—familiar, amused, and slow, “The conversation was not yet finished and you are already going to have her driven out?”
Zhao Zhao turned at the sound.
Lord Yaoguang strolled forward, the golden ink folding fan in his hand moved lightly, his face still bearing that easy, rakish smile.
“I would also like to know how the Zhongli Clan’s techniques could be taught falsely even within the Zhongli Academy,” he said.
The moment everyone saw his face, a cold sweat broke out, and they hurriedly bowed, trembling. “Salutations, Lord Yaoguang—”
He paid them no heed, his gaze instead shifting fully to Zhao Zhao, scanning her carefully.
Seeing her perfectly composed, unscathed from any oil or dust, Lord Yaoguang was struck with surprise, though he could not tell if it was from joy or sorrow.
“Miss Xie, long time no see. Judging by your appearance now, I suppose all has been well?”
Zhao Zhao was momentarily dazed.
Indeed, it had been a long time.
The last time she had met Lord Yaoguang was in Immortal Realm of Kunwu. At that time, she was still a mere mortal, traveling countless kilometers to the Immortal Realm to find her husband, only to be barred at the gates. Eventually, it was Lord Yaoguang who let her in, only to inform her that her husband had cut all ties with her.
Now, less than a year later, it all felt like a lifetime ago.
Lord Yaoguang himself was filled with wistfulness.
The last time he saw Miss Xie, all he remembered was her fervent devotion and reckless courage. She would risk her life to land a punch on Lord Tianquan to see Dao Lord Tianshu, and would resolutely climb the endless steps of Separation’s Regret Heaven with her own legs just to see the husband who had abandoned her.
Such passionate devotion naturally stirred the hearts in any who witnessed it.
But that emotion was pure pity, nothing more.
Now, upon seeing her again, she was no longer the mortal girl who needed someone’s sympathy. She had a yao familiar at her side, disciples under her guidance, and had formally stepped onto the path of cultivation.
The fact that she had survived the Soul-Shattering Abyss was astonishing enough.
Yet even more astonishing was the transformation she had undergone.
Zhao Zhao bore Lord Yaoguang no hostility, unlike with the other elders of Immortal Realm of Kunwu. Had he not intervened to shield her back then, her reckless punch might very well have been her undoing.
“Thank you for your concern, Lord Yaoguang. I am doing well,” she said.
Hearing this, Lord Yaoguang could not help but give a wry smile.
She truly seemed well, but as for Tianshu…
Though it was merely a casual reunion of old acquaintances, with a few exchanged pleasantries, to those around, it appeared far more significant.
Li Feng leaned close to Zhao Zhao, gossiping with a grin, “So, aside from your ex-husband, you’ve got other old flames too?”
Zhao Zhao: ?
Zhao Zhao: “Keep your dirty mind to yourself.”
But evidently, Li Feng was not the only one thinking this way.
The gazes of others flickered repeatedly between the two of them, considering how well this female cultivator understood the techniques of the Zhongli Clan, and then noting Lord Yaoguang’s sudden appearance, his protective stance, and wry smile.
“……So she is a friend of Lord Yaoguang. Pardon my poor eyesight…” The Zhongli Clan’s steward’s expression immediately changed, becoming exceedingly deferential, and even Zhongli Shun, stepping down from the practicing platform, began to show courtesy.
Zhongli Shun, however, could only watch Zhao Zhao and Lord Yaoguang with curiosity.
Lord Yaoguang himself was a member of the Zhongli Clan, and more importantly, a close friend of Dao Lord Tianshu.
So—
Could it be that Master truly had some deep, unresolved grudge with Dao Lord Tianshu?
“No need for you to follow. I have something to discuss privately with Miss Xie,” Lord Yaoguang said, glancing at Zhongli Yao and the others, their faces pale as they descended the platform.
“As for them…leave it to Miss Xie to decide their fate.”
The steward was stunned. “Th–This…might not be proper. The clan elders…”
Zhongli Yao, after all, was the elder’s direct legitimate grandson!
“What’s ‘not proper’? If there’s an issue, let him come find me and say so.”
In Lord Yaoguang’s mind, elders were trivial matters. This lady was, after all, the head madam of this clan who had even turned down the Donghua Pearl.
…
The two of them walked past the practicing platform.
The sunlight slanted down, casting sparse shadows of trees, while the Zhongli Clan children practiced swordplay in the shade. The small figures no taller than her waist, yet wielding their longswords with surprising skill.
Zhao Zhao turned her head and noticed Lord Yaoguang staring at her abdomen with a thoughtful expression.
“What is it?” she asked.
Lord Yaoguang shifted his gaze, a touch embarrassed.
Among cultivators, the higher one’s cultivation, the harder it is to bear children; that was why the sect master of Polaris Confucian Sect cherished and doted on Shi Lanyan. For someone of such high cultivation to have a child at all was extraordinarily rare.
Lord Yaoguang, occupying a prominent position, was surrounded by peers who all lacked heirs. He had long since forgotten what a pregnant woman looked like, how many months into pregnancy one’s belly would show… twelve months? Or twelve years?
Though he was well-versed in matters of romance and intrigue, this–this was entirely outside his expertise. No matter how hard he thought, he could not arrive at an answer.
“…Nothing much,” he ultimately replied.
After all, even if she did have a child, they were the unlucky offspring of a father who had once considered trading the child’s life for their mother’s. Better to remain concealed all your days than be discovered.
Lord Yaoguang shifted the topic. “The disciples of Kunwu reported that they saw you fall into the Soul-Shattering Abyss. How did you survive and return?”
Zhao Zhao had no intention of concealing her identity. She had long expected to meet old acquaintances again. So when Lord Yaoguang asked, she told him everything truthfully.
Lord Yaoguang listened and let out a reflective sigh. “In a way, this is a case of good fortune rewarding the virtuous.”
Had she not acted to save others, she would never have refined the power of the Soul Summoning Forest. And because of this Hetu-Phala, Mount Ling, who already sought her death, would have eventually found another way to kill her.
Now, fortune had turned from misfortune: she had acquired secret cultivation manuals and techniques, explaining her astonishing progress, already reaching the tenth stage of the Dawn of Heaven realm.
“However…” Lord Yaoguang mulled, “the power of the Soul Summoning Forest is not something an ordinary person can refine. Even a Divine Farmer cultivator at the peak stage of the Heaven-Earth Reverence realm, would struggle to absorb it. How did you manage it?”
This, too, had puzzled Zhao Zhao herself.
While imprisoned within the Soul-Binding Willow, she had heard countless frenzied voices echoing through Dao Lord Tianshu’s illusion, but among them, a single woman’s voice stayed clear and sane.
And this woman did not speak with the Dao Lord directly. Instead, she passed the Yin-Yang Spirit Refining Array to Zhao Zhao, instructing her to rescue the others.
Were it not for her enmity with Dao Lord Tianshu, Zhao Zhao would have been keen to unravel this enigma.
“I presume, you’re here to resolve the matters of the Zhongli Clan?”
Zhao Zhao did not answer Lord Yaoguang’s question. Instead, she smiled faintly. “My cultivation is shallow; I do not intend to intervene in your disputes. I only seek a single favor, and I wonder if you could assist me, Lord Yaoguang.”
“What is it?”
Zhao Zhao met his gaze, her smile fading as she spoke with measured calm, “May I ask, Lord Yaoguang, that you issue an order to remove Zhongli Shun from the Zhongli Clan and have him formally accepted as a disciple under my sect? Both my Master and I will do everything within our power to guide and nurture this child.”
Lord Yaoguang’s eyes flickered slightly as he studied her expression, sensing a subtle change.
“He…has no familial ties to you. Why would you take such a risk to help him? The letter Zhongli Shun sent to Kunwu, was that also delivered by you? Do you even realize how dangerous this is?”
“I’m aware.”
Lord Yaoguang fixed her with a steady look. “Then why still take the risk?”
The serene features of the female cultivator before him suddenly brightened into a smile.
“When I was a mortal, I dared to strike a Kunwu elder for a man who wronged me. Now that I walk the path of cultivation, if, with my life unthreatened, I still cannot help a tormented child, then what meaning does this hard-won power hold?”
A long silence followed.
Then Lord Yaoguang let out a faint, enigmatic chuckle. “No wonder.”
No wonder Tianshu held affection for her.
Zhao Zhao tilted her head in confusion. “What?”
“You seem rather fond of picking things up while out, especially when it comes to things from the Zhongli Clan.”
Now it was Zhongli Shun.
Previously, it was the amnesiac Dao Lord Tianshu.
Zhao Zhao finally understood what he was referring to.
Lord Yaoguang continued, “Yet that child…has he truly suffered so much? I’ve spent the past half day investigating. These outermost branch children of the Zhongli Clan, though living somewhat frugally, their clothing, food, and lodgings a little inferior, occasionally bullied, still lead lives far better than we did back in the day.”
He swayed the folded fan in his hand, his gaze drifting to a bird perched on a distant branch.
“If it weren’t for Tianshu unifying this scattered Zhongli Clan, these children would now be like kittens or puppies, locked in cages, some sent to one household, some to another, forced to battle among themselves. Only the last one standing would get a morsel to eat, merely enough to live like a human being—”
“And only merely like a human being. In the end, they were just vessels to bear the greed of others. They could not have desires, could not indulge in personal whims. The more valued they were, the more they had to extinguish every shred of selfishness.”
Zhao Zhao fell silent, memories of the visions in the Soul-Binding Willow surfacing again in her mind.
The visions began only from the peak of Kunwu Mountain; what his life had been like before then, perhaps even he would not wish to recall, and so the visions never projected it.
She came to herself and asked softly, “What are you trying to say?”
After dancing around the subject so extensively, it was obvious Lord Yaoguang wasn’t simply engaging in idle chatter.
He turned back, his gaze meeting the young woman’s—eyes that seemed full of tenderness yet devoid of attachment.
“Tianshu has gone missing.”
“It was discovered just a month ago. He should have been in closed-door cultivation at the Blessed Land of Langhuan, but he disappeared. Kunwu searched secretly for a month, yet no trace of him was found. I’ve been to the Blessed Land of Langhuan and discovered the miasma of the Soul-Shattering Abyss has dissipated. I suspect he absorbed all of it into his body, impairing his mind, which is why he cannot be located.”
The news exploded in Zhao Zhao’s mind. For a long moment, her thoughts went completely blank, and she could only manage after some time, “Why would he do such a thing?”
“Why would he…” Lord Yaoguang shook his head with a faint smile. “Miss Xie, do you truly not know?”
