"The Crimson-Letter Sect's own problems?"
Gu Qingfeng stood up, stretching lazily, and asked casually, "What problems?"
"This..." Fei Kui bowed his head, seeming somewhat hesitant. After a moment's thought, he finally responded, "Young Master, this humble one merely works under Lord Black Buddha and is not a member of the Crimson-Letter Sect. What I know of their problems mostly comes from hearsay. I dare not judge their veracity."
"It's fine."
Gu Qingfeng walked into the flowerbed, plucked a delicate, vibrant bloom as he raised his hand, brought it to his nose for a sniff, then gently reattached it. He said lightly, "Just tell me what you've heard."
"When I first arrived in Yanluo Kingdom some years ago, I heard that there have always been factional disputes within the Crimson-Letter Sect here."
"What factions?"
"One side is the Old Chixiao Veterans, the other is the Crimson-Letter Sect proper."
As he spoke, Fei Kui kept observing Gu Qingfeng's expression, noticing no trace of disgust or aversion. He continued.
"The so-called Old Chixiao Veterans are naturally the seniors who followed the Chixiao Monarch in conquering the world back in the day. The so-called Crimson-Letter Sect refers to the Chixiao Army formed when the Chixiao People issued the Crimson Supreme Seal Decree to quell the chaos after the Monarch departed, the Immortal Dynasty fell, and demons ran rampant...
These people were a motley crew, from all walks of life and every conceivable background."
Gu Qingfeng nodded. He had heard Old Man Huode mention this. It seemed Old Master and a few others had taken the lead. To quell the chaos, they had no choice but to recall the old brothers of the Chixiao Sect. However, the turmoil was too widespread; the strength of the Chixiao Sect alone was far from enough. They could only expand their ranks temporarily, thus giving birth to the so-called Crimson-Letter Sect.
Truth be told, the demonic chaos back then was somewhat related to him. In ancient times, though the Immortal Dynasty was tyrannical, it could at least keep the demons in check. After he overthrew the Immortal Dynasty, the demons ran wild. Naturally, he couldn't absolve himself of responsibility.
Old Master issuing the Crimson Supreme Seal Decree to quell the chaos was, in a way, cleaning up the mess he had made.
This point was very clear to Gu Qingfeng. He had never denied it. In fact, even back then, after overthrowing the Immortal Dynasty, he had already anticipated that the world's order would inevitably descend into chaos.
Not only had he anticipated it, he had even discussed it with Old Master back then.
Only, they hadn't come up with a suitable solution.
If the old brothers of the Chixiao Sect were to dominate the world after overthrowing the Immortal Dynasty, it simply wouldn't last. Though the Immortal Dynasty was destroyed, the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao still loomed above. Leaving aside the fact that he had to leave back then, even if he had stayed in this world, he wasn't confident he could withstand the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao.
And that wasn't even his greatest worry.
What truly worried him was that sharing hardship was easy, but sharing prosperity was hard.
Even back in the Chixiao Sect days, some brothers who had gone through life and death together had turned against each other over matters of interest.
Gu Qingfeng simply couldn't imagine, nor could he guarantee, what would happen if the Chixiao Sect ruled this world and conflicts arose again. He didn't want the brothers who had fought alongside him to end up turning on each other over trivial matters.
Precisely for this reason, back then, he could only personally bury the Chixiao Sect, letting them all retire into seclusion. This was a solution born of having no better alternative.
As the saying goes, the general trend of the world is that long division must unite, and long union must divide.
If even sworn brothers who had shared life and death could turn against each other, it was only a matter of time before the later-formed Crimson-Letter Sect, filled with all sorts of characters, would do the same for profit. Add to that the Immortal Dynasty fanning the flames, and it would be strange if the so-called Crimson-Letter Sect *didn't* have conflicts.
Therefore.
Hearing Fei Kui say there were conflicts between the Chixiao People and the Crimson-Letter Sect within Yanluo Kingdom didn't surprise him in the least.
"Continue."
Gu Qingfeng sat back down in his chair, taking occasional sips of wine.
"Initially, I heard there weren't many conflicts. After the Modern Era began, as most Old Chixiao Veterans lived in seclusion and rarely interfered with the branch affairs of the Crimson-Letter Sect, some Crimson-Letter members took the opportunity to amass wealth on a large scale. When the Old Chixiao Veterans found out, the two sides even came to blows. Though things calmed down later, the conflict started from there."
"The Old Chixiao Veterans hope everyone keeps a low profile and focuses on cultivation..."
"While the Crimson-Letter Sect uses its formidable reputation to amass wealth on a large scale..." Gu Qingfeng listened, then asked, "It's probably not just the Crimson-Letter Sect amassing wealth, right? Haven't the Chixiao People done it too?"
"This..." Fei Kui stole a glance at Gu Qingfeng's expression and replied, "Yes...
Though not many, there are quite a few."
"And some have defected to the Immortal Dynasty too?"
"I've heard so, but as for the specifics, this humble one dares not speculate."
Whether it was Chixiao People amassing wealth or defecting to the Immortal Dynasty, it was all within Gu Qingfeng's expectations. To be honest, while such things filled him with helplessness, that was all it was—helplessness. He wasn't angry, nor furious. One could even say he understood.
Human nature was a complex thing. He never used his own moral standards to bind others.
After all, everyone had their own aspirations.
No one had the right to demand anything of anyone.
However, if someone with the Blood Fiend Aura flowing in their veins and the Dragon-Elephant Spirit on their shoulders were to defect to the Immortal Dynasty... that was a bit hard to justify.
The Blood Fiend Aura was forged from the blood of the Chixiao Sect brothers.
The Dragon-Elephant Spirit contained the soul of the Great Hidden Dragon-Elephant.
And back in the day, many Chixiao Sect brothers had died at the hands of the Immortal Dynasty. The Great Hidden Dragon-Elephant had even been judged by the Immortal Dao while protecting all the brothers.
It wasn't that Chixiao People couldn't defect to the Immortal Dynasty.
But they absolutely could not do so while still bearing the Blood Fiend Aura and the Dragon-Elephant Spirit. That was Gu Qingfeng's bottom line, his principle as a Human.
"You just said the Crimson-Letter Sect in Yanluo Kingdom is now divided into two factions, one led by Black Buddha Lord Dong Laohu. Who leads the other? Is it also a Chixiao Person?"
Fei Kui raised his head, his lips moving slightly before he nodded.
"Who is it?"
"Lord Hei Xin."
Hearing 'Hei Xin', Gu Qingfeng's eyebrows immediately shot up. "Which Hei Xin? What's his name?"
"He is on par with Lord Black Buddha, one of the seventy-two Earth Fiends of the Chixiao Sect back then—Hei Xin, the Earth Fiend. His surname is Zhou, given name Taihe. People call him Lord Hei Xin."
"Zhou Taihe."
Gu Qingfeng remembered this name. Not only did he remember it, his impression was quite deep.
Back then.
Although the Chixiao Sect was a band of poor brothers, as the sect rose to power, some brothers began to change. They forgot their original intentions, grew arrogant, often bullied others relying on their influence, and even clamored to overthrow the Immortal Dynasty, replace it, and dominate the world.
There were many such people back then. They nearly caused the Chixiao Sect to split apart. Although Gu Qingfeng used thunderous means to suppress the matter back then, he only suppressed it. He truly couldn't bring himself to kill the sworn brothers who had fought through life and death alongside him.
My sincere apologies for not updating during the New Year due to some matters. Updates will resume tomorrow, and I will make up for what was missed!