152 – Decision
“… this may trouble you, but I"m going to look for Young Teacher. I have made up my mind.”
These abrupt words forced Qi Qiqi to extricate herself from the self-pitying state. The water-colored eyes that reflect in her eyes speak of firmness and decisiveness.
Shui Yun"er has made up her mind and will not waver.
“Little Sister Shui, you…”
Qi Qiqi doesn"t know what to say. She is surprised that the gentle Shui Yun"er can have such an unyielding att.i.tude.
Shui Yun"er stood up slowly, lowered her gaze, and said while patting the dirt off her dress, “I"m going alone, so it shouldn"t be a big issue, right?”
An ineffable expression in her eyes, Xia Xue silently shifted her gaze to the water-colored eyes. Shui Yun"er met her gaze without hesitation.
The gazes of the two indeed met in the air.
“Are you serious?” Xia Xue asked first.
“I am.” Shui Yun"er looked at Qi Qiqi and Xia Xue back and forth, “So please don"t stop me.”
What followed was a period of silence.
Xia Xue gradually raised the corners of her mouth.
“What if your Young Teacher has already escaped, but then found out that you were left in Martial Demon Realm. If you go looking for her, won"t she flip out?”
She will definitely rush back to Martial Demon Realm immediately. Even if she has to look all over Martial Demon Realm, or even flip it upside down, she will find Shui Yun"er and bring her back. Qi Qiqi can easily imagine her reaction when Xue Qilin finds out that Shui Yun"er is missing.
“So am I supposed to leave the Young Ancestor on her own?”
The Young Ancestor didn"t abandon her when she was in danger, so how can she ignore her now? Shui Yun"er can"t feel at ease.
“If I were you, I would follow the group and don"t go anywhere…” Xia Xue carried on with a smile that isn"t a smile, “If you don"t want people spread another rumor – rushed into Martial Demon Realm by herself and ma.s.sacred martial demons.”
Shui Yun"er"s face froze.
In order to avenge Luo Qing"s death, Xue Qilin slayed Heavenly Sword Gate"s Gate Master Hua Tianji and inflicted heavy casualties on Heavenly Sword Gate. In all fairness, Shui Yun"er"s position in Xue Qilin"s mind should be no lesser than that of Luo Qing, and it may even surpa.s.s the position of the latter.
Qi Qiqi knows that Xue Qilin cherishes Shui Yun"er very much. If something happens to Shui Yun"er in Martial Demon Realm… Qi Qiqi can"t say it for sure that Xue Qilin won"t go mad and set Martial Demon Realm ablaze.
Stop her? Who can stop her?
Is there a way to make everyone happy? A way that can not only ensure the safety of the disciples and investigate Xue Qilin"s whereabouts, but also fulfill the promise to support the other sects and defend the reputation of Merak Temple? Qi Qiqi"s thoughts whirled, and she sank into her thoughts again.
The other two realized that she is contemplating and stopped arguing. They Silently waited for her decision.
In any case, Qi Qiqi, who is the Temple Master, has the final say. And when it comes to Shui Yun"er, Qi Qiqi"s words are far more persuasive than Xia Xue"s.
After a while, Qi Qiqi looked up at the two standing in front of her.
“… let"s go to Mirror Moon Lake.”
She made up her mind, and her tone is filled with indescribable courage.
Xia Xue showed a helpless expression and released a long sigh.
“You… how do you I explain it to you so you can understand? If…”
Qi Qiqi raised her hand and cut off Xia Xue, and then said unhappily, “Senior Disciple Sister Xia, listen to me first. What I mean is that I and Little Sister Shui will go to Mirror Moon Lake, while you will lead the group to leave Martial Demon Realm.”
“What do you mean? Did I hear it right, are you going to split away from the rest of the group?”
Qi Qiqi nodded back.
“This will ensure the safety of the disciples.”
“Then you"ll take Shui Yun"er to the danger zone alone?” Xia Xue sneered, “Hah, if the Young Ancestor learns of this, it won"t be strange if she flips out.”
Even a blind person can see how important Qi Qiqi and Shui Yun"er are to Xue Qilin. If anything happens to these two, it will be enough for Xue Qilin to go crazy.
“Besides, as the Temple Master, are you going to jump straight into danger? That"s beyond foolish!”
Apparently angry, Xia Xue"s tone contains conspicuous reproach.
However, Qi Qiqi responded firmly, “It"s because I am the Temple Master that my presence carries sufficient weight.”
Xia Xue fell silent.
She understands that under the premise that the group cannot rush to Mirror Moon Lake, sending the Temple Master rather than disciples or elders is more meaningful. Although in fact, it won"t be of much a.s.sistance to the other party. But because of Qi Qiqi"s ident.i.ty, it"s a good way to evade any criticism – our Temple Master personally plunged into danger, what complaints can you have?
“And more importantly, Asura"er is there.”
“Senior Beiming Youyu!”
Shui Yun"er had an epiphany and exclaimed.
This exclamation drew the disciples" attention. Qi Qiqi waved her hand apologetically to express that everything is okay, and then they looked away.
“Yes, we can ask Senior Beiming to help Qilin. If I personally ask her, Senior Beiming shouldn"t refuse.” Qi Qiqi explained.
“Indeed, Senior Beiming is a Grandmaster. Everything will be much simpler if she helps…”
Shui Yun"er pressed the fingers of a hand against her lips and whispered. Then she looked up at the two.
“I think your method is feasibly, Big Sister Qi.”
This is a plan that banks on Qi Qiqi"s ident.i.ty. If Qi Qiqi wasn"t the Temple Master, then it would be meaningless.
However, no matter how you look at it, this method indeed barely makes everyone happy. That is, except for the part where the Temple Master has to personally take risk.
“Senior Disciple Sister Xia, what do you think?”
The red in her eyes has turned into the red of expectation.
Qi Qiqi faced Xia Xue, seeking approval. This is an expression of respect. After all, Qi Qiqi doesn"t need to ask Xia Xue for her opinion.
Xia Xue remained silent. Her silence was longer than expected.
In the end, what erased the silence was a long sigh.
“What else can I say?”
There is a profound helplessness and concern in her expression, which seem to be mixed in with faint approval.
“You are the Temple Master. Since you have made a decision, what else can I say? No matter what I say, you probably won"t listen.”
This is a Xia Xue agreeing covertly. She chose to give in.
“That statement… sounds really unpleasant to the ear. I will naturally listen to your opinion.”
“Yeah, right.” Xia Xue couldn"t help laughing.
“Okay, now that we have decided, let"s move out. It"s going to be dark if we drag this on.”
Qi Qiqi looked up at the sky. The sun is already in the west. It is already afternoon, and there is not much time left until dusk.
If they don"t move out soon, then when nightfall comes, Martial Demon Realm will become more dangerous. The senses of martial demons are naturally sharper than humans", giving them an overwhelming advantage in the dark.
“Little Sister Shui, let"s go…”
Qi Qiqi withdrew her gaze and looked at Shui Yun"er.
“Let"s go to Mirror Moon Lake.”
… at this time, Qi Qiqi is oblivious to how terrible the consequences of this decision will be for her.