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Chapter 220, Page 219: Celia: Choosing to Sell Herself for Her Disciple

Woo—

The north wind swept across the withered meadows and blew against the majestic palace perched atop the cliff.

Gu Yuan, Milield, and Lena, whose hands were wrapped in bandages, stopped in front of the magnificent building.

Lena stopped in her tracks, her face a mixture of shame and humiliation. She whispered, "We're here. Master—he's inside."

She turned her head, her gaze fixed on Gu Yuan, her voice trembling, "You mean what you say? If I take you to our master, will you guarantee the safety of my companions?"

Gu Yuan glanced at her: "Of course I mean it, but the physical damage you caused to me by provoking me is the price you have to pay, I won't interfere."

Lena pursed her lips, lowered her head, looked at her right hand wrapped in bandages, and a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes: "—I know."

She answered in a dry voice.

If they hadn't been so stubborn and tried to fight a losing battle, things would have come to this.

Just as her thoughts were churning, an invisible wave of magic probed over them, gently sweeping across the three of them.

Lena looked up abruptly: "Master—she knows we're here."

Gu Yuan simply made a soft "hmm" sound from his nose as a response.

He took Milield's hand and walked steadily into the palace as if he were walking into his own backyard.

Milie Alde felt a little relieved by the warmth from his palm and silently followed.

Deep within the palace, in dim light, Celia sat cross-legged on a stone chair, slowly opening her tightly closed eyes.

Through her magical perception, she "saw" the three figures gradually approaching, and her expression became extremely complicated.

The moment she sensed Lena's presence, she knew that her proud and arrogant disciples had been defeated, and defeated terribly.

But on second thought, this result is so natural.

They must have been arbitrarily convinced that the Demon King was defeated by Gu Yuan with her help, thus seriously underestimating the man's strength.

Tap tap.

The steady footsteps echoed in the empty hall, growing ever closer.

As Gu Yuan emerged from the darkness, Celia heard him ask, "Aren't you going to run away?"

Celia forced herself to raise her head, meeting his deep gaze, her face striving to maintain its usual haughtiness and naturalness: "What a joke, why would I run away?"

-

Gu Yuan nodded slightly, as if he had already anticipated her answer, and then asked, "So, you must be prepared to make compensation."

"?"

compensation?

What kind of compensation?

She anticipated that Gu Yuan would come to her rescue, or even take action, but she never expected—

Gu Yuan then briefly recounted what had happened.

Only then did Celia realize that after she was "sent" out of the capital by her disciples, they had caused absurd things like kidnapping, threats, and usurping her home in Gu Yuan's house.

Celia's gaze fell on Lena, who immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet her master's eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Celia took a deep breath of the chilly air, forcibly suppressing her surging emotions and trying to maintain her last shred of dignity, and asked, "What compensation do you want? Magic, or—"

Gu Yuan's answer shattered her illusions: "I don't want any of that. I came here to ask you to go back."

"After all, it was your indulgence that led to all of this."

Seria's heart skipped a beat, as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

She never expected that Gu Yuan would use the trouble caused by his disciples to turn his anger towards her again.

No, perhaps she subconsciously thought of it, but she didn't expect her disciples to go to such lengths for her, giving Gu Yuan such a perfect excuse.

Should I run away? A thought flashed through her mind.

We finally escaped that damned stone ring, but when we go back, the consequences will be dire—

Before she could even process her thoughts, Gu Yuan had already taken a step forward.

This step seemed to strike a nerve with Celia.

"I," Celia suddenly stood up from the stone chair, her magic power surging out instinctively, exuding a dangerous aura.

However, this momentum lasted only a moment before quickly dissipating.

She saw Lena standing behind Gu Yuan, trembling with fear.

At the same time, she also recalled Gu Yuan's speed, which was beyond comprehension.

She could stand by and watch her disciples die in their pursuit of power; that was their destiny.

But she couldn't stand by and watch her disciples be killed by this man because of her; that would be the greatest tragedy for her as their master.

can.

All the struggle and hope vanished in that moment. Celia seemed to have all her strength drained away, and she slumped back onto the stone chair.

She stretched out her hands listlessly, put her feet together, and said in an almost self-destructive tone, "—Come on, I won't resist."

She even turned her head and added, her voice barely audible, "—Be gentle."

However, as Gu Yuan approached, preparing to reapply the restraints, she still managed to maintain her last shred of dignity and made a request: "—Wait, I hope—you can leave a letter for the other disciples who are far away."

She looked up at Gu Yuan, trying to grasp at the last straw, "You don't want to see something like this happen again, do you?"

Gu Yuan looked at her and pondered for a moment.

This request is reasonable and will save a lot of trouble in the future.

"Okay," he finally agreed, "but it must be written under my watchful eye."

Three days passed in silence and repression.

For Celie, the journey back to the capital was a long and agonizing ordeal.

However, when Gu Yuan brought her, whose hands were bound by shackles, to a magnificent manor, Celia was still surprised.

She gazed at the unfamiliar, magnificent building before her, gave a soft hum, and tried to recapture a familiar rhythm of conversation: "You moved?"

"Yes," Gu Yuan replied, "All of this is thanks to your excellent disciples."

"Their arrival destroyed my original home. Instead of spending time and energy repairing it, I might as well move to a new, quieter place."

Selena was speechless for a moment, and could only sigh inwardly at Gu Yuan's generosity and—his vengefulness—as he led her through the gates of the manor.

However, the sight before her as soon as she entered the door froze her in place.

She saw her disciples.

However, they were no longer the arrogant and domineering women they once were. Dressed uniformly as servants with metal rings around their ankles, they were quietly sweeping the garden.

Celia could hardly believe her eyes.

Gu Yuan's voice rang out at the right moment, answering the question she hadn't asked: "These people have caused me a lot of financial losses, and even more so, they have caused Milialde emotional harm."

"So in order to repay the debt, they need to work here."

"As for the timeframe, it depends on my mood; it might even last until the day I die."

He glanced at Celia and said, "Don't worry about it, they deserved it."

After saying that, he ignored the frozen Celia and led her straight through the courtyard toward the main house.

Celia followed as if in a dream, her gaze fixed on the humble, toiling figures.

She noticed that several disciples had gruesome scars on their faces, or wore eye patches, clearly indicating they were blind in one eye.

As Gu Yuan entered the spacious and luxurious hall, he clapped his hands.

Soon, a figure dressed as a maid walked out of the side hall, trembling.

Celia recognized her as Phyllis, her most hot-tempered disciple.

At this moment, Phyllis's face had lost its former arrogance and sharpness, leaving only deep-seated fear and submissiveness, clearly her pride had been completely shattered.

When Phyllis saw Celiae, she was clearly taken aback, and guilt, sadness, and despair flashed in her eyes for a moment.

"Master—in the end—was he still unable to escape?"

A wave of sorrow washed over her, but her survival instinct made her immediately lower her head and say in an extremely humble, almost inaudible voice, "Lord Gu Yuan—what are your orders?"

Ignoring her fear, Gu Yuan directly addressed the still dazed Celia, saying, "From today onwards, you will manage her."

"They."

He pointed to Phyllis, "She will assist you and tell you what to do."

Celia's pupils contracted sharply, as if struck a heavy blow to the chest: He brought me back so that I could manage this group of disciples who had been reduced to servants?

This was even more unbearable for her than simple imprisonment; it was practically a form of mental torture.

Gu Yuan seemed to see through her turbulent emotions, but he knew in his heart that his previous "tolerance" towards Celia was based on the premise that there was still value in their cooperation.

But now, her actions and those of her disciples have crossed the line, bringing real losses and threats.

Then, the preferential treatment of the past will no longer exist, leaving only liquidation and exploitation.

He didn't give Celia time to process the information and ordered Philus, who was still in a daze, "Stop standing there and take her to change into some suitable clothes."

"We have more guests arriving soon, and if things don't go smoothly—"

The threat in the words was self-evident.

Phyllis trembled, then nodded hastily, her voice trembling with tears, "Yes! Yes! I understand!"

The shackles binding her prevented her from having the slightest thought of disobedience. Now that even her last hope—her master—had been captured, she had completely resigned herself to her fate.

Summoning her last bit of courage, she stepped forward and, almost half-supporting and half-forcing, grabbed Celia's shackled wrists, whispering, "Master—please come with me."

With that, he forcefully pulled Celia, who was still struggling in shock and humiliation, away from the oppressive atmosphere of the hall.

Shortly after Celia was taken away, a carriage rolled over the gravel and slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the manor.

With a creak, Frilian and her mother, Vermeer, got off the train.

The two gazed at the magnificent manor before them, filled with awe.

Wilmès: "Is this our future home?"

Frillie: "So beautiful!"

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