Chapter 301 Rumors Spread
The two people's eyes met in the air, and invisible sparks seemed to fly.
Chen Wanzhen pinched her palms hard with the fingers in her sleeves, but she still maintained a gentle smile on her face.
"Fellow Daoist Gao, you're joking. The position of alliance leader should be held by the most capable."
She paused, then said meaningfully, "It's just that this seat...isn't a comfortable one."
"Oh?" Gao Huohuo walked forward slowly, and every step seemed to step on Chen Wanzhen's heart.
"How hard is it to sit? Is it harder than a saint pretending to be nice and putting on a good show?"
Everyone in the hall gasped.
Chen Wanzhen's smile froze slightly, then returned to normal.
"Fellow Daoist Gao, you're joking. I'm not strong enough, so I should step down and let someone more capable take over. I just hope you...don't disappoint everyone's expectations."
"Of course."
Gao Huohuo had already walked in front of her, leaned forward slightly, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear:
"After all... I'm not like some people who need the support of their master to be a leader."
Chen Wanzhen's pupils suddenly shrank and she almost couldn't maintain her expression.
Gao Huohuo stood up straight and said loudly, "Since everyone has no objection, I will respectfully decline the position of alliance leader."
She turned and walked towards the platform, her red dress fluttering. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chen Wanzhen retreating into the shadows, with a resentful glint in her eyes.
Want to play?
Then she will stay with him till the end.
After the two of them handed over their work, Chen Wanzhen quietly left the alliance and announced to the outside world that she was in seclusion for cultivation.
However, within three days, rumors suddenly spread throughout the human world.
"Have you heard? The new leader, Gao Huohuo, was originally an evil cultivator from the Shadow Sect!"
"Ten years ago, she was severely injured and her cultivation was completely destroyed. However, she stayed in the demon clan for ten years and returned to the late Mahayana stage!"
"He must have practiced some evil magic!"
Rumors spread like a plague, and even people within the alliance began to feel uneasy.
Many cultivators pretended to obey Gao Huohuo's orders but secretly disobeyed them. Only the direct descendants she personally trained remained loyal.
"Junior sister, it's obvious that Chen was the one who did this. Do you want to arrest her?" Lou Chongxiao rushed in angrily.
Gao Huohuo was leaning against the window playing with a jade slip. He chuckled when he heard this:
"What's the rush? The show has just begun, we have to let them finish it, right?"
She casually crushed the jade slip, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
In this world of cultivation, rumors are nothing. As long as she is strong enough, those people will at most talk nonsense about her behind her back.
Moreover, those who said this were all insignificant people, and it had no effect on her at all.
As he was speaking, the door was gently pushed open.
Shen Cangxuan walked in, glanced at the jade slip fragments scattered on the ground, and sighed:
"Huo Huo, if you're unhappy outside, come back.
Your second senior brother and the others asked me to tell you that they are waiting for you at the sect."
Gao Huohuo's eyes lit up and he deliberately dragged out his tone:
"Master, your disciple's reputation has been ruined to this extent. From now on, I can only rely on the sect for support. Please don't think I eat too much!"
Shen Cangxuan felt relieved when he saw that she was still joking around.
He reached out and rubbed the top of her head: “Don’t worry about eating too much, Master will take care of you.
If the master can't support you, there is still Elder Hu.
If Elder Hu can't do it, then there are still your senior brothers and sisters. At the very least, your nephew Bai He should be able to stand up."
Gao Huohuo chuckled.
Wow, Master has made all the arrangements for the entire sect so clear!
Fortunately, she is not the kind of person who relies on her parents for support, otherwise the Shadow Moon Sect would be defeated by her sooner or later.
After seeing Shen Cangxuan off, there was another knock on the door.
Zhong Hanshang stood outside the door, the moonlight gilding his stern features with a silver edge:
"Fire Fire..."
His voice was low, with a hint of restraint as if he was hesitant to speak.
Gao Huohuo looked up at him and found that his eyes, which had always been as calm as a cold pond, were now showing some ripples.
"What?" She deliberately raised her eyebrows. "Fellow Daoist Zhong is also concerned about me, an 'evil cultivator'?"
Zhong Hanshang frowned slightly, stepped into the room, and closed the door behind him.
His tall stature instantly made the entire room seem cramped.
"You know I don't care about that." His voice was hoarse, "What I care about is..."
The words stopped abruptly. Gao Huohuo noticed that his hands hanging at his sides had tightened slightly, and the knuckles had turned white.
"What is it?" She suddenly felt like teasing him and took a step forward. "Tell me."
The distance between them suddenly shortened, so close that she could smell the fresh scent of cedar on him.
Zhong Hanshang's Adam's apple rolled and undercurrents surged in his eyes.
"I care about you." He finally spoke, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible. "Always have."
Gao Huohuo's heart skipped a beat, but he deliberately turned his face away.
"Why are you saying this now? I'm being condemned by everyone, and you..."
Before she could finish her words, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Zhong Hanshang's palm was burning hot, completely different from the icy touch she had imagined.
"Huohuo, you were trapped in the magic circle for thirty years because of me. You finally got out but lost your memory."
Gao Huohuo discovered that this man, who was always as cold as ice, had a slight redness in the corners of his eyes.
She had never seen Zhong Hanshang like this before—as fragile as a child who had done something wrong, yet so stubborn that it made people feel distressed.
Zhong Hanshang suddenly hugged her in his arms with such force that he almost rubbed her into her bones and blood.
He buried his head in her neck, his breath hot.
"I want to spend the rest of my life watching you smile, protecting you, and traveling with you across mountains and rivers."
His touch was like an electric current, causing Gao Huohuo's whole body to stiffen.
She subconsciously wanted to step back, but his other hand grabbed her waist.
"You..." She was about to speak, but saw him suddenly lean over.
A kiss as light as a feather landed on her brow.
Gao Huohuo's ears felt hot and his heart was beating fast.
"Whether you're an evil cultivator or an alliance leader," he whispered, "to me, you'll always be just Gao Huohuo."
Zhong Hanshang's fingertips trembled slightly, and memories came flooding back like a tide.
Back when he was in the demon clan, his half-demon identity was exposed, and that familiar red-clothed figure forcibly cut a way out for him.
Now she was caught in a vortex of rumors, and those vicious gossips were so similar to the slanders that had been leveled at him.
Zhong Hanshang slowly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
He owes her more than just a life.
Zhong Hanshang raised his eyes and met her always bright eyes.
"Huohuo, no matter what the road ahead holds, I will always be by your side until..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of breaking air outside the window.
Twelve poisoned demon-killing arrows penetrated the window paper and went straight to Gao Huohuo's vital points!
"clang--"
The moment the heavy black iron sword was unsheathed, the temperature of the entire room dropped sharply.
Zhong Hanshang protected the people firmly behind him, and with a sweep of the sword, all the arrows turned into ice crystals and shattered.
Gao Huohuo poked his head out from behind him, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"It seems some people can't wait to prove my guilt as an evil cultivator."
Zhong Hanshang gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his voice returning to its usual stern tone: "I'll take care of it."
Gao Huohuo pulled him and gently stroked his palm with her fingertips, and saw his ears turn red as she wished.
She suddenly leaned close to his ear and exhaled a sweet breath.
"As for what I just said, once this matter is settled, we can slowly settle the accounts."
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