NOVEL WEB Chapter 12 Must Fight
Ling Yunpo was taken aback, but he countered with a question:
"Why do you say that?"
Before Guan Shanyue could reply, An Zhisu already responded with a cold face and an angry rebuke:
"Nonsense! Guan Shanyue, if you're purposely coming here to provoke trouble, then Qingluo Peak won't accommodate you!"
"Senior Sister An, don't be hasty, I was just joking," said Guan Shanyue with a smile. "Nowadays, everyone in the sect is discussing, what kind of evil treasure it is that could unite the five paths of the Demon Cult to besiege our Shushan."
"It doesn't matter." Ling Yunpo shook his head, showing an indifferent expression. "Whatever the evil treasure is, we Shushan Sword Immortals can't possibly use it, so why would we need to hide it?"
"Maybe they're planning to sell it," Guan Shanyue suggested thoughtfully. "Since they can't use it themselves, why not exchange it for a Daoist treasure of equivalent rank?"
"Treasures aren't so easy to exchange for," An Zhisu said coldly.
"Let's not talk about that now," Guan Shanyue said with a smiling face. "I have come here this time with a favor to ask of the two from Qingluo Peak."
"Come, Guan Zhan, come over and meet the two True Persons."
Ling Yunpo: ???
Behind Guan Shanyue, Guan Zhan came forward holding his sword, giving a slight nod as a sign of respect.
"This cousin of mine was originally taken in by the Kunlun Sect," Guan Shanyue said leisurely. "Now he is the Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm in Kunlun."
Guan Zhan's expression darkened. The position of Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm had fallen to him only because Senior Brother Qiu and Senior Sister Xu had both advanced to the Golden Core, which made him feel not proud but rather ashamed.
"Some days ago, he was assigned by our Shushan to go to the Demon Locking Tower to handle some affairs," Guan Shanyue explained with a sigh. "Unfortunately, he happened to arrive during the Demon Cult's siege and couldn't get out."
Ling Yunpo understood in his heart: What affairs? It was actually that the Guan Family Ancestor had called in a favor, allowing Guan Zhan to search the Demon Locking Tower for the Cloud Sea Empty Cocoon, to hasten the acquisition of thirty years of Refining Mansion Cultivation.
Seeing that he saw through the situation without pointing it out, Guan Shanyue then said with a smile:
"During these days, he has been practicing his swordsmanship alone on Green Bamboo Peak."
"Seeing him practice like this, without really getting the essence, and knowing that Junior Brother Ling and Senior Sister An practice swordsmanship often, I thought it would be good for him to join in the practice. Even if he gains just a little experience from defeat, it would not be a waste of time."
Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu exchanged glances for a moment. Seeing that Senior Sister had no objections, Ling Yunpo said with a smile:
"If it's just for practicing swordsmanship, that's fine... but Senior Sister and I are both of the Golden Core rank, and we have too much of an advantage in terms of our Root Bone. Even if Guan Daoist Friend spars with us, he will be at a disadvantage in terms of Physical Strength."
"...It's fine," Guan Zhan finally spoke up, his voice hoarse. "It's just a match of swordsmanship."
If Junior Brother Guan is determined to seek a beating, then we can't be blamed.
Thus, the matter was settled, and Guan Zhan stayed temporarily at Qingluo Peak. Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu didn't teach him anything; they simply included him in their regular sparring sessions, giving him a few pointers along the way.
The matter itself was harmless, so it was just right to do a favor.
After Guan Shanyue left, Ling Yunpo led Guan Zhan to the living quarters and said:
"Our Qingluo Peak is rather tranquil. You may choose any of the guest rooms on the right side to stay in."
"Then I'll take the one farthest inside," Guan Zhan immediately implied he had "no intention of disturbing your world for two" in a tactful manner.
Ling Yunpo was satisfied with his choice and added:
"Senior Sister and I practice swordsmanship once at noon and once at dusk. You can come to us during these times."
"As our guest from afar, you may do as you please at other times. There are no restricted areas on Qingluo Peak."
"That is acceptable," Guan Zhan answered curtly with a nod, and went to his chosen room with his sword.
After settling Guan Zhan, Ling Yunpo returned to the main hall and saw Senior Sister An waiting for him outside.
"Speaking of Guan Zhan, I suddenly have some impression," An Zhisu said thoughtfully.
"Last time I accompanied Senior Sister back to Yangzhou to pay respects to our mother, I indeed saw those siblings," Ling Yunpo said with a smile.
"That's not what I meant," An Zhisu said hesitantly, "I recall that one of the Peak Masters of Shushan was Guan Zhan's father, right?"
Ling Yunpo: ?
Well, the Guan Family has been a lineage of Sword Immortals for generations, so that's normal... I didn't realize you were a second-generation immortal! Why have you never mentioned this before?
Nevertheless, the father holds the position of a Nascent Soul Elder in Shushan, yet the son runs off to Kunlun; that does say something about the father-son relationship.
There was no further discussion that night.
The next morning, bright and early, the two flew on their swords to the Emei Golden Summit to attend the Sect meeting in the Ancestral Master Hall.
Inside the Ancestral Master Hall was a bustling crowd, nearly everyone clad in green robes, each bearing a sword—the huddled groups were all Golden Core Sword Immortals.
Looking to both sides of the grand hall, standing isolated, each maintaining their composure with eyes closed and gathering energy, were the Nascent Soul Peak Masters.
"Enough with the idle talk," the Jade Capital Sect Leader began, drawing everyone's attention, "Now that the Demon Cult has besieged Shushan with such a formidable presence, what insights do you all have?"
"I have something to ask the Jade Capital Sect Leader and all present," the Green Bamboo Peak Master Elder Biyun asked coldly, "Given the Demon Cult's brazen actions, why has Shushan not struck out against them?"
"The Demon Cult is powerful; it would be unwise to face them directly," the Jade Capital Sect Leader replied.
Ling Yunpo chuckled inwardly upon hearing this; the Sect Leader indeed had a way with words, managing to dress up the idea of "unable to confront them head-on" in such an elegant manner. High emotional intelligence.
"If we can't defeat them head-on, then why not seek assistance from Kunlun?" Elder Biyun asked again.
"Asking Kunlun for help would be admitting Shushan's weakness," the Vajra Peak Master Elder Shen Ce said indifferently. "Such a loss of face, how can we then compete with Kunlun for the title of leading Orthodox Sect?"
"So being blocked by the Demon Cult at our gate, unable to advance or retreat, isn't a loss of face?" Elder Biyun angrily swept his sleeves, "We've been having Sect meetings for days, and what strategies have we come up with? In my opinion, we might as well head out from the mountain gate and invite those from the Demon Cult to fight one-on-one!"
"That's not entirely unfeasible," Elder Ming Hua from Ziyun Peak said leisurely, "Ultimately, we need to draw a line with the Demon Cult, whether it's a battle or peace talks, doping out magical competition or negotiation, it can't drag on indefinitely."
"Exactly!" The Golden Core True Persons behind him started to clamor.
In plain terms, everyone was chafing at being penned up on Shushan and was eager to go out for a walk...
"Silence!" barked the Jade Capital Sect Leader. "Stop the clamor!"
The Golden Core True Persons quieted down.
"Everyone share your opinions, and let's have a unified response to bring forward. I'll go and consult with the Immortals!" said the Jade Capital Sect Leader impatiently. He then tasked one True Person to stay behind and collect everyone's messages before leaving himself.
The crowd gathered around, voicing their requests to the True Person for recording.
Ling Yunpo listened from the back for a while; indeed, most were calling for battle, not caring whether they could win but preferring to fight first and talk later.
Of course, there were those who thought the Demon Cult was too powerful to confront with force of arms... But if they said that out loud, they would surely be chastised by the proponents of war; hence, these people could only express that "we definitely must fight, but we need to do so cautiously."
Ling Yunpo sneered at this. Among these Shushan Sword Immortals, those without brains were the most vocal, while those with brains dared not speak out. No wonder they were derisively called the brutes of Shushan by outsiders.
When that True Person made his way over, it came An Zhisu's turn, and the Senior Sister replied without a second thought:
"My opinion is the same as my junior brother's."
The True Person then turned to look at Ling Yunpo, who spoke with a righteousness:
"To dare to encircle the gates of Shushan, this is no ordinary dispute."
"I believe not only that we must fight, but we also must deliver a crushing blow!"