If Gu Qingfeng reclining in the master's chair with Elder Huode serving him earlier had felt bizarre and unsettling, then the scene unfolding at this moment was more than just bizarre.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
Just because Li Sen had cursed him as 'trash,' he was slapped unconscious by Elder Huode. Moreover, Li Ziheng, this outer-court elder, was berated until his face was covered in metaphorical blood.
Saying Li Ziheng didn't know his own mortality?
If this were the old days, the entire Li family, young and old, would have long since met King Yama?
Was he talking about that Gu Qingfeng?
Wasn't he just a Foundation-Establishment failure, a good-for-nothing?
How formidable could he have been in the past?
Even if he were once a dragon among men, at best he was just a genius. Such geniuses, while not common, were by no means rare either. How powerful could he truly be?
Could it be that Gu Qingfeng's family background was immensely powerful, powerful enough to casually obliterate the Fengying Li Clan?
No one knew.
No one had any idea.
Li Ziheng stood there, his face flushed with anger. Although he was a member of the Li Clan and an outer-court elder of Yunxia Sect, he dared not confront the fiery-tempered Elder Huode, who had cultivated for eight hundred years.
"Elder Huode, Li Sen and the others are, after all, inner disciples. Now that they have been severely injured by an outsider, if we turn a blind eye, I fear it will also damage the reputation of our Yunxia Sect."
Grand Steward Guang Yuan wore an expression of great arrogance and indifference. As he spoke, his eyes swept over Gu Qingfeng, who was still reclining in the master's chair, with a gaze as venomous as a serpent's.
"Guang Yuan, well done!
You've grown quite capable."
Huode looked at him and sneered, "You even dare to put a tall hat on this old man now. Truly worthy of being a disciple taught by Jin De!"
"Grand Elder, you misunderstand."
Guang Yuan's face remained impassive as he continued, "I know this person is of great importance to you, Grand Elder. However, since he has assaulted someone, he must face appropriate punishment. I implore you, for the sake of our Yunxia Sect's reputation, to cease shielding him."
"You little brat, are you not done yet?!"
Huode instantly flew into a rage. He had been carefully attending to Gu Qingfeng, afraid of displeasing him, while Gu Qingfeng said he would consider the matter for a few days. Now, to top it off, these ignorant little brats had to come looking for trouble. He had advised them to leave, but they just became more insistent.
Huode could no longer contain himself. He grabbed Guang Yuan by the collar. This move shattered Guang Yuan's composure, his expression drastically changing as he cried out in alarm, "Elder Huode! You! What are you doing!"
"Doing?"
Huode's face darkened as he coldly barked, "You were given face but refused it! Didn't you say you wanted to punish him? This old man will give you a chance today! Go! Go on and punish him! I want to see today if you have the ability! Go!"
With a forceful yank, Huode hurled Guang Yuan forward!
Guang Yuan's face turned ashen, the corner of his mouth twitching unnaturally. As a disciple of Elder Jin De and the Grand Steward of Yunxia Sect, when had he ever suffered such a loss of face? Yet, faced with Elder Huode, who was as furious as a lion or tiger at this moment, he could only fume in silence, not daring to speak out.
"Brat! Didn't you say you wanted to punish him? Take action! Why are you cowering? Don't dare?
Huode glared with furious eyes, roaring hoarsely.
Across from him.
That person.
That youth.
That man in white robes had been reclining in the master's chair from beginning to end, one leg crossed over the other, his head slightly drooping. His handsome face showed no trace of emotion, especially those deep, dark, inscrutable eyes.
Perhaps he was intimidated by Huode's words.
Or perhaps it was because of the profound aura of twilight surrounding Gu Qingfeng, and that unsettling calm that seemed out of place here.
As a result, Guang Yuan stood frozen, not daring to take action no matter what, only staring fixedly at Gu Qingfeng as if trying to see through him. Yet, the more he looked, the more fearful he became inside. Especially that deep aura of twilight emanating from Gu Qingfeng made him feel utterly uncomfortable, as if his very life were draining away. It truly felt that way; the longer he looked, even his soul couldn't help but tremble.
When his gaze met Gu Qingfeng's eyes, it was like plummeting into the Nine Nethers Hell. In that moment, he felt like a speck of dust—moreover, a speck of dust within hell, a hell filled with utter deathly silence. Now, being watched by Gu Qingfeng like this, he felt as if a violent gale had suddenly swept through that deathly silent hell, devouring his life.
How could this be!
He didn't know.
Guang Yuan couldn't figure it out, couldn't understand.
Across from him, Gu Qingfeng picked up his wine cup, brought it to his lips, narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Guang Yuan, and said with a faint smile, "You are Guang Yuan?"
"You!"
As soon as Guang Yuan spoke, his voice was hoarse. He quickly composed himself, took a deep breath, and asked in a tense voice, "And who are you!"
Gu Qingfeng smiled without answering, merely looking at Guang Yuan opposite him. Yet his thoughts seemed to drift back to the years of his youth.
Back then, he was still a laborer at Yunxia Sect.
Back then, Guang Yuan was an inner disciple of Yunxia Sect.
Back then, Guang Yuan had humiliated him.
Gu Qingfeng had beaten him fiercely, nearly beating him half to death.
Of course, Gu Qingfeng had later paid a considerable price for it, almost beaten to death by Guang Yuan's master, none other than True Person Jin De.
Thinking back, he couldn't help but sigh. Time really flew by…
In the blink of an eye, five hundred years had passed…
He shook his head, chuckled softly, then took out a fist-sized magical artifact from his storage pouch and said with a smile, "This is yours, right? Take it back."
The Golden Glow Seven Stars Pagoda!
Guang Yuan recognized it at a glance—it was the magical artifact he had given to his disciple Li Sen. He also knew this artifact had been seized by the young man before him back at Redleaf Valley.
"What's the matter? Don't want it?"
Guang Yuan's face remained grim, his lips tightly pressed, neither speaking nor moving.
Gu Qingfeng gave a slight smile, casually tossing the Golden Glow Seven Stars Pagoda over, then poured himself another cup of wine. "Alright, let's leave it at that. Take your disciple and go back."
Leave it at that?
Go back?
Gu Qingfeng spoke with such nonchalance, with such calm composure, as if he were granting Guang Yuan clemency.
This!
This wasn't right, was it?
Wasn't Guang Yuan the one who came to cause trouble for him?
Wasn't he the one in trouble?
Why did his tone sound as if he were sparing Guang Yuan?
Just what…
What in the world was going on?
No one knew. Everyone found it baffling, especially Ouyang Ye standing to the side. The young girl's mind had already been in chaos the moment she entered the garden and saw Elder Huode attending to Gu Qingfeng. Now, seeing Gu Qingfeng magnanimously 'pardoning' Guang Yuan with the detached air of a lofty king, her already confused thoughts grew even more tangled.
Ouyang Ye simply couldn't understand what gave Gu Qingfeng the right to be so composed and unperturbed.
What exactly was his basis?
She didn't know. Li Ziheng didn't know. Tan Siru, Yun Hong, and Ye Hui didn't know either.
Of course, Guang Yuan didn't know either.
If an ordinary person dared speak to him like this, Guang Yuan would definitely make them pay.
But right now, he didn't dare.
The words Elder Huode had spoken earlier made him wary, and coupled with the profoundly abnormal calm that naturally emanated from the young man before him, he was thoroughly frightened.
"Little brat, didn't you hear, or what? He told you to go back… Hurry up and go."
Huode urged him on. Among those present, only he knew why Gu Qingfeng could be so composed.
To be precise, he didn't know either.
Based on his understanding of Gu Qingfeng, he had thought Gu Qingfeng would kill Guang Yuan on the spot. Even if he didn't kill him, the lightest punishment would be to take one of Guang Yuan's legs or something. He never expected Gu Qingfeng to tell Guang Yuan to go back.
Wasn't this completely out of character for this kid?
This kid had been ruthless back in the day.
Moreover, Huode knew that Gu Qingfeng never showed mercy to his enemies. He had witnessed Gu Qingfeng's methods of dealing with foes more than once—they were truly vicious. Simply killing them was considered lenient. Skinning, tendon-pulling, bone-crushing—those were child's play. What this kid liked most when dealing with enemies was extracting their souls. After extracting a soul, if he had vented his hatred, he would directly refine it. If his anger wasn't appeased, he would make the soul suffer eternal torment.
Make no mistake, that was how the Gu Qingfeng of old treated his enemies.
Others might not know, but Huode was clearly aware that Guang Yuan had once bullied Gu Qingfeng and nearly cost him his life.
Why was the kid letting him off so easily today?
He didn't know.
Nor did he bother to ponder it. Seeing Guang Yuan still standing there dumbfounded, Huode felt another surge of anger.
"Brat, you were given face but don't know how to take it. Get lost already! Are you waiting to die?"
With that, Huode grabbed Guang Yuan and hurled him out.