Whenever the Demonic Cult made a move, Mount Heng Sect was bound to suffer. It had practically become an immutable law of the martial world, and this time was no exception.
Gazing at the plea for help in his hands, Ning Qingyu felt exceptionally vexed. But this time, Mount Heng Sect wasn't the only unlucky one. Mount Tai Sect hadn't escaped either.
The forces led by the Demonic Cult's Left and Right Envoys wanted to enter the Central Plains from Hedong, while the Wind and Thunder Four Halls were preparing to descend on Jiangnan from Shandong. Unfortunately, Mount Tai Sect's territory lay directly in their path.
Given the relationship between the Five Mountains Sword Sects and the Demonic Cult, situations like this could generally only be settled with force. If they didn't fight and simply let the Demonic Cult pass, the cult members wouldn't feel safe either!
It looked as though the Demonic Cult had committed its entire main force, but the mysterious Cult Leader Dugu had yet to show himself. That meant the cult's main target could not yet be determined.
With both of his underlings in trouble at once, deciding whom to save first was a serious problem. Splitting up their forces was out of the question; Mount Hua Sect simply didn't have the resources for that.
Besides, after their sect gate had been attacked once, Ning Qingyu was already wary. Mount Hua Sect simply couldn't send everyone out.
Especially since the Ten Elders of the Demonic Cult had all been wiped out by Mount Hua Sect. Who could guarantee that the cult wasn't merely putting on a false show, with Mount Hua Sect as their real target for revenge?
Sword Qi Soaring Hall
Stepping inside again, Li Mu felt entirely different from before. The biggest change was the seating arrangement: a chair had been added to the right of the main seat, set apart from the others.
The martial world was the most practical place of all. It went without saying that the seat had been prepared for Feng Qingyang. After killing the Ten Elders of the Demonic Cult, the other elders of Mount Hua Sect could no longer stand on equal footing with him.
What surprised Li Mu most was his own place. He had risen from last to fourth from the bottom, with Yao Buzhou, Cai Buli, and Wang Buyao behind him.
Judging by strength alone, this arrangement naturally made sense. But seating didn't just represent strength; it also symbolized status and standing.
Being placed at the head of the Bu generation meant the sect recognized him as the foremost among its Bu-generation disciples. In the upcoming struggle over who would inherit the position of sect leader, that undoubtedly put him in a favorable position.
Li Mu knew his own limits. He didn't believe the Cai and Yao factions would simply give up. Although Feng Qingyang's return had greatly increased the strength supporting him, it still wasn't realistic to expect that support to overpower both factions.
There was definitely more to this. Otherwise, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. After all, the final decision to change the seating arrangement rested with Sect Leader Ning Qingyu. The others could only voice their opinions.
The elders hadn't arrived yet, so the four Bu-generation disciples at the first-rate level sat together, staring at one another. The atmosphere was especially strange.
From the astonished looks in the other three's eyes, Li Mu could tell that they, too, had known nothing about the change in seating.
That meant Ning Qingyu hadn't informed the Qi Sect beforehand. It was even possible that he had done this on his own initiative.
Then what was his purpose?
Though he carried some weight, Li Mu still didn't think he was worth Ning Qingyu lowering himself to personally scheme against.
Was this a case of "the bird that sticks its head out gets shot," provoking the other three into joining forces against him?
Li Mu wasn't being arrogant. If the three really could unite, he would think more highly of them. Clearly, that wasn't going to happen.
After some investigation, Li Mu had more or less figured out the conflict between Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou.
At first, the two had been rivals, but it hadn't been a matter of life and death. What truly made them fall out for good was a woman named Zhao Yanran.
Li Mu didn't know what kind of spell this woman had cast. After meeting her at the birthday banquet of Zhao Fuquan, the First Spear of Hebei, both men felt they had found "true love."
Of course, they weren't the only ones who fell for her. Many of the young talents from the martial world who attended the banquet were captivated as well.
As far as Li Mu knew, this Zhao Yanran was no ordinary woman. She was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she moved among countless young talents with effortless ease.
Although they lived by the sword, they still had to observe the wishes of their parents and the matchmaker's arrangements. If they wanted to marry the woman they loved, their sect elders would inevitably have to step in.
The other rivals were no problem. They could compete fairly and let her choose for herself. But Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou were both disciples of Mount Hua Sect. There was no way the sect could arrange proposals to the same woman on behalf of two disciples.
In the martial world, might made right—and the same rule applied to matters involving women. The two agreed to duel, and the victor would win the beauty.
There were no surprises. Yao Buzhou, being older, emerged victorious. After that came the customary betrothal gifts and wedding rites, and at last she was carried into the bridal chamber.
The matter should have ended there, but melodramatic stories were always full of surprises.
On the very day of the wedding, the bride suddenly took her own life. When her body was examined, it was clear she was no longer a virgin. Beside her lay a farewell letter addressed to Cai Buli.
Based on his years of watching melodramatic dramas, Li Mu could tell there was definitely something wrong. But people in love were usually not very clear-headed.
Yao Buzhou blamed his "wife's death" on Cai Buli, suspecting they had been having an affair. Cai Buli, meanwhile, believed Yao Buzhou had used underhanded means to force the woman he loved into marrying him.
Naturally, the turn of events aroused suspicion among the sect elders. Unfortunately, the evidence they found not only failed to resolve the matter but made it even more awkward.
Old hands in the martial world knew that the more evidence there was, the farther away the truth often lay.
The sect elders unanimously concluded that someone had orchestrated everything. But before they could investigate further, the Zhao Family was wiped out, cutting off every lead.
The truth remained hidden, and the elders' conclusion failed to bring the two men any peace. Or rather, deep down, they couldn't accept that the woman they loved had been a pawn used by someone else to manipulate them.
It had all happened just before the previous tournament, which was why the two had fought so viciously on the arena stage.
As time passed, the two slowly regained their senses, but the barrier between them could never be undone.
Factional strife mixed with the hatred of a stolen bride—it was a hopelessly tangled mess. Even if they found the mastermind, it wouldn't change the ending.
Compared with the complicated feud between Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou, the conflict between Wang Buyao and Yao Buzhou was purely the result of Li Mu pulling strings behind the scenes.
The methods had been a little despicable, but they had worked very well. They had split the Qi Sect from within and undermined Yao Buzhou's advantage as the eldest disciple of the sect leader.
Perhaps this change in seating was also Ning Qingyu's way of warning his own disciples. If the Qi Sect had a better choice right now, Yao Buzhou might already have been abandoned.
After a moment's thought, Li Mu broke the silence first. "Senior Brother Wang, long time no see. How have you been?"
Wang Buyao paused, apparently not expecting Li Mu to greet him. Then he replied, "Thanks to your good fortune, Junior Brother, I've at least managed not to disgrace myself.
"Our lot is hard. We have to fight for everything ourselves. Unlike certain people, who don't have to lift a finger and can simply ask their elders for whatever they lack."
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