Chapter 16

"Hisss... The Kunlun Sect..."

In the Shangqing Hall, all the fellow disciples drew in a sharp breath. The Kunlun Sect inherited the Daoist tradition of Guangchengzi. Although the old Daoist master always claimed that the Laoshan Sect received the legacy of an ancient great deity, who in the Daoist world could match the Kunlun Sect's illustrious reputation?

"It's not just that. At the time, Eldest Brother used the Divine Lightning Technique to snatch the Ghost-Exorcising Talisman from that fatso..."

Standing in the hall, Wang Qizhi gestured wildly, vividly recounting the battle between Xuankong and the Kunlun Sect's Deng Lizi.

"Hisss... The Ghost-Exorcising Talisman..."

Except for the old Daoist master, who remained half-asleep in his armchair, the other disciples drew in another sharp breath. Who didn't know that the Ghost-Exorcising Talisman was a magical artifact forged by the previous Kunlun Sect's leader before he ascended to the immortal realm?

The artifact was already powerful, and it was also a symbol of the Kunlun Sect's elders.

There were only five in total, each held by one of the four elders of the Kunlun Sect, symbolizing their authority to command thousands of disciples, second only to the leader.

"Robbing that fatso, making him cower and sing the national anthem!" Wang Qizhi described it vividly, as if he himself had robbed Deng Lizi, not Xuankong.

"Robbing..."

"Cowering, singing the national anthem..."

The disciples were too preoccupied to ask what the national anthem was. Whatever it was, paired with actions like cowering, it couldn't be good. They all looked at Wang Qizhi with worried faces, hoping he wouldn't say more and scare them to death.

The second eldest brother, standing at the front of the line, had a face so dark it could drip water. "This is really pushing the Kunlun Sect to the brink..."

"We can't stay in the Laoshan Sect anymore..." the third eldest brother muttered to himself.

The old Daoist master opened his eyes and looked at Wang Qizhi. "Wukong, no, Xuankong, has learned to rob?"

Before Wang Qizhi could speak, the second eldest brother stepped forward and said, "Master, Nephew Xuankong's reckless actions have offended our fellow Daoists. Should we bind him and send him to the Kunlun Sect to face their judgment?"

He thought that only this way could they appease the Kunlun Sect's elders and at least avoid drawing their attention to the Laoshan Sect.

The old Daoist master frowned. "Let's hear Wang Qizhi out first."

Wang Qizhi, intimidated by the second eldest brother's glare, dared not say more about Eldest Brother's bravery. He nodded and said, "Eldest Brother made the fatso hand over all his silver bills and then gave the Ghost-Exorcising Talisman to the female corpse to take back."

The old Daoist master stroked his long eyebrows. "Just the silver bills?"

Wang Qizhi nodded and pulled out a stack of silver bills from his pocket. "Eldest Brother said the Kunlun Sect's seniors are all high-ranking immortals and don't need such mundane things. It would be better to use them to build more temples for our Laoshan Sect."

The third eldest brother, seeing the silver bills in Wang Qizhi's hand, snatched them and said, "Master, Eldest Brother is right. Our Laoshan Sect only has this one Shangqing Hall, which is a bit too shabby."

The second eldest brother, seeing the third eldest brother put the silver bills in his pocket, sneered. "This is the money of the Kunlun Sect's elders. It's easy to take, but you might not have the life to spend it."

The third eldest brother's face darkened, realizing this point, and quickly returned the silver bills to Wang Qizhi. "Master, you decide." He hurriedly moved away from Wang Qizhi, afraid he would force the silver bills on him.

Money is a good thing, but you need to have the life to spend it.

The Kunlun Sect's reputation wasn't built on silver bills.

Wang Qizhi recounted everything from the Ni family hunter's plea for help, his and Eldest Brother's descent to capture the female corpse, subduing Princess Yunluo and recovering the villagers' yang energy, to being confronted by Deng Lizi, who wanted to take the Ni family hunter away.

He then reported Deng Lizi's final message to the old Daoist master.

The old Daoist master frowned. "I didn't expect the world below the mountain to be in such chaos. I wonder who this Cihang Pudu is."

Wang Qizhi worriedly asked, "Master, you won't punish Eldest Brother, will you?"

The old Daoist master replied, "He must be punished, but according to what you said, the Kunlun Sect's elder Deng Lizi doesn't seem to hate Xuankong too much, so he probably won't come seeking revenge. However, the imperial advisor Cihang Pudu might not let the Ni family hunter off so easily."

The second eldest brother added, "Of course, he must be punished, and severely!" He was in charge of the Laoshan Sect's disciples' moral education and had the authority to say this.

The third eldest brother smiled. "In my opinion, since we're not sending Xuankong to the Kunlun Sect for punishment, we should send him to the capital to explain to Cihang Pudu. As a great advisor of the Song Dynasty, he won't nitpick with him."

Wang Qizhi, who had accompanied Xuankong down the mountain, felt closer to him and boldly asked, "What about Lord Nie?"

He had only recently joined the mountain and learned from Deng Lizi that the Ni family hunter was once the commander of the Jinyiwei, the imperial secret police. This made him respect and fear the Ni family hunter.

The second eldest brother coldly said, "We can't stay here long."

Wang Qizhi didn't care much about the Ni family hunter but was wary of Cihang Pudu, who could command Deng Lizi and even the Jinyiwei commander. He quickly bowed and said, "Eldest Brother has returned to the back mountain, saying he broke the precept of anger and will meditate and recite the 'Huangting Jing' three thousand times as punishment."

This was a lie Wang Qizhi told in broad daylight. Xuankong had never said such a thing.

His actual words were, "When we return to the mountain, Master will surely gather all the disciples to hear your report. Once they know I offended the Kunlun Sect's senior elder, who knows how many criticisms will come. I don't want to hear them, so you can explain to them for me."

Wang Qizhi shook his head inwardly. His Eldest Brother was skilled in Daoist arts and had deep cultivation, but sometimes his actions were too reckless.

How could he argue with the second and third eldest brothers in such a meeting?

So he could only hope that the old Daoist master wouldn't be swayed by the second and third eldest brothers and really send Xuankong to the capital to meet Cihang Pudu. Wang Qizhi watched the old Daoist master closely, who was also in a dilemma. All were his disciples, and he couldn't favor one over the other.

This time, Xuankong had indeed gone too far. If he wasn't punished, the other disciples would be dissatisfied.

He stroked his long eyebrows and sighed, "Our Laoshan Sect is newly established and has no reputation in the secular world. Let's send Xuankong down the mountain to travel and gain experience, and also to build some reputation for our Laoshan Sect. As for the Kunlun Sect, let Xuankong handle it himself. It's not easy to avoid offending anyone."

The second eldest brother and the others exchanged glances, thinking that if they could push Xuankong out of the mountain, they wouldn't have to see him again. They all nodded in agreement, waiting for Wang Qizhi to relay the old Daoist master's words to Xuankong, confident that he wouldn't oppose the master's instructions.