Ran Yunting was stunned.
Ever since she had brought Su Yan back to Ice Extinction Island nearly thirty years ago, she had never once seen Su Yan smile. Today was the first.
That sudden bloom of a smile stood in the starkest contrast to her usual cold aloofness, and combined with Su Yan's nearly flawless beauty, it actually made Ran Yunting's mind go blank for a moment.
An involuntary thought surfaced in her heart — one of grudging inadequacy.
She quickly shook off the distraction, her face darkening as she demanded, "You actually have a man? When did this happen?"
"Long before I met Master."
"Have you been intimate with him?" Ran Yunting pressed.
A intoxicating blush crept across Su Yan's cheeks, and she gave a faint nod.
Ran Yunting's body trembled, as though her strength had drained away. She stumbled back two steps, undisguised disappointment flashing in her eyes. Heart-wrung, she said, "How could you not have told me this sooner?"
"You never asked, Master." Su Yan lightly bit her red lip.
Ran Yunting said, "I didn't ask because your aura was pure, and I assumed you were a maiden! But if you've been intimate with a man, how is it that your aura shows no trace of impurity?"
Once a woman had been intimate with a man, some of his yang energy would inevitably linger within her body, enough to disrupt that kind of pristine purity. Su Yan's aura, however, was spotlessly clean, untouched by even a speck. Ran Yunting would never have guessed that she had long since ceased to be a maiden.
Could it be because of her special physique? That was actually quite possible. Su Yan's physique was clearly not something she was born with but had developed afterward. Perhaps when it had formed, it had purged her aura clean.
"So lacking in self-respect!" Ran Yunting hissed through clenched teeth.
"Your disciple has disappointed Master." Su Yan lowered her lashes.
"Had I known this earlier, I would never have let you cultivate the Ice Jade Art!" Ran Yunting was distraught. Her enormous expectations had crumbled into disappointment, and her eyes reddened as she said, "Do you even realize that once you cultivate the Ice Jade Art, any stirring of emotion will trigger a backlash from the technique? The current situation is still mild. If this continues, all the Holy Yuan in your body will dissipate, and you'll be reduced to a complete cripple!"
"Your disciple didn't know!" Su Yan shook her head, yet showed no fear.
She had come to Ice Extinction Island and entered Ran Yunting's tutelage. Whatever Ran Yunting told her to cultivate, she cultivated — she had no reason to question it. Only when the technique had recently gone wrong had she begun to suspect something.
Ran Yunting's expression shifted as she grasped the severity of the problem. Though she was bitterly disappointed that Su Yan had concealed her romantic history, after all, she still held tremendous expectations for this disciple. She urged urgently, "Su Yan, it's not too late yet. You must cut this off cleanly and sever all ties of emotion. Otherwise, your cultivation will only continue to drop until you become an ordinary mortal. When that happens, no one will be able to save you."
"Sever my emotional ties?" Su Yan looked up at Ran Yunting, an extraordinary light flickering in her beautiful eyes, and shook her head slowly but firmly. "Master, please forgive me. I won't do that."
"You—" Ran Yunting was furious beyond words, her finger pointing at Su Yan, unable to form a single sentence.
Su Yan smiled again. "If it means I can be reunited with him again, then even if I am reduced to an ordinary person, I am willing."
Ran Yunting stared blankly at Su Yan. "Is that truly what's in your heart? You won't regret it?"
Su Yan nodded.
"Have you considered that you're simply chasing a fleeting pleasure? If you truly become an ordinary mortal, your lifespan will barely stretch past a hundred years. Eventually you'll grow old and faded — what man would still find you desirable then? The man you've set your heart on may very well leave you!"
Su Yan's delicate frame shuddered. A sliver of fear surfaced in her beautiful eyes.
Ran Yunting saw the expression and thought she had found an opening. She was about to press her advantage with gentle persuasion, but the fear in Su Yan's eyes already faded. Su Yan reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, "If I can be with him again, even for a little while, I am willing. Before I grow old and faded, I will leave. I will never let him see me as I become."
"You're infuriating me to death!" Ran Yunting's chest heaved violently.
Never had she discovered that this disciple of hers could be so stubborn, so utterly unreasonable.
"Master, I wish to go outside." Su Yan's voice was steady.
"Going outside to find that man?" Ran Yunting gazed at her coldly. She had originally thought Su Yan wanted to go out and train in order to break through her current bottleneck, but now she understood her disciple's true intention perfectly well.
She clearly intended to search for the person in that painting.
"Yes. I humbly ask Master to grant your permission." Su Yan made no attempt to deny it.
"Utter fantasy!" Ran Yunting snorted icily. "For the time being, you will stay obediently on the inner island. Don't even think about setting one foot outside it. I will find a way to resolve the difficulty you're facing. I hope you won't disappoint me again."
"Master!" Su Yan was alarmed.
Ran Yunting gave a cold snort and commanded sharply, "Guards!"
Two women immediately walked in through the door, both at the first stage of the Void Return Realm. They clasped their fists in unison. "What are the Grand Elder's instructions?"
"Take Su Yan away and keep a close watch on her. If she dares to leave her residence by even half a step, I'll hold you both responsible!"
The two women exchanged a bewildered glance, utterly confused. They had no idea what Su Yan had done to make the Grand Elder so furious.