After Shangguan Xi left, the Third Elder got up and returned to the ancestral hall. The people enshrined here were all lonely people who had been kind to the Third Elder. After their deaths, their souls could not be buried. The Third Elder could not bear to see his benefactors suffer like this, so he funded the construction of an ancestral hall in this place, also to warn future generations not to be ungrateful and to uphold justice and the great way in their hearts.
Shangguan Xi arrived at the ancestral hall not long after. There, she saw the Third Elder standing upright in the middle of the hall, his hands clasped together as he looked at the memorial tablets. Shangguan Xi's movements did not make him turn around to look at her. He simply said indifferently, "You've come. Light some incense."
Shangguan Xi obediently moved and took out three incense sticks from the basket beside her. Using the candle beside her, she lit the incense, which produced some sparks. She gently blew on them, and the smoke rose from the lit spot. She inserted the incense into the incense burner, bowed towards the ancestral tablet, and then took two steps back to stand next to the Third Elder.
"Kneel down." The Third Elder's words were unquestionable. Although she didn't understand why she had to do this, she obediently knelt on the ground. After kneeling down, she looked back at the Third Elder twice, hoping to get some information from her eyes, such as why she was kneeling there. The Third Elder didn't speak, but once again devoutly bowed to the memorial tablet in front of her. After completing all these actions, she said, "Do you know what you've done?"
"This disciple is foolish and asks for guidance from Master." Shangguan Xi said frankly, while thinking about what she had done these past few days that could have angered the Third Elder to such an extent. She went through everything in her mind, but still couldn't remember what she had done that was so outrageous that it could have made the Third Elder so angry.
The Third Elder turned to face her, his eyes serious but not angry, as if the matter was not worth her anger at all. "You have inner demons."
The Third Elder was shocked that her disciple had returned from a trip to the West with inner demons and even a faint black aura emanating from him. She was astonished that her disciple needed her help.
Shangguan Xi was taken aback, not expecting it was because of this. She forced an ugly smile, trying to hide her true feelings. "I didn't, Master, you must be mistaken. Your disciple is perfectly fine, and there is nothing to do with the inner demons you mentioned."
The Third Elder stared at her with eyes that seemed to see right through her. She lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze. After a long while, the Third Elder finally spoke: "Qi'er, we have been master and disciple for many years. I know your character and what you are capable of doing very well. Moreover, my ability to divine is quite good. Do you think I wouldn't know the truth behind what you've said to me?"
When the Third Elder discovered the dark aura surrounding her, he performed a divination for her and learned that she would soon face a bloody disaster, and he wanted to save her.
Shangguan Xi smiled. She knew that her master had the ability to divine. She had used this ability to deceive Xu Yuehuai, saying that she was her junior sister. Now everything had changed.
Seeing Shangguan Qi remain silent, the Third Elder realized that the child was determined not to speak. She turned her head and said with a grim expression, "Since you don't want to talk, I won't force you. But until you confess these things, don't even think about leaving the mountain! Stay in the ancestral hall and reflect on your mistakes!"
Shangguan Xi looked at the Third Elder with shock in her eyes, "No, Master, I have to go back to the team. They still need me."
"Do you think your master doesn't know your relationships within the team? I don't need to tell you what's been going on between you guys lately. Just stay here obediently. I don't like to force people, so you can leave whenever you tell me."
After saying this, the Third Elder left without looking back, leaving Shangguan Xi alone behind, shouting hoarsely, trying to regain a little bit of her rationality, but she underestimated the Third Elder's determination.
Shangguan Xi was alone in the room, looking around at the room filled with candlelight. She resignedly sat on the ground, hugging her legs with both hands. After calming down, she looked at the memorial tablets above, where some words were clearly written, all about justice. But how many good deeds these people had done in their lives, almost no one knew, including Shangguan Xi. She scoffed and couldn't help but feel hypocritical.
This was an emotion she had never experienced before. She didn't know when it started, but her emotions gradually slipped out of her control, completely transforming her into a different person. She wanted to escape from this environment, but even with her best efforts, she couldn't change the predetermined course of events.
The Third Elder watched the changes in the ancestral hall from outside the door. Her heart skipped a beat, and her hands, hanging tightly at her sides, clenched tightly. A sense of worry spread through her heart. What kind of things had Guan Xi gone through these past few days to become like this? All of this was unknown. She sighed, turned around and left to confide her worries to the First Elder.
Upon hearing about Shangguan Xi's situation, the First Elder was immediately surprised. "Logically speaking, with Xu Yatou in the group, Shangguan Xi shouldn't have turned out like this. Xu Yatou is the most meticulous. Why don't we find her and ask her what happened?"
The First Elder's idea was quite good. The Third Elder, anxious to save her disciple, had no choice but to go find Xu Yuehuai. Upon learning that Xu Yuehuai was temporarily out and hadn't returned, she instructed her men to notify her as soon as Xu Yuehuai returned. Since she needed his help, she naturally couldn't let Xu Yuehuai come to her.
Xu Yuehuai accompanied Yan Zhi for a while, and as it was getting dark, Yan Zhi looked at Xu Yuehuai with reluctance and said, "You're leaving, and I'm leaving too. Next time we meet, let's play together again, Yuehuai. I'm so reluctant to leave you."
Yan Zhi held Xu Yuehuai tightly, reluctant to part, leaving Xu Yuehuai at a loss. She didn't know whether to hug him or not, so she could only gently pat Yan Zhi's back twice.
Yan Zhi left. She had been gone for quite some time, and the elders were waiting for her to return. She couldn't be delayed any longer. After seeing her off, Xu Yuehuai returned to the sect alone. She went to the courtyard first and found that there were hardly any people there. She was puzzled for a moment. She knocked on Shangguan Xi's door again, but there was still no answer. However, the door of Fu Ziyi's room next to it opened. "She's not here. Why are you here now?"
When Fu Ziyi mentioned Shangguan Xi, his face showed some impatience. Xu Yuehuai shook his head upon hearing this, "No, you should get some rest, I'm going to sleep too."
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