"Great Elder, do you have any objections?" Cang Juezi asked.
The Great Elder glanced cautiously at Ying Chen's direction. Seeing that Ying Chen's attention did not seem to be on him, he whispered, "My opinion is: surrendering is a pretense, assassination is the real plan! Sect Master, have you forgotten that your Xuan Pin Lie Que Sword is about to be forged? When it's ready, we can summon it by surprise and with one strike..." The Great Elder made a beheading gesture.
Cang Juezi frowned, "A quarter of an hour ago, I still had confidence in the Xuan Pin Lie Que Sword. But now... I don't think the Xuan Pin Lie Que Sword can defeat this person. After all, he practices both magic and martial arts!"
"Sect Master, you worry too much. Didn't I say we'll do it by surprise? So, as long as we create a moment when he is completely unprepared, it will be enough."
"Great Elder, if you have an idea, just say it. Why be evasive?"
The Great Elder glanced at Ying Chen again, then leaned closer to Cang Juezi's ear and whispered something. Upon hearing the Great Elder's words, Cang Juezi's eyes instantly brightened.
"Hmm, interesting. This plan seems feasible."
"Alright, for the foundation of Shennong Sect, for the future of Shennong Sect, I'll take a gamble!" Cang Juezi declared. He then adjusted his clothes and strode towards Ying Chen.
Everyone present didn't know that Cang Juezi was going to surrender. They thought he was preparing to fight Ying Chen to the death. Just as they were about to shout, "Go, Sect Master Cang!", they heard Cang Juezi's loud voice, which echoed through the wilderness.
"Cang Juezi of Shennong Sect is willing to welcome you, my friend, with our entire sect opening its gates! We will obey any command, and gladly accept any punishment!"
"Whoa!" The entire place erupted. Although Cang Juezi's words were very subtle, anyone with a brain could understand: Shennong Sect had surrendered! "Opening its gates" and "gladly accept any punishment" were just the last fig leaves Cang Juezi was saving for himself. The real hidden meaning was: From now on, you are my boss, and I will do whatever you say!
"Am I dreaming? The dignified Shennong Sect, surrendering just like that?"
"What's going on? That guy just killed one martial artist, and it scared Shennong Sect into surrendering?"
"Pah, I thought highly of Shennong Sect! Turns out they're just spineless cowards!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion. These onlookers, who only cared about the spectacle and not the substance, clearly did not understand the meaning of dual cultivation of magic and martial arts.
"Surrendered...?" Min Ziqing stood by Ying Chen's ear, disbelieving what he heard. He had just emerged from the shock of Ying Chen killing Feng Zixiu with a single finger, and now he was plunged into an even greater shock. He also couldn't understand how killing Feng Zixiu could have scared Shennong Sect so much. Was it because the move Ying Chen used was so powerful? But it was just a stab with a finger, no different from how he poked tofu! It was likely that with Min Ziqing's intelligence, he would never figure it out in his lifetime.
However, there was one thing Min Ziqing did understand: Ying Chen was far more powerful than he had imagined! How laughable it was that he had previously mocked Ying Chen as a charlatan. Now, he wished he could slap himself twice! If Ying Chen was a charlatan, then what was he? "If my sister really married him, it wouldn't be a bad choice." Min Ziqing had already begun to fantasize about matchmaking.
Ying Chen heard Cang Juezi's words and nodded, "Not entirely stupid. Although you've woken up a bit late." He then said to Cang Juezi, "If you want to surrender, you must surrender properly. While a formal written petition can be waived, the ritual of kneeling and kowtowing cannot be skipped." "Come on!"
Cang Juezi's expression instantly turned grim. He had already announced their surrender publicly, and it wasn't enough? He still had to kneel and submit to Ying Chen? A scholar would rather die than be humiliated! But then again, humiliation was better than death! Thus, Cang Juezi, with the sad and righteous indignation of enduring humiliation for the sake of the sect's grand plan, walked towards Ying Chen.
Upon reaching Ying Chen, Cang Juezi hesitated for a moment. Then, his knees suddenly buckled. He placed his hands on the ground, bowed his head, and kowtowed heavily.
"Cang Juezi of Shennong Sect, pays respects to the True Master!" Cang Juezi didn't know Ying Chen's name, but calling him "True Master" was never wrong. After all, "True Master" represented a noble status in the Xuan Men, meaning a person who had achieved immortality and joined the celestial ranks. Zhuangzi was once bestowed the title of True Master. Using this title, even if not entirely accurate, would never be a mistake.
"Sect Master Cang actually... knelt?"
"And he knelt on both knees and kowtowed? This is too outrageous!"
"Holy crap, I thought Sect Master Cang would at most kneel on one knee, like a general surrendering. I didn't expect him to use such a humiliating method as kneeling on both knees! How terrified must he be of that person!"
"It seems that young man is a formidable figure! I must shamelessly try to get close to him later. If I can gain his favor, I'll have an unparalleled patron!"
"Wait... didn't you all hear that this person was an alien invader just now, and you were all indignant and cursing? Why the change of heart now? I'm different. I never cursed him from the beginning, so only I am qualified to gain his favor!"
The group of people seeking medicine perfectly embodied the opportunistic and unprincipled nature of sycophants.
"Get up!" Ying Chen was very pleased with Cang Juezi's sensible behavior and said.
"Thank you, True Master!" Cang Juezi's face was initially flushed with shame, but now it had returned to normal. It turned out that the saying was true: once you break through a certain bottom line, you'll find it's not that bad! Kneeling and kowtowing was something Cang Juezi wouldn't have even dared to imagine before, but now he had not only done it but could do it without feeling ashamed!
"My acceptance of Shennong Sect's surrender does not mean your sect has passed the crisis, understand?"
"If you show any disrespect or disloyalty in the future, I will unhesitatingly eliminate your entire sect!"
"After all, there are at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, small sects like yours that I have eliminated." Ying Chen warned Cang Juezi.
Cang Juezi's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, he suddenly regretted accepting the Great Elder's advice. But once the arrow had been loosed, there was no turning back. Since he had made this choice, he could only grit his teeth and press on! As for Ying Chen's claim of "eliminating over a thousand small sects," he dismissed it as bragging. Because even counting the overseas Xuan Men, the entire Xuan Men world might not have a thousand small sects!
"True Master, please rest assured. Our surrender is sincere and without pretense."
"How about this, to show the sincerity of Shennong Sect, I will immediately send someone to bring that little girl over, and I will personally lead you to our sect's treasury."
"The treasury doors will be wide open for you to take whatever you wish!" Cang Juezi said with a look of sincerity. He seemed to have completely submitted to Ying Chen, ready to offer the sect's treasury, accumulated over four hundred years, as a gift to Ying Chen!