"Don't forget, after you were judged by the Immortal Dao back then, the world fell into great chaos, with demons and monsters running rampant. Old Master and the others had to gather the Chixiao People again. Although the Chixiao People were all mighty and formidable, after all, two fists are no match for four hands. In order to quell the calamity, Old Master had no choice but to expand the ranks of the Crimson-Letter Sect."
"Go on..." Gu Qingfeng said unhurriedly, drinking his wine and listening carefully.
"After the calamity was quelled, most of the original Chixiao People went into seclusion or closed-door cultivation. Now, those in charge of the various Branch Halls are either the riffraff who joined the Crimson-Letter Sect later, or a bunch of snot-nosed kids who don't understand anything."
"I still don't see how this has anything to do with me."
Gu Qingfeng stood up, gazing at the sun in the sky. "If those old Chixiao brothers were running amok in this world, I would have a responsibility and wouldn't just sit back and watch. But since the Crimson-Letter Sect's Branch Halls are now run by others, I can't be bothered to meddle in such trivial matters."
"Are you playing dumb on purpose, kid?"
Huode said with great displeasure, "Why is the Crimson-Letter Sect able to dominate the underground order of this world? Isn't it all because they're using your name? Are you just going to stand by and watch those little bastards run rampant everywhere under your banner, waving your flag?"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng remain silent, Huode continued, "Why did Old Master insist on disbanding the Crimson-Letter Sect back then? The old man probably foresaw that the Crimson-Letter Sect would turn out like this. Unfortunately, Old Master is just Old Master, not you. He wanted to disband the Crimson-Letter Sect, but most people disagreed. To prevent this from happening, Old Master specifically had several Chixiao People stationed at each Branch Hall to oversee them."
"What's even more unfortunate is that the Chixiao People stationed at the Branch Halls, having followed you around and caused so much trouble for so long, were probably all exhausted. After the Calamity, they either went into seclusion or closed-door cultivation. The affairs of the Branch Halls were left to their disciples or successors to manage. Even though Old Master said back then that the Crimson-Letter Sect was not allowed to participate in any factional conflicts, it was fine at first. But now? Those Branch Halls may not participate on the surface, but in the shadows, they're capable of anything."
Gu Qingfeng stretched, his bones cracking crisply throughout his body. He shook his head fiercely, as if somewhat impatient.
"Kid Gu, I know you don't like hearing about these things. I also know you don't want to stir up trouble anymore. To be honest, I didn't want to tell you all this either at first. But after thinking it over carefully later, I realized I had to say it. Otherwise, there might be even bigger trouble later. Those little bastards are waving your flag and doing their dirty deeds. When the time comes, everyone will blame it all on you. You definitely aren't afraid; you can just pat your ass, leave, and no one can do anything to you. But have you thought about it? It doesn't matter if you leave, but that debt will naturally fall on the heads of the Chixiao People. When that time comes..."
"Listening to you say all this..." Gu Qingfeng picked up the Taixu Cup, swirled it, then downed the wine in one gulp. "It seems I have no choice but to intervene?"
"I wouldn't dare make the decision for you. You'll have to weigh it yourself, kid."
"Weigh it?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head helplessly, sat back in his chair, and sighed. "Old Master really knows how to make trouble for me..."
"You can't blame Old Master for this, can you? If you hadn't faked your death and disappeared back then, even if you gave those demons and monsters ten thousand times the courage, they wouldn't have dared to come out and wreak havoc. If the demons hadn't wreaked havoc, the world wouldn't have fallen into chaos. If the world hadn't fallen into chaos, Old Master wouldn't have had to expand the Crimson-Letter Sect to quell the calamity. If the Crimson-Letter Sect hadn't been expanded, there wouldn't be so many problems now."
"You're trying to pin this shitty mess on me too?" Gu Qingfeng said with a smile. "According to your logic, I guess I shouldn't have destroyed the Immortal Dynasty back then either."
"That's not what I mean. Back then, the Immortal Dynasty was scraping up resources to the point of arousing the wrath of both gods and men. If the Immortal Dynasty hadn't been destroyed, no one would have been able to even take a breath of spiritual energy."
"Exactly."
Gu Qingfeng looked at Huode and said indifferently, "Back then, you bastards knelt before the Chixiao Sect begging me to step forward and destroy the Immortal Dynasty. I destroyed the Immortal Dynasty, then cleaved open the Immortal River for you, bestowing grace upon the land. And now you motherfuckers are whining and complaining at me, pinning every shitty mess on my head. You're blaming me for the demons wreaking havoc too? And you're even blaming me for disappearing? What? Am I supposed to stay here my whole life guarding against demons for you? Do I owe you or something? Am I supposed to?"
"First, let me clarify: back then, those kneeling before the Chixiao Sect gate, crying, begging, and pleading for you to destroy the Immortal Dynasty were all the old fogies from the major sects. I wasn't one of them."
Huode curled his lip and muttered, "Besides, I... didn't mean anything else. I'm just venting a bit, that's all. I'm thinking of you, worried those little bastards will ruin your reputation."
"What a bunch of nonsense."
Gu Qingfeng drank his wine by himself. He couldn't be bothered to think about the things Huode was talking about right now.
"And, kid Gu, I can also tell you, it's not just those riffraff from the Crimson-Letter Sect who are ruining your reputation. There are others too."
Gu Qingfeng asked lightly, "What else is there?"
"First, answer me a question."
For some reason, Huode seemed very interested. He asked with a smile, "There are no outsiders here. Tell me honestly, do you have any descendants or not?"
"Descendants?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head, indicating he did not. Seeing Huode's look of suspicion, he said helplessly, "What? You don't believe me?"
"Others might not know, but I know that when you were young, you liked to flirt with girls whenever you had nothing better to do. In this lifetime, who knows how many young ladies you've ruined. I don't believe you didn't leave behind any descendants."
"I say, Huode, when the hell did you become so gossipy? When I was young, I did flirt with some girls, but it was just flirting."
"You dare get any more shameless? Just flirting? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"
"Alright then."
Gu Qingfeng said speechlessly, "Occasionally, I might have engaged in some dual cultivation or shared some joy. That's just human nature, isn't it? I'm not some saint or monk. I'm just a common man. Living in the mortal world, naturally one does some common things. Isn't that just the way it is between men and women? What's the big deal?"
Huode asked again with great suspicion, "You really didn't leave behind any descendants?"
"No."
Gu Qingfeng responded very seriously and earnestly, "When I was young, although I was a bit... unrestrained, I still had my limits. I was living with my head in my hands; how could I leave behind descendants? Unless I was determined to spend my life with a girl, I would absolutely not ruin her."
"I believe you when you say that."
Huode scratched his head, downed a cup of wine fiercely, and cursed, "Damn it! I thought a few of those who claim to be your descendants might be real. Now it seems, they're all motherfucking frauds! This is just too crazy."