The Art of Subduing Dragons

Chapter 119

Su Yu cried even harder at Luo Qingci's words. She reached out to grasp Luo Qingci's sleeve, trying to speak, but was repeatedly choked back by her overwhelming emotions.

After crying for a long time, Su Yu realized something and, with a choked voice, asked, "Master, you... you..." She glanced at the two people behind her, hesitated, and then swallowed her concerns about the emotional entanglement.

Seeing Su Yu in such distress, Luo Qingci felt both heartache and sorrow. She reached out to help Su Yu up and said, "Stop crying. I'm back now."

Su Yu didn't want to appear so weak in front of Luo Qingci, but she couldn't help it. "I'm sorry, Master. I just couldn't help it."

She wiped her face haphazardly, looking both pitiful and somewhat comical. Luo Qingci patted her and turned to Qin Jian and Jiang Yue Bai, saying, "There's nothing serious. I'll take Su Yu back to the Ze Garden now."

Although Qin Jian was filled with doubts, he couldn't obstruct them under the current circumstances and could only nod in agreement.

Seeing that Luo Qingci was about to leave, Jiang Yue Bai quickly spoke up, "Huaizhu, a lot has happened to the Tianyan Sect over the past year. Be prepared mentally. Su Yu, tell your Master what happened."

Su Yu pressed her lips together and bowed her head, "Yes, Lord Zitan."

On the way, Luo Qingci glanced at Su Yu, noticing Jiang Yue Bai's solemn expression. She asked, "What did Lord Zitan want you to tell me? Did you suffer any grievances while I was away?"

Su Yu's expression darkened slightly as she shook her head. Her eyes reddened again. "It wasn't really a grievance, just that I was afraid of disappointing you, Master. When Lord Nanming returned, he said that your whereabouts were unknown and that the Sect Master found your life lamp to be barely lit. For the entire year, no matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find you. Without you, Ze Garden lost its core. Moreover, they said... that you failed to notice, even that Ah Li was a dragon, which led to the Dragon Clan attacking the base and destroying the Dragon-slaying Divine Wood. As a result, Ze Garden was ostracized, and many of our herbs and spirit stones were depleted. Many couldn't endure it and left for other peaks. Now, Ze Garden is desolate, with very few people left."

Luo Qingci frowned upon hearing this. Although she didn't care much about the specifics and wasn't disappointed, she felt a pang of sorrow for Su Yu.

"It's fine. They were indeed wronged in Ze Garden, but it's better that they left. I'm not disappointed. You've worked hard this year."

Su Yu shook her head. "It wasn't hard work, just that I was worried about you and Ah Li..."

When mentioning Ruan Li, Su Yu's expression changed dramatically. She thought about the rumors she had heard outside and felt a mix of unease and pain. "Master, I heard outside that Lord Nanming mentioned clearing out the sect. Is it true that Ah Li... you really did..."

Su Yu couldn't continue. She had been in the Tianyan Sect for many years, and although she felt embarrassed to admit it, she always felt constrained in a narrow world. In cultivation, she couldn't compare to Yu Chen, Xiao Yun, and others. In alchemy, she wasn't as good as Hua Xian. Her talent was also inferior to Ruan Li's; everything was just average.

The world hadn't given her many favors, but it hadn't treated her poorly either. Being able to have Luo Qingci as her master was her greatest blessing.

After Ruan Li joined, she was even happier to have a junior sister.

Although she knew her master treated Ruan Li exceptionally well, she wasn't jealous. She understood that feelings between people are inherently uneven, and expecting everyone to treat her specially would be too greedy. Moreover, her master treated her very well. Even though she had to beg for this apprenticeship, her master never neglected her.