Xiao Que'er's heart was filled with apprehension as she stepped out of the car.
She actually didn't want to face these disciples from the renowned orthodox sects, as she always felt they were too haughty and difficult to get along with.
As expected, after a few of them alighted, the others merely watched, saying nothing, and certainly offering no welcoming pleasantries. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
However, Xiao Que'er felt that as a staff member of the Folklore Research Association's intelligence network in Xichuan, she should fulfill her "host's duty" at this moment. Otherwise, if Chairman Yan deemed her performance unsatisfactory, he might not let her go to Rongcheng.
So, Xiao Que'er gathered her courage, forced a smile, and waved at the disciples from Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect: "H-hello there..."
"Scram!" a burly disciple from the Dianyi Sect shouted.
"Wuwuwuwu, so scary!"
Xiao Que'er immediately hid behind Yan Shouyi, her hard-won courage vanishing instantly.
Seeing this, Long Feichen felt indignant and wanted to engage in a verbal sparring match with them.
In terms of strength, Long Feichen had never won.
But in terms of arguing, Long Feichen had never lost!
Just as he took a deep breath, preparing to unleash his "keyboard warrior" mode, Yan Shouyi stopped him and whispered, "Courtesy before force."
This was, after all, Xichuan. It was better not to engage in direct conflict with the local sects if it could be avoided.
The mature and steady Yan Shouyi cupped his fists and said courteously:
"I am Yan Shouyi, the President of the Folklore Research Association and a descendant of the Lu Ban sect. We discovered something strange at Mount Emei and specifically contacted the current Heavenly Master, Yu Luming, to investigate. We apologize for disturbing you all on this occasion."
This greeting was neither servile nor overbearing, and it was already quite polite. If the other party had any sense of etiquette, they should have shown some respect.
However, the disciple from Qingcheng Mountain was exceedingly arrogant, sneering, "The matters of Mount Emei are the concern of us orthodox sects, and we can handle them ourselves. Why are you, a descendant of a folk sect, here to join the fun?"
"I'll be damned..."
Long Feichen almost couldn't contain himself, wanting to take off his shoe and slap this ignorant Qingcheng Mountain disciple a few times.
Talk about looking down on people!
Yan Shouyi knew they harbored animosity towards folk sects, so sarcastic remarks were inevitable. Therefore, he did not get angry, merely saying indifferently, "My grandmother is the senior sister of Abbot Guan Yun, the current head of Mount Emei. We are family, after all. When family has a problem, I, as a junior, cannot stand idly by."
"Heh, you still dare to call yourself a member of Mount Emei when you've married outside?" the disciple continued to mock. "Is your folk sect's reputation so bad that you can't survive, so you're trying to cling to us orthodox sects in every way possible, hoping to escape the mundane world?"
These words were extremely stinging, but the disciples from Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect found them incredibly satisfying. The more than twenty of them burst into sharp laughter.
Making the folk sects uncomfortable made them, the orthodox sects, feel good.
In their eyes, folk sects were a mob, inherently inferior, and thus they had every reason to look down on them.
So what if they were mocked? What could you do to us? We are disciples of the orthodox sects!
"Is that very funny?" Yan Shouyi said lightly. "As a descendant of a folk sect, I obtained the Dragon-Tiger Secret Script and nearly became the contemporary Heavenly Master. Compared to me, what are you guys who just slack off in the mountains?"
The faces of the disciples from Qingcheng Mountain and Dianyi Sect changed. They hadn't expected Yan Shouyi to talk back.
Having opened his mouth, Yan Shouyi had prepared for the worst and had no intention of stopping. He took a step forward and said coldly:
"Although descendants of folk sects don't chant scriptures or worship deities, we at least know what manners are and how to respect our elders. We aren't like some haughty sect disciples who lack the most basic upbringing and have disgrace written all over their faces!"
"Mount Emei is the most powerful sect in Xichuan. When something happened to Mount Emei, none of you self-proclaimed orthodox sects noticed, yet you expect me, a descendant of a folk sect from a thousand miles away, to come and investigate. Don't you feel ashamed? Instead, you feel proud?"
"I didn't travel a thousand miles to Mount Emei to waste my breath on a bunch of arrogant and incompetent people. If you don't want to investigate the situation at Mount Emei, please return to your sects soon and spend more time reciting the Dao De Jing. Otherwise, you'll end up like this, using the foundation and prestige built by your sect elders as a chip to show off your superiority, thus ruining your sect's reputation!"
Yan Shouyi's words were aggressive and piercing, striking at their hearts, leaving the disciples speechless and deeply ashamed.
But these disciples couldn't be entirely blamed, as they were nothing compared to Yan Shouyi's brilliance.
If it were at the Luotian Grand Ceremony, Yan Shouyi wouldn't even bother looking at them. It was only at Mount Emei, on their turf, that these guys gained the confidence to provoke Yan Shouyi.
Zhuge Ji watched from the side, dumbfounded. For a socially anxious shut-in, facing a group of people spewing criticism was akin to him taking on the world's strongest boss. Yet, Yan Shouyi handled it with such ease... truly amazing!
In that moment, Zhuge Ji was filled with admiration for Yan Shouyi.
As expected of our President Yan, a brilliant retort!
The disciples of the Dianyi Sect, with their volatile temperaments, were enraged by Yan Shouyi's verbal onslaught and jumped up in anger, ready to attack Yan Shouyi!
"I'll just test how powerful you, this so-called descendant of the Dragon-Tiger Secret Script, really are!"
A burly disciple from the Dianyi Sect with thick arms lunged forward, aiming directly for Yan Shouyi's vital points.
His speed was incredibly fast, at least to the point where ordinary people couldn't follow it.
But in Yan Shouyi's eyes, his speed was as slow as a turtle's.
As the opponent reached him, Yan Shouyi, with lightning speed, struck the person's chest with a palm!
This disciple, as strong as a grizzly bear, suddenly stopped in front of Yan Shouyi. He felt a powerful gust of wind blowing at him, making it impossible to open his eyes.
A few seconds later, the disciple touched his chest and exclaimed in surprise, "It... it doesn't hurt?!"
So, this Yan Shouyi was just a paper tiger bluffing? He struck me with a palm, and it didn't even hurt?
However, in the next second, a series of screams erupted from behind this Dianyi Sect disciple!
He turned around and saw that, except for himself, all the other Dianyi Sect disciples behind him had been hit hard in the chest. They were all curled up on the ground in pain, not a single one standing!
"W-what's going on?!" The disciple's face turned pale with fright.
Yan Shouyi said coldly:
"Have you heard of 'penetrating force'?"