章節 46: The Sect Chiefs
Mo Xian leaned over to Wang Jingyuan as they watched the chaos unfold. "Who do you think is at fault, Jing-Jing?"
"Definitely Song Xinglan," Wang Jingyuan responded firmly. "He already lost, but he played dirty and attacked Yue Feixue and Fu Tianyou when they let their guards down to help him. What a wicked man."
Mo Xian hummed. He had seen many dirty tricks in his lifetime; he himself had done some shady things. So, Song Xinglan's action was not surprising to him. Sometimes, you have to do what's necessary in order to survive, no matter how immoral it was. He worried that Wang Jingyuan would suffer in the martial arts sector for being so innocent and naïve.
On stage, the three sects were about to brawl. The Buddhist abbot stood up and addressed the pupils. "Amitabha, everyone, please listen to what I have to say."
Everyone quieted and looked up at the old monk. "I apologize on behalf of Wankong Temple for not sounding the drum in time, which has caused everyone much confusion and strife. The rules state to stop when it's clear who the victor is, but that becomes vague when the parties don't agree on when they think it's clear. Since all three participants are wounded and no longer able to continue fighting, I propose to call this a draw and move forward with the competition. What do the chiefs of the sects think?"
Lang Yu, chief of Feiyue Pavilion, stood up. He was a man in his late forties with a long beard that draped over his chest. He clasped his right fist in greeting towards the old monk. "Abbot Jingchen, your words are wise. Feiyue Pavilion will go with whatever Wankong Temple decides."
Lang Yu knew that Song Xinglan was technically at fault. Morally, he should not have attacked when it was clear he had lost. He shouldn't have boasted being able to take on both Yue Feixue and Fu Tianyou to begin with.
Lang Yu turned to Huashan Sect and Luoyun Manor. "Chief Zhong, Chief Ye, I apologize on behalf of my disciple for wounding your disciples. Like Abbot Jingchen mentioned, the drum did not sound, which made it confusing for everyone. If your beloved disciples require any sort of special medication, please feel free to come to Feiyue Pavilion and browse through our medicine storage."
Zhong Zhengran, chief of Huashan Sect, and Ye Xiaoyao, chief of Luoyun Manor, both stood up and returned the greeting. Zhong Zhengran, a stoic man in his early fifties, spoke first.
"Chief Lang, Huashan Sect thanks you for your generosity. In my opinion, injuries at the Hero Assembly are inevitable. It's a martial arts competition, and everyone is using real blades, so getting wounded is no surprise. I think Abbot Jingchen has proposed a fair resolution; Chief Ye, what do you think?"
"Ah, yes, yes, I agree." Ye Xiaoyao appeared to be in his late thirties, the youngest of the three. He fanned himself with a folding fan, which was decorated with thick brushstrokes of calligraphy. "They're still young, and young people are full of energy and vigor. They take competitions very seriously and may get hotheaded in pursuit of victory. That's normal. Since Chief Lang and Chief Zhong have agreed, Luoyun Manor has no reason to argue otherwise."
Abbot Jingchen bowed towards the three sect chiefs. "Amitabha, I am glad the sect chiefs have been able to accept my humble proposal. Thus, I declare this round a draw. Please, escort the injured back to your own platforms to receive the proper medical treatment."
The pupils and disciples were unsatisfied with this settlement, especially those from Huashan Sect and Luoyun Manor. But since their chiefs had spoken, there was nothing else they could do beside throw one last insult at the other side and glare menacingly at each other before escorting their injured senior brothers and sister off the stage, still grumbling.
"Shifu, why did you let Feiyue Pavilion off so easily? Clearly they're the cheating bullies!" One disciple asked Zhong Zhengran.
"Everyone in the martial arts world saw Song Xinglan strike out when it was clear he already lost. His name is going to be tainted from now on. If we keep picking at this mistake and enlarge it for all to see, Feiyue Pavilion will lose face and hate us. We don't need to be enemies, you understand?" Zhong Zhengran explained impatiently. "Your Senior Sister Yue also badly wounded Song Xinglan; that is not disputable. Huashan Sect will still get recognition for that."
Meanwhile, Abbot Jingchen addressed the crowd. "The competition continues. We are halfway done with our last stick of incense. Which hero would like to take the stage?"
"Me!" A person flew out from Qingsha Sect. Wang Jingyuan recognized him immediately.
"Mo Xian, isn't that the 'Senior Brother Lu' we met at the night market in Pingkang?"
"It is him." Mo Xian's eyes narrowed. "Is he the head disciple of Qingsha Sect? He certainly doesn't look it."
"If it was his junior brother Zhu I would've laughed." Wang Jingyuan felt her mood turn sour just by thinking about the rude pupil. "If he came out, I would definitely go on stage and kick his butt."
On stage, the disciple with last name Lu was surveying the crowd. "My name is Lu Haodong, head disciple of Qingsha Sect. Does anyone dare to challenge me?"
The crowd shifted and murmured, but no one came out. Qingsha Sect pupils might be known for being rude, but Qingsha Sect was still one of the five major sects and their disciples were still advanced in terms of skill compared to the smaller sects. The smaller sects couldn't afford to offend them, and the larger sects didn't want to associate with the likes of them.
"Hmph, Qingsha Sect got lucky this year." Abbess Huiyuan did not even hide her disdain when she spoke to Lang Yu. "If they had been brave enough to come out earlier, they would've been beaten into the dust already."
Ye Xiaoyao fanned himself slowly. "Would you look at that, Chief Zhong. When the cats are away, the mice come out to play."
Zhong Zhengran made a sound of agreement. Qingsha Sect was so cowardly they hid until all the other sects had fought and the head disciples became wounded. "Qingsha Sect waiting until near the end of the competition to emerge…how unsurprising. After all, any Huashan pupil could easily defeat them."
"My youngest Luoyun pupil could defeat that Lu Haodong, I bet." Ye Xiaoyao glanced at the stage. "Chief Zhong, are you going to send one of your disciples, or are you going to wait for Feiyue Pavilion or Emei Sect to act first?"
Before Zhong Zhengran could reply, someone dressed in a black robe suddenly flew over the heads of the audience from the crowd. He landed on the stage in front of Lu Haodong. Wang Jingyuan and Mo Xian, along with many others in the audience, were surprised to see that this new contestant wore a straw hat with a black veil, so that no one could see his face.
Lu Haodong looked at the newcomer up and down, frowning as he took in the newcomer's veil and clothing. The design looked…familiar. "Who are you?"
The unknown person reached up and took off his straw hat. As the veil lifted and his face was exposed under the open sky, a good number of people from the five major sects were shocked.
Lu Haodong's eyes widened. "You—you are—"
The newcomer wore a cold expression as he spoke his next words loud and clear: "I am Liu Xiaochen, head disciple of Xuanyan Sect. And I hereby challenge you."
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