"You... you..." Lin Huan was so infuriated by the unscrupulous disciples within the sect that he couldn't catch his breath and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
In any sect, there will be a few rebellious and defiant individuals, but loyal ones are not in short supply.
Those disciples loyal to my maternal grandfather stepped forward to confront them, only to be stopped by the rebels.
The two sides faced off, leaving Lin Huan isolated in front of the Pill Furnace in the corner.
Lin Huan, unsteady on his feet, swayed back and forth but still raised his hand, "We must not... turn on each other, or else we'll fall right into that woman's trap outside the sect, cough cough cough..."
"But Sect Master, they are showing you disrespect," the loyal disciples said, eyes brimming with tears.
Seeing my maternal grandfather, who looked like he had aged in an instant, and hiding next to the Pill Furnace behind him, how could I bear to just watch?
Lifting my hand to support Lin Huan's back, I steadied his shaking form that was almost collapsing.
Without drawing attention, I drew out a strip of healing cloth and tied it around his arm.
Lin Huan's body gave a slight tremor, about to turn around.
I softly said, "Grandfather, it's me, Su Wan."
"Wanwan," Lin Huan murmured in a volume that only the two of us could hear, confused, "How could you possibly be here... "
Although the two sides did not fight upon hearing Lin Huan's words, they still confronted each other.
The standoff between the two was tense, with swords drawn and bows bent.
One side rebelled to survive, while the other side was filled with loyal fervor and righteousness.
"Yu Longting and I have come to rescue you," I said, keeping my presence hidden and trying to keep my voice as low as possible.
Lin Huan's large robe covered half of his face as he coughed in anger, "Nonsense, the Lin Family is... very dangerous right now... do you have any idea... and you are pregnant!! Cough cough cough..."
"Grandfather, don't get excited, the Thousand Corpses Formation and the String Killing Formation outside have been broken," I explained as quickly as I could, anxious and turning in circles, as Lin Huan's cough wracked me, "Yu Longting is outside right now, breaking the Formation around the Pill Room."
"What?" Lin Huan clearly did not expect such a dire situation to be resolved so easily.
I took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Yes, the worst is over. Now only the matter in the Pill Room remains. Do you need me to come forward and persuade them first?"
There was internal strife among the sect disciples in the Pill Room, a matter of great Importance.
In truth, most of them did not really want to rebel; they were only trying to save their own lives.
"Wanwan, hide well behind the Pill Furnace, and don't get discovered," Lin Huan said seriously and calmly.
At this moment, he seemed to regain his usual demeanor, with a composed and authoritative presence.
I nodded vigorously, "Grandfather, I will listen to you."
Then I saw Lin Huan tidy up his somewhat disheveled beard and hair and dust off the folds in his Taoist robe.
Taking a few firm steps forward, he commanded, "Stand aside."
"Sorry, Sect Master, we can't let you," the leader of the rebels turned around, "The lives of over thirty of us should not be wasted here for your own interests."
"How dare you!! Lin Yan, you have always been the Sect Master's favorite, how can you be so disrespectful!"
"By betraying your master and ancestors like this, you are forgetting the teachings of our forefathers. After death, you deserve to suffer in the Eighteen Levels of Hell, sentenced by the Judge to have your tongue pulled out."
...
Facing the scolding of his fellow disciples, Lin Yan's expression was extremely dark, with veins bulging on his forehead, "All of you are so foolishly loyal even when death is upon you. We're in the 21st century, not the Qing Dynasty. There's no need to sacrifice your lives for the so-called sect."
"Lin Yan is right, I don't have the right to have you all stick with me and ultimately, perhaps lose your lives because of it," said Lin Huan, standing tall with one hand behind his back, like a deity who had descended to the earth, "I agree with what Lin Yan said, call my granddaughter Su Wan, back to the Lin Family."