Saving the White Moonlight Chapter 19

The sect master’s soul lamp went out.
It went out without warning, catching all of Fenghua Immortal Sect unprepared.
When Yun Mixue received the voice message and hurried to the sect’s council hall, even the elders, who usually looked like immortals above the dust, had thrown aside the bearing of experts and were arguing fiercely in the hall.
They were arguing over who should sit in the sect master’s position.
It was not that they coveted the position. It was only that the sect master had fallen too suddenly, and no successor had been chosen beforehand. At this moment, whoever sat in the sect master’s seat would have to bear enormous pressure.
The successor had to be strong enough, had to hold prestige in the sect that most people would accept, had to have a firm character and heart, and had to be able to carry the heavy beam in this dangerous time.
When Yun Mixue arrived at the hall, the elders who had been arguing turned their gazes toward her. Their eyes carried heat and expectation, along with some satisfaction.
Yun Mixue thought for only a moment and understood what these elders meant.
Titled disciples had originally existed as candidates for future sect master. It was only that the former sect master had fallen too suddenly. Their generation of titled disciples had not yet fully grown to the point where they could normally take over the position.
By reason, having a titled disciple inherit the sect master position was the most suitable choice.
But she did not want to sit in that position. She understood her own nature very well.
Now, with Fenghua Immortal Sect swaying in wind and rain, what the sect needed was a sect master with a forceful personality and iron-blooded methods, not someone gentle and mild like her.
Yun Mixue saluted the elders. Before they could speak, she said, “I wonder whether Eldest Senior Brother has received notice of the sect master’s accident?”
The council hall fell silent for an instant. The elders in the hall exchanged looks. The words they had originally wanted to say to Yun Mixue were all swallowed back.
“Gu Chen is in secluded cultivation at Yiku Cliff. Messages from outside cannot be passed in. We will have to trouble Martial Niece Yun to go notify him.”
Yun Mixue respectfully accepted the order and withdrew from the council hall. She understood that she would not become the next sect master.
In her heart, she said sorry to Eldest Senior Brother. But in her view, only Gu Chen could bear the sect master position at this moment.
After leaving the hall, before going to Yiku Cliff, Yun Mixue first sent a voice message to her registered disciple.
She remembered that Zhuguang had not eaten for several days. Unfortunately, she had not prepared fasting pills, and she had left in a hurry. She was worried Zhuguang might get hungry and run out to look for food.
Yun Mixue knew the situation on Zhouxue Peak. To her, it might be the most suitable cultivation place, but to Yan Zhuguang, it was extremely harsh.
Yan Zhuguang was only at the first level of Qi Refining now. If she rashly ran out to look for food, she might meet danger in that icy world.
Yun Mixue could not get away right now. After leaving the council hall, she took advantage of the short gap to find someone early and send them to Zhouxue Peak to care for the little girl.
Among the registered disciples under her name was a Foundation Establishment disciple named He Sheng. Although her personality was somewhat cold, she had always handled matters rather properly. Yun Mixue chose her, gave her a few instructions, and told her to bring fasting pills to Zhouxue Peak.
After He Sheng respectfully agreed, Yun Mixue was still somewhat worried. But she had no choice but to press the matter down in her heart and first hurry to Yiku Cliff to find Eldest Senior Brother Gu Chen.
Yiku Cliff, as its name suggested, was not a proper place for cultivation. When the elder earlier called it “secluded cultivation,” that was only to preserve some face for Gu Chen, who might inherit the sect master position.
Gu Chen had been punished by the former sect master and sent there to reflect.
But right now, there was no time to care whether he was reflecting or not. In any case, the reason Gu Chen had been punished before was not some unforgivable crime. Compared with the current situation, it did not count for much.
Yun Mixue did not spend much time before finding Gu Chen.
They had not met for several years. Gu Chen had changed from the sharp-edged person of the past and become much more restrained.
What was unbelievable was that this Eldest Senior Brother of hers had actually broken through in a place like Yiku Cliff, where spiritual energy was scarce.
It seemed this sect master position truly should be inherited by him.
Yun Mixue directly stated why she had come. The man sitting on the rough stone opened his eyes. There were no ripples in them.
“Since Junior Sister came personally, I will accept.”
“Junior Sister, go ahead first. I will arrive shortly.”
Although Yun Mixue did not know what Gu Chen planned, she did not stay long and left Yiku Cliff directly.
But before returning to the council hall to report, Yun Mixue, who still could not feel at ease, decided to return to Zhouxue Peak first and look.
Zhuguang had just arrived at Fenghua Immortal Sect. She had no relatives or friends here and knew only Yun Mixue. Her heart must be very guarded. Yun Mixue had rashly sent a strange registered disciple to care for her. Who knew whether the little girl would be too defensive and refuse?
Yun Mixue knew that although the little girl seemed soft and weak, she was actually very independent and had a heavy guard. The reason Yun Mixue had gained the little girl’s trust might only be because she had saved her several times. Others might not be able to make her lower her guard.
Yun Mixue felt it necessary to go back and look. At the very least, she had to let Zhuguang know that He Sheng was someone she had sent, so Zhuguang could feel a little more at ease.
Yun Mixue had thought this through well. However, when she arrived at Ice-Snow Cottage, she found there was no one inside.
Not only was He Sheng not there, Yan Zhuguang was not there either.
Yun Mixue’s heart jumped. She thought, not good. Could He Sheng have arrived late, and Zhuguang had already gone out?
There was no time to think about what had happened. Yun Mixue quickly sent out her spiritual sense and searched all of Zhouxue Peak. Fortunately, a Nascent Soul cultivator’s spiritual sense covered a wide range. Before long, Yun Mixue found Yan Zhuguang’s aura.
What clenched her heart was that the little girl’s aura was already extremely weak, as if she had more breath leaving than entering.
Yun Mixue teleported over. As soon as she appeared, she saw a scene that set her anger burning. The registered disciple named He Sheng, whom she had sent, was actually kicking Zhuguang.
The little girl lay in the snow, her life or death unknown. He Sheng looked at her with a vicious expression and even cursed her as a troublesome thing.
Was she venting her dissatisfaction with Yun Mixue’s order on Zhuguang?
Even someone as good-tempered as Yun Mixue could not control her anger. She had never known that He Sheng, who was calm and steady in front of her, had this kind of face in private toward others.
For the first time, Yun Mixue raised her sleeve without any grace and swept He Sheng away. She did not care how He Sheng reacted. She quickly picked up the little girl, whose body had already become somewhat stiff, and pressed her into her arms. She poured spiritual energy into the girl’s body to carry away the cold inside her.
Only when the little girl’s body temperature gradually warmed and her pale purple face turned an abnormal red did Yun Mixue relax slightly.
She raised a hand and touched the little girl’s cheek. The cheek cracked by snow wind felt rough and cutting. Yun Mixue’s heart hurt badly.
Carefully setting a protective shield around herself to block the wind and snow, Yun Mixue looked coldly at He Sheng, who had already knelt in the snow for quite a while. “I did not know you held such great resentment toward me that you had to vent your anger on a little girl.”
The blue-clothed woman, He Sheng, trembled and quickly denied it. “Ancestor, please see clearly. This disciple had no such intention. Ancestor has misunderstood.”
Yun Mixue had always been gentle. Even toward registered disciples, she would not show indifference. He Sheng had never seen such coldness from her before.
He Sheng felt panic in her heart, and also grievance.
She was only a servant from a small sect. If He Sheng hit her, then she hit her. Yet Ancestor showed this expression toward He Sheng for that girl. Why?
He Sheng had followed Ancestor for years. She had always been well-behaved and had carefully taken care of Ancestor. Did all those years of feeling count for less than a little servant?
He Sheng felt anger toward Yun Mixue in her heart. She also did not believe Yun Mixue would truly punish her much.
“Misunderstood?” Yun Mixue’s voice seemed soaked in ice. “Did I misunderstand that you hurt her, or did I misunderstand the words ‘troublesome thing’?”
He Sheng pressed her lips together. “This disciple was not dissatisfied with Ancestor’s order. It was only that this bad girl was clearly pretending to faint to win sympathy. This disciple’s methods were only a little forceful.”
“Why would she pretend to faint? Whose sympathy was she trying to win?”
Seeing that He Sheng showed no remorse, Yun Mixue felt very disappointed.
“I only walked a bit quickly. I only wanted to warn her not to be too arrogant.” He Sheng felt she had done nothing wrong.
“What warning? What arrogance? I sent you to care for her!”
“Is this how you care for someone?”
Yun Mixue swept her sleeve. A sheet of ice and snow exploded beside her, and a mighty force spread outward. A huge white line of snow smoke rolled down the peak. Because of her anger, an avalanche had formed.
He Sheng shook again under the force. She gritted her teeth and steadied herself so she would not be swept down by the falling ice and snow.
Yun Mixue stood in the air holding Yan Zhuguang. Behind her, snowflakes filled the sky. Around her was the terrible roar of the avalanche. The wild wind made her robes snap, yet her long figure stood unmoving in the air. The light shield blocking wind and snow circled her body, making her seem like a goddess above the nine heavens, a goddess who controlled disaster through ice and snow.
“Since you think this way, I suppose you are unwilling to be a registered disciple. Perhaps you want to be sect master instead!”
“Ancestor, I -”
He Sheng wanted to defend herself, but Yun Mixue no longer gave her the chance. “My place can no longer hold you. Fenghua Immortal Sect can no longer hold you either.”
She turned her hand and took out a small jade arrow. Disbelief appeared in He Sheng’s eyes. “Ancestor!”
The small jade arrow flew out. Yun Mixue no longer looked at her and vanished into the sky full of ice and snow.
How could this be? He Sheng stared blankly into the empty air, as if all strength had left her. She slumped to the ground.
Carefully carrying the little girl back to Ice-Snow Cottage, Yun Mixue placed her on the bed. She touched the girl’s burning cheek with pity and sighed softly.
After this, she no longer dared hand Yan Zhuguang to someone else to care for.