Chapter 8

Liu Lingji pondered for a long while, feeling that the matter was neither too big nor too small. After all, although Mo Huer planned to tamper with the Five Spirits Emerald Peak, he had not yet taken any action. It was difficult to decide on the severity of the punishment. Mo Huer’s sister, Mo Yinxing, had a significant background and was already predestined to join the Emei Sect, destined to bring glory to the sect in the future.

Even the Ancestor had sent a message, stating that for the great prosperity of Emei, the “two immortals, two clouds, and two bells” must gather.

Mo Yinxing was one of the disciples personally chosen by the Ancestor to bring glory to the sect.

To save her, the Emei Sect had mobilized several elders. Knowing that her brother had caused trouble, she would certainly plead for leniency, and Liu Lingji had to give Mo Yinxing some face.

Liu Lingji was still undecided when Wang Chong suggested, “If Immortal Child Lingji finds this matter difficult to handle, why not gather the other fellow disciples to discuss it together?”

Liu Lingji nodded slightly, thinking to himself, “I cannot take responsibility for this matter. It’s best to let everyone decide together. Since this involves Fellow Disciple Mo Yinxing, it’s better not to disturb Senior Uncle Xuanhe for now.” He pointed casually and said, “You three, come with me!”

Liu Lingji led the three directly to the Tai Xing Immortal Mansion, one of the five main mansions of the Five Spirits Immortal Mansion. He led them inside and struck the Tai Xing Bell. In no time, dozens of third-generation disciples of the Emei Sect, except for those still in seclusion, gathered.

The other three of the four major third-generation disciples of the Emei Sect—Xu Jingyang, Ying Yang, and Qi Bingyun—also arrived.

Liu Lingji recounted the events, and Mo Yinxing was so frightened that she trembled all over. She quickly fell to the ground, disregarding everything else, and pleaded for mercy, crying, “My brother is too young and doesn’t understand things. It’s also my fault for not disciplining him properly, which led to this major trouble. I hope all the senior brothers and sisters will forgive him this time for my sake. I promise he will never do it again.”

Although Mo Yinxing had been on the mountain for a short time, she had good relations with almost all the third-generation disciples. These young disciples, despite their youth, did not want to lose face and spoke up one after another to plead for Mo Huer.

Mo Huer, pulled to the ground by his sister, was inwardly furious. Although he bowed his head as if admitting his mistake, he did not feel he was wrong. He glanced at Wang Chong and harbored many malicious thoughts, thinking to himself, “One day, I will drive you out of the Emei Sect. You reported me today, and I will get back at you in the future.”

Liu Lingji did not want to make a big deal out of this. Seeing that several fellow disciples were pleading for Mo Huer, he slowly said, “Although Mo Huer is mischievous, he did not actually tamper with the Five Spirits Emerald Peak. It’s best to reduce his punishment, and I won’t mention this to Senior Uncle Xuanhe. Although Mo Huer’s mistake can be overlooked, if not for Tang Jingyu’s warning, if he had really tampered with the Five Spirits Emerald Peak, we would all be at fault. We should reward him.”

When Liu Lingji said this, everyone looked at each other. Xu Jingyang, one of the four major disciples, coughed and said, “Tang Jingyu understands the bigger picture and saved us all from punishment. We should reward him with a secular martial art.”

Xu Jingyang’s suggestion was met with unanimous agreement from the other disciples. The matter was settled, and not only was Mo Huer spared, but even Yue Yuanzun was lightly let off.

Wang Chong inwardly sighed. He had not only failed to bring down Mo Huer and Yue Yuanzun but had also hoped to win the favor of the Emei elders. However, the third-generation disciples had suppressed the matter and did not report it to Daoist Xuanhe.

With Daoist Xuanhe absent, the third-generation disciples had quietly suppressed the matter, and his plan had failed.

The only benefit of this was that he had clearly distanced himself from Mo Huer and Yue Yuanzun, reducing the possibility of being implicated in the future.

Wang Chong thought to himself, “I have offended Mo Yinxing and Mo Huer, and also had a falling out with Yue Yuanzun. I didn’t gain any substantial benefits. In the future, I will have to be more cautious. I must practice the Yuan Yang Sword Technique more diligently. If I can master the Yuan Yang Sword Technique and refine the Yuan Yang Sword, I can go anywhere in the world. Whether I join the Emei Sect or not will be irrelevant, and I won’t need any tricks.”

After a discussion, the major third-generation disciples of the Emei Sect decided to gift Wang Chong a set of Dragon Subduing Golden Hands.

This set of Dragon Subduing Golden Hands was a family tradition of Xu Jingyang and not an Emei Sect martial art, so it did not require the approval of the elders and could be privately taught.

Although Wang Chong did not think much of this secular martial art, he had to pretend to be deeply grateful to avoid leaving a bad impression on the third-generation disciples.

Xu Jingyang, as one of the four major third-generation disciples, held a position far above ordinary disciples. He lived alone in a bamboo pavilion, which was quite elegant.

He called Wang Chong to his residence, spent half an hour guiding him, recited the Dragon Subduing Golden Hands technique, and demonstrated it three times.

Xu Jingyang was a handsome young man from a martial arts family. Before joining the Emei Sect, he was already a well-known young hero in the martial world. Later, due to a fortuitous event, he helped an Emei elder find a spiritual herb and was admitted to the sect.

He had extraordinary talent and, after joining the sect, quickly surpassed many of his senior peers, becoming one of the four major disciples.

Although Xu Jingyang was young, he had extensive experience in the martial world and a sharp eye. He could tell that Wang Chong did not like this martial art, so he did not elaborate. He had Wang Chong practice once, pointed out a few mistakes, and then invited him to have tea, avoiding any further talk of martial arts.

Xu Jingyang was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and his speech was much more humorous and engaging than Xie Lingxun’s, making people feel at ease and easily fostering a sense of closeness.

If Wang Chong did not have any ulterior motives, this meeting alone would have made him consider Xu Jingyang a lifelong friend.

They sat and chatted for half a day. Xu Jingyang had to prepare for his studies and saw Wang Chong out, telling him that if he had any questions about the Dragon Subduing Golden Hands, he could come at any time.

Wang Chong did not pay much attention to this martial art. After all, no matter how advanced secular martial arts were, they could not match even the most basic magical techniques. If Xu Jingyang had seriously taught him and supervised his practice daily, it would have caused more trouble and delayed his cultivation of the Yuan Yang Sword Technique.

The lenient attitude of one of the four major disciples was more to Wang Chong’s liking.

After this incident, Wang Chong refused to go out and spent his days secretly cultivating the Yuan Yang Sword Technique, even reducing his conversations with Xie Lingxun, who brought him meals.

Xie Lingxun thought Wang Chong was troubled by being falsely accused. He himself had almost been harmed by Mo Huer and felt a sense of shared enmity. Each time he brought meals, he showed concern, and their relationship became even closer.

Wang Chong spent over ten days returning the power stored in the Heavenly Earth Aperture back to himself, refining it into the purest Yuan Yang True Qi.