Volume 11, Chapter 720 – Guest Grand Elder

Shuiyu Valley had been rebuilt after more than half a year. The new location was naturally set ten li south of the Honghua Sect, with only a mountain separating the two sects. So close that even if someone snored loudly, the other side could hear it.

Wen Yunmei took her leave from the upper echelon of the Honghua Sect, then ordered the elders to take their disciples back. Yet the result left everyone laughing and crying at the same time: one-third of the disciples chose to remain in the Honghua Sect. Some stayed for love, some for loyalty, some simply because they had gotten used to living there and didn’t want to leave, and others purely because they didn’t want the trouble of moving.

Wen Yunmei did not force them, after all, it was their own freedom. Moreover, she owed the Honghua Sect so many favors that it was not appropriate to haggle over such matters. Of course, the most important reason was that Shuiyu Valley would still need to rely on Qi Huang’s protection in the future.

Thus, the upper echelon of Shuiyu Valley left with over seven hundred female disciples. After settling in the Honghua Sect for three years, they had lost more than four hundred disciples. That “rent” had truly been paid at a cost too extravagant.

“Alas! Living in the Honghua Sect for a few years has cost me half my disciples. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have come.”

An elder with hair as white as frost complained.

“Wouldn’t have come? Then where could you have gone? At that time, we had neither money nor housing. Would you have preferred to wander the streets homeless or go live in the mountains as savages?”

Elder Zhao retorted sharply.

“But this rent truly makes my heart ache. You know how difficult it is to recruit disciples in times like these.”

The white-haired elder’s face twisted in pain.

“Elder Yang, don’t be disheartened! The rent we paid was indeed rather expensive, but if in exchange we gain the Honghua Sect’s protection, then it’s an absolutely worthwhile trade.”

Wen Yunmei soothed them with a gentle smile.

“But such things aren’t guaranteed just because you wish them so. If they understand the principle of reciprocity, perhaps they will protect us. If they don’t, then our four hundred disciples will have been given away for nothing.”

Elder Yang shook his head helplessly.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if the Honghua Sect doesn’t protect us, as long as Qi Huang protects us, that will be enough. She has already agreed to come to Shuiyu Valley as a guest elder.”

Mu Ruoyi interjected.

“Really? That’s wonderful! Just as the saying goes, if you can’t bear to part with the child, you won’t catch the wolf!”

“Indeed! Qi Huang’s strength is unfathomable. With her protection, Shuiyu Valley can rest easy in the future.”

“Not only that, she is now a renowned figure in the Western Radiance Dynasty. With her as a guest elder, Shuiyu Valley will gain prestige and brilliance. Recruiting disciples will be as easy as eating or drinking, and the revival of our past glory is just around the corner.”

The gloom on the elders’ faces was swept away, and they began cheering all at once.

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“Well said, but I must correct you: she agreed to me long ago, even before she knew so many disciples would stay behind.”

Mu Ruoyi hurriedly clarified for Qi Huang.

But the elders paid her no mind, already immersed in their own fantasies about the future.

“Valley Master, is merely giving her the title of guest elder enough? I fear that might not secure her heart.”

Elder Zhao asked Wen Yunmei worriedly.

“Yes, we already have several elders in the Valley. What if she doesn’t care about the empty title of guest elder?”

Elder Yang frowned again.

“Then what do you suggest? Shall I hand over the position of Valley Master to her?”

Wen Yunmei asked with a half-smile.

“Mother, even if you wanted to give it to her, she might not want it! I heard from Honghua Sect disciples that Sister Hongling hasn’t taken the position of sect master all this time because she wants to wholeheartedly pursue the path of immortality without being entangled by worldly affairs.”

Mu Ruoyi reminded her.

“You ungrateful brat! Is this how you mock your own mother?”

Wen Yunmei glared fiercely at her daughter.

“What if we invited her to Shuiyu Valley as a guest grand elder?”

“A grand elder can be a guest elder? She’s not even a member of Shuiyu Valley.”

“You fool, this woman’s strength is terrifying. As long as we can draw her in, it doesn’t matter if she’s not from Shuiyu Valley, or even if she’s not human at all.”

“That makes sense, that makes sense. Let’s do it then.”

After a brief discussion, the elders suggested that Wen Yunmei invite either Cheng Hongling or Qi Huang to become Shuiyu Valley’s guest grand elder.

“Mother, I think the elders’ suggestion is quite good. If we shower her with enough sweet favors, we might even lure her away from the Honghua Sect.”

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Mu Ruoyi quickly agreed.

“You people are quite the schemers, but she isn’t a fool. Though the title of grand elder may be idle, it is still no ordinary elder’s post. The higher the status, the greater the responsibility, that much even an idiot knows. I can bring it up, but I can’t guarantee she’ll accept.”

Wen Yunmei smiled.

“How about this: I’ll discuss it with her privately. Whether as a guest elder or as a guest grand elder, the role is still that of a guest, but the status is much higher. I think, with her temperament, she won’t refuse.”

Mu Ruoyi volunteered eagerly.

“That would be for the best. As long as we can ‘invite’ her to serve as grand elder, even if you must sacrifice some charm, it would be worth it.”

Wen Yunmei teased.

“Mother! Don’t joke like that, please. If I could use charm to win her over, I would have done so long ago, no need for discussion.”

Mu Ruoyi blushed.

“Alas, if she were a man, she would probably have long since fallen for you. But if she were a man, she wouldn’t be allowed into Shuiyu Valley. Such contradictions are the way of this world.”

Wen Yunmei sighed.

On the other side, when the upper echelon of Honghua Sect heard about Shuiyu Valley’s “heavy losses”, they felt rather embarrassed. They sent their sect master Qin Quan as a representative to apologize in person.

Wen Yunmei seized the opportunity to request that Qi Huang serve as guest grand elder for Shuiyu Valley.

“Wait a moment, sister. Can a grand elder even be a guest elder? She isn’t a member of Shuiyu Valley.”

Qin Quan immediately objected, for this move felt far too much like poaching. He couldn’t ignore it.

“So, Sect Master Qin’s meaning is that you want her to officially become a member of Shuiyu Valley?”

Wen Yunmei tested.

“I never said that!”

Qin Quan denied frantically. That “ferocious little demoness” Qi Huang was not someone he could afford to offend.

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“Then that’s settled. Since you don’t want to give her up, she can only serve as Shuiyu Valley’s guest grand elder. That doesn’t violate the rules of the Honghua Sect, does it?”

Wen Yunmei asked deliberately.

“No, no. But since you want her to be your guest grand elder, shouldn’t you first consult her own opinion?”

Qin Quan quickly explained.

“Of course. Right now, I’m only asking for Sect Master Qin’s personal view. As for her, I will naturally send someone to discuss it.”

Wen Yunmei said calmly.

‘Sister, you really think too highly of me. In front of that little witch, how could I possibly have any say at all?’

Qin Quan muttered inwardly, but aloud he declared righteously: “As long as she agrees, I have no objections. As sect master, I have always strictly adhered to the rules, never mixing personal interests in my decisions.”

“That’s good.”

Wen Yunmei smiled ambiguously.

Meanwhile, Mu Ruoyi had already gone to find Qi Huang and explained everything.

“Wait, sister, a grand elder can be a guest elder?”

Qi Huang was both amused and exasperated. Shuiyu Valley truly would stop at nothing to win her over. Still, she did not look down on them; rather, she felt some sympathy. A sect that had once been state-level had now fallen to such a pitiful state.

“As long as you nod your head, then yes.”

Mu Ruoyi said with unusual determination.

Qi Huang fell into thought. She wasn’t foolish. Though it was only the addition of the words “grand”, the responsibilities were entirely different. As an ordinary guest elder, she could easily ignore it, but as a grand elder, the position universally carried the duty to protect the sect and intimidate its enemies. She would not be able to simply disappear for long stretches of time.

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“Sister Qi Huang, just agree. Whether as guest elder or guest grand elder, the role is the same, only the title is grander. You would hold the highest position in Shuiyu Valley, even higher than my mother’s. And we will offer you generous rewards!”

As she spoke the word “rewards”, Mu Ruoyi pressed her large, ample chest against Qi Huang’s side, as though she were preparing dough in the kitchen.

Qi Huang “seriously” pondered for the span of a single breath, then “reluctantly” agreed. After all, Shuiyu Valley had suffered disaster because of her and her true body, and had now lost so many female disciples. She truly had a duty to offer some form of compensation. This decision, she swore, had absolutely nothing to do with the two soft mounds currently pressing against her arm.

Cheng Hongling witnessed the ambiguous scene between the two. In the past, she would have immediately stepped in to stop it, but today she hesitated. By “seducing” the doppelgänger, Mu Ruoyi was indirectly helping her by obstructing assimilation.

At this moment, in the main headquarters of the Immortal Alliance, Lu Lin convened a meeting with several high-ranking members.

“Elder Yao, how goes the investigation into the Heaven-Mending Crystal?”

Lu Lin asked Elder Yao.

“Reporting to the Alliance Leader, after the princess with the severed arm returned to the palace, her arm indeed grew back, inch by inch. Now it is basically restored. Though she concealed it carefully, such matters cannot be hidden from the ears of the Immortal Alliance.”

Elder Yao reported, then continued: “However, in their private conversations, the emperor and his daughter revealed that the Heaven-Mending Crystal has only a thumb-sized piece left, and they gave it to the one who saved them.”

“Heh, so this is what they call returning kindness with treachery, redirecting calamity onto others! Could it be that they leaked this information to you deliberately?”

Lu Lin could not help but doubt.

“Absolutely not. Our spies were all wearing the special clothing of the Nine Nether Demon Cats.”

Elder Yao replied with great confidence.

“Then it must be an act of self-preservation!”

Lu Lin sneered with contempt, then pressed further: “Did they reveal the identity of that rebel?”