"Wanguan Master of the Boundless Daoist Temple?"
Seeing the disciple rush in noisily, causing Bai Yihe to raise an eyebrow in displeasure, he coldly snorted, "What Wanguan Master? Isn't the master of the Boundless Daoist Temple surnamed Duan?"
His wife Qin Juan, standing beside him, said, "Look at you, have you gone silly from seclusion? The master of the Boundless Daoist Temple, Master Duan, passed away the year before last, poisoned to death by his own junior brother."
Bai Yihe sneered, putting down his tea bowl with disdain, "A mere Boundless Daoist Temple is just a third-rate sect among the major factions. How can it be compared to our Mount Heng sect? It doesn't catch my eye."
Qin Juan asked the disciple, "Why does their master seek an audience?"
"I don't know."
The young disciple shook his head and said, "It was Senior Sister Zheng Rong who brought them in and asked me to report their request for an audience!"
"Wanguan Master, what is his full name?" Bai Yihe asked.
The young disciple said, "Sect Leader, it's that Wan Yunting who was often reported on the news during the New Year period!"
"What, Wan Yunting?"
Upon hearing the name, Bai Yihe's half-closed eyes instantly snapped open, revealing a look of surprise. Qin Juan also exclaimed in surprise, "Is that the Wan Yunting who reconnected with the Ouyang family in the capital?"
"Yes, it's him," the young disciple nodded.
Bai Yihe stood up, his old face showing a hint of excitement. "The Ouyang family in the capital, that's a prominent family second only to the Kong family. Their power and wealth are unimaginable. If we can foster good relations with the Ouyang family, our Mount Heng sect will soar, and it's not impossible for us to even enter the ranks of first-rate sects!"
"Indeed."
Qin Juan was also full of excitement, but then she seemed to recall something and said, "Wan Yunting coming to our Mount Heng sect so suddenly, could it be about Lu Xiaodie?"
"Yes!"
Bai Yihe's old face froze instantly. His heart skipped a beat. His wife's speculation was not without reason.
After all, he had never had any dealings with Wan Yunting. His sudden visit today was too coincidental.
"Sect Leader, they're here."
The young disciple saw Zheng Rong leading Wan Yunting and Duan Yingying in from outside. Bai Yihe exchanged a glance with his wife Qin Juan, then quickly went out to greet them. His old face instantly turned enthusiastic. Facing Wan Yunting, he cupped his fists and said with a smile, "Ah, Wanguan Master, your sudden visit caught me completely off guard. Please forgive my lack of proper welcome..."
Faced with the tall and thin man's warm greeting, Wan Yunting was momentarily stunned. He also cupped his fists and returned the smile. He glanced at Zheng Rong, who then introduced, "This is the Sect Leader of our Mount Heng sect."
"My surname is Bai, given name Yihe!"
Bai Yihe smiled and introduced himself to Wan Yunting.
"Greetings, Sect Leader Bai."
Wan Yunting politely cupped his fists in a return salute and smiled, "Please don't mind my sudden visit, Sect Leader Bai."
"Ah, no worries, no worries,"
Bai Yihe waved his hand, smiling, "It is a great honor to have Wanguan Master visit our Mount Heng sect. All of us at Mount Heng sect welcome you with the utmost sincerity."
Seeing Bai Yihe's enthusiastic demeanor, Wan Yunting found it a bit strange!
This was his first time visiting the Mount Heng sect, and he had never interacted with Bai Yihe before. Why was he so enthusiastic towards him? Was it simply because he was the master of the Boundless Daoist Temple?
That couldn't be right. The Boundless Daoist Temple was, in essence, a third-rate sect among the major factions, while the Mount Heng sect was a second-rate one. And judging by Bai Yihe's initial impression, he was a slippery character, definitely not someone who would be so polite just because he was the master of the Boundless Daoist Temple.
Therefore, it must be the Ouyang family behind him that made Sect Leader Bai adopt this attitude!
"Wanguan Master, please come in..."
Bai Yihe cordially invited Wan Yunting and Duan Yingying into the reception hall and said to his wife Qin Juan, "Quickly, go get my prized collection of good tea and brew it for Wanguan Master."
"Alright."
Qin Juan smiled at Wan Yunting and turned to enter another room to get the good tea.
"Wanguan Master, please be seated. Don't be a stranger."
"Alright, thank you, Sect Leader Bai."
Having figured it out, Wan Yunting smiled and sat down on a chair with Duan Yingying. Zheng Rong stood to the side without speaking. Bai Yihe glanced at her, then focused his gaze on Wan Yunting, and said with a smile, "Wanguan Master, your sudden visit to our Mount Heng sect, how do you find the scenery of our North Yue Mountain?"
"It's very beautiful."
Wan Yunting replied with a polite smile, "Just coming up the road, I have taken in the scenery of your Mount Heng sect, which is far superior to our Boundless Mountain at the Boundless Daoist Temple."
"Ah, Wanguan Master, you flatter us greatly by saying that. You truly overpraise our Mount Heng sect."
Bai Yihe waved his hand and chuckled, "I also visited your Boundless Mountain over ten years ago. Each has its own merits. Moreover, behind Boundless Mountain lies our Kunlun Mountain, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains. How can our North Yue Mountain at Mount Heng sect compare?"
Wan Yunting chuckled. Facing Bai Yihe's immense praise, he became even more certain that the Ouyang family was what the sect leader cared about!
"Here, Wanguan Master, try this tea..."
Qin Juan came over with a tray and placed a tea bowl on the table to Wan Yunting's left. She then brought one for Duan Yingying and playfully remarked, "Such a lively young lady. She must be Wanguan Master's wife, right?"
Wan Yunting glanced at Duan Yingying and smiled without answering Qin Juan.
"Wanguan Master, please drink your tea."
Bai Yihe gestured with his hand. Wan Yunting nodded with a smile, picked up the tea bowl, scraped the tea leaves with the lid, and blew a puff of hot air before taking a few sips. Not being knowledgeable about tea, he nodded and said with a smile, "Good tea."
Bai Yihe also drank his tea, his hand pausing slightly. From Wan Yunting's simple remark of "good tea," he knew that he was not a tea connoisseur. Thus, he decided to change the subject and said politely with a smile, "I'll have my wife pack a couple of pounds for you to take back."
"Thank you very much, Sect Leader Bai," Wan Yunting nodded politely.
Bai Yihe put down his tea bowl and asked with a smile, "May I ask Wanguan Master, what is the purpose of your sudden visit to our Mount Heng sect?"
Wan Yunting slowly put down his tea bowl. Without looking up at Bai Yihe, he smiled and said directly, "It's like this, Sect Leader Bai. I am here for Lu Xiaodie!"
Just as expected!
Bai Yihe and Qin Juan both snorted inwardly. No wonder the unrelated Wan Yunting had suddenly come to the Mount Heng sect. It was indeed for Lu Xiaodie!
"Oh, Wanguan Master must have heard about Xiaodie's matter from Little Rong?"
Bai Yihe's old eyes flickered towards Zheng Rong, then he looked at Wan Yunting and said with a smile, "Since Wanguan Master knows about Xiaodie's situation, this matter is rather difficult to handle. After all, she suddenly returned to the sect the day before yesterday and injured our Elder Chen and Elder Wu with a single move. They are both still bedridden. I was just planning to take Lu Xiaodie down the mountain to hand her over to the police station. After all, she injured people, so she must be held responsible, right? Wanguan Master, am I correct?"
These words caused Wan Yunting's eyes to narrow halfway. He nodded with a smile, but Zheng Rong, who was standing beside him, couldn't hold back and said, "Sect Leader, why you expelled Xiaodie from the sect back then, I don't think I need to elaborate, do I? The day before yesterday, when Xiaodie returned, she just wanted an explanation. It was you who was aggressive and even had Elder Chen and Elder Wu attack her..."
"Presumptuous!"
Bai Yihe's old face instantly darkened. He glared at Zheng Rong with his old eyes and coldly interrupted her words, shouting angrily, "How dare you speak out of turn? Do you have any right to speak here?"
"I..."
These words stunned Zheng Rong. Wan Yunting also turned his head and signaled her with his eyes before turning back to Bai Yihe and smiling, "Sect Leader Bai, there's no need to get angry. Let's discuss this calmly."
Bai Yihe waved his hand and said, "Wanguan Master, you may not know this, but Lu Xiaodie was considered a martial arts prodigy in our Mount Heng sect back then. I also valued her greatly and personally taught her martial arts. However, she was too willful. Just because I asked her to marry my son, Bai Kangliang, she refused, saying my son was not a good person. She even attacked and injured my son! Tell me, what am I supposed to do? Can I let her continue to act recklessly in the sect?"
These words made Wan Yunting narrow his eyes and stare directly at Bai Yihe, saying with a smile, "Sect Leader Bai, as far as I know, it was your son who bullied Lu Xiaodie first, and that's why he was injured, wasn't it?"
Indeed, it was Bai Yihe's son, Bai Kangliang, who, after drinking a bit, had directly barged into Lu Xiaodie's room with impure intentions. However, Bai Kangliang was just a good-for-nothing who only knew a few superficial martial arts moves. He was subdued by Lu Xiaodie in a few moves!
Because of this, Lu Xiaodie had a falling out with the Mount Heng sect. At that time, Bai Yihe had directly imprisoned her. Later, it was Zheng Rong who couldn't stand it and secretly let Lu Xiaodie escape. Finally, Bai Yihe ordered Lu Xiaodie to be expelled from the sect and forbade her from using the martial arts of the Mount Heng sect!
These words caused Bai Yihe's old face to stiffen. He looked at Wan Yunting, and after a thirty-second pause, he asked curiously, "Wanguan Master, may I ask what your relationship is with Lu Xiaodie?"
"Friends!"
Wan Yunting smiled and said, "Sister Lu is older than me, so I'm considered her younger brother. Now that she is being detained by Sect Leader Bai, my purpose in coming here is to discuss with Sect Leader Bai whether we can resolve this matter by minimizing its impact, making a big issue out of a small one."
Bai Yihe narrowed his old eyes and began to quickly weigh the pros and cons in his mind!
Wan Yunting was backed by the Ouyang family, one of the five major families in the capital. If he could curry favor with him, the future of the Mount Heng sect would undoubtedly soar!
However, Lu Xiaodie possessed a superior inner strength cultivation technique. If he could obtain a set of superior cultivation techniques from her, it would also bring immense benefits to the entire Mount Heng sect!
For a moment, Bai Yihe found himself in a dilemma. Seeing his silence, Wan Yunting asked, "Sect Leader Bai, regardless of who was right or wrong in this matter, it has already passed. If you continue to hold onto Lu Xiaodie, this is not a solution. Why don't you do me a favor and release Lu Xiaodie? Everything will be negotiable. What do you think, Sect Leader Bai?"
These words caused Bai Yihe to nod and say, "Wanguan Master, of course I want to give you face. However, Lu Xiaodie did injure two of our elders. To completely resolve this matter, we still need to seek the opinions of those two elders."
"How about this, Wanguan Master, you stay overnight at our Mount Heng sect. I will prepare a banquet for you tonight, and later I will go and discuss with our two elders to see if they can forgive Lu Xiaodie. What do you think, Wanguan Master?"
Wan Yunting checked the time, and it was already 5:40 PM. Even if they went down the mountain to the town now, it would be tiring to go back and forth. He nodded and smiled, "Alright, we'll stay overnight then. Thank you, Sect Leader Bai."
"Wanguan Master, you are too polite. I am delighted that you have come to our Mount Heng sect." Bai Yihe stood up and said warmly, "Let's have a good drink tonight."
"Okay."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile. Bai Yihe then said to Zheng Rong, "Little Rong, quickly go and prepare two excellent guest rooms for Wanguan Master and his companion to stay in. You must take good care of them and ensure there are no mistakes. If Wanguan Master is not satisfied, I will hold you accountable."
Zheng Rong nodded, not daring to say anything, and turned to leave.
Wan Yunting and Duan Yingying smiled at Bai Yihe and also turned to follow her out.
Bai Yihe saw them off to the entrance of the reception hall and watched Wan Yunting and his companion leave with Zheng Rong. His old face changed instantly, becoming as grim as a flipped book.
He snorted coldly and turned back into the reception hall, returning to the main seat and sitting down indignantly, "I can't believe that Lu Xiaodie actually has a connection with Wan Yunting!"