News of Adil's Death

Yeon was walking with Mia and Emily following shortly behind him.

They were all making their way to the Sapling Sword Sect as a group. Most of the Elders, including Elder Marvin, had already returned to the Sect the other day and only a few were left to guide the new disciples back to the sect.

The disciples chatted amongst themselves, introducing their names and clans. They were forming relations that would last them decades if not their lifetimes. These people were going to become their sect sisters and brothers.

There were larger groups surrounding the more successful participants such as Elsher Elrod and Caddel Spade. They were trying to gain the favour of their more powerful peers - social circles and cliques were already being formed.

Amidst this subtle formation of social hierarchy, one group was completely isolated from the rest.

The other disciples eyed them both with fear and curiosity. Some even looked at the man who had fought an entire realm above his with admiration yet read the social cues and did not approach the rogues.

"I guess we won't be making any new friends…" Mia said quietly.

Yet despite her quiet voice, her voice was heard by everyone around her due to the ring of silent stares that were constantly on them.

"Do you need any other friends apart from us?" Yeon asked while putting on a hurt expression.

"No! Just us is fine too! Hehe," even in this awkward situation, Mia maintained her bubbly character.

"Sigh, I'm fine with it too. As long as we get to cultivate in peace, then there shouldn't be any issues," Emily said with a slightly haggard expression.

She was no longer wearing her veil as it was not necessary.

"But I'm sure that no one will bother us since we're the 'lovers' of the 'Laughing Tyrant'," Emily teased.

"… Don't you think that nickname is a bit too oppressive for someone only in the Bone Cleansing realm?" Yeon asked in an exasperated manner.

The reason that no one was approaching Yeon despite his genius display of skill during the disciple trials was that he also displayed a manic, almost demonic madness that overwrote any good impression they had of him.

"Really? I quite like it," Mia said from Yeon's side, "it feels quite refreshing. A bit like 'The Dancing King' or the 'Singing Scholar', no? The 'tyrant' feels a bit heavy, but the 'laughing' makes it feel a bit softer and lighter."

Emily looked at Mia with a dry look, 'No, that part is plenty heavy' she wanted to say.

But she held back. If Mia thought that Yeon had been given that nickname with good intentions, then she shouldn't shatter her misunderstanding.

But even with his newfound nickname as the 'Laughing Tyrant' there was another distinct reason why no one was approaching him. Not even the ones who admired Yeon for his fierce display.

"Hup," Yeon said while bouncing Sylvie on his back to rearrange her into a more comfortable position.

Yeon had initially carried Sylvie in a bridal carry but had been talked out of it by Mia and Emily. They had compromised with a piggyback.

"Is there really no other way?" Mia asked while looking around. They were getting judging glares as the young masters and mistresses all clicked their tongues at the sight of the scarred girl.

"Sylvie has a limp, and I can't force her to walk all the way to the Sect. She's still recovering," Yeon said as he peeked at Sylvie's head that was resting on his shoulder.

She was looking straight ahead with a disinterested gaze, completely ignoring the attention she was gathering.

Yeon playfully rubbed his cheek into Sylvie's cheek where her scars lay. Her rough, bumpy tissue felt funny against his soft, white skin.

Sylvie tilted her head to look at Yeon.

"Are you doing alright, Sylvie? Uncomfortable?"

"I'm very comfortable, Master," she replied in a smooth, neutral tone.

Mia and Emily could see the people around them physically recoil at Yeon's affectionate actions, especially when his skin rubbed against Sylvie's scars.

Although Yeon thought nothing of it, even Mia and Emily had to be careful to not accidentally flinch or frown.

They knew that having an adverse reaction like the others would offend Yeon greatly, but the internal bias they had been taught since birth made them feel unsettled at the sight of Sylvie.

"Touch a scar, and your luck leaves afar," a disciple nearby mumbled spitefully.

Yeon's glare quickly shut him before he could finish the rhyme of 'quickly touch fair skin! And cleanse your soul therein'.

This was the real reason why no one was approaching them. It was because of Sylvie as well as Yeon's treatment of her.

If Yeon had just been deemed as a dangerous and violent individual, some of the disciples still might have approached him to make connections with the young genius.

But adding onto that, the fact that Yeon was treating what was obviously a scarred slave girl so well, Yeon looked completely unhinged in their eyes, a veritable lunatic.

And so, they were unbothered by other disciples as they made their way to the Sect that would become their new home.

***

Meanwhile, as Yeon's group was making their way to the Sapling Sword Sect, the news of Adil's disappearance had finally reached the Divine Sword Sect.

More specifically, it had reached his sister, Elia Ashford's ears.

Elia had just come out of one of the communal cultivation caves where the concentration of qi was denser.

She had followed her routine and had just come out of the cave for the first time in 2 weeks when she was confronted by a group of disciples centred around Xara Tamina.

"Have you heard of the news, Ashford?" Xara asked while flicking back her long blonde hair which had a slightly darker colour than Elia's.

"Sister Xara, I have not," Elia replied gracefully. She ignored Xara's aggressive stance while keeping a polite distance.

"It's Senior Sister Tamina, to you, Ashford," she growled back, her blue eyes narrowing threateningly.

They had never been close enough to call each other friends, but they were of equal status when Elia first joined the Divine Sword Sect.

It was Xara who had been in a higher realm than Elia who first extended her hand and suggested that they call each other by their names on account of the Ashford Clan's continued rise during that time.

"Yes, Senior Sister Tamina," Elia replied while hiding her weary conscious.

But after the Ashford Clan's decline, and Elia's rapid but unstable growth, their relationship had quickly soured.

As if embarrassed by the fact that they used to be seen together, Xara Tamina had always made a point to bully Elia in places where people could see, such as now outside the cultivation chambers.

A little crowd was starting to gather, but from the expressions on their faces, one could tell that this was a regular occurrence.

"I was just stopping by since I knew you would be coming out around this time. I needed to tell you some news I heard while being instructed by Elder Yel," Xara boasted.

The other disciples, who Xara had brought along, giggled amongst themselves, anticipating the expression the normally graceful and proud Elia would make.

Xara's bullying of Elia had become especially fierce and abusive when she was accepted to become a direct disciple taught directly by Elder Yel.

Elder Yel was one of the Elders who had openly opposed the decision to grant Janus Ashford a position as an Elder.

"Yes, we thought you must be first to hear of this news considering how hard you're working for the poor boy," another laughed sadistically.

"It's such a tragedy, really. Can the Ashford clan not get a break?" a snide voice added on, this disciple was one of Xara's many suitors who were here to gain her favour.

"Why, has anything happened to Adil?" Elia asked, her composure finally shaking.

She had endured years of isolation and bullying since entering the sect and she had hidden her tired mind behind her usual self-assured smile, but it was slowly and surely getting to her.

"Why yes, something has happened to the Blight of the Ashford Clan," Xara said, smiling like a vindictive snake:

"If anything, you should be happy! You can finally stop your foolishness and get yourself a well-deserved break," her smile twisted into one of fake concern, like a superior worrying about the well-being of one of her workers.

"Don't call him that!" Elia finally snapped. She could endure the insults that were directed at her, but not those directed at her beloved little brother.

She could still vividly remember his sobbing face as she left the Sapling Sword Sect. She had cultivated madly for his sake, and she was still fighting within the sect to help him.

"Or what, Ashford?" Xara scowled, angry at the fact that Elia had talked back to her.

Xara shot towards Elia aiming to sucker punch her as her entourage smiled as if a fun show had begun.

Elia blocked Xara's fist technique but couldn't react in time to stop her rapidly approaching knee.

"Urgh!" Elia let out a painful moan as the air was forced out of her body.

"We may both be Peak level Soul Sea cultivators, but our distance from becoming a fully-fledged Martial is as vast as the Heavens and the Earth!" Xara shouted while kicking Elia again, this time in her face.

They were both Soul Sea cultivators, the realm after the Nascent Soul realm and just before becoming a Martial Underlord.

However, unlike Xara who was older and had been cultivating for a much longer time, Elia had been forcefully pushing through with her advancements to reach a higher realm to help Adil.

It was incredible considering her young age and it was only possible because of her overflowing talent as an Ashford. Even Xara acknowledged this which only made her more jealous and hateful of Elia.

But due to her rapid advancements, Elia's cultivation was not as stable as Xara's. Moreover, Xara had been receiving the teachings of the old and powerful Elder Yel.

"Look at you now, Ashford," Xara taunted as she stepped on Elia's face.

Elia tried to get up but the men that Xara had brought with her all pinned her down.

"Proud yet compassionate, gentle and beautiful, you used to be a source of admiration of all. But what have you become?" Xara asked as she rubbed the bottom of her sole into Elia's cheek.

Elia glared at Xara, her red eyes shining dangerously. But she held herself back.

She did care about how everyone viewed her, and it hurt to watch as the same voices that praised her and shyly asked for her hand now spit out insults and curses. Even the few friends she had initially made began distancing themselves from her so as to not get bullied as well.

But as long as she had her family, she could endure it:

Her loving brother.

Her father as well, behind that cold exterior, she believed that he was looking out for them the best he could.

She had even held back when fighting Xara since she and her entourage would only spin the story to Elder Yel and the others, giving even more reason for the Elders to add pressure onto her and her father.

If she had fought back, she would probably get punished by Elder Yel for harming his direct disciple.

Otherwise, it didn't make sense for her to fall only after a single strike from Xara no matter how unstable her cultivation base was.

"Tsk," Xara clicked her tongue seeing as how Elia's fighting spirit was still intact.

But Xara laughed it off.

Xara found comfort and sadistic joy from the fact that Elia's desperate cultivation had all been futile, and how all her hard work had been for nothing.

"Your little brother, Adil. He's dead. Dead! HAHAHAHA! HE DIED WHILE PICKING HERBS LIKE THE PATHETIC CHILD HE WAS!"