Death… and me

The palm pierced the air, and issued a loud ‘xiu’ sound. Then, a faint white smoke pervaded in the air!

Tie Bu Tian closed her eyes. She tightly covered her lower abdomen with her hands. A trace of guilt and remorse flashed on her face. And, two streams of tears slowly slid down her face.

[Chu Yang, I couldn’t protect our child…]

"Master!" Yang Rou Lan had been through such a situation in the past. So, she knew that her master would do something because she was furious at this moment. Therefore, she was already prepared to protect her. She hastily took a single step, and used hers hands to block Lan Mei Xian’s palm. And, she shoved away Tie Bu Tian’s body with a kick at the same time. And, Tie Bu Tian’s body went sliding away as a result.

"Please show mercy!" Yang Rou Lan only had enough time to speak these two words.

Lan Mei Xian raised her foot, and kicked towards Yang Rou Lan. She then spoke in a stern voice, "You’re not qualified-enough to advise me to show mercy," she smiled bitterly and continued, "I only took two disciples my entire life. The first disciple lost her virginity while she was unmarried, and gave up the Icy Heart and Jade Bone Saintly technique halfway. And now, the second one… the second disciple also got pregnant before getting married! This is even more…"

"This has been my lifelong wish, ah! But, everything has changed into soap bubbles!" Lan Mei Xian felt a suffocating feeling of anger surging in her heart. Then, she spat out a mouthful of blood with a pop sound. She then said ferociously, "How would I vent the anger and hatred in my heart if I don’t kill you…?"

"Master… you must ask her what came to happen before you punish her… Maybe, junior sister is a victim of something. Perhaps she was forced…" It was already too late for Yang Rou Lan to stop her. So, she shouted out loud with the entirety of her strength.

"Huh?" these words made Lan Mei Xian’s mind clear. So, she stopped midway. She then looked at Tie Bu Tian, "What the hell happened?"

"Master…" Tie Bu Tian took a deep breath. She looked up and said, "Your disciple did it willingly…"

"Sl*t!" Lan Mei Xian angrily cussed, "What good are those stinky men huh? Why… why you are you like this… it keeps happening again and again…" she couldn’t speak further because of grief. Her fingers were also trembling.

"Junior sister, tell us what happened?" Yang Rou Lan walked towards Tie Bu Tian, and asked in a gentle voice.

Tie Bu Tian lowered her head. She hesitated for a long time. But then, she felt the kindness of Yang Rou Lan. So, she whispered softly, "My man… it was the man I love… he was trying to help me, and he got affected by the poison of a lust dragon. And, he only had me by his side at that time…"

"The poison of a lust dragon…" Yang Ruo Lan and Lan Mei Xian exclaimed in unison.

"I didn’t think that I’d end up conceiving a child… but, I don’t regret it. Instead, I am very satisfied," Tie Bu Tian lowered her head. But, her voice was very firm, "I know I failed to live up to your expectations, Master. I’m very guilty for I betrayed your expectations, Master… but…"

She raised her head, and looked at Lan Mei Xian. She then spoke in a soft voice, "Master… please forgive your disciple. But, if such a thing happens again — I will still save him! Moreover, even if there would be some other woman by his side — I… I would never let her do it!"

Teardrops dripped down her spotless face. She even blushed while she spoke about this matter. However, she still spoke her heart out, and without the slightest of hesitation.

"Oh dear!" Lan Mei Xian let out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes, and her entire being seemed to have aged a few decades in this moment!

She had been born in a large and respected clan. Her innate aptitude had been exceptionally good since her childhood. So, she was received by a great and talented individual as their disciple. And, she had practiced the Icy Heart and Jade Bone Saintly Technique from that day onwards. But, her aptitude was limited. So, she hadn’t been able to cross the final level; no matter how much she had tried…

She had reached this bottleneck 40 years ago. But, she hadn’t been able to cross it. She knew that she would probably never cross it in this life. Therefore, she had received Yang Rou Lan – who had the Jade Bone Physique – as her disciple. But, she hadn’t expected that Yang Rou Lan would end up falling in love with Chu Fei Ling after she matured… and that too before she had entered the highest level of the marital technique that she had been practicing!

Lan Mei Xian attached great importance to passing-on her heritage, but she also understood the difficulties of her disciple. After all, remaining unmarried throughout one’s life wasn’t something every woman could endure. So, she allowed Yang Rou Lan to get married and start a family. But, she was depressed. So, she had gone out to travel around the world in order to soothe her troubled heart, and had found Tie Bu Tian thereafter.

She was again tempted to receive an apprentice… But, she had never expected that Tie Bu Tian would also walk the same road!

The entirety of her hopes had suddenly turned into dust!

[The lover of my disciple was affected by the lust poison. Moreover, it was the most overbearing poison of the lust dragon. How could she have helplessly watched her lover die like that? How could she not save him when she knew she could?]

Lan Mei Xian asked herself whether she would’ve done the same thing or not…

[What else is there to say in this case?]

A long while passed before she spoke in a dull voice, "Get up. The Master isn’t lucky enough. That’s all. That’s why I couldn’t keep such priceless disciples in my care…" she spoke out this sentence. She had also come to terms with the situation in her heart. Things had already gotten this far. So, what else could she say? What would be the use of speaking any further?

What good would killing Tie Bu Tian do?

What’s more… two lives would be taken away in one corpse if she were to kill Tie Bu Tian…

"Thank you very much, Master… I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’m sorry… boohoo…" Tie Bu Tian tapped her head twice on the floor. She knew that her Master’s lifelong dream had been shattered by her actions. But, her Master had still forgiven her. So, she couldn’t help but feel even guiltier. She saw that her Master was in pain, and she felt as if a knife was being twisted in her heart.

Yang Rou Lan had seen Tie Bu Tian for the first time. But, she knew that the Master would’ve also felt regret her whole life if Tie Bu Tian had been killed by the raging palm of the Master. She knew that her master’s heart would’ve been encumbered by an unbearable sense of guilt if that had come to happen…

After all, the unborn child was innocent…

Yang Rou Lan had also lost her child. And, she had been suffering with heartache ever since. In fact, she hadn’t been able to forget it for even a moment’s time. How could she not understand the feelings of a mother towards her child?

No treasure in the entire world could replace these feelings!

"Sigh… it must be hard for you…" Lan Mei Xian let out a sigh. She suppressed her own sense of loss in her heart and spoke, "You are the Emperor — a man in disguise. Moreover, you’re pregnant… this is…"

After much deliberation, she had realized that her disciple was in a very difficult situation.

"What about that man?" It seemed that wrinkles had been piled up on the face of Lan Mei Xian. She waved her hand in a weak manner, and spoke, "Call him here. I will teach him a lesson… you have sacrificed so much for him… he can’t disappoint you now… otherwise, I swear on my life that I will kill him even if the heavens would wish to protect him."

"The man…" Tie Bu Tian foolishly looked at her master. She again felt sad in her heart. And, she again felt guilty. She was obviously very terrified as well. She stammered, "He… he…"

"What about him?" Lan Mei Xian snorted, "Relax, I’ve already forgiven you. So, why would I be interested in hurting him?"

"He’s not here…" Tie Bu Tian had to muster a great amount of strength to speak out.

"What?" Lan Mei Xian frowned and snorted in annoyance.

"Actually… he isn’t here. He… he has left," Tie Bu Tian replied.

"He has left…? Where did he go?" Lan Mei Xian got annoyed and asked, "Doesn’t he know that his woman is here? Moreover, his woman is carrying his child…? And, he has gone away at such a time?"

Yang Rou Lan also felt resentful in her heart. [How can this man be so irresponsible? This man is simply disgraceful!]

Tie Bu Tian was stammering. She didn’t know what to say. At last, she somehow squeezed out a sentence, "Please Master. Don’t ask… I… I’m willing to do anything, but this…"

"Don’t ask?" Lan Mei Xian snorted. A cold expression flashed through her eyes. She then said in raised voice, "Shadows… both of you… come in!"

Tie Bu Tian’s complexion turned deathly pale.

[Shadows… there’s no way they can hide the truth from Master.]

The two shadows heard the voice, and came in. They saw that Tie Bu Tian was in good health. So, they let out a long sigh of relief.

"Do you know about this matter?" Lan Mei Xian pointed her chin towards Tie Bu Tian, and spoke in a strict voice, "Now, don’t tell me that you don’t know what I am talking about!"

The shadows become agape and tongue-tied.

These two hadn’t thought that she would ask them about this troublesome matter.

However, they owed Chu Yang a lot. And, they had a good relationship with him. So, how could they betray him?

"Huh?" Lan Mei Xian coldly snorted. She raised her head in anger.

[Everything has been very strange today. My disciples disobeyed my orders. But, there was a reason behind it. So, it’s excusable. And, it’s understandable. But, I didn’t expect that these two would also disobey me.]

"Actually…" the shadow’s forehead was full of cold sweat. He replied, "Old Ancestor, we don’t know about this matter in much detail…"

"Tell me!" Lan Mei Xian was burning in anger. She slammed the table, and the entire tent bounced-up from the ground.

"Master, let me say it…" Tie Bu Tian knew that she couldn’t hide this thing for long. And, she could see that the shadows were feeling uncomfortable. So, she stood up and calmly said.

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

"He is surnamed Chu… he’s called Chu Yang," Tie Bu Tian started in a soft voice.

Yang Rou Lan was startled. [Surnamed Chu?]

Tie Bu Tian cleared-up the train of her thoughts. She then talked about when Chu Yang had come to the Iron Cloud Citadel. She told about his journey, and how he had defeated the entire Golden Horse Riders Department. After that, she narrated how he had brought-about the victory of Iron Cloud…

"So, you are saying… he doesn’t know yet???" Lan Mei Xian was shocked!

Her disciple had sacrificed so much. Moreover, she still had no regrets or complaints. In fact, she was even waiting to give birth to the child. However, the perpetrator merely patted his buttocks, and went away unfettered. And, what made matter even worse… was the fact that he didn’t even know anything!

"I… I really…" Lan Mei Xian looked towards Tie Bu Tian. She felt resentful towards her for failing to meet her expectations, "this old woman has lived for 358 years… I am seeing your kind of a fool for the first time… you foolish girl! You, you… you are so foolish that your foolishness has gone off the charts!"

"Master… this disciple also wants to be with him. But, I am the Emperor of Iron Cloud. So, I am destined to not be with him. Also, he loves someone else in his heart. I… I…" Tie Bu Tian spoke-up. But, her eyes met the ice-cold eyes of Lan Mei Xian, and she lowered her gaze. She spoke no further.

"Humph! He loves someone else?!" Lan Mei Xian snorted and said, "King of hell Chu… King of Hell Chu… Humph! The one who thinks its okay to have thoughtless s*x first… and then abandons the girl later… King of Hell Chu!"

"He wouldn’t have abandoned me after having thoughtless s*x…" Tie Bu Tian explained in a meek manner.

"You are a fool! When will you stop being such a dumb girl?!" Lan Mei Xian scolded angrily.

The atmosphere became a bit dense at this moment. Then, a group of smoke started to appear in front of Yang Rou Lan. That bundle of smoke condensed, and gradually turned into a few words.

Lan Mei Xian snorted. She again felt dizzy in anger, "Yang Rou Lan, you’re also incredible! First, you wasted the Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique. Then, you went so far as to allow the connection between your heart and the world to break. And, your accumulated ‘Icy Heart Jade Bone Power’ also dissipated as a result of that. You are great! You’re genuinely great! You are truly worthy of being called my disciple!"

Yang Rou Lan’s complexion turned a bit awkward.

However, she ignored her Master’s taunt on her. And, she read the words that had just appeared before her. She couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised, "Master, it’s been found! Fei Ling has found the Mysterious Yang Jade Core."