For a time, opinions flew thick and fast, and the debate would not die down.
Fang Qianyuan was a gifted expert with a brilliant future. Such a genius was a favored son standing in the sunlight, a pillar who shouldered the great burdens, destined to wield authority and command tremendous prestige.
If he were branded a coward who clung to life and shirked battle, repeated slander could wear away his very bones, and the clamor of many mouths could melt gold. It would all but ruin him.
Yet amid his shock and fury, Grand Elder Xie knew that calming the situation as quickly as possible remained the priority. He immediately had his own people spread word far and wide, explaining the circumstances of Fang Qianyuan's secluded cultivation.
To prevent anyone with ulterior motives from pinning the label of battle-shirker on him, they even claimed that he had suffered internal injuries during his fight with Golden Toad True Person and had yet to recover.
Though this also damaged his reputation, it was easier for the public to accept.
Whatever the case, it was a fact that he had forbidden Fang Qianyuan from joining the campaign. His protection and the privileges he afforded Fang Qianyuan were not things he could explain to outsiders.
Why bother with all this? I have no need to defend my name with these explanations. Those who ought to know the truth will know it, and those who do not cannot decide anything anyway. When Fang Qianyuan learned of everything Xie Zhenghe had done, he sighed inwardly.
*Still, the affairs of this mortal world are such a tangled tumult. It truly is one vast dye vat, trapping people in endless entanglements they cannot transcend. In this Age of Dharma Decline, the path of immortality has no foundation, and