Chapter - 4
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What they say is, *"Even if you eat shit, it won't be hot." *(A sarcastic expression meaning missing out on something valuable or a chance.)
Qiao Han couldn’t fly using a sword, so when he arrived, all he heard was a crack of ice, feeling the cold air hit his face. Countless tiny icicles fell from the sky like stars descending to the mortal realm, gradually transforming into faint blue light spots that dissipated into the air.
A gust of white mist swept through, revealing a deep blue robe and ink-dyed hair fluttering in the wind, instantly catching Qiao Han's attention.
He saw Xiao Jiuci holding a sword, its silver blade adorned with blue, emanating a chilling aura as if it were an incarnation of the icy depths of snow. This was his life sword, the Ice Soul Sword.
Standing tall and majestic, he faced the six men ahead, protecting the injured disciples behind him, like an impenetrable barrier. As long as he stood there, the area behind him was a safe zone.
The injured disciples helped each other up, each displaying pride and confidence as they looked toward the opposing group.
The six individuals were all dressed in the Wanren Sect’s purple and gold armor with brown disciple robes, each wielding a blade. They looked humiliated and angry, but there was no intimidating presence about them.
This was because their lower legs were completely frozen, transformed into half-ice sculptures by the translucent ice shimmering with blue light, leaving them unable to move except for awkwardly waving their arms.
Xiao Jiuci said, “In the Qingyun Sect, one must not be reckless.”
Qiao Han couldn’t see Xiao Jiuci's expression at that moment, but he felt the warm and friendly tone in his voice carried an undeniable warning.
This made Qiao Han feel an unexpected surge of dominance, and his heart raced excitedly.
“Xiao Jiuci, everyone says you are modest and humble, but I see you are nothing but a hypocrite, relying on your high cultivation to bully others!” one man shouted, his face marred by a scar.
“That's hilarious. My senior brother didn’t even draw his sword. He just used sword energy and magic power to force back you six Golden Core cultivators, and you still dare to say he is bullying you?” Ou zanrui, who had arrived early, jumped out first to protest.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Han gasped, “What! One against six, without drawing a sword, and he still knocked them out? Boohoo, what a majestic and powerful scene! How could I have missed it?” He felt like he had lost a fortune.
“That’s because we were all injured!” the scar-faced man argued defensively.
“Did our senior brother not get injured? Speaking of which, half of his injuries were because he saved you during the hunt for the Bone Monkey. We kindly brought you back to cure your poison, and how can you shamelessly demand the Bone Monkey from us? If we don’t give it to you, do you want to resort to violence? You are simply ungrateful and forgetful of kindness!”
The Wanren Sect disciples turned red with anger, shouting back in unison.
“That Bone Ape was originally being hunted by us; we discovered it first, so it rightfully belongs to us. How dare you steal from us and then lecture us?”
“Do you even have a sense of justice? Magical beasts belong to whoever kills them. It was our Qingyun Sect that successfully surrounded it. You did nothing at the time.”
“That’s because we let it get injured first while pursuing it, allowing you to take advantage. It’s not that we did nothing; it’s Xiao Jiuci who insisted on wasting effort to exhaust the Bone Ape. If we had done it our way…”
“Your way was to cower and let the mortals be bait to lure the Bone Ape!”
“Just sacrificing mortals, and you act so nobly. Without us, they would have died regardless.”
Although the Immortal Alliance stipulated that cultivators should protect mortals, eliminate evil, and support the people, most cultivators were high and mighty, indifferent to the lives of mortals. Yet, some would quietly uphold their principles.
For example, Xiao Jiuci.
The members of the Wanren Sect couldn’t help but feel disgusted just thinking about the scene of those saved civilians kneeling before Xiao Jiuci, praising him as an immortal upon their return.
Moreover, the Bone Ape was a peak-level magical beast, rich in treasures; who would be willing to let it go? They had worked hard to find it.
“You are clearly obstructing us from hunting magical beasts and stealing our targets. You must give us an explanation today!” the scar-faced man said angrily.
The Qingyun Sect disciples on the mission were utterly infuriated by this unreasonable argument, feeling the injustice and unable to hold back their rebuttals.
Qiao Han almost laughed out of anger upon hearing this, understanding the whole situation; they had clearly saved them but were now being blamed. They were truly a bunch of ingrates.
At that moment, Xiao Jiuci spoke calmly, unfazed by the unreasonable attitude of the opponents.
“Since we have different paths, there’s no need for pointless arguments. According to the Immortal Alliance’s regulations, the ownership of magical beasts depends on the primary attacker and the territory. If anyone has doubts, they can request the Immortal Alliance for judgment.”
The scar-faced man hesitated for a moment, then immediately became furious, “Xiao Jiuci, you’re truly hypocritical! Speaking in grand terms, you’re just coveting the Bone Ape. I see you as a person who seeks fame and recognition!”
Qiao Han felt his anger flare up. How dare they insult his male lead? Fine, I’ll remember this grudge; you’re done for!
Everyone present knew exactly how these small-minded people thought.
They all thought that someone as famous as Xiao Jiuci would be good at dealing with people; even if he was right, he would be magnanimous and wouldn't hold a grudge against them. At first, they only hinted at returning the White Bone Ape's corpse, but the people from the Qingyun Sect completely ignored them. Later, after a disagreement led to conflict, Xiao Jiuci actually struck out against them directly and now wouldn't budge an inch, using words to corner them. How could they accept this? They could only try to attack him verbally to force him into a corner.
But Xiao Jiuci didn't care about any of this. After the scar-faced man spoke, he directly said, “You can save these words for the Immortal Alliance.”
The scar-faced man was taken aback, “Oh? Is Qingyun Sect refusing to give our Wanren Sect face?”
In the cultivation world, there was one palace, three sects, and six immortal gates, forming the Righteous Immortal Alliance that led a hundred sects. Wanren Sect and Qingyun Sect were two of the three sects, equally matched in status and strength, and had been allied for a thousand years. Naturally, they wouldn’t escalate a mere dispute between disciples to the sect level.
A true gentleman fears nothing more than dealing with scoundrels.
Moreover, the other party must have believed that Xiao Jiuci, as the senior brother of his sect, would be concerned about preserving the harmony between the two sects. That's why they dared to escalate the matter to a sect-wide issue.
It was utterly shameless!
Qiao Han was gritting his teeth. The system had already begun to urge him; the countdown to ten minutes was almost up.
Originally, Qiao Han was quite conflicted about the mission that clearly bore the marks of a villain, with all kinds of concerns in his heart.
But now it seemed unnecessary to hesitate; with anger boiling over, Qiao Han didn't mind being a villain this once and sought to make trouble for them.
Here he comes, marching forward with his villainous task in hand.
Qiao Han rubbed his fists, ready to make a dazzling entrance and unleash his mocking skills to send them back. Just then, Jiang Suwei suddenly stepped forward and walked to Xiao Jiuci’s side.
She softly said, “Wait, let’s talk it over. Everyone, please calm down. Eldest Brother, there's no need to escalate this; we're all friendly sects and can discuss a resolution.”
Qiao Han came to a screeching halt, nearly dropping his jaw.
Xiao Jiuci also looked at his junior sister, and Ou zanrui hurriedly pulled Jiang Suwei back, saying, “Junior Sister, don’t get involved. You're just too kind-hearted; they’re pushing us around, and we can’t back down.”
“But… but it’s not good if this escalates. What if it damages the relationship between the two sects…”
The scar-faced man noticed that a beautiful lady spoke so reasonably and immediately laughed, “Looks like there are still people in Qingyun Sect who can talk sense! We don’t want to make a fuss either; just return the White Bone Ape to us, and we’ll leave. We’re still a friendly sect.”
The surrounding disciples of the Qingyun Sect immediately protested; they had fought hard to hunt it down, so why should they just hand it over?
Jiang Suwei quickly said, “Everyone, listen to me. Completing a mission comes with sect rewards; this White Bone Ape isn’t that rare. Eldest Brother can take everyone to hunt another one later. Once we’ve had the first, we can surely have a second. Why cause a rift over a single magical beast? In the future, if the disciples of both sects meet outside and face danger, we should help each other.”
Upon hearing the sect master's daughter say this, everyone seemed to calm down, and some even perceived a bit of reason in her words.
Ou zanrui was still furious, but since her best friend said this, she couldn't refuse and had to keep quiet.
Only Qiao Han was dumbfounded, thinking he might be hearing things. But after recalling the original text, he realized such things had indeed happened several times.
After Jiang Suwei spoke, she tugged at Xiao Jiuci's sleeve and gently pleaded, “Eldest Brother, our Qingyun Sect doesn’t lack this little bit. Why make a fuss with them? Just let them have it to settle this conflict, to prevent them from misunderstanding Eldest Brother. Eldest Brother is a good person, so quickly release them from the spell.”
After speaking, without waiting for Xiao Jiuci's response, Jiang Suwei took the initiative to apologize, “Everyone, we’re sorry for the misunderstanding. Please don’t hold it against us.”
The people from Wanren Sect finally felt elated, their heads held high in triumph, and the scar-faced man, still greedy, said, “Is that it? Doesn’t Xiao Jiuci need to apologize for striking us earlier?”
Qiao Han's eyes widened in disbelief: Did this fool really dare to say that!
This time, the disciples of the Qingyun Sect naturally began to stir again, still protecting their Eldest Brother and demanding an apology, wondering if the other party had lost their minds.
Jiang Suwei was also anxious, not expecting the other party to make such an outrageous demand, and could only turn to Xiao Jiuci for help, “Eldest Brother, this…”
Xiao Jiuci did not look at Jiang Suwei and directly said, “The White Bone Ape was captured together by our fellow disciples. If everyone is willing to give it, I have no objections.”
Although this plan was thought up by Xiao Jiuci and he contributed the most effort, he never considered the contributions of his fellow disciples as unimportant. In his eyes, credit was to be shared, and he was willing to fight for everyone, but if they didn't want to, it didn't matter to him.
Seeing that Xiao Jiuci had truly taken a step back, the scar-faced man was about to feel smug.
“But think carefully before you demand an apology.” Xiao Jiuci's tone had become calmer, but it unknowingly carried an air of pressure.
The scar-faced man felt a chill for no reason and immediately tried to employ his old tricks again, “What? Are you threatening us? You really won’t give Wanren Sect face!”
“When did the Wanren Sect’s honor depend on people like you to demand it? Haven’t you heard a saying? Respect is earned, not begged for.”
Suddenly, an out-of-place voice rang out from behind the crowd.
“Your skin is so thick that if we give you more face, your face will break the heavens. Are you all planning to attain immortality by relying on your thick skin??”
As the system’s countdown warning chimed in his mind, and under the gaze of the crowd, Qiao Han made his grand entrance, strutting in boldly.
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