Chapter 1516: Chapter 1516: A Brain-Addled Person
"Elder Jin, you’ve emerged from seclusion," said Jian Wuchen as he stood up.
"Hmm." The old man nodded reservedly and responded with a perfunctory hum.
Han Yan frowned. Evidently, this Elder Jin didn’t regard Jian Wuchen with any significance. While others had stood to greet him, Elder Jin simply snorted with his nose in the air, lacking even the basic respect.
"Master Jian, who is she to you?" Elder Jin asked next. Although he addressed Jian Wuchen as ’master’, his tone was full of questioning, as if Jian Wuchen were his junior disciple.
How could he, a Holy Court elder, show such disrespect towards his seniors? Han Yan’s impression of this person was as bad as it could get.
"Her name is Han Yan, a descendant of an old acquaintance of mine," Jian Wuchen said calmly, not angered.
"Han Yan, is it Han Yan of the An Yun Mu Family?" Elder Jin raised an eyebrow, speaking with a hostile tone.
"Indeed, have you met me before?" Faced with such a person, Han Yan didn’t bother to refer to herself as a junior, responding neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Inwardly, she found it rather strange that someone she had never met could harbor such animosity.
"I don’t know you, but my sworn brother did. You can’t escape responsibility for his death!" Elder Jin said through gritted teeth.
"Your sworn brother?" Han Yan was slightly taken aback, unable to recall who he was talking about.
"My brother’s name was Gong Liyan. During the battle in the Longyan Mountains, because he did not believe your words, you chose not to save them, leading to the wrongful deaths of his entire family. Han Yan, you’re a descendant of a renowned family, yet you completely disregard the bigger picture and are so narrow-minded!" Elder Jin said indignantly.
Han Yan was dumbfounded. Could this Elder Jin be out of his mind? During the battle at the Longyan Mountains against the Netherworld Beast, any human Sword Saint could have been far stronger than her. Who could she have saved? Why was Gong Liyan’s family’s death blamed on her?
Was someone deliberately trying to tarnish her reputation? But who could it be? Tian Annan? But that old man had recently made a grave mistake and nearly met his end at the hands of the Holy Master. It was only due to her grandmother’s intervention that he was spared. Publicly and privately, he shouldn’t and wouldn’t dare do this.
"Who told you this?" Han Yan couldn’t help but ask.
"Does it even need to be said? If you could break the Netherworld King’s Divine Artifact and save Lu Nianxin and others, why did you let my brother’s family die helplessly? It’s clearly because you bore a grudge against them for not believing your words before and opposing you repeatedly.
Although my brother’s actions were indeed inappropriate, perhaps with some selfish motives, he was then a stranger to you. Seeing that the seal was about to be successful, how could he abandon everything just because of your words?
Yet you harbored a grudge against him, heartlessly watching as his family met their end at the hands of the Netherworld King. How could you bear it?" Elder Jin said angrily.
Han Yan was speechless. She remembered that when Lu Nianxin and others were trapped by the Netherworld Blood Veil, some indeed perished, likely including Gong Liyan’s family. But at that time, she didn’t even know she could break the Netherworld Blood Veil. Her worry over Lu Nianxin’s safety was what drove her to act. In such a situation, how could she be expected to save them?
Gong Liyan’s family was just unfortunate. After she broke the Netherworld Blood Veil, most Sword Saints, including her grandmother, escaped, while they tragically died at the hands of the Netherworld King.
But could she be blamed for that?
"Elder Jin, this seems to be a misunderstanding..." Jian Wuchen interjected, frowning on Han Yan’s behalf.
"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there be? She saved so many people, yet my brother’s family didn’t have a single survivor. It’s clearly her choosing not to help!" Elder Jin was dismissive, refusing to listen further, showing not a bit of respect for Jian Wuchen.
Han Yan was so angry that she almost exploded. Why was it though she saved others, failing to save Gong Liyan’s family meant she chose not to help? Were they to blame her for all the Sword Saints who died in the Longyan Mountains?
This Elder Jin was clearly an unreasonable fanatic! Insane!
Given the situation, Han Yan decided not to explain further. Let him think what he wants. Trying to reason with someone irrational was akin to digging a hole for oneself, becoming a fool. Better not to engage with such a person.
"Han Yan, despite your personal vendetta leading you not to help, I, Jin Qisheng, am not someone so narrow-minded. To ensure the bigger picture, I won’t confront you, but I’ll remember this debt. Best not to rely on me, or I’ll let you taste what it’s like not to be helped." Elder Jin said with a face full of resentment.
His words almost made Han Yan laugh out loud. Such a biased and stubborn person, claiming not to be narrow-minded, was an utter joke.
But Han Yan couldn’t care less about him. With Ye Yanran around, it’s like having a walking life-saving elixir. She wouldn’t ever need to rely on him.
"Master Jian, let me check your injuries," Elder Jin said to Jian Wuchen. Only then did Han Yan realize that he had come to heal Jian Wuchen.
"I appreciate it," Jian Wuchen extended his right hand.
Elder Jin first checked the pulse and then swiftly pulled out over a hundred golden needles, rapidly inserting them.
His needlework was swift, with golden lights flashing through, like water cascading down in a waterfall, mesmerizing to watch.
Though narrow-minded and disrespectful to his seniors, Han Yan couldn’t deny his medical skills were exceptional, possibly surpassing even Yan Zishu of the Divine Doctor Family.
No wonder Jian Wuchen, with his right arm’s meridians entirely destroyed and lifeless, could still move as nimbly as an ordinary person. It was due to Elder Jin’s medical prowess.
"Young Master Mu, how do you find my medical skills?" Elder Jin asked while administering the needles.
Han Yan hadn’t expected him to speak to her, realizing his showing-off demeanor was likely provoked by her earlier remark, "it’s not necessarily incurable". He was here to demonstrate his prowess.
"Elder Jin’s needle technique is unparalleled and indeed something I’ve never witnessed before," Han Yan said truthfully, despite her disliking for Elder Jin, not one to deny the reality.
"How does it compare to your medical skills?" Elder Jin continued asking, with a noticeable trace of sarcasm.
"My medical skills?" Han Yan furrowed her brow. Even the deaf could hear the provocation in that question.
Although Elder Jin saw himself as broad-minded and focused on the bigger picture, perhaps he wasn’t even aware of how narrow-minded he truly was.
