After flying for a while, Yun Xiu spotted a quiet place and descended, gently lowering Hun Yu to the ground.
As soon as his feet touched the earth, Hun Yu braced himself, knowing what was coming. He had already rehearsed what he would say.
Yun Xiu stood in front of him, her eyes demanding answers. She raised the chain she had been holding. "Do you have any explanation?" she asked.
Hun Yu hesitated, his eyes darting around nervously. "I... I do, but could you promise not to tell anyone? It's my little secret," he pleaded, his voice barely a whisper.
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Yun Xiu nodded. "Alright, I promise. Now, tell me."
"You see," Hun Yu began, "you could say I am a runaway prince." As the words left his mouth, Yun Xiu's expression shifted. She didn't want to believe him, but something in his tone made her pause. It was a peculiar feeling.
"A prince? From where?" she asked, skepticism still evident in her voice.
Hun Yu took a deep breath. "I come from an empire called the Ancient Empire. if my memories are correct It was once vast and powerful, but now... it's gone."
Yun Xiu's interest was piqued. She had never heard of an Ancient Empire, especially not in this remote corner of the continent.
"I've never heard of such an empire," she said slowly. "Why were you working as a servant in the sect? Are you a spy?"
"No, no!" Hun Yu exclaimed.
"I'm not a spy. When I was just a 2-3 years old, my family was destroyed. I managed to escape with the help of some loyal servants.
We fled by boat and somehow only i managed to arrive here in this empire called falling star alive."
Yun Xiu fell silent, processing his words. She had initially thought Hun Yu was just a mischievous prince who ran away from home and got lost. But his story, though difficult to believe, had a ring of truth to it.
The forces he described that destroyed empire must have been incredibly powerful.
"Alright," Yun Xiu said finally. "If what you say is true, then you're in more danger than I thought."
"now you're under my protection now. If anyone comes looking for you, they'll have to go through me first."
She couldn't abandon him. He had saved her life and helped her so much. Besides, there was a strange feeling in her heart, a desire to protect him and keep him safe with her all time.
"But you haven't explained this," she pointed at the chain.
Hun Yu glanced at the chain and shook his head. "I don't know what it is. It has been with me since birth, and I always thought it was something powerful."
"Alright, I understand," she said, deciding not to press further. She didn't want to dredge up any more painful memories.
"Let's go back to the sect," Yun Xiu said, grabbing him by the collar before taking off toward the towering mountains.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination.
As Yun Xiu landed, six figures immediately approached her.
"Welcome back, Sect Master!" they chorused in unison.
These were the six elders of the sect. As soon as they sensed the arrival of the Sect Master, they wasted no time in greeting her.
She had been in seclusion for almost two years, and her emergence indicated a significant breakthrough.
One after another, they congratulated her, completely ignoring the presence of Hun Yu, who stood quietly to the side. Eventually, their attention turned to him.
"And this?" one of the elders asked, eying him curiously.
The Sect Master returned with a boy? What could this mean?
"This is my assistant, Hun Yu," she introduced him. Just as she was about to explain further, one of the elders interrupted.
"What?!" one elder shouted. "No, Sect Master, how can you accept a random ugly boy as an assistant?" They looked at Hun Yu's half-burned face with disgust.
The other elders nodded in agreement. "Yes, the third elder is right. He shouldn't even be allowed to enter the sect."
"Let me throw him out," the fifth elder said, moving towards Hun Yu.
Just as his hand was about to reach Hun Yu, it stopped. He saw that the Sect Master was holding his arm, preventing him from touching the boy.
Suddenly, he felt as if his hand was about to break. He turned to see Yun Xiu's face, cold and stern.
As the pain intensified, tears welled up in his eyes, but he dared not scream, not wanting to face the shame.
As the elder winced in pain, Yun Xiu merely huffed in response, her indifference cutting through the tension in the room. She released his hand.
"You mean I don't have eyes?" she asked, looking at all the elders who had criticized her choice.
They all fell silent, not knowing what to say. Before anyone could respond, Yun Xiu released her aura, pressing down on the elders like a mountain.
"If any of you try to harm my assistant or humiliate him, be ready for the consequences," she declared coldly.
With that, she walked towards her house at the highest peak of the sect. Hun Yu silently followed her, stunned by her reaction.
He had expected opposition due to his appearance and low cultivation, but Yun Xiu's defense moved him deeply.
Soon, they arrived at her place. She glanced at Hun Yu.
"You can stay here for the time being," she said. "Those elders are stubborn. Even though I warned them, they might still try something indirectly."
Hun Yu nodded, grateful for her protection. He looked at her back, feeling a genuine softness in his heart.
Yun Xiu gestured to leave, "I'll be back in some time."
"And don't worry about your appearance. You look good," she said before flying away.
She hoped her comforting words would ease his mind, fearing he might develop negative emotions due to the elder's harsh words.
Reflecting on his story, she couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't entirely true. But he hadn't shown any ill intentions towards the sect or her.
If he had, he could have easily killed her when she was vulnerable in the cave. Understanding him was becoming increasingly difficult.
Her thoughts cleared as she entered the hall. Taking her seat at the highest position, she listened to the elders and officials of the sect as they reported the current state of affairs.
"Sect Master, we should do something about that alchemist. Who does he think he is?" one elder exclaimed.
"He left our sect and joined the empire when the Sect Master was absent. He also spoke ill of the other leaders," another elder added.
Yun Xiu recalled the tier 6 alchemist, a former disciple who had been nurtured by the sect.
He had the potential to become a tier 7 alchemist within the next ten years. Their sect now had no high-tier alchemists, and there was a shortage of pills.
"It must be the Imperial Family who bribed him. They already have a tier 7 alchemist and now want to take from us," an elder speculated.
Yun Xiu considered their words. The sect had invested resources in cultivating the alchemist, and his defection felt like a slap in the face.
Under the protection of the Imperial Family, it would be impossible to retaliate directly.
"Spread the word that the Sky Wind Sect is looking for alchemists. They will be provided with cultivation resources," she commanded, dismissing everyone.
Left alone on her throne, she mused with a lazy expression, "Maybe I should find a disciple and pass on the seat. I only have 5-6 years left..."
...
The entire empire was in shock after hearing the news.
"What?! The Sect Master of Sky Wind Sect subdued a tier 7 monster, suspected to be the king of Prana Beast Forest, like a dog?"
one of the Main family heads of the empire exclaimed, mirroring the reactions of the others.
They had underestimated this generation's Sect Master. If she was strong enough to compete with the empire's most powerful person, attacking the Sky Wind Sect for its resources no longer seemed feasible.
They would have to wait for the emperor's directive before making any moves.
...
Hun Yu sat silently in the luxurious room of Yun Xiu, reading a cultivation technique. Seeing no one around, he said, "System, do it." In an instant, the contents of the book flowed into his mind.
"Hmm," he muttered, beginning to cultivate. The speed and potency of this technique were far superior to the previous one.
Yun Xiu entered the room, her eyes falling on Hun Yu's meditative figure. She stared at him blankly, dazed. "What are you doing, Yun Xiu?" she murmured to herself.
She walked to the nearby kitchen. Though she didn't have servants to cook for her, she made her own meals.
Despite not living there for two years, the place remained clean thanks to the maids who tidied up daily.
After some time, she finished preparing food. The aroma reached Hun Yu, who opened his eyes to see Yun Xiu sitting and eating.
"I made some for you. You can take some," she said.
Hun Yu was surprised. She made food? He quickly stood up, took a portion, and sat down to eat.
He didn't notice Yun Xiu watching him from the corner of her eye, awaiting his reaction. Within minutes, he finished the meal, and a smile appeared on Yun Xiu's face.
"Hmph, my skills are just as good as before," she thought.
"I never knew you could make such good food, Miss Yun," he said, wiping his mouth. She just nodded, not saying anything.
...
"Third elder, what do you think, Fifth elder?" one elder asked.
"I think that boy must have used some trick to confuse the Sect Master's mind."
"We should find a way to kill him somehow."
"How can such an ugly person even be around our Sect Master, who is said to be the most beautiful in the whole empire?"
"Yes, we should find a way to drive him out of the sect or dispose of him," they conspired. Little did they know, Hun Yu was not someone to be trifled with, and he had quite a powerful backing.