After the ceremony, Zhou Zhengqiao asked, "Why did you two junior brothers also come down the mountain? Did the Fifth Elder also instruct you to come down the mountain to do something?"
Finally, he wanted to offer a few words of advice to Huizheng and Wang Ye.
But then he thought that he himself hadn't made up his mind yet, and didn't know how to persuade him, so he stopped talking.
“Yes, Senior Brother. The Sect Master and my master have sent us down the mountain to invite you back for questioning.” Hui Zheng frowned slightly.
"Senior Brother, I'm sorry, this is the Sect Master's order," Wang Ye said with a guilty expression.
Zhou Zhengqiao was surprised but also somewhat relieved: he was surprised because the Fifth Elder had always been on good terms with his master. In the past thousand years, no matter what decision his master made, the Fifth Elder was always the one who was determined to be of one mind with his master.
Unexpectedly, the first person to discover that the sect leader had come down the mountain and chase after him was the Fifth Elder.
Relieved, he no longer had to agonize over the life-threatening dilemma of choosing between loyalty to the country and filial piety, and he no longer had to make the decision himself.
“Okay, I’ll go back with you,” Zhou Zhengqiao nodded without hesitation.
When the three returned to the Hanyu Sect's headquarters, Zhao Guanchao was already waiting for them there.
Looking at Zhao Guanchao, whose expression was no longer as kind as before, but as indifferent as the other elders of Hanyu Sect, Zhou Zhengqiao felt a mix of emotions: This was the first time in his life that he had personally experienced the destructive power of "power" and how it could truly hurt people's hearts.
The group was on their way to Ling Qing's Qinxue Pavilion.
Ling Du seemed to sense something and bumped right into the group.
Seeing Zhou Zhengqiao walking between Zhao Guanchao, Huizheng, and Wang Ye, Lingdu understood everything.
“I never realized before that our Hanyu Sect has a talent like the Fifth Elder,” Ling Du said with a frosty expression. He gave Zhao Guanchao a perfunctory bow and mocked him. Then he turned to Zhou Zhengqiao and said in a deep voice, “Zhengqiao, didn’t I tell you to go down the mountain to buy some gifts for the sect leader? Why did you come back?”
Zhou Zhengqiao was slightly taken aback, then slowly bowed and said, "I'm sorry, Master, I was delayed by some matters and haven't had time to go down the mountain yet."
He hadn't even had a chance to go down the mountain yet, which means he hadn't passed on a single word of what he was asked to say!
The entire process took about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea. With his cultivation level, he could have easily made the round trip, yet he didn't manage to send out a single word!
Ling Du's cold eyes were practically spitting fire as he said hatefully, "Useless thing! You can't even handle this simple task. What can I rely on you for? Go back and reflect on your mistakes. Don't come out and embarrass yourself for at least three years!"
Zhou Zhengqiao: "...Yes, Master."
For the first time, he felt how complex human nature was; he could hardly keep up with his master's train of thought.
"Elder, there's no need to be angry. It was the Sect Master who suddenly remembered to summon the inner disciples of several peaks. Everyone else went except Zhengqiao. I heard that Zhengqiao had just come down the mountain, so I sent Huizheng and Wang Ye to catch up with him halfway," Zhao Guanchao said with a faint smile.
Now that he's already clashed with Lingdu, he no longer needs to put on that groveling act.
"Oh, the sect leader wants to summon the inner disciples of several peaks? How come I didn't know?" Ling Du also stared at Zhao Guanchao with a cold gaze, and said in a sharp retort, "In that case, I will go with you. The sect leader has just returned, so I don't want to miss anything."
Should they go for a public execution, or to swagger and show off to the sect leader?
Zhao Guanchao was secretly gloating, but his face showed a forced smile: "Very well, please, Elder."
Ling Du gave Zhao Guanchao, who was gloating, another cold glance, and walked ahead of the others.
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