Chapter 81: So-called Respect

It was still dim dawn. The rain had ceased at some unknown point.

Perhaps Elder Sang's move 'Ashes of Heaven's Burning' had evaporated the dark clouds, or maybe the black hole torn open by Ye Xiaotian had devoured everything.

The masked man wanted to leave, and indeed, no one present could stop him.

The nine elders looked somewhat crestfallen. Their involvement in tonight's scheme had been largely insignificant.

Apart from being used by the masked man to restrain Ye Xiaotian, they had served no purpose, merely adding a few splashes of red to the rain-soaked scene.

"We're old..."

"Indeed, old age has caught up to us, and there's no denying it."

The few of them sighed among themselves. Their injuries, whether severe or minor, were something they could heal on their own.

They vanished in a flash, apparently too ashamed to remain at Swan Lake.

As Ye Xiaotian had previously arranged, these old fellows were past the age of engaging in physical combat.

They were only suited for issuing commands from behind the scenes, giving orders that might be somewhat outdated.

It was up to the new generation of top figures from the Spiritual Palace to step forward and turn the tide.

Representing the Spiritual Palace's new leaders, Ye Xiaotian, Dean of the Inner Court, landed on the shore of Swan Lake, clutching his severed arm. Elder Sang, carrying Xu Xiaoshou, also arrived there.

"Dean!"

"Vice Dean!"

The surrounding law enforcement officers looked as if they had seen deities, each of them trembling and waiting with solemn respect.

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by what he heard.

Vice Dean?

Elder Sang is the Vice Dean?

He thought for a moment, finally connecting the fragmented memories in his mind with the old man in the straw hat beside him.

Legend had it that the Spiritual Palace had a Vice Dean who was rarely present, spending most of his time elsewhere, and thus had a very low profile.

Unless specifically mentioned, most people wouldn't remember him, yet no one could truly forget him.

The name 'Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace' itself was derived from the two founders of the Spiritual Palace.

One was 'Ye Xiaotian,' and the other was 'Elder Sang.'

Furthermore, the Outer Court's annual 'Competition of Wind and Cloud' was held at the Cloud-Emergence Platform.

Where did the Cloud-Emergence Platform come from?

When the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace was first established, Vice Dean Sang used fire to forge the Cloud-Emergence Peak, burning half of it away to create the Cloud-Emergence Platform, which could accommodate ten thousand people.

Any random Outer Court disciple could probably recount this story in detail.

"So it was him..."

Upon realizing this, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood.

The reason he hadn't made the connection earlier was simply because Elder Sang was far too eccentric!

That old geezer had absolutely no demeanor of a revered master.

He was reclusive and self-centered, acted eccentrically, and was unconventional...

This was evident from his forcefully feeding Xu Xiaoshou seeds, and from his choice to directly intervene just now while others were being held back.

Xu Xiaoshou recalled the start of the promotion competition, when his body had been burning hot, forcing him to rush onto the arena to find Xiao Qixiu.

Later, after Xiao Qixiu recognized that Elder Sang was behind it, the esteemed referee seemed to be someone not to be trifled with.

"Yes, I should have guessed it long ago..."

Xu Xiaoshou was troubled; this guy turned out to be the Vice Dean!

No, wait.

Perhaps it's precisely because of his personality that he could only be the Vice Dean!

Looking at the expressions of the surrounding law enforcement officers, even though Ye Xiaotian had lost an arm, their gaze towards him was still filled with admiration.

As for those looking at Elder Sang...

Well, almost no one dared to look.

The few who were curiously peeking were younger individuals, and their eyes were filled with dread.

Admiration?

There was none of that.

In the crowd, Xiao Qixiu was still resting; the sword strike earlier had pierced his body, and his injuries were indeed quite severe.

This was the most dire state Xu Xiaoshou had ever seen the esteemed referee in.

His usual impression of him was that of an immortal floating in the sky, but he never expected that once a fight began...

Well, his image was shattered.

After the middle-aged man was severely wounded, Xu Xiaoshou noticed that his gaze showed no signs of decline; instead, it held an unusual excitement.

'Could he actually be a masochist?' Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself.

Xiao Qixiu rose, about to speak, but Elder Sang stopped him, waving his hand and saying, "Everyone, disperse!"

The law enforcement officers' eyes instantly focused on Xiao Qixiu, who immediately waved his hand.

"Disperse!"

Whoosh—

The dimly lit area instantly brightened. Hundreds of people moved with astonishing uniformity, vanishing without a trace or hesitation.

This astonishing efficiency left Xu Xiaoshou utterly speechless.

He quickly ran off.

Though not as fast as the law enforcement officers, he was still quick.

"Where are you going?"

Elder Sang watched the young man stealthily slipping away, a few black lines appearing on his face.

A somewhat exasperated voice sounded from behind him. Xu Xiaoshou once again felt as if fate had him by the throat, and he was instantly yanked back to his original spot.

Seeing the three powerful figures before him, his legs went weak.

The Grand Elder of the Spirit Law Pavilion, the Dean of the Inner Court, and the Vice Dean.

He didn't think he was qualified to stand behind and listen while these three spoke.

"Didn't you say to disperse?" Xu Xiaoshou weakly asked, "I'm rushing back to build my house..."

The three: "..."

Build his house?

You've just been through such a crisis at the Spiritual Palace, and your first reaction after it's over is to go back and build your house?

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou dragged over, Xiao Qixiu immediately asked, "Did you kill someone?"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart pounded anxiously.

The very reason he ran was out of fear of this!

There was a rule in the Outer Court that disciples should not harm each other. Although those two individuals were likely from the Inner Court, he was still just an Outer Court grunt.

Killing someone would mean being taken to the execution platform by the Spirit Law Pavilion!

"Actually, it was that masked man..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Qixiu scoffed, "Do you think I was ambushed all night for nothing, or that I was blind?"

Xu Xiaoshou's face fell. "Those two tried to kill me first!"

"I don't even know how I offended them, but since they came to kill me, I couldn't just sit there and wait to die, could I?!"

"You were ambushed all night; you should have come out earlier to stop them, shouldn't you?"

"After all, those were two lives..."

Xiao Qixiu: ???

What's going on?

You killed someone, yet you're acting as if *you're* the victim?

Seeing that Xiao Qixiu seemed receptive, Xu Xiaoshou continued, "Self-defense leading to a counter-kill should rightfully be without fault..."

Xiao Qixiu looked at Elder Sang, a headache evident in his expression. The meaning in his eyes was clear: *You gave the order, you deal with it.*

Elder Sang slapped Xu Xiaoshou on the head. "Well done!"

???

This time, it wasn't just Xu Xiaoshou with question marks on his face; the other two were also completely bewildered.

Ye Xiaotian's face darkened. *I'm the Dean of the Inner Court, and you're encouraging an Outer Court disciple to kill someone right in front of me?*

Elder Sang seemed not to notice his expression and continued nonchalantly:

"To be frank with you, this trap was set days ago, when I returned to the Spiritual Palace."

"Don't even mention that tonight it was just two Inner Court grunts causing trouble; even if someone of a higher rank had come out to kill you, no one would have intervened to save you."

"That's the reality of the situation; even I couldn't alter the bigger picture."

"But I am very pleased that you were able to counter-kill those two individuals."

Elder Sang's gaze was burning, his admiration unconcealed, piercing directly into Xu Xiaoshou's heart. "This is exactly what I was hoping for."

Xu Xiaoshou remained silent, as this largely aligned with his own suspicions after uncovering the scheme.

Was there resentment?

Naturally, there was.

Anyone who discovers they are merely a disposable pawn would undoubtedly feel a sense of frustration.

But looking at it from another perspective, who would jeopardize a major affair for the minor squabbles of a few disciples? It was already fortunate that they weren't simply annihilated and cleared from the scene.

There was nothing to be indignant about.

Ultimately, the lack of sufficient respect was simply due to his own insufficient strength!

This was true in this world, and it was equally true elsewhere.