Sect Master Chapter 2

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The police showed up quickly after Chu Yue’s call. The now lunatic man immediately grabbed the leg of the policeman and blurted out all of his wrongdoings even before the policeman had the chance to say a word.

“Please, please take me away to jail! I’m not human, I’m just trash! I need your help to repent and turn back into a human, please! I want to go to jail! I want to go to jail!”

“He really was a lunatic… When will lunatics get properly charged for their crimes?” The crowd murmured in shock.

The policeman’s expression didn’t look too good. The man before them had just confessed to a string of crimes, which went beyond just the petty theft he had committed today. He was actually a repeat offender who had used the excuse of relationship troubles to throw acid on a pretty girl, causing her to commit suicide after she couldn’t come to terms with her disfigurement.

Other than that, he had also used his height and strength to his advantage, robbing ladies out alone on the streets, and even threatened them to make sure they wouldn’t call the police.

Since he had carefully picked targets who seemed meek and cowardly, and only committed crimes under the cover of night, he hadn’t been caught until now.

“Thank you for your help, miss. If not for you, this man might have gone on to commit even more serious crimes.”

“You’re welcome, I was just doing my duty as a citizen of this country. We all have to step up to help our country progress further and build a better and brighter future for us all.” Chu Yue nodded with a righteous air.

The policeman’s eyes shone with admiration for Chu Yue. He caught sight of the admissions letter in her hands and replied, “So you’re a Yancheng University student? No wonder you have such a great community spirit. It looks like we have hope for the future with young people like you.”

Even the crowd murmured in agreement. Although Chu Yue could hear snippets of praise for her, talking about her sense of justice, her beauty, and her smarts, she maintained a slight smile throughout, giving off an aura of indifference.

The ruckus and gathered crowd had also drawn the attention of other people in the train station. Someone had even recorded the entire incident and uploaded it to TikTok. When another man in the crowd caught sight of Chu Yue, he appeared dumbfounded at first, before the astonishment gave way to excitement. He pushed through the crowd with great strides, before finally reaching the circle of people surrounding Chu Yue.

The stranger’s expressions stood out plainly from the rest of the crowd and attracted Chu Yue’s attention. She glanced at him once with curiosity, before dragging her luggage away and boarding the bus together with the round-faced girl.

Once Chu Yue had disappeared from sight, the agitated man took out his phone and made a call. Purposefully lowering his volume, he spoke to the person on the other end of the call, “Zhong Min, I found her! No, it’s definitely her, she looks exactly like you! Don’t worry, I found a clue: she’s going to Yancheng University.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Chen! Rest assured, once we confirm her identity, I’ll send you the rest of the money immediately.”

In the Chu residence, Chu Tong stood silently at the top of the stairs, as she watched the thrilled Zhong Min hang up the call.

Her gaze was cast low, her full eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings. Her wispy bangs gave her a touch of naïveté and innocence, while her luxurious white chiffon dress and silver crown-shaped hair clip made her seem like a perfect, untouchable doll sitting in a shop window.

Thinking of the conversation she had just overheard between Zhong Min and Detective Chen, bitterness flashed through her eyes. Although everyone in the family was trying to hide it from her, even though Zhong Min had said that they were looking for her long lost little sister, Chu Tong knew the real truth.

She wasn’t Zhong Min’s biological daughter. Zhong Min wasn’t trying to find her lost twin sister. She was just a fake; the Chu family had brought home the wrong baby.

In order to fool her, to deceive her, Zhong Min said that they had lost her younger twin sister at the hospital where they were born. She had even reassured her they would treat them both the same even after finding her sister. It was all a lie. Who could possibly love a fake over their real biological daughter? While it all sounded good on the surface, once that person came home, wouldn’t she have to give up what she had now?

Just like right now, when they hadn’t even confirmed the identity of that person, Zhong Min was already losing her calm. If that person really came back, would there still be a place in the Chu family for her?

In spite of the dark thoughts running in her mind, Chu Tong put on a perfectly innocent and worried expression, “Mum, did he find my sister? How is she doing now? Is she doing okay outside?”

It was only then that Zhong Min noticed Chu Tong standing at the top of the stairs. She frowned upon hearing Chu Tong’s questions, shaking her head sorrowfully, “It’s not confirmed yet, we have to wait for Detective Chen to investigate her thoroughly. However… he seems to be fairly sure it’s her. It’s been more than a decade… I don’t know how she has been living, or what she’s grown up into… But since she was able to get into Yancheng University, she must be doing pretty well for herself.”

“Don’t worry about it, mum. I’ll treat my little sister well, I’ll give in to her and make sure she doesn’t suffer. I’m really happy that she managed to get into Yancheng University! At least it looks like my little sister is really studious.”

“That’s true,” Zhong Min came to the same realisation, “Getting admitted into Yancheng University from a small rural town is an impressive feat. Her adoptive parents must treat her well too.”

Zhong Min turned to Chu Tong and gently patted her head with a serious expression, “Tongtong, rest assured, even if we find your younger sister, your dad and I will treat you the same. We’re not some poor family, we have more than enough money to raise another child. You and your sister are both my precious daughters, I won’t be biased towards either of you.”

Recalling the changes that she had seen in Chu Tong over this trying period of time, Zhong Min patted herself on the back for her quick turn of wit in telling everyone that she had given birth to twins, and that they had only lost the younger twin. In doing so, she had successfully hidden Chu Tong’s true identity.

Chu Tong was a kind and sensitive child who tended to worry. Even after being told that they were trying to bring her younger twin sister back to the family, she had already become even more timid and careful. If Chu Tong were to find out the truth, who knows how much self-blame and fear would reside in her daughter’s heart.

Zhong Min had raised Chu Tong ever since she was born, and had long since viewed her as her biological daughter. Her baby getting switched at birth was a cruel joke played on her by the heavens; Zhong Min wasn’t some close-minded parent who would pin the blame on the baby she had wrongly brought home instead. She had raised Chu Tong with much love and care for more than ten years, giving her the best education they could afford. Chu Tong hadn’t disappointed her either, and had always made them proud as parents. Chu Tong had earned her place as a daughter of their Chu family. She wouldn’t be so silly as to push such an outstanding daughter away.

Anyway, the incident had happened so many years ago, and in such a far off and rural place. She just had to be adamant that she had given birth to twins back then, and no one would think of trying to investigate the past.

“Yes, mum. Tongtong knows, Tongtong won’t disappoint you or daddy.”

Chu Tong obediently nodded, letting her eyelashes hide the emotions broiling within her eyes. 

Yancheng University? What a coincidence, I’m going into my second year there. It looks like I’ll have to pay special care to my juniors this year... I have to show mum what kind of person my dear little sister truly is, and everyone has to know who is actually fit to be the Chu family’s princess...

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Sect Master Chapter 1

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TL Note: Welcome to Sect Master, reader~ Just a quick warning before you continue reading!
This novel contains mature content - descriptions of gore, murder and horror. I will include warnings above chapters which contain such content, please read at your own discretion!

If you are able to get past the horror, the story is an interesting and wild ride with cute and funny side characters, a blatantly OP lead with a straight personality, and a nice dive into Chinese supernatural fantasy.

I chose to translate this story for fun, and I'll try to post at least 1 chapter a week~

Some points to note for the translation:

• Chinese names are surname first, then first name (eg: Chu is our protagonist's surname, Yue is her first name)
• Place names will be shown in pinyin instead of English (eg: same as modern Chinese city names, like how Beijing is not written as North Capital in English)
• I tend to localise terms where possible, but will include the original terms at the bottom of the chapter
• The author herself has stated that the supernatural elements are all made up, so please take the Taoism parts with a pinch of salt, they are not meant to be an accurate depiction of any religion

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In the early autumn heat of September, the Yancheng train station was bustling with people as usual. Chu Yue nimbly dodged the crowd and dragged her suitcase towards the exit.

This summer, besides receiving her admissions letter from Yancheng University, Chu Yue had also inherited the Taoist temple left to her in her grandfather’s will. While being the Sect Master of Xuandu Temple sounded rather impressive, the temple itself was, in reality, old and dilapidated, to the point where the paint on the guardian deity statue was mottled and peeling.

According to her grandfather, the Xuandu Sect had a few disciples in the past, but the poverty of the temple had pushed them all to leave the mountain in search of a better life.

On his deathbed, her grandfather had still been talking about the disciples who had left, wanting to know what had become of them. He had wished for Chu Yue to leave the mountain and search for them, and to take care of them if she could.

The poor condition of Xuandu Temple had also weighed heavily on him; he wanted to see the guardian deity statue restored to its former glory, and he hoped that Chu Yue could revive Xuandu Temple and make it a proper temple once again.

Chu Yue had agreed to each and every one of his requests.

The train station exit was just as packed as it was inside the station. Chu Yue followed the flow of the crowd out of the station and found the platform to take a public bus.

Before she had even reached the bus stop, she could hear the sounds of an argument. A man was shouting aggressively, “What do you mean I molested you? Look at the slutty way you’re dressed, who knows if you’re actually selling those services? Aren’t you the one taking advantage of me instead?”

The lingering heat of the summer and the ferocious tone of the man stoked a slow fire in the depths of Chu Yue’s heart. The man’s target was a fair-skinned girl with a round face and doe-like eyes, which were reddened and teary. She tried to argue back with a weak voice, “But… But you’re the one who… t-touched me…”

The man snorted disdainfully, “Look at how crowded it is around here, so what if I bumped into you accidentally? You’re overthinking it! Don’t tell me you’re that thirsty for a man!”

The discussion of the surrounding onlookers grew into a hum of agreement, they blamed the girl  for creating a disturbance, for wasting everyone’s time, and for blocking the way.

Ostracised by the crowd, the girl bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears, “That’s slander! You’re the one who put your hand in my back pocket and pinched me!”

“Well, did anyone see that? Does anyone have proof?” The man smirked back. Sexual harassment always came down to a game of ‘he said, she said’, so it was hard to prove, and harder still to gain the support of onlookers. Even if the girl was able to come up with a clear explanation, the man would only get a verbal warning at most. Knowing this, the man was confident that he would get away with it.

As he expected, the bystanders were indifferent, and even annoyed; some of them had already skirted around the disturbance and continued on with their lives.

“I saw it.”

It was then that a clear voice rang out above the ruckus. The girl turned her head towards the sliver of hope, who turned out to be a tall lady with a dignified aura, dressed in a traditional blue shirt. Her long hair was bound together with a single hairpin, accentuating the beautiful arch of her brow and the life in her eyes. This lady was, of course, Chu Yue.

Right before the argument had started, Chu Yue happened to catch the man stealing something. She had been about to expose the thief, but the girl turned out to be quite the spirited personality, immediately calling out the thief for what she thought was molestation.

Chu Yue pulled her luggage along with her to the platform and explained, “I saw you put your hand in her pocket. You molested her, and even took her phone.”

Upon hearing this, the girl quickly checked her handbag, and her expression turned to one of surprise and gratitude. “Thank you, miss! He really took my phone!”

If it was just a case of molestation, there was nothing they could do to the perpetrator even if they called the police. However, now that it was a case of theft, it was a whole other story: the thief was going to spend a few days in detention at the very least.

“You damn busybody! Bitch!” Now that his crime had been exposed, the initially indifferent crowd shifted to wary watchfulness. Seeing this, the thief’s face warped with anger and he threw a quick punch towards Chu Yue.

The girl cried out in alarm; Chu Yue shifted to the side to dodge the man’s punch, then kicked with one leg to trip the man. The thief fell directly on his face, in front of Chu Yue. She smiled, “Well, it’s so crowded around here, I just accidentally bumped into you. I’m sure you won’t overthink such a small matter.”

Realising that Chu Yue was serving the thief’s words right back to him, the girl broke out into laughter, feeling her earlier frustration slip away.

The man continued cruising and swearing at Chu Yue and the girl.

Chu Yue’s smile faded as she looked down at the thief, “You’re just a petty thief and a bully, apologise to her.”

“You damn bitch, you’re just a ****! Asking me to apologise? Screw you! I hate pretty women like you the most! Let’s see if you’re just as arrogant once I cut up that pretty face of yours!” The man had at first been groaning weakly from the fall, but Chu Yue’s words lit a fire in him. His eyes shone venomously as he leaped up and swiped at Chu Yue’s face with a small blade.

This sudden turn of events shocked the onlookers around them. Pity surfaced in their expressions, while some of them even retreated, just in case the man tried to vent his anger onto the crowd instead.

However, what happened was out of their expectations: the small blade didn’t even touch Chu Yue’s face. There was no blood or gore either; Chu Yue simply kicked at the man’s wrist, causing him to drop the blade and roll on the ground, crying while clutching his injured wrist.

The crowd let out gasps of surprise, turning to Chu Yue with impressed looks. Chu Yue was staring at the man with cold eyes, “Apologise.”

The thief’s expression was contorted with pain and fury as he glared right back at her. Suddenly, his vision went black, his body stiffened with cold, and his soul felt as if it had been plunged into an endless abyss of darkness.

In that suffocating darkness, an endless mass of ghouls wriggled and crawled towards him, their bloody faces stretched out in sinister smiles, their broken limbs creeping onto his body like spider webs…

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!” Back in reality, the man appeared to have suddenly burst into tears. “No, stop touching me... please, please... Please stop! I’ll repent! I’ll never do it again!”

Yet again, the abrupt change startled the onlooking crowd. Someone murmured, “Maybe this guy is a lunatic…?”

“Lunatics can’t be charged with murder…”

“No wonder he was so confident, why should lunatics get special treatment? If he’s ill, he should be sent for treatment. Why let him out to bully that young girl?”

“This kind of person should be thrown into the mental hospital and locked away forever.”

The large man who had just been cursing at them so confidently moments earlier was now reduced to a crying and shivering wreck. As he crawled towards the girls, he chanted “sorry” repeatedly under his breath. The girl took two steps back with disgust, and turned to Chu Yue pleadingly, “Miss, what should we do now?”

Chu Yue pulled out her phone and dialed the police hotline with an air of practice.

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TL Note:

How do you like Chu Yue so far? 

Something close to what she may be wearing:

And her hairstyle:

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