Chapter 75: How Does She Break It?
“Heh-heh, Sect Leader Guo, are you joking? As an elder of the Immortal Alliance, why would I deliberately suppress her? Such a genius disciple is the future pillar of the Immortal Alliance!” Elder Zuo remained unfazed.
“Heh-heh, Cheng Hong Ling and Qi Huang openly challenged the Immortal Alliance, as everyone witnessed. If Elder Zuo doesn’t find a way to teach them a lesson, we should be thankful we’re not nurturing a tiger for future trouble. And you call them pillars of talent?” Guo Rong ridiculed, then added, “Moreover, if she’s allowed to advance a few more rounds, she’ll probably become the young madam of the Lü family in the Weiyuan Dynasty. Elder Zuo wouldn’t want to see something like that happen, would you?”
“How do you know I don’t want this to happen? My granddaughter is married into the Lü family. The Lü family’s strength is growing, isn’t that a good thing for me?” Elder Zuo glanced at Steward Cai beside him with a grim expression.
Cai De nervously averted his gaze. This matter was indeed what he had told Guo Rong. Guo Rong didn’t argue, but merely clapped his hands with a smile. Moments later, several disciples carried two large chests of gifts into the main hall and placed them directly in front of Elder Zuo.
“What are you doing? Trying to bribe me?” Elder Zuo’s gaze turned cold.
“Elder Zuo is being too serious. Bribery is when a subordinate tries to bribe a superior. Filial piety is when a grandson shows respect to his grandfather.” Guo Rong corrected calmly and then turned to his son and daughter-in-law beside him, “Don’t you both agree? Second son, daughter-in-law?”
“Yes, as the saying goes, ‘One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father.’ You are my father-in-law’s master, so you are my grandfather.”
“As a granddaughter-in-law, I haven’t had the opportunity to show you respect for so many years. Now that we’ve finally met, we naturally cannot be disrespectful.”
Guo Rong’s son and daughter-in-law immediately stepped forward to pay their respects. Elder Zuo frowned deeply. Although displeased, he had to admit it was the truth.
“Elder Zuo… no, Brother-in-law, since we are family, I’ll be blunt. I understand some of the Lü family’s situation. Lü Yi alone is already troublesome enough. If Cheng Hong Ling marries him, it will be like adding wings to a tiger. Your granddaughter’s lineage will never be able to turn the tables. Therefore, having this girl eliminated as quickly as possible and forcing her to join our HuXiao Sect should align with our mutual interests.” Guo Rong further explained.
“And then what?” Elder Zuo took a deep breath.
“As your nephew just said, as long as you can make a few body protection talismans of the Shentong Realm and circulate them, the next sect that faces her will definitely try their best to obtain them. That will be the time her true colors are revealed,” Guo Rong reiterated.
“But have you considered that currently, there are only two Shentong Realm cultivators in Yongning Prefecture, myself and Ye Donglai? His disciple has already been eliminated, so there’s no reason for me to make such powerful body protection talismans. If they appear, everyone will suspect me. At that time, some ill-intentioned people will definitely say that I, as an elder, am deliberately making things difficult for that brat. What if this damages my reputation?” Elder Zuo voiced his concerns, which was why he hadn’t acted immediately upon returning.
“Brother-in-law is too cautious. This Xihui Dynasty is not the only place with Shentong Realm powerhouses. And body protection talismans can be made at any time. Without direct evidence, who dares to speak carelessly?” Guo Rong argued.
“I think my in-laws are right,” Steward Cai chimed in. He then turned and said sincerely, “Master, we have no other options now. Everyone outside is spreading rumors that we have a feud with that brat, and that changing the rules is aimed at her. If we let her continue to be arrogant, it will affect our reputation. Moreover, if she joins the Lü family, it will bring endless trouble. Instead of that, it’s better to minimize the impact.”
Elder Zuo was slightly moved and then fell silent.
“Son, daughter-in-law, your grandfather probably feels we lack sincerity. Aren’t you going to kneel for him?” Guo Rong instructed his son and daughter-in-law.
“Greetings, Grandfather!” The young couple immediately knelt without thinking. After all, he was an elder of the Immortal Alliance, and others wished they had the opportunity to build such a connection.
“Quick, get up!” Elder Zuo quickly went to help them.
“Brother-in-law must have seen the children’s sincerity. They truly regard you as their grandfather. Thus, this is your home. Letting Cheng Hong Ling contribute to the prosperity of the HuXiao Sect is also a good thing for you, and the same applies to your granddaughter,” Guo Rong continued to persuade patiently.
“Alright, I will make the Shentong Realm body protection talismans as soon as possible. As for whether they fall into the hands of her opponents, that will be up to you,” Elder Zuo gritted his teeth and agreed.
“Don’t worry, Brother-in-law! Leave these small matters to us.” Guo Rong was overjoyed and then raised his chin, “Shentong Realm body protection talismans, I’d like to see how she breaks them!”
Thus, by noon the next day, news spread that several Shentong Realm body protection talismans had appeared on the market in Yongning Prefecture.
“Shentong Realm body protection talismans? Is it true or not?” Ruan Lingyu, at the inn where the HongHua Sect was staying, expressed disbelief upon hearing the news.
“I think it’s mostly true,” Qi Huang quickly concluded and added, “We’ve reached this point, and we openly challenged the Immortal Alliance. This is something Elder Zuo absolutely cannot tolerate. It’s reasonable for him to circulate a few talismans.”
“This old fellow is shameless. As an elder of the Immortal Alliance, he’s actually personally targeting cultivators under the Immortal Alliance,” Shen Yuan exclaimed indignantly.
“This is nothing compared to when Steward Cai destroyed Junior Sister’s Qi Sea during the Imperial Concubine selection,” Yun Fei said contemptuously.
“How is it? Can it be solved?” Cheng Hong Ling asked abruptly.
“Don’t worry, Elder Zuo is only at the early stage of the Shentong Realm. I can break this level of body protection talisman with a breath. Anyone who thinks they can deal with me by obtaining it is mistaken,” Qi Huang replied confidently.
…
Meanwhile, Yao Yao had already reached the town at the foot of the Donglai Sect’s mountain. As she was not familiar with this sect, she planned to ask someone about the general situation first.
Yao Yao wandered the streets for a long time before finally sitting down at a tea stall. Since she was a pure spiritual body, as long as she concealed her resentment and cat ears and changed her vertical pupils, her appearance would be that of a human girl, albeit a very beautiful one. She wasn’t afraid of being recognized.
“This…” The tea stall owner instinctively came to greet her, but upon seeing Yao Yao’s face, his breathing became rapid, and he stammered, “This… this… Miss, what… what would you like?”
“Just a bowl of tea,” Yao Yao replied casually.
“Coming right up!” The shopkeeper answered, pretending to be calm, and then came to pour the tea. Although he tried his best to control his gaze, he couldn’t help but glance at Yao Yao.
“Shopkeeper, I’d like to ask you something. How strong is the Donglai Sect? What is the cultivation level of the Sect Leader? What about the Elders? How many disciples are there in the sect? And how many ordinary people have settled there?” Yao Yao took the opportunity to inquire.
“Why are you asking this?” The shopkeeper, having regained some composure, asked back with a wary expression.
“It’s like this, I want to settle down at the Donglai Sect, but I don’t know their strength, so I wanted to ask you,” Yao Yao offered a very reasonable explanation.
“I see.” The shopkeeper was relieved. After all, countless girls wanted to settle in the Donglai Sect, and he saw several every day.
“You’re a girl from out of town, aren’t you? The Donglai Sect is the largest immortal sect in our Xihui Dynasty. The strongest is naturally the Grand Elder Ye Donglai. It is said that his cultivation has reached the fourth level of the Shentong Realm. Below him is Sect Leader Tang Yuan, whose cultivation is at the peak of the Huashen Realm…” The shopkeeper then introduced in detail.
Yao Yao listened patiently. Although her expression remained unchanged, she gradually relaxed inwardly. From the shopkeeper’s words, it was clear that the only one in the entire Donglai Sect who posed a threat to her was Ye Donglai. This left her with two options: brute force or a clever stratagem.
After a moment of thought, Yao Yao decided on the latter. Although she had the strength to crush them, the Donglai Sect was, after all, the largest immortal sect in the Xihui Dynasty. Who knew what hidden depths it possessed.
“Because the Donglai Sect is powerful, countless people want to settle there. This leads to a very high threshold. Not only do you need money, but you also need to apply. However, with your conditions, there shouldn’t be any problem. As long as you find an Immortal Elder who likes you, you don’t need to spend a cent and don’t need to apply. You can move in immediately,” the shopkeeper suggested enthusiastically.
“Thank you for the reminder, shopkeeper.” Yao Yao’s beautiful eyes lit up, and she then placed a silver ingot on the counter and got up to leave.
Yao Yao wandered the streets for half a day and finally found a suitable “tool person.”
