Chapter 248: Shoring Up Foundations
Nalan Yunhai felt as though he were about to explode. He thought it would be trivial to capture two ordinary disciples, especially with the help of his trusted aide Mr. Shu. However, not only did Mr. Shu only lure Ye Dafu over, he was even killed by a punch from Ye Dafu!
Then, they had caught Ye Dafu with an Immortal web and started torturing him. Ye Dafu refused to say a single thing, and they were just about to ramp up the torture when Hong Lie caught them all red-handed. Why were things going so poorly for him today?!
"Master!" Nalan Yunhai bowed respectfully toward him.
His subordinates all stepped to the side, not daring to speak.
"What are you doing, Nalan Yunhai? Who allowed you to beat up Ye Dafu?" Hong Lie shouted.
"Master, I was worried about the disappearance of my third brother, and I wanted Ye Sanshui and Ye Dafu to help with the investigation. However, when Ye Dafu showed up, he killed my trusted aide, Mr. Shu, and many of my subordinates besides. Out of anger, I caught and began to interrogate him," Nalan Yunhai explained.
Only then did Hong Lie see Mr. Shu's corpse, along with those of Nalan Yunhai's subordinates.
"And you think using my name to lure Ye Dafu here is appropriate? You're a swindler and schemer. You could have asked him to assist with the investigation in public, not in the middle of a remote valley using torture. Ye Dafu defended himself valiantly. The blame for Mr. Shu's death rests on you, not on him," Xiao Nanfeng countered.
Ye Dafu, who was enjoying the beating, suddenly looked up. I was in the right?
"Xiao Nanfeng, if I were to ask you in public, would you have told me anything? Did Nalan Feng's disappearance in the draconic palace have anything to do with you?!" Nalan Yunhai thundered.
This was clearly the first time he had been criticized directly to this extent, and he was deeply discomfited by Xiao Nanfeng.
"I stand by my claim that I never actively antagonized Nalan Feng, and have always only been acting in self-defense. I know not where he went after leaving the Taiqing Immortal Sect, and what would his disappearance in the draconic palace have to do with me?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.
"He was last seen chasing after you," Nalan Yunhai replied.
Xiao Nanfeng had yet to speak up when Zhao Yuanjiao interrupted. "Nalan Yunhai, do you really think Xiao Nanfeng will be easy to bully? What nonsense. Your tactics are unethical and your arguments facetious. You intended to beat up Ye Dafu until he admitted to whatever crimes you fed him, then take the opportunity to besmirch Xiao Nanfeng's name and claim his titled lands! How despicable."
"Zhao Yuanjiao, this is slander and calumny," Nalan Yunhai gritted out.
"Oh, is it? There are three armies in the Xiao lands. You were the ones who dispatched them there, weren't you? The information was recorded by my blackguards. Or shall I confirm myself whether the generals of the three armies are employed by the Tianshu Empire?" Zhao Yuanjiao demanded.
Nalan Yunhai blanched. Zhao Yuanjiao had clearly hit the nail on the head.
Even Hong Lie began to frown, deeply disappointed in his disciple.
"Nalan Yunhai, listen up. I intend to stand up for my junior brother, Xiao Nanfeng. If you dare to attempt to assassinate him, I'll chase you to the ends of the world. This I swear!" Zhao Yuanjiao shouted.
"Zhao Yuanjiao, you overstep your boundaries," Hong Lie gritted out.
Zhao Yuanjiao looked toward Hong Lie and took a deep breath. "Senior Uncle Hong, I acknowledge and respect you as my uncle in seniority, but starting tomorrow, I shall be the Ascended division leader. I have the right and responsibility to protect those of my division."
Hong Lie grimaced, then turned toward Ku Jiang. "Senior Brother Ku, is this what your disciples are like?"
Ku Jiang smiled placidly. "Hong Lie, I think it's clear who has the better disciple, isn't it?"
Hong Lie frowned. Was Ku Jiang mocking Nalan Yunhai.
Nalan Yunhai cried out, "Zhao Yuanjiao was only able to become Ascended division leader thanks to Elder Ku! How else could he compare to me?"
"Silence! Reflect on your misdeeds. Or do you think yourself superior to others? Zhao Yuanjiao is stronger than you are," Hong Lie chastised.
"Stronger than I am? Has he reached Wingform?!" Nalan Yunhai gasped.
"Why did Nalan Qiankun decide to send you and your brothers to the Taiqing Immortal Sect? It's so you might develop properly in mind, soul and body, to study scripture, work hard to improve your cultivation and shore up your foundations. Only then will you be able to ascend without any bottlenecks. Otherwise, what good will resources do you? If your foundation isn't shored up, you would only ever be stuck at the peak of Spiritsong. While Zhao Yuanjiao started off weaker, Senior Brother Ku forced him to recite scripture and to develop his foundations. He does not have the bottlenecks you do," Hong Lie criticized.
Nalan Yunhai was fuming. Not only had his master caught him torturing a disciple today, Zhao Yuanjiao, whom he had always looked down on, had actually managed to surpass him. Envy filled his mind.
"Thankfully, nothing happened to Ye Dafu. Otherwise, I would never have spared you. Return to your rooms and memorize the scriptures I assigned for you," Hong Lie commanded.
Xiao Nanfeng frowned. Hong Lie was far too protective of his disciple. Nalan Yunhai's actions merited far more punishment. Was he only going to have to recite scripture?
Nalan Yunhai quashed his anger and beckoned his subordinates. "We leave now!"
His subordinates dismantled the formation and retrieved the fallen corpses, then set off alongside him.
Zhao Yuanjiao wanted to pursue matters further, but Ku Jiang beckoned him to stop.
Only Ye Dafu watched Nalan Yunhai and his group leave with longing, as though seeking to continue the torture.
When Ye Sanshui loosened Ye Dafu from his bonds and saw his nephew's expression, he twitched. How had his nephew become so perverted?
Hong Lie turned to Ye Dafu. "Ye Dafu, do you cultivate the Indomitable Body?"
"How did you know, Division Leader?" Ye Dafu gasped.
"I saw the golden Buddha-like glow coming from your body and hazarded a guess. Impressive. You've made it to Spiritsong with that technique?" Hong Lie frowned.
"The Indomitable Body was a technique from a tablet that Xiao Hongye retrieved from a hidden realm with Buddhist undertones. A few days ago, that tablet was struck by lightning and destroyed," Ku Jiang added.
"What? That tablet was destroyed?" Ye Dafu exclaimed.
"It was turned entirely to rubble, as though it had chosen to summon that bolt of lightning in order to disintegrate itself. The technique is particularly sinister, and most people aren't able to learn it at all. Once they reach Ascension-realm, they'll be plagued with demons of the heart that need to be suppressed with Buddhist scriptures. Many have tried to learn the technique, but were forced to start from scratch upon reaching Ascension because they were unable to overcome the resulting demons. How did you make it to Spiritsong?" Hong Lie asked curiously.
Ye Dafu stilled. He had done so by being beaten, of course, but that wasn't something he should disseminate widely, was it?
"I never encountered any demons of the heart. I naturally ascended to Spiritsong without reaching any bottlenecks at all," Ye Dafu reported honestly.
"Really? Have you experienced nothing out of the ordinary?" Hong Lie seemed perplexed.
"Nothing at all. I've simply enriched my hobbies. In fact, I feel like I've grown far more energetic after cultivating the Indomitable Body."
Xiao Nanfeng and Ye Sanshui gave Ye Dafu a strange look. Was getting beaten up his hobby? The more he was beaten up, the more energetic he felt...?
"Really? How strange. Perhaps your temperament is perfectly suited to the technique." Hong Lie shook his head and dispelled his confusion. He turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "Nanfeng, I'll make sure to instruct my disciple well. Do not take Nalan Yunhai's actions to heart."
Xiao Nanfeng smiled, but chose not to reply.
"Hong Lie, we'll have to prepare for the appointment ceremony tomorrow. Let's end it here for now," Ku Jiang said.
Hong Lie naturally understood that Ku Jiang was dissatisfied with the punishment he had levied on his disciple, but he had no intention of changing his mind. He nodded. "Very well. It's been a long time since I was last here, and I have a number of tasks to take care of within the Mortal division."
Hong Lie exchanged a final few pleasantries with the cultivators before he left.
"Ye Dafu, you and Ye Sanshui will return to the Hall of Immortal Recruitment and continue to recruit more disciples," Xiao Nanfeng said.
"Understood!" the two cultivators replied.
Only Ku Jiang, Zhao Yuanjiao, and Xiao Nanfeng were left at the scene.
"Master, it's clear that Hong Lie was deliberately shielding Nalan Yunhai from further repercussions. How could you let things go just like that?" Zhao Yuanjiao clearly still seemed upset.
"It's better that you let it go. Nalan Yunhai's here to attend your appointment ceremony as the representative of Emperor Tianshu. If you continue harping on the matter, you'll be offending not Nalan Yunhai, but the emperor himself," Ku Jiang explained.
Zhao Yuanjiao scowled, but he eventually nodded.
"Senior Brother's cultivation has really risen rapidly. I can't believe he's already at Wingform!" Xiao Nanfeng remarked.
Ku Jiang was silent. He quashed his desire to reply that Xiao Nanfeng's rate of cultivation was by far the more monstrous.
"Master's right. Scriptures are the foundation of cultivation. He's been forbidding me to rise up in cultivation so that I can focus on the foundations. All I needed to reach Wingform was an opportunity; nothing else barred my path." Zhao Yuanjiao nodded.
"Master, will you help me shore up my foundations too?" Xiao Nanfeng looked toward Ku Jiang expectantly.
Ku Jiang ignored Xiao Nanfeng. Xiao Nanfeng was even more proficient with scripture than Zhao Yuanjiao; what more did he need in terms of foundations?
Within a hall of the Mortal division, Nalan Yunhai looked at the corpses of his subordinates with an ugly expression on his face. "Zhao Yuanjiao, at Wingform? Ha! He was as slow as a snail back then, but he's surpassed me since!"
"No matter how strong Zhao Yuanjiao is, he's tethered to Taiqing Island. How could he compare to you, Your Highness?" one of his subordinates consoled.
Nalan Yunhai looked toward the Vault of Scriptures, his face cold. "So what if he's at Wingform? Let's see if he can survive tomorrow's ordeal first."
"Is something going to happen during the appointment ceremony tomorrow?" Nalan Yunhai's subordinates asked.
Nalan Yunhai turned away, not providing further explanation. It was clear that he knew of a secret plot.
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