Chapter 126 The secret order was anticipated by the head master.
"Brother Qin, the Sect Leader is in a coma, and you've summoned us all, but you've left out Brother Xie. What does this mean?"
As soon as they sat down, without waiting for Elder Qin to say anything, Jiang Hanqiu spoke in public, taking the initiative.
When the others heard this, they were all shocked and quickly focused their attention, looking at Elder Qin.
"Junior sister, please calm down. Let's listen to what Senior Brother Qin says first, and then make a conclusion." Elder Chang of Dongxian Peak has always had a soft temper. He was afraid that the two would quarrel before they even discussed the serious matter, so he hurried to persuade them.
Elder Qin's face was gloomy. He and Jiang Hanqiu had always been at odds, and he was clearly displeased with her questioning. However, he managed to hold back his anger, snorting heavily. He said, "Junior Brother Xie is also injured. He left Guizang Palace not long ago. He should be recuperating in Lingshanze by now, healing his wounds. I'd rather not disturb you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Hanqiu let out an undisguised sneer.
"Let's be frank. Everyone knows that the Sect Master is seriously injured. To stabilize the sect, both inside and outside, we've come here now. The most important thing is to first decide on the next Sect Master. You and Junior Brother Xie have always been at odds, so acting like this is rather mean-spirited!"
Jiang Hanqiu is a straightforward person and often speaks without mercy. Under her subtle influence, many of the disciples of Luoxia Peak also have this kind of character. As a result, the entire Luoxia Peak often offends others inadvertently. Thanks to the fact that Luoxia Peak has always believed in speaking with strength, all the disciples are hardworking and diligent, and focus on practicing and asking questions, so that they can always occupy a stable place in Tianyan.
The other elders were startled by her provocative words. Several of the less powerful peak masters, adhering to the principle of self-preservation, lowered their brows and kept silent.
Elder Han of Ziyun Peak looked around for a moment, frowning as he said, "The Sect Master's injuries are worsening, and his future is uncertain. What I hope most is that he has a chance to recover. That way, everyone can rest assured. However, if something unexpected does happen, a successor must be chosen as soon as possible. Junior Sister's words are a bit extreme, but they are not without reason. Senior Brother Qin, Junior Brother Xie's reluctance to participate in other matters is fine, but when it comes to selecting a successor, we should ask for his opinion."
Elder Chang also nodded in agreement: "Yes, that makes sense."
Everyone's eyes fell on Elder Qin, awaiting his reaction. Given Qi Yuanbai's character, everyone suspected he was trying to take advantage of this chaos to exclude Xie Hanyi from the candidate list for headmaster, or even worse, to stake his claim as the successor.
But Elder Qin looked around expressionlessly and said, "The reason you've come here is indeed related to the succession issue. However, I'm not here to ask for your opinions."
"You!" Jiang Hanqiu frowned, stood up immediately, and said coldly, "What do you mean by that?"
Elder Qin slowly stood up and stood in the middle of the hall. He said in a deep voice, "According to the rules of the Tianyan Sect, only when the Sect Master has not personally designated a successor, the elders of each peak must jointly nominate one. The Sect Master had anticipated today's situation and left us with instructions. We only need to obey."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
This time the disaster came suddenly, and no one expected it to develop to this point. However, Elder Qin said that Qi Yuanbai had already designated his successor.
However, as the head of the sect, one has to worry about the future of the entire sect. Even when everything is going smoothly, one will still worry about the future, and it is not uncommon to designate a successor early on.
Elder Qin looked at Jiang Hanqiu with a hint of sarcasm.
Jiang Hanqiu knew that he had offended someone temporarily. Although his face looked unhappy, he still clasped his fists to express his apology.
"I wonder where the master's secret command talisman is placed. Can we all take a look at it?" Elder Chang asked again when he saw that the atmosphere had eased a little.
If the leader wants to pass on secret orders to the inside and outside of the sect, he often uses the secret order talisman specially made by Tian Yan, such as to designate a successor. Once the leader passes away, the secret order talisman becomes a will.
Elder Chang's words seemed to be nothing wrong, but they touched everyone's heart. No one said anything, but they didn't dare to believe whether Elder Qin's words were true or not. Only after seeing the real thing, would they know for sure.
Under the gaze of more than a dozen pairs of eyes, Elder Qin showed no sign of panic. He simply nodded in agreement with Elder Chang, "Of course. The Sect Master instructed me that if he were in danger, I must hand over the secret command talisman before he dies, to avoid chaos within the sect."
As he spoke, he gestured to everyone, inviting them to follow him into the inner room where Qi Yuanbai was.
Qi Yuanbai lay motionless on the spacious and quaint couch. Even with the monks' extraordinary sharp eyes, they could hardly see the slight rise and fall of his chest when he breathed.
Beside him, Chu Ye and Song Xinghe were guarding without letting up. When they saw the elders come in, they took a step back and saluted with their fists.
"The secret order is here." Elder Qin walked in front, picked up the Tianyan sword equipped by Qi Yuanbai, drew out the sword, and then took up his unconscious hand and lightly slid the tip of his index finger across the blade.
Blood so dark that it looked black flowed out from his fingertips. Elder Qin quickly hung the sword upside down, waiting for the blood to flow along the blade to the hilt, and finally drip into the somewhat dim black gem in the middle of the hilt.
Soon, the black gemstone began to gleam, revealing a hint of bright red, and the sword began to break free from Elder Qin's control, floating in mid-air.
The gem rotated and left the hilt, and the small yellow talisman paper pressed underneath appeared before everyone's eyes. Following it, the voice of Qi Yuanbai followed -
"This is a secret order from Qi Yuanbai, the 32nd generation head of the Tianyan Sect: If I am ever in trouble, the position of head of the sect must be handed over to my junior brother, Xie Hanyi, the Taoist Master of Lingshan. He can firstly win over the people and stabilize the internal and external situation, and secondly, fulfill my father's regret. I ask all my fellow disciples to do everything in their power to protect Junior Brother Xie's safety and help him successfully become the 33rd generation head of the Tianyan Sect."
He doesn't sound weak, and seems to have been prepared before this injury.
The secret command talisman was created by Tianyan's founder. When issuing a secret command, not only the owner's blood is required, but also the owner's spiritual power as an identification object to ensure that the order is issued by the owner's will. For hundreds of years, there has never been a mistake. Therefore, after hearing this, everyone had no doubts and was silent.
Elder Qin looked at Jiang Hanqiu with sarcasm in his eyes: "Junior Sister Jiang, are you still doubting me and not inviting Junior Brother Xie to come?"
Jiang Hanqiu pursed his lips, knowing that he was indeed wrong just now. He did not try to argue, but bowed deeply in the direction of Elder Qin. "I have always been brave enough to take responsibility for my actions. I was impulsive just now and misunderstood you, Senior Brother. Please forgive me."
She and Elder Qin had been at odds for many years, and this was the first time she had bowed to him in public.
Elder Qin was rarely happy, but he couldn't show it too much. He could only take the opportunity to sneer: "How rare! I didn't know there would be a day when you, Junior Sister, would need my forgiveness."
"Ahem—" Elder Chang cleared his throat, stopping a potential argument between the two. "That's fine. Junior Brother Xie was also seriously injured this time, and he must be recuperating right now. You and I, brothers, don't need to disturb him. From now on, just keep an eye on the Master's condition while protecting Junior Brother Xie's safety."
The rest of the people all agreed with this.
Qi Yuanbai had been the head of the sect for less than a hundred years. Over the years, the Tianyan sect had been peaceful and harmonious. Although there were elders from each peak who had always been at odds with each other, such as Jiang Hanqiu and Elder Qin, they were all still in the ascending stage of cultivation, so they were all focused on their own paths to immortality and had never had the intention of fighting for power.
Judging from the succession of the leaders of Tianyan for dozens of previous generations, the bloody and power-struggling drama usually only takes place when the leader has taken over for hundreds of years and the elders of each peak have been practicing and there is a gap in strength. The current situation is unlikely to cause any major problems.
Seeing that there was a clear direction, the elders' worries subsided a little, and they quickly returned to the main hall to discuss what to do next.
Firstly, they need to strengthen the defense inside and outside the sect. Each peak will take turns sending capable disciples to patrol the entrances of the sect every day. Secondly, they also need to guard the master day and night. The elders will take turns on duty and keep an eye on Qi Yuanbai's situation at all times. If there is any abnormality, they will immediately sound the sect's secret talisman and ring the big bell above the Guizang Hall.
After everything was agreed upon, the elders, all with solemn expressions, hurried away to their respective places.
The sky above the mountains and forests was still a vast blue, and the sun was shining brightly, but within the sect, a tense and sad atmosphere gradually and quietly spread.
Mu Fuyun stayed on the stone steps beside Guizang Hall and did not leave. He found a place with a good view and watched the situation outside the main hall from afar.
The elders filed out, solemnly pointing out their respective disciples. Without another word, they hurriedly led them away for the time being. With their orders, the number of disciples gathered outside Guizang Hall dwindled, until only a few of Qi Yuanbai's own direct followers remained, guarding various locations.
She looked at them one by one, without missing a single one.
All the elders came, except Xie Hanyi.
She couldn't help but frown. Did they want to hide it from Xie Hanyi? However, even if they wanted to keep it a secret for such a big thing, they would only have one or two days at most. What could they do in those two days?
She shook her head, denying the idea. She lowered her head and saw the light flashing on the jade token at her waist. She knew that the disciples in the sect must be constantly passing on information about Qi Yuanbai's situation. She took it off and quickly browsed through it, and soon found the information that Xu Huaiyan and Zhan Yao had passed on to her privately.
They all said that everything was stable in the sect at the moment, and the elders of each peak had also ordered the disciples to take turns guarding the sect, asking her to take care of herself in Lingshanze and not be disturbed by external affairs.
Jiang Hanqiu also sent her a private message: "Everything is fine. I have informed your master of everything else. If your master needs anything, please let me know and I will do my best to help."
When Mu Fuyun saw this, he calmed down and did not linger any longer. He took out the energy-saving talisman and went to Lingshanze.
On the other side, in the back hall, Mu Fuyue held onto the door frame, gazing at the main hall atop the mountain. His gloomy eyes gradually faded, and his lips moved as he murmured, "Master, Sect Leader..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
