He had thought he could return in triumph like a victorious general, strutting proudly into Artifact Cloud Valley. Instead, he discovered that a pack of old foxes had made a fool of him. It was easy to imagine Young Master Nan's mood as he entered the valley under the artifact refiners' watching eyes.
He also knew he had become a laughingstock in their eyes.
Of course, he did not care what these people thought. As far as he was concerned, no matter how far his fortunes fell, the Blazing Fire Sect was beneath his notice.
What he wanted most now was to find Shi Chun and learn how things stood with the various factions. Judging by the information the Fengluo Cult possessed, they actually knew very little. He reckoned that after contending with those major sects for so long, Shi Chun ought to know far more about how much divine fire they had gathered.
His objective was simple: as long as the Heavenforging Sect did not take first place, everything would not come crashing down just yet.
Qian She was not the only distinguished guest to leave the ship's palatial superstructure. Most of the others had followed him away.
Gong Shaoci stayed. Leaving would have been awkward for him, since Lan Qiaoyan and her daughter were still there.
Having just brought them good news earlier, he could not help rubbing his nose when he saw them again. Somewhat embarrassed, he told mother and daughter about the change in circumstances.
And here they had thought it was something serious.
Instead, mother and daughter breathed sighs of relief. In their eyes, Shi Chun's ambition to take first place had always been reaching for something beyond his station. Getting out alive was already the best possible outcome.
But after a little thought, Lan