Chapter 936 — The Plea and the Refusal
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"On your feet! The Palace Master of the Dark Night Palace, dropping to her knees at the slightest word—what sort of disgraceful conduct is this?" The Supreme Elder, seeing Palace Master Wan'er's display of weakness, flew into a rage. "How is your temperament so utterly unlike your grandmother's when she was young? If you want to leave the mountain, then show me your strength! What great deed was ever accomplished by weeping and wailing? When you kneel before an enemy, do you think he will spare you?"
"But you are not an enemy, Supreme Elder... I beg you, let me go down the mountain! I cannot lose Pengzhan and Yaoyao..." Palace Master Wan'er remained on her knees, pleading.
"I said no, and no it is!" The Supreme Elder gave a cold laugh. "Do not waste your dreams on it! If they are in danger, all the better if they die—then that bastard seed will be gone from this world, and the Dark Night Palace will not suffer the mockery of the Xuandan Sect!"
"Supreme Elder, but no matter what, Pengzhan is my husband, and Yaoyao is my daughter..." Tears welled from Palace Master Wan'er's eyes unbidden. "I cannot abandon them!"
"Hmph, a fine husband—your husband is the second young master of the Xuandan Sect! He is the one who sent the betrothal gifts!" The Supreme Elder spoke coldly. "And look at that Gu Pengzhan—he cannot even handle a few trifling clowns; he is a complete worthless wretch. What is there in such a man worth your lingering attachment? Now do you see how correct and wise my judgment was? What use is such a spineless man? He might as well die early and be done with it!"
Though the Shadow Group was under Elder Li's command, several of its other overseers were the Supreme Elder's people, and so any news the Shadow Group relayed reached the Supreme Elder's ears at the very first moment.
Before departing, Wan'er's grandmother had entrusted the Dark Night Palace to the Supreme Elder. She had devoted her life's energy to making the Dark Night Palace flourish, yet never had she imagined that an alliance by marriage with the Xuandan Sect—which had brought the Dark Night Palace such glory—would produce the scandal of Wan'er fleeing her wedding!
The former amity with the Xuandan Sect had soured into tension, and overnight the Dark Night Palace had become the laughingstock of the martial world! The Supreme Elder secretly resented Wan'er's disobedience; yet though she was harsh with her, even unreasonable, she had never once thought of taking the Palace Master's seat for herself—she wanted only to help Wan'er break through to the Heaven Rank!
From this, too, one could see that the Supreme Elder was selfless—except that she placed the interests of the Dark Night Palace on a height above even affection and life itself!
The Shadow Group, too, had not existed in the Dark Night Palace before. It was only after Wan'er fled her wedding, and in order to search for her, that the Shadow Group had been founded, jointly overseen by the Supreme Elder and Elder Li!
This was also why the Dark Night Palace had only recovered her after Wan'er had already married and borne a daughter in the secular world.
"If the Supreme Elder will not consent, then Wan'er will kneel here and not rise!" Palace Master Wan'er summoned the same stubbornness she had shown when she fled her wedding.
"Oh, suit yourself. When you have knelt until your paramour and that little bastard are dead, you will get up soon enough." The Supreme Elder spoke with indifference.
"Supreme Elder, allow me to say a few words!" Elder Li spoke up now. "Supreme Elder, if something truly happens to Gu Pengzhan and Gu Mengyao, then I believe the Palace Master will have no heart for cultivation at all. It will affect her progress—and even affect our Dark Night Palace's ranking at the Heaven Rank Assembly..."