"Peak Master Shi, you're... really too pitiful," Yang Ning repeated.
"Huh?" Shi Xuanfei froze completely and turned her head in confusion, her beautiful eyes full of astonishment.
Yang Ning calmly withdrew his hand, picked up a clean handkerchief from the low table nearby, and carefully wiped the skincare product from his fingertips. He glanced around the luxurious, exquisite bedchamber. "Just as you said, Jade Maiden Peak really is a wonderful place. Its location is uniquely blessed, and the surroundings are peaceful and pleasant."
"Your bedchamber is even more ingeniously designed. Anyone can tell that countless hours and years of effort went into arranging it. On the way up the mountain, I also saw all sorts of buildings standing on either side, each with a completely different style. I imagine you personally led your disciples in designing and building them, brick by brick? And the spirit-pet garden—if you didn't truly love those creatures, why go to the trouble of carving out a little world for them and caring for them so attentively?"
As he spoke, his gaze settled once more on the Display Shelf laden with gifts. "These must be birthday presents from the disciples under your care, right? Every single one has been wiped spotless and arranged neatly. It's clear you treasure these gifts dearly. I imagine you must dote on every one of your female disciples, too."
Shi Xuanfei's brows gradually knitted together, and a hint of displeasure entered her voice. "Boss Yang, what exactly are you getting at?"
Yang Ning didn't answer directly. Instead, he picked up an unused Embroidered Stool nearby and sat down behind her, perfectly at ease, his gaze resting on her calmly. "You're attached to every blade of grass and every tree on Jade Maiden Peak. You cherish those female disciples, and deep down, you can't bear to leave this place. Just as you said yourself, you have no desire to become the Sect Master and shoulder all that exhausting work. And yet here you are, sitting before me, talking yourself hoarse as you try to get me to help you... fight for a position you don't even want."
Shi Xuanfei's brows remained furrowed as she emphasized, "I already told you—the Sect Master came to me and demanded that I take part in the competition!"
Yang Ning pulled over an Embroidered Stool and sat down. "You're attached to Jade Maiden Peak, you cherish your disciples, and you can't bear to leave. Just as you said, you don't want to become the Sect Master. And yet now you're asking me to help you become the Sect Master."
Shi Xuanfei's brows remained tightly knit. "I told you, the Sect Master came to me and demanded that I compete."
Yang Ning smiled and shook his head. "The Sword Sect has peaks of all sizes standing side by side. Setting aside the Minor Peaks, there are twelve Peak Masters on the Twelve Main Peaks alone. Add in the heads of crucial departments like the Law Enforcement Hall, Mission Hall, Library Pavilion, and Tianbao Pavilion, and there are no fewer than thirty people qualified, capable, and experienced enough to compete for the position of Sect Master."
"Every one of them is a highly respected, powerful, and experienced Great Power."
"That's true, Hall Master Yun does have flaws in her temperament, and it makes sense that Sect Master Lei would want more people to compete for the future of the sect. But hearing it from you, it almost sounds as if Sect Master Lei looked over the entire sect and found that you were the one and only choice."
He casually named a few people. "For starters, I can name Ding Zhen, Peak Master of Beast Taming Peak; He Shen, head of Tianbao Pavilion; and Liu Bang, Peak Master of Chixiao Peak. Aren't they all outstanding candidates with considerable prestige? Why, then, has Sect Master Lei decided that only you, Peak Master Shi, are qualified to contend with Hall Master Yun?"
Shi Xuanfei immediately tried to explain, her voice edged with urgency. "Because Yun Zishan and I are fellow disciples! If I'm elected, the Sect Master's position will remain in our lineage. She... she'll have indirectly fulfilled our master's dream and made up for her regret. Then the obsession in her heart will naturally be resolved, and she'll be free!"
But the moment the words left her mouth, she saw the knowing smile on Yang Ning's face and realized that, in her haste, she had said the wrong thing.
Seeing Yang Ning smiling at her, Shi Xuanfei suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing.
"Exactly. You know that Hall Master Yun's determination to become Sect Master stems from her desire to make up for the regret Qingxia Fairy felt after losing the election all those years ago," Yang Ning picked up where she had left off. "And that regret can only truly be put to rest if you or she herself takes the position. If anyone else is elected, it won't untie the knot in her heart."
He watched Shi Xuanfei's expression grow solemn and continued his analysis. "Then let me guess... This is a deeply moving story about sacrifice and protection."
"The senior sister, determined to make up for their master's regret, resolved to compete for Sect Master and reclaim the glory that belonged to their lineage."
"As for the junior sister, she clearly saw the fatal flaws in her senior sister's temperament. She knew that even if her senior sister got her wish and became Sect Master, with her stubborn, cold, inflexible nature, she would be burdened with endless worries and exhausting work. Worse, her inability to balance the various factions might send the Sword Sect into decline.
"If the danger of the sect's decline truly erupted during her senior sister's tenure... Given her senior sister's fierce sense of responsibility and competitiveness, she would never forgive herself. Her Dao Heart might even suffer damage and give rise to inner demons... That was an outcome the junior sister would rather die than see."
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