The Main Peak Great Hall fell into a sudden deafening silence.
The elders were first left in disarray, then some became as anxious as ants on a hot stove, while others pondered over whether it was too late to flee the sect.
“You… slapped the Crown Prince?”
Qian Bufan was dazed, his little green bean eyes lost their focus.
Li Mo cleared his throat, “Ahem, it’s more of a metaphor, really. I didn’t literally slap him.”
Just when the elders might have begun to breathe easy…
Li Mo continued, “Though it might be a bit more serious than just a metaphor.”
“??”
The elders felt a darkness wash over them, almost choking on the breath they hadn’t exhaled.
Shang Wu had already proven herself to be a disaster magnet, but now it seemed there was someone even more adept at brewing trouble.
Who taught you to outshine your predecessors like this?!
Lord Sect Master, Shang Guan Wencang, appeared relatively calm and asked:
“What exactly happened?”
“Chu Long was bullied by Jiang Yu’s sword attendant, so I went to intervene, and that’s when the conflict arose.”
Li Mo carried his basket of vegetables nonchalantly.
Chu Long?
That little girl who was serving plates at the Happy Goat Hotpot restaurant?
She seemed soft and fragile, instantly earning the elders’ sympathy upon hearing this.
Besides, Jiang Yu had no sign saying “Crown Prince of Da Yu” on his forehead. Seeing his little white flower being bullied, he definitely wouldn’t stand for it.
The elders frequented the hotpot restaurant and could see that the girl was exceptionally gifted. Besides, Mei Yun’s esteemed presence beside her certainly hinted at her extraordinary background.
But how extraordinary was she?
Shang Guan Wencang said, in a deep voice, “Be more specific.”
Li Mo cleared his throat again, “Chu Long… happens to share the same surname, Jiang.”
Shares the same… Jiang?
The elders finally pieced together why the Crown Prince would randomly pick on that girl.
Jiang Chu Long, is she of noble lineage?
But more questions soon followed.
If she’s the princess of Da Yu, why is she running errands at a hotpot restaurant? And what tangled web of circumstances led the Crown Prince to not let it go…?
One thing was for sure, though.
This Li Mo kid, seemingly without trying, had gotten himself wrapped up in the royal family’s whirlpool.
Even aristocrats often don’t know how deep the waters run; how entangled must the royal family be?
Elder Qian recommended, “Let’s flee. Don’t even bother cleaning up, let’s just run to the South Border and live a simple life away from Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, right alongside Shang Wu.”
“What will you do if I run?” Li Mo shook his head.
Xue Jing sighed, “If the Crown Prince wants to settle the score, it doesn’t matter whether you’re here or not.”
“And what about that enigmatic power behind Jiang Yu?”
Elder Han He still remembered that blue lotus growing beneath the vast sky.
“Maybe it has something to do with the teachings of Chu Long’s master. I might have just stumbled into it,” Li Mo said while stashing the Shén Spirit Pearl into his system space.
Shang Guan Wencang, Qian Bufan, Xue Jing, Han He, and the rest of the elders were finally beginning to grasp the sketchy situation at hand.
Chu Long had a different master, someone powerful who initially didn’t want to bully the weak, but once Li Mo showed up, that powerful person simply observed the unfolding drama.
It wasn’t until the Protector of Jiang Yu made a move that this hidden powerhouse revealed themselves.
That person evidently had nothing to do with the Qingyuan Sect.
But they couldn’t erase the fact that Li Mo had dared to offend the Crown Prince.
“What’s to be done?” Elder Qian was also a bit flustered.
No one had an answer; only heaven knew.
If the Crown Prince pursued this matter, Little Li would have no alternative but to run for his life, living out his days under the radar, concealing his identity from the celestial patrols.
And where would that leave the Qingyuan Sect?
After all, it’s pretty reasonable to hold someone accountable for negligent supervision…
“Let’s just wait and see how this unfolds,” Shang Guan Wencang finally said, after what felt like an eternity of silence and contemplation.
“Little Mo has just made a great contribution in the South Border, and this matter is known to all; it wouldn’t be appropriate to deal with him too harshly in the eyes of justice.”
“Yes, everything in the sect should remain as usual.”
“Tomorrow, let’s gauge Jiang Yu’s stance first.”
The elders began brainstorming, with each trying to find a way out, and not one suggested handing over their disciple to face the music.
Ke Mo felt a warm surge in his heart.
“Honestly, it would be best to pack the Qingyuan Sect into a small world and take it elsewhere.”
“Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
…….
In Ziyang Mansion.
At the residence of the lord, Jiang Yu sat in the original position of the former lord, gently stroking his gleaming long sword while deep in thought.
“Your Highness, the powerful protector of that kid is nonexistent in Nine Heavens and Ten Earths; furthermore, he’s someone we’ve never seen before.”
The lean old man beside him spoke.
This meant that the blue lotus figure might be that kid’s master.
“Mm.”
Jiang Yu remained noncommittal while still stroking his sword. Suddenly, he frowned.
A trickle of bright red dripped from the sword’s edge, almost as if this divine sword were silently protesting in this manner.
“Your Highness!”
The sword attendant in green hurriedly took out precious medicine to bandage him.
“That kid is too brazen; being fourth on the Qianlong List, having a master in the realm of the arcane, and he thinks he can do whatever he wants.”
The pink-clad lady was wrapping her arm and spoke in indignation.
It was normal for them to think this way.
No matter how you looked at it, that mysterious arcane master seemed to be backing Li Mo.
Moreover, Li Mo was just a disciple of a prefectural-level force in the Eastern Wilderness, rising so rapidly must indicate some fortuitous encounter.
“Do you want me to k*ll him?”
Jiang Yu shot a sidelong glance at the pink-clad sword attendant, his dual-colored eyes scrutinizing her.
As a maid, she often behaved presumptuously, but today she seemed to have crossed the line.
He had never said he wanted to maim Jiang Chu Long.
The pink-clad sword attendant opened her mouth, softening her tone, “I wouldn’t dare; everything is at your Highness’s discretion.”
Jiang Yu replied coolly, “I won’t k*ll him. In fact, I’ll promote him to an official position.”
“Promote him to an official position?”
The two female sword attendants exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock reflected in each other’s eyes.
The lean old man said indifferently:
“Your Highness is magnanimous and holds the world in your heart; how could you not have a bit of tolerance?”
“But… if that kid survives the Rotten Branch Mountain, he must be quite lucky.”
Jiang Yu didn’t plan on doing much.
But there were people who would go to great lengths to cater to His Highness, doing whatever they thought he needed, whether he actually needed it or not, all for a chance to win the favor of the current Crown Prince and future emperor.
For instance, removing an annoying obstacle…
…….
P.S.: Trust me, I’m not intentionally breaking the story here; it’s just that I hit the word limit, so I had to update now. This isn’t a paid chapter, no need to coax the audience into subscribing for the next installment.
Jiang Yu and Jiang Chu Long’s storyline is a challenge for me; I hope I can manage to meet your expectations.
Please support with your valuable feedback!
