Chapter 32
Yu Tai was so powerful. Why should she allow them to burden her?
At Zhang Xiaoxiao’s words, the other Beast-Taming Sect disciples nodded in agreement.
Yu Tai shook her head. “We are all cultivators. We should naturally support one another. How could you call yourselves a burden?”
“The Qingshan Sword Sect is the leading sect of the Middle Realm and therefore bears a greater duty to assist cultivators from other sects. As an inner disciple, how could I stand by and watch you die?”
Every righteous word radiated a powerful sense of responsibility. The eyes of several disciples whom the passing Yunshan Sect had refused to save turned red.
Zhang Xiaoxiao choked out, “Benefactor… You truly are the shining light of the righteous path.”
Yu Tai smiled modestly. “My abilities are shallow. I do not deserve such praise.”
The System: […]
The coffin lids of those Chengtian Sect cultivators she had beheaded were probably shaking.
Yu Tai ordered Shu Li and Xia Mo to remain in the room.
Leaving Shu Li aside, Xia Mo could not swim and was completely helpless against demon beasts in the water. She had it remain beside Shu Li in case of an emergency.
The closer they came to the fissure, the more turbulent the water became. Bolts of heavenly lightning struck from time to time. Fortunately, the ship produced by her Demon Lord father was sturdy enough that even direct hits merely made it rock and jolt.
As Yu Tai controlled the ship, she felt increasing resistance the farther they traveled. Sure enough, a massive whirlpool soon appeared before them.
A smaller ship had been dragged into it. The current tore the hull apart until the vessel looked ready to disintegrate.
“That’s the Yunshan Sect’s ship!” Zhang Xiaoxiao cried.
With the ship breaking apart, its cultivators took to the air on their flying swords one after another. Unfortunately, they had entered a zone of dense lightning. Bolts struck them from vicious, unpredictable angles, forcing most to dodge desperately. Unable to remain in the sky, they dove toward the water, only for the powerful whirlpool to swallow both cultivator and sword. They had no opportunity even to cry for help before the current tore them apart, blood blossoming briefly before vanishing into the sea.
Zhang Xiaoxiao’s face turned white from merely watching.
Lightning filled the sky and a whirlpool churned below. The cultivators could go neither up nor down and suffered terribly.
One group was comparatively powerful and handled the danger better than the others. Yu Tai recognized them as Qingshan Sword Sect disciples.
As her ship prepared to give the whirlpool a wide berth, someone sharp-eyed spotted it and shouted excitedly, “There’s a ship over there!”
At the cry, Yu Tai felt countless gazes sweep toward her. Someone even probed her cultivation with spiritual sense.
Displeasure stirred within her, though none showed on her face.
The System asked, [Host, are you going to let them aboard?]
Yu Tai answered without hesitation, [What the hell does that have to do with me?]
She looked like an entirely different person from the benevolent “shining light of the righteous path” they had praised moments ago.
The System began to pity the Beast-Taming Sect disciples who worshipped Yu Tai as a goddess.
[You should reconsider, Host. There are many of them. If you rescue them, your reputation will completely change.]
Yu Tai remained unmoved.
What kind of joke was that? What use did a demonic cultivator have for a good reputation? Was she worried she might not expose herself quickly enough?
“Let them aboard.” A clear voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Yu Tai turned and saw a figure wearing a veiled hat.
It was Shu Li. When had he arrived? She had not sensed him at all.
“Senior Brother wants to help them?” Yu Tai whispered with a raised brow.
Shu Li nodded.
In the next instant, the barrier keeping every cultivator outside abruptly vanished, allowing them to land safely on the deck.
The System: […]
Apparently, everything it said was no better than a fart.
Among the people Yu Tai rescued were Yunshan Sect cultivators who had abandoned Zhang Xiaoxiao and the others.
Though the Beast-Taming Sect disciples despised them, none blamed Yu Tai. Instead, they only thought, *Ah, she truly is so kind.*
Jiang Yibai spotted Yu Tai the instant he landed. The face that had been gloomy for days regained its color, and he called out in disbelief, “Junior Sister!”
The others reacted as well, their faces filled with astonishment.
Not only was their Junior Sister alive, but she had returned to them aboard a ship.
Jiang Yibai’s gaze paused when he saw Shu Li behind her, but he still approached. His voice trembled as his eyes swept over Yu Tai inch by inch. “You’re all right. Thank goodness you’re all right.”
Yu Tai looked at the grown man standing before her with red-rimmed eyes and nodded perfunctorily. “Mm. It’s been a while, Senior Brother Jiang.”
The other Qingshan Sword Sect disciples gathered around, looking at Yu Tai with both delight and confusion.
That had been Black Plague poison. Junior Sister was completely unharmed. Had she abandoned the demon beast before it became contagious?
No, that made no sense. Why not abandon it from the beginning, then? Why had she gone out of her way to leave the treehouse?
The Yunshan Sect disciples stiffened when they saw the Beast-Taming Sect disciples glaring at them. That was especially true when they noticed how healthy and ruddy their former victims looked. In contrast, they themselves had suffered constantly while fighting demon beasts along the way. Their medicinal pills and fasting pills had run short, leaving them utterly wretched.
“Stop staring,” the leading Yunshan Sect disciple snapped.
It was true that they had refused to save them, but they had never been obligated to do so. Since they had chosen not to help from the beginning, now that they had fallen so low, they had no right to approach them.
He walked toward Yu Tai, who stood at the center of the Qingshan Sword Sect disciples, cleared his throat, and asked, “Fellow Cultivator, may I ask who owns this ship?”
His voice was polite yet distant. Though he hid it well, a trace of arrogance remained in the gaze he directed at Yu Tai.
Clearly, this Yunshan Sect disciple thought nothing of the Qingshan Sword Sect’s ornamental vase.
Yu Tai curled her lips. “This ship…?”
She extended one slender hand and pointed to the young woman standing in a corner, lifting her chin. “There. She does.”
Zhang Xiaoxiao, who had been glaring at the Yunshan Sect disciples, looked bewildered at suddenly being singled out.
The young woman was straightforward and immediately asked, “Huh? Benefactor, isn’t this ship yours?”
Jiang Yibai and the other Qingshan Sword Sect disciples looked surprised.
They belonged to the same sect as Junior Sister. How had they never known she possessed an artifact like this?
Even from the distance, they had seen the dense formations and runes carved across the hull. How could such a treasure belong to Yu Tai?
Despite having her lie exposed, Yu Tai showed no alarm. She drawled, “Oh. I gave it to you just now.”
The System: […As expected of you, Host.]
*You Have a Special Talent for Giving Gifts.*
The Yunshan Sect disciples’ faces shifted between green and white.
Did they still not understand? Yu Tai was slapping them in the face.
Unfortunately, when one stood beneath another’s roof, one had to bow. No matter how deeply humiliated they felt, they still had to lower themselves and beg for shelter.
Many cultivators from other sects had traveled aboard the Yunshan Sect’s ship and knew exactly what the Yunshan Sect had done. Seeing the ship’s owner target them, the others immediately moved away.
Their behavior seemed to say, *We are not with them.*