Old Yue's Fury

"Do you still remember our sect's fourth rule?"

His aged face darkened, Yue Buqun raised a hand to dispel the fist force and internal qi inside Tian Hao, then demanded coldly. This time, he was truly furious.

Lu Dayou had caused a scene last time, and now it was Linghu Chong, the eldest disciple he valued most.

There had still been room to smooth things over with Lu Dayou's incident, but how was he supposed to handle the mess Linghu Chong had made this time?

What would Hao think?

With those two at odds, how could the Mount Hua Sect rise again?

"No jealousy among fellow disciples, nor fighting and killing one another!"

Although he could not understand why his master had struck him, Linghu Chong hurriedly recited the fourth rule.

"So you do remember!"

Exasperated by his disciple's failure to live up to his expectations, Yue Buqun truly wanted to slap this rebellious wretch to death right then.

He had gone down the mountain with his wife to welcome Master Ru back in town. Who could have imagined that his eldest disciple would vanish in the blink of an eye? He had known then that trouble was brewing.

Unfortunately, he had still arrived a step too late. The boy had confronted Tian Hao-and had even lost the fight.

What a disgrace!

"Come to the Righteousness Piercing Sky Hall!"

His aged face black with anger, he swept his sleeve and departed.

"Eldest Senior Brother, do you need your junior brother to help you walk?"

Tian Hao chuckled coldly. He knew Old Yue was truly furious this time, and Linghu Chong, that ungrateful wolf, would certainly suffer for it.

"No need to trouble yourself, Junior Brother!"

After a cold glare, Linghu Chong clutched his chest and forced himself toward the Righteousness Piercing Sky Hall despite the agonizing pain.

Naturally, Tian Hao followed, heading toward the Righteousness Piercing Sky Hall as well.

"Kneel!"

Inside the Righteousness Piercing Sky Hall, Yue Buqun sat in the seat of honor and barked coldly.

Linghu Chong hurriedly knelt. Tian Hao, however, did not kneel, but stood quietly to one side and watched. After all, he was not the one at fault.

Yue Buqun said nothing. He closed his eyes and quietly composed himself.

Before long, a group entered the Righteousness Piercing Sky Hall. At their head was an old man with snowy hair and beard, with Ning Zhongze following close behind.

The moment Ning Zhongze entered the Righteousness Piercing Sky Hall and saw Linghu Chong kneeling, she knew they were too late.

With a sigh, she sat in the chair beside her husband.

"Do you acknowledge your wrongdoing?"

Yue Buqun opened his eyes, his expression icy.

Lu Dayou's previous incident had already shown him that there was something wrong with his disciples' thinking. Now Linghu Chong had gone up the mountain ahead of them and fought Tian Hao-a grave mistake.

Before blows were exchanged, there had still been room to smooth things over. Now that they had fought, the problem had become far more complicated.

A shattered mirror could never be restored to its original state.

Not one of them would give him a moment's peace!

"This disciple... this disciple did nothing wrong!"

Linghu Chong had originally intended to admit his fault, but the sight of his little junior sister's pitiful panda-like appearance sent anger surging through him. He threw caution to the wind.

"Master, this disciple has already discovered that Junior Brother Tian... Tian Hao was the true culprit behind the massacre of Old Hero Guan of the Green Dragon Saber and his family at Guan Family Fort all those years ago.

"The move he used while sparring with this disciple was precisely Elder Guan's signature technique, the Martial Sage Dragging Saber Slash. He must have poisoned Elder Guan's entire family, then stolen the manual to practice it.

"We absolutely cannot allow such an irredeemable villain to remain and bring disaster upon our Mount Hua Sect."

He had disliked Tian Hao for a long time. Even now, he clearly remembered how Tian Hao had looked when he joined the Mount Hua Sect three years earlier. Even notorious bandits who had strewn the wilderness with their victims lacked such ferocity.

He simply could not understand why his master had accepted this man, taking him directly as a personal disciple without even testing him, and even teaching him a supreme technique like Embrace Origin Force.

He was deeply worried about it. What if that fellow poisoned his junior brothers and sisters, or even his master and his master's wife?

"Alas! Rotten wood cannot be carved!"

Old Yue's expression grew even grimmer. The white-haired elder seated farther down shook his head and sighed, seemingly deeply disappointed in Linghu Chong.

Linghu Chong had escorted him for half a year, and throughout those six months he had patiently instructed the young man. Unfortunately, the boy simply was not cut out for it!

Most importantly, his disposition was already set. Changing an adult's temperament and habits was far too difficult.

"I'm sorry you had to witness this, Teacher Ru!"

Yue Buqun awkwardly cupped his hands toward the white-haired elder. He was truly mortified.

He had deliberately sent his eldest disciple to escort Master Ru Zhigang, hoping to use the opportunity to have Ru Zhigang accept Linghu Chong as his student. With the protection of his reputation, the Mount Hua Sect would surely be better sheltered in the future.

But who could have imagined...

Alas, there was no point dwelling on it!

"Master, that Master Ru is no good either. This disciple personally saw him collecting money everywhere we went. He must have obtained at least a million taels on this journey.

"With conduct like that, how could he serve as the academic instructor for us disciples of the Mount Hua Sect?"

Linghu Chong had truly thrown caution to the wind. He had also been dissatisfied with Master Ru for a long time.

Moreover, Master Ru was Tian Hao's teacher-the kind whose tutelage he had formally entered. Those two were a wolf and a jackal working in collusion. His master and his master's wife must have been deceived by them.

Crack!

"You insolent wretch!"

Enraged, Yue Buqun smashed the tea table beside him with a palm strike. Purple qi rose across his face; his fury had stirred his Purple Cloud True Qi involuntarily, showing just how genuinely furious he was.

"Senior Brother, calm down!"

Patting the back of her husband's hand, Ning Zhongze turned and scolded, "Chong'er, hurry and apologize to your master and Master Ru!"

She was one of the few who knew the inside story. She understood perfectly well that Tian Hao was innocent, and that Master Ru had other reasons for his actions on this journey. Both were making preparations for the coming plan, and both were crucial to it.

But she could not reveal the truth. She could only hope Chong'er would show a little sense!

"Master's wife, this disciple did nothing wrong. That teacher and student really are no good."

His neck stiff with defiance, Linghu Chong understood perfectly well that today was his only chance. He had to drive Tian Hao and Master Ru out of the Mount Hua Sect, or their future would be bleak.

"Father, Mother..."

Unable to watch any longer, Yue Lingshan was about to speak, but Yue Buqun cut her off with an angry rebuke.

"You keep quiet!"

His anger mounted ever higher. Yue Buqun deeply regretted neglecting his eldest disciple's instruction and allowing matters to reach this point.

"Master, Master's wife, don't blame Eldest Senior Brother. It's my fault. If someone must be punished, punish me!"

At that moment, Lu Dayou, who had been eavesdropping outside all along, came in and knelt. He had arrived long before and had remained outside listening. Seeing that his master was truly furious, he came out to take responsibility, while shooting Tian Hao a hateful glare.

It was all that fellow's fault!

"Alas! Rotten wood!"

Ru Zhigang sighed again. Over the past three years, he had taught Linghu Chong and the others many times, but unfortunately, these boys simply would not see the light.

By rights, the best thing Lu Dayou could have done at this moment was stay out of it. Only then could the Mount Hua Sect's rules and Yue Buqun's authority be preserved to the greatest extent.

Now look at this. Lu Dayou had displayed his loyalty to his brother, but where did that leave Yue Buqun's authority and the Mount Hua Sect's rules?

If things really worked that way, everyone would plead for one another from then on, reducing grave offenses to trivial matters. What use would sect rules be?

There were sound reasons why armies had military law and nations had national law.

He had explained these principles before. Clearly, these boys had forgotten them the moment they turned away-or had never listened at all.

They were all rotten wood, utterly beyond shaping!

"Stop putting on an act. Everything you teach is utter bullshit. What virtue or ability qualifies you to be our teacher?"

Lu Dayou already had anger smoldering inside him, and he immediately snapped back.

He, too, had been fed up with that old man for a long time.

The tutors his master had hired before had taught them academic lessons every day. But this old man taught only five days a month, spending the rest of his time hiding in his room, doing who knew what.

Even someone coasting along for a salary should not have coasted like that. Worse still, he spent the Mount Hua Sect's already meager funds on so many useless books. It was truly infuriating.

"You insolent wretch!"

Yue Buqun was enraged once again. Even his hand began to tremble, and he wished he could slap that rebellious disciple to death.

"There's no need to be angry, Buqun. I, too, would like to hear just how everything I taught was utter bullshit."

Ru Zhigang was not angry. Instead, he looked at Lu Dayou with interest and smiled. "If your argument is sound, not only will I ask Buqun to spare you all further punishment, but I will pack my bags and leave the Mount Hua Sect today."