Wuxia Across the Heavens: I Collect Side Effects

After Yin Tianzheng officially took over as leader of the Ming Cult, the situation at Bright Peak, the cult's headquarters, was quickly reversed.

With his outstanding prestige and steady and decisive actions, coupled with Yang Xiao's retreat behind the scenes to fully assist him and voluntarily hand over his power to focus on helping Yin Tianzheng reorganize the sect's affairs and appease the disciples, the Ming Cult, which was once fragmented and plagued by internal strife, quickly got back on track.

Although Yang Xiao had given up his ambition to become the leader of the sect, he did not slack off.

He focused more on restoring his martial arts skills, practicing diligently every day in an attempt to make up for the loss of his arm and hone his remaining finger-flicking skills and lightness skills, hoping to recover his peak combat power as soon as possible.

On the other hand, he always remembered the grudge of Abbess Miejue's severed hand and secretly kept an eye on the movements of the Emei Sect. His desire for revenge never died out.

In stark contrast to the flourishing of the Ming Cult was the predicament of the Emei Sect.

After Abbess Miejue passed away, Ji Xiaofu successfully succeeded as the sect leader, but she also faced many difficulties.

Within the sect, Ding Minjun always had a covetous eye, secretly winning over her confidants and hindering them at every turn;

Outside the sect, due to the battle between Miejue and Yang Xiao, Emei and Mingjiao have formed a deep enmity, and without any other powerful backers, their situation is becoming increasingly difficult.

Left with no other choice, Ji Xiaofu had to set aside the pride of Emei and send people to seek help from the two prestigious sects, Shaolin and Wudang.

Fortunately, due to the connection between Guo Xiang and Wudang, the Wudang sect was the first to extend a helping hand.

Remembering Guo Xiang's past friendship and pitying the leaderless and precarious situation of the Emei Sect, Zhang Sanfeng sent Yin Liting to Emei to assist Ji Xiaofu in stabilizing the situation.

Yin Liting arrived at Emei at top speed and his eyes were full of anticipation when he saw Ji Xiaofu.

He always remembered his engagement to Ji Xiaofu, and he was even more certain that Abbess Miejue had already freed him from the constraints of the engagement.

This should mean good things are on the horizon.

I came here not only to assist my master as instructed, but also to take things a step further.

In the end, all that affection went unrequited.

In the main hall, Yin Liting looked at Ji Xiaofu, who was tall and composed, and said softly, "Sect Leader Ji, my master ordered me to come here to assist you in managing the affairs of Emei Sect and to help you stabilize the sect's situation."

Ji Xiaofu looked up at him, her gaze calm and without the slightest ripple, and said solemnly, "I appreciate Yin Liuxia's kindness. However, now that I have become the leader of the Emei Sect, I must set an example. Let's call off our engagement."

Yin Liting froze, the expectation in his eyes vanishing instantly, his tone filled with urgency and resentment: "Sect Leader Ji, didn't Master already dissolve the engagement? Why are you being so resolute?"

Ji Xiaofu gently shook her head, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes, before she regained her resolve: "Although Master has already dissolved the engagement, in order to gain the respect of the people and for the future of Emei, I have decided to remain unmarried for life, become a nun, and dedicate myself to managing Emei, so as not to fail Master's trust."

These words struck Yin Liting like a bolt from the blue.

He stared blankly at Ji Xiaofu, his eyes filled with hurt and disbelief. He finally understood.

Ji Xiaofu wasn't unable to marry, but rather unwilling to. Her heart already belonged to someone else, and there was no room for him anymore.

How could Ji Xiaofu not feel bitterness in her heart?

Her heart was already filled with the figure of the man who carried her down the snowy mountain. Now that she had found someone she loved, she was unwilling to wrong herself any longer, and even less willing to waste Yin Liting's life.

This is not only being responsible to Yin Liting, but also being responsible to oneself.

Moreover, Ding Minjun was always watching closely. By becoming a nun, she could completely cut off the rumors, secure her position as the leader of the Emei Sect, and silence all her opponents.

Yin Liting wanted to persuade her again, but looking into Ji Xiaofu's eyes, he knew everything.

Sometimes things are simple, and sometimes they are complicated.

Yin Liting left Emei in a daze, and his disappointment and pain soon reached Wudang Mountain.

Upon learning of this, Zhang Sanfeng did not say much, but summoned Yin Liting, gently patted his shoulder, and looked at him with heartache and sighs.

He knows all too well the feeling of wanting something but not being able to have it.

After seeing Yin Liting off, Zhang Sanfeng returned to his small courtyard alone.

On the stone table in the courtyard sits an iron Arhat statue, the only keepsake that Guo Xiang gave him years ago.

He slowly extended his aged fingers and gently stroked the cold surface of the iron Arhat. The hard touch from his fingertips seemed to pierce through a hundred years of time, pulling him back to that desolate Shaoshi Mountain in the autumn wind.

At that time, Master Jueyuan had just passed away, and he was expelled from the Shaolin Temple. He was all alone and helpless, with nowhere to go in the vast world.

Just as he was feeling lost and helpless, the bright-eyed girl in the pale yellow dress walked up to him with a smile and said softly, "Brother Zhang, you are young and have no experience in the martial world. You can take this iron Arhat statue. It might be of some help if you encounter difficulties in the future."

The girl's voice was clear and melodious, as if it were still echoing in my ears, but that figure had long since disappeared into the long river of time.

Zhang Sanfeng sighed softly, a tear welling up in his cloudy eyes, and finally murmured, "Old age brings forgetfulness, but not the longing for you."

He recalled his appearance back then: a Shaolin outcast, a greenhorn fresh out of school with nothing.

She is the daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong, the renowned and admired Miss Guo.

There was a world of difference between them, but more importantly, her heart already belonged to that "big brother" who had amazed her.

There was never a place for him.

Now, his apprentice Yin Liting has also embarked on the same path as him.

He had already heard about Ji Xiaofu's situation and knew that matters of the heart could never be forced.

There are only two choices: to love or not to love. There is no middle ground.

Seeing Yin Liting's distraught appearance, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

The martial arts world remained turbulent. Under the leadership of Yin Tianzheng, the Ming Cult steadily developed, while the Emei Sect gradually stabilized under the command of Ji Xiaofu.

Wudang remains as steadfast as a mountain.

On the Kongtong Sect's side, after being severely injured by the Vajra Sect last time, they lost all face. The five elders of Kongtong were filled with humiliation and resentment. They secluded themselves day and night to cultivate diligently, wishing they could find the Vajra Sect immediately and wipe away their shame.

Shaolin Temple, however, continues to silently lick its wounds from the past.

Decades ago, the Fire-Worker Monk wreaked havoc at Shaolin Temple, killing many eminent monks and ruining Shaolin's reputation. Although the Fire-Worker Monk later went to the Western Regions and founded the Vajra Sect, Shaolin was severely weakened by this incident and has never been able to fully recover its former glory in the decades since.

Outside a meditation room on the back mountain of Shaolin Temple, a monk dressed in a gray robe with a sinister face held a message from the martial arts world, his eyes fixed on the words on it, his aura growing colder and colder.