Nine Heavens

九霄

nine-heavens

Chapter 33

As soon as he finished speaking, the rain stopped, the clouds parted to reveal the sun, and the sky was clear and bright once again.
The disciples of the Mirror Sea Sect were all delighted.
They originally had no hope, but unexpectedly there was a pleasant surprise. Lu Yanping was also very happy.
Qinghe Zhenren smiled slightly and looked at Zhou Yin, "Fellow Daoist, is the water from Zhegu Lake still useful?"
Zhou Yin said, "It's alright."
No one else knew what riddle they were talking about, only Zhou Yin was very clear. The torrential downpour just now was not summoned out of thin air, but borrowed from the water of Zhegu Lake next to Lingshou Hall.
High-level cultivators could naturally summon wind and rain with ease, but Zhou Yin's cultivation was not high enough now. In a hurry, it was impossible to summon thunder clouds, let alone such a large patch of rain, so he naturally needed to borrow power.
But others did not notice and were easily deceived. Even Lu Yanping and Tai Cifang did not see the mystery, while Qinghe Zhenren was very clear but did not say anything.
Originally, when two people fought, it was all about using unexpected tricks. Zhou Yin's move this time could be considered a stroke of genius. Even if others were unwilling in their hearts, they had nothing to say.
Hearing this, Qinghe's smile deepened. He said to the people of Qinggu Sect, "This time, it is the fellow Daoists of Mirror Sea Sect who have won."
Tai Cifang's face was very ugly. Originally, he thought this trip was a sure win. Although Shangxuan Sect was eyeing covetously from the side, under the eyes of everyone, they could not openly help the Mirror Sea Sect. Who knew there would be twists and turns, and the weak Mirror Sea Sect actually turned defeat into victory.
He snorted and stood up.
"Then I must first congratulate Zhenren. Shangxuan Sect has gained without lifting a finger and incorporated the Mirror Sea Sect. Truly a cause for celebration!"
Qinghe Zhenren seemed to not hear his sarcasm and smiled, "Qinggu Sect is willing to put aside their status and send out cultivators of comparable strength to compete. Such magnanimity is also admired by us fellow Daoists!"
Tai Cifang did not respond, and his face looked slightly better.
Then Qinghe Zhenren continued, "Today, taking advantage of the presence of fellow Daoists, Qinghe would like to ask everyone to be a witness. Since the Mirror Sea Sect has won, the Mirror Sea Sect should decide their own fate. Our Shangxuan Sect absolutely does not have the intention to bully the weak and take advantage of the situation."
Everyone was surprised.
Lu Yanping was even more stunned.
According to the agreement, if the Mirror Sea Sect won, Qinggu Sect could no longer find excuses to annex them, and the matter would be over. But he had previously told Qinghe Daoist that if the Mirror Sea Sect won, the entire sect would join Shangxuan Sect to show sincerity.
Even if there was still a hint of unwillingness originally, after this competition, Lu Yanping was already very clear that with his current strength, he could not protect a sect at all. Today it was Qinggu Sect, but there was no guarantee that other sects would not covet them tomorrow.
The best solution was to voluntarily abdicate and rely on a sect powerful enough that no one dared to easily infringe upon. Only then would it be the best arrangement for all the people of Mirror Sea Sect. Otherwise, let alone those spirit stones and elixirs, even their lives might not be preserved.
Having made up his mind, he took a deep breath, stood up and cupped his hands, "Zhenren has a broad mind, making this junior admire you. But a gentleman's promise is binding. Since I gave my word before, this junior will not go back on it. I am willing to have the entire sect join Shangxuan Sect and await Zhenren's orders."
Everyone looked at Qinghe, wanting to see how he would handle this matter.
Qinghe Zhenren was silent for a while. "Sect Leader Lu has made up his mind?"
Lu Yanping said, "This intention is absolute and will not change."
"What about your sect's elixirs and spiritual veins?"
"Everything is at Zhenren's disposal."
Qinghe Zhenren looked at him, his expression peaceful but also with a hint of compassion, as if he understood his predicament.
He sighed lightly and said, "Forget it. Since it is so, from now on, all the disciples of Mirror Sea Sect will be under my Shangxuan Sect. As for the spirit stones, elixirs and other items of Mirror Sea Sect, after taking inventory, a portion will be distributed to each sect as thanks for coming at Shangxuan Sect's invitation today to observe and witness."
With this, not only the people from other sects, but even Tai Cifang was greatly surprised and turned to stare at Qinghe.
The disciples of Mirror Sea Sect were one thing. Even their sect master was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, so the major sects did not care for them.
But spirit stones and elixirs were different. Mirror Sea Sect had also been glorious before, and these things passed down over thousands of years were certainly not few, enough to make other sects jealous. But Qinghe gave away the benefits that were originally within reach without batting an eye.
Putting aside how much was distributed, just this attitude alone was enough to surprise and delight the others.
They originally thought they were just coming to watch a show, but didn't expect there would be benefits to share.
Xiaming, the elder of Tianyan Sect, was the first to react. He laughed, "Shangxuan Sect's magnanimity is truly admirable. In that case, Tianyan Sect will not refuse!"
He even saved the polite refusal.
Since Tianyan Sect said so, Li Zhushu also followed, "Then I will thank Zhenren on behalf of Wanshan Sect!"
Qinghe Zhenren smiled, "Since we are all fellow Daoists, it is only right to share the benefits. No need to be polite, no need to be polite."
Tai Cifang was so angry his teeth itched, but he was helpless.
He had originally planned to take advantage of Shangxuan Sect getting all the benefits to incite dissatisfaction from the other sects. Who knew this old fox Qinghe would give away the benefits in the blink of an eye. No matter what he said now, no one would take it seriously.
"Zhenren has calculated well!" He gritted his teeth, enunciating each word.
Qinghe continued to smile, pretending not to hear, his self-restraint superb.
The fate of Mirror Sea Sect's belongings was decided right in front of him, but Lu Yanping could not say anything. He stood there silently, along with the other dejected disciples of Mirror Sea Sect, not saying a word.
Fortunately, Qinghe seemed to quickly notice the awkward situation of Lu Yanping and the others. He instructed Yu Zhou to take them to rest.
The resting place was in a small courtyard behind the Zide Hall of Lingshou Hall on the main peak, specially used to entertain outside guests. Lu Yanping brought many people, but the courtyard was spacious, with a guest room for each person and more to spare.
Zhou Yin was not seriously injured internally, but his external injuries were not light. He was wounded by thorns in Wei Yichang's Eight Trigrams Formation earlier, with numerous wounds big and small all over his body, some still bleeding. Not only were his clothes dirty, there was also a strong smell of blood.
He applied golden wound medicine on the wounds to stop the bleeding, and also asked the servant boy in charge of tending to the guests for a large bucket of hot water. He then took off his clothes, wrung out a sweat towel in the water, and wiped his body while avoiding the wounds.
There was the sound of hurried footsteps outside, and the door was pushed open with a bang. Huang Wenjun walked in hurriedly. "Ah Yin!"
Zhou Yin: "......"
The sound abruptly stopped, and Huang Wenjun suddenly coughed several times.
Although there was a screen in between, it was still possible to see about seventy or eighty percent through the hazy view.
"...Sorry, cough cough, I didn't expect, take your time washing, take your time!"
The door was closed again with such force that it almost broke.
After a while, someone else knocked on the door, much more gently this time.
"Ah Yin, are you inside? I'm here to bring you medicine." It was He Yun.
Zhou Yin: "I'm taking a bath."
It was silent outside for a long time before she spoke again, "Then I'll leave the medicine at the door, you can get it yourself when you come out later."
Zhou Yin lowered his head and continued to wipe himself in silence.
In less than a moment, knocking sounded again.
Light and rhythmic, polite and courteous.
However, before Zhou Yin could respond, the door was pushed open again.
"Junior Brother Zhou?" Lu Yanping looked around and found it strange that no one was in the room. Turning his head, he was stunned.
Zhou Yin was bare-chested, having already put on his pants.
Lu Yanping felt a bit awkward: "Is this a bad time?"
Zhou Yin replied expressionlessly: "It doesn't matter, you're not the only one anyway."
Lu Yanping: "???"
Zhou Yin reapplied the medicine and put on his inner robe: "What's the matter?"
Lu Yanping forced a smile and sat down absent-mindedly: "Nothing, just walking around and came to see you."
In fact, he was just in a bad mood and wanted to find someone to chat with.
Zhou Yin thought with a deadpan face and continued to get dressed.
Sure enough, after a moment, Lu Yanping sighed: "I never thought I would become the last generation sect leader of Mirror Sea Sect. A hundred years from now, I don't know how I can face my master and the ancestral masters of past generations!"
Zhou Yin: "When something is destroyed, it turns to ashes and dissipates. Souls generally don't linger, so even if you want to see them, you won't be able to."
Lu Yanping smiled bitterly: "You don't think they will blame me, right?"
Zhou Yin: "They would be happier to become disciples of Shangxuan Sect than disciples of Mirror Sea Sect."
Lu Yanping: "But I feel guilty. After all, Mirror Sea Sect was ruined in my hands."
Zhou Yin responded with an "oh": "Then you can go commit suicide in front of their memorial tablets to apologize."
Lu Yanping finally became angry from embarrassment: "Zhou Yin, would it kill you to comfort me a bit?!"
Zhou Yin: "Comfort is just a form of self-deception. You may feel better, but it doesn't change the outcome."
Lu Yanping groaned while holding his forehead: "I must have been out of my mind. How could I think to come find you?!"
Zhou Yin raised an eyebrow without speaking and walked towards the bed.
Lu Yanping: "What are you going to do?"
Zhou Yin: "Meditate to recuperate."
Lu Yanping finally retreated in silence.
After the duel ended, people from the other sects set off to return one after another. Since Zhang Xian and Zhou Yin were injured, Qinghe Zhenren invited them to stay a few more days. One reason was to show closeness, and the other was to handle the matter of accepting the Mirror Sea Sect.
Spirit stones and elixirs were easy to distribute. Naturally, every cultivator scrambled for them. But people weren't objects, so it wasn't that simple.
As the number one major sect on the continent, Shangxuan Sect was not lacking in disciples, especially those with good aptitude. As for Mirror Sea Sect, besides a handful of people, the rest were all mediocre. Considering that Mirror Sea Sect had contributed all their belongings, Shangxuan Sect couldn't exactly burn the bridge after crossing the river. However, it was still a bit difficult for Qinghe Zhenren to convince the other six peaks of Shangxuan Sect to accept people.
So now, in order to deal with this matter, he specially gathered the peak masters of the six peaks together.
However, what everyone imagined to be a solemn and dignified meeting of the seven peaks of Shangxuan Sect was actually not the case at all.
At the very least, Qinghe Zhenren felt it was a headache.
In the past, if there were no pressing matters, he definitely would not have called them over.
That would purely be asking for trouble.
He had the intention of resolving this quickly like chopping through a tangled mess. He first explained the matter simply, and finally said: "I am busy with sect affairs, and Tianshu Peak has not had new disciples for many years. In the past, you all selected them yourselves. But now I have to trouble you fellow martial brothers to help accept this group of Mirror Sea Sect disciples under your wings."
"Martial Brother Qinghe, for just a few small sect disciples, we can each take a few and be done with it. But in my view, their aptitudes aren't that great either. There's no need to treat them the same as our Shangxuan Sect disciples!"
The one speaking was Qingwei, the peak master of Shangxuan Sect's Kaiyang Peak. He had the most impatient temperament, so he spoke first.
As soon as he said that, Qinghe Zhenren knew it was bad.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished, a man with strange attire and seductive makeup lazily said: "Martial Brother Qingwei, when will you fix your habit of interrupting others? Although you grew up without parents, we still had our master to teach us manners."
Qingwei was furious: "Qiu Xianyun, what qualifications do you, neither man nor woman, have to criticize others? Go look in the mirror first. If you don't open your mouth to speak, no one can tell if you're male or female!"
Qiu Xianyun batted his eyes flirtatiously: "Whether I'm male or female, why don't you try me and find out, martial brother?"
The peak masters of the six peaks and Qinghe Zhenren came from the same lineage and used the "Qing" generation in their Daoist titles. Only the Tianquan Peak Master Qiu Xianyun was unconventional. Although he had the Daoist title Qingheng, he always went by his actual name.
Qingwei spat: "I wouldn't be interested even if you threw yourself at me!"
On one side, these two were arguing. On the other side, Qingxuan of Tianxuan Peak and Qingyan of Tianji Peak were holding a medical text, quietly debating, completely ignoring the others as if they didn't exist.
Qingyuan of Yaoguang Peak was a cultivation fanatic. Almost every time there was a matter, he would be in closed door cultivation. Naturally, he was absent again this time.
Only Qingying, the Yuheng Peak Master, sat there listening to him speak with a serious expression.
Here we go again.
Qinghe Zhenren sighed silently. Everyone thought his position as sect leader was glorious, but who could understand the hardships? With a group of martial brothers and sisters with such diverse personalities, being the sect leader was truly taxing on both the mind and body.
After pondering for a moment, Qingying said: "Martial Brother Qinghe, if it's inconvenient on your side, send the people to me. However, Yuheng Peak also has quite a few disciples. I heard Mirror Sea Sword Sect has several hundred people, so I'm afraid my side also can't accept them all."
Compared to the others, Qingying was already very reliable.
Qinghe Zhenren thought gratefully while saying: "Martial sister Qingying is truly considerate. This matter is no small issue and requires careful deliberation. As martial brother Qingwei said earlier, treating the disciples of the two sects differently absolutely cannot be done. No matter what, they came to join us with spirit stones and elixirs. In the future, we will be one family. If we go too far, it will damage Shangxuan Sect's reputation."
Qingwei furrowed his brows but didn't interrupt again.
Qiu Xianyun stroked his hair without making a sound.
Qingying frowned: "But for Mirror Sea Sword Sect, I'm afraid besides a small number of people, the other disciples only have ordinary aptitudes. If we accept them all in one go, it will inevitably cause some in our sect to be unwilling, which would also be problematic."
Qinghe Zhenren stroked his beard and nodded. "Regarding this matter, I have a plan in mind, but I need to discuss it with you..."

Nine Heavens

Nine Heavens

Chapter 33 - Chapter 33

Echo