Looking at the beaming Qi Fengyang, Chu Feng hesitated for a moment, then also broke into a hearty laugh. "Brother!" he called out to Qi Fengyang.
"That's more like it!" Seeing Chu Feng accept, Qi Fengyang's smile grew even brighter. He raised his head and surveyed the area before announcing loudly, "Everyone, listen well! From this day forward, young friend Chu Feng is my, Qi Fengyang's, sworn younger brother. Anyone who dares to bully Chu Feng is bullying me, Qi Fengyang! As long as I, Qi Fengyang, draw breath, I will never let them off!"
"Furthermore, the Azure Dragon Sect already qualifies to become a first-rate sect. Not because of anything else, but because my brother alone is worthy. Besides, Sect Master Li's cultivation level also meets the qualification to be the master of a first-rate sect."
"So, Sect Master Li, if I may be so bold to ask—why not take this opportunity to hold an Ascension Ceremony here at the Azure Dragon Sect? To elevate this Azure Dragon Sect from a second-rate sect to a first-rate sect? What do you say?" Qi Fengyang asked Sect Master Li Changqing with a smile.
"I will follow Master Qi's arrangement." Not only did Li Changqing not dare disobey Qi Fengyang's wishes, but he himself had also wanted to elevate the Azure Dragon Sect to a first-rate sect. Now that this opportunity had arisen, and was even personally presided over by Qi Fengyang, the second most powerful figure of the Qilin Prince's Manor, he naturally would not let it slip by.
"Haha, good! Then today this matter is settled. To celebrate the sect where my brother resides being elevated to a first-rate sect, my Qilin Prince's Manor will provide the manpower. Two days from now, right here, we will hold a unique and grand Ascension Ceremony for the Azure Dragon Sect."
"Everyone here is a guest. No one should leave! Stay a couple more days longer and join us for the Azure Dragon Sect's Ascension Ceremony, what do you say?"
Qi Fengyang was very pleased. As for the people present, they were naturally thrilled as well. To be able to attend an Ascension Ceremony presided over by Qi Fengyang was an immense honor.
Moreover, the current Azure Dragon Sect truly possessed the strength they sought to curry favor with. Never mind Sect Master Li Changqing's power or Chu Feng's potential alone—with Qi Fengyang as their powerful backer, it was more than enough to make all factions take the sect seriously!
However, some people were quite depressed. Among them was Gong Tianping, who was enduring the pain of losing a son. His own son had been killed, yet he couldn't exact revenge, which frustrated him to the extreme. Therefore, he did not stay to attend the Azure Dragon Sect's Ascension Ceremony. Instead, he led the people from Xuanwu City and left dejectedly.
As for the sect masters and elders of the first-rate sects he had brought along, they did not choose to leave. In the face of Qi Fengyang's formidable reputation, they decisively abandoned Gong Tianping, choosing to side with the Azure Dragon Sect and form good relations with them.
This only made Gong Tianping feel more wretched. While he was suffering the grief of losing his son, his allies had abandoned him and defected to the enemy. It was truly adding frost to snow, making the prospect of revenge feel incredibly distant.
But the most depressed ones were the Lin clan members of the Qilin Prince's Manor. Under Qi Fengyang's orders, this group of distinguished figures had become the manual laborers for the Azure Dragon Sect's Ascension Ceremony.
Preparing the venue, arranging tables and chairs, sweeping and tidying up, gathering supplies—every task fell upon them. Despite their grievances, they didn't dare utter a single complaint because they truly feared Qi Fengyang.
At first, many people were unaccustomed to this situation. Having the Qilin Prince's Manor members serve them tea and water made them nervous; they feared retaliation in the future. However, gradually, they got used to it.
Because Qi Fengyang had made a statement: if anyone present today met with any mishap, regardless of whether the Lin clan members caused it, he would hold the Lin clan accountable later. Thus, the Lin clan members naturally ceased any other scheming.
That said, Qi Fengyang was not without a sense of propriety. Although he kept the Lin clan members as laborers, he did release about twenty of them with decent cultivation levels.
The purpose of releasing them was naturally to escort the severely injured Lin Ran back to the Qilin Prince's Manor. Although Qi Fengyang was very displeased with Lin Ran, they were both from the Lin clan after all. Punishment was acceptable, but taking his life was not.
*Cough, cough, cough...*
On the road back to the Qilin Prince's Manor, over twenty experts from the manor, riding golden horses, were escorting a luxurious carriage. From within the carriage, there came intermittent heart-wrenching coughs and miserable wails.
"That Qi Fengyang is simply too excessive! Actually beating Lord Lin Ran like this! When we return to the manor, we must report to the Manor Lord and have him punish Qi Fengyang!" said a young guard indignantly.
"What the hell do you know? Even the Clan Leader can't do anything about Qi Fengyang. Do you think the Manor Lord will listen to you if you report? Can't the Manor Lord tell which one is more important to the manor, Qi Fengyang or Lord Lin Ran?"
"Besides, Lord Lin Ran's current injuries weren't caused by Qi Fengyang. These are internal injuries, the backlash from that forbidden medicine," a middle-aged guard reminded him.
"The forbidden medicine? This backlash must be truly agonizing. I can't bear to see Lord Lin Ran endure such torture," the young guard said, his face full of concern and pity.
"Someone's up ahead!!!"
Just then, the guard at the very front suddenly shouted. Immediately, all twenty guards from the manor entered a state of high alert.
Because there was indeed a figure sitting right in the middle of the road ahead. The person wore a bamboo hat, obscuring their features, yet blocked the way forward.
"We are the Lin clan members of the Qilin Prince's Manor! Person ahead, make way immediately!!!" one of the guards bellowed.
However, the person blocking the road remained seated in the middle, utterly unresponsive, as if they hadn't heard him at all.
"Hey! I'm talking to you! Can't you hear me?" Seeing no reaction, the guard shouted again. But it was the same; the person still ignored him.
"Damn it, you're asking for death!" Seeing this, the guard, already stifling a belly full of anger, leaped off his horse in a flash and strode quickly towards the figure.
At that moment, the other guards all displayed mocking smiles on their faces, because they knew what that guard intended to do. If he really meant to kill the passerby, he would have struck directly, able to crush him with a single palm strike from a distance, without needing to walk over.
The reason he was walking over was precisely to torture this blind fool thoroughly. They, too, were brimming with pent-up frustration and would love to vent it on this unobservant passerby.
"You damn fool, get the hell up!" The guard reached the passerby and raised his hand to grab his collar.
*Swish!*
However, a cold, crescent-shaped gleam flashed across his wrist. Blood sprayed everywhere as the guard's reaching hand was severed. Immediately after, another cold gleam swept past, and the guard's head soared into the air before falling to the ground.
PS: 7 updates complete, I'm exhausted. But seeing everyone's support makes the Bee feel this tiredness is worth it. Thank you all for your support, I love you!
Also, I'd like to recommend a great urban novel to everyone: "Divine Doctor and Physiognomist," the latest masterpiece by Great Author Left Hand. The Bee gives it a seal of approval—it's absolutely a premium urban novel. Friends who like urban stories should check it out; I guarantee it won't let you down!