Chapter 1485: Redemption of a Person

Jiang Fan's mouth twitched. He quickly put on his clothes. He opened a crack in the secret room, slipped out, and then quickly closed it.

Liu Qingxian scoffed, "Are you afraid I'll see how messy it is inside? Don't worry, I have no interest in your private life."

Jiang Fan remained silent. He put an arm around Liu Qingxian's shoulder, leaning half his body against her. Liu Qingxian's face flushed slightly, and she squirmed a little. This was truly rare. Since Jiang Fan's return, he seemed much more affectionate towards her. This was already the second time he had embraced her; he used to be quite reserved. However, she secretly enjoyed the feeling of being close to Jiang Fan, even if her words were sharp. She snorted: "What, is that vixen Yunshang no longer satisfying you? Do you want to take advantage of me now?"

Jiang Fan replied, "No. My legs are weak; I need you to support me."

Liu Qingxian was almost fuming, her willow-like eyebrows rising. She elbowed Jiang Fan's stomach. But ultimately, she couldn't bring herself to do it, withdrawing her hand and instead supporting Jiang Fan. She gritted her teeth and said: "Bastard! You can only be intimate with her at noon, because sooner or later, you'll die on her belly!"

In the grand hall, Venerable Qionglou, the Master of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Temple, and Venerable Sanqian, the Dean of the Madmen's Asylum, sat opposite Song Lingyu, glaring at her with dark expressions, not uttering a word.

"Ahem," Song Lingyu cleared her throat, a little chagrined. "I didn't intend to use Hua Wuying as collateral, but I couldn't gather enough Lingtian Pills at the time to redeem her. Now that I've gathered them, here I am, aren't I?"

Her scalp felt a bit numb. She had originally planned to quietly redeem Hua Wuying so that no one would know about her using Hua Wuying as collateral. Unexpectedly, she had let it slip this time while trading spirit herbs from the Myriad Fiend Great State for Lingtian Pills with one of the Six Ministry Masters. The news then spread like wildfire. In just half a day, everyone from the disciples to the Heart Devil Venerable knew about it. A master using a disciple as collateral—such an absurd matter—had directly incurred the Heart Devil Venerable's furious wrath. She had been summoned and thoroughly reprimanded. Venerable Qionglou, as the temple master managing the sect, and Venerable Sanqian, as the dean responsible for cultivators like her with an Eight-Aperture Nascent Soul, had also been summoned. They had been thoroughly berated. Today, upon learning of Jiang Fan's return, they were dispatched to quickly redeem Hua Wuying. The Myriad Tribulations Sacred Temple simply couldn't afford to lose face!

Venerable Sanqian said with a dark expression, "Why didn't you say so earlier? If you had told us sooner, we would have redeemed Hua Wuying even if it meant selling everything we own! A master pawning a disciple—a tale for the ages! If this gets out, the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Temple will completely lose its reputation!"

Venerable Qionglou also spoke with a dark face, "Hua Wuying is such a talented seedling. At just seventeen, she broke through to the ninth layer of Core Formation, making her the strongest prodigy in our Myriad Tribulations Sacred Temple. Could she have a good life, being held as collateral at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion? The Heavenly Secret Pavilion is a newly established sect, lacking opportunities to break through to the Nascent Soul stage themselves. How could they have any to spare for her? Isn't this just needlessly delaying Hua Wuying's cultivation?"

Hearing this, Song Lingyu's face was filled with shame. Covering her face, she said, "I was wrong. I must have been utterly foolish to trade my disciple for treasures. My poor disciple, still at the ninth layer of Core Formation, toiling away like an ox or horse at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. When I bring her back, I must compensate her well."

Just then, outside the grand hall, a slender maiden in a floral dress ran past, laughing as she chased a small dragon, a reddish-brown small beast, and a tiger cub. When the three of them looked, they could only see her back.

Venerable Sanqian showed a hint of surprise: "She looks only in her teens, doesn't she? She actually has a Four-Aperture Nascent Soul cultivation! How is that possible?"

Venerable Qionglou was also filled with astonishment: "When she turns twenty, she'll easily qualify to be among the Eighteen Sons of Taicang. No, even topping the Eighteen Sons of Taicang would be effortless for her! It's no exaggeration to say that this girl is the number one prodigy in our Taicang Great State! And she actually appeared in the small Heavenly Secret Pavilion! But... doesn't that back look a bit like Hua Wuying from our Myriad Tribulations Sacred Temple?"

*Clang!* A dull thud sounded. Venerable Qionglou and Venerable Sanqian looked over, only to see Song Lingyu sitting up in shock. Her sudden and large movement caused the chair beneath her to fall over. She gazed at the girl's retreating figure with disbelief and said: "That... that's Hua Wuying!" How could she not recognize her own disciple?

*Clang! Clang!* Venerable Qionglou and Venerable Sanqian both stood up in shock, their chairs toppling behind them. Both had expressions of horror.

Venerable Qionglou said, "You didn't mistake her, did you? Is that Four-Aperture Nascent Soul cultivator Hua Wuying from our Myriad Tribulations Sacred Temple?"

Venerable Sanqian swallowed, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Although Hua Wuying's talent is high, she hasn't reached this level. To go from the ninth layer of Core Formation to a Four-Aperture Nascent Soul in just three months? How could she possibly do that?"

Song Lingyu slapped her thigh and chased after her directly. From a distance, she called out, "Wuying, my disciple Wuying!"

Hua Wuying, who was playing with Fanguzai, the little Qilin, and the tiger cub, stopped when she heard the familiar voice. She turned her head and saw Song Lingyu's familiar face. She immediately froze. A flood of grievances and bitterness uncontrollably welled up in her heart. How long has it been? How long? She had thought her master had abandoned her at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. At this thought, tears streamed from her eyes. She clutched her skirt, ran forward, and threw herself into Song Lingyu's arms, sobbing uncontrollably from her grievances: "Master! I thought you didn't want me anymore."

Song Lingyu was also overcome with sorrow and unbearable guilt. Stroking Hua Wuying's head, she said: "Wuying, I'm sorry. Your master was incompetent and let you suffer such grievances outside for so long. How... how did you manage to get by all this time?" Imagining Hua Wuying being abused at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Song Lingyu's heart twisted with pain.

Hua Wuying, still sobbing, said: "Master, do you know how I've been spending my days? When I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, Jiang Fan protected me. At the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, I eat top-tier spirit fruits from the Celestial Realm and drink celestial nectar elixirs. When cultivating, I enjoy the most premium resources of the Taicang Great State—either from the Heavenly Mountain Battlefield or spoils of war Jiang Fan brought back from Transcendent God Venerables. If I have any questions, I can ask the Ice-Fire Demonic Monarch, who is in the Two Declines of Heaven and Man. When I'm not cultivating, I play with the tiger cub, Fanguzai, and the little Qilin. Here, no one scolds me, no one makes me work. All around me are kind and beautiful sisters, amiable and humorous brothers, and a gentle and elegant Pavilion Master."

As she spoke, Hua Wuying's tears stopped. She blinked her eyes and said, "I... I'm living a life of leisure like a celestial being! Why was I crying?"

Song Lingyu was also stunned. What kind of celestial life was this? Being held as collateral at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion led to such an incredible life? She even wanted to pawn herself here and retire on the spot!