Hearing this, Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged, and he said in a calm voice, "The Great Xia Sword Sect can grant the Spirit Fish Clan three spirit-rich river domains to recuperate and thrive. But the condition is that if the Great Xia Sword Sect ever needs help, you must do everything in your power to lend aid!"
At this point, Li Guanqi stared intently at the old man, the threat in his eyes unmistakable.
The old man slowly nodded and said in a grave voice, "Now that a decision has been made, the Spirit Fish Clan naturally will not break faith or act treacherous."
Li Guanqi murmured softly, "The Spirit Fish Clan... had best keep to that. Second, the three of you shall serve as consecrated elders, enjoying the courtesy and stipend befitting the position. However, you must also bear the duties and obligations that come with it."
The old man nodded and said softly, "Naturally."
"Third, disciples of the Spirit Fish Clan are forbidden from becoming Dao companions with disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect! Any who do will be executed!"
Li Guanqi spoke these words with absolute resolve, leaving no room for argument!
Yu Bo frowned. "Why?"
With a cold gaze, Li Guanqi replied, "The Spirit Fish are joining as a vassal clan. I do not want the foundation of the Great Xia Sword Sect to be eroded a century from now! You should understand, and I imagine you would think the same."
A sharp glint flashed in Yu Bo's eyes. He had never expected someone as young as Li Guanqi to think so far into the future!
With a solemn face, the old man nodded and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, we also wish to preserve the purity of our clan's bloodline!"
Li Guanqi suddenly broke into a faint smile and chuckled. "As for the fourth point... I hope the Spirit Fish Clan can provide a few bone swords."
Yu Bo's face abruptly fell. The very thing he had feared most had come to pass after all!
Beside him, Yu Han turned pale, jumping up in fury as he pointed at Li Guanqi and cursed, "Hah! Bone swords, bone swords! How are you any different from those vile humans?! And to think my father placed so much trust in you! I warned him when he gave you that bone sword back then!"
He Ying, the white-bearded elder, also wore an extremely grim expression.
A major reason why their Spirit Fish Clan endured such a harsh existence was precisely because of the bone swords within their bodies.
Bone swords were naturally formed sword embryos, and countless people coveted them.
Even in the intelligence compiled by the Tianji Pavilion, it was written: *The bone swords of the Spirit Fish Clan are rare, naturally gifted treasures.*
Before coming, they had also inquired about the reputation of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
As it turned out, everyone held the sect in exceptionally high regard, and what was praised above all was its upright moral conduct!
That was why they had decided to come, hoping this might be the Spirit Fish Clan's only chance to find a sanctuary.
Yet to think... during today's meeting, Li Guanqi would actually make such a demand!
Yu Bo slowly stood up, fixing his eyes on Li Guanqi as he said in a deep voice, "Was it after I gifted you that bone sword that you grew greedy?"
Li Guanqi also stood up and said softly, "That is not the case. The bone sword... I did not use it myself. I gave it to someone very important to me. For that gift, I am deeply grateful to the Spirit Fish Clan. That bone sword was very important to that person, which means it was very important to me. The reason I raise this request is because I feel that since such is the fate of the Spirit Fish Clan, why not bestow the bone swords of the deceased upon sword cultivators of true chivalry and virtue? Let their radiance blaze between heaven and earth in another form. Nor is this request an absolute demand. Any sword cultivator who wishes to receive a bone sword must first pass a trial set by the Spirit Fish Clan. The swords will be kept jointly by both sides, but the final decision remains in your hands."
With that, Li Guanqi waved his hand, bringing over Zhong Lin, Li Sheng'an, and the others, along with Zhou Zhi and Wu Bing.
The four of them were formidable in strength, and their character was beyond reproach.
Li Guanqi pointed to them and said, "Wu Bing, the future successor of the Great Xia Sword Sect, possessed of exceptional character and brilliant talent. Zhou Zhi, formerly my Eldest Senior Brother in the outer sect, upright and unyielding, broad-minded, and a man of great righteousness! They are all excellent choices."
Yu Bo fell silent. Through the history of the Spirit Fish Clan, others had obtained bone swords before.
However, without exception, those people had been cruel and bloodthirsty; otherwise, they would never have chosen to slaughter the Spirit Fish Clan to extract their bone swords.
Had he not contemplated everything Li Guanqi just spoke of...?
It was just...
The elder took a deep breath, his eyes burning as he looked intently at Li Guanqi and said in a grave voice, "Can you guarantee that the decision will rest with me?"
Before Li Guanqi could speak, a mellow, resonant voice rang out from atop the throne in the grand hall!
"If he cannot guarantee it, will my guarantee suffice?"
Hearing this, everyone turned and bowed in salutation.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
Li Guanqi bowed slightly and spoke as well. "Greetings, Sect Master."
Yu Bo froze momentarily, then cupped his hands toward Lu Kangnian and said softly, "Yu Bo, patriarch of the Spirit Fish Clan, greets Sect Master Lu."
Lu Kangnian clasped his hands behind his back and smiled faintly. Blinking to their side, he chuckled. "No need for formalities. From now on, we are all family."
With a flick of his sleeve, he displaced the bewildered Zhong Lin and the others, then pulled out a chair, sat down, and laughed. "Sit and talk. Please, everyone take a seat."
Once they were seated, Lu Kangnian's expression turned solemn as he said in a deep voice, "What Elder Li just promised, the Great Xia Sword Sect will certainly honor. Regarding the matter of the bone swords, we hold immense respect for the departed. Therefore... whether to grant one to a particular sword cultivator will ultimately be your decision."
Yu Bo fell silent. Deep down, he understood that had the Great Xia Sword Sect not brought this matter up, he would have felt uneasy instead.
In truth, he had anticipated this point long before coming. Rather than keeping things hidden and unsaid, he actually felt that the Great Xia Sword Sect was remarkably candid in this regard.
Most importantly, the decision remained in their own hands.
After a prolonged silence, Yu Bo let out a long sigh and slowly rose to his feet.
He glanced back at the two beside him, then cupped his hands and bowed deeply. "Then... we entrust the Spirit Fish Clan to Sect Master Lu's care from now on."
The corners of Lu Kangnian's mouth lifted into a faint smile.
Shifting forward, he helped the elder up and said softly, "There is no rush regarding the bone swords. You may observe a while longer."
Yu Han frowned and asked, "Observe what?"
Lu Kangnian clasped his hands behind his back and laughed heartily. "Observe the unyielding spirit of our swordsmen, and observe the moral conduct of our sect."
With that, the Spirit Fish Clan was fully incorporated into the Great Xia Sword Sect, with the sect holding the dominant position.
Yet the clan had not been reduced to mere subordinates; it was more akin to mutual benevolence under a relationship of equality.
Li Guanqi smiled faintly and flickered away, departing the grand hall.
He could leave the remaining matters to the Sect Master; he had done all he could.
As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into a group of young men and women from the Spirit Fish Clan, their faces flushed with excitement as they chattered animatedly amongst themselves.
Catching sight of Li Guanqi, Lan Xun hesitated for a moment before flying over to land in front of him.
With blue-violet hair, azure eyes, and a light blue dress, she clasped her hands nervously before her.
Lifting her pretty face, she looked at Li Guanqi with her lovely eyes and offered a sweet, gentle smile. "Thank you."
Li Guanqi chuckled. "You are welcome. I hope the Spirit Fish Clan can recuperate in peace within the Great Xia Sword Sect from now on."
A trace of reminiscence surfaced in Lan Xun's eyes, and she murmured softly, "Yes... we can finally stop running and rest properly."
Li Guanqi smiled faintly and vanished on the spot with a teleportation.
However, he did not return to Tianlei Peak, but headed straight for the outer sect.
There was someone he had not yet seen since his return.
Chapter 394