NOVEL WEB
Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Puppet State Preceptor
There was no doubt about it, this was definitely Ye Wushuang's handiwork. Once a bowl of Meng Po Soup was ingested, you could be certain the State Preceptor would forget everything completely.
Li Xiaobai also knew about the State Preceptor's condition. The world was full of wonders, and it was clear that the State Preceptor was a man of dubious character. That he had met this fate could even be considered a good deed.
Just from his lascivious look, one could guess that he probably had a collection of beauties hidden away at home.
Apart from a few individuals, most hadn't noticed anything unusual about the State Preceptor. They all thought he was as normal as ever, though they found it strange that he could walk out of the room unscathed.
Peace gradually returned to the ship.
In the distance, the occasional rumbling could be heard.
It was the forces from different directions sailing their warships, all with Zhenyuan Country as their destination.
Each warship bore its own sect's unique emblem, which Li Xiaobai didn't recognize; he could only watch eagerly as they flew by. These warships not only could fly, but they also had several cannon ports on their edges, meant for attacking.
Compared to the other warships, the one he was on seemed rather low-end.
A middle-aged man on a nearby warship noticed Li Xiaobai's gaze. He nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Are you also heading to the Divine Beast Mountain Range to clear out the Demonic Beasts?"
"Yes, we cultivators see injustice on the road and draw our swords to help; it's all part of our duty," replied Li Xiaobai.
"Truly a heroic youth, full of ambition. I am Lei Wu from the Cloud Sky Sect. May I ask how the young brother is called?"
The middle-aged man had a commanding presence and clearly looked like an upright person, the kind who wouldn't stand for any nonsense in their sight.
"I am Li Xiaobai from Misty Peak," Li Xiaobai said candidly.
Elder Sun grabbed him and hurriedly explained, "We are disciples from the Immortal Feather Sect. This time, we have come to broaden the disciples' horizons and to contribute our modest efforts."
The Cloud Sky Sect was a middle-tier sect, with a level far above that of the Immortal Feather Sect, and Lei Wu was one of its renowned iron-blooded elders. Elder Sun couldn't afford to let Li Xiaobai speak out of turn.
"If that's the case, then we'll see each other in Zhenyuan Country," Lei Wu said, clasping his hands in farewell before the warship accelerated and vanished from sight.
"Elder, how come their ship can go so fast? Can't we speed up?" asked Li Xiaobai.
"We should be thankful to have a warship at all; don't ask for too much. In a little while, we'll arrive at Zhenyuan Country. Don't make trouble. In front of the larger sects, we need to keep a low profile."
"Heh heh, got it!"
Li Xiaobai nodded and looked around, only to find that his fellow male and female disciples had all disappeared.
Upon entering the cabin, he was immediately taken aback. The room had been transformed into a pool at some unknown time, and several of his male disciples were soaking in it.
"Little junior brother, come and join us. The water was brought down by our sister from the mountain; it has the same effects," one of them called out.
Su Yunbing had ultimately brought out the bathhouse.
"No thanks, brothers and sisters, enjoy your soak," Li Xiaobai said with a strange expression, promptly closing the door and stepping back out. It seemed that unwittingly, he had turned his fellow disciples from fervent cultivators into lazy creatures who only knew how to bathe all day.
But it seemed like he hadn't really done anything, it was all the male disciples' own initiative.
Yup, definitely not his fault.
Zhenyuan Country and the Immortal Feather Sect were neighbors, not far apart. The warship soon arrived at the destination.
Li Shejin operated the warship, which descended slowly. Li Xiaobai saw that the area below was already densely packed with warships, a dazzling sight to behold.
It seemed that there were far more people and forces heading to Zhenyuan Country than he had imagined.
There were officials on the ground specifically responsible for reception. After the ship docked, Li Shejin was the first to disembark. It was evident that the State Preceptor held a high position in Zhenyuan Country.
After a brief conversation, officials came over to handle relations, leading the disciples from the Immortal Feather Sect into Zhenyuan Country to settle down.
The issue of subduing the Demonic Beasts required the representatives from each sect to attend a conference and decide upon the matter after discussion.
Compared to before, Li Shejin had already become indistinguishable from a common person, and that hint of stiffness was nowhere to be seen.
Upon Ye Wushuang's instruction, the State Preceptor followed several attendants and left.
"Please, follow me."
The attendants were very calm, showing no signs of panic caused by the upheaval of the Demonic Beasts.
"Hasn't the rampage of the Demonic Beasts affected Zhenyuan Country yet?" Li Xiaobai asked, walking along, he felt that the place was very calm, not resembling an area that had been ravaged.
"Of course not, our Zhenyuan Country is protected by the Divine Power of Great Immortal Zhenyuan, how could it be disturbed by mere Demonic Beasts? Only some villages on the outermost perimeter are often attacked by Demonic Beasts," the attendants said.
The arrogant attitude of these attendants was identical to that of the great national preacher, truly befitting those from the same country.
Li Xiaobai wanted to pry further, but clearly, they were no longer interested in talking to him.
After bringing everyone to a large hall, the attendants left.
This hall was surprisingly large, almost rivaling a soccer field, with disciples from major powers gathered here, all discussing the affairs of the Divine Beast Mountain Range.
Elder Sun entrusted a few words and then left, as he needed to participate in the conference to understand some details of the operation.
"Gentlemen, let's find a spot for ourselves. Try to avoid friction with the disciples around us; it's more important for us to enter the Divine Beast Mountain Range early to seek opportunities," he said.
Feng Wuxie led the team and found an empty space for the disciples of the Immortal Feather Sect to rest.
"This godforsaken place, what luck could there possibly be," Lin Yin grumbled a few times.
Li Xiaobai felt helpless; his senior brother was too powerful. To the many disciples, the Divine Beast Mountain Range was a land of absolute peril, yet his brother didn't take it the slightest bit seriously. The gulf between them was simply too wide.
However, he agreed very much with Feng Wuxie's words. Li Xiaobai thought that compared to his brother and sister, Feng Wuxie was a proper senior brother—good-natured, strong, and always considering the disciples' standpoint.
Immortal Feather Sect settled down and made camp in the hall.
"Servant, bring some tea, I'm dying of thirst," Liu Jinshui said nonchalantly.
Soon, the attendant responsible for hospitality came over to take a record.
"Which sect's disciples are you?"
"Immortal Feather Sect."
Feng Wuxie reported the name of the Immortal Feather Sect.
The attendant shook his head, put away his pen and paper, and prepared to leave.
"What do you mean by this?"
Feng Wuxie frowned. Even though the Immortal Feather Sect wasn't a major sect, it didn't deserve to be so coldly disregarded.
"Small sects don't need to register; tea service is not provided," the attendant said indifferently.
"We are here following your State Preceptor to eradicate the Demonic Beasts, is this the hospitality of Zhenyuan Country?"
Feng Wuxie was very annoyed, feeling humiliated as the senior brother of the Immortal Feather Sect, it was a loss of face for his sect.
Moreover, he truly didn't understand why Zhenyuan Country was acting so arrogantly and imperiously. They had come in such a hurry, he had not even had a proper talk with his master yet.
If small sects were not regarded, then why bother to send a messenger for notification?
Could there be some hidden reason?
"State Preceptor?"
"As long as one's strength reaches the Golden Core Stage, one can be titled a State Preceptor. Our Zhenyuan Country has an uncountable number of them; which one are you referring to?" the attendant inquired somewhat playfully.