The crowd at the banquet was shocked to see Qin Mengyu actually trading blows with Zhang Xun.
“Look, that’s the Holy Maiden of the Dan Sect! She’s actually fighting Elder Zhang Xun to a standstill!”
“He is a powerhouse of the Soul Formation Realm! Even if he only recently broke through, he is still a genuine Soul Formation expert. I didn’t expect that aside from her superb alchemy, the Holy Maiden’s strength would be so terrifying.”
“In that case, her sister Qin Ruoshuang won’t be much weaker either. Hiss, the Qin Family has truly produced two monsters.”
The exchange between the two captured the attention of almost everyone present.
“Enough! This matter ends here!”
A heavy voice rang out, and an old man dressed in fiery red robes approached.
“It’s Elder Huo from the Law Enforcement Hall!”
When Zhang Xun saw Elder Huo, his heart sank. These days, the Sect Master held absolute power over the Law Enforcement Hall, and the Qin Family sisters were very close to her.
Elder Huo looked at Zhang Xun and said, “Zhang Xun, you are not exactly a child anymore. Why would you be so impulsive as to fight a junior?”
“As a dignified Elder, you not only used force without permission but also attacked the Holy Maiden. Either apologize now, or we can go settle this with the Sect Master.”
Zhang Xun’s face turned ashen.
He was no match for Elder Huo.
Unlike him, who had just reached the Soul Formation Realm, Elder Huo had broken through several hundred years ago.
“I was impulsive this time. My apologies to the Holy Maiden.”
Zhang Xun had no choice but to swallow his pride.
If this matter reached the Sect Master, he would certainly suffer the consequences.
After speaking, Zhang Xun flicked his sleeves and stormed off.
***
“Hmph! I said it before—Zhang Xun is just too weak! Sending him was useless; he couldn’t even beat Qin Mengyu. He has made our Elder Council lose all face!”
A thin, middle-aged man with a twitching mustache grumbled. His name was Mo Jiayan.
“I didn’t expect the Qin Family sisters’ cultivation to reach such a level. It seems the plan needs to change.”
A middle-aged man who looked like a scholar stroked his beard.
His name was Duan Zejiang.
Eight figures sat here, all members of the Elder Council.
In the past, there would have been at least twenty people, but now Lu Qian had begun to consolidate her power.
Not only was she dividing the Elder Council, but she was also suppressing them step by step.
The once-prosperous council was now depleted of talent.
This debt would eventually be settled with Lu Qian.
“Bad news! Bad news! Someone has come to the door!”
A disciple ran in frantically, gasping for breath as he spoke.
“Oh? Someone actually dares to come here and cause trouble?”
Duan Zejiang narrowed his eyes. It seemed that now that the Elder Council was weak, every random nobody thought they could trample over them.
“Who is it?”
A cold glint flashed in Duan Zejiang’s eyes.
“It’s… it’s a woman,” the disciple stammered.
“A woman? Fine, fine! Another woman! Do women think they can step all over our heads now?”
Mo Jiayan roared in anger.
He waved his hand dismissively.
“Fetch my Nine-Ring Broadsword!”
Once the disciple brought the weapon, Mo Jiayan stood up, drained his bowl of wine, and crushed the porcelain with a crack.
He looked aggressive and imposing.
“Wait, Brother Mo!”
Duan Zejiang looked at the disciple and asked, “Did the visitor give a name? Or do you recognize her?”
The disciple replied tremblingly, “I recognize her! I recognize her! Not just me—I’m sure all of you Elders recognize her too!”
“Oh?”
Hearing this, Mo Jiayan became interested. A woman they all knew?
“Stop beating around the bush. What’s her name?” Mo Jiayan urged.
The disciple was startled by Mo Jiayan’s aura and immediately blurted out, “It’s Lu Qian, Sect Master Lu!”
“Ouch!”
Mo Jiayan suddenly propped himself up with his broadsword, holding his forehead with one hand.
“This wine has a hell of a kick. My head is still spinning.”
The other Elders: “…”
“My, my. Are you planning to spar with me with that broadsword?”
A pleasant voice drifted in as the graceful woman in green walked through the door.
The moment they saw her, everyone present snapped to attention.
Duan Zejiang leaned toward Mo Jiayan and whispered, “Brother Mo, let’s not lose our dignity here!”
Mo Jiayan glared at Duan Zejiang. It was easy for him to talk!
This was Lu Qian—a total demonic head! Mo Jiayan wasn’t crazy enough to go looking for trouble with her.
“Haha! The Sect Master must be joking. I was just… just… right! I was planning to perform a sword dance to entertain the Sect Master!”
As he spoke, Mo Jiayan actually raised the broadsword and performed a few clumsy moves.
“Is that so?”
Lu Qian’s beautiful eyes glanced indifferently at Mo Jiayan.
“Then keep dancing until I leave.”
Mo Jiayan: “…”
‘Wait, I was just saying that! You actually took me seriously?!’
Lu Qian found an empty seat and sat down.
She scanned the room and said, “You all instigated the matter with Zhang Xun, didn’t you?”
“This…”
The Elders exchanged looks. None of them expected that a small pawn like Zhang Xun would bring the Sect Master here in person.
‘What should we say?’
‘How should I know? Tell the truth?’
‘Are you crazy? Tell the truth?! The Sect Master is just looking for an excuse to cause more trouble for us. Do you want to die faster?’
‘Then what do we do?’
‘I think we’re screwed.’
The Elders communicated rapidly via secret transmissions.
“Well? Have you decided?”
Lu Qian sipped some tea. These old guys in the council really knew how to enjoy life; this tea was top-grade.
“Hehe, since the Sect Master has graced our humble abode, there is no need for all this talk of killing. It’s too crude. We are all civilized people!”
Duan Zejiang said with his scholar-like air, making it sound somewhat convincing.
“Civilized?”
Lu Qian chuckled softly.
“Elder Duan, if I recall correctly, didn’t you just take your newly recruited female disciple as a concubine?”
Hearing Lu Qian’s words, Duan Zejiang’s face turned beet red.
The other Elders looked at him in shock, their expressions saying: ‘I didn’t expect this! You, a scholar always preaching about propriety and shame, actually did something like that in secret!’
Mo Jiayan’s mouth hung open in an “O” shape.
He was close with Duan Zejiang, but he never realized the man was like this in private!
The other Elders also wore expressions of “so you’re that kind of person.”
If he could transform, Duan Zejiang would have turned into a worm and crawled into the ground.
With one sentence, Lu Qian had taken out the Council’s smoothest talker. The Elder Council was now defenseless.
“I can act as if today’s matter never happened. However, the size of the Elder Council will be reduced by 10%.”
Lu Qian spoke calmly.
A 10% reduction was neither too light nor too heavy.
Although the council was smaller than before, the remaining members were tough nuts to crack.
She had to chip away at them however she could.
“No way!”
Mo Jiayan stopped his sword dance.
This was no joke.
The council was already weak; another 10% reduction and they wouldn’t even be a council anymore.
They might as well call it a retirement home!
“Is that so…?”
Suddenly, Lu Qian gave a beautiful smile.
That night, rumors said that screams like those of a slaughtered pig echoed from within the Elder Council.
Disciples passing by thought the Elders were holding a banquet.
The next morning, the Elder Council issued an official notice stating that since the Sect Master had “earnestly moved them with emotion and reason,” they would reduce their size by 10% to save the sect’s funds.