Chapter 80: My Uncle Has Nothing To Hide
Chapter 80: My Uncle Has Nothing To Hide
That was the classic case of harming others without helping yourself!
If I’m not okay, you don’t get to be okay either!
Fine. As long as I become Sect Leader this time, there’s a long future ahead. There’s no worry about debts rotting; we’ll just see how things unfold.
One day, I’ll make sure the entire Council of Elders becomes loyal to me!
Feng Bubian kept a calm expression and said sincerely, “What the Elders say makes perfect sense. For the birth of a new Sect Leader, naturally more people should participate. I think this suggestion doesn’t even need to wait for the new Sect Leader to be chosen; we can pass it right now!”
“Elder Feng is mighty!” shouted one of Feng Bubian’s trusted followers in the crowd.
“Elder Feng is mighty!” countless voices echoed after him.
Among them were many followers of other Elders.
There was no choice. The person who proposed letting the Core Disciples participate was from Feng Bubian’s side!
That was the first move!
Lian Ziqing, head separated from body, still lay quietly where he fell, ignored.
The Heaven’s Gate Sect had completely changed.
Next was the election for Sect Leader. The candidates… were naturally the members of the Council of Elders.
The disciples of the Heaven’s Gate Sect also had no objections. Having the power to vote was a massive breakthrough for them. No steward or Sect Elder would be so foolish as to actually think they could put themselves forward as a candidate.
Anyone brave enough to try would only suffer shame.
Since Qian Luoying had clearly refused, she was naturally excluded, retaining only her voting right.
Feng Bubian looked at the few Elders and said with a smile, “I don’t think we need any campaigning either. I believe everyone has their own candidate in mind. I propose we simply start a secret ballot right away! Those qualified to be candidates are just us few. We’ll openly count the votes later. Whoever has the most votes wins. How’s that?”
An Elder over there nodded. “Agreed, but the elected must have over half the total votes. Otherwise, the election is invalid.”
Feng Bubian gave a faint smile. “Of course. What’s the point of being Sect Leader without over half the votes?”
Then, his expression turned sorrowful. “While we prepare the ballots, I’d first like someone to arrange for Lian Leader’s remains to be properly collected. Though he made mistakes, he contributed much to the Sect these years. He had faults, but they shouldn’t obscure his merits… We shouldn’t let him lie exposed here. What do you think?”
Damn!
Sneaky!
Shameless!
The severely injured Elders nearly spit blood.
By relation, they were Lian Ziqing’s true loyalists.
Now it seemed like only Feng Bubian had the late Leader in his thoughts.
But they could only blame themselves. Badly hurt and overwhelmed by the upheaval, their minds weren’t working clearly.
Seeing the admiration in many eyes directed at Feng Bubian, the severely injured Elders could only sigh inwardly.
In the end, he had won everything.
Soon, someone brought a coffin while another stitched Lian Ziqing’s head to his body and placed him inside.
Feng Bubian’s group of followers worked hard right there, quickly setting up a mourning canopy. They wrote mourning couplets as well, providing incense, candles, and spirit money.
The mountain ravine was brightly lit. A cool mountain breeze blew. The atmosphere looked pretty convincing.
Their adversary was right there, but no one stepped forward to talk of avenging Lian Ziqing.
Even followers loyal to Lian Ziqing who hated Qian Luoying and Ling Yi dared not show it.
If several Elders of the Council couldn’t stop them, they certainly couldn’t.
By now, all important figures within the Heaven’s Gate Sect had gathered.
Those with insufficient status could only watch from afar.
It was a sleepless night.
Ling Yi took this chance to help Qian Luoying get accustomed to manipulating the Formation Array.
Anything else was useless. This was the true trump card!
Whoever became Sect Leader didn’t matter. Controlling this Formation Array meant being the uncrowned king!
For Qian Luoying, aloof by nature, and her followers, this was indeed the best outcome.
Finally, nearing dawn, the ballots for Heaven’s Gate Sect were ready.
A few were delivered to Qian Luoying. Ling Yi curiously glanced at one, thinking, a big Sect indeed, such deep resources!
This makeshift ballot was surprisingly well-made!
It looked much like the ballots used in the secular world.
Hmm, professionally printed, double-sided too…
Realistically, the outcome of this election was almost decided from the start.
In the end, Feng Bubian won over sixty percent of the votes, becoming the new Heaven’s Gate Sect Leader!
That support rate might seem unimpressive, but it was truly not low!
Core Disciples loyal to Feng Bubian likely made up only about twenty percent of the Sect.
The extra forty percent mostly came from factions of the Council of Elders not aligned with Lian Ziqing, along with many votes literally cast by the “opposing camp”!
Since the vote was secret, many disciples dissatisfied with the severely injured Elders simply voted for Feng Bubian.
The first decision Feng Bubian made upon becoming Sect Leader was to fulfill the promise!
Regardless of the future, right now, he absolutely wouldn’t provoke Qian Luoying and Ling Yi.
So why not just be decisive?
Feng Bubian approached Ling Yi and gave a slight nod. “Fellow practitioner will leave this method in Heaven’s Gate Sect. Naturally, I will honor our collectively agreed promise…”
Hmm. A proficient shift of responsibility. Smooth.
Even if Ling Yi entered the Treasure Vault empty-handed and couldn’t take much, Feng Bubian wouldn’t bear this burden alone.
Opening the Sect’s Treasure Vault to an outsider—no matter the reason or justification—was a shameful fact that could never be erased!
So, let everyone share the blame.
The several severely injured Elders had already left—they couldn’t hold out any longer!
Enduring overnight here was hard enough.
Their injuries were similar to those Lian Ziqing suffered previously and would require a long time to heal.
Feng Bubian was quite pleased by this.
Making a mark as the new leader required achievements. Without these obstacles around, things would be much easier.
But first, get rid of this problematic guy!
Take what you need and leave quickly.
In terms of danger, this guy was leagues more risky than Qian Luoying might ever be!
Now, the knowledge to control the battle Formation Array was passed to Qian Luoying, but he knows it too!
It’s best if he never comes back here.
Ling Yi smiled. “Congratulations, Leader Feng.”
Feng Bubian wore a fake smile. “Thank you.”
Ling Yi said, “Will Sect Leader Feng take me to the Treasure Vault?”
Feng Bubian chuckled. “I won’t be going to the Treasure Vault. I have too many matters to handle. Elder Qian can take you there.”
Ling Yi smiled and refused. “That won’t do. No matter what, Elder Qian is my friend, so we should avoid suspicion. So, please have someone else accompany me.”
Tsk…
Quite cunning!
Feng Bubian felt a bit disappointed inside.
But he didn’t show it at all. He patted his forehead and gave a bitter smile. “Ah, look at me! I didn’t think of that. That was my oversight! Fine, I’ll send someone to take you there. But… friend, do you have a Storage Artifact? This…”
“I’ve never even seen one of those. How about Sect Leader Feng be generous and lend me one?” Ling Yi looked at Feng Bubian.
“Haha, friend, you really know how to joke. I don’t have such a divine object either.” Feng Bubian laughed it off, looking at Ling Yi. “I actually think that you, friend, inherited a Grotto Abode…”
Ling Yi smiled and interrupted. “How about… you have someone prepare a new set of clothes for me? I’ll bathe and change to show respect for your Sect’s Treasure Vault. How does that sound?”
So cooperative?
Feng Bubian looked at Ling Yi. He always felt like there was something hidden behind this person’s smile, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t see any flaw.
Also, having Ling Yi bathe, change, and be inspected before entering the vault would help Heaven’s Gate Sect recover a little bit of face. Even if it was just a tiny bit, it was better than nothing.
So this matter… was feasible!
“Is this appropriate?” Feng Bubian pretended to ask.
“If Sect Leader Feng thinks…” Ling Yi hadn’t finished speaking.
Feng Bubian immediately said, “I’ll have someone prepare it right away! I’ll also find you a top-notch bath attendant!”
Ling Yi nodded cheerfully. “Then I’ll trouble you.”
Over there, Qian Luoying watched the back-and-forth between Ling Yi and Feng Bubian, feeling emotional inside.
This silly brother of mine is too straightforward. You’re a young man from the secular world; where would you have a Storage Artifact?
There’s no need for this!
But isn’t this open and upright character exactly the model we cultivators should learn from?
“You two, remember this. From now on, take your Uncle as an example. Be upstanding, open and aboveboard! With a selfless heart, the world is wide!” Qian Luoying lectured.
Jiang Yuntong nodded seriously.
Mo Yunwu muttered quietly, “I feel like Uncle is planning something mischievous…”
Qian Luoying shot her a glare, and Mo Yunwu immediately shut her mouth.
Afterwards, Ling Yi arrived at Feng Bubian’s mountain peak and was led into an extremely luxurious bathroom.
Ling Yi was a bit stunned when he saw it.
Because all the facilities inside were actually products of modern high-tech civilization!
A quick glance revealed that all the bath products were top-tier brands from the secular world!
There was even an SPA bed!
Pretty trendy!
Was this the cultivation place of a Sect leader who didn’t enter the secular world?
Yeah, right! I totally believe that!
But in all fairness, this place was really well done!
Grand, magnificent, and splendid.
Not tacky at all.
It also looked very new, even retaining a faint smell of recent decoration.
The bath attendant who entered later confirmed this.
“This is a place the Sect Leader specifically built for receiving guests. It was just completed not long ago and has never been used before. You are the first!”
The bath attendant was in his forties, a dark-skinned man who seemed quite honest.
When Ling Yi heard no one had used it before, he unceremoniously soaked in the pool for a long time.
During the scrubbing process, Ling Yi chatted casually with the bath attendant, not deliberately probing for information.
Someone sent by Feng Bubian naturally wouldn’t reveal anything.
Ling Yi hadn’t relaxed like this in a long time. Honestly, it was also his first time in such a luxurious bath.
The key point was that it was inside a reclusive Sect… It just goes to show, the Great Thousand World is full of wonders.
After finishing the scrub and washing, he felt refreshed and invigorated. Then, right in front of the bath attendant, he openly changed into the new clothes the attendant had just brought.
Everything from inside to outside was new, also from major secular brands.
That wasn’t all; the sizes were all perfectly fitting.
That was a bit impressive.
It just showed they had deep resources and all kinds of skilled people.
Ling Yi even caught himself considering whether to build one like this himself in the future.
But he’d need to find good management. Managing it himself? Absolutely not.
With that time, wouldn’t it be more comfortable to just lie down?
After changing, Ling Yi felt something was a bit odd. Then he realized this outfit, from head to toe, actually had no pockets.
They weren’t cut off; they were originally designed without pockets!
Amazing, truly amazing!
Truly worthy of a great Sect!
They think of everything!
Ling Yi mentally gave Feng Bubian a thumbs-up.
Once everything was ready, Ling Yi came out, this time not bothering with any disguise.
His identity had already been thoroughly investigated by them, so there was nothing to hide.
Besides, keeping such a handsome face hidden all the time was pointless.
Feng Bubian was waiting outside, smiling broadly at Ling Yi as he walked out. “Friend, oh no, I should say Young Master Ling… truly a man of outstanding appearance, a dragon among men! You and Elder Qian are a perfect match made in heaven! It’s a shame Elder Qian made a heavy oath to never leave the Sect for the rest of her life… Haha, has Young Master ever considered joining the Sect?”
Ling Yi smiled. “Would Sect Leader Feng dare to have me?”
Feng Bubian laughed heartily to cover his embarrassment, thinking, you really are a jerk!
Couldn’t you go along with some polite flattery?
Ling Yi inwardly sneered. Joining the Sect? He hadn’t thought about it. But emptying out the Sect… now that he had considered very seriously!
He also couldn’t be bothered to explain his relationship with that Silly Sister. People could think whatever they wanted with their own brains.
Feng Bubian did not look down on this young man from the secular world at all.
This kid looked young, handsome, and full of sunshine, but he was a real tough guy. Anyone who dared to slay their enemy in public… was a formidable character.
The subsequent events in the Capital of Great Qin were also related to him. Even Lian Ziqing’s death… was caused by his own hand!
Even his own subordinates in the Capital City were most likely eliminated by him, probably without his knowledge—
Feng Bubian still didn’t know that Lian Ziqing and Qian Luoying actually already knew about his affairs in the secular world.
But that didn’t stop him from being wary of this young man Ling Yi. If not for his greater fear of the terrifying Formation Array spread throughout Heaven’s Gate Sect, he might have long ago, like Lian Ziqing, chosen to take action against Ling Yi.
So, with someone like this, even if you harbored killing intent, you couldn’t show the slightest trace.
The best way to handle it was—keep a respectful distance.
He assigned a subordinate to take Ling Yi to the Treasure Vault. Feng Bubian also hurried away to deal with Lian Ziqing’s aftermath and a huge mess of problems.
Being a Sect Leader was not easy.