MTLNOVEL Chapter 16: He really enjoys using false identities to deceive people
"This... this is the Sect Master?"
Hearing the familiar voice and the name she had spoken, the surrounding elders of the Yunlan Sect were momentarily stunned. They exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion and uncertainty.
"Teacher, do you know Xiao Yan?"
Nalan Yanran bit her lip, her gaze locked onto Yun Yun. Her eyes, filled with pain and disappointment, seemed on the verge of breaking.
Yun Yun hesitated, suppressing the emotions welling up inside her. Her delicate fingers trembled slightly as she averted her gaze. "I met him a few times... but at that time, he used another name. I had never seen his true face before, so I didn't recognize his identity." Her voice was soft, tinged with a hint of regret. "When we met again, I was... surprised."
"He really enjoys using false identities to deceive people..."
Nalan Yanran's voice carried a bitter edge. The man who had once captured her admiration—the one she had unknowingly held different emotions for—had turned out to be him. The weight of this revelation crushed her almost as much as losing their three-year agreement.
Yet now was not the time for Yun Yun to dwell on Xiao Yan's deception. She took a deep breath and looked toward him, her red lips slightly parted.
"I never expected the Xiao Yan that Yanran spoke of... would be you," she said slowly. "But why? Why did you kill my master, Yun Shan?!"
Her voice was cold, yet laced with an emotion that even she couldn't fully comprehend.
Despite the turmoil in her heart, the facts remained unchanged—Xiao Yan was the man responsible for severely damaging her sect, the murderer of her mentor. As Yunlan Sect's leader, she had to seek justice.
Even if it meant standing against the man who had once unknowingly captured her heart.
"Yun Yun, I'll explain everything to you one day..." Xiao Yan said, sighing. His expression was complicated, but his tone remained firm. "Besides, that old man Yun Shan isn't even dead yet."
Hearing this, Yun Yun's breath hitched. Her body stiffened as her heart pounded against her chest.
"What...?"
The surrounding elders and disciples gasped in unison.
"Teacher isn't dead?"
"The Old Sect Master is still alive?"
All eyes turned toward the deep pit where Yun Shan had fallen.
Xiao Yan's gaze was sharp as he called out, "Yun Shan, stop pretending to be dead!"
As his words echoed through the battlefield, the dust and smoke in the pit slowly began to clear.
Cough... Cough...
A series of weak, hoarse coughs broke the tense silence. Moments later, a disheveled figure emerged, staggering from the depths of the pit.
"Teacher!"
Relief washed over Yun Yun as she let out a shaky breath. Yet, before she could fully process it, anger burned anew in her heart.
Because the very next instant—Xiao Yan was already in front of Yun Shan. His hand shot out, grabbing the old man's throat with an iron grip and lifting him off the ground.
"Yao Yan, no!" Yun Yun's cry was immediate and desperate.
She barely realized it, but in her panic, she had called out that name again—his name, the one only she used.
For a moment, Xiao Yan's grip faltered. His eyes flickered with something unreadable before he finally loosened his hold, letting Yun Shan's feet touch the ground once more.
"Teacher, are you alright?!"
Yun Yun rushed forward, positioning herself between them like a shield. She didn't care about the difference in strength—if Xiao Yan tried to attack again, she would stop him.
Cough... Cough...
Yun Shan struggled to regain his composure. His expression was weary, but his voice held an odd politeness as he finally addressed Xiao Yan.
"Cough... I am fine, Yun'er." He turned his tired gaze to her and asked, "You... you know this little friend, Xiao Yan?"
"I... met him several times before descending the mountain," Yun Yun admitted quietly, her tone laced with hesitation.
A knowing light flashed in Yun Shan's aged eyes. After so many years, how could he not recognize what was left unsaid? The connection between his disciple and this young man was far deeper than mere acquaintance.
"I see… So you two are old acquaintances."
He turned to Xiao Yan, his expression softening. "Little friend Xiao Yan, my Yunlan Sect may have wronged you today. For Yun'er's sake, I ask you to stay your hand."
Yun Yun's breath caught in her throat.
"Yun Shan, do you think you can escape death so easily?" Xiao Yan's voice was cold and unwavering. His sharp eyes bore into Yun Shan like daggers. "I let you live because I need you to lead me to the Protector Wu!"
At the mention of this name, Yun Shan's face visibly darkened.
A flicker of panic crossed his eyes before he quickly concealed it behind a calm facade. "Little friend Xiao Yan, I... I don't know who this 'Protector Wu' is."
"Enough with the act!" Xiao Yan snapped, his patience running thin.
"Yao Yan... Why are you like this now?" Yun Yun's voice trembled, her sorrow palpable.
She looked up at him, her normally composed face now streaked with the glistening trace of a single tear.
"My master has spent years in seclusion within the sect. He hasn't left in all this time. How could he possibly have anything to do with you? Why are you so relentless? Why are you trying to kill him?"
Her words hung heavy in the air.
Nearby, Jia Xingtian furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "Protector Wu... I've never heard of such a person in the Jia Ma Empire."
"Nor have I." Fa Ma shook his head in agreement.
As the tension in the air thickened, Ling Ying, standing at a distance, couldn't help but muse aloud.
"Xiao Yan... He seems to have quite the connection with the leader of the Yunlan Sect. And earlier, he was being rather... bold toward Queen Medusa as well..." He hesitated before whispering under his breath, "Miss... just who is this man?"