Chapter 19.019 Starting to Choose Sides
Shi Miaoxue took a stand, and she was so excited that she seemed to have a strong desire to perform.
"Everyone, as we have traveled together, you have all witnessed firsthand what kind of person our sect leader is. She has devoted so much effort and thought to the Bixia Sect to achieve what she has today. No matter how much slander and rumors are spread, our sect leader ignores them all. Regardless of what others say or speculate, our sect leader has ensured that there is a Bixia Sect in the First Heaven, capable of refining high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills."
"I hope everyone will continue to work together to make this miracle last longer. In any case, I, Shi Miaoxue, am willing to continue to accompany the sect leader."
Nan Yulou's face turned pale, and she remained silent, probably because she felt she had lost face.
The two Tianchi Sect envoys secretly complained that Shi Miaoxue was just making a big fuss over nothing, talking about righteousness and indignation, but it was nothing more than a temper tantrum caused by jealousy. She was really just putting on an act.
A perfectly timed expression of emotion appeared on Shen Zhiwei's face.
She appeared moved, but felt ashamed inside.
Shen Zhiwei still wanted to believe that there was truth, goodness and beauty in the world, especially since she understood Shi Miaoxue's character.
This girl may be a little silly, but she's a nice person.
Perhaps, even without that letter of denunciation, even if Shi Miaoxue couldn't forget her feelings and never broke ties with Nan Yulou—
Even so, will Miaoxue still side with me today?
Perhaps Shi Miaoxue didn't care about going to Shangjing at all.
Although Shen Zhiwei had no intention of reflecting on her underhanded actions, she was actually quite happy.
Shen Zhiwei stepped forward, took Shi Miaoxue's hand, and said emotionally, "Miaoxue, I am very grateful that you can say these words, and I also believe in the affection between women—"
She was half genuine and half acting. There were quite a few female disciples in the Bixia Sect, and Shen Zhiwei also took advantage of her gender to increase the sense of belonging among her female disciples.
The two Tianchi Sect envoys found it quite laughable that this group had suddenly started chanting pointless slogans about values, and they felt they had run out of ideas.
With Shi Miaoxue taking the lead, the disciples of the Bixia Sect present also began to move.
The first to act were the two die-hard supporters.
For example, Li Yao and Yin Wujiu would definitely stand up for Zhiwei without hesitation.
Shen Xiaochun also chimed in cutely, "Mother, am I considered a disciple of the Bixia Sect? Can I choose you?"
Shen Zhi smiled and said, "You're still young, you're only half a child at most. Come here."
Shen Xiaochun led Xiaoxing over and even leaned against Shen Zhiwei affectionately.
Nan Yulou also gathered some people and they moved closer to Nan Yulou.
The first round of choices was nothing out of the ordinary, but Nan Yulou was still slightly disappointed.
Those who chose to follow Shen Zhiwei remained steadfast, seemingly feeling that following Shen Zhiwei offered a promising future.
This would make it less interesting. If a few people were hesitant and even chose Nan Yulou, it would be a loss of face for Sect Leader Shen.
Shen Zhiwei glanced at Tian Xiyu beside her.
Tian Qi is doing quite well; she's become one of Nan Yulou's confidantes and lives close to him.
This is far from the level of intimacy between them and modern representatives, which shows that Tian Xiyu held a high position in front of Nan Yulou.
Otherwise, news of Nan Yulou's secret rendezvous with Jiang Cui, and even the tooth mark left on her chest, would not have reached us.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhiwei also had a bit of a wicked sense of humor.
She couldn't help but think to herself that if Tian Xiyu walked over in public and stood on her side, Nan Yulou would probably lose face.
However, Shen Zhiwei wouldn't be so bored. She should use her power wisely. Tian Qi should keep her identity well hidden; she'll definitely need her in the future.
With the first wave of factionalism over, the disciples of the Bixia Sect seem to have finally digested the situation, realizing that what they are seeing is not a performance, and are finally beginning to make their own choices.
Nan Yulou also perked up, realizing that this second wave was the key.
The middle-of-the-road faction is always the majority, and besides, Nan Yulou and Shen Zhiwei are both good at acting, so they never openly disagree.
Especially the former Red Lotus Gate.
Shi Miaoxue, the former young sect leader, has already started to get closer to Shen Zhiwei, but others may not necessarily follow suit.
There are many twists and turns involved here.
Nan Yulou, with her sharp eyes, noticed a figure moving in the crowd.
Lu Yan was once an elder of the Red Lotus Sect. After the Red Lotus Sect and the Bixia Sect merged, Lu Yan also became a steward of the Bixia Sect.
Nan Yulou put in a lot of effort for this one.
Shen Zhiwei has the advantage of being born in the sex, and so does Nan Yulou.
For example, male disciples in the sect, especially those with a flirtatious nature, might think that men being lustful isn't wrong. However, Shen Zhiwei, as a female sect leader, would definitely disapprove of these things, which might affect her promotion. Or perhaps, because of this kind of concern from the female sect leader, she might be disregarded.
Even though Shen Zhiwei did not show any obvious inclination, some topics are definitely easier for men to discuss.
At the very least, Shen Zhiwei couldn't possibly be on the same level with her subordinates in this regard, telling suggestive, male-oriented dirty jokes.
Men will definitely resonate more with this, and the relationship will be easier.
Lu Yan has some tricks up his sleeve, but he's not really a womanizer.
He has a wife who is quite fierce, and a daughter.
This is truly a case of having the desire but not the courage. To be fair, the couple's relationship is alright, and there are times when they are very affectionate.
But men understand men best.
How could Nan Yulou not understand a man like Steward Lu?
So-called loyalty is simply a matter of the temptation of betrayal not being strong enough.
It must be said that Lu Yan's wife, Mu Yun, was quite beautiful and was also a purple-grade alchemist; she was both talented and beautiful.
The kind of wife a man can marry reveals his capabilities.
Mu Yun was clearly the best wife Lu Yan could marry within his means.
Therefore, Lu Yan was quite tolerant of her, and it didn't matter if Mu Yun was a bit fierce.
Family status is determined by one's power.
When Lu Yan was being courted by Nan Yulou, he said he was afraid of being criticized. He said that if Shi Miaoxue followed Shen Zhiwei, but he followed Nan Yulou, his friends and relatives would probably say he was heartless.
Furthermore, his wife at home will probably also make things difficult for him.
These are all about human relationships and social customs.
Nan Yulou wanted to laugh when he heard this; these were all tricks played by cultivators from the lower realms.
He said at that time, "As long as Steward Lu has other careers, why worry about not being favored by other fairies? On the contrary, if he is complacent and self-sufficient, his life will be predictable from the beginning."
Nan Yulou then pointed out the pain point of cultivators of Lu Yan's age and cultivation level.
At that time, Lu Yan was also quite tempted.
Now that Lu Yan had truly reached his decision, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Indeed, Bixia Sect is doing quite well now, but its future is also predictable.
He has no hope of advancing to the next realm; at most, he will live for another hundred years or so before he perishes.
Unless, he has other opportunities.
At this age, he has to seize the opportunity to have a new life, a new career, and a new wife—
He had no complaints about Mu Yun, but after being Daoist partners for so long, all the passion had faded, and they had become so familiar with each other that it was boring.
Life is something you can see the end of at a glance.
If he wanted any ups and downs in his life, the best opportunity would be to curry favor with this young master Nan in front of him.
Nan Yulou is the illegitimate son of Shangjing Daxiu.
Lu Yan was also sweating profusely and felt slightly dazed.
Torn between his inner turmoil and his own conscience, he couldn't help but take a step toward Nan Yulou.
A surge of passion, a desire to seize the day, welled up in Lu Yan's heart, making him think that at his age, he should take a chance.
Lu Yan's blood boiled!
This old house couldn't have caught fire like this!
Nan Yulou's lips curled up slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face.
With Lu Yan as an example, others will follow suit.
But after taking a step, Lu Yan stopped and remained motionless.
A sense of fear welled up in Lu Yan's heart again.
While Nan Yulou did try to sow discord, Shen Zhiwei put a lot of effort into shaping public opinion.
Now, Shen Zhiwei's efforts are becoming apparent.
Both sides spread rumors and slander against each other in private.
However, Nan Yulou was willing but powerless; no matter what she said, it was wrong.
He said that Shen Zhiwei was a mistress and relied on a big repairman to run a business, so people assumed that Shen Zhiwei had a powerful backer and seemed to have a brighter future.
He said that Shen Zhiwei relied on herself and had no one behind her, which turned into praising Shen Zhiwei for starting from scratch.
In short, Nan Yulou was also caught in a dilemma, which is why her words to Shen Zhiwei in front of others were inconsistent and contradictory.
But Shen Zhiwei is different. She is skilled, articulate, and her rhetoric is quite interesting.
She encouraged people to discuss Nan Yulou, not to slander her, but to praise her.
It is said that Nan Yulou's mother was extremely favored, that Nan Yulou was elegant and charming, and that he was a noble young master from the upper realm.
Now, Nan Yulou is doing business at the foot of Mount Sumeru, but it's just for fun.
It was just a hobby for the young master of the immortal sect; his main purpose was to indulge in romance and poetry. He certainly wasn't seriously pursuing his career, and overall, he felt very relaxed.
Once she's had her fill of fun, Nan Yulou will eventually return to the Upper Realm and won't linger in this small sect like Bixia Sect.
Nan Yulou was certainly not that extravagant, but Shen Zhiwei flattered him to death.
In public, Nan Yulou would always try to promote her background, and Shen Zhiwei added fuel to the fire.
Now that the effects are becoming apparent, Lu Yan's left and right hemispheres are inevitably starting to fight each other.
Rumors circulated among the Bixia Sect that Young Master Nan's business venture at the foot of Mount Sumeru was merely a pastime, and he didn't care about such a small amount of money.
Young Master Nan never expected that Shen Zhiwei was being unreasonable and insisted on becoming the sect leader, so he couldn't swallow his anger and finally made a fuss about dividing the sect.
Therefore, Lu Yan was not entirely convinced by Nan Yulou's grand promises, and always had some doubts.
The rumor was probably not entirely false; for example, Nan Yulou rarely came to the alchemy room because he found the place dirty and messy.
It is clear that Elder Nan was not someone who was obsessed with alchemy.
If Young Master Nan finds it too troublesome and stops running the pill business, wouldn't Lu Yan, the pill master, be in an awkward position?
By then, what use would he be? Besides, his reputation would be ruined, and Mu Yun, with her stubborn nature, would definitely not let him go home.
One wrong choice, and you will be shattered to pieces, never to be redeemed.
Lu Yan broke out in a cold sweat even more.
Nan Yulou's face had already put on a smile, but when she saw Lu Yan standing still, her smile froze.
At this moment, Mu Yun impatiently tugged at Lu Yan: "What are you thinking about? Come with me to Sect Leader Shen's place."
Mu Yun and Lu Yan were both former members of the Red Lotus Sect. Since Shi Miaoxue had chosen Shen Zhiwei, Mu Yun naturally felt that she should follow suit.
Besides, Mu Yun also had her own thoughts. She felt that Shen Zhiwei was more reliable, while Nan Yulou, though seemingly glamorous, was actually quite frivolous and always involved in romantic affairs, making her unreliable.
Having been a Daoist couple for many years, Mu Yun never imagined that her husband would have any other thoughts.
A note from the author:
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