“Kid, there’s nothing wrong with learning the martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect,” Old Master Gui said, his aged eyes fixed on Wan Yunting. “On the contrary, it is your destiny.”
This statement left Wan Yunting bewildered. He had expected Old Master Gui to scold him upon learning this, not to say something like this.
“You cannot be the Abbot!” Old Master Gui continued.
His words caused Chang Wude, Yang Jingyi, and Wu Weizi to exchange uneasy glances. Wan Yunting nodded and said, “Ancestor Zong, please rest assured. Tomorrow, when we negotiate with the representatives of the major sects, we will definitely protect the Abbot.”
Old Master Gui slowly closed his eyes and waved his sleeve, signaling them to leave.
Wan Yunting, Chang Wude, and the others quickly bowed and turned to descend the mountain. All four wore solemn expressions. Wu Weizi remarked, “If Xiao Wan truly cannot be the Abbot, then who will take his place?”
Chang Wude nodded, looking at Yang Jingyi and Wu Weizi, then smiled and said, “Junior Brother Wu Wei, you are the only suitable candidate now.”
Wan Yunting nodded in agreement, and Yang Jingyi had no objections.
Seeing this, Wu Weizi sighed helplessly, saying, “Our Daoist temple is truly lacking in people…”
Upon returning to the Daoist temple, Wan Yunting arranged for Chang Wude to stay in the courtyard of his own soon-to-be-vacated Abbot residence. That evening, as everyone gathered for dinner in the refectory, they found only Li Zihang and Xu Lingwei, along with a few disciples like Qi Wu and Xue Xinghe, and Lin Dachun, Zhao Xuewu, Wang Zhuyu, Tang Doudou, and Huang Shaoqing, a group of five.
The rest of the disciples had already been dispersed down the mountain. However, Yang Jingyi, seeing Lin Dachun and the other four still present, couldn’t help but ask, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Zhao Xuewu immediately stood up and said, “Mistress, we are not leaving. We will face adversity with the Daoist temple.”
“Yes, we are not leaving…”
It turned out that these five had also been asked to leave, but they refused to go. This touched Wan Yunting and Yang Jingyi’s hearts, yet they still said, “You all should descend the mountain tomorrow.”
“Why? Isn’t Abbot Wan back?” Tang Doudou pointed at Wan Yunting.
Wan Yunting shook his head. “Starting today, I am no longer the Abbot. From now on, Uncle-Master Wu Wei will be the Abbot.”
This made Lin Dachun, Zhao Xuewu, and the others exchange confused glances and ask, “Then, Abbot Wan, will you no longer be at the Daoist temple?”
Wan Yunting nodded. “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I might not be at the Daoist temple in the future, so you should descend the mountain.”
“Alright, let’s not dwell on these somber topics. Let’s eat.”
Chang Wude, not wanting to hear such talk, sat down and immediately opened a bottle of Xifeng wine and started drinking…
Wan Yunting also called Yang Jingyi and Uncle-Master Wu Wei to sit down. Lin Dachun, Zhao Xuewu, and the others sat down with dejected faces, about to have their last dinner…
After dinner, Wan Yunting went alone to the training square behind the mountain and sat under an old pine tree, smoking and gazing out at the misty mountain forest in a daze.
As footsteps sounded behind him, Wan Yunting snapped back to attention and turned his head. He saw Duan Yingying approaching, dressed in a floral print dress. The girl’s graceful figure, paired with this elegant and dignified dress, made her entire demeanor appear much more mature and steady.
“Why did you come here? I’ve been looking for you for a long time…”
Duan Yingying, coming over, sat down beside Wan Yunting, took his arm, and cradled it. Seeing the cigarette still in his fingers, she snatched it away and stomped it out on the ground, displeased. “I hate the smell of smoke. You’re not allowed to smoke anymore.”
Wan Yunting placed his large hand on her shoulder. Duan Yingying rested her head in his embrace, then looked up with her bright eyes at his profile and said softly, “Still blaming yourself?”
“Mmm…”
Wan Yunting nodded, his gaze fixed on the hazy, dark mountain forest before him, his voice laced with sadness. “Sister Lu and Senior Sister Zheng died because of me. I can’t forgive myself.”
Seeing his self-reproach, Duan Yingying’s heart ached. She hugged him tightly, her face pressed against his chest, and said softly, “You still have me…”
Feeling her concern, Wan Yunting embraced her even tighter…
They sat there embracing each other for a long time, not returning until the middle of the night…
The next morning, Wan Yunting accompanied Duan Yingying to the refectory for breakfast. He saw that Lin Dachun, Zhao Xuewu, and the others had already packed their belongings. After they all had breakfast together, Wan Yunting personally escorted them down the mountain, telling them to find him in the capital if they had the chance…
Lin Dachun, Zhao Xuewu, Wang Zhuyu, Tang Doudou, and the others looked at Wan Yunting and Duan Yingying with reluctance. Li Zihang, Xu Lingwei, and the others, though they had not been at the Wuliang Daoist Temple for long, were still reluctant to leave…
The next day was when the representatives of the major sects were scheduled to arrive at the Wuliang Daoist Temple for negotiations regarding the temple’s dissolution!
The representatives of the major sects this time were led by Elder Zuo Qi of the Wudang Sect, accompanied by Master Huikong of the Shaolin Sect, Celestial Master Lin Yiping of Longhu Mountain, Sect Master Zhou Ruoxi of the Emei Sect, Second Elder Liao Haikuo of the Huashan Sect, Grand Elder Zhang Qing of the Kunlun Sect, Sect Master Liu Bing of the Qingcheng Sect, Sect Master Lu Chenzi of the Kongtong Sect, and Sect Master Zhang Boyun of the Diancang Sect.
At this moment, Wan Yunting, Yang Jingyi, Chang Wude, and Wu Weizi, along with Duan Yingying, Li Zihang, Xu Lingwei, Qi Wu, Xue Xinghe, and the other disciples, stood at the entrance of their sect to personally welcome the representatives of these nine major sects.
Seeing Zhou Ruoxi arrive in person, Wan Yunting smiled at her.
However, Zhou Ruoxi’s heart was not at ease. As a representative of the Emei Sect, she could not stand on the same side as him, and she felt she had failed Wan Yunting.
But Wan Yunting preferred it this way, as it would at least prevent her and the entire Emei Sect from being implicated because of him.
“Elder Zuo Qi, Elder Zhang Qing, Master Huikong…”
Wan Yunting, Yang Jingyi, and Wu Weizi first greeted the representatives of these sects one by one. Only Chang Wude glanced at these people with disdain, not bothering to greet them.
“Esteemed guests, please come inside…”
Yang Jingyi and Wu Weizi politely invited the representatives of these sects into the Daoist temple and led them to the main hall. Tea was already prepared. As Elder Zuo Qi, Master Huikong, Zhou Ruoxi, Liu Bing, and the other sect leaders took their seats, Wan Yunting, Yang Jingyi, Wu Weizi, and Chang Wude sat opposite the representatives of these sects, and the formal negotiations began.
Elder Zuo Qi, Master Huikong, and Celestial Master Lin exchanged glances. Finally, Sect Master Lu Chenzi of the Kongtong Sect spoke first, addressing Wan Yunting, Yang Jingyi, and the others. “After our investigation, it has been confirmed that Ren Daozi of your Wuliang Daoist Temple is the sect leader of the Heavenly Eye Main Divine Cult.”
“Therefore, after deliberation by our various sect martial arts associations, it has been decided that since your Wuliang Daoist Temple secretly harbored the sect leader of an evil cult in the past, and thus violated the principles of righteousness, you are accused of harboring remnants of an evil cult. The verdict is that your Wuliang Daoist Temple should dissolve itself!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of all the sect representatives turned to the opposite side, towards Wan Yunting, Yang Jingyi, Wu Weizi, and Chang Wude, as well as Duan Yingying and Xu Lingwei standing behind them.
It was clear that the representatives of the major sects had agreed to resolutely demand the dissolution of the Wuliang Daoist Temple.
“Abbot Wan, Madam Yang, do you have anything else to say?” Lu Chenzi asked Wan Yunting and Yang Jingyi with a smile.
Wan Yunting and Yang Jingyi exchanged glances, then turned to Lu Chenzi, Master Huikong, and the others and said, “Regarding the matter of Ren Daozi being the sect leader of the Heavenly Eye Main Divine Cult, it was an affair of the previous generation. So much time has passed, and we were not aware of it. Therefore, we believe that our Daoist temple should not be dissolved and expelled because of this matter!”
Elder Zuo Qi, Master Huikong, Elder Zhang Qing, and Celestial Master Lin exchanged glances and remained silent. However, Sect Master Zhang Boyun of the Diancang Sect chuckled and said, “But facts are facts. Your Wuliang Daoist Temple harbored remnants of an evil cult back then, and moreover, it was the sect leader of the Heavenly Eye Main Divine Cult!”
“I believe that the previous Sect Master Mu Daozi of your Wuliang Daoist Temple must have known about this, yet he still harbored them. This is sufficient to show that the Wuliang Daoist Temple’s actions were improper and leaned towards evil tendencies, and therefore deserves the punishment of expulsion.”
“Utter nonsense.”
Chang Wude, unable to listen further, slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Zhang Boyun and angrily stating, “My master, Mu Daozi, did not know that Ren Daozi was the sect leader of the Heavenly Eye Main Divine Cult back then. How can you say our actions were improper or that we had evil tendencies?”
“I think you are talking nonsense and falsely accusing our Daoist temple with impure motives!”
Lu Chenzi and Zhang Boyun’s faces darkened. They stood up and reprimanded, “Who are you, and can you speak on behalf of the Wuliang Daoist Temple?”
Wu Weizi said, “He is my senior brother, Chang Wude.”
Elder Zhang Qing waved to Lu Chenzi and Zhang Boyun and said, “This person is a direct disciple of Mu Daozi, who only left the Daoist temple many years ago.”
Liu Bing, Zhou Ruoxi, and the others nodded in confirmation that Chang Wude was from the Wuliang Daoist Temple. Chang Wude then sternly declared, “Let me tell you, if you want us to dissolve and be expelled, I, Chang Wude, will be the first to refuse, and it will absolutely not happen.”
Zhang Boyun, with a cunning smile and narrowed eyes, looked directly at Chang Wude and said, “Can you produce evidence to prove that your master, Mu Daozi, was not the sect leader of the Heavenly Eye Main Divine Cult?”
Yang Jingyi, whose expression had been heavy and serious all along, looked at Zhang Boyun and said, “Sect Master Zhang, isn’t this question asking the impossible?”
“Our master, Mu Daozi, passed away many years ago. Where do you expect us to find evidence of his non-involvement with the evil cult?”
“Exactly.”
Wu Weizi nodded in agreement, his old eyes sweeping over Elder Zuo Qi, Master Huikong, and the others. “We were always unaware of Ren Daozi being the sect leader of the Heavenly Eye Main Divine Cult. If it weren’t for that person from the Huashan Sect mentioning it earlier, no one would have known about this matter.”
“Ignorance is not a crime, is it? Must you relentlessly pursue us, forcing our Wuliang Daoist Temple to dissolve itself and bear the罪名 (zuìmíng - guilt/crime) of betraying righteousness?”
This statement made Elder Zhang Qing, Liu Bing, and the others exchange glances. They felt that Yang Jingyi and Wu Weizi of the Wuliang Daoist Temple seemed genuinely unaware of the matter. If their Daoist temple were truly to be dissolved because of this, it would indeed be a bit excessive.