Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 721 - 450 Failure-2

Chapter 721: Chapter 450 Failure-2

After all, the entire assassination attempt can be said to have been a complete failure.

It provoked the Prime Minister’s Mansion, suffered loss of manpower, and even, in some sense, hastened the process of the calamity’s evolution.

And as the only survivor among the five assassins, Zhou Bowen, an Elder of Jiatiange, was undoubtedly the only one accountable.

After a moment of silence,

Zhou Bowen suddenly felt a void in his hand, the Lingtian Instrument was taken from his grasp through empty air, and immediately after, the emotionless voice of Tian Yuan was heard again:

"I have anticipated this matter."

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Bowen’s lowered eyes instantly relaxed with a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the Pavilion Master was not going to pursue responsibility.

However, her response couldn’t help but raise a hint of doubt in his heart.

I have anticipated... What does that mean?

Furrowing his brow slightly, Zhou Bowen slowly lifted his gaze and looked at the Pavilion Master, who appeared untouched by a speck of worldly dust, and asked:

"Pavilion Master, did you... know that we would fail this mission?"

Tian Yuan calmly watched him, her voice clear and steady:

"The start of the calamity is inevitable; changing fate is very difficult."

Zhou Bowen’s brows tightened even further upon hearing this. After a moment of silence, he exhaled a turbid breath and said in a low voice:

"Since you were aware of the outcome, Pavilion Master, why still..."

"It was an inevitable attempt."

"Just for an attempt, sacrificing three who have achieved Mortal Transcendence..."

"Elder Zhou, are you questioning my decision?"

"....."

The emotionless gaze made Zhou Bowen’s heart tremble violently. He quickly looked down and said in a low voice:

"Your subordinate wouldn’t dare."

Tian Yuan held the Lingtian Instrument in her hand, slowly turned around, and once again gazed towards the north:

"You may leave."

Zhou Bowen hesitated upon hearing this:

"Pavilion Master... I have yet to report the specifics of this mission and the calamity that Xu Changtian evolved."

Tian Yuan, looking towards the distant sky, replied softly:

"I will summon you again later. The Saintess is about to arrive."

"...."

Zhou Bowen instantly understood upon hearing her words.

The Saintess, sent to the Imperial Capital on a mission, was now returning in defiance of orders, clearly due to the matter of assassinating Xu Changtian.

If he, one of the "assassins," were to be encountered by her, it would likely lead to significant trouble.

With this thought in mind, Zhou Bowen bowed once more, and his corpulent figure vanished in an instant.

For a moment,

The vast expanse of the top of the Haoran Tower was once again left with only the solitary and detached silhouette of Tian Yuan standing quietly.

As time passed by the second, half a quarter of an hour later, a golden streak of escaping light caught the eyes of Tian Yuan.

The light streaked across the sky and in the blink of an eye, it arrived above the tower’s summit.

Hovering in the void at the top of the tower, the young girl looked down at her Master, her small but sharp canine teeth biting her lip.

After several breaths of eye contact,

Tian Yuan’s soft, clear voice gently sounded:

"You may come down."

Tianyan heard the words but did not move, remaining standing in the void, her golden eyes complex and intense as she bit her lip and asked:

"Tian Yuan, why?"

"....."

Hearing this address, Tian Yuan’s divine golden eyes still showed no sign of emotional fluctuation.

Both the Saintess and the Pavilion Master act on behalf of the heavens and have no hierarchy between them, thus they can address the Master according to secular ethics or call her by name according to Jiatiange law.

After a brief silence, Tian Yuan asked in a clear voice:

"Why? What do you think the reason is?"

Tianyan’s slender figure shuddered slightly:

"Because of the calamity?"

Tian Yuan, seeing the struggle on the girl’s face, softened her tone a bit and gave an answer that differed slightly from the reason she had given Zhou Bowen:

"The calamity is only a very small part of the reason. The beginning of a great calamity does not necessarily mean it is the calamity itself."

Upon hearing this, Tianyan’s fists tightened slightly underneath her robe:

"Since you also acknowledge this matter, why did you insist on the assassination..."

"Do you think I was wrong?"

The voice of Tian Yuan suddenly interrupted the questioning of Tianyan, her divine golden pupils piercing into Tianyan’s heart like a sword, "If it’s wrong, then tell me, where exactly did my decision go wrong? I will consider a reasonable proposal from the Saintess."

"...." Tianyan’s breathing became slightly rapid, her lustrous golden eyes fixating on her mentor below.

"Although one can’t be sure that the cataclysm originates from the calamity itself, if there is a chance, it’s worth the attempt."

Tian Yuan looked at the young girl with the heaving chest and spoke with an indifferent voice as cold as snow, "Tianyan, our Jiatiange is not a place for sentimentality, and now your emotions are already affecting your judgment. Come find your teacher again after you have calmed down."

With that,

Tian Yuan slowly turned around, dragging her cascading, elaborate white robe, walking slowly towards the interior of the tower.

Watching her mentor’s retreating figure, Tianyan, standing void-like, fiercely bit her silver teeth and slowly closed her eyes.

The next moment, a mysterious fluctuation swiftly spread out from around her.

As the wave spread, the trembling of Tianyan’s delicate body and her tightly clenched fists gradually relaxed.

Opening her eyes once again, the divine indifference of Tian Yuan could now be seen within Tianyan’s lustrous golden pupils.

The air currents swirled, and as she descended slowly to the top of the tower, Tianyan, looking at the figure ahead, spoke in an indifferent tone,

"Teacher, you mentioned earlier that the calamity is only part of the reason. Is the other part because of me?

"Do you think that just by killing Xu Yuan, my feelings for him will gradually fade over time?"

Hearing this indifferent voice, Tian Yuan’s footsteps immediately paused, slightly turning her body to look at the golden-eyed girl behind her, not denying:

"There is this consideration. I have reminded you that the matter of love requires you to resolve it yourself. Your identity and his are doomed never to culminate in anything.

"Currently, the foundation of our Jiatiange is rooted within the Sects. If we wish to survive and expand, then we will have irreconcilable conflicts with the Prime Minister’s Mansion backing Xu Changtian."

Tianyan took a step forward and spoke with a clear voice,

"With the great catastrophe approaching, there could be a chance for cooperation between Jiatiange and the Prime Minister’s Mansion."

"And how likely do you think that is?"

Tian Yuan’s dress fluttered as she raised her hand to gather a few strands of hair behind her ear, staring at the girl in front of her,

"Moreover, if that Xu Changtian truly is the calamity itself, what then would you do?

"Will you betray the Sects,

"Or kill him with your own hands?"

"....."

Atop the Haoran Tower, the cold wind howled past, the two women standing in silence.

And in this silence,

Tremors of doubt began to emerge at the depths of Tianyan’s tranquil pupils.

As this tremor appeared, the mysterious aura that surrounded Tianyan dissipated, and the divine indifference in her eyes quickly returned to her usual state.

The state of divine detachment had been broken!

Observing this scene, Tian Yuan immediately felt a spike of trouble in her heart.

She realized she had slightly miscalculated Tianyan’s feelings towards Xu Changtian.

This defiant disciple’s emotions for Xu Changtian had now grown to the point where even the Yantian Art’s state of divine detachment could no longer suppress them...

Rationality told Tian Yuan that she should immediately deal with the variable that was Tianyan.

If the Jiatiange Saintess were to turn traitor, it would be akin to the Dayan Emperor being betrayed by his own creation.

The loss to Jiatiange would be immeasurable.

Unfortunately, the current situation did not permit her to do so.

This generation’s Jiatiange had only Tianyan as a Saintess to succeed the Pavilion Master’s position; moreover, the forthcoming calamity also needed a "Tianyan" to confront it.

After a few moments of silence,

Tian Yuan let out a gentle breath, softening her tone slightly and changing the topic,

"Tianyan, you surely didn’t return just to ask about your teacher’s reasons, did you?"

The breaking of the state of divine detachment caused some backlash for Tianyan, who wiped a trace of fresh blood from the corner of her mouth. Looking at her teacher before her, she asked with a slight hesitation in a soft voice,

"Is Xu Yuan... still alive?"

Tian Yuan, upon hearing this question, glanced towards the distant north and said,

"The operation failed, and only one survived."

Upon hearing this, a sense of relief immediately flashed through Tianyan’s eyes, but it was soon followed by complexity.

The fact that Xu Yuan had survived allowed her burdened heart to relax for the moment.

However, regarding her allegiance to Jiatiange, this news also left her feeling lost.

The assassination mission had cost Jiatiange three individuals who had undergone Mortal Transcendence...

Tian Yuan, observing the emotions in Tianyan’s eyes, this time felt a bit more reassured.

At least, at least the Saintess was still a far cry from betraying the Sects.

Thinking this, Tian Yuan softly spoke,

"As for this matter, your teacher had already anticipated it."

Tianyan, somewhat surprised, asked,

"If you knew we would fail, Master, why then..."

Tian Yuan’s voice was soft, carrying a hint of severity,

"This was necessary. Due to the lax control system over the millennia, we now urgently need an external enemy to unite the various Sects below us."