Liu Shaoyu hurried to her feet, her boots scraping against the uneven floor as she went to meet her. Her face was full of worry and lingering fear as she looked the Young Sect Master over. "Are you alright?"
Yu Xiaotang waved her hand without answering. She first swept her gaze across the cavern, her eyes narrowing as they searched the shadows for any sign of movement.
For now, there was no obvious danger.
She walked to the edge of the pool, her footsteps echoing in the silence. She frowned slightly as she looked at the dark water, which sat perfectly still. This water also felt off, its depths hidden and cold, but it was far better than the White Water Pool outside.
She then turned back to the others. Aside from Ah Ling, who was still unconscious with a weak but stable aura, the other injured disciples had already taken pills. They were sitting in meditation to regulate their breathing, their faces illuminated by the faint glow of spiritual energy. Senior Sister Liu Shaoyu and Hua Wuying were pale, but their injuries seemed to be under temporary control for the moment.
"Talk," Yu Xiaotang said at last, once she had confirmed everyone was safe. The icy chill in her voice made everyone shiver as if a draft had blown through the cavern. "What happened, and why were you forced to use a teleportation talisman?"
"It's because this disciple was incompetent…" Liu Shaoyu lowered her head and recounted everything in detail. She explained how they were discovered, how the poisonous fog and demon luring incense interfered with them, and how Hua Wuying's mind was disrupted by that jade hairpin, which had caused the formation to break. She went on to describe how she was forced to burn her essence blood to trigger the teleportation talisman early, and how Su Yue was captured during the chaos.
She neither exaggerated nor covered for Hua Wuying's lapse in judgment.
Hua Wuying's face was deathly pale in the dim light. She kept her head down and said nothing, though her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white.
Yu Xiaotang stayed silent for a long time after listening. The cavern was filled only with the sound of heavy breathing and the rhythmic, distant drip of water hitting the pool.
"Hua Wuying," she finally said, her tone unreadable and flat.
"This disciple is here," Hua Wuying replied. Her body was trembling as she dropped to one knee on the damp rock.
"Do you know your fault?"
"This subordinate… knows," Hua Wuying said hoarsely. "This subordinate should not have fallen for the enemy's scheme and lost control, dragging fellow disciples down into danger. This disciple… is willing to accept any punishment."
"Punishment?" Yu Xiaotang let out a cold laugh that didn't reach her eyes. "Su Yue is dead. Can she be revived? Can the injuries on your bodies heal instantly because of a punishment? Can you repay the precious resources I spent to save you?"
Silence.
The cavern fell into utter silence.
Dead.
Su Yue… was she really dead?
They had expected it, of course. They had already prepared themselves for the worst when she was taken back at the pool. Still, when the words "Su Yue is dead" were spoken so plainly by the Young Sect Master, everyone felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into their hearts, leaving them aching and barely able to breathe.
Liu Shaoyu snapped her head up. Her lips trembled, but not a single word came out of her mouth. Her eyes reddened instantly as tears threatened to spill. She remembered how Su Yue was usually timid and loved to complain about the smallest things, yet she always completed her assigned tasks at critical moments and quietly handled so many trivial matters for the group. She remembered the panicked and despairing look in the woman's eyes just before the teleportation light had claimed them.
A female disciple who had been close to Su Yue covered her mouth with both hands. Muffled sobs leaked through her fingers as her shoulders shook violently with the force of her grief. The others looked just as bad. Disbelief, grief, and an even deeper fear crept into their eyes as they looked at one another. If even someone as cautious and non-competitive as Su Yue had ended like this, then who would be next?
The moment the Young Sect Master finished speaking, Hua Wuying swayed violently. The last trace of color drained from her already pale face until she looked like a corpse. She bit her lower lip hard enough to taste the salt of her own blood, yet she still couldn't stop her body from shaking.
It was her. It really was her fault. Because of her recklessness. Because of her stupidity.
Thud.
Hua Wuying dropped from one knee to both, her joints smashing into the damp stone with a dull sound. She pressed her forehead to the icy ground, her voice broken and hoarse. It was thick with sobs and raw despair. "It was this disciple… this disciple killed Junior Sister Su. It was me. It was me."
"I knew that jade hairpin might be a trap… I knew it," her voice grew weaker as her shoulders continued to shake. "I saw the blood on it. I felt that filthy aura… and I just… I couldn't control myself. I'm useless. I'm sorry to Junior Sister Su. I'm sorry to everyone. I'm sorry for betraying the Young Sect Master's expectations."
"That's enough!" Liu Shaoyu suddenly shouted, her voice choked with emotion. "What's the point of saying this now? What's the point of crying? Can it bring Junior Sister Su back to us?"
She was scolding the woman on the floor, but it sounded more like she was condemning herself and this helpless situation they were in.
Yu Xiaotang watched it all coldly—their grief, their guilt, and their palpable fear. She didn't comfort them. She didn't lash out again. Only when the sounds of suppressed crying finally eased did she speak once more, her voice frighteningly calm.
"The dead don't come back. Instead of crying here, think about why Su Yue died."
Her gaze swept across everyone and lingered on Hua Wuying's bowed form. "It's because you aren't strong enough. Because you aren't calm enough. Because you still aren't useful enough.
The enemy only needed a jade hairpin of questionable truth to throw you into chaos. If next time they threaten you with the lives of your closest family, what'll you do? Surrender on the spot?"
No one answered. Hua Wuying trembled even harder against the stone.
"Su Yue's death is a lesson. It's a price," Yu Xiaotang continued. Each word felt like an ice spike stabbing into their hearts. "I have paid that price. But I didn't pay it so you could sit here crying and drowning in regret."
She walked up to Hua Wuying and looked down at her. "Hua Wuying, lift your head."
Hua Wuying stiffened and slowly looked up. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were filled with pain and remorse.
"Tell me. What'll you do right now?" Yu Xiaotang asked.
"I… I want to kill them. I want revenge for Junior Sister Su and for our fallen comrades," Hua Wuying roared, a flicker of hatred and killing intent finally blazing in her eyes.
"With you in this state?" Yu Xiaotang replied with a note of disdain. "Your spiritual energy is drained, your internal injuries aren't healed, and your mind is unstable. A bloodstained jade hairpin can still drive you mad. What're you going to use to get revenge? Your life?"
Hua Wuying was left speechless. The hatred in her eyes was swallowed by crushing frustration and shame.
"Hatred is power. But uncontrolled hatred is stupidity and a path to certain death," Yu Xiaotang said coldly. "Su Yue's revenge will be taken. But the premise is that you survive first and become stronger. You must be strong enough that next time, when you meet them again, the ones pushed into a corner will be them, not you."
She paused and looked at everyone gathered in the cavern. "This place is temporarily safe, but it won't last forever. We don't know what is happening outside. From now on, anyone who is willing to follow me, who wants to become stronger and take revenge—wipe your tears, heal your wounds, and get yourselves into peak condition. Anyone who isn't willing can leave now. I won't stop you."
Leave? To leave the Young Sect Master and move alone through the perilous outskirts of the Corpse Burial Abyss, or even deeper inside while surrounded by powerful enemies, was no different from suicide.
Almost without hesitation, everyone, including Liu Shaoyu and Hua Wuying, straightened their backs. They wiped away their tears, and a new light flared in their eyes again.
"This disciple swears to follow the Young Sect Master to the death," Liu Shaoyu said first, her voice finally steady.
"This disciple swears to follow the Young Sect Master to the death and is willing to serve as the vanguard to atone for my sins," Hua Wuying said, knocking her head hard against the cold stone floor once more.
"Swear to follow the Young Sect Master to the death," the others echoed in unison.
Young Sect Master Yu Xiaotang looked at them. Her expression didn't change, but inwardly she nodded. Good. This was exactly the effect she wanted to achieve.
Fear, guilt, and hatred. They were the best whips and the best glue to keep them in line. Su Yue's death was regrettable, but it had been used to its fullest potential. At the very least, it had bound this battered group together for now, given them a clear goal, and strengthened their dependence on her.