Star Gate

Chapter 225: Entering the Ruins (III)

“Master, I know I’m at fault.” Chen Yuhua looked woeful. “But you had so many enemies back in the day and Dingfang was already a high ranking officer in the army. His potential is good and he can protect master if he’s stronger...”

She’d only hoped to better protect her master, but unauthorized dissemination of martial dao was indeed a great taboo in the martial world. Granted, the martial world had almost vanished by that time.

Yuan Shuo remained stony-faced and strode ahead of her.

“Master, look, Dingfang can protect junior brother now that he’s strong.” Chen Yuhua followed behind the old man. “Hou Xiaochen is a wily old fox and junior brother may not be safe by his side. With Dingfang present, he’ll have to consider Dingfang’s feelings even if he doesn’t think of you...”

“Piss off!” Yuan Shuo snapped; he couldn’t be bothered with what the woman was saying.

“Master, you can refuse to recognize me,” Chen Yuhua continued doggedly. “But you’re in a very dangerous situation right now. Junior brother will also face danger when he exits the ruins. I’d like junior brother to enter the Tiger Wings. He’ll be safer there than with the Night Watchers.”

Yuan Shuo turned back to regard her with a frown. “If you dare make haphazard arrangements or intervene carelessly, I’ll execute both you and Hu Dingfang! Is a late Solar supposed to be very strong? And you, just look at how you are after setting foot into Dominator! Are you worthy of calling me master?! You’re less than Liu Long as a Dominator! Don’t call me master, you don’t have the right to!

“I taught you a perfectly good Five Styles and the five auras,” the old man breathed out balefully. “Gathering all five is very difficult, so I told you to break through after collecting two or three. You decided to advance at one!

“It’s harder to comprehend the aura as a Dominator!” Yuan Shuo raged. “Why do people like us continuously refuse to set foot into that level? Are you that highly capable? You’re a trash Dominator! You taught martial dao to Hu Dingfang without my permission! Fine, I won’t speak of this. But you broke through to Dominator ahead of time for that piece of shit! Do you have any respect for your master??”

Chen Yuhua couldn’t muster a response. She had indeed advanced prematurely in order to save Hu Dingfang. She’d grasped only one aura, and the weaker deer aura at that. It created the situation that although she was a Dominator, she wasn’t that strong. She was more on par with an ordinary supernatural. Even though it’d been a few years since her progression, she could only fight some mid or late Sunflares. Peak Sunflares were beyond her.

Plainly, this did not measure up to Yuan Shuo’s expectations. The old man was thick in the throes of anger.

“Your potential is exemplary and you grasped the aura early on. You were the greatest hope of my Five Styles discipline, but these results?! I could’ve forgiven you for privately passing on knowledge if you’d melded the five auras together. But you crippled your martial dao for him! I’ll kill him sooner or later!!”

This was his true final disciple—would he have accepted someone with poor potential and comprehension? But after a trip to White Moon City, she lost herself, the secret art, and her martial dao future.

The deer aura? She might as well not break through then!

No one would’ve guessed that this particular Yuan Shuo disciple had entered Dominator a long time ago. Everyone thought that those of this cultivation did not exist in the martial world. Yuan Shuo never mentioned it to outsiders. He didn’t praise or boast about it because it was a humiliation, not an honor.

A Dominator who comprehended only the deer aura? What use is that? To run away with? Is this all that the strongest heir to my Five Styles is good for?

Chen Yuhua had nothing to say. She lowered her head and changed topics after a while. “Master, come to the army barracks. It’s safer there. I’ve prepared good food and wine for you. I’ve also notified people to hunt down Red Moon powerhouses to see if we can extract some blood pearls for your recovery. Also, Dingfang said that he would emerge from the ruins with some blood pearls...”

“Piss. Off!” Yuan Shuo shouted once more.

“Don’t be mad, master,” Chen Yuhua continued in the face of her teacher’s wrath. “It’s been so many years. Not to mention, junior brother is a Sunderer now too, right? You’ve entered Summoner of Spirit and the Five Styles discipline is known far and wide. I’m just a woman—I’d be losing face for you if I’m considered your final disciple. Junior brother seems quite good. See, I can send my husband to look after him now that you’re indisposed. Otherwise, how can a Dominator like me look after him, wouldn’t you say so?”

“Bullshit!” Yuan Shuo cursed again.

“Master, we can’t stay here for too long,” Chen Yuhua consoled. “The enemy might come for us! Come with me first. Ah, yes, I got in contact with senior brother two years ago. He’s doing well enough! We can find a day to catch up with him...”

Yuan Shuo’s footsteps halted and he frowned. “Is that one still alive?”

“Don’t hold your grudges for so long, master,” Chen Yuhua comforted. “Senior brother was only protecting you that year...”

“More bullshit!” Yuan Shuo snorted. “He’s not my disciple either, Li Hao is my only disciple! How the fuck does a Slayer who crossed over to the supernatural dare say he’s my disciple? I told him to ascend as a Sunderer, he insisted on doing so as a Slayer! Tell him to get the hell away from me!”

He wasn’t opposed to his disciples joining the supernatural world, but he’d hoped for his senior disciple to ascend as a Sunderer. The man couldn’t help himself and crossed over as a peak Slayer. It’d caused Yuan Shuo no end of heartburn for a long time.

“Don’t be like that, master,” Chen Yuhua said quietly. “You need to accept it even if for junior brother’s sake! Senior brother’s done quite well for himself, he joined the Skystar Troops that the Ministry of Military Justice created in the central region! It’s the ministry’s premier supernatural division and he’s now a Solar...”

“Hah!” Yuan Shuo jeered again. “Are Solars supposed to be something? I’ve already killed a bunch of them! If he’d listened to me and ascended as a Sunderer, he might be greater than Solar now given it was the early days of the supernatural world. A Solar? Don’t embarrass yourself!”

“......” Chen Yuhua was completely speechless. “Master, not everyone can meld the five auras like you. Otherwise, the martial world wouldn’t have only one Old D—Grandmaster Yuan.”

A livid Yuan Shuo looked at her. What had she wanted to say? Old Demon Yuan? Was that something she could say?

“Hu Dingfang, is it?” he asked coldly. “You learned it from him because he calls me that everyday, doesn’t he?”

“...no!” Chen Yuhua hastily shook her head. This was bad! Dingfang would be done for if she confessed!

“I’ll collect from that piece of shit sooner or later!” Yuan Shuo snorted coldly. “I won’t fuss about this because I’m in a good mood. Don’t claim to anyone that you’re my disciple.” The old man sniffed dismissively. “You grasp the deer aura. The deer corresponds to the liver and the liver to the wood element. You can try nurturing your five visceral organs. The deer aura can be melded into the liver to summon the spirit of the wood deer!

“But don’t try this brashly,” he said after a few pointers. “You can ask Li Hao if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

“Master!” Chen Yuhua exclaimed with excitement. Was her master... not as angry anymore?

“Don’t say you’re my disciple, you’re not anymore!” Yuan Shuo sneered. “I tell you this only to let you know that martial masters have a far brighter future than your Hu Dingfang!”

He pushed off into the air and swiftly vanished into the sky. Chen Yuhua quickly followed in pursuit, but it was impossible to catch up to the old man. Yuan Shuo had vanished amid the desolate plains.

Although the professor had been angry earlier and wanted to shake off Chen Yuhua, he’d done so through walking. There was no leaving anyone behind when walking. All he needed to do was operate Birdshot if he truly wished to be free of Chen Yuhua. He hemmed and hawed for a long while, even explaining the process for attaining Summoner in the end.

It was all in interest of taking a few more glances at this disciple he’d once held great expectations for. Chen Yuhua had followed at his side for a full ten years—a time much longer than Li Hao.

Yuan Shuo was truly heartbroken, a state that eased only when he himself broke through to Summoner.

Chen Yuhua gave chase, but could no longer catch sight of Yuan Shuo. Sorrow set in; it was difficult for her to accept this outcome. Her master was too stubborn. She’d gone to Silver City a few times over the years but was always thrown out. Yuan Shuo smashed everything he could lay hands on and threw an incredible fit, refusing any chance of her returning.

Things were a bit better now, possibly because of his new disciple. Her little junior brother performed well when it came to martial dao, bringing splendor to her master’s sealed heart.

Chen Yuhua sighed as she failed to catch up to Yuan Shuo, then quickly roused her spirits. Master had given her the method to Summoner, indicating that he still thought of their relationship. He was just too stubborn to speak of it. This was good!

The caveat was that nothing happened to her junior brother. Otherwise, with her master’s temper, if her junior brother was lost and Chen Yuhua unsuccessful in attaining major accomplishment in martial dao, the traces of warmth she’d seen today would quickly freeze over.

Dingfang, you have to protect junior brother well. If he dies in the ruins... master might really execute you! Chen Yuhua grew worried again. Her husband was leading the expedition team, but it would be enormous trouble if her junior brother was injured at all. Hu Dingfang would never find favor in her master’s eyes then.

......

At the same time, inside the ruins beside massive city walls.

Hu Dingfang’s head was about to split open.

“Where’s Li Hao?!” A headache was going to break his brain! His wife had urged again and again that he needed to ensure Li Hao’s safety, so where was the young man?!

Stubborn old fart Yuan Shuo had wanted to move against him for the longest time, so Hu Dingfang had hoped to alleviate the tension by protecting Li Hao well on this expedition. But where had the young man gone??

The army commander panicked. I’m dead! They’d all come in together, but Li Hao, Liu Long, and Liu Yan were mysteriously missing when he counted heads. Fuck! Those two could vanish, but nothing could happen to Li Hao!

Hu Dingfang wanted to cry. He was the vaunted commander of the Tiger Wings, but he really wanted to bawl his eyes out somewhere.

Why is life so hard?? He looked around, finding that those who’d come in earlier were already gone. Those entering later swiftly vanished near the entrance. Only the Night Watchers remained, and they were all looking at him.

“Li Hao and the others are gone?” Hao Lianchuan didn’t have much of an expression on his face, he was just confused. “Did they get transported elsewhere? But it’s fine, this has happened before, it’s just a rare sight. Three vanishing at the same time is even rarer—they might really have been transported elsewhere.”

“Really?” Hu Dingfang seemed to see a ray of hope and grabbed the man’s arm. “He’s not dead?”

“What’s wrong with you?” Hao Lianchuan blurted out. The heck? Why are you reacting like this instead of leading the team? They were just transported elsewhere, it’s not like this has never happened before!

Hu Dingfang was overjoyed instead of angry. As long as he’s okay, as long as he’s okay. It’s fine if you die, Hao Lianchuan, but Li Hao can’t. If he dies, life won’t be worth living after I go back.

“Come, let’s explore the ruins!” Hu Dingfang waved his people onward. He needed to find Li Hao as soon as possible. Although the young man wouldn’t necessarily die in the transportation, it was also a hassle that he was lost.

If he accidentally runs into danger and I’m not by his side... I might as well despair now than for him to be beaten to death later.