Chapter 394: Recorders of Past and Present (Part 5)

The elder responsible for the devastating losses suffered by the Tianyuan Sect was named Hua Yuansi.
Hua Yuansi, an elder of Qingyuan Peak, was deeply respected and loved by the disciples of Qingyuan Peak. For over two hundred years, he diligently led forty-four disciples, including Guang Hongyi and Gan Jin, on a training expedition to Baijie Mountain to slay demons. They were attacked by a powerful demon, and all the Qingyuan Peak disciples and elders, including Hua Yuansi, perished.
He was 213 years old.
Watching Su Chen's writing, Li Li's eyes darkened, and he remained silent for a long time.
"Are you pondering whether this incident was accidental?"
Su Chen asked calmly, looking at the pen-laden Li Li.
Li Li nodded subconsciously, then asked in surprise, "How did you know what I was thinking?"
Su Chen smiled: "Have you forgotten that I am a teacher?"
"Besides... there are many schemes among mortals, even more so than those of you martial arts practitioners."
Li Li recalled Su Chen's identity before he came to the Tianyuan Sect.
"So he's a cultured man."
"Then it's alright."
Li Li said, "Elder Hua encountered a powerful demon at the Spirit Soul Realm and was killed by it... Even the Sect Master couldn't defeat that demon."
"Elder Hua has cultivated for many years and is cautious; he shouldn't have acted so recklessly."
Su Chen seemed thoughtful.
Li Li voiced his thoughts and then left.
Su Chen was indeed a cultured man.
Li Li didn't believe Su Chen would give him an answer.
After Li Li left, Su Chen looked at the pile of jade slips. Some contained the name of Elder Hua Yuansi of Qingyuan Peak, while others, like Guang Hongyi and Gan Jin, were hastily mentioned—forty-four other Qingyuan Peak elders.
The Tianyuan Sect had expanded.
The profits had increased.
Profits tempted people, and thus, conflict arose.
Su Chen carefully arranged the jade slips.
These matters were none of his concern.
He was merely an observer!
Just as Su Chen had thought.
Since that incident,
the number of deaths within the Tianyuan Sect has noticeably increased.
People who come to Su Chen's sect have been there for anywhere from half a month to a month or two, but none have stayed for more than half a year.
However, most are just ordinary disciples.
Their lives are not dramatic, only mundane, ordinary events.
Most died while completing missions, failed cultivation breakthroughs, or were killed while fighting for treasures...
Su Chen's pen recorded one brief life after another.
In the blink of an eye, he had been at the Tianyuan Sect for ten years.
One day, a young girl pushed open the door and entered.
The girl was exceptionally beautiful, her face still retaining a trace of innocence... only now her eyes were brimming with tears.
They say girls change a lot as they grow up.
The girl before him showed few traces of her former self; she was considered a top beauty even in the entire Mu Jing Dynasty.
Su Chen recognized the girl before him as the same child who had given him a fourth-grade elixir ten years ago, allowing him to survive.
Ruan Hongyao, however, did not recognize Su Chen.
She had come to record someone's story... no matter how painful, she had to come.
"Grandpa Wei is dead... It's all my fault..."
Ruan Hongyao choked back tears.
Grandpa Wei...
Su Chen recalled the deep voice he had heard on that snowy night.
Perhaps that was the Grandpa Wei Ruan Hongyao spoke of.
From Ruan Hongyao's fragmented description, Su Chen learned that the old man's name was Wei Qiong... a close friend of the current sect leader, Ruan Jingtian, and one of Ruan Hongyao's closest relatives.
From childhood, the person Ruan Hongyao relied on most wasn't her father, but her Grandpa Wei. No matter what Ruan Hongyao did right or wrong, Wei Qiong always stood by her side... Even when Ruan Hongyao gave Su Chen a fourth-grade pill, enraging the current sect leader Ruan Jingtian and leading to Ruan Hongyao's confinement, Wei Qiong dared to confront Ruan Jingtian head-on, even venturing into the Weeping Blood Forest to steal a fourth-grade precious herb, thus gathering enough ingredients for another fourth-grade pill, which finally resulted in Ruan Hongyao's release from confinement.
It's important to know that the Weeping Blood Forest is guarded by a true demon king!
Even Ruan Jingtian, the current sect leader of the Tianyuan Sect, faced a near-death experience entering it, let alone Wei Qiong, who was far from reaching the Spirit Soul Realm.
Wei Qiong, a guest elder of the Tianyuan Sect, was once a prodigy among rogue cultivators. Later, impressed by the sect leader Ruan Jingtian, he joined the sect as a guest elder, making numerous contributions. He later became the protector of the sect leader's daughter, Ruan Hongyao.
To protect hundreds of thousands of people in Gujiang City and Ruan Hongyao, he died fighting the demonic tide at the age of 264.
"I killed Grandpa Wei..."
Ruan Hongyao's eyes were bloodshot, her voice hoarse.
The truth was not like that.
For a rogue cultivator like Wei Qiong, let alone hundreds of thousands of people, even millions or tens of millions, he wouldn't risk his life... The only possibility is that Ruan Hongyao couldn't bear to watch hundreds of thousands of Gujiang City's people be swallowed by the demonic tide, so she gave up escaping alone and chose to perish with Gujiang City.
How could Wei Qiong bear to watch Ruan Hongyao die in vain? He also chose to stay and resist the demonic tide to protect Ruan Hongyao.
In the end, Wei Qiong died fighting the demonic tide.
Under Wei Qiong's protection, Ruan Hongyao waited for reinforcements to arrive, saving hundreds of thousands of people in Gujiang City from becoming food for demonic beasts.
"Miss Ruan, if Elder Wei saw you like this, he would probably be even more heartbroken than you are."
"Elder Wei hopes you live peacefully and happily, not constantly burdened by guilt like this."
Su Chen rarely spoke to comfort the girl before him.
Those who are too kind... often pay a heavy price.
This world is inherently like this; whether evil will be punished is unknown... but most kind people do not meet a good end.
Ruan Hongyao stopped crying. She looked at Su Chen and forced a smile, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa Wuming. I will definitely live well."
Wei Qiong's death made Ruan Hongyao realize one thing:
Kindness also comes at a heavy price.
Watching Ruan Hongyao leave,
Su Chen didn't know if Ruan Hongyao could ultimately hold onto that kindness.
Or perhaps, it would change her completely.
Su Chen placed Wei Qiong's letter on a high shelf.
He only hoped that Ruan Hongyao would soon learn of the cruelty of the cultivation world.
.......
Five years have passed since Wei Qiong's death.
Something has changed in these five years.
The Tianyuan Sect has gained a Spirit Soul Realm martial artist.
Congratulations!
Moreover, they have gained another genius, even more talented than Sun Ao, ranking second on the Mu Jing Dynasty's Prodigy Ranking!
The Tianyuan Sect is thriving, its ranking rising to eighth, becoming the biggest dark horse.
Besides these good news items, the even bigger news was that the Tianyuan Sect Master had broken through to the peak of the Spirit Soul Realm. He single-handedly stormed the Ancient Jiang Mountains with his sword, spending a month slaying four powerful demons and exterminating all the demons in the mountains, staining the forests with blood!
This battle shocked the people of the Mu Jing Dynasty.
The Tianyuan Sect Master, Ruan Jingtian, who had always been incredibly low-key and was even considered unfit to carry the banner of the Mu Jing Dynasty's ten major sects, was actually so terrifying—a peak Spirit Soul Realm expert!
The Mu Jing Dynasty could count him on one hand.
One of the top five experts in the world!
Hiss...terrifying!