Chapter 19

In the side of the banquet hall.

The head elder sat solemnly, his left side filled with his people, and on the right side was a group led by the Punishment Hall elder.

"How much did we lose?" The head elder picked up his teacup but found his hand was trembling. The trusted elder in charge of recording the losses had a grim expression and hesitated for a long time before he was about to speak. The Punishment Hall elder let out a cold snort. "Hmph! Why go through the trouble, Head Elder? We all know that even if you sold everything, you couldn't pay it back. The banquet will start soon, and time is short. Let's get to the point and finish this quickly. Why waste time?"

The head elder spilled quite a bit of tea, realizing he was truly old and couldn't withstand such storms anymore. When he put down the teacup, he said dejectedly, "State your conditions then..." He knew very well that the Punishment Hall elder and his group weren't after money, and he couldn't afford to pay that much. At his age, with a large family, would they all go hungry? Would the many businesses he had painstakingly built over a hundred years be lost in one night? Would the many people who had followed him for years also be ruined?

Absolutely not. There was no other way but to accept their conditions.

"The Head Elder should step down and let the Master appoint me as the new Head Elder. The Punishment Hall elder will be appointed by him, and the vice elders of the North and South regions will be replaced by the two of them. The Internal Affairs elder should also retire, and let him take over..." The Punishment Hall elder listed a series of demands and concluded, "If these things are done, you won't have to pay a single penny for the bet."

The head elder clenched his teeth in anger. Agreeing to these demands would mean a significant shift in the internal power of the Hu Hai Sect. "Don't be too greedy. I can step down, but the position of Punishment Hall elder is not something your Hai family can monopolize. Don't think I will agree, and you should consider whether the Master will agree!"

"As long as you don't obstruct and help as much as you can, we will try to persuade the Master ourselves. You don't need to worry about the outcome." The Punishment Hall elder knew his position was the most powerful after the Head Elder, comparable only to the Transmission Elder. The Master of Hu Hai would not allow three major positions to be dominated by two people from the Hai family, but they were confident that with their efforts and the Deputy Master's support, they had a good chance of success. They didn't demand that the Head Elder guarantee the outcome.

The elders of the Hu family, who followed the Head Elder, had no words to say. Despite their reluctance, the power struggle between the two families had never ceased over the past few hundred years. In such a situation, everyone understood that the Head Elder had no choice, and neither did they. Even if the Master was unwilling, he couldn't help much.

"Fine... it's a deal."

The Punishment Hall elder left with his group, satisfied...

On the north side of the banquet hall.

Hu San gently patted the shoulder of the Head Elder, who was sitting beside him, his head bowed, with a look of regret. "I told you not to be greedy for the money from the gambling. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"The disciple has failed to meet the Master's expectations!" The Head Elder's face was filled with shame, and he had no words to say.

"You are stepping down to retire. The position of Head Elder is most suitable for the Punishment Hall elder. You can give it to him, but the position of Punishment Hall elder cannot be given to someone from the Hai family! Although Hai Yuntian has withdrawn, he is a talented person who has achieved a significant level in the Earth Realm. He was originally to be given the position of North Region elder, but the Hai family is too greedy! However, the Punishment Hall has been led by the Hai family for nearly a few decades, and in terms of seniority and prestige..." Hu San frowned in thought. The Head Elder quickly suggested, "The disciple has an idea. The new Law Elder, Da Yuan! Although he lacks seniority in the Punishment Hall, the Master has decided to create a new position of Law Elder for him. It makes sense for him to also lead the Punishment Hall. Heng Yi is currently in the limelight, and everyone knows the Master is fully cultivating him. Therefore, giving Da Yuan the position of Punishment Hall elder will leave the Hai family with no room to argue. The gambling matter is surely related to Da Yuan, and the Punishment Hall elder cannot openly oppose it, nor will he say anything to oppose it and become enemies with Da Yuan."

Hu San's eyes lit up, praising the Head Elder's idea. After a moment of thought, he added, "Letting an outsider take the position might cause some trouble within the two families..."

"Da Yuan's parents were farmers and are long gone. Since the Master wants to win over his master and disciple, why not grant Da Yuan the Hu family name? Grant him a marriage to a 25-year-old granddaughter, and bestow him with power, status, and wealth. This will ensure his loyalty to the Master."

"Great idea, great idea!" Hu San was deeply moved. "You, you, with your departure, where can I find another left-hand man like you..."

"The disciple is ashamed!"

...

Hu San arrived.

The Hu Hai Sect elders and disciples in the grand hall all sat up straight.

Heng Yi saw the youngest female disciple secretly take some food and eat it cautiously, which made him want to laugh.

"Years ago, I, Hu San, had a dream and created the Four Divine Books. At the time, I thought it was too dangerous and powerful, so I passed it to Da Yuan, who had a special connection. Unexpectedly, after a few years, Da Yuan has developed great skills and even recruited some disciples for me. Heng Yi has shone with the Four Divine Books, showing that I, Hu San, underestimated this impromptu creation! From today, a new Law Elder hall will be established, with Da Yuan as the new Law Elder, and Heng Yi as the senior disciple to assist in teaching the Four Divine Books... Cultivation in the immortal path values destiny. Da Yuan has this connection with me, Hu San. Today, I formally grant him the Hu family name and betroth him to a 25-year-old granddaughter, to be married on a chosen date!"

Da Yuan was shocked, never expecting to rise to such heights. The Punishment Hall elder beside him whispered, "I put in a lot of effort for this. You haven't been treated unfairly, right?"

"Da Yuan is deeply grateful and thanks the Punishment Hall elder for his support!" Da Yuan responded in a low voice, quickly stepping out and kneeling to thank Hu San.

Hu San smiled and said, "The Head Elder is old and weak. He has requested to step down and retire. The original Punishment Hall elder is appointed as the new Head Elder, and Da Yuan is appointed as the new Punishment Hall elder..."

"Da Yuan thanks the Master for the trust!" Da Yuan was overjoyed, almost unable to believe that his status had risen so much in a single day. The new Law Elder position would be no less prestigious than the old Law Elder, and possibly even more so. Additionally, leading the Punishment Hall would make him one of the most powerful people in the Hu Hai Sect!

The Punishment Hall elder was just excited about getting the coveted Head Elder position when he was hit with the news of Da Yuan taking over the Punishment Hall, like a bucket of cold water...

Da Yuan returned to his seat and said gratefully in a low voice, "Thank you, Head Elder, for your cultivation and promotion! If you need me in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"What are you being so formal for? I said I wouldn't let you down..." The new Head Elder, the former Punishment Hall elder, clenched his teeth in anger but couldn't say anything. He had to pretend that he had done a great favor, while his heart was bleeding. 'Damn! You've taken our Hai family's big prize, and now I want to send you to your death!' He could only keep these thoughts to himself, knowing that the Master was cutting off their options and achieving two goals at once by appointing Da Yuan before the Deputy Master could speak. This way, they had no room to argue, and Heng Yi was won over, with the Master giving these positions to his master.

"Heng Yi! Come up." Hu San smiled and beckoned. Heng Yi quickly left his seat and stood in the center of the hall. Hu San slightly waved his hand, and a person beside him descended the steps with a sea-blue robe, handing it to Heng Yi. "This is the Hu Hai robe, a symbol of our sect and a well-known treasure in the immortal path. It is an additional reward for your performance today!"

"Thank you, Master!" Heng Yi quickly bowed, but he wasn't really happy. He didn't want to use anything from Hu San because he was dedicated to his master's revival.

Hu Baijie, seeing him standing there, called out with a smile, "Why don't you put it on?"

Heng Yi was slightly taken aback, realizing that others who received rewards had immediately put them on, looking delighted. His behavior was clearly abnormal, so he quickly thought of a response, maintaining his composure. "I'm still sweaty and haven't had a bath yet."

The hall erupted in laughter!

Da Yuan quickly stood up and said, "You silly disciple! Why do you need a bath to wear the robe?"

"Master, this robe is so new and beautiful. I don't want to dirty it. What if it doesn't clean properly..."

The laughter grew louder, and even Hu Baijie was holding her stomach, struggling to maintain her composure. After a while, she bit her lip and managed to control herself. "Heng Yi! The robe won't get dirty!"

Upon hearing this, the Hu Hai Sect members laughed even harder. Except for blood, it was hard for anything to stain the robe, which was common knowledge...

"Is that so!" Heng Yi then put on the robe, and Hu Baijie came out to adjust his sash. The Hu Hai robe could absorb 20% of the true qi damage and generate a water mist to protect the wearer every 30 breaths.

When Heng Yi activated his cultivation, a light blue mist enveloped his body, adding a mystical aura. Everyone praised the robe, and after a while, Hu Baijie accompanied him back to his seat. She noticed that after sitting down, Heng Yi was still looking at his junior disciples, his hands resting on his thighs, and his posture as formal as an elder in a meeting. "You haven't acknowledged me since you sat down. Do you not like me?"

Heng Yi was still embarrassed to look at her. Hu San had approved Hu Baijie's request, indicating that their relationship was not ordinary. He didn't know how to handle it, even though Da Yuan had advised him to deal with it. However, he felt that such matters couldn't be handled lightly. When Hu Baijie asked, he decided to be honest. "Junior sister, you once said that when I grow up, I will know what it means to like a woman, and knowing that, I can get married. I am still young and don't know what it means to like someone. I think it's inappropriate to agree to an engagement without knowing, and I want to find an opportunity to talk to the Master and also to explain it to you clearly."

"You are not young anymore; you can understand it now." Hu Baijie didn't doubt Heng Yi's words. She noticed that he was indeed ignorant and naive in many things outside of combat.

"I am still young, and both my master and junior sister say so, so it must be true."

"…You really are like a child." Hu Baijie was speechless, only children would take their master's words as absolute truth. "Don't worry, you will gradually understand what it means to like someone."

"Master said I won't know until I am at least 18."

"That's not necessarily true." Hu Baijie smiled, seeing Heng Yi's confused expression. She decided not to continue the conversation and instead picked up some food to feed him. Heng Yi tried to refuse, saying he could do it himself, but Hu Baijie just smiled and held the chopsticks, not letting go. After a moment, Heng Yi had no choice but to open his mouth and eat...

Heng Yi ate while muttering softly, "I am not a two-year-old child. Why are you feeding me... Master said only two-year-olds need to be fed. You are really strange. Even if I haven't grown up, I am not a two-year-old..."

Hu Baijie's expression stiffened, and for a moment, she had the urge to stab Heng Yi with her chopsticks!

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