The events that occurred in the Spirit Seclusion Garden of the rear mountain quickly spread throughout Yunxia Sect. Everyone heard that Elder Huode not only personally served Young Master Chiyan, Gu Qingfeng, but had even taken action to teach Li Sen a lesson, while Grand Steward Guang Yuan was scolded so fiercely he was covered in dog's blood.
This inevitably made people wonder: just who was this Young Master Chiyan, Gu Qingfeng? What made him worthy of Elder Huode's actions?
Some speculated that this Gu fellow was truly extraordinary. Though he was just a Foundation-Establishment cripple, his background and status must be incredibly powerful, perhaps even surpassing that of the Fengying Li Clan. Otherwise, the old master would never have fallen out with the Li family over him.
Others said it must all be Ouyang Ye's doing. She must have begged the old master for help to protect her beloved.
Still others claimed Elder Huode must have taken a fancy to Gu's status as a Foundation-Establishment cripple. Having finally found such an excellent experimental subject, the old man naturally wouldn't hand him over casually.
Opinions on the matter varied widely. As for the true reason, no one knew.
The incident buzzed with gossip, and as it spread, it began to twist and distort. They said Grand Steward Guang Yuan often colluded with the Li Clan, acting all high and mighty before the disciples, but when faced with Elder Huode, he didn't even dare let out a fart.
Regarding this, as Yunxia Sect's Grand Steward, Guang Yuan was naturally furious.
"Huode, you old bastard!"
In a grand hall, Guang Yuan sat stiffly in his chair, his face still extremely ugly. His eyes seemed ready to spit fire as he clenched his fists and spat out each word with a cold, grinding voice. "Today, you gave me not a shred of face. Let's see how much longer you can keep jumping around!"
"That old thing Huode is getting more and more out of line! Before, he at least knew to restrain himself a little. Now, to experiment with his own formations, he's openly sheltering that waste! It's utterly unreasonable! Does he really think our Li Clan fears him?!"
Outer Court Elder Li Ziheng was also pacing angrily back and forth in the hall, growing angrier the more he thought about it. He snorted, "Hmph! No, this matter cannot end like this. Our Li Clan cannot afford to lose face like this! Guang Yuan, I think we can't endure this any longer. Otherwise, that Huode will soon be shitting and pissing right on our heads! In my opinion, we should ask Elder Mude to step in."
"Even if Elder Mude steps in, it might be useless. The only one in all of Yunxia Sect who can suppress that old thing Huode is my master."
Just as Guang Yuan spoke, an old man walked in. The elder was tall and thin, with a gloomy expression, idly toying with two crystal-clear glass spheres in his hands.
Seeing this elder, Guang Yuan hurriedly stood up and respectfully called out, "Master." Li Ziheng also bowed and greeted, "Elder Jinde."
This elder was none other than Guang Yuan's master, Yunxia Sect's Council Elder, Jinde.
The moment they saw Elder Jinde, the two immediately began complaining, saying how selfish Huode was, how he disregarded Yunxia Sect's reputation and sheltered an outsider.
"My grandson was already seriously injured, and now Huode slapped him. He's still unconscious..." Li Ziheng hoped Jinde would step in to vent his anger for his grandson, but his words were cut off halfway by Jinde's ruthless interruption.
"Enough!"
Jinde's furious shout startled both Guang Yuan and Li Ziheng. They exchanged glances, unclear of the reason, but dared not ask further.
"What time is it, and you're still quarreling over such trivial matters!" Jinde's authority didn't require anger; his pair of cold, snake-like eyes alone made one feel deeply uncomfortable. He coldly shouted, "How many times have I told you? You must prioritize the greater situation!"
Both Guang Yuan and Li Ziheng knew that Jinde's so-called 'greater situation' referred to the struggle for the position of Heir Apparent Disciple, a goal for which they had been striving all along.
Seeing both fall silent, Jinde's tone softened considerably, though it remained somewhat low. "Guang Yuan, how is the cultivation progress of Yuze and the others?"
"Yuze has already broken through to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. He will establish his True Body in a few days."
"Yingyao's cultivation has reached the sixth level of Foundation Establishment..." Grand Steward Guang Yuan reported on the cultivation status of several disciples. These disciples were their key focus, strong candidates for contending for the Heir Apparent Disciple position.
"Good! Excellent!" Jinde nodded, then asked, "Are Jingshan and the others still outside?"
"We received a carrier pigeon message from Jingshan a few days ago. He said they were slaying demons and monsters at Yunhua Mountain."
When mentioning Jingshan, Guang Yuan's face broke into a wide smile. "Jingshan and the others have been training outside all these years and have indeed earned quite a reputation. When the time comes to contend for the Heir Apparent Disciple, we are sure to win."
"Tomorrow, notify Jingshan and have them return as soon as possible."
"Master, isn't there still two years?"
"Last time, the Sect Head emerged from seclusion and indeed promised us that the Heir Apparent Disciple would be selected in two years."
Jinde slightly closed his eyes, toying with the two glass spheres. "However, we cannot just wait like this. The power of the Jiuhua Alliance is growing stronger by the day. If we don't act soon, in two years, the Heir Apparent Disciple position might fall into Shui De's hands. With the Alliance backing him all these years, Shui De has become more and more unrestrained... We cannot wait. Absolutely cannot wait any longer. We must act!"
"Master, I understand. Tomorrow, I will send word to Jingshan and have them return for now."
"Good! Ziheng!" Jinde opened his eyes and instructed further, "Tomorrow, I wish to meet with your family's Old Master to discuss matters."
Li Ziheng replied, "Elder Jinde, rest assured. Our Li Clan will support you with all our strength!"
...
On the surface, Yunxia Sect was calm, but beneath the currents churned.
As for Gu Qingfeng, he remained as usual. In his leisure time, he basked in the sun and drank his little wine. His weak body gradually recovered day by day. Though he didn't deliberately cultivate, every pore in his body served as a dantian, autonomously absorbing spiritual energy around the clock. The spiritual power within him increased daily, and in a few days, he could re-establish his foundation.
Gu Qingfeng was in no hurry.
He had cultivated for five hundred years. He'd had enough of cultivation, grown tired of refining.
In the past, for the sake of cultivation, he hadn't enjoyed a single day of leisure. Now that he had finally found stability, he couldn't be bothered to stir up trouble.
Yet, worldly affairs never seemed to go as one wished.
The heavens never seemed to stand on Gu Qingfeng's side.
This time was no different. Having luckily survived the judgment of the Heavenly Dao, Gu Qingfeng had thought he'd at least get to live a carefree life for a few years, catching up with Huode. But now, he couldn't even leave.
The old fellow followed Gu Qingfeng around all day, serving him good wine and fine food. Even when Gu Qingfeng rested, Huode would squat by the door, afraid he'd run away.
Regarding this, Gu Qingfeng could only feel helpless.
However, what frustrated him most wasn't Huode, but Yunxia Sect's Tude. This old man had knelt for several days now. Having lost all his cultivation, after his Golden Core was gone, his five viscera began to fail, his flesh body aged day by day. Tude's life force flowed away daily; who knew when he might just keel over.
Gu Qingfeng had tried to persuade him, but it was useless. Sect Head Tude just kept kneeling.
He couldn't be bothered to persuade him again.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't a Bodhisattva with a merciful heart. He wasn't a Buddha, nor did he wish to enlighten anyone. If not for Huode's sake, he wouldn't have even glanced at Tude.
Since Tude wanted to kneel, let him kneel.
Gu Qingfeng continued his daily routine: eating, drinking, and sleeping as usual.
It wasn't as if there was nothing interesting these past few days. That little girl Ouyang Ye came over almost every day. Accompanying her was her aunt, called Ouyang Feiyue, who seemed to be the proprietor of First-Grade Manor.
Gu Qingfeng knew these two girls were curious about his identity. Ouyang Ye was fine, young and easy to fool. Her aunt, however, had quite a few tricks up her sleeve, finding all sorts of excuses to probe.
Anyway, with nothing else to do, Gu Qingfeng treated it as amusement. Drinking his little wine, basking in the sun, teasing these two girls—he found it quite entertaining.
That's how a person should live!
This very noon.
Ouyang Ye had just finished lunch and was preparing to head to the rear mountain's Spirit Seclusion Garden when Tan Siru suddenly walked in.
"What are you doing here?"
Ever since witnessing Tan Siru attempt to kill Gu Qingfeng for money in Redleaf Valley, Ouyang Ye's heart could no longer regard her as her Senior Sister.
"Heh! I heard you've been running quite frequently to the Spirit Seclusion Garden these past two days. What! Are you going to see your beloved again today?"
"What's it to you?"
Ouyang Ye felt as if she were under a spell lately. She thought that if she didn't investigate Gu Qingfeng's identity thoroughly, she'd go mad.
"It's none of my business, but can your master not manage you?"
Huh? Master?
Ouyang Ye's heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to ask, a woman walked in.
The woman appeared to be around forty years old, wearing an elegant jade silk robe that gave her a dignified and luxurious air, yet she also gave off a very cold, unapproachable feeling. This was Ouyang Ye's master, True Person Feixue. Within Yunxia Sect, she held multiple positions: Grand Steward, Inner Court Elder, Outer Court Head...
Due to her powerful background, formidable family, coupled with her cold, severe personality and profound cultivation, within Yunxia Sect, one could say no one dared provoke her. Except for the Council Elders, she looked down on everyone.
"Mas... Master, how... when did you return..." Seeing her master, Ouyang Ye immediately became meek.
"Ye'er, you have such nerve!"
True Person Feixue's tone was cold and merciless. Her angry shout frightened Ouyang Ye, whose face paled.
"Earlier, you brought that Gu fellow to Yunxia Sect. I was away on urgent business and couldn't deal with it. I ordered you to enter seclusion. Why did you disobey?!"
"Did I not tell you to sever ties with that Gu fellow? Why did you disobey?!"
"Disobeying is one thing, but you actually indulged him in hitting someone!"
"He hit someone, and you still went to beg Elder Huode to step in and protect him!"
"Ye'er, do you still have me, your master, in your eyes?!"
"Master..." Ouyang Ye's face fell, and she hurriedly explained, "Master, that's not how it was at all. He's not Young Master Chiyan, and I didn't beg Elder Huode to protect him... He and Huode already knew each other..." Before she could finish, True Person Feixue snorted coldly and shouted.
"Enough! Still daring to quibble now? You're getting more and more unrestrained! Starting today, enter seclusion to cultivate! You are not to leave seclusion without my permission!"
Having said that, True Person Feixue turned and left.
"Master!" Ouyang Ye called out anxiously.
True Person Feixue stopped but did not turn her head, shouting back, "Go back and enter seclusion properly! As for that Gu fellow's matter, I will handle it for you!"