Chapter - 5
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Qiao Han stood out sharply among the disciples of the Qingyun Sect, dressed entirely in red. So as soon as he spoke, everyone could instantly see him.
Even those present who did not know him had heard of him. Seeing him appear, they couldn't help but exchange glances.
Qiao Han walked directly to Xiao Jiuci’s side, feeling the male lead’s gaze fall upon him.
His heart raced with excitement, his hands trembled, and he angrily pointed at that group of fools.
"You actually want Qingyun Sect’s senior brother to apologize to you? Do you even know your place? Do you deserve it?"
"You... what did you say? How are we undeserving?"
"Your lives were saved, and we didn’t see you kneeling in gratitude. You attacked first, got beaten, and now you expect an apology? What kind of nonsense is that? Is that how things work in Wanren Sect ?"
"Who do you think you are!" The scarred man found it hard to refute Qiao Han's words. Feeling humiliated, he saw that the newcomer not only wasn’t wearing the Qingyun Sect disciple robes but was also just a little brat at the Qi Refining Stage, so he became aggressive.
"I’m your dad! When a father disciplines his son, you’d better listen obediently! You unfilial son."
Upon hearing this, the scarred man’s eyes widened like a bull’s, but for a moment, he couldn’t come up with a single retort.
Qiao Han completely disregarded any sense of propriety. Compared to the scarred man’s shameless tactics, his absurdity was on another level. The man was left fuming and breathless, while the Qingyun Sect disciples couldn’t help but stifle their laughter, as if the tension had finally been broken.
Xiao Jiuci, standing nearby, was also stunned. He, who had always followed the rules, had never seen such reckless behavior.
He never expected Qiao Han would stand up… to speak for him.
Xiao Jiuci glanced down at him. Qiao Han’s face was youthful and innocent, yet full of arrogance and pride. His lips curled into a mischievous grin, and his delicate brows were filled with defiance, as if unafraid of anything. Xiao Jiuci couldn’t help but wonder where this kid got the confidence to be so bold.
It seemed that Qiao Han’s personality had always been this way, so all the recent odd behavior must have just been his overthinking. But still... why did it feel like something was different?
Suddenly, those lively eyes sneakily glanced at Xiao Jiuci, as if stealing a look, but then quickly withdrew like a guilty thief. The smile on Qiao Han’s face stiffened a bit, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red.
Xiao Jiuci: …
Qiao Han: Oh my God, the male lead’s presence is too strong; my legs are about to go weak.
System: [Host, keep it up! You're doing a great job portraying the antagonist's persona! Keep going!]
Qiao Han hurriedly focused his mind to avoid being affected by the male lead.
"Where did this rascal come from? Who gave you the right to speak?! Does the Qingyun Sect even care about how their disciples behave?" The scarred man, feeling that Qiao Han’s words were too sharp, immediately turned and roared at Jiang Suwei.
Jiang Suwei, feeling awkward, helplessly said, “He’s not a disciple of Qingyun Sect. Um… Senior Brother…” Jiang Suwei looked at Xiao Jiuci for help, hoping he would come out and scold Qiao Han.
Upon seeing this, the scarred man suddenly realized, "Is he one of your people?"
Xiao Jiuci was about to nod without thinking.
But Qiao Han quickly interrupted, “I’m a supporter and admirer of the senior brother. I just can’t stand your bullying. The Bone-Devouring Ape should belong to us. There’s no way you’ll get an apology! If you’re not satisfied, let your sect master come and make a decision! I want to see if the dignified sect master is as unreasonable as you are.”
Xiao Jiuci glanced at Qiao Han, not speaking further, but slightly adjusted his arm holding the sword to prevent the other side from attacking Qiao Han in embarrassment.
The scarred man was already breathing heavily. "Are you trying to make enemies with our Wanren Sect?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present became serious.
However, Qiao Han was just picking at his ears.
"Wanren Sect, Wanren Sect, aren't you sick of repeating that? Can you really represent Wanren Sect? Don’t make me laugh. You couldn’t even handle the White Bone Ape and only survived thanks to Qingyun Sect. Instead of being grateful, you're throwing tantrums while being treated by Qingyun Sect, shamelessly snatching resources. And now that you don’t get what you want, you whine about Wanren Sect. If Wanren Sect knew they had disciples like you, they'd probably be embarrassed to admit it. Or... could it be that you're just using Wanren Sect’s name to scam and cheat people?"
Once Qiao Han said this, everyone looked at the Wanren Sect disciples in shock, feeling there was some truth to it. It really didn’t seem like the behavior of a large sect—could they really be scamming people?
"You little brat! How dare you speak so wildly and question our identities, insulting our Wanren Sect!" The scarred man was genuinely furious, directly unleashing his pressure, only to have it dissipated by Xiao Jiuci’s mere presence.
Qiao Han, standing next to him, felt nothing and continued to babble on.
"How have I insulted the Wanren Sect? I’m clearly insulting you! How could a sect as reputable as the Wanren Sect have such shameless people like you? Is the Wanren Sect specifically collecting trash? You guys, even if you band together in the Golden Core Stage, can’t take down our senior brother, and your existence is the real insult to the Wanren Sect. I advise you all to calm down, be quiet like chickens, and not let the outside world know. Your Wanren Sect really can’t afford to lose face because of some foolish people like you."
"Looking for death!" The scarred man provoked, shattered the ice binding him, and swung his long knife, sending a red light slashing toward Qiao Han.
It seemed that a sharp tongue indeed came with risks.
The attack from the Golden Core Stage was too fast for Qiao Han to react, and he could only see a flash of red light. However, before he could move, the red light was instantly blocked by a blue barrier, and a crackling sound was heard as cracks appeared on the barrier, extending in all directions until it shattered into countless ice shards.
As the ice shards fell to the ground, they rapidly spread toward the scarred man like wildfires.
As the ice shards touched the ground, they spread like wildfire toward the scarred man. He hastily stabbed his blade into the ground to halt the ice's advance, but to his horror, the icy threads split and climbed up the blade, freezing it in an instant.
When Qiao Han finally realized what was happening, he turned to see Xiao Jiuci beside him. With a brow like a sword unsheathed and a nose like a mountain peak, just looking at his profile was already exceptionally handsome.
Xiao Jiuci had two fingers raised, a wisp of white mist still lingering, the cold air evidence of the effortlessly dispelled danger.
How powerful!
Qiao Han’s eyes sparkled, and a sense of confidence surged within him. "You still dare to make a move? You really have some guts."
"You… you’re going too far! I am the direct disciple of a Wanren Sect elder. If you treat me this way, our Wandao Sect will definitely seek retribution in the future. And you, Xiao Jiuci, you are great! We will remember this!"
"Our Senior Brother is indeed the best, so if you're talking about settling scores, we’ll settle them properly too!" Qiao Han sneered in response.
Xiao Jiuci’s eyes flickered slightly at Qiao Han’s praise as if a new light had appeared.
"Enough! Stop talking!" Suddenly, Jiang Suwei urgently interrupted. "You are not a disciple of our Qingyun Sect and do not have the right to speak for us. Are you trying to provoke a conflict?"
Qiao Han was full of vigor, but unexpectedly, one of his own doused him with cold water.
“If it weren’t for your identity, I’d really suspect you were a spy sent by the enemy,” he reflexively retorted, causing Jiang Suwei to redden her eyes.
Ou Zanrui immediately defended her, “What nonsense are you talking about! Weiwei… didn’t say anything wrong. Isn’t the current situation tense because of you?”
“Stirring up conflict is better than boosting the enemy’s morale while diminishing our own,” Qiao Han replied coldly.
Ou Zanrui was momentarily speechless. According to her temperament, she would have preferred to fight, but…
“I think you’re just looking for trouble. The junior sister only wants to resolve the issue; she has a kind heart, unlike you who stirs up trouble. In the end, it’s still our Qingyun Sect that has to clean up your mess.”
Qiao Han laughed, “I’ve just learned that being kind-hearted means making your own people suffer while bringing joy to others. Originally, we were two sects on equal footing, but kindness has turned into a compromise that pleases others. Are you all alright with that?”
As Qiao Han spoke, it felt like a bolt from the blue, instantly providing a suitable description for the discomfort that had been lingering among the sect members.
“N-no, it’s not like that. I’m thinking of the future of our sect. What if we go out later…” Jiang Suwei felt extremely wronged and hurriedly explained.
“Oh, so in the future, whenever we go out for training, anyone can snatch resources from our Qingyun Sect if there’s a conflict of interest because we’re kind and generous, unwilling to provoke trouble, and create conflict—is that what you mean?”
Everyone’s expressions changed instantly. Indeed, how could that work? Clearly, they were in the right; if they truly retreated, how would others view them? They would think they were easy to bully, right? Wouldn’t they become the foolish ones?
This precedent could never be set; otherwise, what’s the point of the rules of the Immortal Alliance?
In an instant, everyone found Qiao Han’s brazen demeanor much more agreeable. What he said made sense!
Even Ou Zanrui, who was displeased with Qiao Han, couldn’t find a word to say.
Jiang Suwei’s eyes were brimming with tears. Seeing everyone look at her strangely, she immediately turned to Xiao Jiuci.
“Big Brother… I really didn’t mean it that way. Didn’t Father often teach us to prioritize harmony? Our two sects should set an example for the other immortal sects below. If we cause a scene, wouldn’t everyone lose face?”
Jiang Suwei didn’t mean it that way; she just felt that those matters had no effect on her, so she thought others could be as magnanimous and indifferent as she was, casually giving and earning a reputation for being generous and tolerant.
But no one was the Sect Leader’s daughter.
“It’s not that we’d lose face; those who don’t follow the rules are the ones who lose face.”
“Exactly, even if it escalates, why should we back down? Our sect is not inferior!”
“Why does Junior Sister always side with others? We bled and suffered to hunt the Bone Ape; it should belong to us.”
The surrounding disciples began to express their dissatisfaction.
Jiang Suwei started to cry, tightly clutching Xiao Jiuci’s sleeve. She truly didn’t mean it; she was thinking of everyone, and it was all Qiao Han’s fault for saying that! How could he say such things about her, making everyone misunderstand her?
Xiao Jiuci still cared for Jiang Suwei, seeing her anxiousness, he comforted her, “Don’t worry, it won’t escalate.”
Turning to the people of the Wanren Sect, he said, “If there’s a need for settlement, just find me. I’m always ready for a fight.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Han became anxious. Sure enough, the male lead was accustomed to shouldering all the difficulties, though the harm was minor, many mosquitoes could still bite.
Just as he was about to say something, he noticed that the surrounding sect disciples were oddly accustomed to this situation; not a single person stood up to speak but rather accepted it, even displaying a sense of pride.
In his moment of distraction, he saw Xiao Jiuci casually wave his hand, lifting the ice seal and allowing the six individuals to regain their freedom.
The six men looked at Xiao Jiuci with indignation.
Suddenly, Xiao Jiuci spoke, “I wonder which elder you are the disciple of?”
“What? Now you’re worried?” the scar-faced man immediately replied.
“No, I’ve met the elders of the Wanren Sect, so I’d like to know which one I’ve offended.”
The scar-faced man instantly felt guilty, his mouth moved but he stammered, “I… I won’t tell you; just wait and see.”
His strange attitude drew the attention of everyone.
Xiao Jiuci smiled lightly, like a warm spring breeze, “Is it that you don’t want to say or that you don’t dare to say?”
“You… what are you talking about? I have nothing to fear; I’m a direct disciple of the elder.”
“At the beginning of the conflict, you didn’t mention it, but only when you were forced to did you bring up your status as a direct disciple. If that identity is true, it only shows that you are aware that no elder would support your actions. Otherwise, you would have made your identity clear from the start, wouldn’t you?”
With one sentence, he awakened everyone!
The scar-faced man was stunned, all words stuck in his throat, and he could only stare blankly at Xiao Jiuci, gazing into those pitch-black eyes as if they could see through him.
His legs felt weak, almost causing him to collapse.
The other five’s faces turned uncontrollably pale. As for the so-called direct disciples, in such a large sect, there were at least a few hundred if not a thousand; they naturally didn’t hold much weight, especially since they didn’t have the upper hand.
Actually, at the beginning, they just wanted to take a little advantage, but they didn't expect the scarred man to be so greedy, and now they've ended up worse off.
“So you guys were trying to trick us! You’re just trying to stir up trouble!”
“So you’re the ones who are afraid to truly confront us! It makes sense; I heard that the Wanren Sect has strict rules, so how could they allow you to cause trouble?”
“I almost fell for it! You wanted to leverage your strength to seize treasures and even dared to act righteously for a false play. Do you really think we’re easy to bully? Don’t you see what kind of place this is? It can't tolerate your unruliness!”
“Now it’s our turn to seek an explanation from your Wanren Sect!”
The disciples, who had almost been tricked, suddenly filled with righteous indignation. It turned out that the other side didn’t genuinely think they were right; they just intended to weasel out of their responsibilities.
Qiao Han looked at this group of latecomers with some speechlessness. However… the male lead is so great! He just stood up for him, and it turns out he had already deduced from just a few words that this group was nothing but a paper tiger, completely unafraid.
Under the barrage of accusations, the six of them finally lost their bravado, burying their heads low, wishing they could find a hole in the ground to hide in.
Jiang Suwei was also stunned. She had almost made matters worse earlier, and now that she realized it, her face turned green and white, feeling quite aggrieved. “You guys…”
Ou Zanrui finally couldn’t suppress her anger any longer and erupted like a volcano, “Apologies, and then roll out of the Qingyun Sect! Otherwise, I’ll personally take you to see the master of the Wanren Sect!”
At this point, they naturally dared not struggle any longer, only wanting to downplay the situation as they pushed the scarred man to apologize in a scattered manner.
Seeing that they were about to leave, Qiao Han suddenly reacted.
Wait? What about my mission…
【Ding, congratulations to the host, mission accomplished! Throwing flowers, please keep up the good work.】
Qiao Han let out a sigh of relief; he was so lucky! Not only did he avoid making enemies with the actual Wanren Sect, but he also completed his mission by taking advantage of these foolish people trying to act tough.
Sure enough, the system loves me!
Qiao Han eagerly wanted to see how many emotional points he had gained. However, he waited for a long time without any response.
Qiao Han:？
System:【？】
Qiao Han: Where are the emotional points! Don’t get stuck at a time like this; spit it out!
System:【… After inspection, no emotional fluctuations from the male lead were detected.】
Qiao Han:？？？？Why is this happening! Didn’t I do it for nothing? Did you make a mistake?
System:【Emotional points are calculated based on the host's mission completion quality. The male lead’s emotions did not fluctuate because of your actions, which means you didn’t put in enough effort, and the quality of completion is poor.】
Qiao Han, who had already worked very hard, was filled with impotent rage…
System:【The host doesn’t need to worry. For the sake of the host’s life, the system will arrange new tasks for you as soon as possible.】
Qiao Han weakly said: Go away!
What could he do? Based on the ending, he didn't cause any trouble. A good person like the male lead would definitely not be angry with him!
Could it be that because of this, there were no emotional points? Qiao Han didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He could only look at Xiao Jiuci with a resentful expression. Male lead, how about you get angry with me instead?
For example, think that I’m self-righteous and aggressive, not like a good person?
Perhaps Qiao Han’s gaze was too obvious.
Xiao Jiuci turned to look and froze for a moment as if he sensed the strong resentment emanating from Qiao Han. His previous lively demeanor was gone, and he seemed quite dissatisfied with the current situation.
“You… do you have anything else to say?” Xiao Jiuci asked tentatively. After all, the situation was resolved smoothly today, and Qiao Han made significant contributions.
However, as soon as Xiao Jiuci spoke, the people in front who were preparing to leave froze in place, cautiously looking this way, as if afraid Qiao Han would not easily let them go. After all, it was Qiao Han who had been arguing with them, causing their situation to turn around rapidly.
But… this was purely a misunderstanding.
Qiao Han blinked, not reacting to what the male lead wanted him to say, but upon seeing the expressions of the Wanren Sect members.
People around were also looking over, seemingly wanting to see what else Qiao Han would say.
Qiao Han was baffled, but looking at the various injured disciples around and the medical cultivators who had fainted due to the effects of the purification formation, his eyes narrowed as he found a target to vent his anger on.
“It’s not that I want to say anything; it’s that the medical cultivators from the Puxian Peak have something to say.”
There were many medical cultivators present, but each of them had question marks on their heads.
What do they want to say?
“What?” Xiao Jiuci was taken aback.
“When I was down there just now, I heard them say that treating the Wanren Sect members consumed quite a bit of spirit stones. Just now, their fight also affected the spirit plants. Shouldn’t they compensate for this kind of loss? We can’t let the medical cultivators from Puxian Peak bear this ourselves, right?”
The medical cultivators: Although it makes sense, we didn’t say that?
The Wanren Sect members: What? You still want compensation!!!
Qiao Han simply started counting on his fingers, “Even if it was just a fight, the losses from the injuries of both sides' combatants cancel each other out, but what about the medical cultivators? They didn’t participate in the battle, right? They kindly helped, but were mistakenly injured—how unfair is that? So, for the treatment costs and the losses incurred from their work…”
“Wait, what’s the loss of work?” The scarred man panicked.
“That's the compensation for delaying the daily cultivation of the medical cultivators. Because of your disturbance, they now have to recuperate and replant spirit plants; where will they find time to maintain their own cultivation? Shouldn’t this be compensated? I haven’t even mentioned the mental distress fee—medical cultivators are very delicate and sensitive.”
The Wanren Sect members: Are you a devil?
The medical cultivators: Which medical cultivator thought of such a genius compensation plan? Yes, yes, taking care of spirit plants is very hard, and they need to be cultivated too, they can’t handle being scared.
Qiao Han said kindly, “Don’t worry; considering our friendly sect, I’ll definitely give you a discount. Think of it as a lesson for everyone; don’t harbor bad intentions and do bad things without facing the consequences.”
“Aren’t you a big sect? Why are you being so petty? We’ve already apologized!” someone shouted unwillingly.
Jiang Suwei also felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to speak, but after looking at the atmosphere around her, she quickly withdrew her steps.
Qingyun Sect's disciples were all excited and flushed, and some medical cultivators had already gathered together to discuss.
“What kind of nonsense is this? Even brothers need to settle accounts clearly! You want to back out, thinking we’re easy targets?”
“Exactly! We don’t know who was shouting about settling accounts earlier! We’re really going to settle accounts with you!”
“No compensation, no leaving!”
The Wanren Sect members turned stiffly to look at Xiao Jiuci: Aren’t you going to intervene?
The eldest disciple of the Qingyun Sect, known for being amiable and easy to talk to, should not let this farce unfold, right?
Xiao Jiuci looked at Qiao Han and noticed that his previously tense expression not only hadn’t relaxed but had instead turned complex and awkward. He turned to meet Xiao Jiuci's gaze.
That gaze was filled with grievance and a sense of being wronged as if he had been bullied.
【Ding, congratulations to the host, emotional point captured +1】
Qiao Han thought: The male lead’s heart is as deep as the ocean! No wonder he was staring at me just now; it turns out he’s not happy with me! I just asked for a bit of money, and it was for your Qingyun Sect too! Boo hoo hoo, how unfair.
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god i looove thisssss. I'm already sad seeing only 25 chapters, lol- Also MC you loveable little simp. I adore you!!!!! And ML seems really great i'd simp too!
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