Chapter 96 I’m tired, let’s start!
This time, he really didn't persuade Xu Sixi much. After the secret realm ended, he would expose Xu Sixi's act of sneaking into the secret realm under a false name and killing his fellow disciples. Then, even if Xu Sixi didn't die, he would not escape punishment. It would take decades to settle the matter, and he would certainly not be able to use the Boundary Breaking Pill to achieve the Golden Pill.
Elder Xu was in charge of the Golden Platform Discussion, and since such a huge mistake had occurred, he also needed to make up for the sect's losses in other ways to reduce his own guilt.
After all, when they were in the outer sect, most of the disciples were self-sufficient and could create value for the sect.
Once you enter the inner sect, you basically rely on the sect for support, because these disciples have the ability to become the basic backbone of the sect.
For Elder Xu, the most convenient way is to immediately contribute a Jindan-stage disciple to Zhongzhou, and he, Lu Qisheng, is the most suitable candidate.
So when Xu Sixi secretly modified the water curtain and added his name on it, he had already made up his mind to ruin Xu Sixi's reputation.
But he didn't expect... an accident happened in the secret realm. A group of disciples stayed there for less than nine days before coming out. The remaining people inside didn't know what happened, but he had already received news that Ruan Xing, the person Xu Sixi wanted to kill, was also among those who came out.
Why is this...? According to Xu Sixi's temperament, if he wanted to kill someone in the secret realm, he would not wait too long. He would take action after finding the person in one or two days.
Elder Xu was worried and confused, fearing that it was Xu Sixi who robbed his fellow disciples, but he knew it was not Xu Sixi, because Xu Sixi always did what he said, and if he caught Ruan Xing, he would not let her out alive.
Could it be that Xu Sixi had died in the secret realm?
After a long time, Elder Xu was the only one left in the hall. He sat in a chair and was lost in thought.
When he accepted disciples, he did not place much emphasis on qualifications. As long as the students were above average, they would have a chance to catch his eye. What he cared about most was the character of his disciples. Those with simple minds and who valued feelings were his best targets for becoming disciples.
As long as his disciples achieved something after going to Zhongzhou, they would not only be able to take care of the remaining Xu clan members in Zhongzhou, but would also be more likely to obtain the elixir of longevity for him.
This kid Lu Qisheng... I don't know if he has grown up crooked or if I misjudged him in the beginning. He is obviously an obedient and honest child, so how come he has his own little thoughts now?
Alas, when Lu Qisheng attains the Golden Elixir and goes to Zhongzhou, I wonder if he will still give face to his master.
Elder Xu's thoughts were in a mess. After a long while, he stood up and prepared to discuss with the sect leader. Regardless of whether it was related to Xu Sixi or not, the news brought out by the dozen disciples who left the secret realm in advance must have a result.
"The only thing we can do now is to wait."
The sect leader touched Elder Wen's long white beard with a worried look on his face and sighed sadly.
"Why not send a team of disciples to check it out?" Elder Xu said.
He had some selfish motives. If he could send a disciple to find Xu Sixi and let him sneak out, and they could meet in advance to communicate, then things would not be so difficult.
Because the Xuanbing Sect cannot control the Jintai Secret Realm, the number of people it can accommodate and the restrictions are determined based on the secret realm itself. They have no authority to interfere, and all disciples can only enter once in their lifetime.
Even so, some of the losers in the Jintai Forum in previous years are still in the foundation-building stage, so organizing them into a temporary team is also a solution.
The sect leader frowned and said, "No, you know, every disciple who has come out now claims that their vision is obstructed. This is a sign of instability in the space. If you let a team of disciples go in now, they might be wiped out. You must know how to stop the loss in time."
Elder Xu's hands, hidden under his sleeves, crushed the armrest of the chair into powder and said patiently, "Those disciples may never achieve the Golden Core in their lifetime, so how can they compare to the elites who enter the secret realm? If their lives can be put to good use and save even one elite disciple, then it would be a worthy death."
"You are too extreme." The sect leader disagreed, "We still don't know what the situation is in the secret realm."
"So are you just going to wait like that? Don't forget that although I am in charge of the Jintai Secret Realm, you are also responsible for the loss of so many disciples at once!"
"They are still uncertain whether they are dead or not, and you are going to make a final judgment?"
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, the old man with white beard impatiently pulled the master's hand away, "Alright, alright, stop touching me! I've already rubbed the oil on you!"
Elder Wen, who was half-lying on the chair next to the sect leader and taking a nap, said, "Listen to me, vote. Now, raise your hands if you support continuing to wait."
Elder Wen and the sect leader both raised their hands.
Elder Xu laughed angrily, "Okay, okay! I'll just listen to you!"
He walked away.
Elder Wen lay back down and said, "You knew I should come over and act as a peacemaker."
The clan leader said calmly, "We can't really fight him. After all, I am the clan leader and I have to save face."
"It's strange, why is he so angry?" Elder Wen wondered, "Do you really not care about the disciples in the secret realm? You should know that Fu Qinghong is not among those who came out. He was born with a Taoist bone and is the hope of the future of Xuanbing Sect in the eyes of the Zhongzhou Sect Master. He is the last disciple of Qingyuan Daojun. If he died in there, think about how to explain to the Sect Master and Qingyuan Daojun."
The sect leader asked back, "Then what do you think, if the space is really unstable, what effect would it have if we sent a team of foundation-building disciples in?"
Elder Wen: "...It serves as a burial companion."
"That's it?" The leader spread his hands. "We can't get in, and sending disciples in won't work. Why do we need to do this? Or do you think there are too many people in the Xuanbing Sect of Nanzhou and want to reduce the number of people?"
Elder Wen: "...if we further streamline the inner sect, there won't be anyone left."
"So!" The clan leader said earnestly, "Whether it's spatial turbulence or someone is interfering, we can only wait. Besides, I don't plan to return to Zhongzhou in this lifetime. If Zhongzhou removes my position as clan leader, I would rather seal my cultivation and be punished in the back mountain for a hundred years. What about you? Do you want to return to Zhongzhou?"
Elder Wen quickly shook his head, "I don't have a few decades left to live, why should I go back? No."
"Yes, there is still no news about Mo Sui. I can only report that Hanshan Secret Realm collapsed naturally. Now Jintai Secret Realm has problems again. I have been the sect leader for so many years and have never encountered such bad luck. I am tired and give up!"
The clan leader looked resigned to his fate, but Elder Wen laughed out loud.
"Ha, I have advised you to do this a long time ago, Senior Brother. I have already made up my mind on the first day I came to Nanzhou. You don't have to bother asking for longevity pills for me. Just let nature take its course. Even if I die one day, that is my fate. You delayed staying here to be the sect leader, which made me feel uneasy and guilty."
"Even if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have returned to Zhongzhou. You were clearly injured for the sake of the sect, but... the people who make decisions in the sect are all like the one named Xu, who discards people who have no value. I don't like that."
"Then why are you still working so tirelessly to send talents to Zhongzhou?" Elder Wen teased him.
The sect leader sighed, "Although I don't like Zhongzhou, Nanzhou will indeed delay their good seedlings. Anyway, they are willing to train valuable disciples there, and they will not be buried there. I am not doing this for Zhongzhou, but just for those ordinary disciples who are struggling to survive like you and me back then."
...Ruan Xing stayed in his own residence, eating and sleeping every day, and spent this month carefree.
Unlike the other monks who came out with her, each with their own thoughts, she seemed to be in a different style.
In order to maintain the same image of a victim as them, she stayed at home during this period of time and did not dare to open the storage bag at all, for fear of leaking the spiritual energy of the three thousand spirit stones inside. She did not dare to simulate, for fear that her cultivation level would be accidentally improved and it would be difficult to explain.
Finally, forty-five days were up and the Jintai Secret Realm was closed as scheduled. The monks guarding the door were waiting anxiously, but no one came out.
After several days of fruitless investigation, the sect could no longer keep them under house arrest. After all, they were victims as well, and most of them were noble monks from Zhongzhou.
We have to let them go back to Zhongzhou.
When they left, the sect leader personally led the Nanzhou disciples to see them off.
Without Fu Yu, the monks of Zhongzhou re-elected a leader. He said in a stern tone: "I will report this matter word for word to the master. The master will know how lax Nanzhou has become now."
It would be hard to convince people that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dared to say this about a sect leader in the Nascent Soul stage, unless he had a backer.
The clan leader was not angry. He guessed that this was another talented descendant of a clan in Zhongzhou. Instead, he said, "I am sorry for not managing strictly and making fellow Zhongzhou people laugh. No matter how the clan leader disciplines us, we are willing to accept it."
His calmness made the new leader of Zhongzhou a little unsure. More than a hundred inner disciples died this time, including Fu Qinghong, who was born with a Taoist temperament. There was no way this could end well.
The sect master had no expression on his face, but he was sneering in his heart, "It doesn't matter. I don't have a family anyway. I know the character of the sect master too well. He can't kill a 500-year-old Nascent Soul for more than a hundred Foundation Establishment disciples. Among them, only Fu Qinghong has some weight, but he is not qualified."
How many geniuses relied on their outstanding spiritual bone talents to act recklessly, but died before the Nascent Soul stage.
When it comes to Nascent Soul, talent and luck are all indispensable.
After the farewell, everyone dispersed. Ruan Xing was about to go back when he was suddenly stopped by Lu Jin.
She gave him a puzzled look, and Lu Jin blinked at her, "The Sect Master wants you to meet him."
Sect leader? Ruan Xing thought about it and it seemed that this had indeed happened in a simulation.
She jumped onto the flying sword and flew towards the main peak. The square in front of the master's hall was empty, with only the stone brick ground left. All the platforms and water curtains were gone, and it was cleared very cleanly.
Just as she was wondering whether to go in directly, she suddenly heard someone calling her.
"Ruan Xing, come here."
The clan leader stood next to a pillar in front of the hall, speaking in a kind tone.
After she walked over, she introduced herself, "I am the current leader of Xuanbing Sect."
Ruan Xing: ...I just saw her at the mountain gate. Her memory is not that bad.
Oh, no, didn’t she bow?
Ruan Xing quickly folded his hands and bowed in front of him, "Disciple greets the Sect Master."
"Okay." The clan leader smiled with satisfaction and walked slowly with her to the side. "Don't be so reserved. Just have a casual chat."
Ruan Xing responded, "Yes. Sect Master, do you want to ask about the secret realm?"
This matter had been asked many times when the Foreign Affairs Hall sent people to investigate, and she answered it very skillfully - she went in to collect materials, didn't run into anyone, and was suddenly robbed, and didn't see the face.
"That's not the case." The clan leader said, "I just want to ask you, what do you think of Zhongzhou? Do you want to go?"
"Of course I do. Zhongzhou is the shortcut on the path to seeking immortality and enlightenment." Ruan Xing answered honestly.
The clan leader smiled and said, "You can see clearly. I sent Lu Jin and Wu Xing to observe you. You also noticed it, right?"
Ruan Xing nodded: "Yes, their intention to get close to me is too obvious. No one in this world will be nice to another person for no reason, but I met two of them at once, which is indeed unusual. However, I still thank the Sect Master for sending them to take care of me."
The leader waved his hand and said, "Well, I just asked them to get close to you to observe you and take care of you. It was their own idea. I never gave them such instructions."
He stopped and sighed, "You are very smart, not like a child."
Ruan Xing's heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She was a little worried that he would suddenly change his attitude and say that she was an evil cultivator who had taken over his body and killed her with a palm. She was not simulating at the moment.
But this has happened before in simulation, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Sure enough, the Sect Master continued, "I want you to go to Zhongzhou as soon as possible. Staying here will only delay you. Even the Realm Breaking Pill... cannot be supplied in time. Moreover, I will probably not be the Sect Master soon. I don't know who will be the next one, and I don't know if he will value you. So, I thought I should send you there quickly while I am still in office."
The sect leader did not doubt her identity. Instead, he cared about her so much that Ruan Xing was a little touched.
Although she had obtained the Boundary Breaking Pill by robbing her fellow disciples, she was still very grateful for the Sect Master's kindness. She would have to go to Zhongzhou sooner or later anyway, and there would be many variables when the new Sect Master took office, so she might as well accept the Sect Master's kindness.
"Thank you, Sect Master. I am willing to go to Zhongzhou. However, please allow me a few days. Zhongzhou is a long way away, and I don't know how many years it will take me to come back. I want to go home and say goodbye to my family." Ruan Xing said in a crisp voice.
This was not considered as cheating the sect leader. She had to send the inheritance of the two big guys back home so that Ruan Tao and Hu San could learn it, and then keep a low profile and lie dormant slowly, taking the opportunity to erode the Dynasty and Liuyang Study.
She hasn't forgotten about the barrier tree. She still cares about it very much. It's very unpleasant to have such an evil thing controlling her thoughts and preventing her from telling everything about the dynasty.
However, if she wants to deal with the barrier tree, she must first deal with Liuyang Study. The owner of Liuyang Study is in the Nascent Soul stage, and she can't afford to offend him now. When she goes back, she will let the boss use a puppet body to pass through the barrier to feel it and see if the two of them recognize what this thing is.
Scholar Cai might also be useful, so she has to win him over. The skills taught in Liuyang Study can be mastered very quickly. When Scholar Cai retired, he was promoted to the position of Cabinet Scholar and Prince's Tutor. His literary talent and official career should be quite good. It is not a dream for him to build a foundation in three years and reach the Golden Elixir level in five years. Who knows, he might even have some say after reaching the Golden Elixir level.
The clan leader nodded and said, "Indeed, it is time to say goodbye to your family. I will give you half a month. Go early and come back early."
Thanks for the lazy reward~
Thanks for the lazy monthly ticket~
Thanks for the monthly ticket of "Love and Friendship Never Ends"~
Thanks for the monthly ticket of I Eat Xiguo~
Thanks to Yuanqutang for the monthly ticket~
Thanks for the monthly ticket from Wow Wow Wow~
(End of this chapter)
