Volume 1, Chapter 105 – The Answer

“Elder Sikong Qian of your sect colluded with bandits and robbed a large amount of spirit crystals from our Demon-Suppressing Army. Sect Master Qiu, I ask that you make things easy for us, return the spirit crystals, and hand him over to me as well,” Shi Lan said.

Because of the commotion just now, quite a few disciples had gathered around. When they heard what Shi Lan said, a buzz of whispered discussion rose.

“Elder Sikong actually went and did bandit work, robbing caravans?”

“No way, Elder Sikong doesn’t seem like someone who would run with bandits.”

“Who knows if it’s true. You can know a face, not a heart.”

Hearing the disciples’ hushed voices, Qiu Hongxin kept his face blank as he turned and gave Sikong Qian behind him a sidelong glance, his eyes full of cold.

“Sect Master, they are slandering me out of thin air. How could I possibly do something that would disgrace the sect’s name?” Sikong Qian hurriedly shook his head and tried to defend himself, sounding much more confident now.

He had already decided never to admit it. Besides, as fellow sect members, there was no way Qiu Hongxin would side with outsiders.

Qiu Hongxin ignored Sikong Qian and looked at Shi Lan instead. “You claim to be from the Demon-Suppressing Army. Do you have proof?”

Shi Lan took out the Demon-Suppressing Command Token. “Will this do as proof?”

The last trace of wishful thinking in Qiu Hongxin’s heart faded. He swept his gaze over the surrounding disciples and ordered, “Notify all elders to come to the main hall for council.”

With that, Qiu Hongxin looked at Shi Lan and the others. “This concerns an elder of my sect. His handling cannot be taken lightly. Please, come with me to the main hall.”

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“As we should.” Shi Lan inclined her head slightly, left Wang Ning and the other Demon-Suppressing Army soldiers there, and followed after Qiu Hongxin with only Wu Lingkong.

Soon, Shi Lan and Wu Lingkong followed Qiu Hongxin to the main hall halfway up the mountain. Outside the main hall, which was nearly a hundred zhang long and wide, quite a few disciples had gathered to watch the commotion.

Many people were already inside. Most were in their thirties or forties, men and women both, with differing levels of cultivation, but all above the fourth stage of the Innate Realm. They were clearly the backbone of Thousand Clouds Sect.

On the chief seat in the main hall sat a woman who looked just past forty. She wore a green robe, her features were clear and graceful, and her aura was not far off from Qiu Hongxin’s, clearly another Earth Fiend Realm martial artist.

The main hall was very quiet. The noisy chatter of the disciples outside was shut out as the doors of the hall closed tight.

Wu Lingkong rubbed the armor on her skirt a few times, feeling a little nervous. After all, if it really came to a fight, she and Shi Lan might not even make it out of the hall. Thinking of this, she looked over at Shi Lan.

Seeing the calm on Shi Lan’s face, Wu Lingkong could not help laughing at herself. Her own composure was actually worse than that of a girl not yet twenty. The tension in her chest eased quite a bit.

Shi Lan had indeed appeared calm the whole time, but she was actually a little flustered inside. Her palm had been resting on a Tianling Talisman this whole time, and she was keeping in constant touch with Samsara as well, all because she was worried Thousand Clouds Sect might suddenly turn hostile.

Qiu Hongxin swept his gaze over the people in the hall and said, “Fu Hong, Zhang Ci, you two go search Sikong Qian’s residence and see if there is a large amount of spirit crystals there.”

“Yes.”

A man and a woman answered in unison and headed out of the hall.

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Seeing Qiu Hongxin send people straight off to search his cave residence without another word, Sikong Qian’s face turned white in an instant.

Before he could speak, a man in his thirties standing beside the hall raised his hand to block Fu Hong and Zhang Ci. “Sect Master, could you first explain clearly to us why you have called everyone here?”

“Sikong Qian colluded with bandits and robbed spirit crystals from the Demon-Suppressing Army. I am verifying whether this is true,” Qiu Hongxin replied lightly, then gestured for Fu Hong and Zhang Ci to go.

At the words “Demon-Suppressing Army,” the woman sitting on the chief seat could not help changing her expression.

“The Demon-Suppressing Army? Which power do they belong to?” she asked, slightly taken aback as she looked toward Shi Lan and Wu Lingkong.

“There is no need to ask more.” Qiu Hongxin cut her off, then looked at Shi Lan and gestured toward the seats to the side. “Please, both of you, sit and wait a moment. If this proves true, I will certainly give the Demon-Suppressing Army a satisfactory answer.”

Seeing Qiu Hongxin treat them with such courtesy, the expressions of the others in the hall all grew more solemn.

Before long, Fu Hong and Zhang Ci returned, a somewhat torn cloth bundle in their hands.

Rustle.

Fu Hong gave the bundle a shake. Several thousand spirit crystals spilled onto the floor. Spiritual energy filled the hall at once, and the sound of sharp intakes of breath rose all around.

Qiu Hongxin sighed inwardly. After closing his eyes for a moment, he looked to Shi Lan. “You may take him away. From this moment on, his life and death have nothing to do with Thousand Clouds Sect.”

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“Sect Master, you cannot do this! I have worked for the sect for so many years. Even if I have no great merit, I have surely put in hard work. Today, just on the word of a few outsiders, you cast me aside and ignore me. I… I want to see the former Sect Master!” Sikong Qian cried, grief and indignation on his face, as if he had been wronged beyond measure.

Qiu Hongxin’s expression was indifferent. “Are you done talking?”

The others finally reacted as well, more or less guessing how things had come to this. They could not quite understand why their own Sect Master was taking the side of a few outsiders.

“Sect Master, no matter what Sikong Qian has done, he is still one of us from Thousand Clouds Sect. Whatever punishment he should receive, it should be decided by Thousand Clouds Sect.”

“That’s right. And even if Sikong Qian really did rob that batch of spirit crystals, by the sect rules he should not be punished so heavily.”

“Since the spirit crystals have been recovered, have Sikong Qian apologize and compensate these two for some of their losses. Why go so far as to hand him over to them as well?”

“If Sikong Qian can be taken away from the sect just because of a few words, how will Thousand Clouds Sect stand in the future?”

After so many years in Thousand Clouds Sect, Sikong Qian had no shortage of friends, and people spoke up at once to plead for him.

His heart, which had been panicking, gradually steadied under these words, and he felt secure. If Qiu Hongxin insisted on handing him over, it would surely chill the hearts of many. After all, they were fellow sect members. They were the ones who were truly family.

Shi Lan and Wu Lingkong said nothing, quietly waiting for Qiu Hongxin’s answer.

Seeing Sikong Qian growing calmer and hearing the faintly threatening tone hidden in the words around him, a cold light flashed in Qiu Hongxin’s eyes. He looked at Sikong Qian. “You want to see the former Sect Master?”

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Sikong Qian paused for a moment, then raised his voice. “Yes. I want to see the former Sect Master and ask the elder to judge right and wrong.”

Qiu Hongxin flicked his sleeve, and the doors of the main hall flew open with a crash.

Grabbing Sikong Qian by the collar, Qiu Hongxin flashed out of the hall in a single step and landed in the open space outside. Nearly two hundred disciples had already gathered in a ring around the area.

The elders all followed him out of the hall and into the courtyard.

“Sikong Qian has thrown in with bandits and robbed ill-gotten wealth. Today, I am expelling him from the sect. Anyone who objects, step forward,” Qiu Hongxin called loudly.

Seven or eight elders stepped out at the same time and said in unison, “We object. There may be more to this than meets the eye. We ask the Sect Master to investigate clearly.”

From among the two hundred disciples around them, a few dozen also stepped forward.

Sikong Qian let out a long breath. Qiu Hongxin could not possibly chill the hearts of so many people over a single minor matter like this. The situation was already in his favor.

“Disciple Hongxin asks the former Sect Master to come out of seclusion!”

After a long silence, Qiu Hongxin let out a long howl that echoed through the mountains, lingering for a long time.

Sikong Qian’s expression changed. He had not expected Qiu Hongxin to really disturb the former Sect Master over this matter.