Chapter 10: Ping'an Makes a Move_2

"Elixir Dust Peak holds sway, Flowing Cloud Observatory stands without evidence."

"Leave everything to me afterward; you just need to cry."

Cry?

Ningning Mu bit her lip anxiously and said, "But, but I can't cry, I haven't been able to cry since I was five years old!"

"If not, use a needle to prick yourself..."

After Li Ping'an spoke, he forced his throat skin apart and turned his head to spurt a mouthful of blood, then he laid in Ningning Mu's arms, feigning an appearance of exhaling more than he inhaled.

In the air, several figures rapidly descended.

"No fighting within the sect!"

"This is bad! Hurry, save them! How did they start fighting with such low cultivation!"

"Quick, go notify the deacons!"

Ningning Mu was somewhat flustered. She gritted her teeth, pinched the tender flesh of her forearm, and forcibly squeezed out a handful of tears, welling up and her eyes becoming misty.

...

Elder Yansheng had been the rotational Hall Master of Mundane Affairs Hall and Nourishing Clouds Hall for the past ten years in the Wanyun Sect.

The main peak of Wanyun Sect had six halls: Wanyun Hall, Transmission Hall, Daozang Hall, Miaoyun Hall, Nourishing Clouds Hall, and Mundane Affairs Hall, which were considered the power structures of Wanyun Sect.

Mundane Affairs Hall was in charge of the external affairs of the sect;

Nourishing Clouds Hall was responsible for regularly providing the thirty-six peaks within the sect with resources for cultivation.

According to the sect rules, the rotational Hall Masters of these two halls should be taken turns by inner sect elders or the various Peak Masters.

Yet, the Peak Masters and inner sect elders had already reached the Realm of Heavenly Immortal;

At this realm, beings are only one step away from eternal life. Everyone was focused on striking for that faint chance of immortality, none wished to waste time on these tedious internal sect affairs.

As time went on, the rotational Hall Masters of these two halls ended up being like Elder Yansheng, whose cultivation was stuck in the True Immortal Realm, and who were outer sect elders with deep experience and seniority.

— The ranks of immortals are, from low to high, Yuan Immortal, True Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, Golden Immortal, Great One Golden Immortal, and Daluo Golden Immortal.

Wanyun Sect's rules state that Heavenly Immortals can be inner sect elders, while True Immortals can be outer sect elders.

This Elder Yansheng had long been accustomed to the leisurely days of rotational duty.

Having been stuck at the bottleneck of True Immortal for thousands of years, his zeal for diligent cultivation had already faded, and his Dao heart gradually grew quiet. Now, his only pleasures were sleeping, drinking tea, contemplating formations, and refining Elixir Pills.

In a corner of Mundane Affairs Hall, Elder Yansheng, who had just woken up in a rocking chair, heard the noise coming from behind the screen and picked up a dry pipe next to him, taking a leisurely puff of the smoldering Withered Spirit Root.

His powerful Immortal Consciousness as a peak True Immortal did not spread out; he simply listened with his ears, the wrinkled, gaunt face showing a bit more vitality. — Immortals are said to possess Immortal Consciousness, while non-immortals possess Spiritual Sense.

It sounded like a few little disciples had a conflict?

That was rather rare within the sect.

The majority of the disciples were faithfully cultivating on their respective peaks. The sect always advocated mutual assistance and love among fellow disciples, and fratricide amongst sect members was a most grievous sin.

At that moment, an outer sect deacon was recounting the ins and outs of the conflict to the high-ranking deacons of Mundane Affairs Hall.

Two little Qi Cultivators from Flowing Cloud Observatory, their stock of Five Grains Pills depleted and Wei Yanzi of Flowing Cloud Observatory unexpectedly in seclusion, partnered up and headed to the main peak in search of Five Grains Pills. Unable to fly, the two had to travel on foot through the valley and midway, they encountered a ferocious Exotic Beast. When the Exotic Beast attacked them, they fought back, injuring the beast. The disciple from Elixir Dust Peak responsible for watching over the beast arrived and, without a word, attacked them.

A disciple of Elixir Dust Peak, who had taken an Immortal as a master, laying hands on two minor cultivators from Flowing Cloud Observatory who were merely nominal disciples of Wanyun Sect?

Elder Yansheng took a drag from his pipe.

This was not a difficult case to judge.

If everything was true, these two little Qi Cultivators were not at much fault; the Elixir Dust Peak disciple first had the crime of negligent management of the Exotic Beast, and then the accusation of bullying based on his strength. He should be severely punished.

Elder Yansheng did not speak out, waiting quietly behind the screen;

He wanted to see what kind of decision the high-ranking deacon in charge of this matter would make.

This high-ranking deacon, named Xinhuai Wang, came from the Sect Leader's lineage, already at the pinnacle of Yuan Immortal Realm, and had served in Mundane Affairs Hall for over two thousand years. Prudent in action and with a good reputation, he was an Immortal that Elder Yansheng focused on fostering as a successor.

They heard Deacon Xinhuai Wang meditate for a moment, then said in a measured tone:

"Now that the matter has been investigated and the right and wrong are clear cut, it rests squarely upon a single word of justice; the Elixir Dust Peak disciple neglected his duties..."

"Ah! Brother Wang!"

A middle-aged male cultivator whispered from the side:

"Elixir Dust Peak is known for protecting its own. Although that disciple is only at the Spirit-Gathering Realm and serves as a menial worker in Elixir Dust Peak, we should also be cautious in handling this case, moreover, the person is injured to this extent..."

Xinhuai Wang's square face was slightly stern.

He said, "Even if the elders from Elixir Dust Peak were to come over, they should still speak reasonably."

The middle-aged cultivator added, "But at the end of the day, it was those two junior disciples who injured the rare ancient exotic beast first."

Xinhuai Wang, acting as an officer, remained silent and seemed to be contemplating.

In the corner, Elder Yansheng drew on his pipe and squinted with a smile.

One of the major duties of the Nourishing Clouds Hall was to maintain harmony among the thirty-six peaks within the Wanyun Sect;

The inner disciples, outer disciples, and associated provisional disciples of the Wanyun Sect numbered around ten to twenty thousand, and those in charge had to consider every aspect as much as possible.

Then Officer Xinhuai Wang continued:

"If these two junior disciples were indeed the first to harm the spiritual beast, they should be held accountable. After healing their injuries, let them reflect behind closed doors as punishment.

"However, the disciple from Elixir Dust Peak, with his Spirit-Gathering Realm cultivation, bullying two Qi Cultivation Realm disciples is utterly disgraceful for Elixir Dust Peak. Being the first to strike in this conflict among the disciples, he deserves a severe punishment.

"It has been decades since there has been a conflict among the disciples within the sect. Perhaps it's time to summon his master, so we can discuss together how to deal with this."

Elder Yansheng nodded slightly.

This punishment seemed quite fair.

However...

Elder Yansheng couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for these two junior disciples.

'They will probably have a hard time finding a master in the future.'

Those junior disciples who had trained within the Flowing Cloud Observatory for a long time were the leftovers after being picked over by the immortals of the sect, not real Immortal Sprouts;

And now these two junior disciples had offended Elixir Dust Peak, and even if they somehow managed to enter the outer sect, their days were not going to be easy.

Elder Yansheng took another draw from his dry pipe, then released his Immortal Consciousness to check the specific injuries of the three junior disciples;

The disciple wearing a Daoist robe marked with Elixir Dust Peak's insignia had his face covered in fine cuts, and his neck was almost inwardly collapsed and bent—a genuinely severe injury for a Spirit-Gathering Realm Qi Cultivator.

'Was he really injured by a Qi Cultivation Realm disciple?'

Elder Yansheng's gaze shifted to the other side.

On the other side, a young man was lying on the floor, covered in bloodstains from head to toe, with mana inside him oscillating, but Elder Yansheng could tell at a glance that he was not seriously injured;

Another young girl was kneeling nearby, her eyes swollen, looking pitiful.

Hmm?

Elder Yansheng first frowned slightly, then suddenly his eyes widened as he promptly got up from his seat.

Isn't that young man the one...

The son of Dazhi!

This!

Isn't this the son of Uncle Dazhi!

Elder Yansheng's figure flashed as he stepped from behind the screen, ignoring the gazes directed at him from throughout the hall, and rushed to the middle of the three disciples.

It was indeed Li Ping'an!

Elder Yansheng thought for a moment, then took out a gourd from his bosom, poured out two precious Immortal Pills, and flicked them with his fingers, sending them into the mouths of Li Ping'an and the Elixir Dust Peak disciple.

As the elixir pills dissolved upon entering their mouths, both were rapidly enveloped in a fragrance emanating from within, their injuries healing quickly, and even their internal mana saw a slight increase.

The officer and disciples nearby finally reacted, all giving a salute to Elder Yansheng at the same time.

The senior officer, Xinhuai Wang, quickly asked, "Elder, what is this?"

Looking at Li Ping'an with a complex gaze, Elder Yansheng said in a deep voice, "Officer Xinhuai?"

"Elder, your instructions?"

"Quickly go to the back mountain and ask Uncle Dazhi, Li Dazhi, to come to Mundane Affairs Hall."

Elder Yansheng then whispered further instructions:

"Make sure to tell him that his son is not in serious danger, but the disciple he injured is gravely wounded... make sure to put it this way!"

"Rest assured, elder. I'm on my way."