"Heh heh!"
Elder Huode stood up to pour Gu Qingfeng a bowl of wine, grinning as he said, "I just wanted to ask you for a small favor, that's all."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and smiled. From the moment he heard Huode say he wanted to welcome him and wash away the dust of travel, he knew things weren't that simple. Looking at the full table of delicious dishes and those thirty-some jars of Ice-Fire Old Cellar Brew, then glancing at the humble expression on Elder Huode's face, Gu Qingfeng knew this 'favor' was definitely not small.
Of course, whether it was a small or big favor, if he could help, Gu Qingfeng naturally wouldn't refuse. After all, when he was young, Elder Huode had indeed helped him many times and had even saved his life. How could Gu Qingfeng not help him?
But when he asked what the favor was, Huode didn't say it directly. Instead, he asked, "Kid Gu, you've been at our Yunxia Sect for quite a few days now, right? How do you think the sect compares to when you were a kid?"
"It's much more impressive, and its overall strength is very high. I heard the Three Mountains, Six Halls, Nine Peaks, and Twelve Courtyards have over ten thousand disciples, and there seem to be twenty-four subordinate gangs with countless members."
He had heard Ouyang Ye talk a lot about the Yunxia Sect on the way here, so Gu Qingfeng knew a little. Its overall strength was much greater than five hundred years ago.
"Ai."
Elder Huode sighed heavily. "Kid Gu, what you said is true, but...
It won't be long before our Yunxia Sect is snatched away by outsiders."
Snatched away by outsiders?
Gu Qingfeng didn't understand.
"This matter has to start from that great Calamity a hundred years ago."
"The Calamity?"
Gu Qingfeng's brow raised slightly. He picked up a spirit fruit and ate it, asking, "Didn't the Calamity have no effect on the mortal world?"
"The Calamity indeed didn't destroy anything in our world, but the impact it brought was huge. When the Calamity happened back then, the whole world was thrown into chaos. Demons and monsters ran rampant, and the major sects slaughtered each other and fought over resources. A few of my martial brothers and I fought desperately to protect the sect back then. Although we held out in the end, my Sect Head martial brother was severely injured because of it."
"You mean Elder Tu De was injured?"
Gu Qingfeng knew Huode had four martial brothers: Jin, Mu, Shui, Huo, and Tu. The one who presided over the Yunxia Sect was his martial brother, Elder Tu De.
"He was injured very badly, almost fatally. He's been in seclusion for a hundred years now."
"Oh? How is he now?"
Gu Qingfeng's relationship with Huode was good, but his relationships with the other four weren't so great. It could be said that aside from Huode, he had quite a few personal grudges with the other four, more or less.
Back then, Gu Qingfeng had tested into the sect with outstanding results, but because of his aptitude, he was turned away at the door by Elder Mu De.
Back then, Gu Qingfeng had beaten a disciple of Elder Jin De and was almost killed by Elder Jin De himself.
And as for Elder Shui De, Gu Qingfeng held an even deeper grudge against him. Because the Hongxiu he had fallen in love with back then was Elder Shui De's disciple, and the one who tore them apart was none other than Shui De.
As for Sect Head Elder Tu De who presided over the Yunxia Sect, Gu Qingfeng also held no small grudge against him. Back then, in order to be with Hongxiu, he had gone to beg Tu De. He had knelt for days and nights, but in the end, Sect Head Tu De hadn't even glanced at him.
Of course, it had been so long that Gu Qingfeng couldn't be bothered to dwell on it anymore. Hearing now that Elder Tu De had been in seclusion for a hundred years due to severe injuries, he didn't have much of a reaction.
"Although my Sect Head martial brother's life was temporarily preserved, his cultivation... is already ruined."
As he spoke, Huode sighed again, tilting his head back to gulp down a mouthful of wine. "My martial brother spent his whole life toiling for the Yunxia Sect, and in the end... not only is his cultivation ruined, but whether the sect can even be held onto is still unknown."
"How can the sect not be held onto? Did you martial brothers start fighting amongst yourselves?"
"You could say that. Right now, our Yunxia Sect is beset by internal strife and external threats. The internal strife is that bastard Jin De. That bastard has always had great ambitions. Ever since my Sect Head martial brother went into seclusion, Jin De has been building up his own forces. Now, about half of the Yunxia Sect is practically his people."
Jin De?
Gu Qingfeng knew him. Not only did he know him, but back when he was a laborer at the Yunxia Sect, he had almost died at Jin De's hands. He also knew Jin De was deep and scheming, with great ambitions.
"I'm the only one who knows about my Sect Head martial brother's ruined cultivation, but this matter can't be hidden for much longer. Over the years, Jin De has been trying every possible method to force my Sect Head martial brother to step down."
"What? Jin De wants to be Sect Head?"
"Our Yunxia Sect has a rule: the one who succeeds to the position of Sect Head must be the Heir Apparent Disciple. Unfortunately, my Sect Head martial brother's disciples either died or were injured during the Calamity, and the ones who remained were also harmed... Ai! It's all my fault..." At this point, Elder Huode shook his head and sighed, his eyes filled with self-reproach.
Having been a laborer at the Yunxia Sect for a few years, Gu Qingfeng naturally knew that the so-called Heir Apparent Disciple was like the crown prince in a dynasty, destined to inherit the position of Sect Head in the future. Usually, the Heir Apparent Disciple was selected from among the Sect Head's personal disciples. If the Sect Head had no disciples, then one had to be chosen from among the personal disciples of the various elders.
"So, Jin De wants his disciple to succeed as Sect Head?"
"Yes!"
Huode nodded. "That bastard Jin De has huge ambitions and is blinded by profit. If his disciple becomes Sect Head, I'm afraid our Yunxia Sect in the future will be..." "Then haven't you taken on a disciple all these years?"
"You know what I'm like, kid. How could I teach a disciple? As for Mu De, don't even mention him. He's always been in cahoots with Jin De."
"What about Elder Shui De? I remember Shui De wasn't an ordinary person either..." Because of Hongxiu, Gu Qingfeng had held a deep grudge against Shui De back then, but he had to admit that Elder Shui De had his own set of skills when it came to cultivation, ability, and insight.
"That traitor Shui De!"
Mentioning Shui De, Huode immediately flew into a rage, snorting coldly. "Although Jin De's ambitions are great, at least he hasn't betrayed the Yunxia Sect. But that dog bastard Shui De actually defected to the Jiuhua Alliance!"
"The Jiuhua Alliance?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head, not knowing what this so-called alliance was.
"When the Calamity happened back then, in order to resist the demons and monsters, our Yunxia Sect and a few other sects jointly formed the Jiuhua Alliance. It was agreed back then that it was only for mutual defense against external enemies and wouldn't interfere in sect affairs. But after the Calamity, as all things revived and resources became more abundant, the existence of the alliance slowly changed. It started meddling in sect affairs..." "Although the alliance doesn't interfere openly, behind the scenes it has been propping up that dog bastard Shui De all along. And Shui De, with the alliance backing him, has been thriving these years, building up quite a few forces."
Huode gulped down a mouthful of wine, saying indignantly, "Ever since my Sect Head martial brother went into seclusion, those two dog bastards Jin De and Shui De have been openly and covertly fighting, coveting the position of Sect Head. They've made the whole Yunxia Sect a complete mess. If Jin De's people become Sect Head, our Yunxia Sect will become his personal profit in the future. If Shui De's people become Sect Head, then our Yunxia Sect will no longer be the Yunxia Sect..."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng was starting to understand. Holding his wine cup, he teased, "What? Do you want me to kill them both?"
"Kill them?"
Perhaps not expecting Gu Qingfeng to say this, Huode was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly. "I'd like to, but the key is that killing them wouldn't solve the root of the problem... Not only wouldn't it solve it, it would make things even more chaotic. After all, right now the entire Yunxia Sect, whether it's the Twelve Courtyards or the Twenty-Four Gangs, is in their hands. Besides... we are martial brothers, after all... They may be unrighteous, but I can't be unkind..." "If you can't kill them, how do you expect me to help?"
"This..." Huode seemed hesitant. He stood up again to pour Gu Qingfeng another cup of wine, grinning as he said, "Kid Gu, do you think you could help this old man snatch back the position of Sect Head first?"
"Snatch it back?"
Gu Qingfeng's brows furrowed slightly. "I'm not a disciple of your Yunxia Sect. How can I snatch it?"
"That's just a matter of this old man saying the word."
"And then?"
"And then? After the situation stabilizes, you can be Sect Head if you want, but I know you definitely won't want to. So, I'll select a disciple with proper character to succeed as Sect Head."
"I see..." Sitting in his chair, Gu Qingfeng crossed his legs, sipping his wine. He considered it back and forth, then shook his head. "Huode, speaking of which, you are my savior. I owe you my life. If I were helping you, I'd do whatever it takes. But... if it's helping the Yunxia Sect, I'm sorry, but I can't help with that."
"What!"
Hearing Gu Qingfeng refuse, Huode immediately stood up, glaring as he asked, "Why can't you help!"
"Why? Heh!"
Gu Qingfeng poured himself another cup of wine, saying with a smile, "How did your Yunxia Sect treat me back then? This lord tested in with outstanding results, only to be turned away at the door. I had to beg and plead just to become a laborer. Later, just because I beat an inner disciple, I almost died here. And what about Hongxiu? How did Shui De humiliate me back then? As for your Sect Head martial brother, this old man knelt at his door for three days and three nights, and he didn't even glance at me. And now you want me to help your Yunxia Sect snatch back the position of Sect Head? Do you have the face to ask?"
"What happened back then was so long ago. How can you still hold onto it?"
"Nonsense."
Gu Qingfeng snorted coldly, berating him. "What happened during those years I spent at your Yunxia Sect, this old man will never forget for the rest of his life. My prime youth was fucking ruined by your Yunxia Sect. Even now, thinking about it fills me with rage. Let me tell you, Huode, if it weren't for your sake back then, this old man would have long ago wiped your Yunxia Sect clean from top to bottom!"
"You!"
Elder Huode was momentarily speechless with anger. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, his beard bristling with rage, he also shouted loudly, "You kid... You kid, do you think just because you didn't take action back then, our Yunxia Sect had it easy? After you became famous, everyone knew you had been a laborer at our Yunxia Sect. They said we martial brothers were blind. Our Yunxia Sect became a laughingstock for a time, unable to even lift our heads. From the number one major sect in the Qingyang region, we declined in just a few short years..."
Bringing up the past, Elder Huode was filled with hatred. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, he denounced him: "And that's not all. Do you know that after you left back then, that fatty Wang brought those bastards from the Chixiao Sect and nearly wiped us out several times?"
"If it weren't for you, would our Yunxia Sect have declined? If we hadn't declined, during the Calamity, would our Yunxia Sect have been bullied by so many people? Would my Sect Head martial brother have been injured? Would we have formed some alliance with other sects? The reason our Yunxia Sect has become what it is now is all because of you!"
"Don't give me that crap."
Gu Qingfeng waved his hand, sneering coldly. "That was your own damn fault. What does it have to do with this old man!"