Afterglow (6)

As the people in the hall dispersed and their footsteps faded into the distance, only several direct disciples remained behind at True Person Yu Qing's request. Amid the flickering candlelight, shadows and light interwove across the hall, throwing every expression into sharp relief.

Quite a few of the direct disciples had entanglements with Yulan. The elders, as worldly-wise seniors, were troubled by Yulan's affair but each had their own judgment. Their steadiness, forged through all the vicissitudes of life, allowed them to swiftly digest their shock and calmly weigh the gains and losses.

But the direct disciples were still disciples, far too young. Gathered in the hall now, their thoughts churned within them, yet each forcibly held them down.

True Person Yu Qing saw it all and sighed inwardly. These children bore not only their own grudges and bonds upon their shoulders, but also a stubborn refusal to reveal their weaknesses before their elders. If they were allowed to bottle up their feelings, they might well burrow into a dead end and throw their Dao Hearts into disorder.

By all accounts, Zhou Wan, Lin Huaixu, and Su Miaoxi shared a blood-deep hatred with Yulan.

Lin Huaixu curled his fingers, tapping the wheelchair armrest now and then. Much of his usual careless air had faded, and his profile appeared especially tranquil beneath the candlelight.

Zhou Wan lowered her eyes, her expression so calm it was nearly indifferent. The hand she had clenched while Lin Huaixu spoke had long since relaxed. Now, her fingertips rested on the wheelchair armrest, steady without the slightest tremor.

Her master's enmity had weighed upon her heart for years. Now that the truth had been uncovered and Yulan would face punishment, there was no wild joy in her eyes, only the calm of dust settling—as though the