101. Must I drive you away?

Ever since Ximen had been rescued, Ding Desheng had already prepared himself for the worst.

Because once Ximen’s affair was exposed, his own plot against Xie Wuji would also come to light. If that were all, he might still have been able to conceal it by relying on his identity as Grand Elder.

But the most critical mistake was that he had inadvertently allowed Xie Wuji to discover what had happened in the underground chamber.

The Hall of Ten Thousand Demons and the Crimson Clouds Sect had never enjoyed more than a tepid relationship, and conflicts between them were common. If anyone from the Crimson Clouds Sect were found privately contacting someone from the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, their cultivation would be crippled, and they might even be dragged to the Immortal-Slaying Platform and burned alive beneath heaven-striking thunder.

By now, Ding Xuanming was already ruined. Even if he recovered, his cultivation would be greatly diminished. So after having him carried out, Ding Desheng quietly placed the token of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons on Ding Xuanming’s body.

Ding Xuanming could not speak. If he were made to take the blame, all would be well.

Tears had already streamed down Ding Xuanming’s face. He looked at his elder brother in terror, never imagining that his own blood brother would sell him out so brutally.

Ding Desheng bent down beside his ear and sent a private message through his mind. “My good brother, forgive me. But I promise you this: once your brother rises to power, I will certainly kill Dongmen Yong and every disciple under him. I will use their heads to make offerings at your grave…”

“Bro… I…” Ding Xuanming’s body was numb, and even his mind-transmission came out weak and broken.

But Ding Desheng pressed a palm to his chest. Ding Xuanming’s body jolted once, and he died at once.

“Report to the sect master: I have already executed the traitor Ding Xuanming!” Ding Desheng said, turning back with tears held back in his eyes.

After all, Dongmen Yong was still the sect master, so at least the formality had to be observed.

Dongmen Yong remained frozen in shock for a long time, unable to recover. He was the one involved; he had seen through everything, and so had everyone else present.

Yet the strangeness of the matter lay precisely there: everyone saw through it, and no one said a word.

Xie Wuji also felt fear. Such a man—one who could kill even his own younger brother without the slightest hesitation—was truly terrifying.

After a long silence, Dongmen Yong waved a hand. “No matter what, Ding Xuanming was still a member of our sect. Since he is dead, let him be dead. Carry him out and give him a proper burial.”

“This...” Xie Wuji still wanted to speak, but at that moment Ji Liancheng gripped his arm.

Xie Wuji turned and looked at him. Ji Liancheng shook his head. “If you don’t want to die, then keep your mouth shut.”

Xie Wuji was somewhat frightened, but he still obediently complied. After all, his senior brother was doing it for his own good.

Ding Desheng and the six elders carried the body away. In the sect master’s residence, only Dongmen Yong and his few disciples remained; even Dongmen Xianyun was no longer there.

Dongmen Yong looked at Xie Wuji. “Today, I have taught you a lesson.”

“But this...” Xie Wuji began.

“You have now formed a deadly feud with the Grand Elder. If you had spoken again just now, Ding Desheng would have killed you without hesitation. As an elder killing someone, at worst he would spend three years in solitary confinement. It was your second senior brother who saved you.” Dongmen Yong let out a long sigh and raised his head to say this.

“Then wouldn’t Wuji be in great danger here?” Dongmen Jianhao said.

“No. Ding Desheng hates me more than he hates Xie Wuji. Even if he kills Xie Wuji, he will only spend three years in solitary confinement. Do you think a shrewd man like Ding Desheng would willingly waste three years of his life just to kill an inner disciple?” Dongmen Yong said.

No one had any answer.

Yang Hongliu said, “Master, since everyone already knows Ding Desheng’s intentions, why...”

“You fool. Did you not see that the other five elders all stand on Ding Desheng’s side? It is like a kingdom where military power and politics have both been taken into the ministers’ hands. Your master is like an emperor, but one with very little real authority. On the surface, the ministers still give the emperor some face, but that is only face. Everyone here is among your master’s closest people, so all of you must also consider your master’s position,” Ji Liancheng said.

Xie Wuji said nothing. He felt as though he had been swept into a whirlpool, and the most inescapable kind at that: a whirlpool of power.

On the other side, Baili Qingyan knelt before Ding Xuanming’s corpse while Ding Desheng looked down at him—at his own chief disciple.

“If you had not revealed it, no one would ever have known that Ximen was somewhere near us. Qingyan, what have you to say for yourself?” Ding Desheng’s voice was calmer than ever, but his eyes were red, like a lion on the verge of slaughter.

Baili Qingyan said, “This disciple has nothing to say.”

Smack!

A sharp crack rang out as Ding Desheng’s slap landed viciously on Baili Qingyan’s face. Baili Qingyan was sent tumbling away. Ding Desheng’s full-force strike had instantly injured him.

But Baili Qingyan still prostrated himself and crawled back on his knees to Ding Desheng’s feet.

Ding Desheng seized a whip nearby and brought it down upon Baili Qingyan’s body. The lashes fell like rain, crackling and snapping. Before long, Baili Qingyan’s fair skin was covered in whip marks.

His clothes were torn to shreds, exposing his back, where there was a vast field of old scars.

The Third Elder could not bear to watch any longer. Rising to his feet, he said, “Grand Elder, this must be Ji Liancheng’s scheme. Xie Wuji is just a blockhead. How could he possibly devise so many conspiracies? It must all have been Ji Liancheng’s idea. He must have tricked Baili into revealing everything. Baili has always been absolutely loyal to you. If he had not been deceived, how could he possibly have told such a secret?”

“But he still said it,” Ding Desheng replied. He shot a fierce glance at Baili. “I only have one younger brother, and his life was ruined by you! You... you good disciple of mine! You killed your own martial uncle, your own closest martial uncle!”

“This disciple is willing to accept any punishment from Master. My life was given to me by Master in the first place. If Master wishes to take it back, he may do so at any time!” Baili Qingyan said emotionlessly. Blood kept dripping from the corner of his mouth. He was already badly injured.

“Get out!” Ding Desheng hurled the teacup away. It struck Baili Qingyan squarely in the face, swelling one side of it at once.

Silently, Baili Qingyan picked up the cup, placed it back on the table, and after knocking his head to the floor before Ding Desheng, he left without a word.

It was precisely then, as he returned to his quarters, that he unintentionally saw a figure approaching. It was none other than Xie Wuji.

At that moment, Baili Qingyan’s heart was a tangle of conflicting emotions. In truth, there was no longer any need for him to pretend before Xie Wuji, but the moment he saw him, his thoughts always became terribly complicated.

Xie Wuji also saw him—shattered and broken, his clothes barely sufficient to cover his chest. Yet at that moment, with his face marked by bruises and wounds, he was still mistaken by Xie Wuji for Baili Yan’er.

“Yan’er!” Xie Wuji rushed over at once. Seeing Baili Qingyan’s miserable state, his lips began to tremble. “Yan’er, how did this...”

“I-I’m fine. Don’t come looking for me again in the future.”

“They were truly heartless, to strike a girl so cruelly!” Xie Wuji said through gritted teeth.

But at his words, tears suddenly burst from Baili Qingyan’s eyes. Those glistening drops, like a string of broken pearls, fell one after another.

“Waa...” At last unable to hold back the grievance in his heart, Baili Qingyan suddenly threw himself into Xie Wuji’s arms and burst into sobs.

Of course, Xie Wuji still believed him to be a girl, and that only made him all the more heartbroken. “Your brother... is he all right?”

After a struggle, Baili Qingyan managed to steady his emotions. Wiping away his tears, he said, “He... he is fine.”

“Did your brother hit you?” Xie Wuji asked again.

Baili Qingyan bit his lip. “Don’t ask anymore.”

“All right, I won’t ask.” Xie Wuji lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I dragged you into this. It must have been you who helped me find that book before... and if not for you, the one who would have died now might have been me. I have implicated you, I...”

“So long as you are all right, that is enough,” Baili Qingyan said, staring at Xie Wuji. “But from now on... from now on, don’t come looking for me anymore, all right?”

Xie Wuji’s whole body jolted, and his heart turned sore at once. He sighed. “It is right for you to blame me. I came today to see how you were... oh, right, I also brought a lot of good things for you to eat...”

“Go!” Baili Qingyan suddenly shouted.

Xie Wuji took a few steps back. “Don’t lose your temper. I’ve left the snacks here. Later I’ll bring you some more medicine for your wounds.”

“Do you insist that I drive you away...” Baili Qingyan’s eyes were blurred with tears.