Gan Ning let out a cold laugh but deliberately chose not to respond to Young Master Suichen, inwardly holding the man in contempt. The so-called foremost of the Five Young Masters, and yet his vision was this narrow!
What were a hundred trial beads worth? Did a hundred trial beads even qualify as a bid for the top spot?
Young Master Suichen assumed they didn't have a hundred trial beads and sneered, "You don't even have a hundred, yet you claim you'll take the crown? You think getting sixty or seventy trial beads is enough to claim the top spot?"
Gan Ning's pride refused to let that slide. He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Suichen, you're the foremost of our Five Young Masters. In theory, you should be the exemplary figure of the
Young Master Suichen's expression stiffened. The question dealt him a devastating blow, and his voice immediately dropped several notches.
"Hmph. The trial beads I obtained earlier were hardly few. Besides, I got them all through legitimate means — not like certain people who rob everyone in sight and drag the Eternal Sacred Land's reputation through the mud." Young Master Suichen was playing the victim card with practiced ease.
Wu You frowned upon hearing this.
"Senior Brother Suichen, you can eat whatever you like, but you can't just say whatever you please. If you have something to say, say it plainly instead of making insinuations. Who exactly is embarrassing the Eternal Sacred Land? Who is tarnishing its reputation? We all know perfectly well — does it even need to be spelled out?"
Young Master Suichen had always been jealous of
"Wu You, among the Five Young Masters, you're essentially ranked second, and yet now you can only cling to someone else's coattails like a tail-wagging cur begging for scraps?"
Young Master Suichen's tone dripped with resentment.
Wu You's face darkened. "Suichen, it seems you really don't know when to quit. Would you like me to make public how you tried to approach the Sacred Maidens and failed — how they detained you instead? Should I tell everyone how Senior Brother Jiang Chen accepted the challenge of both Sacred Maidens to save you, ultimately winning their respect and earning your release? Or shall I mention how you kept all the trial beads for yourself and then lied, claiming the Sacred Maidens had taken them?"
Every word struck like a knife to the heart. Young Master Suichen's face turned the color of pig liver.
"Bullshit! Did I need your rescue? If you hadn't intervened, could they have truly harmed me? Besides, the rules don't allow killing. Even if they ganged up on me, the worst they could do was confine me — they couldn't touch my life! Did I ask you to save me?" Young Master Suichen had abandoned all pretense of shame.
These words left even Wei Yong feeling mortified. He hung his head, unable to believe this was the Senior Brother Suichen he had once admired so deeply.
It had been Suichen himself who had sent Wei Yong to break through and find Senior Brother Jiang Chen for help. How could he now deny everything so shamelessly?
And now, the moment they returned to the Sacred Land, he was picking fights with Senior Brother Jiang Chen. Senior Brother Suichen was truly going too far.
That time, it had unquestionably been Senior Brother Jiang Chen who saved him and restored his freedom. Otherwise, the two Sacred Maidens would have made him suffer all manner of indignities.
The Great Sovereign looked at Jiang Chen, then at Young Master Suichen, and spoke in a measured tone, "Suichen, fellow disciples should treat one another with care and affection. Your cold mockery of a fellow disciple reveals a narrow heart. Furthermore, if it is true that Jiang Chen saved you, you ought to be grateful. Instead, you argue against the truth — that is a most unbecoming display."
The Great Sovereign was fair and clear-eyed when it came to matters of gratitude and grievance. Judging from the situation and the expressions on the faces of Wei Yong and the others, a man as perceptive as the Great Sovereign naturally saw through what had really happened.
"Suichen, exactly how many trial beads did you obtain? Tell me the truth." the Great Sovereign asked.
"Not a single one. They were all taken by those two Sacred Maidens." Young Master Suichen's tone was resolute, his expression unwavering. He clearly intended to hold this lie to the very end.