Chapter 2 Sweeping is sweeping everywhere
"Brother Nan, do you think we have to stand here like this for another day?"
In the corner of the hall, Qian Sanhu asked quietly.
"It would be nice to be able to stand for a whole day. It's still just sweeping the floor. It doesn't matter where you sweep."
Nan Wang sighed.
Today is Nanwang’s third day on duty at the main hall, and the third day without incident.
Qian Sanhu was also a menial disciple like Nanwang, and was also picked up by the menial supervisor to cover for him. They usually slept in the same bunk bed and their relationship was barely passable.
I don't know if it was because of something that happened, but the hall that was always bustling in the legend was deserted for three whole days. Only the disciples on duty came and went, repeatedly cleaning the hall that was already spotless, doing a very face-saving job.
Originally, only outer disciples were qualified to be on duty in the main hall, but now, Nan Wang looked around and saw that almost all the people in the main hall were familiar to him—those menial disciples who had no hope of advancement for many years.
Today is the third day of the top class. If nothing happens, these menial disciples will be able to return to their original places smoothly and continue their previous lives.
However, as a commotion spread from far to near, the door of the hall slowly opened.
Nan Wang's heart sank; what he was worried about finally happened.
The air was filled with a misty aura, and countless figures flowed in like fish.
Leading the group was the Great Elder of the Sword Sect, with the gilded sword sheath on his waist attracting great attention. Following behind him were the Second Elder of the Sword Sect, the Elder of the Law Sect, the Elder of the Weapon Sect, and after that, the most outstanding inner disciples from each sect peak...
The elders of the inner sect were all Jindan cultivators, and the Sword Sect even had some mighty Yuanying period cultivators. The pressure created by so many cultivators marching past was extremely terrifying.
The menial disciples were so frightened that they retreated to the side, hiding in the darkness and not daring to look out.
Qian Sanhu hid beside Nan Wang, his voice trembling as if it was going through a sieve: "Brother Nan, let me lean on you. This is the first time I've seen so many inner sect elders. My legs are weak..."
"Don't you think I'm not soft?"
Nanwang's voice couldn't help but tremble.
However, hidden in that uncontrollable trembling, besides the fear brought to him by the pressure from the superior immortal cultivator, there was also a subtle excitement.
Looking around, almost all the inner sect elders had arrived, and the disciples were all in white robes, with not a single outer sect disciple in green. The disciples waiting beside the elders were all in white robes and purple collars, with profound cultivation and extraordinary bearing.
The purple collar and white robe are the robes that only true disciples are qualified to wear.
The Qingyun Sect has thousands of menial disciples and outer disciples, hundreds of inner disciples, but only five true disciples.
The rare true disciples belong to different branches of the sect and are also considered senior brothers and sisters of all the disciples in the sect. Ordinary inner and outer disciples can only address each other as brothers and sisters, and only true disciples can enjoy titles such as "eldest senior brother", "eldest senior sister", and "second senior brother".
To the entire Qingyun Sect, true disciples are the most precious and special ones.
For Nanwang, among these extremely special disciples, there is the most special one - the eldest senior brother of Qingyun Sect, Zhu Tianque.
Nan Wang is a person who traveled through time and space. The body he traveled through originally had another owner. The interesting thing is that, in addition to being a menial disciple of Qingyun Sect, the original owner also had a special hidden identity - an undercover agent planted in Qingyun Sect by the evil cult Hehuan Sect.
As an undercover agent of the Demon Sect, Nan Wang's mission is to get close to the senior brother of Qingyun Sect and steal important skills from him.
After Nanwang traveled through time, he suspected more than once that the people in the Demon Sect might not be very smart.
He went to get close to the senior brother?
What can he use to get close to the senior brother?
He is usually either sweeping or mopping the floor. It is difficult for him to meet an inner disciple, so how can he expect to get close to the eldest senior brother?
Even if he exploded on the spot and blew into pieces, the senior brother would not even look at him.
Until today, until this moment.
Nanwang finally saw with his own eyes the proud sons of heaven described in these books.
Looking at the true disciples who kept passing by, Nan Wang's heart was filled with thousands of emotions.
These characters that he once loved so much now appeared vividly before him.
He recognized each one of them, and yet each one of them did not recognize him.
The deliberate difficulty of the errand manager turned out to be a mistake that helped him fulfill his wish...
"Evil disciple, you still refuse to admit your mistakes in front of the Immortal Master!"
The Sword Sect's Great Elder's angry shout brought Nanwang's wandering mind back to the original place.
All the menial disciples fell to their knees as they could not bear the pressure from the elders, and Nanwang was no exception.
However, unlike the other menial disciples who wanted to bury their heads in the ground, Nan Wang, despite the splitting pain of his head, forced himself to raise his head and cast his gaze towards the people in the center of the hall, as if he wanted to remember this scene forever in his heart.
The immortal sitting on the high seat in the hall was like a ball of white mist and could not be seen clearly. One glance at him made one's eyes burn as if looking directly into the sun. It was impossible to look directly at him. Nanwang had no choice but to cast his gaze on the elders and true disciples below.
The man kneeling in the center of the hall was wearing a snow-white robe with a purple collar and gold edges. He seemed to be surrounded by Buddha's light, and he was extremely cold and pure. He stood upright, like a sacred tree or a bright moon in one's arms.
Even though he had never seen this person before, Nan Wang still guessed the other person's identity at a glance -
This is the target of his mission that he cannot approach no matter how hard he tries, the senior brother of Qingyun Sect who possesses the spiritual body of Buddha's bones, Zhu Tianque.
Behind him, kneeling was a young girl whom he was protecting.
The girl was dressed simply and had a pretty face. She held the young man's clothes with one hand and covered her stomach with the other, like a harmless little animal.
Even a menial disciple with low cultivation level like Nan Wang could tell that the girl had no cultivation at all and was a complete mortal.
Mortals, mortals...
All the elders and disciples present knew very well that since the founding of Qingyun Sect, there has always been a rule that ordinary people are not allowed to join the sect.
Senior Brother brought people into the sect's main hall in public like this. He has no respect for the law and is lawless!
Under everyone's gaze, Zhu Tianque slowly spoke:
"Master, I was plotted against by the Demon Sect and narrowly escaped death. Yingying saved me with her innocence and got pregnant. Her kindness to me is as great as a mountain. If I betray her and abandon Yingying, how can I have the face to cultivate this supreme path?"
The chief elder of the Sword Sect was furious: "Zhu Tianque! I think you are crazy! When I received your letter, I warned you that mortals cannot join the sect, but you dared to bring people here. Are you going to go against the grain and betray your master and ancestors?"
Zhu Tianque argued, "Rules are dead, but people are alive. Yingying is the Taoist partner I have chosen, and now that she is pregnant with my child, she should follow me into the sect. Moreover, Elder Zhenzong Qi's Taoist partner was once a mortal. If the elder can repay his kindness, can't I do the same?"
Perhaps he had guessed that he would be implicated, so the elder of the Zhen Sect did not attend at all. The one who appeared on his behalf was Zhan Chenming, who was ranked third among the Zhen Sect's true disciples.
Zhan Chenming is nine feet tall, tall and mighty, with a broad back and strong arms. He carries a long spear with a red rope on his back and a gourd wine pot hanging on his waist. He looks as majestic as a stone tower.
However, as soon as Zhu Tianque said this, the strong man like a stone tower silently took half a step back.
"How dare you, a wicked disciple, drag the elders into this! You are so stubborn and audacious. Today I will clean up the sect!"
The Sword Sect's Great Elder roared, drew his sword from its sheath, and looked as if he was ready to kill someone in anger.
"Brother, you can't do that!" The second elder at the side quickly stepped forward, blocking the first elder, and immediately shouted at Zhu Tianque: "Zhu Tianque! Qingyun Sect's rule 17 states that mortals cannot enter the sect. Those who violate it will be punished with 300 lashes. In order to accept this girl into the sect, are you willing to accept these 300 lashes?"
Zhu Tianque's voice was firm and powerful: "Disciple is willing to accept the whipping and marry Yingying!"
There was a commotion in the hall.
The Qingyun Sect's whip is not easy to withstand. After 300 whips, it is possible to fall down a major realm.
The senior brother is actually willing to pay such a huge price for a mortal woman, he is truly deeply in love.
However, it seems that it is a bit too easy for Senior Brother to violate the sect rules and form a Taoist couple with a mortal after receiving the discipline whip...
The disciples were extremely confused and felt that something was wrong.
Only a few smart people can see the twists and turns in it.
The second elder was retreating to advance and pretending to be cautious; the first elder seemed to be intimidating, but in fact he was protecting her. If he really wanted to take action, how could this mortal woman walk into the Qingyun Sect's main hall unscathed?
The Sword Sect is well-known for protecting its own people, and Zhu Tianque is a popular figure in the Sword Sect. How could the elders really bear to take action against him?
If it wasn't for the fact that the Immortal Master had just come out of retreat, the Sword Sect would have secretly arranged the matter between Zhu Tianque and the mortal woman, and this would not have happened today.
The Second Elder stroked his drooping beard, cast his eagle-like eyes at the woman beside the First Elder, and said, "Xue Ling, as the Grand Sister of Qingyun Sect, you should set an example and abide by the sect's rules. Now that Tian Que has committed a serious mistake, you will be the one to carry out the three hundred lashes!"
The eldest senior sister stepped forward, bowed her waist, clasped her fists, and pleaded in a trembling voice: "My Immortal Lord, Junior Brother Tianque is also young and ignorant, and was confused for a moment. Three hundred lashes are really too much..."
The second senior brother at the side also pleaded, "First senior brother, this is a first-time offender. I hope the Immortal Venerable will show mercy!"
The nine-year-old Fifth Junior Sister also said crisply: "Immortal Venerable, please forgive Senior Brother this time. Senior Brother will change in the future."
Third senior brother Zhan Chenming, who had just taken a half step back, was in no position to speak at this moment. He could only make the same gesture of clasping his fists and begging for mercy as the others, as a way of expressing his attitude.
From a high position, a rumbling sound like thunder slowly emerged from the white mist: "Good."
The second elder of the Sword Sect's fox eyes flashed with a gleam of relief, and he couldn't wait to say: "The Immortal Venerable is magnanimous. Considering that Tianque is a first-time offender, he will be punished with thirty lashes of the warning whip, a minor punishment and a major admonition, to serve as a warning to others!"
The disciples watching did not dare to make a sound, but in their hearts they made similar complaints:
The Sword Sect's tradition of protecting its own shortcomings is so terrifying!
Three hundred lashes became thirty in the blink of an eye!
It's fine that the true disciples protect each other, but the master immortal is also very soft-hearted!
Soon, the pitch-black bone whip was brought into the hall. Zhu Tianque knelt on the ground, took off his outer coat, and prepared to be whipped.
Also kneeling were all the disciples except the senior sister.
The eldest senior brother has committed such a heinous mistake, and as his junior brothers and sisters, there is no reason for them to continue standing.
"Tian Que, I don't want you to get beaten. I'm scared, wow wow wow..."
In the midst of silence, only the girl called Yingying by Zhu Tianque was crying and shouting wildly.
However, in order to avoid being affected by the punishment, the Great Elder cast a spell to set up a magic circle, isolating Zhu Tianque and the Great Senior Sister inside the circle. Not only could their mortal bodies not pass through the magic circle to touch Zhu Tianque, but even their voices could not be transmitted at all.
Zhu Tianque in the formation could not hear Yingying's voice, but he could see Yingying's tearful face.
Feeling extremely distressed, Zhu Tianque said to the senior sister with a cold face: "Please move faster, I don't want Yingying to be sad."
Seeing Zhu Tianque's ungrateful look, the eldest sister felt very disappointed. She opened her mouth several times but didn't know what to say.
Finally, he sighed helplessly, suppressed the trembling in his hands, and raised the whip high:
"As you wish."
The next second, she heard an incredible sound——
[Oh, I see. This must be the heroine Bai Futu, the nine-tailed cat demon who disguised herself as a mortal and slaughtered 1,700 people in a sect in one night. Yingying sounds like a fake name.]
What sound?
How is it that this sound can even penetrate the magic circle set up by the elders?
The senior sister was stunned.
Before she could react, another voice reached her ears.
[Grandmaster Brother is indeed a Buddha spirit. He is so pure that he actually believed the nonsense that you can get pregnant the next day after sleeping in the same bed. He is worse than a child. Tsk tsk.]
Senior Sister: “???”