NOVEL WEB Chapter 89: Scheming Yao Fan
Pink Blossom Tree…
When they reached the sect gates, the mountain eagle perched obediently nearby, feathers gleaming in the late fading sun. Jia Kai mounted it gracefully.
"I'll return after I fetch Mo Han," she said. "Please tell Chi Kai what has been decided. I'll leave her in your care until then."
Su Kai nodded. "Go, child."
The eagle screeched, wings cutting through the air as Jia Kai took flight, vanishing toward the horizon.
-
Back inside their bamboo courtyard, Chi Kai listened intently as her mother relayed the news. Her eyes widened with every word.
"Sister… really convinced the matriarch?" Chi Kai asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Su Kai nodded. "Yes. Both of you will go. With Mo Han, your cultivation won't stagnate. But remember, Chi'er—this is not just a chance for cultivation. It is also a chance for you to decide what kind of woman you wish to become. If you follow Mo Han, your life will not be quiet. It will be filled with obstacles."
Chi Kai pressed her hands together, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "I don't care about problems. If it means I can grow stronger, I'll walk through them with him. Mother, I'm ready. Tell my sister I'll go."
Her mother smiled softly. "Good. Then prepare yourself. Soon, the heavens may open a new path for you both."
Chi Kai stood straighter, her eyes burning with determination. "I won't hesitate. This is my choice."
-
Burning Sun Peak…
Late Night…
Crickets chirped faintly in the distance, and most disciples were already asleep, worn out from cultivation and training.
Inside a quiet pavilion lit by soft lantern light, the son of the sect master, Yao Fan, sat comfortably across from a broad-shouldered elder with a beard streaked in gray. On the table between them, a jade flask of fine wine gleamed, the aroma rich enough to make even a passing servant swallow hungrily.
Yao Fan leaned back with a smug smile, pouring wine into the elder's cup with exaggerated politeness. "Elder Zhu, this wine is no ordinary brew. Imported from the Crimson Lotus Valley—aged for sixty years in jade barrels. My father himself received it as tribute from a merchant house, but I… let's just say I have my ways of acquiring things."
Elder Zhu chuckled, raising the cup and sniffing the fragrant liquid before taking a slow sip. His eyes brightened instantly. "Good. Very good. The fragrance lingers in the throat… crisp, not too heavy. Boy, you certainly know how to please this old man."
Yao Fan grinned widely, filling his own cup. "Elder Zhu, you deserve only the best. Without you, the sect wouldn't be half as orderly. You keep the disciples in line when my father is occupied."
"Flattery, flattery." Elder Zhu waved his hand, though his chest puffed a little. "Still, this old man appreciates the gesture. Now tell me, Young Master Fan… why summon me at this hour? You usually bring wine when you want something."
Yao Fan laughed lightly, his face twisting into a sneer as he recalled the earlier humiliation. He leaned forward and tapped the table with his finger.
"Elder Zhu, today… a mere servant dared to raise his voice against me. Not only that, he threatened to kill me! Imagine that! Me—the son of the Sect Master!"
The elder froze mid-sip, his brows furrowing. "What did you say? A servant… threatened you with death?"
"Yes!" Yao Fan slammed his cup down. His voice rose with indignation. "That dog dares to act as if he's above everyone! His name is Mo Han. He poses around like some young master, as though this Burning Sun Peak is his personal courtyard. Hah! He even brought a spirit pet into the sect without permission! A crane, no less. Only the most wealthy clans have the right to own such things, yet he parades it about to show off in front of others."
Elder Zhu's beard quivered as his face darkened. "Unbelievable! In this sect, even main peak disciples must request approval to bond with spirit beasts. And this servant… this Mo Han… does as he pleases?"
"Exactly!" Yao Fan sneered, his eyes gleaming with spite. "And when I confronted him, instead of kneeling, instead of begging for forgiveness, he stared me in the eye and said—'If you strike me, I'll kill you before I die.' Hah! Elder Zhu, what servant dares to speak this way to me? To me!"
The elder slammed his hand on the table, rattling the cups. His voice thundered in the small pavilion. "Insufferable! He dares threaten the sect master's own son? He dares disgrace the rules of Burning Sun Peak? This isn't just arrogance—it's rebellion!"
Yao Fan feigned a sigh, lowering his gaze with an expression of injured dignity. "Elder Zhu, I respect my father's sect. I didn't retaliate because I didn't want to create disorder. But… if people see a mere servant humiliating the son of the sect master, what will they think of our Burning Sun Peak? Won't they say we've become a laughingstock?"
The elder clenched his fist. "You're right. Discipline must be enforced, or else the sect will crumble under chaos. Tomorrow, I'll personally summon this Mo Han. I'll make him kneel before the main court and apologize for his insolence. And after that, he will be expelled. The Burning Sun Peak is no place for a wild dog pretending to be a dragon."
Yao Fan's lips curled into a satisfied smirk as he raised his cup again. "Elder Zhu, you truly are the pillar of this sect. I knew I could count on you."
The elder downed another gulp of wine, his anger still simmering. "Hmph! Just leave it to me. Tomorrow, this Mo Han will learn his place. A servant is a servant. No matter what airs he puts on, he cannot escape his fate."
Yao Fan chuckled darkly, swirling his cup in the lamplight. "Good. Very good. I can already imagine his face when he's dragged before everyone and stripped of his pride. Elder Zhu, let's drink to tomorrow's entertainment."
The two clinked their jade cups together, the echo sharp in the still-night.