"You were willing to sacrifice Yang Kai just to protect Su Yan, and you think that was the right thing to do?" Manager Meng chuckled lightly.
Su Xuanwu's expression turned awkward. He had thought the man came to reprimand him.
Meng Wuya said, "Doing so would indeed keep Su Yan out of trouble, but... if she found out about it afterward, what do you think she would feel?"
Su Xuanwu's face froze, and in an instant sweat began pouring down his forehead. He suddenly realized the severity of the matter.
"If you really went through with it, all you'd be doing is planting a Heart Demon in Su Yan's heart! She practices the Ice Heart Art — once a Heart Demon takes root, you know better than anyone what the consequences would be." Meng Wuya's calm voice rang in Su Xuanwu's ears, and the latter felt as though struck by lightning, filled with deep remorse.
He had been so focused on the short-term gain that he never considered what kind of devastating consequences it would bring Su Yan in the future. True, sacrificing Yang Kai this time would indeed keep Su Yan safe, but as long as she lived, she would inevitably remember this event and believe that her safety was entirely thanks to Yang Kai's sacrifice. Over time, her heart would be tormented, her mental state would become unstable, and how could her cultivation ever advance?
"Thank you, Manager Meng, for opening my eyes!" Su Xuanwu said respectfully.
"Heh heh." Meng Wuya chuckled lightly. "Even without me saying anything, you would have figured it out eventually — just a bit later, that's all!"
The Grand Elder stood to the side, his expression shifting between dark and light. He had finally seized an opportunity to gain the upper hand over his Second Senior Brother, and the plan was all but accomplished. Now Manager Meng had come along with his lecture, and there was no way Second Senior Brother would submit to his manipulation again. For Su Yan's future prospects, he would definitely not give in this time.
Realizing this, Wei Xitong said darkly, "Manager Meng, this is the Elder Hall of our Lingxiao Pavilion. Without the permission of the elders, no one is allowed to set foot in this hall. I suggest you go back the way you came."
Meng Wuya glanced at him, casually tossed the Elder Token back, and with a flicker of movement, appeared in the seat of honor at the very top of the Elder Hall.
"Insolent!" Wei Xitong erupted in fury, and the other elders all wore stern, hostile expressions as they glared at Manager Meng.
There was only one reason — that vacant seat of honor was reserved for the Sect Leader of Lingxiao Pavilion. Apart from the Sect Leader, no one else had any right to set foot there. The elders had been scheming against each other for years, and even the Grand Elder had never dared to covet that seat.
And now, the manager of the Contribution Hall — a man of unknown origins — had actually stood in the seat of honor! How could the elders not be furious? This was an insult to the entire Lingxiao Pavilion!
"Heh heh, please hold your anger." Meng Wuya smiled faintly, stroking his beard. "I came on behalf of your Sect Leader, merely to pass along a single message."
"On behalf of the Sect Leader?" All five elders were visibly shaken.
Over the past dozen years or so, even the five great elders had found it nearly impossible to meet the Sect Leader, and yet Meng Wuya had actually managed to see him. Moreover, from the way he spoke, it seemed the Sect Leader had something to say about today's events.
What was going on? Normally, even if the Pavilion were thrown into chaos, the Sect Leader would never intervene. How was it that today, a mere squabble among the junior generation had drawn the Sect Leader's attention?
"You all recognize what this is, I trust?" Meng Wuya held up a purple jade pendant.
"The Sect Leader's Jade Pendant!"
This pendant was the symbol of Lingxiao Pavilion's Sect Leader — absolutely impossible to forge.
"Good that you know." Meng Wuya smiled slightly.
Wei Xitong asked carefully, "May I ask, Manager Meng, what instructions has the Sect Leader conveyed?"
Although the Sect Leader had not managed Lingxiao Pavilion's affairs for over a decade, his authority as the leader of the Pavilion had never diminished by even a fraction.
Meng Wuya said, "Your Sect Leader says: let today's matter be resolved from big to small, and from small to nothing. All things should be pursued with harmony as the highest priority! A scuffle between the junior generation — what business do you old shameless busybodies have inserting yourselves into it? Have you no dignity at all?"