Chapter 11: Different Paths Lead to Different Goals - Section 20: The Breakup

Section 20: The Rupture

Seeing how July spoke so naturally, paying no heed to her words whatsoever, Zheng Linran was consumed by anger and felt she could no longer maintain even a facade of politeness.

"Stop using Master to press down upon me, July! If you weren't a Martial Sovereign, the things you've done would have long since made you a wanted criminal across the three nations. Do you really think you could still kill people as casually as you do today and suffer no consequences? Do you think you could still stand here and act so self-righteous while showing disrespect to this Sect Master? You would have long since become a fugitive, hunted day after day until the end of your days!"

July replied with absolute calm and composure, "Sect Master, the purpose for which July has diligently practiced martial arts since childhood is not to bully others, nor is it to pander to court officials or act as an accomplice to tyranny. If that was all Master had taught me back then, July would rather never have joined the Flying Immortal Sect. But Master did not teach me those things, nor would she ever. Master is the Sect Master of the Martial Sect, not the running dog of the imperial court, much less its puppet! When Master aided the State of Zheng for the sake of the country and its people, she did not do so merely to win the favor of the King of Zheng or to gain the approval of court officials. Since the Sect Master has chosen to lecture July today, I would like to ask whether Senior Sister still remembers Master's teachings at all! You spend your days mingling with court officials and are whispered about as a Sect Master who clings to the Crown Prince's coattails—do you retain even an ounce of Master's backbone and integrity?"

Zheng Linran was both infuriated and deeply aggrieved. If not for the sake of the Flying Immortal Sect, why would she demean herself to deal with court officials, and why would she constantly run errands for the Crown Prince? She had endured humiliation and heavy burdens for the sake of the sect, only to be interrogated and questioned like this by July today.

"You only know how to eat, how to act purely on impulse, and you understand nothing of the bigger picture! My endurance of humiliation and disgrace is precisely because I have not forgotten Master's final instructions, and precisely so that the Flying Immortal Sect can maintain its former prestige! Master is gone, and the King of Zheng is advanced in years. With every generation of rulers comes a new generation of ministers—do you understand this simple truth? Without the support of the Crown Prince in the days to come, do you truly believe the Flying Immortal Sect could continue to overawe the State of Zheng just as it did when Master was alive? All you know how to do is eat and cause trouble, yet you dare to point fingers and accuse this Sect Master!"

July raised her brow in a cold sneer, her eyes filled with utter disdain.

"Who doesn't understand these principles? But Senior Sister must not forget: the reason Master was Master is because she was Zheng Feixian, not because of the aid of the King of Zheng. The world of the Flying Immortal Sect was carved out by Master with her own hands; the transcendent status of the sect was established by Master's own character and capability. The State of Zheng cannot do without Master, and cannot do without the Flying Immortal Sect—that is the very reason for our transcendent standing. The essence of it is that Master's immense capability made the State of Zheng and its King dependent upon us to the point of being indispensable. Yet Senior Sister's current actions are doing the exact opposite! You are leading our sect into a state of dependence upon the Crown Prince, reducing us to a condition where we cannot survive without his backing! Does Senior Sister truly believe such a future can sustain our sect? It is the height of putting the cart before the horse!"

"You, you, you actually dare to show such disrespect to this Sect Master! Do you think that just because you are a Martial Sovereign, this Sect Master wouldn't dare to punish you for your crimes?!" Zheng Linran trembled with rage, the finger she pointed at July shaking uncontrollably from fury.

"One day, while Master was teaching me forms, she suddenly ordered me to kill Senior Sister Qi's little calico cat. When I asked her why, Master said it was simply because the sight of that cat irritated her. I fell to my knees and begged Master to punish me, because I felt it was wrong to innocently slaughter an animal Senior Sister Qi loved so dearly, yet refusing to kill it meant defying Master's command. At that time, Master burst out laughing, saying that her irritation was a lie, but her test was real. Master told me that my plea for punishment showed loyalty and filial piety, as I knew I deserved retribution for defying her words; but my defiance of the order showed true backbone and integrity, as I knew it was wrong to kill the innocent merely out of personal annoyance."

Seeing how earnest July looked and how intensely focused her expression was, Zheng Linran's anger subsided slightly. Perplexed, she demanded, "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"Master said she had been the same way in her youth, which was why she could never adapt to the complexities of the imperial court and chose to wander the pugilistic world alone. Master said a martial artist must possess backbone and integrity; otherwise, possessing martial might without a soul leaves one's achievements limited. Finally, Master told me that if there should ever come a day when my integrity provoked her anger and she intended to take my life, I must not sit passively waiting for death out of mere filial loyalty. If I were strong enough to defeat her, I should use martial power to decide the outcome of that ideological conflict. If I were defeated and died, my integrity would still remain intact; but if Master were defeated, she would admit that I was right."

"Nonsense! Master would never teach you something so rebellious and treasonous!" By this point, Zheng Linran fully understood the implication behind July's words, and she flew into a rage, accusing July of fabricating falsehoods.

"Elders Dongxue and Qiuye were both present at the time. July dares not openly oppose Senior Sister's decisions, but July cannot bring herself to agree with Senior Sister's methods of governing this sect. Although I believe the Sect Master's approach will ultimately turn the Flying Immortal Sect into a puppet of the imperial court, no irreversible reality has yet been forged, so July has no grounds to interfere or say too much. But Senior Sister must remember this: if future upheavals prove that Senior Sister was wrong, July will demand that Senior Sister correct her course. Otherwise, July will do exactly as Master taught: use martial power to settle the argument of right and wrong with Senior Sister!"

Having said her piece, July flicked her sleeve and turned to leave. Zheng Linran was pushed to the absolute brink of fury; had she not known she was no match for July in a fight, she would have lashed out with a palm strike then and there!

"Fine! You refuse to listen to reason and instead turn to accuse this Sect Master of wrongdoing! July... do not regret this. Acting so willfully and recklessly will eventually bring your own undoing. There is a limit to this Sect Master's patience, and a limit to the patience of the King of Zheng. When the day comes that the world is vast yet holds no place for you to rest your head, don't say this Sect Master, as your senior sister, failed to warn you!"

July halted in her tracks, turned back, and looked at Zheng Linran. In her eyes, there was no trace of anger from their dispute, only a coldness as pure as ice and snow, which made Zheng Linran feel all the more that this junior sister had become completely inscrutable.

"Even if Senior Sister hadn't said it, July knows that such a day will come sooner or later. But July does not fear it, nor will I regret it. Because July believes in Master, and I believe in myself. Therefore, I also believe that even if I must inevitably face hardship in the future, hardship will never be the final destination of July's journey. On the other hand, Senior Sister only believes in herself while failing to truly trust Master—I only fear that you will be the one living to regret it too late."

July pushed open the door and stepped out. The group of Flying Immortal Sect disciples waiting outside caught sight of the furiously flushed expression on Zheng Linran's face inside the inn, and a deep sense of foreboding washed over them all.

After July departed, Zheng Linran strode out, blazing with rage.

"From this day forth, no one is to ever mention the Martial Sovereign in this Sect Master's presence!"

Everyone knew that from this day onward, the Martial Sovereign and the Sect Master had experienced a complete and irreversible rupture.

Having received an urgent letter from Zheng Linran while in the capital of Zheng, Elder Qiuye had hurried ahead with more than a hundred elite masters from the July Hall to arrive at Dongshang Town.

Upon meeting, Zheng Linran dismissed everyone else present, speaking with Qiuye alone regarding the incident that had transpired at the inn.

"Elder Qiuye ought to understand the gravity of the situation. I hope you can persuade the Martial Sovereign on this Sect Master's behalf." Although Zheng Linran had been consumed by rage that day, she knew that a falling out of this magnitude with July boded no good for the Flying Immortal Sect. In the end, she had resorted to sending a carrier pigeon to summon Qiuye, hoping she could convince July to restrain herself and cease stirring up trouble.

Upon hearing the whole account, Qiuye inwardly felt a sense of helpless resignation.

She had long suspected that Master's fondness for July stemmed from the fact that deep down in her bones, July shared many similarities with the young Zheng Feixian. Originally, Zheng Feixian had instructed July by the book, but whenever she was in high spirits, she would voice her true innermost thoughts to July, inadvertently teaching her things she ought not to have known. Afterward, Zheng Feixian would harbor secret misgivings and even sought out Qiuye to discuss it. Yet once words were spoken, she naturally could not go back on them. Still, in Qiuye's view, while Master's worries on the matter were genuine, her joy upon seeing July reflect her own past self was equally true.