Did Ma Liang really give the Tianwu Sect a hard blow? Chu Xinghe wasn't sure.
All Chu Xinghe knew was that Ma Liang's actions had left him, Senior Brother Xinghe, completely out of breath...
It wasn't just a fake gasp... it was a real one, as Chu Xinghe was so angry he couldn't breathe properly.
There was no need to discuss Ma Liang's mental state; his mind was clearly not that of a normal person.
But if Ma Liang was crazy, were the people of the Tianwu Sect crazy too?
Didn't you believe a single word of what I, Chu Xinghe, just told you?
What happened to the trust between people? Is my word so unbelievable?
I said I would return the money to you, and you were so scared you nearly wet your pants. Ma Liang said he would make you bleed, and you all got so excited...
This is an illness, and it needs to be treated!
Then Ma Liang sternly warned the Tianwu Sect, implying that today, Senior Brother Xinghe was giving them a chance. He advised the Tianwu Sect to be kind and not to be ungrateful...Don't think you can do whatever you want just because Senior Brother Xinghe has a good temper. The petty things you've done are just things Senior Brother Xinghe is too lazy to argue about.
Senior Brother Xinghe is a man of virtue, willing to give the Tianwu Sect a chance. If it were up to me, Ma Liang, you would have been kicked out long ago!
The Sect Master of Tianwu, Zhao She, and all the elders broke out in a cold sweat at Ma Liang's warning.
Over the years, the Tianwu Sect had relied on the Grand Sky Sect to gain various resources, growing stronger in the process.
They had indeed done many unspeakable things in secret. What Zhao She had mentioned was just the tip of the iceberg.
Zhao She had always thought that the Grand Sky Sect might not have noticed, but Chu Xinghe's visit today made him realize that his little schemes were nothing in front of the Grand Sky Sect.
It wasn't that the Grand Sky Sect didn't know; they were simply giving him a chance.
Who is Chu Xinghe? Although there were rumors recently that he had been stripped of his status as the Great Elder's personal disciple and was now just an elite disciple of the Grand Sky Sect's inner sect.
But as the Sect Master of a vassal sect of the Grand Sky Sect, Zhao She was always watching the Grand Sky Sect's every move.
When Chu Xinghe was stripped of his status, many idiots outside said he had fallen out of favor.
But Zhao She thought only idiots would believe that.
Could Chu Xinghe's status in the Grand Sky Sect be represented by a mere title?
Chu Xinghe's visit to the Tianwu Sect represented the entire Grand Sky Sect, and Zhao She was glad he was smart enough.
The purpose of your visit, Chu Xinghe, wasn't to repay money; you were here to give us a warning.
I've traveled far and wide over the years; how could I not understand this?
You, Chu Xinghe, are the future master of the Grand Sky Sect, so you say the nice things, and Ma Liang does the dirty work, right?
I'm very familiar with this routine!
However, Zhao She also lamented that in the future, not only could he not afford to offend Chu Xinghe, but he couldn't afford to offend Ma Liang either.
There had always been rumors that Ma Liang was Chu Xinghe's most trusted confidant, and Zhao She had his doubts, but seeing their seamless cooperation today, Zhao She knew the rumors were true.
Ma Liang was indeed Chu Xinghe's most trusted confidant; with just a glance from Chu Xinghe, Ma Liang knew what to say and do...
Then the Tianwu Sect arranged a grand banquet to warmly entertain Chu Xinghe and Ma Liang.
In the end, Chu Xinghe left the Tianwu Sect with tears in his eyes.
As soon as they stepped out of the Tianwu Sect's gate, Ma Liang expressed his disappointment in himself.
"I, Ma Liang, was inexperienced this time. I needed Senior Brother Xinghe to keep giving me signals to know what to do... I was completely wrong, but rest assured, Senior Brother Xinghe, I will correct this mistake."
To Ma Liang's eager attitude of admitting his mistake, Chu Xinghe could only say, "Have you heard of the Purple Lightning Flash?"
"Can you, Ma Liang, please say fewer words? Also, we are the Grand Sky Sect, and we came to repay a debt, not to threaten them for an extra twenty percent. What about the reputation of our sect?"
Hearing Senior Brother Xinghe's words, Ma Liang was initially stunned, then suddenly realized.
"I thought I fully understood Senior Brother Xinghe's intentions, but now I see that Senior Brother Xinghe is unfathomable. I only understood a part of it."
"Senior Brother Xinghe meant for me to say fewer words because I was rambling too much earlier. There was no need to be so polite with the Tianwu Sect; I should have been straightforward."
"As for the part about threatening them, I did overstep. After all, we represent the Grand Sky Sect. Although what the Tianwu Sect did was disgraceful, it doesn't sound good to demand an extra twenty percent."
"So I have a lot of room for improvement!"
Then Ma Liang showed Chu Xinghe what rapid progress looked like.
When Chu Xinghe brought Ma Liang to the second sect, the Moon Shadow Sect, Chu Xinghe had just mentioned that they were there to repay the debt when Ma Liang spoke up.
Ma Liang stated that they had just come from the Tianwu Sect, and given the disgraceful things the Tianwu Sect had done, they should have been kicked out of the Grand Sky Sect's vassal sects. The Tianwu Sect wanted to offer an extra twenty percent to make up for their past mistakes, but could their mistakes be compensated with just an extra twenty percent?
"Does the Grand Sky Sect care about their petty offerings?"
"It's only because my Senior Brother Xinghe is virtuous and can't bear to see the Tianwu Sect decline that he gave them a chance. As for the future, it depends on the Tianwu Sect's performance."
"By the way... you, the Moon Shadow Sect, haven't done anything disgraceful behind our Grand Sky Sect's back, have you?"
"So you can rest assured and accept our repayment!"
Hearing Ma Liang's words, the Moon Shadow Sect Master nearly cried on the spot.
Who doesn't have some skeletons in their closet? The Moon Shadow Sect had always thought the Grand Sky Sect might not discover their deeds, but hearing Ma Liang's words, they understood that the Grand Sky Sect knew all along; they just chose not to make a fuss.
Upon hearing Ma Liang's words, the Moon Shadow Sect Master immediately declared their loyalty to the Grand Sky Sect, willing to offer an extra twenty percent to prove their loyalty.
Ma Liang was very satisfied with the Moon Shadow Sect Master's sensible behavior.
Ma Liang acknowledged that Senior Brother Xinghe was right; they were all adults.
There was no need to spell everything out. Earlier at the Tianwu Sect, he had spoken without thinking, and if word got out that he had asked the Tianwu Sect for an extra twenty percent, what would happen to the Grand Sky Sect's reputation?
Although these vassal sects' shady dealings meant that even giving up the extra twenty percent was a mercy from the Grand Sky Sect.
But outsiders might think the Grand Sky Sect was bullying them.
Now, with Senior Brother Xinghe's guidance, everything was perfectly fine.
Look at the Moon Shadow Sect; they were grateful for the Grand Sky Sect's kindness and immediately expressed their loyalty. Although the Grand Sky Sect didn't care about the Moon Shadow Sect's petty offerings, loyalty was priceless, and what the Grand Sky Sect valued was their loyalty!
Whether the Moon Shadow Sect was loyal or not, Chu Xinghe didn't care. All he knew was that Ma Liang was indeed his most trusted confidant...
"Did I say for you to say fewer words in this way?"
"I meant for you to be straightforward without being rude."
"And when I mentioned the extra twenty percent concerning the sect's reputation, I meant we could ask for nothing at all; we could simply come to repay the debt..."
"Did I tell you to hint at them in such a way?"
"You may not care about your reputation, but I, Senior Brother Xinghe, do... We came out to repay the resources owed by the Grand Sky Sect, didn't we?"
"Did I come to discipline the vassal sects?"
"The more these vassal sects embezzle, the more they deduct, the more it is the Grand Sky Sect's loss... They are all significant aids on my path to progress."
"You just cut off all these aids without a second thought; did you consider Senior Brother Xinghe's thoughts?"
"I can't repay this debt at all..."
"If we continue like this, forget about depleting the sect's resources; the benefits from the extra twenty percent alone would exceed the debt itself!"
"I originally thought these accounts with clear records would be the easiest to repay, but now Chu Xinghe realized he was too naive."
"The money from these vassal sects really can't be repaid; if we continue, my heart won't be able to take it."
"So we have to approach it from another angle... from those debts not owed by our Grand Sky Sect's vassals. Those vassal sects fear that the Grand Sky Sect's repayment is a prelude to kicking them out, so they dare not accept it. But what do those not affiliated with the Grand Sky Sect have to fear?"
"Let's start with them!"
Chu Xinghe waved his hand, ending the repayment to the vassal sects, and they returned to the Grand Sky Sect...
Ma Liang was full of questions... What was Senior Brother Xinghe up to?
"Weren't we supposed to warn... cough, repay those vassal sects? Why did we stop after just two?"
"There are still many left!"
"Those remaining vassal sects probably aren't any cleaner, so why did Senior Brother Xinghe stop now?"
But soon, when Ma Liang followed Senior Brother Xinghe back to the Grand Sky Sect the next day, something strange happened...
The sect masters of Biyun Sect, Haoran Sect, Shanhe Sect, Wanhai Sect, and almost all the Grand Sky Sect's vassal sects came to the Grand Sky Sect.
Then, without any prompting, these sect masters expressed their loyalty to the Grand Sky Sect.
And their way of expressing loyalty was simple and straightforward.
They were all willing to offer an extra twenty percent of their annual revenue to show their unwavering loyalty to the Grand Sky Sect.
When so many vassal sect masters expressed their loyalty without hesitation, Ma Liang was dumbfounded.
At that moment, Ma Liang finally realized that the gap between him and Senior Brother Xinghe hadn't closed with his progress; instead, it had widened bit by bit.
Senior Brother Xinghe hadn't intended to end things; he had anticipated everything that happened today.
There was no need to visit every vassal sect as he had thought.
The incidents with the Moon Shadow Sect and Tianwu Sect had already served as excellent examples, and even if they didn't visit the other vassal sects, those with guilty consciences would come forward.
Moreover, Senior Brother Xinghe's brilliance lay in the fact that by doing this, any vassal force that came forward indicated they had something to hide, while those that remained silent were the truly innocent ones.
Senior Brother Xinghe's strategy was so high-level that it couldn't be surpassed!