Chapter 647: Master is a pitiful figure too (2/2)

“It’s good that you forgot.”

Hearing these words, Long Feiye realized that she’d set a trap for him. If he had really remembered anything, the consequences could have been damning.

“Then how did you refuse the requests?” Han Yunxi asked.

“By overtly agreeing while covertly opposing.” He would never reject any request in his master’s face, but he never really followed those instructions in private. For example, when master had told him to take care of Duanmu Yao until she turned 18, he only made sure she didn’t die.

“Wouldn’t Duanmu Yao tattle?” Han Yunxi was bewildered.

Long Feiye shook her head, so she asked, “Why not?”

“I’m not sure.” Now Long Feiye was starting to get impatient. Han Yunxi stopped while she was ahead and started wondering about something more important instead. “Why does the sword sect master dote on Duanmu Yao so much? It shouldn’t just be because she has excellent natural talents, right?”

After all, Long Feiye was superior to her in every aspect. So why wouldn’t the sword sect master dote on him instead of asking him to wait on Duanmu Yao instead? There had to be a secret there.

Long Feiye was planning to tell Han Yunxi more things slowly once they went to Celestial Mountain themselves, but since she’d already asked, he didn’t plan to hide the facts any longer. After all, the fact that he’d decided to take her up the mountain already made hiding these things pointless.

“Duanmu Yao’s talents were very similar to my late shimu 1 Shimu…was once master’s disciple too.”2 Long Feiye sighed.

“She was the real first disciple of my master, but that’s a secret that no one else knows. Master didn’t take disciples at all because he had shimu, but Duanmu Yao caught his eye when we both went for our tests at Celestial Mountain. Because seeing her put him in such a good mood, he accepted both of us that day under his tutelage.”

Han Yunxi was surprised. The public all said that Long Feiye and Duanmu Yao were officially accepted out of the norm by the sword sect master because of their exceptional talents. Who knew that this would be the truth?

If that was the case, then Long Feiye had ridden on Duanmu Yao’s coattails to be accepted in Celestial Mountain Sword Sect all those years ago.

“Even Duanmu Yao herself doesn’t know this fact. Master only told me as it was a matter that concerned his own reputation…”

Before Long Feiye could finish, Han Yunxi declared, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep it secret!”

Cloud Realm Continent might be an open-minded society, but common customs saw romantic relationships between masters and disciples as taboo. The sword sect master was respected as a figure of noble character and high morals, so he’d be extremely condemned if news broke of his forbidden love. The entire Celestial Mountain Sword Sect would see their reputation plummeting as a result. No one would send their children to learn under their masters after that.

“Shimu….died because the circulation of her true qi backfired and drove her to insanity down a wrong cultivation path,” Long Feiye remarked. “After she passed away, master’s hair turned white overnight. The shock scarred him psychologically and afflicted him with fits of insanity. Though he’s managed to control himself in the past, his mental state is unsteady now. When his condition acts up, he doesn’t even know who I am, only Duanmu Yao.”

Han Yunxi was stunned. She knew that Long Feiye had been hiding things about Celestial Mountain from her, but never thought that it’d be this. From what she understood, the sword sect master had gone all white when he was only around 30 years old. They said it was a result of his cultivation, but reality showed that heartbreak was to blame. For him to grow white hair overnight was a testament to how much he’d suffered from his wife’s death!

In a flash, Han Yunxi’s anger towards the man all but evaporated. She suddenly understood why he’d treat Duanmu Yao so well without any further words of explanation.

“Does Cang Qiuzi know about this?” Han Yunxi asked.

“He’s suspected from the way master treats Duanmu Yao, but I don’t know if he’s aware of the truth,” Long Feiye replied. “Even Tang Zijin and Tang Li don’t know about this. Only you, I, and Duanmu Yao know about his condition. When we get to Celestial Mountain, you can just pretend to be ignorant for the time being.”

The sword sect master only had occasional episodes of mental instability, so he’d forbidden Long Feiye and Duanmu Yao from revealing his condition to anyone. Long Feiye had only sent Tang Li up the mountain to scope out the basic news and nothing more. The sword sect master’s quarters were heavily guarded so it’d be impossible to get anything out of there. Duanmu Yao herself only knew as much as their master suffering from fits once in a while. She was still ignorant to the true cause of the condition, or how it’d stemmed from shimu’s death.

Long Feiye was technically breaking the rules by telling Han Yunxi at all.

Over the past few years, Cang Qiuzi and various factions of Celestial Mountain were getting restless, as well as the rogue factions of Carefree City and the City of Daughters. All of them wanted to gain sovereignty over Cloud Realm Continent’s martial arts circles. As the true pillar of Celestial Mountain, the sword sect master’s stability was paramount to prevent the situation from devolving into chaos!

After all, if the martial arts circles started fighting, there would be no considerations of country or borders to keep them in check like a war between nations. Understanding the implications, Han Yunxi said, “If that’s the case, we’ll have to soundly face off against Cang Qiuzi when we go to Celestial Mountain!”

With all these factors already at play, Celestial Mountain Sword Sect couldn’t afford to entertain its own internal squabbles as well.

Long Feiye just poked her on the nose with a grin. “There’s no need for you to worry about that. Just restrain yourself and make sure not to anger master when you meet him.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to yield to him!” Han Yunxi agreed.

They wouldn’t be able to avoid meeting Duanmu Yao then, but as long as the girl wasn’t too atrocious, she wouldn’t fuss either. As it turned out, she didn’t underestimate Duanmu Yao–but the extent of the sword sect master’s love and doting on the girl. When that future came, she would only regret.

Meanwhile, a complicated look flitted past Long Feiye’s eyes. Facing off against Cang Qiuzi was only secondary importance for their trip up Celestial Mountain this summer. The primary goal for him was to unlock the seal inside his body.

Should I tell Han Yunxi about that too?

1. shimu (师母) – a female with the same ranking as a master/shifu (师父), usually his wife. If you’ll notice, shimu has “mu” (母) for “mother” while shifu has “fu” (父) for “father” to make a pair.

2. In other words, LFY’s master married his own disciple, thus making her LFY’s shimu even if she might not have formally taught him anything.