Unhidden Identity

"There are concerns raised regarding the length of your stay here in our sect." So says the sect master as she sits upon her desk.

Meixue's stern gaze tried to pierce through the woman's ivory mask, deigning it better to speak to the masked master alone. Kicking out a master like Xiaoyu was a task arduos and stressful, comparable to stepping on the tail of the dragon without provoking its ire. It was much better for Meixue to step on it alone, for if the other elders were here, their hardheadedness might lead to an altercation with the masked master. Meixue MUST preserve their sect at all cost.

"Oh? Pray tell, sect master, illuminate to me what those concerns are." Xiao tilted head. Hands behind her back, the masked woman feigned an aura of composed unhingness, freezing Mexiue from head to toe from a single slight.

Beads of sweat formed upon the sect master's brow. How quickly the masked woman appeared to be on the edge with just a simple statement! No matter, she is the sect master, Meixue will kick out this Xiaoyu with dignity and grace!

"That a masked master like you should be traveling someplace where opponents of your caliber are plenty! And the fact that you are staying in the mansion of an already controversial married couple sparks...unpleasant rumors."

"So, not only are you kicking me out but you are also judging my relationship with Lin and Liuming 'unpleasant'?" Xiao's timbre sharpened, a sword ready to impale the sect master from where she sat.

That may well be, Xiao grinned beneath her mask. She knew the disrespect, but Xiao's act was merely a prank for the sect master she once revered.

Meixue was close to kowtowing from the pressure emitted by Xiao. But she was a Sect Master, her honor must be brandished at all times, one she will not tarnish due to cowardice.

"I will be frank. The Sect has taken a hit in its public reputation due to the wedding stunt of those two but you muddying their already impure marriage is not helping."

For a second, Xiao's anger flared, making Meixue gasp in silence. Will Mexiue now lose her head? Still, she was assured, better her than the entire sect.

It was ignorance. Because of it, Xiao will let it slide. For the sake of all the sect master has done for her.

Reining her fury in, Xiao's tone was cool as ice, "There is nothing impure about the union of two women. I would argue that they are just as pure the love shared between a man and a woman. And more importantly, a woman knows how to tend to her fellow woman's needs."

Xiao's playful threatening transformed into the real deal for a moment, but now she had regained her calm, Xiao inteded to drop the charade soon enough.

"I apologize, it is not my intention to offend." Meixue breathed in deep, sighing right after. "You know, I had a disciple with the same qi element as you, not only that, she also shared your particular taste in partners. Alas, I heard she had perished from the hands of those demonic cultivators. She was the brightest disciple I ever had, if only I had your zeal to stand up for the love you championed, she would still be in these halls today."

A sentiment that tugged on Xiao's heartstrings, Xiao laid on the table what she had planned to use as a bargaining chip for her stay, now an offering for the lady that once guided Xiao as a mother would.

"What is that bottle for?" Mexiue questioned.

"Inside it is a pill that can regrow your arm, consider it as a token of gratitude for the guidance you showed me on my time here at the sect."

Left confused, Meixue's dumbfounded expression exacerbated the moment this 'Xiaoyu' removed her mask. Jaw almost falling to the floor, the sect master finally witnessed the real identity of the masked master.

"Is that truly you!?" Meixue's one hand slammed into the desk.

"It is indeed me."

The Disciple they kicked has now reached soaring heights with her cultivation. Did she return to plot the sect's demise?

No. That should not be her motive, her intentions of returning to the sect are now made clear as day. Lin.

Ah, but Lin is now married!

The sect master's brow curled, "Wait just a minute, are you the one behind the plot of Lin and Liuming's marriage?"

"Spot on, Sect Master."

"But why would you do that, I thought you liked Lin!? Don't tell me you are planning to start an affair!?"

"Perhaps, let's just say that the 3 of us are in harmonious agreement."

The 3 of them!? The sect master's head hurt from thinking about it, even now that Xiao is out of their sect, these trio are still giving her a headache!

Thus, the sect master sat, sighing. A 'fuck it', resignation to simply let Xiao be.

"Do you wish to return to the sect? I am sure the other elders would take you back in a heartbeat considering how strong you are now."

"That I cannot. I am on a mission to aid my master in a war against cultivators of immeasurable strength. Their might, enough to sunder the very earth and split the heavens. "

Ah, a more powerful hidden master than Xiao! That explain Xiao's explosive growth. That Demonic cultivator almost ended her life, was Xiao going to go against opponents stronger than him?

While Meixue's heart trembled with worry, her gaze fell to the bottle on the desk. Resolute, Mexiue grabbed the bottle and popped the pill inside straight into her mouth. Almost instantly, the flabby arm cloth of Meixue began to take on a form.

The arm that the demonic cultivator took from her has now been retuned due to Xiao's miracle pill!

"My arm, its regrown!" Wanting to leap from joy, Meixue composed herself, jumping about like a child would be unbefitting for her stature. Meixue coughed. "For this wonderful pill, how can this sect master ever repay you?"

"I've said it already, the pill is a gesture of goodwill but if I had to make a request, I only ask that you let us stay for the coming weeks. I only wish to enjoy the remaining time I have with my harem before we head out to Hell island."

Oh, she has a harem!? Somehow, this news does not faze Meixue any longer, if she was able to rope in Liuming and Lin, then attracting other women should be easy for Xiao.

"What if I told you that I shan't allow it? That an exile must remain as such?" Meixue smirked. Now that the identity of this masked master has been revealed to be her ex-disciple, it's only natural that the sect master would test her hold on Xiao, or if she still has any at all.

"I am not heartless enough to raze this place into the ground but I am aware that the woman I regarded as master would be wiser than this. It would be more beneficial to curry the favor of me and the hold I have on both of Jiangshian's heiresses, would it not?"

The two exchanged a knowing smile of mutual respect.

"As sect master of the Tranquil Waterfall, you have my blessing to remain as an honored guest of the sect for the duration of your stay."