"What is Miss Yiyi's relationship with that Chu Feng?" After a moment of deliberation, Chu Luyang finally asked.
"He's my friend," Xu Yiyi replied without hesitation.
"Ah…" Chu Luyang's expression turned rather ugly at this. He absolutely despised that Chu Feng — one could say that compared to the Red Butterfly Association, he hated Chu Feng even more, because Chu Feng had already killed two of his prized subordinates in succession.
But what truly baffled him was: when had Chu Feng gotten so lucky as to become friends with Xu Yiyi?
"If it puts Pavilion Master Chu in a difficult position, then forget it," Xu Yiyi said, her lips pouting with displeasure. She then turned toward Elder Su, grabbed his arm, and shook it coaxingly. "Master, someone wants to kill my friend. What do you think should be done? Won't you stand up for me?"
Seeing Xu Yiyi actually appeal to her Master for help, Chu Luyang's face went green. He hastily said, "No difficulty at all, no difficulty at all. I'll pass down the order immediately — the grudge between my Lu Yang Pavilion and him is wiped clean. We will pursue it no further."
"Then I thank Pavilion Master Chu," Xu Yiyi said to Chu Luyang with a beaming smile, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
"Miss Yiyi is too kind." Though Chu Luyang's words were civil, inside he was seething with frustration.
As for everyone else present, they all wore faint smiles and said nothing. They all knew how Elder Su doted on Xu Yiyi.
No matter what grudge existed between Chu Luyang and Chu Feng, now that Xu Yiyi had spoken up, even if Chu Luyang wanted to keep pursuing the matter, he couldn't.
…
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Liu Chengkun came as promised, bringing Chu Feng personally into the main hall where the Red Butterfly Association held its meetings.
The hall was packed with people. Among them was Elder Huang Luo, whom Chu Feng recognized, though most of the others were unfamiliar faces. What Chu Feng hadn't expected was that Zhao Xiao and his father were both there as well.
They had only been locked up yesterday, yet here they were today, released already. It was plain to see that yesterday's punishment had been nothing more than a formality.
But what made Chu Feng most uncomfortable was that the moment he and Liu Chengkun entered the hall, every pair of eyes turned toward him with looks of surprise — including the gaze of the Red Butterfly Association's President.
"Elder Liu, today is a high-level meeting of our Red Butterfly Association. What are you doing bringing Chu Feng here?" Sure enough, Zhao Ruofan, the Vice President of the Red Butterfly Association, spoke up with clear displeasure.
"A high-level meeting — and Zhao Xiao seems to have no right to attend either," Liu Chengkun said, casting a glance at Zhao Xiao, who stood beside Zhao Ruofan.
"That's not the same at all. Zhao Xiao is at least a member of the Red Butterfly Association. What is Chu Feng?" Zhao Ruofan retorted.
"What is Chu Feng? Chu Feng is an honored guest invited by the President himself," Liu Chengkun said.
At these words, Zhao Ruofan's expression froze. He couldn't help but turn his gaze toward the Red Butterfly Association's President, fearing that Chu Feng's presence in this hall had indeed been arranged by the President.
If that was the case, any further objections on his part would clearly mean walking right into a minefield again. He certainly didn't want a replay of yesterday's embarrassing scene.
But just as Zhao Ruofan worried whether he had already said something wrong, Liu Chengkun also cast a somewhat anxious look toward the Red Butterfly Association's President — he too feared that his disciple might not give him the courtesy of a Master's face and simply have Chu Feng thrown out.
"Please take your seats," the Red Butterfly Association's President said with a smile, addressing both Chu Feng and Liu Chengkun.
Only then did a smile appear on Liu Chengkun's face. He then led Chu Feng to their seats.
As for Chu Feng, though he appeared outwardly calm and composed, he felt somewhat awkward inside. He had already realized that what Liu Chengkun had told him yesterday did not seem to be particularly reliable.
"President, I hear that you have obtained two spots to cultivate at Cloud Crane Mountain. I wonder if you might be willing to gift one of them to young friend Chu Feng?" Sure enough, Liu Chengkun spoke up.
The moment these words left his mouth, everyone present was shocked — even Chu Feng himself was left nearly speechless, because it confirmed his suspicions. Liu Chengkun had never had any certainty about getting him into Cloud Crane Mountain in the first place.
"Liu Chengkun, what are you talking about? The spots our Red Butterfly Association worked so hard to obtain — how can they be handed over to an outsider?" Zhao Ruofan erupted in fury, his anger so great that he no longer even addressed Liu Chengkun as "Elder," but called him by his full name.
In truth, it was not just Zhao Ruofan who was angry. Many of the elders wore stunned expressions as they whispered among themselves, buzzing with discussion.