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"Baihong is the last arm of the junior uncle; once it's cut down, it won't be long before I, Zhou Tong, call the shots in Qingxuan Sect," Sect Leader Zhou Tong said with a frosty gaze.
"But about the junior uncle…" Jin Yue was still somewhat worried.
"Didn't you notice? After the junior uncle returned today, he drank a bit too much," Sect Leader Zhou Tong retorted to Jin Yue.
Jin Yue was initially stunned upon hearing this, then his face showed surprise as he said, "Does that mean, Sect Leader, that the junior uncle is also injured?"
Zhou Tong just smiled noncommittally.
"Even if the junior uncle is injured, you and I might not necessarily be his match," Jin Yue still harbored some concerns.
"Last year, when I was going through the relics left by our master, I discovered that when the junior uncle vowed to learn that sword technique, he swore to our grandmaster that under the premise that his life was not threatened, his sword would never be pointed at his fellow disciples," Zhou Tong suddenly turned his head and spoke in a deep tone.
Upon hearing this, Jin Yue's face lit up with joy, and the anxiety in his heart finally eased. He also understood why the Sect Leader had suddenly decided to make a move against Fenglai Valley some days ago.
"Sect Leader, leave this matter to me to plan entirely. Even if Baihong breaks through to the Demon Sovereign realm, as long as it is within Qingxuan Sect, I have ways to put it to death," Jin Yue said with a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"Good," Zhou Tong nodded.
"There's one more thing," Zhou Tong suddenly called out to Jin Yue again.
"Please give your orders, Sect Leader," Jin Yue responded respectfully with a nod.
"According to the traditions of Qingxuan Sect, as a new disciple who has just joined the sect from the foot of the mountain, one must go down the mountain alone to complete a sect mission within three months," Zhou Tong said, his gaze filled with profound meaning as he looked at Jin Yue.
"Are you suggesting that I arrange a mission for Xu Taiping?" Jin Yue quickly grasped the hidden meaning in Zhou Tong's words.
"Some time ago, a royal family from the Baishu Kingdom at the foot of the mountain, who once had ties with Qingxuan, came to us with a token, asking for our help with a matter. Perhaps you could assign this task to Xu Taiping," Zhou Tong continued.
"The Baishu Kingdom's royal family? Could it be that little princess from Baishu Kingdom? This is a dead end," Jin Yue's eyes shone upon hearing this, and then he nodded with a smile, "I will arrange it right away."
"However, there is something I don't understand," he hesitated for a moment before finally asking.
"Speak," Zhou Tong was in a good mood at the moment, so he didn't mind talking a bit more with Jin Yue.
"Sect Leader, why do you dislike Xu Taiping so much? Just because he is valued by the junior uncle?" Jin Yue mustered the courage to ask.
"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'extremes breed monsters'?" Zhou Tong countered.
"Of course, I've heard of it," Jin Yue nodded.
"The reason why there are White Spirit Bones, Gold Spirit Bones, and Heavenly Spirit Bones in this world is that these are the rules set by the Heavenly Dao. White Spirit Bones should be aware of their place and not vainly challenge the laws of the Heavenly Dao, otherwise, they will suffer the consequences, just like…"
Zhou Tong paused for a moment, his gaze once again drifting to the profound night sky, before continuing, "Just like my senior brother Su Chan, who was merely a White Bone but dared to challenge the laws of the Heavenly Dao, ultimately bringing disaster upon our Qingxuan Sect, forcing us to shrink to this corner to this day."
Upon hearing this, Jin Yue's expression suddenly became enlightened. The name Su Chan was naturally not unfamiliar to him. After all, that name was once an existence greatly admired by their generation of Qingxuan Sect disciples. More importantly, he was the junior uncle's only disciple. Su Chan, despite being a White Spirit Bone, was still dazzlingly brilliant. With his extraordinary perseverance and the junior uncle's relentless cultivation, he ultimately, as a White Bone, defeated all sword cultivators of the nine mansions and claimed the seat of the sword champion. His fame was unmatched for a time.
If it weren't for his eventual fall into the demonic path, the seat of Sect Leader of Qingxuan Sect would not have fallen to Zhou Tong. At the same time, he was very clear that the Sect Leader beside him had been insanely jealous of Su Chan to the point that he still couldn't let go even today.
"This matter, I will make sure to handle it well for the Sect Leader," Jin Yue immediately promised.
"You don't need to overexert yourself on this matter. Just give the kid some punishment to make him aware of his place, so he won't be as arrogant as he was today. Zhao Qian, that fellow, seems rough but is actually meticulous. No matter how well you do, you probably can't deceive him. We can't push him to Uncle Jiu's side because of this," Zhou Tong cautioned further.
The relationship between the Peak Masters of the Seven Peaks and the Sect Leader was actually quite delicate, similar to the emperor and the feudal lords in the secular world. The emperor naturally had the authority to command the lords, but he also dared not oppress them too much, as that could lead to rebellion.
"Sect Leader, please rest assured, my arrangements will follow the sect's rules and regulations. Even if Zhao Qian notices something, he won't be able to find any fault," Jin Yue confidently smiled.
"You may go," Zhou Tong nodded.
***
The same night.
At the Seventh Peak, the residence of Peak Master Zhao Qian.
"Junior uncle, I was wrong," Zhao Qian, with a bruised nose and swollen face, knelt on the cold ground, looking pitifully at the elder in front of him.
The elder was none other than Qingxuan Sect's junior uncle, Lv Daoxuan.
"Where did you go wrong? Tell me," Daoxuan, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, was enjoying the peanuts on the table while smiling at Zhao Qian.
"I… I shouldn't have been so eager, so eager to have Xu Taiping, to have him take me as his master," Zhao Qian said with a trembling voice.
"Wrong!" Daoxuan glared at Zhao Qian.
"Huh?" Zhao Qian was confused.
"Junior uncle, are you beating me just because I wanted to take Xu Taiping as my disciple tonight?" He asked Daoxuan, puzzled.
"You're wrong because you shouldn't have let Xu Taiping take you as his master at all!" Daoxuan glared at Zhao Qian with a look that said "you're such a pig."
"Junior uncle, I don't understand. If I don't let Xu Taiping take me as his master, should I just find any Elder for him to take as master? That doesn't seem right. Although Taiping is just a White Spirit Bone, the kid's temperament, perseverance, and comprehension are all excellent. I don't want to waste such a good seedling," Zhao Qian argued.
"Having him take you as his master is the waste!" Daoxuan also gave Zhao Qian a look of disdain.
"Then who should he take as his master to not be a waste? The Sect Leader? Definitely not, he has always looked down on White Spirit Bones, and Taiping has previously defied him; he won't possibly take him as a disciple," Zhao Qian rambled on.
The Sect Leader of Qingxuan Sect had the right to select disciples from the Seven Peaks to take as his own, just like Ye Xuan from the First Peak.
"Smack!" Suddenly, Daoxuan stood up, kicked Zhao Qian, sending him tumbling, and then pointed at the pitiful and confused Zhao Qian, saying:
"Are you really clueless or just pretending to be?"
With that, he pointed forcefully at his own chest and said:
"Me, me, me! Let him come and take me as his master!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qian sprang up from the ground like a fish out of water.
"Junior uncle, you're serious?!"
He looked incredulously at Daoxuan.