Kuai raised his eyebrows.
He did have selfish motives, but ultimately, he was considering the sect.
Sunset Peak opened the argument directly, making Ge Lan explode with anger.
“Watch your words, Second Senior Brother. That’s not how it happened.”
“At that time, Yun Liu’s Qi Sea was damaged, making Foundation Establishment hopeless. Our Qingxia lineage did everything we could to save him, and only then did we discover the truth by accident. Did any of you care back then? Now you come to question us, pretending to care about other peaks’ beloved disciples—don’t you find it laughable?”
“…”
The disciples of the four peaks kept their eyes down, focusing on themselves.
Everyone had heard about the matter, but no one had taken it to heart.
Each person sweeps the snow from their own doorstep, not caring about the frost on others’ roofs.
In the end, the five peaks of Shenhua each acted independently, and even within the inner sect, the divisions were deep.
The Grand Elder took it all in silently, his expression dark, unable to refute.
Perhaps this was the true reason for the decline of the Sea of Clouds.
Maybe the ancestors should never have split the sword sect into five peaks from the start, leading to fellow disciples becoming strangers and the toxic atmosphere becoming entrenched.
Ge Lan scanned the room and sneered.
“Even if we take ten thousand steps back, before Yun Liu joined Tianxiang Peak, he belonged to my Qingxia Peak, not Falling Cloud Peak. Liu Junior Sister’s son still has to call me Second Mother. Our Qingxia Peak’s household matters aren’t for outsiders to point fingers at!”
Bringing up old affairs, the plump face of the Sunset Peak’s First Seat lit up with laughter.
This was true enough.
Back then, Yunming’s bold pursuit of Liu Ru shook the five peaks—it was known that even the sect turned a blind eye, with his heart set on Qingxia.
After they became Dao Companions, it was Liu Ru who called the shots in the Yun Clan, completely disregarding the prestige of being a First Peak Core Disciple, much to the Grand Elder’s frustration.
“Then why did you, Second Mother, let your son run off?”
“Did you run out of milk for him, can’t even compare to a You Girl?”
“Fart! Was I the one who let him go? It was clearly—”
The conversation between the two First Seats grew cruder and more vulgar, completely unlike the revered immortals they appeared to be.
A group of juniors wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, holding back and pretending to be troubled to set the mood.
“Enough.”
“Arguing now is pointless. What matters is how to fix this.”
“We absolutely cannot let other disciples become as disheartened as the Yun Clan descendants.”
The First Seat of Mist-Hidden Peak rubbed his tired eyes, mediating weakly.
“As far as I know, Liu Ru and Yunming traveled north to Cangmang for the Dao Inquiry, their fates unknown. So they entrusted their young son to Bingling. As his legal guardian, she has the most right to explain.”
Everyone looked around.
There was no sign of the Ice Fairy in Dragon Subduing Hall.
“Where’s Little Aunt Master…?”
“Do you even need to ask?”
“Of course, she was so angry with her disciple she ran off in shame. Who could withstand her bad temper on Tianxiang Peak? Could you? I couldn’t!”
The straightforward First Seat of Sunset Peak slapped his belly, his words running straight from brain to mouth.
Qingxia’s First Seat folded her arms and lifted her chest in mockery.
“If you have the guts, go say it to her face!”
“Quiet!”
The Vice Sect Leader yanked off his wig, revealing a gleaming bald head.
His old face scrunched up, utterly losing any semblance of a lofty immortal.
“Can anyone explain to me what in the world happened here?”
“…”
The Grand Elder was angry—the consequences would be severe.
The two arguing First Seats shut their mouths at once.
No one spoke.
The old man turned to look at Ge Lan, his gaze filled with grievance.
“Looking at me won’t help.”
“If I were a few hundred years younger, would those flashy-haired brats outside get to run wild? I’d have dragged him back myself, even with a big belly!”
Ge Lan’s fierce words were like a tiger’s roar, her beautiful face fierce as she seemed to lament some useless fool for not learning a thing from her or Liu Ru Shishu.
Qin Yao blushed, her feet together, staring at her toes, her heart in chaos.
?
A string of question marks hovered above everyone’s heads.
Truly worthy of being Head Lan—there was nothing she wouldn’t say.
“Still, this is a bit much…”
The Grand Elder’s mouth twitched.
“Elder Wang is right.”
“The one who tied the bell must untie it.”
The Elders agreed with the Mist-Hidden Peak First Seat’s words.
Though they didn’t know exactly why Yun Liu left the sect, eight or nine out of ten believed it was related to Yan Bingling.
What kind of foster mother leads to what kind of foster child.
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Why not try moving him with emotion and reason, use love and sincerity to change his heart?”
“Which bastard spouted that nonsense? Stand up!”
“Who’s going to move him? You? Or should I humble myself? Whether he’ll even see us is still a question!”
The Grand Elder’s beard bristled and his eyes bulged.
The idiot who had spoken ducked down in a hurry.
Ge Lan hesitated, then sighed again.
Looking at An’er’s dazed expression, it was clear she was hopeless—her soul had been stolen, she’d follow with a mere crook of a finger.
If Yun Liu wanted to leave, as the Senior Sister, Qin Cha wouldn’t stop him—she’d count herself lucky if she didn’t help him out the door!
The high-level members of the four peaks argued endlessly, the so-called sect meeting dragging on until dusk, accomplishing nothing but empty words.
As for plans to sway the Master of Jueyun Peak, not a single useful proposal emerged.
The Grand Elder had no choice but to end the meeting, temporarily withholding approval for Yun Liu and Ji Shiyu’s resignation and deciding to reconsider later.
During the meeting, news arrived—the Shanhai Pavilion had set up in Shenhua Pavilion.
From now on, heads would often meet, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.
Sect Leader Senior Brother had left a backup plan after all—ceding land to the Shanhai Pavilion, inviting the Little Steward into the Cloud Sea once more.
A small fortune in the midst of misfortune.
Within Dragon Subduing Hall, the bald old First Seat sat alone in silent meditation, his aged face showing exhaustion, entirely different from his earlier comedic manner.
Viewed on a small scale, this was a simple misunderstanding.
On a larger scale, it was a great lost opportunity.
Would the Five Peaks of the Sea of Clouds fall for good, or would they rise again and regain their former glory?
A young disciple’s single decision would tip the scales.
It sounded almost absurd.
Only then did the Grand Elder realize how far the Shenhua Sect had declined.
“Senior Brother…”
“I’m here.”
From the shadows came the hunched old man guarding the Illusion Pavilion, his expression calm, as if he was not at all concerned.
“Is my Sword Sect truly doomed to never return to its peak?”
“With such a great opportunity lost before my eyes, as the acting Sect Leader of the First Peak, I am ashamed before the ancestors.”
The Old Sect Leader smiled slightly.
“What is yours will always be yours.”
“What isn’t yours cannot be forced to remain.”
Such a great Dao—uncontested.
But if you don’t compete, don’t fight, are you just waiting for fortune to fall from the sky?
The Grand Elder smiled bitterly and shook his head, unable to understand such a state.
“Is that Yun brat’s whereabouts truly so important?”
“Whether fortune or fate, it’s better to let things take their natural course than to force it. Good karma will always bear good fruit.”
The Grand Elder nodded, then shook his head.
So be it.
For now, the only hope was to place trust in the Little Aunt Master.
The immortals of the sect had analyzed the situation thoroughly, believing someone was suffering great grievances in an icy cave, unable to endure further.
Yet they could never have guessed that Yun Liu was simply lying in a more comfortable position, with no resentment toward the sect or his master—only a lack of belonging.