“Please calm down, fellow disciples. We’re all on the same side—no ill will here.” Murong Qiufeng hurriedly stood up, lifted the curtain, and stepped out, smiling as he soothed the two men whose faces betrayed a determination to go down together.
The Xianjian Sect also had its hierarchy, though it wasn’t strictly enforced. Although Murong Qiufeng had been in the sect for five years, he hadn’t ventured out much initially due to health issues. Later, because of Yun Feiyang’s personal preferences, he rarely interacted with others in the sect.
Though he joined late and technically belonged to the junior generation, his status soared after being taken as a direct disciple by the Revered Sword Saint. Many should address him as “Great-Grandmaster,” but his youth made him uncomfortable with such formalities. Instead, he mostly called those older than him “senior brother” or “senior sister.”
Yun Feiyang doted on him to the core, so such minor details naturally went unnoticed. The Sword Saint Reverend was rarely seen, appearing only occasionally to teach him martial arts when inspired, then leaving him to ponder before wandering off again. He never formally introduced Yun Feiyang to the sect, so while many knew the master had taken another direct disciple, few knew who it was.
This explained why they now stood before each other without recognition.
Shangguan Ye chuckled at the phrase “one of us,” shedding his icy demeanor as he rose and glided over to Murong Qiufeng like sticky candy. Raising an eyebrow at the two men—their faces a mix of astonishment, confusion, and scrutiny—he remarked, “Seems fate has indeed swept away the Dragon King’s temple.”
≈,..
The two exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed. Though their faces still bore a guarded look, it was tinged with curiosity. They scrutinized Murong Qiufeng, sizing him up from head to toe. “Senior Brother? Could it be that you are also a member of our sect? May I ask your name?”
“I am Murong Qiufeng, also a disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect. My apologies for any offense caused earlier, fellow seniors.” Murong Qiufeng introduced himself with good grace, his expression apologetic.
Upon hearing the name Murong Qiufeng, however, the two men’s expressions abruptly changed. Their eyes widened as they scrutinized him once more, particularly that enviably handsome face. Their expressions then straightened completely. They tore off the masks covering their faces, clasped their hands before their chests, bowed their heads, and respectfully declared in unison, “Xiao Yan and Yan Qiren, eighth-generation disciples of Fengling Pavilion, pay our respects to our great-uncle.”
Murong Qiufeng’s lips twitched. This title always left him speechless. Shaking his head helplessly, he corrected them, “Brother Xiao, Brother Yan, no need for such formality. Just call me Qiufeng.” Being addressed as senior disciple by those several years his senior always made him uncomfortable.
Both replied in unison, “Grandmaster, propriety must not be neglected.” Only then did he continue, “Grandmaster Uncle, are you returning to the sect? And who are these gentlemen?”
Upon learning they were allies, both finally exhaled in relief. Their relief quickly turned to excitement—since they were on his side, they would surely aid the Immortal Sword Sect. With their master absent and Senior Brother Feiyang gone, having such masters assist them couldn’t be better.
Murong Qiufeng didn’t immediately introduce them. Instead, he turned to look at the Snow Demon Sage and Elder Bai Feng. Seeing them shake their heads slightly, he said, “These two elders are close friends of our Master. This is… Ye. Please come in and sit down first. Tell us what exactly happened to the Immortal Sword Sect?”
Shangguan Ye raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased with Murong Qiufeng’s brief introduction. Truthfully, he’d have preferred Murong Qiufeng to declare openly, ‘This is my beloved husband.’ But he knew that was impossible. Of course, he didn’t dwell on it.
Hearing they were the master’s old friends, the two men grew even more respectful. They hurriedly clasped their hands in a bow and said, “We apologize for any offense earlier, honored seniors.” They then nodded amicably at Shangguan Ye.
“Enough with the pleasantries,” the Snow Demon Elder said impatiently while sipping his tea. “Answer Feng’s question. What exactly is going on with the Immortal Sword Sect?” ” Snow Demon Sage said impatiently while sipping his tea.
The two looked at Murong Qiu Feng with some surprise. They had originally thought that Murong Qiu Feng and his group knew about the Immortal Sword Sect and had come specifically to help. Now…
However, they didn’t ask. Instead, they simply gave a brief explanation.
Their guesses were largely correct—most accusations targeted Yun Feiyang. Yet some deliberately implicated the Immortal Sword Sect, for Yun Feiyang’s Twilight Wind Tower was the premier intelligence network in the martial world, while the Immortal Sword Sect was a major sect. It wasn’t hard for others to speculate that the Immortal Sword Sect sought to dominate the martial world, even pinning the bloody incidents involving other sects on them.
Some even claimed that both the Mufeng Tower and the Tiansha Pavilion were secretly established by the Xianjian Sect as its left and right arms.
The two major factions, one scholarly and one martial, had long coexisted peacefully. Yet suddenly, conflict erupted between them, only to seem to collude shortly after. Coinciding with this, bloody incidents kept occurring. It was hard not to suspect that the Xianjian Sect had deemed the time ripe and was preparing to seize control of the martial world.
This siege demanding answers from Yun Feiyang was merely a probe sent by the major sects. They feared that if this test yielded any clues, the martial world would truly erupt, with all arrows pointing at the Xianjian Sect.
Absolute dominance by a single faction is untenable anywhere—whether in the imperial court or the martial world. Balance must be maintained. Even if the Immortal Sword Sect harbors no intent to kill or dominate, should such a threat appear, those factions would inevitably find pretexts to suppress or even eliminate it.
What is the Mufeng Tower? What is the Tiansha Pavilion? The combined might of these two top-tier forces alone is enough to inspire fear. Add to that a sect backed by the martial world’s supreme master, and the stakes are even higher.
“If that’s the case, then why isn’t anyone targeting the Heavenly Execution Pavilion? Wouldn’t it be more practical to get the truth directly from the two leaders at this point?” Murong Qiufeng spoke, looking at Shangguan Ye with some confusion. Why did it seem like all the suspicion was directed at his senior brother, while the Heavenly Execution Pavilion, equally mired in rumors and suspicion, remained eerily quiet?
This wasn’t suspicion toward Shangguan Ye, merely confusion over the motives of those spreading the rumors.
Shangguan Ye frowned in thought, offering no immediate reply. He too seemed perplexed.
It was the frail youth named Yan Qiren who spoke up. “Though the Heavenly Slayer Pavilion is hailed as the premier pavilion in the martial world, it remains an assassins’ guild. Many dare not provoke it lightly. Moreover, the sect’s leader, Tian Sha, is a figure known only by name—no one has ever seen him. And since no one knows the exact location of the Tian Sha Sect, unless they choose to appear, it’s as if they’ve vanished into thin air. Others simply can’t find them to cause trouble.”
“Exactly,” chimed in the man beside Yan Qiren, now restored to his true appearance. ” “Who knows what those blind fools are thinking? How could the Heavenly Slayer Pavilion possibly belong to the Immortal Sword Sect? That Heavenly Slayer Pavilion Master is rumored to be a ruthless demonic overlord, a true fiend who kills as easily as slicing watermelon. Once marked, no one escapes. Our Immortal Sword Sect is, at the very least, a reputable orthodox sect. How could we possibly associate with such a wicked entity?”
Murong Qiufeng’s lips tightened slightly as he turned his head, casting a half-smiling, half-mocking glance at Shangguan Ye.
Leave a Reply