"Bai Yang stole pills, disrespected his Master, and now he dares to ask me for more?"
Song Wanníng's voice was calm, but laced with contempt. She raised a single hand and flicked her fingers dismissively.
The air cracked.
In the next instant, Lu Nanfeng was blasted backward by a burst of spiritual energy. He hit the steps near the great hall doors with a dull thud, coughing as he struggled to breathe.
Her cold, indifferent voice echoed from within, cutting straight through to the three people outside.
"From this day on, I won't give you a single pill. If anyone dares step into the Cangdan Pavilion without permission again, don't blame me for being merciless. You'll be expelled from my lineage."
Boom.
The palace doors slammed shut with a deep, echoing thud, as if locking down the hearts of those outside.
"Master…"
His voice was hoarse, disbelieving.
He hadn't done anything wrong.
Why was she treating him like this too?
Behind him, Bai Yang stood still, silent, his gaze locked on the doors. His jaw tightened, fists clenched at his sides. An Ze looked between the two, then scowled and snapped.
"Just a few pills! So what if she cuts us off!"
He spat the words like venom, trying to mask his own shaken pride. "She thinks we'll beg, but I won't give her the satisfaction."
Turning to Bai Yang, he added, "Come on, Senior Brother. Let's just go. We'll buy them ourselves. What, without her, we can't get a single pill?"
He hooked an arm under Bai Yang's shoulder and helped him walk away. Their steps were stiff with resentment.
Bai Yang still hadn't spoken. His expression was carved from ice, unreadable, but the oppressive air around him was suffocating. Cold fury simmered beneath the silence. Just before turning the corner, he glanced back at the towering doors.
His eyes were shadowed, full of something dark and buried deep.
Song Wanníng would regret this.
One day, she would.
—
They headed to Lianxu Peak.
The path up the mountain was quiet, save for the occasional whisper of leaves. When they reached the pill room, Wen Mingyu stepped out, twirling a small porcelain bottle in his hand. Upon seeing the trio, he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Isn't this our sect's proud genius?" he said, smiling faintly. "What brings the great Bai Yang to Lianxu Peak today?"
His gaze dropped to Bai Yang's injuries.
"Tsk. You look terrible. Did someone finally beat some sense into you?"
An Ze stepped forward before Bai Yang could react, his temper flaring on instinct.
"Watch your mouth, Wen Mingyu!"
He had always looked up to Bai Yang more than he'd admit, and mocking him was like mocking them all.
"We're here to buy pills. Now get out of the way. We're speaking to Elder Lan."
He pushed forward, acting like he owned the place. They had already checked the markets at the foot of the mountain. Everything there was low-grade. At best, they had mid-grade pills, which came with heavy side effects. The low-grade ones weren't even worth considering.
That was the only reason they had swallowed their pride and come to Lianxu Peak.
After all, Elder Lan had always been at odds with their master, and they didn't get along with Wen Mingyu either. Coming here meant asking for trouble.
"Oh? Weren't all your pills provided by Elder Song? What now, she cut you off?" Wen Mingyu clicked his tongue. "Oh wait, I almost forgot. Someone decided to betray their own master and stole pills, nearly getting someone killed. If I were Elder Song, I wouldn't give that ungrateful bastard another pill either."
His expression sharpened as he looked at Bai Yang with contempt.
Stealing from your own master just to help some woman—disgusting.
"Wen Mingyu!"
An Ze snapped. "You don't know a damn thing, so shut your mouth before I tear it off!"
He lunged at Wen Mingyu.
"Hmph. You think I'm afraid of you?"
Wen Mingyu snorted and retaliated immediately. The two clashed in a whirlwind of fists and fury.
"Junior Brother! Stop it! You have to stop! Don't fight!"
Lu Nanfeng panicked and grabbed Bai Yang's arm.
"Senior Brother, please make him stop!"
If this went on, it was going to get out of hand.
Bai Yang's eyes narrowed. He flew forward and yanked An Ze back.
Lu Nanfeng breathed a sigh of relief. At least Senior Brother was still rational.
But then, in the very next breath, Bai Yang pushed An Ze aside—and stepped forward himself.
"Picking on someone weaker than you... what kind of hero are you?" His sword was drawn in a flash, and he charged at Wen Mingyu with sharp, merciless strikes. Each blow was filled with killing intent.
These past few days, Bai Yang had been swallowing his anger. It had piled up until it could no longer be contained. He couldn't beat Song Wanníng, but Wen Mingyu? That, he could do. With that thought, he struck harder and faster.
Wen Mingyu's expression turned serious. He met the attacks head-on without fear, returning each strike with equal force.
Lu Nanfeng's face turned pale.
"What's wrong with Senior Brother now?"
Why was everyone acting so strangely lately? First Master, now Senior Brother too?
Bai Yang had always been calm and rational. Even when he clashed with Wen Mingyu in the past, it was nothing more than verbal jabs. He never took the guy seriously. But now he was acting completely out of character.
"Tch, that bastard deserves a beating!"
An Ze cheered from the sidelines.
"Oh, shut up!"
Lu Nanfeng was furious. He paced in circles, panicking.
An Ze's fire-root temperament made him prone to impulsiveness and rage. Over the years, he'd caused more than enough trouble—trouble that always ended up falling on Bai Yang to clean up.
But back then, they had Master to shield them.
Now? With Master acting this way, Lu Nanfeng didn't feel safe at all.
He could only pray they'd stop soon and make peace. But things rarely went the way he hoped.
The fight escalated. The sky darkened with spiritual energy. Passersby stopped in their tracks to watch the drama unfold. In the end, it took Elder Lan himself to break up the fight.
Furious, Lan Yue stormed off with his people, straight to the sect leader's palace, shouting that Song Wanníng had allowed her disciples to attack others.
The sect leader sat at the head of the hall, massaging his temples as he stared at the two bloodied boys before him.
Especially Bai Yang.
It hadn't been long since the pill theft incident, and now he'd gone and attacked a fellow disciple... He sent someone to summon Song Wanníng.
By the time she arrived, Bai Yang was standing to the side, his expression cold and distant. He carried himself like an unsheathed sword—sharp, aloof, and aggressive. Even with bruises on his face and blood on his robes, his elegance couldn't be hidden.
As the "protagonist," Bai Yang's appearance and talent were unmatched. He was extraordinary in every sense. But he was still young, still impulsive.
Song Wanníng approached, her steps calm and unhurried.
Today she wore a crimson robe that flowed like flame, as brilliant and proud as a blooming peony. Her presence lit up the entire hall.
Bai Yang glanced at her, then turned his head away.
An Ze stood beside him, equally furious. Neither of them wanted to look at her.
Song Wanníng smiled faintly.
"These two really had been spoiled senseless. Did they truly think they were untouchable?"
Talent meant nothing if it didn't mature.
Otherwise, it was just early death.
"Sect Leader, why did you call me here?" She walked past her disciples without sparing them a glance and took a seat on the side.
Opposite her sat Lan Yue, the sect's other alchemy master. He and Song Wanníng had been at odds for years.
Her natural gift in pill refinement had left him in the dust. Every time she advanced, it was like she stepped on his pride.
It drove Lan Yue mad. He buried himself in his pill room, obsessively chasing the day he might surpass her.