Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Chapter 295: Young Pavilion Master, What Do You See in Him?

There had been cases, of course, where disciples captured by the Heavenly Void Sect or the Sun Moon Sect had managed to buy their freedom with Spirit Stones.

But even Xie Ying couldn’t muster any conviction in her own words; it would be a miracle if Zhou Yu believed her.

“I-It’s true! Senior Brother Zhou, you have to believe me!”

“Hah,” he scoffed. “I don’t.”

With a sharp wave of his hand, Zhou Yu commanded the other disciples, who immediately moved to restrain Xie Ying.

“Senior Brother Zhou, you can’t—!”

Xie Ying hadn’t felt this level of panic even when she was captured by the Heavenly Void Sect. Back then, Xiao Yuruo had assured her with absolute confidence that she would be safe as long as she found Han Lie.

But now, being held by her own Senior Brothers, true terror gripped her.

“Considering you’re new here, Junior Sister Xie,” Zhou Yu said, his face an emotionless mask, “cooperate, and I won’t make things difficult. Defy me, and you’ll be expelled by morning.”

Hearing this, Xie Ying froze. How could she dare move?

She had fought tooth and nail to enter the Myriad Sword Pavilion. To be cast out less than a year later was unthinkable.

If she were expelled, she would never be able to face her parents again.

Without another word, Zhou Yu stripped the Storage Rings from her fingers and began inspecting them one by one.

“Seventy thousand Spirit Stones?”

His spiritual sense swept over one ring, and his voice sharpened. “Junior Sister Xie, for a cultivator at your level, how did you come into such a fortune? I’m very interested in your explanation.”

The sum was trivial to Zhou Yu, but for a disciple still in the Foundation Establishment Stage like Xie Ying, it was a king’s ransom.

Foundation Establishment and Golden Core. Though only a single realm apart, the wealth they could command differed by an entire order of magnitude.

“Senior Brother Zhou, I… I don’t know!” Xie Ying pleaded, her voice trembling. “They’re my Spirit Stones! You can’t take them!”

She refused to talk, but Zhou Yu could already guess the truth.

He didn’t press her on the origin of the stones, instead moving on to the remaining rings. The others were unremarkable, except for one.

Even with his cultivation, he found himself unable to breach the spiritual imprint on it. He couldn’t see what lay inside.

Zhou Yu’s brow furrowed. “What is in here?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. “Who gave this to you?”

Xie Ying’s mind raced. “I… I found it on my way back!” she blurted out. “I don’t know what’s inside either! I was going to wait until I was stronger to try and open it!”

“Hahahaha!”

Zhou Yu burst into laughter. “Junior Sister Xie, you are a truly terrible liar. Your every thought is plastered across your face.”

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m guessing that both your seventy thousand Spirit Stones and this little mystery box were gifts from that man, Han Lie. Correct? The money was your payment for a job well done. Am I right?”

Xie Ying’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Senior Brother Zhou, h-how did you know!?”

She didn’t correct him that only fifty thousand had come from Han Lie.

“Hmph. Did you really think I was ignorant of all this?” Zhou Yu snorted. “I’m confiscating this ring. As for the Spirit Stones… you may keep them.”

After a moment’s thought, he decided not to push things too far. Xie Ying was just a messenger; tormenting her was pointless. It always paid to not burn every bridge. This way, she wouldn’t go around the Sect tarnishing his reputation.

“Go,” he said dismissively. “You are no longer needed here.”

“But…”

“Hm?”

Xie Ying had more to say, but a single glare from Zhou Yu froze the words in her throat. Terrified, she swallowed them down and scurried away.

“Senior Brother Zhou, should we report this to the Sect Master?” one of the junior disciples asked, stepping forward after she had gone.

Zhou Yu shot him a sideways glance. “Are you telling me how to do my job?” he asked coldly.

“N-No! I wouldn’t dare, Senior Brother Zhou!” The disciple bowed his head in a panic.

“Hmph. Guard the gate. I’m going inside.”

Zhou Yu had made up his mind. He had to see Xiao Yuruo.

He walked along the cobblestone path of the Clear Heart Palace courtyard until he reached her chambers. Cupping his hands in a formal salute, he called out, “Young Pavilion Master, it is Zhou Yu. May I have a word?”

He waited for a long while, but only silence answered.

Just as he was about to call out again, her voice echoed in his mind, devoid of warmth. “Come in. I’m in the main hall.”

Inside, Xiao Yuruo sat perfectly upright on a chair. Her face, a masterpiece of celestial beauty, was as still and unreadable as a deep pond, betraying no hint of emotion. Even her stunning eyes held a distant, chilling coldness.

“Greetings, Young Pavilion Master.” Zhou Yu risked a single glance before quickly averting his eyes, as if looking upon her for even a second longer would be a form of blasphemy.

“Speak,” she said, her gaze fixed on the space before her. Her tone held the profound chill of a timeless glacier. “What message has *your* Sect Master sent with you this time?”

The words struck Zhou Yu like a physical blow.

*Your* Sect Master…

Did that mean, in her heart, she no longer recognized Leng Ye as her master?

A sharp pang of heartache shot through him. As one of her most devoted admirers, he had been grateful for the opportunity to guard the gates of Clear Heart Palace. But to see the woman he revered reduced to this… it was unbearable. He couldn’t stand to see her so despondent, trapped in a cage of despair.

“That’s not it, Young Pavilion Master,” Zhou Yu said cautiously. “Junior Sister Xie Ying returned just now, but…”

The moment he mentioned her name, Xiao Yuruo’s gaze snapped to him. An oppressive spiritual pressure slammed down, feeling like a mountain had materialized on his chest, crushing the very breath from his lungs.

“Where is she?” Her voice was flat, yet it sent a wave of icy dread down his spine, as if he’d been plunged into a frozen abyss.

“R-Reporting to the Young Pavilion Master,” he stammered, fighting for air. “I… I sent her away. But please, don’t be angry yet. I found something on her.”

At this, Xiao Yuruo, who had been on the verge of erupting, reined in her power. Her eyes remained locked on him, sharp and piercing.

Steeling himself, Zhou Yu forced the words out. “Young Pavilion Master, before that… may I ask you a question?”

“Speak.”

“That Han Lie… what is so good about him?” The question burst from him, laced with bitterness and disbelief. “Is he really worth all of this?”

His voice grew thick with emotion. “Young Pavilion Master, our Sect is filled with outstanding men, true geniuses of the sword! Why would you choose an outsider? A disciple from a demonic sect, no less!”

Xiao Yuruo’s perfect eyebrows arched ever so slightly.

She understood his meaning perfectly. The “outstanding men” he spoke of… was, of course, himself.

………