Chapter 153: Shizun's Most Hated Sect Leader

As mad as he was, they still needed to be on their way.

After bidding farewell to Mei Hanxue, they headed upwards to Dacheng City,

and after over an hour of walking, they finally arrived at the number one largest sect in the world——Rufeng Sect of Linyi.

From the name, it was clear that Rufeng Sect was situated in Linyi, and seventy-two big and small immortal mansions were built in a long stretch within the city. Since the mansions were massive estates and it'd take at least a whole meal's worth of time on horseback to go from the front entrance to the back entrance, these mansions were matter-of-factly called "cities". The seventy-two cities of the Rufeng Sect each had their own duties, their ranking system clear,

and evidently a whole world of difference compared to the measly pot of weeds that was Sisheng Peak; they stood on completely different levels. Even Xue Meng, who despised the people of the Upper Cultivation World, couldn't help but be stunned at the entrance to the cities.

Rufeng Sect; descendents of the divine.

Those words did not describe them falsely.

The city they came to was the main city, which was also the largest metropolis of Rufeng Sect. White-walled and black-tiled roofs, the buildings reached the skies. There were four towers at each corner of the city, grand and majestic, and at all four directions of North, East, South, West stood a stone que of the constellations. The main city gate was painted red and lined with gold, and the road that expanded outward was at least five meters wide, a grand road that stretched on for so long it went out of sight, paved with Qi-Refinement stones.

With this rock, one only needed to stand upon it and do nothing else, and spiritual power would gather. Although the effect of the rocks was minimal, many little made a mickle, so every one of these rocks could cost over a thousand gold.

Xue Zhengyong marveled, "It's so nice to be rich…" Madam Wang chuckled at this. "Would you want to pave a Qi-Refinement stone road for Sisheng Peak too, if you had the money?" "Nah, I would pave a market square in every village in the Lower Cultivation World. These rocks are rife with spiritual power, little ghosts and monsters won't dare to go close, so if every village can have such a square, then when demons and monsters wreak havoc, the people will be able to hide out for a while in the event our disciples can't make it on time." Xue Zhengyong talked on, but when he counted with his fingers, he shook his head. "Unfortunately we don't have the money for it." Xue Meng sighed too, having heard. "Sisheng Peak, ah, is a little poor." "Yeah." Xue Zhengyong nodded enthusiastically. "Rufeng Sect and us are both of the same cultivation path, who knows where they earned so much money." Just then, Chu Wanning who had been quiet the entire time, spoke up, "Does my lord know how much exorcism requests to regular disciples of Rufeng Sect cost?" "I've never heard. How much?" Chu Wanning showed four fingers.

"Four hundred silver?" Xue Zhengyong's eyes widened. "That expensive?" "Four thousand gold," Chu Wanning said.

"..." "The Upper Cultivation World is full of a great number of wealthy merchants,

so it is easy for Rufeng Sect to acquire profit. How can Sect Leader reach their level when you only charge eighty silver for each request? Not to mention the times Sect Leader did not accept payment at all." Chu Wanning's eyes were gentle despite his words. "Come. Let us enter the city."       There was a proper etiquette for prominent sects to receive guests, and the ceremony department of Rufeng Sect had been waiting at the city gates over the past few days. While they were full of smiles, they knew quite well who the guests were, as well as their precise status.

For rogue travelers and small time cultivators, the ceremony department would accompany them to visit around, then direct them to their housing. As for small sects with some ranking, they would be led to meet the managing guardian elder, and have the elder receive them.

However, when it came to Sisheng Peak, which had made it to the top ten,

Rufeng Sect did not put on airs, but welcomed them directly to a heated pavilion to rest while they waited for Rufeng Sect's leader, Nangong Liu, to wrap up his business before coming to greet the esteemed guests.

The air was thick with the fragrance of ambergris incense, the carpet on the floor was so soft that their feet sank in deep, and the pavilion was decorated with tender and stunning camellias. One blooming with eight different colors to one plant was called "The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea", another blooming with white petals and dotted with scarlet was called "Vibrance in Nude", and the one with its petal veins dyed in strings of red was called "Frail Beauty Leaning". Xue Zhengyong didn't know this kind of stuff, but Madam Wang was well aware that every single plant placed here was a breed of the highest quality.     Xue Meng didn't know either, so when he spotted a charming camellia with twin dots of black on its soft petals, he found it interesting and reached out,

wanting to touch it.

"Don't move," Mo Ran said.

"Why?" Chu Wanning didn't speak and only shook his head. Madam Wang let out a sigh and answered, "Valuable things are a delight to the eyes. A flower like this can sell for tens of thousands of gold." "..." Xue Meng withdrew his hand with a ghastly face, then sat down in the soft-cushioned taishi chair[4] dejectedly.

He remembered that rankings book he'd found at the book stall in the past,

and how furious he'd been when the list of one hundred richest heroes hadn't included him. Now he thought, that book had never lied to him.

His forehead was practically printed with the giant word that emitted an air of gloom:

POOR.

But speaking of, where had that book gone to? He hadn't had a chance to finish flipping through it before it was lost…

A while later, a curtain made of interlaced red corals and freshwater pearls clacked as two elegant and dignified lady cultivators came forth, their snow-silk celestial robes of the Rufeng Sect aflutter. One stood on the left and one on the right, they raised the beaded curtain, lowered their eyes and bent halfway at the knees, their voices sonorous like songbirds.

"The esteemed Sect Leader has arrived." As soon as the announcement was made, a man of forty-odd years of age walked in with a broad smile. His appearance was plain, a little bookish, the kind of average that would be swallowed up in a crowd, and other than the fact that he was exceptionally fair, it didn't seem like there was anything else to write home about.

However, the moment he spoke, Mo Ran who had been sipping tea sitting there almost spat—— "Aiyah, Sect Leader Xue, Sect Leader Xue, I[5] have been gazing at the stars, gazing at the moon, gazing for when you will finally come visit Rufeng Sect. Look at you, dashing and spirited, mighty and impressive, a hero of the world, matched by no man! Excellent, fantastic, you've brought life to this humble abode. Good! Good! Good!" Xue Meng: "..." Mo Ran, "..." Though deemed to be the number one sect of the world, when faced with the last of the top ten, Sisheng Peak, Nangong Si surprisingly spared no effort and praised them without restraint, giving them a "Good!" thrice in a row, each more fervent than the previous, each more excited than the last.

Xue Zhengyong obviously enjoyed the eager praise, and replied with a happy smile, "Please, please, Sect Leader Nangong is too gracious." "I am not trying to be polite, I am envious of Sect Leader Xue from the bottom of my heart. Sect Leader Xue is a hero of our time, awe-inspiring, worthy of admiration. Look at me, dull in my middle age, nothing but a dead body with all the spare fat. I truly cannot compare." Nangong Liu was so ecstatically warm that even though Xue Zhengyong had wanted to hold back his peacock tail, he failed and the tail fanned out. "Oh no,

oh no, haha, hahaha, Sect Leader Nangong does over flatter!" In the past life, Mo Ran had never crossed paths with Nangong Liu. When he'd slaughtered Rufeng Sect, this man had fled speedily. Mo Ran hadn't bothered to care for such a small fish, and he didn't care whether the man died under the disarray of crossfires or escaped and concealed his name to live out the rest of his life.

This was the first time in this life that he'd ever come this close to Nangong Liu, but just the man's tone alone made Mo Ran feel distaste. He muttered under his breath, "So, turns out, the sect leader of the number one sect in the world is brilliant because of lip service." Xue Meng heard him and, in agreement for once, whispered back, "You're right, that's what you call a real silver tongue. His words are blooming so hard I can barely smell all the flowers in the room anymore, tsk, all that's left is the sweetness on his lips." After Nangong Liu was done praising the elder, he came after the young.

"Aiyoh, isn't this the darling of the heavens, the little Xue-gongzi?" Dirt-poor Young Master Xue Meng might be, but his spirit was not lacking.

He coolly gave a quick cup of his hands, "Sect Leader Nangong." "Truly a gallant youth, handsome! Incredible! Look at this nose, those eyes, tsk tsk, the spirit! As expected, no dull sons are born of great fathers!" Xue Meng: "..." Nangong Liu turned his head and said to Xue Zhengyong, "Xue-xiong, I'm deadly envious of you. Look around, which house in this world has half the mettle of your son! If I must speak, there are so many outstanding young people in this vast cultivation world, but there are next to none who can match your son!" Xue Meng had been condescending at first, scorning the man, but it was as if Nangong Liu hadn't noticed Xue Meng's coolness at all, and was thwacking a basket full of enthusiastic compliments at him, knocking the perfectly fine little Xue-gongzi all aswoon, and in the end, the boy actually let loose a crack of a smile.

By the time he returned to whispering with Mo Ran again, the words in his mouth had already become, "Ahem, this Sect Leader Nangong might be exaggerating a little, but he's speaking the truth." "What truth?" Mo Ran was amused, and gave him a side glance. "That there's next to none who can match you?" "What? I'm telling you, at the Spiritual Mountain Competition, I was…"   "That was a competition, many of the rogue cultivators didn't participate. Did you actually think that the world's greatest would emerge from that tiny little scuffle of a competition?" "..." Xue Meng flushed, and a moment later, he grumbled indignantly,

"Forget it, I know you're just jealous."   If they were still young, Mo Ran most definitely would've teased him over this, yet now that the words came to his tongue, he felt there wasn't any point to argue with Xue Meng and that competitive, narcissistic personality of his. Thus,

he nodded with a grin, "Fine fine fine, I was jealous. You're the bestest." However, when Mo Ran raised his eyes to glance at Nangong Liu, the smile in his eyes faded completely.

There were many different types of villains in this world. Some were heinously depraved, their sins so great that all in the world would die to execute them for good.

And then there were some who were truly incredible. With their silver tongues and their ability to bootlick, they could be rotten to the core and still not be scorned by the public.

In Mo Ran's previous life, he was the former. However, the ones he despised the most were not the beneficent who fought against him; he didn't hate Mei Hanxue, he didn't hate Xue Meng, he didn't even hate Ye Wangxi, even admired as well as pitied Ye Wangxi.

He despised Nangong Liu's type the most: he was an ass-kisser who, as long as there was the tiniest bit of benefit to be gained, would kneel on the ground and lick another's hemorrhoid.   Hell. A hemorrhoid-sucker.

Chu Wanning had been standing by the window ever since Nangong Liu had come in, looking out at the organized rows of houses and the magnificence that was the Rufeng Sect.

Winds were brisk at high places, the soft and fragrant silk curtains covering the window hazed with the wafting of air, and Chu Wanning stood there shrouded in obscurity. The fervent friendliness plastered on Nangong Liu's face froze for a moment, then it was quickly tidied away before he walked towards the window.

"Chu-zongshi…" Chu Wanning didn't look at him, and his expression was bland. "Sect Leader Nangong, you and I already know each other inside out."   Leaning on the easterly wind, that fragrant silk as soft as spring waters persistently caressed Chu Wanning's face. Irritated, Chu Wanning raised his hand and forcefully stopped the annoying thing, and said mildly, "No need for the pleasantries." Nangong Liu gave a smile and said, "I don't mean anything, I just think that it has been many years since I last saw Chu-zongshi, so I wanted to greet you,

that's all. Zongshi, why keep me at such a distance?" "I came for Nangong Si." Chu Wanning still didn't turn his head. "Not for you." "Si-er will be very delighted to see you. Although you did not take him in as a disciple, you were still his first teacher. He often tells me he misses you after you left." "..." Seeing how Chu Wanning did not rebuke, Nangong Liu continued, "Zongshi,

your impassioned actions for the sake of justice at Butterfly Town during the heavenly rift was admired by the world. You returned to the living after receiving the help of Master Huaizui, but I imagine you are not yet fully recovered? Rufeng Sect has especially prepared for you twenty Soul-Nourishing Pills of the highest grade. I want to show gratitude on behalf of all the cultivators in the world, and pray zongshi will take——" "Nangong Liu." Chu Wanning finally turned his head to look the man in the eye, but his tone of address changed at the same time. He withdrew the arm that was leaning against the fragrant silk and spun around, his tall, slender form practically fusing with the boundless light.

His eyes were ablaze, his brows frigid, and his gaze extremely threatening.

"Do not place me on a pedestal. How can a mere Rufeng Sect thank me on behalf of all the cultivators in the world? Who gave you that right?" "..." The corners of Nangong Liu's lips twitched, but alas, the smile on his face did not fall apart, and after a pause, he replied with a chuckle, "There's no need to be like this…" Xue Zhengyong knew Chu Wanning and Nangong Si did not share a good relationship; in fact, the entire cultivation world knew this. When Chu Wanning had been fifteen, Nangong Liu had taken him in as a guest advisor, had provided the utmost hospitality, and worshipped him like a god. However, it hadn't taken many years before Chu Wanning suddenly turned hostile with Nangong Liu inside the grand hall of Rufeng Sect. The two had exchanged words, saying things like "Jincheng Lake", "Shenwu", "The demand of the monster at the bottom of the lake", "Morality and justice", "Ill for a long time", "The madam", et cetera. Either way, those who'd heard were completely at a loss.

But everyone knew that at the end of it, Chu Wanning had been furious beyond appeasement, and he'd slapped the table as he rose to his feet.

"He was earning ten thousand gold at the time, and over thousands of spiritual stones as well as spiritual talismans every month, yet he did not take a single cent, and rejected every penny. He stood before the hall and took off the qiankun pouch on his waist in front of everyone, returned all the remaining money, then with a dark expression, he pulled off the top grade jaded Crown of the Highest Master that Nangong Si had gifted him when he'd first entered as a guest advisor. His long hair fell unbound as he passed the jaded crown to the ceremony official of Rufeng Sect." ——This was a scene many of the storytellers of the Lower Cultivation World told with relish.

"Nangong Si was gravely upset, yet he still attempted to smooth things over,

so he said to Chu-zongshi, 'Xianzhang has served the sect for so long, even if you must leave, the money owed still needs to be settled. The Rufeng Sect does not wish to be known as one who takes advantage of others.' However, Chu-zongshi replied, 'For all this time I have served this hall, it was but to repay the madam's kindness of a meal. Now that the madam has passed,

the esteemed sect and I have come to the crossroads, and I have no intention to stay any longer. There is no need for the money, I will be ashamed to receive the gracious pay.' And with that he turned around, taking his leave of the Rufeng Sect." At first, Xue Zhengyong had thought the storytellers were greatly exaggerating the event, and for that he had once tried to ask Chu Wanning how exactly the Rufeng Sect had offended him. However, Chu Wanning did not like talking behind people's backs, so he had only shaken his head but never spoken of it in detail.

But judging by the situation now, it would appear the storytellers had not uttered a single lie.

Madam Wang saw how frozen the mood was and couldn't help but step forward to make peace. She said gently, "Yuheng Elder, please calm your fury.

Don't allow your anger to hurt yourself." Then she turned around and gave Nangong Liu a respectful bow, "Nangong-xianjun, we appreciate your kind gesture, but Sisheng Peak does not lack for spiritual stones and valuable medicine. We cannot accept your Soul-Nourishing Pills…"   "…Haha, madam is right, I was thoughtless." Nangong Liu accepted the chance to disengage and said smoothly, "Yuheng Elder, forgive me for the offense, I pray the elder does not take it to heart…" Mo Ran watched from the side and thought, Shizun rained on this guy's parade and he still can smile so easily. Amazing.

He looked down and took a sip of the Sun-shone Snow green tea.

Who would've thought that in the brief moment it took for him to sip tea,

Nangong Liu had already come before him bearing a wide grin.

Author's Note:

Only one verse for today's mini theatre:

"Straight dude Xue Meng is a brick, to lay for every hole where needs a prick." [直男薛蒙是块砖,哪里缺受哪里搬]

[4] Taishi chair is an elegant furnishing choice that also reflects on the high social status of the owner

[5] He refers to himself as 区区, an overtly and excessively belittling way to address oneself, i.e "an insignificant nobody"