Chapter 191: No Problem

Only a fool wouldn't know who Young Master Nan's words were directed at. Wu Handong's expression immediately changed. He cupped his hands to Sect Leader Bian Jixiong and smiled, "Sect Leader Bian, I won't stand on ceremony with you. Let's attend to our own matters for now, and we'll gather again when we return to Shengzhou. Farewell!"

Bian Jixiong's heart sank at these words. Jieyun Mountain and Wukang Mountain usually had little contact. Given the disparity in their status, there was no talk of "gathering." Only those in the know could understand the veiled threat in Wu Handong's polite words: they were coming back to settle scores with Wukang Mountain.

Regarding this, he truly didn't know what to say about Young Master Nan. He appreciated the young master's good intentions in stepping forward, but those good intentions had only caused trouble.

Originally, it wouldn't have been a big deal; letting them vent might have been enough. However, Young Master Nan's intervention had caused them to lose face, making it a truly unforgettable score for them to settle.

The chief elder of Jieyun Mountain had an undeniable influence on the sect. For him to settle a score would, to some extent, mean Jieyun Mountain itself was settling a score.

Could Wukang Mountain withstand Jieyun Mountain's retribution? While it was true that Wukang Mountain had powerful backing, how could the backing of Shengzhou's largest sect be any weaker than theirs?

Not only Bian Jixiong, but also Yin Huixin, Elder Ke, Bian Weiying, and others, all felt an immediate surge of dread.

This was also why Bian Weiying had repeatedly worried about offending Jieyun Mountain before. It wasn't that she was cowardly; reality was simply harsh.

People like Shi Chun, who had nothing to lose, couldn't comprehend that kind of pressure. A large group of people with families and responsibilities couldn't act with the same recklessness.

At this moment, Bian Jixiong still had to politely cup his hands and see them off. "Elder Wu, please take your leave slowly. I will visit another day to apologize."

Wu Handong politely cupped his hands to Young Master Nan again before leading his group away.

Bai Shuchuan, missing teeth and with a swollen face, looked back, his eyes filled with resentment.

Bian Jixiong then initiated a conversation with Young Master Nan, intending to befriend him. Young Master Nan seemed cheerful enough, but Bian Jixiong could sense his absentmindedness, as if he looked down on Wukang Mountain. Instead, he seemed to find common ground with the two individuals who had just been released from prison.

Since he couldn't gain a higher connection, Bian Jixiong had to deal with his immediate concerns first. At the very least, he needed to understand what had happened to address the current situation. Some things were difficult to discuss in front of Young Master Nan, so he could only take his leave.

"Brother Chun, feel free to visit me anytime you're free."

Before parting, Young Master Nan handed Shi Chun a name card with his contact information.

With that, both parties bid each other farewell.

The attendees who had emerged from the meeting had already dispersed, leaving the vicinity quiet and deserted. The two carriages Bian Jixiong had brought were still there.

Before boarding, Bian Weiying and Shi Chun were called into the carriage of the sect's senior leaders. Wu Jinliang and Xiang Lan'er rode in another carriage with the other disciples.

After the carriage started moving, Bian Jixiong asked inside, "Who was that Young Master Nan just now?"

Bian Weiying replied, "I don't know. He introduced himself as Nan Wuyu. I just met him outside."

Bian Jixiong then looked at Shi Chun.

Shi Chun answered, "I truly don't know him, nor have I ever seen him before. I have no idea who he is."

Bian Jixiong then turned to his daughter, "Tell me, what was that conflict about earlier?"

This was a long story. Bian Weiying didn't hide what she could, mostly telling the truth, except for the mysterious encounter in the Moon Sea, which she kept secret.

Upon learning that the incident stemmed from Bai Shuchuan coveting the beauty on their side and the conflict arising when his advances were rejected, Yin Huixin let out a cold snort.

What annoyed Bian Jixiong, however, was his daughter's disobedience. If not for that, how could this incident have occurred?

However, he didn't confront her about it publicly at that moment. Instead, he asked Shi Chun what had happened.

Shi Chun also spoke about what he could, not hiding the reason for their group's disbandment at the Western Extreme Competition Grounds. He stated that his cultivation was too low at the time, that Bai Shuchuan was unreliable, and that following Bai Shuchuan would make him a sacrificial pawn. Therefore, he left the group to go into secluded cultivation.

After his cultivation broke through to High Martial Realm, he wanted to earn merit for Wukang Mountain, so he went to seize Spirit Worm Crystals from others. He realized that being outnumbered and outmatched wasn't going to work, so he impersonated people from Xuanzhou, leveraging their influence, and ultimately acquired tens of thousands of Spirit Worm Crystals.

He wouldn't mention assassinating Yan Ji and Guan Wen; they were, after all, killed by monsters in the Moon Sea.

In any case, his account was quite vague.

Nevertheless, his rough explanation was enough to leave Bian Jixiong and the others dumbfounded. "This is possible?"

"Don't they have name tags for verification?" Elder Ke couldn't help but ask. "How did you impersonate the Xuanzhou people without them checking?"

Others also cast doubtful glances at Shi Chun.

"Just find a piece of iron, hammer it into a rough shape, wear the real one on one side, and the fake one on the other," Shi Chun said. "When someone looks, you do this, then this, then this." He rolled up his sleeve and repeatedly gestured at his wrist as he explained.

After Elder Ke understood, he asked in astonishment, "They didn't investigate thoroughly enough for you to pull that off?"

Shi Chun appeared embarrassed, saying, "Nobody checked carefully. At first, I was just trying it out, and I didn't expect to actually get away with it. Then I was stuck, unable to back down, and I never thought it would escalate into such a big mess. Many people in Xuanzhou know about this, so I can't lie about it."

Hearing this, the three senior leaders wanted to roll their eyes. Bian Jixiong, in particular, shook his head directly, "Ridiculous. Those people from Xuanzhou are simply ridiculous."

They truly didn't know what to say about the Xuanzhou forces. So many people, yet they made such a low-level mistake. They were simply too arrogant and conceited; no wonder they suffered such a defeat.

They then continued to inquire about the details.

Some things were better left unasked; once they delved into the specifics, the senior leaders became quite agitated.

Hearing about things like Suyuan Sect harming other Xuanzhou sect disciples in the Moon Sea, and impersonating Mu Lanqingqing's fiancé, almost made Bian Jixiong and the others break into a cold sweat. They hadn't expected Wukang Mountain to hold so many compromising secrets about Shengzhou's largest sect.

Once the incident of Suyuan Sect losing a large quantity of Spirit Worm Crystals was exposed, the entire Suyuan Sect would likely become a laughingstock of epic proportions.

Considering the consequences, Bian Jixiong and the others were already scared themselves. They began to worry about their safety inside the carriage, fearing that Suyuan Sect might silence them.

Bian Jixiong even regretted coming. He had been perfectly fine staying at Wukang Mountain, and the whole competition was almost over; why had he come to join the excitement?

He felt completely numb. Compared to this, Jieyun Mountain's little trouble was nothing.

He was already pondering whether he should head back first.

Even Bian Weiying was stunned, never expecting Shi Chun to pull off something so massive in her absence.

All of this culminated in Elder Ke's angry roar, "You scoundrel!"

He had originally wanted to ask what cultivation method Shi Chun practiced, given that he had defeated a Suyuan Sect disciple. He had also wanted to ask where the Wind Scales came from. Now, all such thoughts were gone, replaced only by a torrent of scolding, so loud that passersby on the road could hear it.

Saliva nearly sprayed all over Shi Chun's face.

Shi Chun lowered his gaze, bowed his head in acknowledgment of his mistakes, and allowed himself to be scolded. Outwardly obedient, he was inwardly contemptuous.

Without these achievements, he would have truly feared being eliminated by these people. Now, he was certain that the cautious Wukang Mountain group wouldn't dare to act rashly. Getting scolded wouldn't kill him...

In an elegant guest room.

Guan Yingjie lay still after his injury, his face still pale. His body was clean and tidy, and his wounds had been properly treated. He was now in a deep, unconscious sleep.

Elder Ji Qinghe paced back and forth by the bed with his hands behind his back for a long time. Guan Yingjie had explained the entire incident in detail.

The matter was very serious, and Ji Qinghe's expression was grave. This was no longer just about competing for Spirit Worm Crystal rankings. If the inside story were to be exposed, it would have an enormous impact on Suyuan Sect.

What was the purpose of Suyuan Sect sending an elder to be stationed here? It was precisely to handle unforeseen incidents and to be able to mobilize forces and resources to solve problems at critical moments.

Now that a real incident had occurred, his responsibility was immense!

By the window, a man in a green robe stood with his hands behind his back. He had a tall and slender build, with fair, long fingers. He gazed silently out the window.

His attire, a green robe, seemed out of place with Suyuan Sect's snow-white garments, yet he was privy to such confidential discussions.

"Absolutely no word of this must get out!" Ji Qinghe had no idea how many times he had muttered this phrase.

As if tired of hearing it, the green-robed man, still with his back turned, spoke in a gentle, refined voice, "Elder, rest assured. Arrangements have already been made."

Ji Qinghe suddenly stopped. "What about Qingqing's reputation? Too many people know about the fiancé matter; it can't be kept secret."

The green-robed man said, "It's fine. Youxia Mountain will provide a reasonable explanation. There genuinely is an outer disciple named Wang Sheng, and he truly does have a marriage agreement with Qingqing. Qingqing has never met him, and that Shi Chun merely took advantage of the loophole. Later, the engagement can be dissolved because of this incident."

Ji Qinghe nodded slightly and then asked, "What about Wukang Mountain?"

The green-robed man said, "If this matter isn't resolved cleanly and smoothly, none of those who know about it will escape!"

Ji Qinghe sighed with a trace of desolation, "I hope it goes smoothly."

The green-robed man's fingers behind his back twitched. "Elder, are you certain the person who intervened to save Qingqing was not from our sect?"

Ji Qinghe replied, "Truly not, at least as far as I know. I will naturally confirm this with the sect later. However, I suspect the sect doesn't know either, otherwise, if they sent me to oversee this with an insider, they wouldn't keep it from me."

"If it wasn't the sect, and it wasn't me, then who could it have been? Peculiar," the green-robed man muttered to himself, his voice laced with contemplation.

Just then, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Ji Qinghe responded, "Enter."

The door opened, and a female disciple entered, reporting, "Elder, Qingqing has woken up."

"I'll go see her." Ji Qinghe said to the green-robed man and then left.

The green-robed man remained impassive. He saw a procession of carriages entering the courtyard outside the window. The black-clad attendants accompanying them all exuded an imposing aura of vigor and power. After they pulled open the carriage curtains, groups of sect members disembarked, each appearing cautious and nervous.

It seemed they had been escorted by those black-clad individuals.

Among them was Chu Jingting of Bilan Sect.

All eleven sect members who had previously joined Shi Chun's 'scheme' were brought here; not one had managed to escape. Furthermore, many more had been brought along, including fellow disciples and masters who had met with them.

In another quiet guest room, Ji Qinghe strode in quickly. He saw Mu Lanqingqing on the bed, still looking distressed after waking up, and sighed, "Don't overthink things. It's fine. Just focus on recuperating. The sect will handle the rest."

"Cough." Mu Lanqingqing coughed, realizing they must already know everything. She then said with some agitation, "Elder, please find out who exactly that Wang Sheng is."

"Sigh!" Ji Qinghe sighed. Was there still a need to investigate? He already knew.

Just then, someone at the door announced, "Elder, those from Bilan Sect and the other related sects suspected of colluding to defraud Spirit Worm Crystals have all been brought here."

"Understood." Ji Qinghe turned back to Mu Lanqingqing and said, "You should rest and recover first. We can talk about anything else later."

He turned to leave.

"Bilan Sect?" Mu Lanqingqing remembered the close henchman next to Wang Sheng. She immediately struggled to sit up, "I'm coming too."