Chapter 12: Elder's Gifts

Little Bao'er finally revealed a smile upon receiving the storage ring. However, as she turned her head to look at the outer sect disciples below the stage, her expression turned cold again. She said, "Old man, I'm not an unreasonable person. Not only did they refuse to give me the energy stones, but they also wanted to kill me to keep it a secret. Such disciples have a terrible character and are much worse than the lowly servants!"

"Yes, yes!" the round-faced elder hurriedly nodded and whispered, "B-Bao'er, can we consider this matter settled now, please?" They had gathered the energy stones to appease Bao'er and make her retract her previous words. The fate of the Symbol Peak was at stake, and they couldn't afford to offend her.

"No, I'm going to find my grandpa and let him take care of this. You're all doomed," Bao'er said angrily, glaring at the round-faced elder. She had never been bullied before, and today these outer sect disciples actually tried to kill her. She couldn't swallow this humiliation!

Hearing that Bao'er wanted to go find her grandfather, the four elders on the stage had twitching faces. They thought, "How could someone be like this? She accepted the items but still won't let it go. Isn't this bullying?"

Suddenly, the round-faced elder looked at Yang Ye beside Bao'er. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over to Yang Ye, patted his shoulder, and smiled, "So you're Yang Ye, the young hero who defeated Duan Jun, a Profound Stage Eighth Rank expert. Impressive..."

Yang Ye's expression was somewhat strange. He recognized this elder—Feng Yu. He was a very influential elder in the outer sect. This old man and the other two elders beside him had once called him the biggest waste in the history of the Sword Sect. They even mocked Elder Qian for his failing eyesight. Now, they were praising him.

Glancing at Bao'er, Yang Ye became even more curious about her identity. He knew that Elder Feng was trying to get him to help persuade Bao'er, but he wasn't going to easily intervene. He wanted to see these old men suffer a bit at Bao'er's hands.

"Of course, have you forgotten who the lowly servant's friend is?" Bao'er said as she walked up to Yang Ye, nodding at the round-faced elder. "Old man, although you're ugly, your judgment is not bad. The lowly servant is quite powerful. Your disciples are just idiots who didn't believe he could win. They're really foolish!"

This was interesting!

The four outer sect elders exchanged glances and were delighted in their hearts. The round-faced elder smiled and said, "Yes, yes, he is a genius. To defeat a Profound Stage Eighth Rank expert with his Profound Stage Sixth Rank cultivation, he truly is a great genius!"

"Feng Yu, didn't you say before that I was the biggest waste with your failing eyesight? And that I recruited the biggest waste in history?" At this moment, Elder Qian, who was beside them, sneered. He remembered the faces of these elders when he hadn't reached the Profound Stage. They even mocked him in front of these elders. Now that he had the chance to teach them a lesson, he wouldn't let it slip away.

Hearing Elder Qian's words, the other four outer sect elders felt uneasy. They had indeed said those things before. It was normal for the outer sect elders to argue and quarrel among themselves. If Yang Ye hadn't been friends with Bao'er, even though he had reached the Profound Stage

The four elders were conflicted. They couldn't bring themselves to apologize to a servant disciple. They couldn't let go of their pride. So, instead, they apologized to Elder Qian.

"Old man, didn't you say Yang Ye was the biggest waste in the past?" Bao'er, with an unfriendly gaze, looked at Feng Yu. She had just praised the old man's judgment, but now she learned that he had once called Yang Ye a waste. If the strongest element in the Five Elements Profound Qi was considered a waste, what did that make her Wood attribute? Bao'er was getting angry.

Feng Yu forced a smile and said, "W-We were wrong before. It was our failing eyesight. We apologize..."

"Elder Qian, we apologize to you too. You know, we often argue and quarrel among ourselves. Don't take it to heart," the other elders chimed in.

"Elder Qian, Yang Ye is considered half your disciple, and he is also Bao'er's friend. Ultimately, we are all part of the same family, haha!" They tried to smooth things over.

"Yes, we're all one big family. It was just a misunderstanding earlier, a complete misunderstanding!" they echoed.

The elders couldn't bring themselves to apologize to a servant disciple, so they directed their apologies to Elder Qian instead.

Seeing the elders apologize, Yang Ye found it amusing. However, he didn't feel smug. He knew that the reason these elders were apologizing was because of Bao'er. Otherwise, even if he had reached the Profound Stage Eighth Rank now, he would still be insignificant in their eyes. If he wanted these elders to truly respect him and acknowledge their past mistakes, he had to prove himself through the trial of the outer sect disciples.

Elder Qian also didn't let himself get carried away. He understood the situation very well. If it weren't for Bao'er, these old men would never bow their heads to him. Although that was the case, he felt quite satisfied. Over the past year, he had endured a lot from these old men.

Knowing when to stop, Yang Ye held onto Bao'er's hand and walked to the side. He said, "Bao'er, can you take back what you said earlier? Please?"

"Is it because I take back what I said earlier, they will no longer look down on you?" Bao'er blinked her eyes as she looked at Yang Ye. She wasn't a fool and understood that the sudden apologies from the old men were definitely because of her.

Yang Ye nodded and smiled, "Yes, if Bao'er takes back what she said because of me, they will definitely remember this favor. I will receive a lot of care from the outer sect in the future."

Bao'er pondered for a moment and then smiled, nodding her head. She held Yang Ye's hand and walked up to the five nervous outer sect elders. "You old men, let's forget about what happened today. But I'm telling you, I'm sparing you because of Yang Ye's face. If any of you dare to bully me in the future, hmph!" She made two 'hmph' sounds, clearly expressing a threat.

Hearing this, the outer sect elders immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Feng Yu quickly said, "No, absolutely not. If anyone disrespects Bao'er in the future, I'll slap them to death!" As he spoke, Feng Yu flicked his wrist and a long sword appeared, which he handed to Yang Ye. He said, "Young man, this is a Yellow Grade High-Quality Profound Iron Sword. I have no use for it, so take it!"

Seeing Feng Yu's sword, Cao Huo also took out a suit of iron armor and handed it to Yang Ye, saying, "This is a Profound Iron Armor, Yellow Grade High-Quality. I have no use for it either, so take it. You should be able to make use of it!"

"These are ten Lifesaving Pills. They will better protect your meridians and allow them to withstand intense training. Take them!"

"And this is the manual for the Yellow Grade sword technique, the Splitting Spirit Sword Art. Take it and practice..."

In no time, except for Elder Qian, each of the five outer sect elders gave a treasure to Yang Ye. Yang Ye hesitated for a moment and then accepted them all. He knew that these elders were trying to win his favor and he understood why. If he refused, these elders would definitely think he held a grudge and it would cause trouble for him in the future at the Sword Sect.

After receiving those items, Yang Ye turned his head and looked at the smiling Bao'er beside him. He was very curious about her identity. He knew that the status of a Rune Master was extremely prestigious, but these elders clearly feared Bao'er's grandfather. Could her grandfather be an Earth Rune Master? Or even a Heaven Rune Master?

Seeing Yang Ye accept those items, the smiles on the faces of the several elders became even wider. Yang Ye's talent might not be excellent, but he knew Bao'er and could influence her decisions. It was definitely not wrong to establish a good relationship with him. From the smiles on Bao'er's face when they presented the items to Yang Ye, it was clear.

"You old men aren't bad!" Bao'er nodded at the several outer sect elders, then looked at the outer sect disciples on the ground and asked, "How do you plan to deal with them?" She wouldn't let those outer sect disciples off easily.

At this moment, Yang Ye fell silent. The outer sect elders hadn't done anything to harm Bao'er, so he had stepped in to persuade her. However, those outer sect disciples had planned to kill Bao'er to keep her silent. That was something Yang Ye couldn't tolerate. In his heart, Bao'er was already his friend.

Hearing this, Feng Yu hesitated for a moment, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He turned to look at the outer sect disciples and said, "All the outer sect disciples involved in the gambling shall receive a hundred lashes at the Enforcement Hall, and then they will be sent to the Star Mine to mine for one month. All the proceeds shall be handed over to the sect. Now, go!"

Upon hearing Feng Yu's words, the faces of the outer sect disciples turned pale. While enduring a hundred lashes would be painful for a few days, being sent to the Star Mine was terrifying. That place was where the sect punished those who had committed grave offenses. There, they would have no rights, and going there meant enduring a punishment that was tantamount to being skinned alive.

Seeing the expressions of the outer sect disciples below, Feng Yu felt a twinge of reluctance. However, he knew that if the punishment was lenient, the little girl in front of him might not be satisfied. If she went back and reported to the old demon at the Rune Peak, it would not only be the outer sect disciples who would suffer, even the outer sect elders would face the consequences. In the Sword Sect, not even the Sect Master would easily offend that old demon.

"Hmph!" Bao'er was still somewhat dissatisfied and was about to say something when Yang Ye quickly grabbed her small hand and led her outside.

Yang Ye knew that the punishment was already severe. If Bao'er remained dissatisfied, it could potentially provoke a backlash from the outer sect disciples, and that would escalate the situation. He didn't care much about the outer sect elders, but he cared about Elder Qian. He didn't want Elder Qian to suffer any harm because of this matter.

Seeing Yang Ye leading Bao'er away, the several outer sect elders on the stage immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Feng Yu looked at Elder Qian and said, "Elder Qian, we owe this young man a favor for solving this problem. That's enough said. Consider it as us owing him a favor."

The other four elders also nodded in agreement. They knew that if the little girl had still been dissatisfied just now, they would have been in a difficult position. After all, the disciples below were all members of the Sword Sect. If the punishment was too severe, it could potentially provoke a backlash, even causing those outer sect disciples to lose heart.

Yang Ye led Bao'er away, and it could be said that he had resolved a major trouble for them.