Wu Fan avoided his gaze and remained silent for a long time. He slowly said, "It's not your fault. The fault lies with our sect being too weak."
Mo Qi grew impatient, "Old man, can you get to the point?"
"This time, the Four Great Sects have dispatched some disciples who have already established their foundations to Asura Mountain. Their mission is either to kill you or to probe your capabilities. You performed admirably, far exceeding their expectations. They feel you are beyond their control, and thus, they are uneasy. What do you think they will do next?"
"What will they do?" Mo Qi seemed to have a premonition, and his heart gradually grew cold.
"The Four Great Sects will unite and, under fabricated charges, launch an attack against you, seizing this opportunity to annihilate our entire sect," Wu Fan stated calmly. He spoke with ease, but Mo Qi could sense the heavy burden in his heart.
Mo Qi's heart also grew heavy. After much thought, he said with a touch of desolation, "Why don't I leave Lingxiao Sect? That way, I won't drag everyone down."
Elder Kong, sitting in the corner, suddenly spoke, "It's useless. In the eyes of the Four Great Sects, you are already bound to Lingxiao Sect. Even if you leave, they will eventually force us to hand you over. If we refuse, they will use it as an excuse to destroy us."
"Then what should we do?" Mo Qi thought, "I'm willing to sacrifice myself, and it's still not enough? Are we all going to die together?"
"What are you afraid of? Let's fight them!" Elder Zhang suddenly stood up.
"Alright, let's fight! At worst, we'll perish together!" Mo Qi also stood up immediately, a spirit of facing death with unwavering courage spreading around him.
However, the others remained with their heads bowed, looking listless. The atmosphere clearly hadn't been ignited.
This was because they all believed that even if the fish perished, the net would not break.
Moreover, many fish did not wish to die.
As for Wu Fan, he did not want the Lingxiao Sect, which he had personally founded, to be destroyed in his hands. Even if it were to be destroyed, it should be tens of thousands of years from now. It was like his own child, whom he had carefully nurtured and painstakingly raised, bit by bit. This child was still in its infancy, and over the years, it had to endure the bullying of mischievous children. For this reason, he had silently endured much humiliation and bitterness. There was no other way; they were simply not strong enough. If they had shown even a little more defiance, the others would have found an excuse to attack them directly, possibly leading to the sect's annihilation.
Wu Fan waved his hand, signaling them to remain calm.
The two sat down again somewhat awkwardly.
Wu Fan looked around at everyone, "Is there any way to prevent the Four Great Sects from uniting?"
"I believe we can defeat them one by one. First, we destroy the Shenwu Sect, and then we destroy the other sects in sequence. This is because my Hua Wu Pill is very effective against Shenwu Sect's signature technique, 'Wu Fei Wu' (Mist or Not Mist), and can be refined in large quantities. As long as their 'Wu Fei Wu' is suppressed, they are nothing to fear," Mo Qi said. "After taking down Shenwu Sect, we can deal with Shendun Sect. I have the Xian Shen Dan (Appearance Pill) to counter their techniques, which can also be refined in large quantities. Once their various遁术 (escape techniques) are broken, they will also be insignificant. Then we can deal with..."
Wu Fan shook his head, interrupting him, "That won't work. While we are dealing with Shenwu Sect, the other three sects will join forces, either attacking our base, cutting off our retreat, or surrounding us directly. Moreover, even without 'Wu Fei Wu,' Shenwu Sect still possesses many divine abilities and techniques to protect themselves, as well as many sect-protecting treasures. Even without treasures, they at least have flying swords. How can a sect with less than a thousand members easily destroy a great sect with over ten thousand people?"
Mo Qi sighed.
At this moment, Elder Wang said, "I think the one who tied the bell must untie it. Only the Vice Sect Master can resolve this by personally intervening. Currently, the Shenwu Sect is the most wary of the Vice Sect Master, followed by the Shendan Sect and Shendun Sect. As long as the Vice Sect Master personally visits these three sects and expresses our lack of hostility, and even proposes an alliance, I believe they will also covet the Vice Sect Master's alchemy talent. If they are farsighted, they will surely propose some cooperation conditions. As long as they propose conditions, there will be a turning point."
Wu Fan's eyes immediately lit up, "I think this plan is feasible. If the Four Great Sects are to unite, the Shenjian Sect will surely be the leader. I will go and hold off the Shenjian Sect, and Mo Qi can fully deal with the other three sects. After removing the threat from the three sects, we can then negotiate with the Shenjian Sect accordingly. Depending on the situation, perhaps negotiation won't even be necessary." By the end, Wu Fan's voice had become more resolute.
Mo Qi's mouth twitched, and his gaze swept over everyone, "Have none of you considered that if I go to the three sects, it might be to my death?"
Wu Fan said calmly, "I have considered it, but is it not better for one person to die than for all of us to die together?"
Mo Qi was stunned. It was so logical that he couldn't refute it.
But couldn't he have been a bit more tactful? Forget it, this old man didn't understand tact.
The most infuriating thing was that all the elders unanimously agreed with Wu Fan's words, "Yes, that's how the accounts should be settled."
Shameless! All of them were old men in their hundreds, ganging up to bully a child in his teens.
Ignoring Mo Qi's dejection, Elder Zhang continued, "I think we should go to the Shenwu Sect first, as they are the most wary of the Vice Sect Master..."
"You want me to die faster, don't you?" Mo Qi immediately objected before he could finish, "The Shenwu Sect wants me dead the most. If I go there, I'll likely die before I even get a chance to speak. If we are to talk about cooperation, I believe the Shendan Sect is the most likely to propose cooperation. Therefore, I think we should go to the Shendan Sect first. With the Shendan Sect as our backing, we can then approach the other sects. Even if they want to make a move against me, they will have to consider it."
Wu Fan stroked his beard, "Feasible, I think it's feasible. Let's do it this way."
After leaving Shaoxia Peak, Mo Qi immediately headed for Shaoyang Peak. He heard that Geng Xu had refined many protective talismans and wanted to ask Geng Xu for some. The place he was going to was a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, with danger at every step and his life threatened at any moment. If he could wrap himself in some talismans, it would provide some protection.
Upon hearing that Mo Qi was coming, Chen Zui came to meet him from afar and personally led him to the residence of Peak Master Geng Xu, introducing him to Geng Xu. Chen Zui then discreetly withdrew.
Although Mo Qi was the Vice Sect Master, Geng Xu had never taken such a child seriously. While he admired Mo Qi's talent, it did not mean he had to be respectful.
"Vice Sect Master, please be seated. Forgive my lack of proper hospitality," Geng Xu said faintly.
Indeed, the hospitality was lacking. He sat at the head of the table, letting Mo Qi sit below. He himself was drinking a cup of tea, and there wasn't even a teacup in front of Mo Qi.
Mo Qi was accustomed to these peak masters putting on airs in front of him. If he couldn't tolerate this, how could he learn from Han Yang?
"Vice Sect Master, what brings you here?" Geng Xu put on a show of importance and spoke with deliberate phrasing.
"It's a major matter, a matter of life and death," Mo Qi deliberately made it sound serious to attract the other's attention. Coming to find him specifically, if it were a trivial matter, wouldn't that make the other person seem less capable?
As expected, Geng Xu was slightly moved. He quietly put down his teacup, his gaze fixed on Mo Qi, waiting for him to continue.
"The Sect Master is bullying people!" Mo Qi suddenly burst into tears, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't control himself and covered his face, weeping, "Because the Four Great Sects are targeting me, the Sect Master sent me to mediate with them, to show goodwill, to prevent the Four Great Sects from joining forces to attack Lingxiao Sect. Yes, the problem was caused by me, and I should bear the responsibility. But I am still a child, young in age, low in cultivation, and ignorant. Apart from alchemy, I am useless. How can I be made to bear such a burden alone?"
"The Sect Master is truly unreasonable," Geng Xu stood up, his face showing anger, and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. "This, isn't this sending you to your death?"
"No, I must go and speak with the Sect Master." Geng Xu stopped after pacing for a few moments and was about to walk out the door.
"It's useless," Mo Qi said, his voice choked with tears. "The Sect Master and the four elders have already discussed and made their decision. Going to the Sect Master will be of no use."
Geng Xu stopped, his face a mixture of anger, pity, and helplessness.
"Now, perhaps only Peak Master Geng Xu can save me. If Peak Master Geng Xu does not help me, I can only go to my death," Mo Qi placed his hands on the armrests of the chair, buried his head in his arms, and continued to sob. "Alas, my life is so bitter, to die young, such a fleeting life." He didn't care if the words were appropriate or not, just saying whatever came to mind.
Geng Xu sat back down on a chair below, parallel to Mo Qi. He suddenly thought that perhaps he could help him. Looking around Lingxiao Sect, when it came to self-defense and protection, who else could compare to him, Geng Xu?
Seeing that Geng Xu seemed to be falling into the trap, Mo Qi continued, "Daoist Geng Xu's talismans are renowned throughout the world, striking fear into many villains and deterring many heroes. They are like scattered ashes that vanish into smoke, and like collected clouds that clear the air. Especially the protective talismans, they are peerless. Even when attacked by heavenly treasures, they cannot harm the body in the slightest."
"It's not that exaggerated!" Geng Xu scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Alright, as a fellow disciple of your master, Han Yang, I am considered your elder. Seeing you in trouble, how can I stand idly by?" Geng Xu said righteously. "I will give you some of the most powerful talismans I have refined."
"Thank you, Peak Master Geng Xu," Mo Qi immediately looked up, and there wasn't a trace of tears on his face.
Geng Xu's generosity was also astonishing. He gave Mo Qi hundreds of talismans at once, including thirty attack talismans, fifty protective talismans, and over twenty various talismans, such as those for warding off evil, town houses, healing, invisibility, and body tempering...
Mo Qi returned to his room, feeling that his defense was secured. He then lost confidence in his own cultivation. Since finishing his foundation establishment, he hadn't had a chance to examine his cultivation level.