Xueyao refused to let herself be bullied into doing something she didn't want to do. She spent hours of the next day in the foundations of the immortal realm, using every technique she had been taught by her Master and the late immortal Chang Yi to try and free Sheng Chong from the spirit stone. She returned to Temperance Hall broken, weak, with new scars on her body as a result of her failed attempts to free Sheng Chong. Xueyao broke down in tears on the open space balcony of Temperance Hall when it was already day two of Sheng Chong being trapped inside that dreadful place.
Master Yun Xi watched her disciple from afar. She was the kind of emotionally soft immortal but it was not really fair how everyone seemed to take advantage of her weakness at every opportunity.
''Xueyao.''
The girl turned to see her Master heading towards her.
''Master,'' she sobbed out and brought her hands to cover her face in shame. It's been a number of times her Master would return from her personal training to find her like this. It was already becoming annoying and she wondered how her dearest Master hadn't gotten tired of her being such a pushover and chasing her out of Temperance Hall for being so useless.
Being enveloped in the warm embrace of her Master brought fresh tears to her face and she longed to be strong—perhaps even the strongest immortal in the whole of the formless dimension so dragons like the white dragons wouldn't stand a chance against her.
''I am so tired already, Master. I can't get Sheng Chong out of that cramped space and it is opening more scars in my heart.''
Master Yun Xi felt deeply sorry for her disciple. She stretched forth her left hand to pat her softly in the head and said, ''Why don't you try to be obedient for once. Even if it means saving Sheng Chong.''
''No,'' Xueyao shook her head. She wouldn't let them use this situation to their advantage to force her to be a hero. She did not want to be a hero. Never, ever dreamed of being one. ''I don't want to save the world, Master,'' She poured out her heart to the red dragon before her and her words touched the softest part of her heart. ''I'd rather be that villain who would watch the world fall apart and fight to save myself, Sheng Chong and you, Master. Going through severe tribulations just to preserve the lives of the very immortals that bully me because I am weak? How is that getting back at them for all the evil they have done to me?!''
Master Yun Xi bit hard on her lower lips in regret.
Good. They have successfully made her innocent, loving disciple into a monster that is secretly vengeful.
She also blamed herself for this. She hadn't been fully there to protect her dearest disciple and had left her to be torn apart by the mouth of wolves time and time again.
''Master is so strong and wise. I have never seen a red dragon with as much spiritual power as you, Master. Master, please,'' The feel of the girl's soft light hands around hers had her stiffening a bit as the past and future of her beloved disciple suddenly revealed itself to her in a quick, terrifying flash. ''Come with me to the Valley to help me unseal Sheng Chong, please.''
Blood.
Pain.
Grief.
Sacrifice.
Heartbreaking images of destruction.
And finally ... .death.
''I will shoulder the responsibility of defying the white dragons. Master, Please.''
Master Yun Xi tore her hands away from the girl like she had been electrocuted by an invisible force. The last image in her vision terrified her to the bones and she couldn't help but gaze at her disciple in disbelief. No one knows she has the ability to see the past and the future. It's not something she has control over and it can take over her at any moment without warning.
She remembered that was the same pattern of vision she had when her soul was just a day old in the immortal realm. It was part of the reasons she decided to raise her to the point of where she was today.
But this vision was a little bit different.
It came with a gut-wrenching twist. Bringing a sad tear down her Master's face.
Xueyao panicked and stared down at her palms, wondering if she had accidentally released her spiritual powers to hurt Master in any way.
''Master, I didn't mean to…'' The words died on her tongue when Master released six powerful waves that pushed her back and kept her fixed on a spot. Xueyao's ears began to ring and her vision slowly began to lose focus as the blurry image of her Master casting spells at her left her deeply disturbed.
''Master….'' Blood pooled out of her mouth when Xueyao felt a quick invasion deep into her spiritual core and where her dragon bead inner core was safely being protected.
Master Yun Xi then crossed her index fingers while bringing her thumbs together. Xueyao cried out in great pain when a quarter of her dragon bead was removed and extracted out of her core by her Master.
The moment her Master got a hold of a quarter of her dragon bead core, she freed her disciple from the extreme lock waves she cast toward her. Xueyao collapsed completely on the ground. Her hands trembled as she reached to soothe the pulsing pain in her chest. The beautiful sky above grew darker as it was time for nightfall to dominate and for a fleeting moment, Xueyao wanted to believe her Master had killed her because she was the worst disciple ever.
☆
Yun Xi stood before her bed and kept trying to heal her disciple nonstop. Her hands brought together like in the form of a prayer as her spiritual essence flowed nonstop from her body towards her unconscious disciple, healing every scar and torn veins in her body without rest.
'Xueyao, forgive me for taking out your dragon bead inner core without your consent. But when the right day comes, you will finally understand why embracing your destiny isn't as terrible as you have imagined.'
☆
Xueyao opened her eyes a few hours to midnight and wondered why she wasn't dead yet. She rose to a sitting position and realized she was in her Master's room and lying on her Master's bed.
She tried to jump up from it when two hands stopped her from doing so. She looked up to stare into the warm gaze of her beloved Master.
''Master,'' She began as her voice threatened to crack in-between. ''Did you fail at getting rid of me?''
Master Yun Xi smiled at her ignorance while pulling her gently back to sit on her bed. Though she had healed every scar and fixed all torn veins in her system…her spiritual power was still very, very weak. She guessed she must have exhausted it all trying to free Sheng Chong. So she needed as much rest as possible to try and recover her powers back.
''I will get you some Soul Nourishing Seed to help boost your dragon bead inner core and recover some of your energy back.''
All Xueyao could do was stare at her Master in a strange way. Didn't her Master try to kill her a few hours back?
''I made you this delicious soup to take as I figured you didn't eat anything when you rushed out of the hall to save Sheng Chong.''
Her Master's kindness to her always gets her in many ways. She watched as her Master gently brought out a steaming hot golden chicken soup—-her favourite dish in the world. She loved it because she always believed her Master had a special way of making it compared to other immortals.
Master Yun Xi blew gently on the hot food and stirred it around a bit before bringing a spoonful towards her disciple.
Xueyao hesitated a bit before she opened her mouth wide and had a delicious taste of something she wouldn't miss for the world. She raised the back of her hand to wipe the fresh tears pouring down her cheeks as she opened her mouth wide again to have more.
After drinking more than half of the golden chicken soup, her Master put the plate away and brought the smaller bowl of medicine she prepared for her to take for a quick boost of energy. Xueyao happily took it. Though she was the only immortal here that loves the bitter taste of medicine no matter how terrible the concoction was.
She returned the empty bowl back and gazed at her Master. She would forever be grateful to this red dragon even if there is another life after this.
''Thank you, Master. For not giving up on me or killing me,'' she said as more tears gathered in her eyes and Master Yun Xi stared at her disciple in disbelief.
''Xueyao, you still believe I wanted to kill you? If I wanted to, I wouldn't use such a low method as trying to harm your dragon bead. And no, how would I ever think of killing my little crybaby of a disciple?'' She smiled and gently cupped her disciple's face.
''I was only doing something which I will explain later to you. But for now, I want you to do one good thing for yourself.''
Xueyao's eyes moved a bit in wonder to what that was.
''What is it, Master?''
Her Master withdrew her hands and said, ''I want you to toughen up and be the tribulation guardian to the immortal black dragon.''