Guest Elders

"How could I know nothing about this?" Zhou Qingmei was startled. If every matter in Zhujige Pavilion was handed over to Li Nanchen, coordinating an attack from within and without couldn't be any easier. She could already picture it: once Li Nanchen took power, the Black Fiend Cult would launch a full-scale assault on Zhujige Pavilion. With one side fully prepared and the other caught unaware, Zhujige Pavilion was bound to suffer a devastating blow. Most crucially, Xuanji Cave in the back mountain was virtually cut off from the main mountain gate hall. As long as the personnel guarding Xuanji Cave were replaced with men from the Black Fiend Cult and disciples sent to deliver reports were intercepted... it would be impossible for those in secluded retreat to know what was happening outside. Lu Xiaoqing said helplessly: "At first, this was merely the Pavilion Master's idea. He hadn't discussed it with the pavilion's elders or martial uncles and aunts. "It was only finalized a month ago. By that time, you had already gone down the mountain, so naturally you knew nothing about it." "At what hour will the Zhujige Pavilion Master and the others enter this Xuanji Cave?" Fang Shuwen asked. Lu Xiaoqing's expression grew somewhat grim: "The chen hour!" It was already the yin hour, less than two shichen until the chen hour. Though Jiuning Mountain was already in sight, seeing a mountain in the distance and actually reaching it was another matter entirely—at their current speed, it would likely take over three shichen to get there. Zhou Qingmei instinctively looked back at Fang Shuwen, who said: "Though we're short on time, now that we've made it this far, there's no reason to turn back. "Bring your senior sister along; we'll head straight for Zhujige Pavilion at once." Zhou Qingmei cupped her fists and said: "In that case, I must trouble Brother Fang to carry my senior sister on your back." Lu Xiaoqing frowned slightly: "I'm afraid it's already too late. Qingmei, the tide cannot be turned. You should take this young brother and leave Jiuning Mountain. "The world is vast, and the jianghu is full of opportunities. Once your martial arts reach fruition in the future... ouch!" Before she could finish, Fang Shuwen scooped her up onto his back. Immediately following that, with practiced ease, he took Zhou Qingmei's hand: "Let's go." With a tap of her foot, Zhou Qingmei employed her lightness skill to carry all three of them into the air, darting straight toward Zhujige Pavilion. Lu Xiaoqing, who had still wanted to say something, was utterly dumbfounded. Since when did Zhou Qingmei possess such superb lightness skill? No, wait... wasn't this Zhujige Pavilion's proprietary lightness skill? How could it become so formidable in Zhou Qingmei's hands? Yet she soon realized it wasn't Zhou Qingmei's lightness skill that was extraordinary. Rather, Zhou Qingmei was drawing upon Fang Shuwen's internal force. The question was, hadn't Fang Shuwen just used his internal force to heal her injuries? Shouldn't he have been completely drained? How could he still have so much strength to spare? A stomach full of questions welled up within Lu Xiaoqing, yet at this moment, she couldn't utter a single word. Carried on Fang Shuwen's back, she was jolted violently by the motion. She could only wrap her arms tightly around his neck, not daring to exert any force with her legs... Her leg was broken, and applying any pressure brought unbearable agony. Otherwise, even if it looked improper, she would have clamped both legs tightly around him to keep from being thrown off. And as time passed, her astonishment only deepened. She could accept that Zhou Qingmei was unleashing astonishing speed with her lightness skill by drawing upon Fang Shuwen's internal force. What she could not fathom, however, was that Fang Shuwen's internal force seemed inexhaustible. Using internal force to bolster another person's lightness skill consumed far more energy than using lightness skill himself... yet an entire shichen of sprinting had gone by, and not a single bead of sweat had appeared on Fang Shuwen's forehead! She suddenly recalled Fang Shuwen's earlier words: "It didn't consume much anyway." At the time, she had merely thought the young man was being stubborn. Now it seemed the fellow had simply been telling the truth! At such a young age, his internal skill was unfathomably deep. Where on earth had Junior Sister Zhou found such a monster? ... ... Zhujige Pavilion! In the front hall, Li Nanchen stood tall and straight at the head of the room, clad in black robes. His gaze swept across the members of Zhujige Pavilion, some seated, others standing. Only two people were seated. One man, one woman. The man was in his fifties, with an emaciated face whose resolute contours looked as though they had been chiseled by knives and axes. His hair was half-gray, his demeanor scrupulous and stern. This was none other than Zhou Qingmei's martial uncle and Zhang Fang's master, Xu Chongshan. The woman seated opposite him, on the other hand, showed no discernible age. Not a single trace of time had marked her fair, lovely face, yet her languid gaze held the depth and weight of passing years. If anything, this imbued her with an indescribable charm. This was Lu Xiaoqing and Zhou Qingmei's master... Zuo Qingshuang. At the chen hour, after seeing the Pavilion Master and several elders into Xuanji Cave, Li Nanchen had gathered this group together under the pretext of discussing key sect affairs. Zuo Qingshuang let out a yawn, the weariness in her eyes practically brimming over. She glanced at Li Nanchen: "Little Chen, say whatever you have to say. Once you're done, your martial aunt needs to head back and catch up on some sleep." Xu Chongshan frowned slightly: "Junior Sister, you are a master and mentor to others; you must mind your decorum when speaking." "Second Senior Brother, do you know why you're still a bachelor at your age?" "Why?" "Worrying too much makes you age fast... young maidens won't fancy you." The corner of Xu Chongshan's mouth twitched, and he spoke through gritted teeth: "You say that as if any man would want you!" "Senior Brother, let me tell you, it's not that nobody wants this old lady—it's that my standards are high, and I won't settle for crooked melons and cracked dates!" "If you're truly so great, how could you only attract a bunch of crooked melons and cracked dates?" Watching their martial aunt and martial uncle bicker, the disciples down in the hall looked down at their noses, their noses at their mouths, and their mouths at their hearts. They acted as if they were blind and deaf in that moment, seeing nothing and hearing nothing. However, many were already accustomed to such scenes. Their martial aunt, martial uncle, and the Pavilion Master had grown up together from childhood. When the martial siblings got along, their affection was genuine; but when they argued, neither had any filter on their mouths. Every word stabbed right where it hurt most. In the past, sect seniors had been around to keep them in check. Later, as their status grew higher and higher, only the Pavilion Master could rein them in. Now that the Pavilion Master had gone to Xuanji Cave for secluded retreat to comprehend the Baijie Scripture, who knew who could keep these two under control? Li Nanchen? Everyone stole glances at Li Nanchen. They saw no strange reaction in the eyes of this young acting pavilion master; rather, he wore a faint smile. Then, they heard him give a light cough: "Martial Uncle, Martial Aunt, please hear your nephew out." Respect still had to be accorded to the acting pavilion master, so Xu Chongshan and Zuo Qingshuang both fell silent. Li Nanchen spoke softly: "Your nephew is young and inexperienced; by right, I am unqualified to serve as acting pavilion master. "However, since Master entrusted me with this heavy responsibility, your nephew dared not decline. "To ensure the steady development of our Zhujige Pavilion, your nephew has invited several guest elders, and today I shall introduce them to everyone."