If Mu Qingren said this to anyone else—that person would probably be overjoyed!
Being actively recruited by a beautiful deputy pavilion master who is about to become the pavilion master of Wuxian Pavilion, one of the four major sects, would make any man's heart flutter.
But Jing Zhe was not moved.
"Sect Master Mu, since you've investigated me, you should know that I'm now a government official, right?"
Mu Qingren nodded and said, "You don't need to worry about that. Quite a few court officials have joined the four major sects as outer disciples. Yingqiu is also an outer disciple of Wuxian Pavilion, so marrying an outer disciple of Wuxian Pavilion is perfectly legitimate. However, I still hope that you can resign from your official position and become an inner disciple of Wuxian Pavilion. I can personally teach you!"
Jing Zhe was speechless. Personally teaching?
Could it be that you want to cultivate with me?
Is the old master eating the young president?
Pah! Dream on!
"I'd like to, but..."
Jing Zhe deliberately feigned reluctance: "His Majesty is unwilling!"
"..."
Mu Qingren pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I know you are a civil official, and you excel in both poetry and prose, which is why His Majesty favors you so much. Now it seems you are proficient not only in literature but also in martial arts. It's understandable that His Majesty is reluctant to let you go. So, let's make you an outer disciple; it won't prevent you from serving the court!"
Jing Zhe chuckled inwardly and was already preparing to turn her against him.
"Pavilion Master Mu, you recalled the Garden Master and even want to promote him to Pavilion Master, is it because you want to strengthen the Wuxian Pavilion and carry it forward?"
"Um."
Mu Qingren nodded seriously.
"Then why don't you cooperate with me—or rather, the imperial court behind me? I can easily help your Wuxian Pavilion develop into the leading sect among the four major sects. Isn't that much better than you trying to do it yourself?"
But Mu Qingren shook her head without even thinking.
"impossible!"
Why?
"Because each sect established a rule at its inception that it would not interfere in court affairs, nor would it be subject to the jurisdiction and control of the court! If this rule is violated, the sect will inevitably become a tool of the court's rule and will not survive for long!"
"..."
Unexpectedly, Mu Qingren's thinking was quite insightful.
So he said, "I've heard that whoever wins this martial arts tournament will become the leader of the martial arts world for a year?"
"The leader of the martial arts alliance?"
Mu Qingren muttered something, then looked up at him and said, "This is the first time I've heard of this title, but it sounds much better than 'leader of a sect.' Hmm, let's call him 'Martial Arts Alliance Leader'! So what if we do?"
"Then Pavilion Master Mu should be even more aware that the initiator of this martial arts alliance is Prince Jin, who is behind Tongtianque. If Tongtianque wins the championship, you will become Prince Jin's henchmen. What's the difference between that and assisting the imperial court?"
"There is no difference."
Mu Qingren then looked up and said, "But even if they wanted to, they couldn't get first place!"
"Hehe, it seems that Pavilion Master Mu is determined to become the leader of the martial arts alliance, but what if Tongtianque really gets it? Will you really listen to Prince Jin's orders?"
"..."
After a long silence, Mu Qingren gritted her teeth and said, "Sect members must keep their word. Before the martial arts tournament, all participating sects must swear an oath in front of everyone that they are willing to accept defeat. As long as Tongtianque can win, we will naturally listen to him!"
But then he added, "However, we are listening to the Tongtian Palace, not the Prince of Jin! Besides, the leader of the martial arts alliance has only been in office for a year!"
Jing Zhe laughed. What a self-deceiving act!
Knowing full well that Tongtianque had become Prince Jin's plaything, and that working for Tongtianque was tantamount to risking their lives for Prince Jin, they accepted the orders with a clear conscience simply because they came from Tongtianque, and no longer cared about the old rule that sects were not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court!
However… this seems to be a loophole!
Since they can hear the Prince of Jin behind the Heavenly Palace, they can naturally hear the imperial court behind a certain sect!
That makes perfect sense!
Jing Zhe smiled.
Seeing Jing Zhe grinning foolishly at her, Mu Qingren was not happy.
He shifted his body slightly and said coldly, "You're just a low-ranking official of the fifth grade in the imperial court, subject to control everywhere you go. And if you offend someone, who can protect you?"
Then he immediately said, "But if you join our Wuxian Pavilion, who will dare to provoke you easily in the future? Especially since you are so young, under my guidance, your martial arts will undoubtedly reach a higher level. Won't the future leaders of the martial arts world all be from Wuxian Pavilion? At that time, even Emperor An will not dare to underestimate you. Isn't that much better than being an official?"
Mu Qingren's suggestion was indeed very tempting, but Jing Zhe still shook his head: "Everyone has their own ambitions, Pavilion Master Mu, there's no need to force me."
Mu Qingren sighed after hearing this.
Jing Zhe is too young, so young that she feels he is even more outstanding than the Kunlun Mirror person at the same age. If he is properly trained, he will surely become a great person in the future!
"Won't you reconsider?"
"Would Lord Mu like to consider my proposal?"
"..."
Mu Qingren's breathing became heavier, and she was extremely agitated.
No one would be happy if someone kept repeating a grade and then questioned themselves about it.
"Good, very good!"
Mu Qingren didn't want to waste any more words with him—as for killing him, it seemed impossible for the time being. So she mounted her horse, turned around and said, "If you've thought it through, I'll agree to your relationship with Yingqiu. If you haven't thought it through—giddy up!"
With that, Mu Qingren raised her whip and galloped away.
Their attitude was very clear: if Jing Zhe didn't agree to join their Wuxian Pavilion, he could forget about having anything to do with Wang Yingqiu in the future!
Jing Zhe scoffed at this, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
It's just Wuxian Pavilion. I respect you because you're one of the four major sects. If I don't respect you, what are you?
He didn't take Mu Qingren's words to heart, because he knew that the woman he cared about would one day be beneath him, and he didn't want to ride Mu Qingren—at least not now…
Even the King of Heaven couldn't stop him from having an affair with Wang Yingqiu. At worst, he could just sneak Wang Yingqiu out later—well, given Wang Yingqiu's feelings for him, it's quite possible she'd run away on her own.
I rubbed my chest; it hurt a little.
Just now, he deliberately withdrew his internal energy, only using the middle section of the Second Level of Lightness as a Swallow. One reason was to hone his fighting experience, and the other was to conceal his true strength.
Through the fight just now, he could confirm that Mu Qingren was also at the fifth level of the realm—if she were at the sixth level or above, he would have no chance to fight back at all.
As for the level, he felt that the most likely level was the peak of the fifth level, because he felt that Mu Qingren was on par with Su Mochen, but her combat ability was obviously stronger, so Jing Zhe, who did not use all his lightness skills, found it much more difficult to deal with her.
However, if I can practice with her more often in the future, I think it will be quite beneficial.
Thinking about practicing martial arts, Jing Zhe thought of his most frequently used method.
He shook his head and mounted his horse as well.
We can't go to Wuxian Pavilion now. We'll have to find the owner of the garden secretly after we get to Jinxi!
With that thought in mind, Jing Zhe returned the way he came.
————
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