"Your tribulation just failed, yet you haven't even changed expression, Cousin! Your Dao Heart is truly remarkable. I'm impressed, I'm impressed!" Zhuanshui Qing praised.
"You flatter me, Clan Chief!" Ju Hua cupped his hands. Then he smiled and said, "I heard that Emperor Xia is recruiting soldiers. Is there anything the clan needs me to do?"
"If you don't object, Cousin, then this important duty is yours and yours alone!" Zhuanshui Qing replied without hesitation, following right along with Ju Hua's suggestion.
As soon as he'd learned that Ju Hua had woken up from his coma, he'd immediately added him to the expedition roster. Even if Ju Hua hadn't brought it up, he would have gone to find him himself!
Now that Ju Hua had raised it on his own, there was no way he could refuse!
"Since it's an important duty for the clan, I have no reason to turn it down!" Ju Hua smiled. Then he continued, "However, I heard that while I was unconscious, my little sister, Zhuanshui Qiu, was bullied by many people. Do you know about this, Clan Chief?"
"..."
So he came here over that. I wondered why he was being so eager. Honestly...
That thought crossed Zhuanshui Qing's mind, but a flicker of anger appeared on his face at just the right moment. "How could such a thing have happened? Rest assured, Cousin. I'll get to the bottom of it and see that little sister Qiu gets justice!"
"Then I'll trouble you with it, Clan Chief!" Ju Hua said, cupping his fist.
"It's no trouble. As Clan Chief, I ought to get to the root of things and restore the Zhuanshui Clan to its ancient glory!" Zhuanshui Qing declared with righteous indignation.
"..."
Ju Hua smiled faintly. But just as he was about to take his leave, a cold laugh suddenly rang out from afar.
"Get to the root of things? What a fine way to get to the root of things!"
Before the voice had even faded, a white-robed Daoist with a long beard and an ethereal immortal aura descended from the sky, landing a short distance from the two men.
Ju Hua glanced at the newcomer and said nothing.
He was a Loose Immortal of the Zhuanshui Clan named Zhuanshui Pingqiu. He had undergone his tribulation a hundred thousand years ago!
But before his tribulation, he hadn't possessed strength like Ju Hua's. Back then, he'd been no more than an ordinary Loose Immortal. After a hundred thousand years of cultivation, he probably had the strength of a top-tier Loose Immortal now!
"Ah, it's Cousin Pingqiu!" Zhuanshui Qing said with an unchanged smile. "What brings you here?"
"My business can wait. But I just heard the Clan Chief say he would get to the root of things. May I ask what root and what source you intend to get to? And on what grounds?" Zhuanshui Pingqiu asked mildly.
"What do you mean by that, Cousin?" Zhuanshui Qing frowned.
"The Zhuanshui Clan strictly forbids using one's strength to bully the weak! If someone really has bullied the weak, then of course they should be punished. But if no such thing happened, and someone fabricates a story just to suit their own purposes..." Zhuanshui Pingqiu sneered. "Then I don't think there's any need to get to the root of things at all!"
Zhuanshui Pingqiu's pointed words made Zhuanshui Qing's expression shift slightly. But before he could say anything, a powerful sword aura suddenly tore through the air and shot straight toward Zhuanshui Pingqiu.
Boom!
As if he'd been ready for it, Zhuanshui Pingqiu tossed out a seal-shaped magic treasure. The great seal spun, quickly grinding the sword aura to nothing.
"What are you two doing, Cousins?" Zhuanshui Qing instantly moved between Zhuanshui Pingqiu and Ju Hua. His surging, robust magic power separated them.
"Clan Chief, the clan forbids private duels. It seems I'll have to borrow the Jueshui Arena today," Ju Hua said calmly into Zhuanshui Qing's ear.
"That's exactly what I had in mind!" Zhuanshui Pingqiu sneered.
"Enough nonsense! I won't allow it!" Zhuanshui Qing barked.
"Clan Chief, I don't want this either! But it seems Cousin Pingqiu came here looking for me," Ju Hua said mildly.
Before Ju Hua had even finished speaking, Zhuanshui Pingqiu added, "Clan Chief, Cousin Ju Hua and I are only going to spar. I know the clan rules. I won't take his life!"
"I said I won't allow it!" Zhuanshui Qing was getting angry. He warned them, "Do you two think there's no one in the Zhuanshui Clan who can keep you in line?"
"..."
Zhuanshui Qing's words silenced both Zhuanshui Pingqiu and Ju Hua. On the surface, the Loose Immortals were the ones running the Zhuanshui Clan. In truth, the Celestial Immortal ancestors had the final say in everything.
Rumor had it that the Zhuanshui Clan still had a living Empyrean God. No one knew if it was true!
Ju Hua didn't want trouble right now. It seemed he had gained astonishing talent, and what he most needed to do was cultivate in peace. So after Zhuanshui Qing said that, he fell silent.
Zhuanshui Pingqiu was only one man. Ju Hua already feared him not at all. As long as the talent he'd shown recently didn't fade, give him another hundred years, and Zhuanshui Pingqiu would have no choice but to look up to him!
But Ju Hua's silence didn't last for long.
After thinking for a moment, Zhuanshui Pingqiu finally said slowly, "Clan Chief, since we've come this far, I have a question. I wonder if you can clear it up for me!"
"Go ahead!" Zhuanshui Qing wasn't about to ignore Zhuanshui Pingqiu. He'd managed to restrain the two of them with the Celestial Immortal ancestors' power, but he himself wasn't yet in a position to disregard Zhuanshui Pingqiu completely.
"Emperor Xia is recruiting soldiers this time, and both Cousin Ju Hua and I will join the expedition. In the Zhuanshui Clan's army, who will be the commander-in-chief?" Zhuanshui Pingqiu asked mildly.
"This..."
Zhuanshui Qing was at a loss for words. He really hadn't thought about that question. Normally, the commander-in-chief would be the clan's Loose Immortal with the greatest strength.
But now, he couldn't tell whether Ju Hua or Zhuanshui Pingqiu was stronger.
Zhuanshui Pingqiu had been a Loose Immortal for a hundred thousand years, so his strength should be that of a top-tier Loose Immortal. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived until now! And Ju Hua had been nearly as strong as a top-tier Loose Immortal even before his tribulation. After being tempered by the tribulation, he was surely even more remarkable. Without letting them fight, how could Zhuanshui Qing know which of them was stronger?
"What do you think, Cousin Ju Hua?" Zhuanshui Pingqiu asked loudly.
"I think I should be the commander-in-chief," Ju Hua said calmly.
The position of commander-in-chief naturally had its advantages. For one, he wouldn't have to fight in the most dangerous places. For another, if they won the war, the commander-in-chief would receive the greatest credit.
But Ju Hua hadn't been interested in the position before, because a commander-in-chief had far more to handle than anyone in another role, which would hinder his cultivation.
Now, though, he had no choice but to claim the position!
Otherwise, if Zhuanshui Pingqiu got it, who could guarantee he wouldn't set Ju Hua up?
PS: I didn't make up the Zhuanshui Clan having an Empyrean God! A fellow Daoist has already provided a screenshot from the original work! Although Empyrean Gods in the Three Realms are fully on par with True Immortals, there can still be enormous differences between people at the same level. Emperor Xia could unify the Great Xia World because he had powerful connections—Dao Ancestor Crimsonbright was his teacher, and Dao Ancestor Yinglong was his brother—and because Emperor Xia himself was a top-tier True Immortal. That's not something an ordinary True Immortal can compare to!