Chapter 453: The Heart of Dao is Broken, How Can One Cultivate?
Water Moon Sect.
Now, it has been transformed into the Demon Cult Water Sect branch.
Although it has officially merged with the Demon Cult, in terms of decorations and layout, it doesn’t look much different from the original Water Moon Sect.
The Demon Cult managed to preserve all the sect’s buildings, but they expanded and remodeled them. So, when Young Master Sang and Master Yu Xia walked along the path up the mountain, there was a feeling of disorientation.
The surrounding scenery seemed just like it used to be.
Wandering through the foggy mountain path, they finally reached the imposing mountain gate.
When they arrived at the mountain gate, Yu Xia gazed absentmindedly at the two big characters changed to “Demon Cult.”
“…Do you miss it?” Young Master Sang’s voice suddenly chimed in.
Yu Xia snapped back to reality and quickly lowered her head: “This servant dares not.”
“Dare not, what? This is the sect you once founded,” Young Master Sang chuckled, “It’s natural for people to reminisce; I won’t be angry.”
“This place… is no longer Water Moon Sect.”
Yu Xia’s beautiful eyes glanced down, her voice bitter as she said: “This servant won’t harbor even a shred of nostalgia for the past.”
Young Master Sang silently regarded her before moving onward up the mountain.
After passing through the mountain gate, the Water Sect branch now, with a bigger sign from the Demon Cult, was no longer the sparsely populated place it had been before.
Now, even without actively advertising, there were plenty of people clamoring to join.
After all, times had changed.
In the past, the Demon Cult was established amidst the shouts and killings of righteous cultivators, earning a terrible reputation. Many people wouldn’t even consider aligning themselves with it, no matter how desperate their situation.
Now, however, the Demon Cult not only boasted the strength of three top-tier cultivators but also an enviable employee benefits plan that had all cultivators across the world green with envy.
Clearly defined work hours, no overtime, a nine-to-five schedule with lunch breaks, meals and accommodations provided, afternoon tea, full insurance, weekends and paid holidays—oh, and the salaries were the stuff of dreams!
Naturally, the Demon Cult had become the most desired place for wandering cultivators, and its admission standards had risen; now, a spot in the Demon Cult was worth fighting over.
Inside the Demon Cult, everything still maintained its leisurely vibe.
Upon entering the company, many familiar faces greeted Young Master Sang with respect: “Chief Sang.”
Young Master Sang smiled back at each of them.
Yu Xia didn’t dare to look up, quietly following behind Young Master Sang, somewhat apprehensive.
They walked all the way to the Punishment Department hall, when a voice rang out: “Chief Sang, good afternoon.”
“Eh? Sect Leader?”
The sudden exclamation made Yu Xia jump.
Despite instinctively lowering her head even more, the person in front excitedly bowed: “Wang Guan of the Qing Ning Hall, pays respects to the Sect Leader.”
Yu Xia’s heart fluttered, and she turned to look at Young Master Sang.
Only to find Young Master Sang smiling back at her.
“Don’t look at me; the disciple from Water Moon Sect greeted you, aren’t you going to respond?”
Yu Xia carefully withdrew her gaze and looked at the person before her.
The person was a handsome yet somewhat goofy young man; his eyes were a bit smaller, resembling two beans, but he was quite friendly when he smiled.
“Your name is… Wang Guan?”
“Yep, does the Sect Leader not remember me?” Wang Guan said cheerfully.
Yu Xia bit her lip, too nervous to speak.
There were over a thousand disciples registered at the old Water Moon Sect.
But there were only a handful of names she could remember.
Wang Guan—a perfectly ordinary name—elicited no memory from her.
Noticing Yu Xia’s confusion, Wang Guan chuckled and scratched his head: “Well, that’s understandable. I was pretty unremarkable back then, just an ordinary disciple in the Qing Ning Hall. It’s natural for the Sect Leader not to remember.”
“By the way, Little Wang,”
Young Master Sang suddenly interjected: “Our Sect Leader Yu Xia rarely comes back home; why don’t you show us around the sect?”
“Okay, Chief!”
Wang Guan readily agreed, showing no shyness.
Yu Xia, however, shot a nervous glance at Young Master Sang.
She couldn’t tell what Young Master Sang was thinking.
But her master always had his reasons for what he did.
……
“…Although other places have changed quite a bit, our Qing Ning Hall hasn’t been altered at all.”
Wang Guan enthusiastically narrated the changes in Water Moon Sect, and when they arrived at the Qing Ning Hall, he became even more excited:
“This was all specifically ordered by Chief Sang. Everything was preserved as it was, the original Qing Ning Hall was transformed into the Punishment Department.”
“Look, Sect Leader, the Bodhi tree where all the disciples gathered for morning classes is still here!”
Yu Xia looked up at the towering ancient tree.
After a long moment, she slowly lowered her gaze, bitterly saying: “I… am no longer the Sect Leader of Water Moon Sect. Please stop calling me that.”
Wang Guan scratched his head, “Oh, got it.”
“But I still remember, back then, the Sect Leader always stood under this tree, giving us lectures.”
“There was one time during the sect competition that I miraculously made it into the top five, and the Sect Leader personally rewarded me with advice.” As he recounted this, Wang Guan’s face broke into an endearing smile, slightly bashful.
Yu Xia was stunned and couldn’t help but ask: “What… did I say?”
“Um… the Sect Leader said that even if the disciples worked hard, their talents were limited, and they were destined to fail in achieving transcendence, and not to trouble the Sect Leader in the future.”
Yu Xia was instantly speechless and lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Oh, but,” Wang Guan hastily gestured with his hands, “I was truly encouraged! After all, getting personal guidance from the Sect Leader is a privilege reserved for core disciples!”
“I always thought only prodigies like Senior Sister Yan could have this chance; I never imagined I would be so lucky.”
“Thanks to the Sect Leader’s teachings, I worked even harder after that. After the merger with the Demon Cult, I chose to stay in the sect and was fortunate to secure a position in the Punishment Department.”
“All of this is thanks to the Sect Leader!”
Yu Xia glanced at him, her gaze falling, chuckling self-deprecatingly: “That’s your own good fortune. It has nothing to do with me.”
Wang Guan looked questioningly at Young Master Sang.
Young Master Sang waved his hand: “I’m thirsty; go pour two pots of tea for the office.”
“Understood, Chief!”
Once he left, Young Master Sang’s gaze slowly settled on Yu Xia.
“Aunt Yu, seeing your former disciples still respect you, aren’t you happy?”
Yu Xia bit her lip and slowly looked down: “This servant has no such merits.”
“This servant is merely an unworthy Sect Leader; I never paid much attention to my disciples, unworthy of their respect—”
“Aunt Yu, you still misunderstand.”
Young Master Sang gently replied: “You know well why you cannot step into the Transcendence Realm.”
“The heart of Dao is broken, how can one cultivate?”
Yu Xia’s body trembled as if electrocuted.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
