The two disciples were still under the impression that Qi Wang was messing with them. After all, this would not be the first time that their Master had crazy ideas. In the past, he had actually asked them to be escorts for a rich family, and even urged them to find some snow lotus herb to sell for more money.
In a bid to earn more money, which disciple has not been tormented by Qi Wang like this before? Their Master must really be joking this time. If it was anything else, it might be possible, but this suggestion of his was way too far-fetched.
Become a court official? Did their Master really think that being a court official will be as easy as being the Martial Lord?
No matter how much blind confidence these two disciples had in their Master, they must still observe and abide by the basic laws.
Their Master’s martial arts skills were second to none, but he was an honest and coarse old man, who can’t even memorise a single poem. How can someone like him become a court official?
Both of them thought that this unrealistic goal was their Master’s response to the shock of losing his internal force.They ardently tried to persuade Qi Wang to give up on it.
Unfortunately, Qi Wang’s mind was firm. Seeing that they were still not on board with his idea, he brought over a spread of paper and ink. With a wave of his brush, he displayed a dignified writing finesse as he managed to produce a flowing essay within just a few short moments.
“How does it look?”
Lin Qingfeng and Xiao Qingyu proded their heads to look at the majestic writings on the paper. Every word seemed to carry a sharpened edge to it. Though the two of them knew little about calligraphy, they were still able to tell that Qi Wang’s writing was good.
Could it be that their Master had slipped between his cultivation training to secretly practice his calligraphy skills? Such skills simply could not have been attained without rigorous practice.
Upon their silence, Qi Wang patted them on their shoulders, and opened his mouth to ask, “How is it?”
Lin Qingfeng pulled a face as he once again tried to persuade him saying, “Master, it’s not easy to become a court official. You must first be chosen by an aristocratic family. Considering how we’re a bunch of insignificant and uncultured people, who would even recommend you to become a court official?”
Xiao Qingyu also put in his two cents: “That’s right, Master. Even if you really did lose your internal force, you’re still the Lord of the Great Blade Manor. Don’t worry, we will be filial to you. So don’t think about becoming a court official, okay?”
These two disciples had grown up in the Great Blade Manor, and were used to interacting with people from the martial circles. At most, they would rob the rich to help the poor, and in the process, met and fought with corrupt officials. To be honest, they did not have much of a good impression of the palace courts and court officials.
Those court officials were all a bunch of fat and lazy people who lived off of the civilians. They only cared about raking in the profits of the nation founded on the people’s blood, sweat, and tears. Not once did they do anything good for the people. The corrupt officials that they robbed from were full of riches and affluence.
On the other hand, there were poor civilians who did not even have enough to eat. If these officials could share their wealth and assets to the civilians, their lives would not be half as hard as it was.
The issues within the palace courts were too complicated. There were too many tricky characters inside; those who entered without understanding the politics would likely be torn to shreds.
Their Master is a stickler for his principle and a righteous man with a pure heart. How can he become a court official?
“Master…”
The two of them wanted to continue persuading him against it, but Qi Wang raised his hand to stop them from doing so.
“Do the two of you think this Master doesn’t have the ability?”
Lin Qingfeng and Xiao Qingyu: “Master, you’ve misunderstood, we…”
“This Master is in the prime of his life, how can I possibly hold myself up at home and depend on you to look after me? How have I taught you previously? A man must have a mighty and indomitable spirit. A man must be reborn with a passionate blood to take on and make a career for himself. Even if I’m just an ordinary man now, I must still uphold strength and discipline, so that everyone can see that even if I, Qi Wang, am no longer the Martial Lord, I can still make a difference.”
Qi Wang’s words were powerful and resonating.
“I’ve already decided on this. If you two are unwilling to accompany me to the capital, I will go by myself. Even without my martial arts, I am not afraid.”
Their Master has already said it up to this point, so how can they oppose it? Moreover, their Master’s words made quite a lot of sense.
Master is a man with strong principles. If other people receive news that he is staying in the manor to be taken care of, his name and reputation would be utterly defamed.
After thinking this through, the two disciples did not say more, and nodded to show their agreement.
“Master, we will go with you.”
Their Master had lost his martial arts, they must protect his safety.
“Good children, this Master has not cared for you two in vain.”
Having these two foolish brats with him will be good. Even if Lin Yingying has a thousand plans, she will not be able to harm them.
As for that scum, Zhang Qingyun, he has his own plans for dealing with him.
Lin Qingfeng and Xiao Qingyu were used to carrying out their Master’s assignments. As a result, they did not think it was weird that their Master came only to them to discuss such a big issue without consulting Zhang Qingyun as well.
Master must have his own considerations. They just need to make arrangements according to their Master’s instructions. Everything else will naturally be handled by their Master.
***
On the other hand, Zhang Qingyun who had been kicked out by Qi Wang was growing increasingly depressed by the minute. He found that his Master, who had showered him with so much love before, has changed beyond recognition.
Yingying is right. Master must have been practicing demonic cultivation which led to his radical change in personality. Otherwise, his Master would never regard him in that callous manner.
“Yingying, what do you think I should do now?”
Feeling downcast, Zhang Qingyun entered the room where Lin Yingyin was embroidering. She had just finished sewing a white cloud when he arrived.
When he saw Lin Yingying, all the grievances that he felt in his heart were magnified. He subconsciously poured out all his inner thoughts to her.
Though the moment he said it all, Zhang Qingyun immediately regretted it. He was always unable to control his emotions in front of Lin Yingying.
“Yingying, why do you think my Master did that? His martial arts skills are already second to none, so why must he do such a thing? What benefits could he possibly gain from this venture? Does he really not care for his own name and reputation? If other people knew about this, wouldn’t he be a laughing stock?”
Zhang Qingyun really respected his Master. So when he personally saw him practicing demonic cultivation, he was unable to accept it. He was distraught and had no clue what to do next.
Lin Yingying put down the needle and thread in her hand, lightly stepping towards Zhang Qingyun. She felt her heart constrict as she saw her lover’s distressed face caused by these trivial things.
The mastermind behind all of these was Lin Yingying herself, but she did not feel that she had done anything wrong at all. Instead, she pushed all the blame to Qi Wang.
If it was not for Qi Wang, Zhang Qingyun would not be troubled by these things.
She had already discussed it with her father. In half a month at most, Qi Wang would no longer be an obstacle between Zhang Qingyun and her.
“A-Yun, you always say that people from righteous sects are magnanimous, and that people from the demon sect are ruthless and fierce in their methods. But look at this now, your Master brags about being a righteous man, but is privately committing such despicable and foul acts. He is simply a hypocrite.”
After hearing what Lin Yingying said, Zhang Qingyun wanted to retort back. But the moment he opened his mouth, he thought of the bathtub of blood. The words which were meant to defend his Master could not come out.
In Zhang Qingyun’s heart, he had always regarded his Master highly. For him, he was the model that all righteous people should strive for. But when he found that the person, whom he idolized was actually not who he thought he was, his beliefs came crumbling down. It gave him a shock that rivalled a tsunami and led him to a mental breakdown.
Initially, he had to painfully give Lin Yingying up because of his Master’s strongly held principles. It forbade the coexistence of good and evil. The righteous sects were prohibited to interact with the demonic sects.
But who would have thought that Lin Yingying was now his Master’s Lady? Even though he blatantly repeated that it was his intention to eradicate all men practicing demonic cultivation, he married the goddess of the demon sect; the love of his life.
How ironic is this?
Lin Yingying pricked his heart as she intentionally revealed that Qi Wang knew her true identity. She added then that he pretended to be ignorant about it because he was lusting after her charms. He knowingly committed and disregarded his crimes just to marry a beautiful wife.
“The reason why your Master hadn’t married for so long is not because he was too focused on cultivating his martial arts. He simply did not meet anyone who captured his heart.”
Zhang Qingyun absolutely did not suspect Lin Yingying’s words. He thought that what she said made perfect sense. In his eyes, Lin Yingying was the best. How could Qi Wang resist a lady like her?
Qi Wang’s heart was moved by Lin Yingying, and because he loved her, he did not care that she belonged to the demon sect. He straightaway married her, and purposely hid her identity from everyone; creating the impression that she was frail to the point that she could not even hold a chicken.
There was no other explanation for this.
As the goddess of the demonic sects, Lin Yingying’s martial skills were on the same level as him.
Qi Wang himself did not even care about right and wrong, so what are his sufferings for? For what reason did he bear such agony when he chose to give Lin Yingying up? His love had become his Master’s Lady, resulting in a chasm far too wide for them to repair. In this life, he will be unable to reunite with the woman he loves.
Zhang Qingyun looked at Lin Yingying with an aching heart; his eyes filled with despair and desperation.
What should he do with Lin Yingying? They cannot possibly be entangled with each other for the rest of their lives right? How could he bear to make the woman he loves suffer like this?
Lin Yingying was heartbroken to see Zhang Qingyun’s expression, so she laid her hand on his shoulders.
“A-Yun, don’t be like this. It makes me sad to see you like this.”
Lin Yingying wrapped her arms around Zhang Qingyun as she said those words in a trembling voice. Using a little bit of strength, she placed his head safely into her embrace. She could clearly feel his shaking from the pain he was in. Hot tears touched her skin as it seeped through her flimsy clothing. All she could feel was the way the tears scalded her tender skin, and how the pain was conducted to the rest of her body.
She felt her heart twist in pain. Even breathing was torturous, it was as if she was being knifed apart into a thousand pieces. Her body and heart were hurting; tears flowed freely down her face as she closed her eyes.
This was all Qi Wang’s fault. If Qi Wang had insisted on not marrying her, she and Zhang Qingyun would not be facing such pain now. Everything was Qi Wang’s fault, and it was him who ruined her relationship with Zhang Qingyun.
Lin Yingying has forgotten her schemes: how she wanted to repay Qi Wang for saving her life by giving herself to him, that it was her who had schemed to make him save her, that it was her who wanted to take revenge against Zhang Qingyun, which then led to her marrying Qi Wang.
She has told Zhang Qingyun so many lies, that she really believed Qi Wang was charmed by her beauty and wanted to be with her. As the Master, he was unable to resist her beauty. However, Zhang Qingyun was willing to give her up because of his words.
Zhang Qingyun was kind and cruel at the same time. If he was just willing to pursue her initially, the two of them would have been together already. They could have avoided all these twists and turns in their relationship.
She both loved and hated this man. She had originally wanted to take revenge on Zhang Qingyun, but seeing how much pain he was in, she felt her heart soften. She could not bear to blame him anymore. Instead, she pushed all her complaints and anger towards Qi Wang.
This is all Qi Wang’s fault. If not for him, Zhang Qingyun wouldn’t have rejected her from the start. If it wasn’t for her taking revenge on Zhang Qingyun, she also wouldn’t have married Qi Wang. And if it wasn’t for Qi Wang’s unwillingness to let her go, she and Zhang Qingyun would’ve been a couple.
This is all Qi Wang’s fault. Fortunately, she only needed to bear with this for a while. Once the plan discussed by her and her father succeeds, she and her lover will be inseparable.
As for the stumbling block that is Qi Wang, so long as her father is here, he will no longer be able to obstruct her relationship with Zhang Qingyun.
Just when the two of them were hugging intimately, the door opened and Lin Qingfeng casually entered.
“Senior disciple, Master is looking for you. He wants to discuss something important with you.”
They heard Lin Qingfeng’s voice declaring his greetings prior to entering. The two of them, who were cuddling, had no time to quickly break apart before Lin Qingfeng walked across the folding screen towards them.
Zhang Qingyun was only able to lift his head from Lin Yingying’s waist—from where it was tucked—before Lin Qingfeng’s entrance.
“Second disciple…”
Zhang Qingyun was still hugging Lin Yingying’s waist, and Lin Yingying’s hands were still placed on the top of Zhang Qingyun’s head. The two of them were in such compromising positions that any normal person could immediately see that they did not have a normal relationship. Their situation now was no different from being caught red-handed.
They would definitely arouse suspicion in such a predicament.
And yet, the dense and ignorant Lin Qingfeng, who was raised by Qi Wang, could not even see the slightest of the problem at hand. He actually did not find anything wrong with seeing them hugging and just heartily laughed saying, “My Lady, are you comforting our Senior disciple again? What is he sad about this time? Senior disciple, it’s not that I want to scold you, but why do you become a child in need of comfort everytime you’re in front of our Lady? In this month alone, I’ve seen you cry to our Lady three times already. Why? Are there things that you can’t talk to me about? Seems like you always need our Lady to comfort you.”
Lin Qingfeng’s casualness dispelled whatever awkwardness Zhang Qingyun might have felt regarding their situation. He felt as if his interaction with Lin Yingying was no big deal. Hence, he naturally let go of Lin Yingying’s waist, organized his messy clothes a little, and sat properly before opening his mouth to ask, “Second disciple, what did you say?”
Lin Qingfeng’s attention quickly focused on Zhang Qingyun’s words, and repeated what he had just said to him.
Zhang Qingyun schooled his expression into a solemn one after hearing from Lin Qingfeng that Qi Wang was looking for him. Remembering Qi Wang’s previously cold attitude, and the fact that he was practicing demonic cultivation, Zhang Qingyun felt unkeen to see Qi Wang.
“Second disciple, can I trouble you to tell Master that I’ve met some trouble while practicing my cultivation, and feel unwell right now? I will go and see him tomorrow instead.”
Lin Qingfeng was in a bit of a bind and continued, “Senior disciple, Master really has something very important to discuss with you, please just follow me to see him.”
Still, Zhang Qingyun was stubbornly persistent. He was disinclined to face Qi Wang since his image of him crumbled, feeling doubtful and troubled.
“Second disciple, help me tell Master that I’ll see him tomorrow.”
Lin Yingying could not stand to see Lin Qingfeng pestering the unwilling Zhang Qingyun. Displeased, she frowned as she opened her mouth to say, “Lin Qingfeng, A-Yun already said that he doesn’t want to go, what’s the point of forcing him? I will settle it with Qi Wang later. I want to rest now, please leave quickly.”
Lin Yingying did not even deign to be polite. Her deeply rooted arrogance could be seen from the difference of treatment towards Lin Qingfeng and Zhang Qingyun; it was like heaven and earth.
Ever since childhood, she was the pampered goddess of the demonic sects. The Demon Lord could not bear to see his only daughter suffer, thus, her demands were always met with full obedience.
Besides her treatment towards Zhang Qingyun, where she still maintained some form of girlish coquettish, all other members of the Great Blade Manor were flipantly treated as if she was superior to everyone else.
She was being so blatant about it yet the people of the Great Blade Manor did not find anything wrong with it; they were still blind to her actions.
Lin Qingfeng, who was attacked by her hateful words, also did not find anything wrong with her attitude. She was just protecting Zhang Qingyun who was unwilling to go. Thus, he could only helplessly turn around and leave.
Master’s lady is so fierce. Master is still the best.
Lin Qingfeng left the two of them alone in the room.
Recalling Lin Yingying saying that she was tired and wanted to rest, Zhang Qingyun stood up with the intention of going back.
Lin Yingying grabbed his sleeves and petulantly said, “You fool, couldn’t you see that I was giving you a way out?”
Zhang Qingyun’s face turned red, and did not dare to look at Lin Yingying’s lovable face any longer.
His heart raced faster than ever, oblivious of what to do with his hands. Though they have basically done everything they should and should not be doing, he still felt bashful whenever he was alone with Lin Yingying for too long.
Lin Yingying found this part of Zhang Qingyun to be her favourite. She could see that this man really cared for her, and was different from the messy relationships in the demon sect.
The demon sect’s men were only with women for their body, and never thought to respect women as they were. In their eyes, women were just like clothing. They could just change them whenever they liked.
But Zhang Qingyun was different, the two of them have been together for two years, and he has only respect in his love for her. The most he has done was hug her during the moments that he can, and never crossed the last step with her.
Thus, Lin Yingying felt that Zhang Qingyun respected and treasured her. He was truly a man of honor.
If Qi Wang was privy to Lin Yingying’s thoughts, he would have thought that this lady was mad.
Everything that Zhang Qingyun did made him no different from a wanton traitor, and any righteous man could see that. Only Lin Yingying, who came from such a demonic background and was shielded from all the populace, could think of him as an honorable man.
If the phrase ‘man of honor’ had a spirit, it would have held a knife and stabbed Lin Yingying to death as a punishment for blatantly insulting its namesake.
***
“Master, Senior disciple said that he had met with some trouble while practicing his cultivation, and he must rest for a while. He will come see you when he’s feeling better tomorrow.”
Lin Qingfeng recounted exactly what he had seen and heard from Lin Yingying’s room when he came back.
Qi Wang looked at Lin Qingfeng like he was a fool.
“Don’t you find it a problem to see Zhang Qingyun and Lin Yingying alone in the room hugging each other?”
Qi Wang had to ask. He was honestly curious. Considering Lin Qingfeng’s intelligence, would he still think that these two were engaging in a pure and innocent pillow talk while seeing them nakedly lying inside the quilt on the bed?
Upon hearing Qi Wang’s question, Lin Qingfeng shook his head and seriously answered, “Master’s Lady and Senior disciple have always been like that. I’ve seen it so many times, so I don’t think there’s a problem with that.”
Qi Wang: “...”
To think that this naive fool progressed to such stupidity. How was he even able to attain the title ‘Noble Yu Mian’ in the martial circles?
Lin Qingfeng confidently said, “It’s because I look good and have superior martial arts skills. None of them can beat me.”
Qi Wang: “...”
This brat’s high level martial arts skills really made a tremendous contribution to his energetic and carefree attitude. It was no wonder that eventually, these two fools were completely devoured by the schemes of Lin Yingying.
“Alright, you are dismissed. I want to be alone.”
Lin Qingfeng felt that his Master was not in a good mood due to worrying about Zhang Qingyun.
Master has always doted on his Senior disciple the most. Previously, when he heard that his Senior disciple met with trouble while cultivating, Master would undoubtedly go and help his Senior disciple sort out the problems with his internal force.
Master must now be feeling devastated since he lost all his internal force and was helpless in regard to his Senior disciple’s problem.
His Master is too pitiful. Lin Qingfeng felt his heart constrict at the thought. Yet, he dare not say too much lest he agitate Qi Wang. He just suppressed his feelings, and left while repeatedly looking back.
Qi Wang: “...”
Just from looking at Lin Qingfeng’s eyes, he could guess what he was thinking about.
How could he be so stupid to think about all sorts of nonsense?
Not long after Lin Qingfeng left, Xiao Qingyu, who was sent to the account office to borrow silver, came back.
Seeing him return empty-handed did not surprise Qi Wang in the slightest.
The Great Blade Manor was indeed rich. However, one must not forget that as the Martial Lord for over five years, organizing general assemblies required money procured by the Original. After marrying Lin Yingying, Zhang Qingyun—the boy—spent money like nobody’s business, to the point that even the nation’s billionaires would not be left unscathed.
The account office probably does not have any more money to lend out.
As he expected, Xiao Qingyu’s face was full of regret as he slowly opened his mouth to say, “Master, the account office reported that we have no more money. The profits from our stores and the rents from the villagers will have to wait till the fall to come in…”
Xiao Qingyu became more ashamed; he bowed his head further as he went on.
The account office had told Xiao Qingyu a lot of things that he did not understand, but he at least got the general idea.
The Great Blade Manor had no more money, and they could not even get a single silver or two.
Unexpectedly, after hearing what Xiao Qingyu had to say, Qi Wang asked something completely unrelated to the topic at hand.
“What’s up with the villagers’ rents?”
Xiao Qingyu was slightly taken aback. But even though he was unsure why his Master would ask about this, he still honestly replied to Qi Wang. After all, he had been part of the group who went down to collect rent a few times. As such, he knew quite a bit and had a clear understanding of everything.
“It’s the village right at the foot of the mountain. They pay us a decent rent annually in exchange for our protection. Though the food is not a lot, it is enough for the people in our Great Blade Manor to eat.”
Qi Wang asked: “The land that the villagers are using, does it belong to our Great Blade Manor?”
Xiao Qingyu shook his head: “No, it doesn’t belong to us.”
Qi Wang asked again: “After paying their rent, they don’t need to pay land tax anymore?”
Xiao Qingyu replied with complete honesty: “Land tax is still necessary.”
“So, they not only need to hand over rent, but also land tax even if their land was passed down for generations, and aren’t even owned by the Great Blade Manor?”
Xiao Qingyu may not be smart, but he can still sense that Qi Wang’s questions were odd. He hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong.
“All the sects do this, and what’s more, the rent is given willingly. We’ve never forced them. It’s a reward for us chasing away all the mountain bandits that come to attack them.”
Xiao Qingyu did not see anything wrong with this since this was just something that all the big sects engaged in. Giving protection in exchange for rent; these were all voluntary exchanges. What was the problem with that?
They were righteous people, punishing and getting rid of all evils. Doing good and setting all things right. Under their protection, these villagers would be safe from the exploitation of government squires and rich landowners, and the attacks of mountain bandits. They have always been protecting them.
They offer protection and the villagers offer back their rent, it was only natural.
Qi Wang spared Xiao Qingyu a deep glance, but did not try to further explain.
“You are dismissed. Go back and pack your things. We will leave tomorrow after I hand over the position of Manor Lord and Martial Lord to Zhang Qingyun.”
“I can’t wait to become a court official already.”
Xiao Qingyu obediently nodded his head, turned and left.
Qi Wang was left in the room alone. He closed his eyes, and gloom took over space between his eyebrows.
It seems like things are worse than he expected.
This was a passing period of transition in the dynasty. The previous dynasty has been eradicated, and the new dynasty has also been established for just a short hundred years.
During the period of change, many lives were lost. It led to political unrest in the palace courts, and an unstable social climate for the people. Therefore, it would take time for things to stabilize.
There were too many things that needed to be dealt with at the palace courts. Hence, its control of the country was not as strong as before.
Some might say that heroes would rise in sticky situations. But, it was not just heroes who would rise.
When the palace courts were at their weakest, there would be ambitious people who would rise from the martial circles.They would be under the impression that they were above the country’s law due to their martial skills, which surpasses the ability of ordinary people.
They have their own ways of doing things, and they see themselves to be separate entities from the country. They did things according to their own terms, never once considering whether it was against the law.
When people had skills that far surpassed that of the layman, they would put themselves on a pedestal on the same level as a deity. They would think of themselves as gods, higher than anyone else; they associate ordinary men to ants, free to manipulate.
Human life meant nothing to them, just like how people in martial circles did not care about the lives of ordinary people. They would not think twice about fighting over small disagreements; never once considering the time, place, and situation that would be affected by their fights.
Be it the guest inn, wine tavern, or the main streets; so long as they felt the inclination to, weapons would be brandished.
Sure, recklessly clashing of swords was easy for them, but what about the affected innocent civilians?
Shops smashed, stores overturned, people getting hurt—these were the little things that none of those from the martial circles bothered to care about. Nobody would care about the consequences of the affected.
In this sense, the righteous and demonic sects have minimal difference. Even the Original, who was a kind-hearted and upright man, did not see the issue in causing a commotion in wine taverns or out in the open streets.
They were exterminating the evil people.
They were protecting the civilians from harm.
They were carrying out justice.
They were righteous people.
Qi Wang opened his eyes, a dim spark of fire alight in his pitch black pupils.
This kind of martial circle is already far down the drain.
That night, Qi Wang did not go back to his room to sleep and just chose to rest in his study. After receiving news that he would not be coming back, Lin Yingying pestered Zhang Qingyun to stay behind until midnight.
Zhang Qingyun seemed to have a little bit of shame left within him as he defeatedly left under her bitter gaze. He knew that it was completely outrageous to remain in Lin Yingying’s room.
Lin Yingying stomped her feet in anger as Zhang Qingyun left her alone. She did not want to blame Zhang Qingyun, so she pushed everything to Qi Wang.
That scoundrel is to be blamed for everything. If he would only die, Zhang Qingyun wouldn’t reject her anymore.
Though Lin Yingying’s heart was full of complaints, the thought that she would soon be able to get rid of Qi Wang, cheered her up.
She really cannot wait to become a widow.
The next morning, Qi Wang sent Lin Qingfeng to bring Zhang Qingyun to his study.
In his study, Qi Wang and his three disciples were gathered.
Before Qi Wang could even open his mouth to speak, Zhang Qingyun, who had spent the whole night agonizing over what he should say to him, spoke in a tone that was neither obsequious nor supercilious.
“Master, you are now old in age, and are no longer suitable to hold the position of Martial Lord. Please abdicate and give your position to the younger generation.”
This was Zhang Qingyun’s solution after thinking about it for the whole night.
The Master practicing demonic cultivation is a huge scandal. His martial skills and moves are famous and well-known by all in the martial circles. It would be obvious to people if he were to suddenly change his way of cultivating. Rather than letting people discover Qi Wang’s true colors—ruining his name beyond belief—it is better to fully eliminate the possibility of people finding out about the truth.
Even though Qi Wang was culpable, he was still his Master no matter what. Zhang Qingyun did not wish for his name to be ruined.
Qi Wang did not get a chance to answer before Lin Qingfeng blurted out: “Senior disciple, Master and you really have the same mind. Before Master has even opened his mouth, you already know what he wants to say.”
Zhang Qingyun: “???”
Lin Qingfeng laughed and said, “Senior disciple, Master told us about it yesterday. He is tired of being the Martial Lord and wants to become a court official. The position of the Great Blade Manor’s Lord and Martial Lord will be handed over to you.”
Lin Qingfeng's mouth quickly told him all about Qi Wang’s plans, from beginning to end.
If it was not because of his Master’s repeated reminders yesterday—to not let Zhang Qingyun bear the guilt of knowing about his loss of internal force—Lin Qingfeng would have probably told him the reason why Qi Wang became an ordinary man.
After Lin Qingfeng was done talking, Xiao Qingyu continued: “Senior disciple, Master thinks very highly of you. The Great Blade Manor and the whole martial world will be entrusted to you. You must represent our Master well and do a good job to protect them.”
Things were progressing completely out of Zhang Qingyun’s expectations. He stared blankly at his Master and fellow disciples, as if he did not recognise them at all.
What’s going on with his Master that he suddenly wants to abdicate?
Also, did he hear wrongly, or did his Second disciple really say that their Master is going to become a court official?
Master barely knows a few words, and he easily dozes off while reading a book. What kind of court official can he become? A sleeping official?
As Zhang Qingyun was reeling from the information and trying to figure things out, Qi Wang has already transferred the official seals of the Great Blade Manor Lord and of the Martial Lord.
“Qingyun, I believe that with your ability, you will definitely be able to succeed in this task. I expect great things from you.”
“Oh right, I forgot to tell you. I’ve received reliable news that the demon sect will be attacking the Green Hills sect in a couple days. As the Martial Lord, you must remember to save them. I will be leaving with your fellow disciples. Goodbye.”
After throwing out this piece of information, Qi Wang brought with him his two silly disciples, and casually left the Great Blade Manor with just a bundle of cloth wrapping their belongings.
This chaos is best left to Zhang Qingyun to deal with.
The afternoon of the very day that Qi Wang left, the Great Blade Manor and Zhang Qingyun, who had only been the Lord half a day, encountered a food shortage.
They had no more food to eat.
NOTE: We are looking for a new translator for this novel. You may have to wait a little for the next chapter. Thanks for your understanding. Happy reading~
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