The Tie family's sincerity in seeking reconciliation was genuine enough. When they arrived at
Fortunately, Gouyu was, after all, a princess by birth and understood the bigger picture. She didn't shut the door on reconciliation, though she also refused to accept the Tie family's gifts.
"My young master has some grievances with the Tie family, but everything from the past has already been settled. Whether we remain enemies or become friends now depends entirely on your attitude. My young master is a magnanimous man — his mind is occupied with grand plans. Why would he bother holding on to petty grudges against you? It's simple: if you don't cross us, we won't cross you."
Gouyu's words were perfectly measured.
She neither turned the Tie family away outright nor agreed to reconcile. She simply expressed a stance — don't cross us, and we won't cross you.
The one who had come from the Tie family to seek reconciliation was Tie Tang, a clan brother of Tie Long and an elder of considerable standing in the Treasure Tree Sect.
The old man had a relatively steady temperament. Seeing that Jiang Chen was genuinely in seclusion, he didn't dare insist. Still, he'd picked up on the message — the Jiang Chen side had no intention of completely destroying the Tie family. In other words, whether reconciliation happened or not hinged on the Tie family's own attitude.
After picking up on Gouyu's hints, Tie Tang meekly insisted on leaving the gifts behind.
"Miss Gouyu, these gifts are a token of goodwill from our Tie Long, Grand Supreme Elder, to congratulate Jiang Chen on joining the Treasure Tree Sect. Please, you must accept them. Otherwise, when I return, I'll have no way to account for my mission."
Tie Tang's posture was exceedingly humble — the attitude of someone who would simply refuse to leave if the gifts weren't accepted.
Gouyu sighed and waved her hand. "Fine, leave them then. Once my young master comes out of seclusion, whether to accept them or not will be his decision."
Only then did Tie Tang leave, satisfied.
The other attendants, watching Tie Tang's retreating figure, were all grinning.
"Sister Gouyu, it looks like the Tie family is truly afraid of our young master now," Guo Jin remarked with a sigh.
Gouyu smiled faintly, then turned her gaze to
She didn't ask anyone else — only Xue Tong. There was good reason for that.
Back then, it was Lü Wuji who had colluded with the Death Chase Hidden Gate to kidnap Xue Tong. Xue Tong had suffered tremendously that time, enduring great hardship.
Though the perpetrators had all been brought to justice, Tie Can, who had sheltered them, was still at large. Even though the matter had no direct connection to Tie Can, Gouyu was worried that Xue Tong might still harbor resentment.
But Xue Tong showed his understanding of the bigger picture. "The young master has only just arrived at the Treasure Tree Sect. It wouldn't do to make an enemy of the Tie family right away. If we come across as too domineering, it will give others the impression that we're tyrants. The young master has every right to be domineering, but as his subordinates, we shouldn't create unnecessary trouble. If the Tie family wants reconciliation, we should naturally give them the chance. Besides, in our past conflicts with the Tie family, it was always the Tie family that came out worse off."
Gouyu smiled too, and thinking back on their previous clashes with the Tie family, the ones who had truly suffered were indeed the Tie family.
Now that their young master's strength had fully matured, even if Tie Long himself stepped forward, he might not necessarily be able to beat the young master. What could they possibly use to compete?
Moreover, they had the protection of Old Master
The young master's position in the Treasure Tree Sect was as solid as a mountain.
Since they already had both status and benefits, why bother wiping out a trivial Tie family and inviting unnecessary criticism?
...
Outside Grand Ancestor Qianye's cave dwelling, Tie Long stood with his body bowed in respect. He had been standing there for over an hour, waiting to be granted an audience with Grand Ancestor Qianye.
Tie Long knew that Grand Ancestor Qianye had been deeply disappointed in the Tie family lately. The endless infighting with the Xie family was one thing, but the real problem was that the Tie family had suppressed Jiang Chen all this time, failing to bring this genius into the Treasure Tree Sect sooner. As a result, such an extraordinary talent had languished in a mortal kingdom for years — and that was what frustrated Grand Ancestor Qianye the most.
With Jiang Chen's talent, if he had entered the Treasure Tree Sect two years earlier for proper cultivation, he might already be at the Spirit King level by now, just one step away from entering the Yuan Realm.
Two years — for a genius, how precious were those years?
Of course, this was Grand Ancestor Qianye's understanding. In truth, Jiang Chen had gained numerous opportunities while fighting in the mortal world. For instance, the Ice Fire Demon Lotus obtained during the Labyrinth Autumn Hunt. Or the Primordial Magnetism Gold Mountain, the Fire Crow King, and the crystal cores of the Vermillion-Scaled Fire Lizard, all acquired during the mortal kingdom selection...
"Grand Ancestor, Grand Supreme Elder Tie Long has been waiting outside the cave for over an hour."
Grand Ancestor Qianye had initially intended to leave Tie Long cooling his heels for a while, but he was, at heart, a compassionate ancestor. After a moment's thought, he waved his hand. "Let him in."
When Tie Long heard from outside the door that Grand Ancestor Qianye would finally see him, he nearly shed tears of relief.
"Grand Ancestor, Tie Long has been foolish. I have come to beg the Grand Ancestor's forgiveness."
Grand Ancestor Qianye snorted coldly. "Forgiveness? You know you've committed a fault?"
Tie Long was stricken with anxiety. "This subordinate is guilty. I failed to properly manage those under me, which led to numerous disasters. No matter how the Grand Ancestor chooses to punish me, Tie Long will accept it willingly."
"Hmph. If I intended to punish you, I would have already done so. The matter is perfectly clear — begging me won't help. The one your Tie family offended is Jiang Chen, and Old Ancestor Chonglou."
Tie Long slumped and sighed. "This subordinate also knows how absurd those past actions were. Now I sincerely acknowledge my mistakes and wish to set aside our prejudices so we can work together for the Treasure Tree Sect. I understand clearly that for the sect to grow strong, internal unity is the only way forward."