The moment Ci Nian and the others departed, Li Yundong keenly sensed a distinct shift in the atmosphere on the field. A torrent of gazes—filled with suspicion, apprehension, awe, and admiration—converged upon him.
Silence reigned across the venue. The cultivators from various sects feared Li Yundong might announce his intention to re-enter the fray, yet honor bound them not to be the ones to spoil the mood after his recent, righteous intervention.
A mere moment of thought allowed Li Yundong to grasp the core issue. With a slight smile, he cupped his hands toward Wan Zhenyuan and chuckled, “Sect Master Wan, since the Japanese have withdrawn, let us resume the Lotus Gathering Assembly! I invite all fellow Daoists to continue their duels; I shall observe from the sidelines!”
Seeing Li Yundong voluntarily step back, Wan Zhenyuan’s estimation of him rose even higher. He spoke with genuine admiration, “True Master Li, you are not competing?”
Li Yundong smiled gently. “As it was agreed beforehand that I would not participate, I naturally cannot now. No matter what transpired in the interim, that agreement stands. Furthermore, repelling the Japanese was an act of righteousness for all cultivators—a public affair. What this Lotus Gathering Assembly decides is a private matter. In life, one must not let personal matters interfere with public duty, nor public duty with private matters!”
Wan Zhenyuan could not help but form a palm with one hand and bow to Li Yundong, exclaiming in praise, “Immeasurable blessings! True Master Li is young and capable; not only are your combat skills remarkable and your cultivation astonishing, but what is truly rare is your magnanimity and noble spirit. I, Wan Zhenyuan, am truly impressed!”
Li Yundong smiled faintly and returned the bow. “Sect Master Wan is too kind!” With that, he gracefully stepped off the platform.
Approaching his seat, Li Yundong saw Su Chan, Zi Yuan, and Zhou Qin looking as though they were welcoming a triumphant general, their smiles radiant. The younger girl enthusiastically gave him a thumbs-up with a cheerful grin, saying, “Yundong, you were magnificent! It’s just a shame about the Immortal Brush!”
Ruan Hongling also sighed, “Indeed. These treacherous wretches, so quick to abandon friendship for gain and repay kindness with malice. Without Li Yundong, none of them could ever hold their heads up again. Yet they still harbor selfish ambitions, coveting the Immortal Brush—humbug!”
Li Yundong waved it off with a light laugh. “That’s not quite right. For me to possess the Immortal Brush would merely be gilding the lily. For them to obtain it would be providing charcoal in the snow. Moreover, I stepped forward out of respect for Zi Yuan, and for the face of our Chinese cultivation world. It was not about the Immortal Brush, and that must not be misunderstood!”
Zi Yuan nodded, looking on with great respect. “Li Yundong handled this perfectly—magnanimously and with the bearing of a great cultivator.”
Ruan Hongling blinked, glancing between Zi Yuan and Li Yundong, then covered her mouth to chuckle, “Well, well, you only know how to speak up for him! Fine, fine, I’ll be the petty one, alright?”
Zi Yuan shot Ruan Hongling a glare, her cheeks flushing faintly as she snapped, “Be quiet!”
Ruan Hongling immediately cried out in feigned injustice, “I didn’t say anything! Is it wrong for me to call myself petty?”
Mortified and exasperated, Zi Yuan stomped on Ruan Hongling’s foot under the table. Ruan Hongling instantly yelped, “Someone’s stepping on me! Li Yundong, you must uphold justice!”
Li Yundong cleared his throat dryly. “Keep it down; everyone is watching!”
Ruan Hongling quickly glanced around and indeed saw various eyes fixed upon them. She then composed herself, whispering to Li Yundong, “Hey, there’s probably nothing worth watching next, right? How about we just leave?”
Zhou Qin also murmured quietly, “Yes, Master. We’ve seen so many duels; there likely won’t be any more high-level matches. We might as well depart. I have a strange feeling about the way everyone around us is looking at us.”
Li Yundong surveyed the surroundings, paused, and said, “Alright, since you all say so, let’s head back then.”
Just as he was about to rise, he saw Wan Zhenyuan sighing toward the crowd, “Fellow Daoists, in light of what just occurred, I, Wan Zhenyuan, offer my apologies. If I hadn't allowed those Japanese onto the platform, this wouldn't have happened.”
Although the cultivators from various sects inwardly agreed, they all vocally protested, “Sect Master Wan, you mustn't say that. Those Japanese intruded uninvited. If we had forcefully expelled them, those little Japanese might accuse our Chinese cultivation world of being narrow-minded and intolerant.”
“Exactly, Sect Master Wan, this is not your fault; there’s no need for self-blame!”
Wan Zhenyuan chuckled warmly. “Thank you all for your tolerance. However, I bear some measure of responsibility in this matter, and I cannot apologize enough.”
The crowd laughed along, and Dang Qiang chimed in with a jest, “Sect Master Wan, if you feel guilty, then quickly have that young girl who sang that ditty earlier perform two more songs for us!”
The crowd roared with laughter, collectively urging, “Yes, Sect Master Wan, ask that little girl to sing two more pieces!”
Wan Zhenyuan laughed, his gaze falling upon the young girl who had been singing the folk tune. She stood timidly near the back door, clutching her pipa, looking like a startled, fearful fawn, watching the assembled cultivators with tension and alertness.
Wan Zhenyuan smiled and waved her over. “Xiao Qiao, come here. Everyone is waiting for your ballad!”
The girl, named Xiao Qiao, walked over clutching her pipa, her bright, watery eyes darting briefly over the crowd before her gaze fell in fright to her shoes, as timid as a sensitive mimosa.
Dang Qiang laughed heartily. “Xiao Qiao? Are you the Xiao Qiao from The Bronze Sparrow Terrace Holds Two Qiaos in Deep Spring?”
Wan Zhenyuan smiled at Xiao Qiao. “Introduce yourself to the esteemed seniors of every sect, please?”
Xiao Qiao kept her head bowed, her eyes fixed on her shoes, utterly unwilling to look up. She said sweetly, “My name is Song Yuqiao, the ‘bridge’ in ‘bridge of flowing water,’ not the Qiao from The Bronze Sparrow Terrace Holds Two Qiaos…”
As soon as her clear, delicate voice reached the ears of the cultivators, it felt as though they had consumed a Ginseng Fruit; a refreshing coolness permeated every one of their thirty-six thousand pores.
Dang Qiang pointed at Song Yuqiao and chuckled, “You weren’t shy just now, little girl, why so bashful now?”
Song Yuqiao gave a nearly imperceptible tremor, glanced up at the crowd for a moment, and then lowered her head even further.
The crowd erupted in laughter. Although Wan Zhenyuan found her shyness somewhat odd, he quickly smoothed things over. “She is a newly accepted outer disciple of our Gezao Sect. She likely hasn’t seen much of the world, and the duels may have frightened her. Please do not hold it against her!”
The others chuckled warmly. “Not at all, not at all. To be able to sing a ballad right after witnessing such terrifying duels is already quite remarkable!”
One cultivator laughed loudly, “Sect Master Wan, give that apprentice of yours to me!”
Wan Zhenyuan looked at the speaker with a smile. “Are you looking for an apprentice, or a wife?”
The crowd roared with laughter, and Song Yuqiao’s face burned crimson with shame.
Wan Zhenyuan smiled. “Gentlemen, please spare my little apprentice. Besides, if you wish to hear music, let her sing. We older men shouldn't chatter so much.”
The crowd unanimously agreed. Dang Qiang rubbed his bald head and grinned at Song Yuqiao. “Xiao Qiao, my dear Xiao Qiao, what shall you sing for us?”
Song Yuqiao whispered, “Whatever everyone wishes to hear.”
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s whine; only because those present were skilled cultivators could they hear her words at all.
A thought struck Wan Zhenyuan. He suddenly addressed the assembly, “Fellow Daoists, True Master Li displayed his divine power just now to drive away those presumptuous Japanese. We have not properly thanked him yet. Why don’t we ask True Master Li to request a piece? It would serve as our gratitude!”
The crowd immediately responded in unison, “That’s a great idea!”
Wan Zhenyuan cheerfully turned to Li Yundong. “True Master Li, please, don’t be modest. Request a song!”
Seeing all eyes turn toward him, Li Yundong made no ceremony of it, smiling slightly. “In that case, what are you best at?”
Song Yuqiao heard Li Yundong’s gentle voice, which felt like a warm current flowing into her heart, inspiring an involuntary urge to draw close and trust him. She bravely lifted her head to look, only to see the man who had appeared godlike during the duel offering her a mild smile, his gaze as approachable as sunshine in April.
A flicker of curiosity sparked within Song Yuqiao’s mind. My master said this Li Yundong is the world’s foremost accomplice, the greatest supporter of tyranny, a man greedy for lust, violent, and tyrannical. Yet, I find him to be a remarkable man who dares to act, takes responsibility, upholds righteousness, and possesses formidable skills. Could it be... that Master was wrong? No, no, Master wouldn’t be wrong... perhaps I am the one who misjudged.
Song Yuqiao stared fixedly at Li Yundong, lost in thought, forgetting to answer. Seeing this, the crowd teased, “Sect Master Wan, your little apprentice has developed feelings!”
The teasing jolted Song Yuqiao back to awareness. Her ears burned as if they might bleed. She murmured softly, “What I am best at is The Legend of the White Snake.”
Li Yundong inwardly thought, Why does this girl only sing tales of subduing demons and vanquishing devils?
He didn't dwell on it and said with a smile, “Very well, sing that one then!”
Song Yuqiao dared not look at Li Yundong again. She curtsied gracefully to the assembly while holding her pipa, then sat down. At that moment, another ballad singer carrying a sanxian emerged from the back door and sat beside her.
Seeing that the attention of the assembly was focused on the two women, Wan Zhenyuan gave a slight smile and turned, exiting through the rear door.
Once outside, he turned, traversed two long corridors, and arrived before a small, classical wooden room. He pushed open the door, which split left and right, and entered.
Upon entering, Wan Zhenyuan saw a tall man leaning against the window, gazing fixedly outside, seemingly observing the small pavilion where the music was playing. A moment later, a small paper crane flew into the man’s hand.
Wan Zhenyuan said in a low voice, “You saw everything?”
The man nodded slightly without turning around. His posture was like a silent, massive mountain, exuding an aura of powerful pressure.
Wan Zhenyuan scoffed. “Do you have confidence you can control a man like that? Can you even conceive how powerful, how terrifying, a cultivator capable of dispelling the Peacock King of Wisdom in a duel might be?”
The man remained silent for a long time, then sighed softly. “From the day he set foot on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, I vaguely sensed his future was limitless, yet I still underestimated him!”
Wan Zhenyuan questioned sharply, “Are you absolutely sure your plan should proceed?”
The man gave an ambiguous answer, stating firmly, “The arrow is on the string; it must be loosed! Rest assured, I have a way!”
Wan Zhenyuan studied the man’s back with an oscillating look of apprehension and doubt. He said slowly, “You had better be certain, or else... if this fails, I will turn against you!”
With that, he snorted and turned to leave.
Only the man remained in the room, smiling as he looked at the small paper crane in his hand. He gave a slight shake of his palm, and the paper crane fluttered up, flying in the direction from which the melodious ballad drifted.
A meaningful smile touched the corner of his mouth. “The real show,” he murmured, “has only just begun!”
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