After Changing to the Ruthless Way, the Brothers Cried and Begged for Forgiveness-Chapter 421: Strangers in a Foreign Land

“Hiss—” Quan Ye inhaled sharply, turning his head away as he growled, “Do you have to be so rough?!”
Su Ming, clearly annoyed, tossed the medicine bottle onto the table and pulled up a chair. “If my hands are too heavy, why don’t you do it yourself?”
“You…” Quan Ye glared at him, but the motion pulled at his wounds, making him grimace in pain.
Fang Cheng Lang picked up the medicine bottle and started applying it gently to Quan Ye’s injuries. “Stop squabbling,” he said in a low voice. “Do you think things aren’t chaotic enough already?”
Both Su Ming and Quan Ye fell silent.
After a while, Su Ming deliberately changed the topic. “Where’s Old Fourth? Why isn’t he here yet?”
Fang Cheng Lang hesitated, his expression uneasy.
Seeing this, Su Ming slammed his fist on the table. “Don’t tell me he’s caught up with that overbearing woman again!”
Fang Cheng Lang sighed softly.
The room lapsed into silence.
It had been three months since they arrived in the North Abyss Realm. That day, they’d been knocked unconscious by poisonous smoke in the Dao Field, and upon awakening, they found themselves in the North Abyss Realm, drafted as outer disciples of the North Abyss Palace.
The title of “outer disciple” was hardly accurate—they didn’t even have proper status here.
On the day they woke, still disoriented and unaware of their surroundings, they were immediately assigned a mountain of chores.
Quan Ye, impulsive as ever, refused to follow orders and even attempted to attack the outer disciples. As a result, he was pinned to the ground and beaten so severely he almost lost his life.
It was only through the desperate pleas of Fang Cheng Lang and the others, combined with the hesitation of the outer disciples, that Quan Ye narrowly survived.
Afterward, the four begrudgingly behaved as obedient outer disciples for a while, gradually piecing together the situation.
They learned that they had been brought to the North Abyss Realm, one of the myriad worlds, by none other than Dao Lord Tai Wei. Their first thought was to find Yu Zhao and ask if this was her doing.
However, when they finally managed to befriend an inner disciple to inquire about Yu Zhao, they were told that no such person existed in the North Abyss Palace. Worse, the inner disciple, thinking they were mocking him, gave them a harsh beating.
Even as they nursed their injuries, their minds were consumed with dread. If Yu Zhao wasn’t here, why had Dao Lord Tai Wei brought them to the North Abyss Realm? And where had Yu Zhao gone?
Strangers in an unfamiliar land, unable to even catch a glimpse of Dao Lord Tai Wei, let alone gather any information, they could only continue their lives as outer disciples and bide their time.
Fang Cheng Lang’s steady and meticulous nature quickly earned him a good reputation among the outer disciples.
Su Ming, ever lucky, managed to catch the eye of a palace elder within a month, becoming his nominal disciple. This small breakthrough allowed him access to the outskirts of the North Abyss Palace.
In stark contrast, Quan Ye’s luck had been abysmal. After barely recovering from his initial beating, his unnaturally fast recovery drew the attention of several battle-hardened outer disciples. They turned him into their sparring partner, dragging him off to be pummeled every few days. His body was rarely without fresh bruises or cuts.
Cui Jue faced an even more troublesome situation. Handsome and with a faint medicinal scent from years of alchemy, his aloof aura resembled untouched snow, attracting attention he didn’t want. This unique charm drew the relentless pursuit of Tuo Ba Jing, an inner disciple of the palace, who ignored his lower status and cultivation level.
Cui Jue, uninterested in romance, repeatedly rejected her advances. But to Tuo Ba Jing, his refusals only added an intriguing challenge to her pursuit. Bold and beautiful, she was a figure of admiration within the palace, with countless admirers who dared not provoke her. Instead, they vented their frustrations on Cui Jue, leaving him harassed on all sides.
Today, the four had arranged to meet, but Cui Jue was still absent. Clearly, he’d been delayed by more trouble.
“Su Ming, you’re a disciple of Elder Sui Yuan, aren’t you? Couldn’t you ask him to intervene and get that woman to back off?” Quan Ye, now feeling better after his treatment, couldn’t resist speaking up again.
Su Ming rolled his eyes. “A nominal disciple—barely worth mentioning. Besides, Tuo Ba Jing isn’t just anyone. She’s a Void Refinement cultivator under a hundred years old—a genius among geniuses! Do you think Elder Sui Yuan would risk offending her over a mere nominal disciple? Ha!”
The bitter and self-deprecating laugh at the end left the room heavy with silence.
Back in their home realm, they had been hailed as prodigies, the rising stars of the cultivation world. Su Ming had believed it, too.
Then Yu Zhao emerged, overwhelming them with her unparalleled talent.
Su Ming had consoled himself, thinking freakish talents like hers only appeared once in centuries. He was still a genius—just not on her level.
But after arriving in the North Abyss Realm, Su Ming realized his so-called talent wasn’t even enough to pass the palace’s initial selection. Were it not for Dao Lord Tai Wei, he wouldn’t even qualify as an outer disciple.
The realization of his mediocrity stung, and his thoughts inevitably turned to Yu Zhao. Her brilliance had drawn even Dao Lord Tai Wei’s praise. She was the true genius, burdened by them, the deadweight.
The others shared the same gloom. The fall from grace was a bitter pill to swallow. Their time in the North Abyss Palace had been nothing but hardship and humiliation, filled with longing for the familiar comforts of their previous lives.
Quan Ye, in particular, couldn’t stop thinking about Yu Zhao. Every time he was beaten to the ground, her once-pained yet resilient expression would flash in his mind. He finally understood her silent endurance.
It hurt. It really hurt.
Creak—
The door opened suddenly. Fang Cheng Lang, Su Ming, and Quan Ye tensed before relaxing as Cui Jue entered, expressionless.
“Ah Jue, are you… alright?” Fang Cheng Lang asked with concern.
Cui Jue gave a faint nod, saying nothing.
Fang Cheng Lang’s heart grew heavier. Cui Jue always kept his troubles bottled up, refusing to share even when wronged. In the past, Yu Zhao had been there to ease his burden. Now, he had no one to confide in.
As Fang Cheng Lang prepared to offer some words of comfort, Cui Jue interrupted, his voice calm but grave. “I learned something from Tuo Ba Jing today. Xiao Zhao isn’t in the North Abyss Realm.”
The other three were stunned.
Fang Cheng Lang was the first to recover. “How does Tuo Ba Jing know? Did she meet Dao Lord Tai Wei?”
Tuo Ba Jing’s master was the eldest elder of the North Abyss Palace, second only to Dao Lord Tai Wei in status. Meeting the Dao Lord wouldn’t be difficult for her.
“No, she heard it from her master. Dao Lord Tai Wei once lamented missing out on an exceptional disciple recently. Given the timing, it must be Xiao Zhao.”
Few could catch Dao Lord Tai Wei’s attention, let alone evoke such regret. Cui Jue was certain the disciple in question could only be Yu Zhao.
“Then where could Xiao Liu have gone? Could she have returned to the cultivation world?”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation