The old monsters who had been eyeing the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect like hungry tigers left seething with rage.
The prodigies who had entered the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect to avenge their friends, relatives, and fellow disciples also fled with their tails between their legs.
Only the disciples of the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect remained, their gazes filled with complicated emotions as they looked at Li Yang.
There was admiration from young sword cultivators such as Wang Liexiao;
There were wistful sighs from elders such as Lu Feng;
There was a tender, rosy warmth blooming in Su Miao's beautiful eyes;
And there were the four women who had come from Sect Master Peak after hearing the commotion: Jiang Qingci, He Lu, Mu Ling'er, and Du Tinglan.
Their delicate brows were knitted tightly. The Qin Feng before them felt like a stranger, filling their hearts with a sense of loss.
Farther away, Ning Xi, the tenth disciple of Crane-Cry Peak and Li Yang's new youngest junior sister, wore a smile:
"This fellow really is a rarity throughout the ages. I don't know whether what I've done is right or wrong. But whatever the outcome, the journey is bound to be spectacular. That's exactly what I'm hoping for."
The affair at Duel Sword Peak was over.
Li Yang returned to Sect Master Peak.
His injuries this time were indeed severe. Fortunately, his spoils included quite a few high-quality healing pills.
But before he could settle down to recuperate, someone came calling.
"Junior brother, you were too reckless." Outside his door stood Su Miao, Sect Master Peak's fifth disciple.
She was also the only senior sister who had neither accepted favors from Qin Feng nor shown a preference for their seventh junior brother, Ye Zhiqiu.
But that did not mean Li Yang would treat her pleasantly.
After all, he was maintaining a disguise. The less he did, the fewer mistakes he would make, and the less chance there was of exposing a flaw.
"Do I need you telling me what to do?" Li Yang opened the door, looking displeased.
Especially when his gaze swept over the four beautiful female cultivators behind Su Miao.
No wonder the male cultivators of the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect envied Qin Feng. These five senior sisters truly were peerless beauties.
However, after seeing Ning Qingfeng, whose radiance shone across the nine heavens like a phoenix, his standards of beauty had risen dramatically.
People really should not meet someone too dazzling right at the start.
"Junior brother, could we come in and sit for a while?" Su Miao held her hands in front of her, looking unexpectedly nervous.
"No," Li Yang said bluntly.
"If there's nothing else, don't disturb my recovery. Remember, we're merely cultivators on the same peak. There's no senior-sister-and-junior-brother relationship between us.
I'm not interested in you, so stop bothering me.
Especially you four. If you like Ye Zhiqiu, go find him. Stop acting as though you're suffering withdrawal because I'm no longer offering you tribute.
If you're that desperate for affection, go apply for a job at the Dual Cultivation Tower in neighboring Kan Prefecture."
He was not merely blunt, but exceedingly rude.
"How dare you!"
"Is that any way to speak to your senior sisters?!"
"Qin Feng, say that again!"
The expressions of Jiang Qingci, He Lu, Mu Ling'er, and Du Tinglan darkened.
Li Yang's outstanding performance, along with the changing sentiment within the sect, had originally made them want to have a proper talk with him.
Who could have imagined that, after they swallowed their pride and came to him, he would humiliate them like this?
"Don't do anything rash!" Su Miao hurriedly stepped in front of Li Yang.
"You really did take things too far yourselves." She glanced back at Li Yang, then at the wooden cottage that supplied most of its spiritual energy to the Spirit Herb Garden, and sighed.
Turning back, she said, "Search your hearts. How well has our junior brother treated you all these years? He used his own resources to help you cultivate.
You accepted them, yet showed no gratitude. Did Junior Brother Qin owe you anything?
Take you, He Lu, for example.
You used Junior Brother Qin's artifact-forging materials, but gave the flying sword you forged to Junior Brother Ye. Was that appropriate?"
"I..." He Lu tried to argue.
But Su Miao raised a hand to cut her off, then turned to Jiang Qingci:
"Second senior sister, how many spirit herbs has Junior Brother Qin given you? You certainly have a talent for alchemy, but without him, could you have achieved what you have today?
Let me ask you this-
Of the pills you refined using Junior Brother Qin's spirit herbs, how many did you give him?"
"Didn't I give him any?!" Jiang Qingci lifted her chin.
Su Miao's gaze was piercing. "Then did you give more to Junior Brother Qin, or to Junior Brother Ye?"
"That's different!" Jiang Qingci's eyes shifted evasively. "Junior Brother Ye has no backing. As his senior sisters, we ought to help him more."
Su Miao shook her head, her eyes filled with disappointment.
"You use Junior Brother Qin's resources to ease Junior Brother Ye's hardships, yet still think it's only natural?
If that's how things stand, I actually agree wholeheartedly with what Junior Brother Qin just said-from now on, we're merely disciples of the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect cultivating on the same peak. There is no senior-sister-and-junior-brother relationship between us.
Why?
Because you don't deserve it!"
After saying those words, Su Miao felt considerably lighter.
On the arena platform, that young man had cast life and death aside for a single flying sword. The sight had felt like a barb in her back, a thorn in her heart.
Her words left their eldest senior sister, Du Tinglan, and Mu Ling'er somewhat ashamed, but Jiang Qingci and He Lu merely scowled.
Just then-
Ye Zhiqiu descended on his flying sword.
His face was full of self-reproach:
"I'm sorry. I never imagined I would cause trouble between senior brother and all of you. I'll find an opportunity to explain the situation to Master and leave Sect Master Peak."
He adopted an extremely humble posture, paired with an expression on the verge of tears, immediately stirring Jiang Qingci's and He Lu's sympathy.
"This has nothing to do with you. Someone simply thinks we can't live without him." Jiang Qingci's voice was cool as she looked at Li Yang. "From today onward, our relationship as senior sister and junior brother is severed. I won't accept another spirit herb from you, and you had better stop pestering me."
Hearing this, Li Yang clapped his hands and laughed:
"Wonderful!"
Though he had no idea what that doormat Qin Feng would think, his actions could only benefit the man, without a single drawback.
Ye Zhiqiu then took out one jade box after another, all filled with cultivation resources used for setting up formations, refining pills, forging artifacts, and making talismans.
"Senior sister, please don't speak out of anger. I only wanted to prepare some supplies for everyone's auxiliary professions. I felt that since we all live on the same peak, we're one family and ought to help each other.
I never intended to replace Senior Brother Qin in your hearts.
It's all because of me that you neglected senior brother. That's why he acted so deranged on Duel Sword Peak."
"Say that one more fucking time!" Li Yang, who had still been watching the show, immediately glared and swore. The bastard actually dared to call him a lunatic through those sly insinuations.
"Qin Feng, killing those prodigies was one thing, but now you want to kill our junior brother too?!" He Lu shielded Ye Zhiqiu behind her and shouted angrily.
Li Yang was so furious that he laughed:
"So I'm supposed to grovel for the privilege of offering tribute? Offer whatever you want. Just leave me out of it."
Then he stared into Ye Zhiqiu's eyes, his tone utterly serious:
"This is the first time you've disrespected me and called me a lunatic.
But there won't be a second time.
Otherwise, I will slaughter you. Whoever comes to stop me won't be able to!"
Seeing the conflict she had meant to resolve grow ever deeper, Su Miao felt utterly helpless.
"Thank you for your kindness, junior brother. But Junior Sister Su is right. We shouldn't accept rewards we haven't earned. Keep your resources. We'll find ways to obtain our own." Du Tinglan sighed.
Mu Ling'er also returned the jade box Ye Zhiqiu had handed her. Inside was a superb brush for drawing talismans, its surface covered in naturally formed cloud patterns:
"I truly have accepted far too many favors from Junior Brother Qin over the years. Yet when he was fighting for his life, not a single talisman of mine was there to aid him.
That was my failure as a senior sister, and my debt as someone who benefited from his kindness. Every wound on his body mocks the gifts I once received.
If those talismans couldn't shield him from calamity, then each one was nothing more than an IOU I had written."
The two left one after the other, their expressions complicated.
Perhaps Su Miao's words had thundered in their ears and awakened them.
Or perhaps seeing Li Yang fight drenched in blood in the Life-and-Death Arena had made them reflect on their mistakes.
"Junior Brother Ye, you meant well, but there was something divisive about what you said." Looking at Ye Zhiqiu, Su Miao unconsciously compared him to Li Yang.
Although Ye Zhiqiu had reached foundation establishment in a hundred days, in a sword-cultivation sect like the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect, Li Yang was far more compelling.
A grown man, yet he hid behind women and burst into tears whenever something happened.
It mattered little within the safety of the sect, but if they truly entered a secret realm fraught with danger, how could he offer any sense of security?
"From today onward, avoid appearing before Senior Brother Qin as much as possible, and certainly don't provoke him with your words.
You must have seen his performance on Duel Sword Peak. If he says he'll kill you, he won't give you a chance to survive.
I'm not threatening you. I'm offering a well-intentioned warning.
I hope you conduct yourself wisely."
Su Miao left as well.
She no longer wanted to persuade Jiang Qingci and He Lu. Whether the path they had chosen led to fortune or disaster, they would have to walk it themselves.
"Hmph!"
Jiang Qingci shot Li Yang a cutting glance, then left with He Lu, each holding one of Ye Zhiqiu's hands.
Yet even flanked by two beautiful senior sisters, Ye Zhiqiu still looked unhappy.
At that moment, a "ding" sounded in his mind:
[Du Tinglan's favorability decreased by 25%. Current conquest progress: 55%] [Mu Ling'er's favorability decreased by 33%. Current conquest progress: 46%] [Su Miao's favorability decreased by 12%. Current conquest progress: -5%] [Host must successfully conquer one bound fairy within three months, or the host will be erased!]
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