Chapter 254: Chapter 129: Subduing with Virtue (Part 2)

If word of this got out, what would be left of his dignity?

Lin Han didn’t stop. Instead, he sped up. The young Daoist before him seemed scared stiff, not moving an inch.

His contempt grew. ’So this is the best a Qingcheng disciple can do? Looks like I’ll have to re-evaluate the Qingcheng Sword Sect’s standing in the Jianghu.’

However, just as his palm was about to close in on the man’s neck, the young Daoist moved.

His hand shot out abruptly, so fast that it appeared under Lin Han’s ribs in the blink of an eye.

Alarmed, Lin Han frantically twisted his body to dodge.

He could no longer press his attack.

Just like that, his move was neutralized.

Lin Han’s expression darkened. In front of so many high-ranking members of various sects, he had failed to defeat a Qingcheng disciple in a single move.

’If word of this gets out,’ he thought, ’how can I compete to become the next of the Kongtong Sect Leader’s Disciples?’

He immediately unleashed his Force, striking at Zhao Rui with the Kongtong Sect’s ultimate skill, the Seven Injuries Fist.

He had initially struck with only thirty percent of his strength, but he abruptly increased it to fifty percent, determined to teach Qingcheng a lesson.

Zhao Rui hadn’t expected him to press the attack after his first one failed. Even a saint has his limits. He immediately unleashed his Seven-Star Palm Force to meet the blow.

As fist met palm, a wave of Qi Force instantly exploded outward, making both their robes billow and rustle violently.

Just then, the rest of the group arrived. Daoist Yu shouted anxiously,

“Stop, quickly! He’s an honored guest from the Kongtong Sect. Don’t hurt him!”

“…”

As soon as he said this, the leaders of the various sects at Daoist Yu’s side all turned to stare at him, stunned.

Lin Han, who was locked in a stalemate, flushed red with anger and humiliation. “Does your Qingcheng Sect look down on me this much?!” he fumed.

He was about to unleash one hundred percent of his Power to settle the score with Zhao Rui.

But before he could, Zhao Rui disengaged, his figure retreating explosively before landing gracefully on the ground some distance away.

He positioned himself to block the entrance to the covered walkway everyone had been heading toward.

“Daoist Yu, I’ll leave this to you! No one can enter for the time being.”

Seeing that the one in charge had arrived, Zhao Rui immediately withdrew from the fight and stood guard quietly at the entrance to the walkway.

Although Daoist Yu didn’t know what was happening, if Zhao Rui said they couldn’t enter, there was definitely a good reason.

He immediately walked up to the still-flushed Daoist Lin Han with an apologetic expression, bowing as he spoke. “A misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding! This man is… he’s an honorary Elder of our Qingcheng Sect.”

“Yes, that’s right, an honorary Elder!”

Daoist Yu was quite impressed with himself for coming up with that title on the spot.

“An honorary Elder?”

Did such a position even exist?

“Amitabha Buddha,” the bald monk from Shaolin immediately intoned, playing peacemaker. “So it was all a misunderstanding. Daoist Lin was merely concerned that with the Qingcheng Sect’s current weakness, you might be vulnerable to opportunists.”

Having failed to defeat Zhao Rui in two moves, Lin Han had already lost a great deal of face. Seeing the Shaolin monk giving him an out, his expression darkened, and he said coldly, “So the Qingcheng Sword Sect is this formidable after all. It seems I was the one being presumptuous.”

“Not at all, not at all! We should be thanking Daoist Lin for his righteous intervention. This was all a misunderstanding!”

Daoist Yu said carefully, a placating smile on his face.

In the Qingcheng Sword Sect’s current state, they were hardly in a position to be assertive.

“A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding,” the Old Sect Leader of the Hundred Fists Sect said, acting as a mediator and changing the subject. “Daoist Yu, I wonder, who is it in the pavilion up ahead that is emitting such a hum of Sword Qi? It seems to be growing more intense.”

“Could it be that your esteemed sect has produced another genius on the level of Daoist Yun Hao? If so, congratulations are in order.”

“About that… please forgive me, but I am not at liberty to say,” Daoist Yu said, hastily trying to change the subject again. “Everyone, the Yuxiao Pill Pavilion is just ahead. Let’s go take a look!”

“Such sharp Sword Qi… it feels rather like my Emei Sect’s Sword Intent,” the nun leading the Emei delegation said, her eyes narrowing. “Have any of your Qingcheng Disciples ever visited the Emei Sect? Why don’t we all go have a look? Surely, in broad daylight, the Qingcheng Sword Sect has nothing it needs to hide?”

“You are mistaken, Master. My Qingcheng Sect has its own Skillful Methods. We would not covet your Emei’s Cultivation Techniques.”

“If that’s the case, then let us all go have a look together.”

Before coming, the Emei Master had been instructed by Liao Jing to find out what was truly happening at the Qingcheng Sect.

How could Qingcheng have possibly resisted the Demon’s invasion all on its own?

The matter was undeniably suspicious.

But Qingcheng had never invited anyone from Emei to their mountain, so they couldn’t just show up unannounced.

This, however, was a perfect opportunity. And judging by the secretive behavior of the Qingcheng members, something was definitely afoot.

Lin Han was still brooding over having lost face to Zhao Rui. Seeing the Emei Master’s proposal, he immediately chimed in, “Indeed. Or does the Qingcheng Sword Sect think that just because they slew a Demon, they no longer need to give the rest of our sects any consideration?”

This heavy accusation made the already troubled expression on Yu Zhengnan’s face turn even more bitter.

Zhao Rui, listening from the side, was getting angry. ’This guy from the Kongtong Sect is a real piece of work, always slapping labels on people.’

He was about to retort with a few sarcastic remarks when his ears twitched. He then said, “Daoist Yu, let them pass.”

With that, he stepped aside.

Yu Zhengnan was taken aback for a moment, but he didn’t hesitate. He immediately turned to the side and gestured for the group to proceed.

The Emei Master hesitated for a second, but then strode toward the covered walkway.

Before she even reached the walkway, they heard the sound of light footsteps from within. A moment later, a young woman dressed in the attire of the Emei Sword Sect walked out slowly.

“Uncle Master! I was the one who released the Sword Qi!”

The young woman was, of course, Bai Xuening. She had just finished her comprehension and came out when she heard the commotion.

“Xuening? You…”

The Emei Master’s cry of surprise left the rest of the group stunned. After all that fuss, the person inside was one of their own from Emei?

“I just comprehended Sword Intent. This Daoist from Qingcheng was acting as my Guardian,” Bai Xuening explained concisely.

At these words, a look of pure joy spread across the Emei Master’s face. “You comprehended Sword Intent?” she asked, unable to contain herself.

“Yes, I have!”

“Wonderful! Amitabha Buddha! The heavens have blessed the Emei Sect!”

The Emei Master was so overjoyed she couldn’t help but recite the prayer.

Their conversation only further proved that the entire affair had been a colossal misunderstanding.

Lin Han’s face was as black as coal.

Just then, Zhao Rui sneered. “Master, as the saying goes, the feud for obstructing one’s path to enlightenment is irreconcilable. I wonder, does the Emei Sect intend to demand an explanation for what this gentleman from Kongtong just did?”

“You…”

Lin Han hadn’t expected Zhao Rui to level such a heavy accusation against him. ’If the Emei Sect or this young woman decides to take this seriously,’ he thought, ’what else could it be called but the feud of obstructing her path?’

“Master, please don’t listen to his nonsense,” Lin Han hurriedly explained to the Emei Master. “I had no such intention whatsoever. This was purely an accident.”

“Please, Uncle Master, I ask you to seek justice for me!”

Bai Xuening had already been told what happened by Zhao Rui via voice transmission. She had no favorable impression of the Kongtong disciple who had nearly interrupted her moment of comprehension, so she immediately made her plea to the Emei Master.

“Xuening!”

The Emei Master’s brow furrowed. She shot Bai Xuening a look, silently warning her not to cause more trouble.

Then she turned to Lin Han, pressed her palms together, and said,

“Please rest easy, Fellow Daoist Lin. This humble nun understands the cause of this incident, and it has nothing to do with you.”

Clearly, she had no desire to antagonize the Kongtong Sect over such a matter.

“Your wisdom is clear, Master. I am deeply grateful!” Hearing this, the tension on Lin Han’s face immediately eased, and he hurriedly thanked the Emei Master.

“Tsk, tsk. You’re certainly patient, Master,” Zhao Rui taunted from the side. “If Nun Liao Jing found out about this, I wonder if she’d be angry enough to strike you down with her Qiushui Changtian Sword!”

“Brat, stop trying to sow discord! If you have any guts, settle this with me for real!” Lin Han was furious. He challenged Zhao Rui by name, wanting to settle the score once and for all.

Zhao Rui was delighted. ’An offer this good?’

He immediately said, “For real? You won’t go back on your word?”

“If I go back on my word, I will never set foot on Qingcheng Mountain again!” Lin Han said coldly.

“No, don’t say that. If you don’t come, how will we collect entrance fees? How about this: if you lose, from now on, any Kongtong disciples who visit Qingcheng Mountain are forbidden from carrying any weapons!”

“That…”

“Oh, you can’t make that call? Should we bet on something else, then?”

“Fine! It’s a deal. Brat, let’s see what you’re really made of.”

Lin Han felt like every word out of Zhao Rui’s mouth was getting under his skin.

In all his years of martial arts practice, he had never suffered such “humiliation.”

“Daoist Yu, please prepare a space for us!” Lin Han said in a cold voice to Yu Zhengnan.

Yu Zhengnan looked at Zhao Rui, unsure of what to do.

“Go on,” Zhao Rui said with a faint smile. “Our guests have made a request. The Qingcheng Sword Sect has always been known to win people over with virtue.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep