A Tiger's Head and a Snake's Tail

"Golden Core disciple?" The Foundation Establishment True Cultivator present suddenly fell silent, each pondering the meaning of those four words.

Most of the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in Cloud Horn Prefecture, let alone having studied under Golden Core cultivator, have never even heard a single Golden Core lecture.

The term "Golden Core Disciple" that Yue Lan spoke of was only four words long, which he could clearly pronounce in the blink of an eye. Yet, he didn't know that it was a blessing that countless ordinary cultivators longed for for many years but could not obtain.

Upon hearing this, they disregarded whether Yue Lan harbored malicious intentions and their gazes towards Jiang Qing already held a hint of jealousy.

As for whether they would agree or not, they couldn't think of a reason not to.

Putting aside how fortunate this is, Yue Lan has now publicly announced that Li Yun, the Two Instruments Sect leader of the Liangyi Sect, wants to take you, Jiang Qing, as his disciple. Do you dare to refuse? Do you dare to slap Golden Core cultivator in the face? With your newly promoted Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment?

Do they really think that a mere Chongming Sect, by sheer luck, could offend Two Instruments Sect, a powerful local tyrant who commands respect across several prefectures, by becoming a mere pawn of the state court?

To put it more realistically, even someone like Sima Fei wouldn't want to incur the wrath of any Golden Core cultivator.

"If you are interested, the sect leader has prepared everything for you: Third Tier Spirit Vein, Foundation Establishment sword servant, a top-grade Spirit Artifact, and Zhou Grade Cultivation Method. Your treatment will be on par with that of your direct disciples, without the slightest difference. Jiang Qing, what do you say?"

If the words "Golden Core Disciple" only aroused slight envy among the Foundation Establishment cultivators present, then what Yue Lan is talking about now would make even the less skilled Pseudo-Core Pill Masters drool, let alone them.

Compared to all of these, what does Chongming Sect have? What can he compare to?

To outsiders, the most valuable person in the Chongming Sect right now is Fei Shuhe, the principal wife of Sect Leader Kang Da.

Let alone the fact that she is the sect leader's wife and wouldn't fall into Jiang Qing's mouth, even if she were, she certainly couldn't compare to things like Third Tier Spirit Vein, Foundation Establishment sword servant, a top-grade Spirit Artifact, or Zhou Grade Cultivation Method.

Logically speaking, there was no reason for Jiang Qing to refuse.

However, two points still need to be considered: whether the Golden Core cultivator of the Two Instruments Sect has lied to others and the attitude of the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court towards this matter.

This matter is indeed difficult to handle. After Yue Lan spoke again, Jiang Qing still maintained that calm and composed expression, making it impossible for others to tell whether he was moved or not.

Kang Dabao looked worried, unable to come up with a solution to the predicament.

Sima Fei's face was contorted with anger, his teeth clenched, his fists clenched tightly, and he stared intently at Yue Lan with an unfriendly expression.

The Daoist Black Shoes frowned, staring at Yue Lan for a long time without looking away, as if trying to read something from the latter's face.

Yue Lan took in the expressions of everyone present and sighed inwardly. Just as the sect leader had planned, there were no unexpected surprises. Indeed, being Golden Core disciple was already a great blessing, let alone with the promised wealth, land, methods, and companions.

This was an unprecedented honor even for someone as outstanding as Yue Lan himself within the Two Instruments Sect. Coming from a minor sect and possessing a flawed Dao body, how could he possibly resist the allure of such a stroke of good fortune?

"What a pity," Yue Lan noticed the reluctance in Yue Feng's eyes, and also saw the undisguised anger of Sima Fei and the other high-ranking officials of the state.

"If Jiang Qing agrees, but Fei Nanying refuses and calls on the state court's henchmen to beat Jiang Qing and himself to death on the spot, the sect leader would surely be very Ruyi." Yue Lan felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He had already figured out before he came why Li Yun had sent him, a member of the Yue Household, to personally take action this time.

Logically speaking, Fei Nanying certainly couldn't just stand by and watch himself bring Jiang Qing back to the Two Instruments Sect.

The latter is a living testament to the state court's favor towards the Chongming Sect, a mere horse bone. If Yue Lan were to actually pry it back to the Liangyi Two Instruments Sect, how would the state officials present at Kuang Liuting explain themselves? Expecting to return smoothly would be a joke.

"Very well, we can't avoid a fight." Yue Lan immediately became alert. In the past, based on Li Yun's assumption, if Fei Nanying wanted to take action against Jiang Qing, the Daoist Black Shoes would surely help.

With Jiang Qing, Jiang Qing uncle Daoist Black Shoes, and Yue Lan himself added to the mix, victory was impossible. Escaping back to the Two Instruments Sect, however, was a more probable option.

Even if one or two people, or even all of them, were to perish during this period, Li Yun would still not suffer a loss.

Li Yun was overjoyed that he could cut off one arm of the Yue Household, who were two-faced within the Two Instruments Sect, and also make the people of the state court throw the horse bones on the ground.

Yue Lan himself understood this clearly. On the way back to the Two Instruments Sect, if he died, so be it. But if he couldn't bring back Jiang Qing and complete Li Yun's mission, the Yue Household members of the Two Instruments Sect would probably all suffer the same fate.

In this sense, Yue Lan's current predicament is quite similar to that of Ge Yangfeng, who was sent by the Feng Prefecture Ge Household to escort the Wang Household of Quarry Mountain.

Yue Lan prepared his hand seals and twisted his wrist, concealing it in his sleeve, ready for battle. However, he did not expect that a clear voice would rang out in the arena at this moment, causing all his preparations to fall apart.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Yue. I already have my own master and sect, and I am not fortunate enough to become Golden Core disciple again." Jiang Qing simply bowed his head in thanks and said nothing more. His mere twenty or so words shocked everyone present, and a great uproar broke out.

In the void, a gaunt Daoist priest, witnessing this scene through the Illusion Mirror, burst into laughter and clapped his hands. "Ha, Senior Li has lost!"

Opposite the lean Daoist priest, a middle-aged cultivator with a face like a silver plate showed slight surprise, but then chuckled and said, "You're lucky, sir, to have guessed something like this."

"What a pity. Senior's original plan must have been to wait until Yue Lan was beaten to death by those good-for-nothings before stepping out to protect Jiang Qing and the Daoist Black Shoes and return to the Two Instruments Sect before I returned, right?"

It's not hard to guess, after all, out of the dozens of people in the Chongming Sect, only these two could barely catch the senior's eye. However, the senior probably didn't expect that this plan would fall through.

Kuang Liuting's expression was slightly smug as he spoke. Li Yun, though his thoughts had been seen through by the former in Three Words, showed no anger and continued to smile faintly:

"Lord is right. I never imagined that Jiang Qing would be such a foolish and incompetent person. I have been cultivating for over three hundred years, and there are truly few cultivators like him who cannot see through things. One step behind means one step behind. Now that he has missed this opportunity, he will probably die of old age at the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Haha, then there's no need for you to trouble yourself, senior." Kuang Liuting could naturally hear the strong sarcasm in Li Yun's tone, and his goodwill towards him vanished even further.

The Master of the Star-Picking Pavilion and His Highness the Prince of the South had clearly agreed on the prohibition against the Golden Core being left untouched, yet Li Yun still broke it again.

Not only did they violate the rules, but they also sent Yue Lan to "fight each other like dogs." If Yue Lan were really beaten to death by Sima Fei and his men, it might give Li Yun an opportunity to take action and satisfy his desire to personally kill several high-ranking officials of the state.

Li Yun could even use this opportunity to position himself as a victim and reignite the war, thereby disrupting the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court's plan to digest and reorganize the entire Cloud Horn Prefecture.

"That old bastard, his heart is so filthy!" Kuang Liuting thought to himself.

If it weren't for the fact that the officials in the state are now clearly divided, and that it's rare for them to be gathered together because of Jiang Qing's Foundation Establishment, I would have come here specifically to see if they still maintained proper boundaries when they met in private.

At this point, Li Yun must be unstoppable, and he may have already achieved victory and returned in triumph.

"Alas, I had prepared a generous gift for this new disciple, but what bad luck!" Li Yun sighed softly. Kuang Liuting could tell he was speaking to him, so he retorted, "Senior Li, whatever the Two Instruments Sect can give Jiang Qing, our state court can give him as well."

"Can the state court provide the Spirit Root for limb regeneration?" Li Yun did not argue, but asked again.

Now Kuang Liuting was at a loss for words. This time, he came from the capital region, and the elders of the imperial family in the capital had given him a lot of advice, but they hadn't given him much money or gifts.

In terms of wealth, although Kuang Liuting was not poor, he certainly couldn't compete with the Two Instruments Sect, a behemoth that had accumulated wealth over a thousand years.

"Senior Li, can you make that decision?" Kuang Liuting was aware of the rules of the Two Instruments Sect, which stipulated that each of its peaks would take turns sending a True-Grade Golden Core cultivator to serve as the sect leader.

The Golden Core cultivators are very interested in things like limb-regenerating Spirit Root, and if Li Yun wants to take them out of the sect's treasury, he absolutely cannot do so without the permission of the other elders.

"It's just a piece of news, whether true or false. How can I not make a decision?" Li Yun smiled confidently and said calmly, "Isn't the treasure of the Fei Household's She Mountain Hall just an Azure Firmament Spirit Root?"

Upon hearing this, Kuang Liuting narrowed his eyes slightly again, as if deep in thought.

Seeing this, Li Yun simply smiled. Now that his plans had failed, there was no point in lingering any longer. He bowed and bid farewell to Kuang Liuting. With a wave of his hand, the clouds parted, revealing a flying boat shaped like an inkstone. After Li Yun gently stepped onto it and landed steadily, the flying boat emitted a burst of light and disappeared into the world.

"Jiang Qing, did you hear me clearly? This concerns your future Dao Path, so think it over carefully and don't make a mistake!" As soon as Jiang Qing finished speaking, Yue Lan was surprised and couldn't help but ask.

"I understand. I am grateful for the kindness of Master Li Yun and Senior Yue Lan, but I already have a master, senior brothers, junior brothers, and disciples. I am truly not fortunate enough to change sects and become a Golden Core disciple." Jiang Qing's tone was so firm that even Sect Leader Kang Da, who knew the outcome from the beginning, was slightly surprised.

Family members know their own affairs best. Little Sanzi grew up on Kang Dabao's back, inside the shelf, so the latter naturally knows the former's temperament and character very well.

If Brother Qing, who has been exceptionally gifted since childhood, wanted to change his family's fortunes, why would he have waited until today?

The Ming Household and He Household were in far Chongming Sect circumstances than the dilapidated Chongmingzong family, yet Jiang Qing never showed any interest in them.

However, even Sect Leader Kang Da hadn't expected that Jiang Qing would make such a decisive and resolute choice in the face of the invitation to reach the Golden Core.

To be honest, even Kang Dabao himself couldn't help but be tempted when he heard the conditions Yue Lan offered for Jiang Qing.

Even Kang Dabao was surprised, let alone the others in the room, who were all astonished.

Jiang Qing had just finished his second reply, and Yue Lan, who was relaying the message to Li Yunshang, hadn't even said anything yet, when Headmaster Kang noticed several rogue cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage blushing with anger.

The expressions on their faces were all too clear; they wished they could replace Jiang Qing.

"Phew," Sima Fei and Yue Lan both breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Jiang Qing firmly refuse again. Before anyone else could react, only Yue Feng, standing in the crowd, felt much more relaxed.

The Daoist Black Shoes observed from the sidelines. After a moment's thought and a little further consideration, he had already grasped seven or eight parts of the truth.

Jiang Qing's refusal to become a disciple of Li Yun was, aside from the Chongming Sect had seriously offended this Golden Core cultivator, almost a win-win situation.

Just then, the tense atmosphere in the room gradually subsided. Sect Leader Kang Da and the host, finally had a chance to step forward and apologize to the Foundation Establishment cultivators. "This humble abode is empty and has been neglected by you seniors. Your lodgings have been prepared; please accept my apologies."

"No, since Fellow Daoist Jiang has his own plans, then I should return to my sect as soon as possible and report to the sect leader. Fellow Daoists, see you another day."

Only then did Yue Lan, the unwelcome guest, finally show a smile.

After bidding farewell to the cultivators, Yue Lan didn't wait for their reaction. He placed his index finger on his ring finger, and the fingertips slightly closed.

A moment later, a Second Tier spirit goose flew swiftly from the horizon. When it got close, Yue Lan leaped up and landed steadily on the goose's broad back, then rode away gracefully.

After Yue Lan finished his journey, Sima Fei and Acting Sima Gun discussed the matter for a while before settling into their respective guest rooms to rest. Because these two Sima were still lingering there, the group led by Tie Liuyun was also reluctant to leave.

After the Sect Leader Kang Da had settled these high-ranking officials, he thought he could finally rest for a while, but he saw that Jiang Qing couldn't stand the social obligations and had already gone straight back to his courtyard to cultivate.

With him leaving, how could Kang Dabao escape unscathed? There were still several Foundation Establishment True Cultivator inside the hall; how could they possibly leave?

They looked down on Pei Yi and Ye Zhengwen, these so-called elders and deacons. With their peer Jiang Qing absent, only Kang Dabao was qualified to speak to them.

As soon as Sect Leader Kang Da returned, he was pulled aside by the head of the Shan Household. The former looked distressed and said, "Senior Shan, it's not that I'm refusing, but as you've seen, my junior brother has absolutely no intention of getting married. As his senior brother, I can't do the same."

"Hey, Sect Leader Kang, what are you saying? I was careless before. My daughter is indeed not good enough for Fellow Daoist Jiang, but my family does have the intention to discuss marriage with your family. You see," Shan Sheng's original scholarly demeanor had disappeared, revealing a greasy and mercenary side, which actually complemented the sect leader's manner somewhat.

"Senior, my family has really offended Li Yun this time." Sect Leader Kang Da looked doubtful. Logically speaking, how could the Jade Moon Shan Household dare to come forward at a time like this?

"Ha, your family has indeed offended Li Yun badly, but in the eyes of the Earl of Nan'an, they must be incredibly loyal! My Shan Household is already in such a predicament, how can we not dare to take a gamble?!" Shan Sheng said, becoming quite agitated, slapping his folding fan against his palm, making a loud cracking sound.

"This..." Sect Leader Kang Da knew that after the battle at Little Wu Mountain, the Jade Moon Shan Household only had Shan Sheng, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, left to hold their own.

The state court offered them relief and bestowed upon them two Foundation Establishment Pills. However, neither of the two Foundation Establishment seeds they carefully cultivated succeeded; instead, one died and the other was injured.

It is said that Shan Sheng damaged his foundation in his early years, which is why his lifespan is much shorter than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment. Therefore, his gambling nature is somewhat heavy, which makes sense.

"To be honest, senior, there is no suitable woman in my family. If we were to discuss marriage, I'm afraid I would have no choice but to ask for the hand of your noble daughter." Sect Leader Kang Da feigned reluctance.

"That's easy to say. Your junior brothers are all quite good. What about that Pei kid?"

He already has a wife.

"Where is that short, stocky, and well-established kid?"

One wife and one concubine.

Who else is in your family?

"I do have a junior brother, whose skill in the art of cultivation is extremely high; he has already reached the First-Tier Superior-Grade and has great potential."

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