Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 427 Confrontation in Court
"Let me speak!" Seeing that Jiang Zichen was becoming more and more guilty, Lin Zixiang waved his hand to interrupt him, and said with his head held high: "Junior Sister Su, there are no outsiders here, so I will speak frankly. If I offend anyone, please forgive me."

"To be honest, I don't believe in the loyalty of Xiao Ling, Wang Feng, Li Tai, Huang Qi and others. They joined our sect only for profit. Once the sect faces a crisis, who knows if they will stab us in the back?"

"Actually, it's not just me; many people in the sect don't trust them, so they need to prove their loyalty to the sect."

"The reason for choosing Wang Feng is to see if he is truly loyal to the sect. This is an excellent opportunity to test him."

“We and the Luoyun Sect were originally mortal enemies. If the Yunxuan Sect makes a comeback, who can guarantee that these former Luoyun Sect cultivators won’t defect?”

"Moreover, there are many rumors circulating within the sect that the Luoyun Sect has been resurrected through possession. Although rumors are said to be stopped by the wise, they are, to some extent, also what the disciples think in their hearts."

“If Junior Brother Wang Feng is willing to lead the recruited disciples to Nanhan County, then naturally no one will doubt his loyalty to our sect, and there will be no more rumors. This is a good opportunity for him to prove his innocence.”

"Junior Brother Jiang and I both hope that Junior Sister Su can stand with us and talk to Junior Brother Wang Feng about this matter."

After George Lam finished speaking, the room fell silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

Jiang Zichen looked down at the ground, and Su Zhirou frowned. Although she usually didn't care about sect affairs, she wasn't stupid. How could she not understand that Lin Zixiang's words were an insinuation that she was helping Xiao Ling and the others too much?

"Alright! We'll do it your way." After a moment of silence, Su Zhirou nodded.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zichen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Su Zhirou's support, the matter was considered settled.

Lin Zixiang's words just now really made him a little nervous, fearing that the two of them would quarrel.

Currently, only Lin Zixiang in the entire sect dares to say these things in front of Su Zhirou; he would never dare to do so.

It wasn't just a matter of personality; Lin Zixiang was senior and held a high position. Even before Su Zhirou joined the sect, he was already an elder, so he could speak his mind without restraint.

But he couldn't do that. That's how things are in the world. The same words spoken by someone of high status are convincing, but spoken by someone of low status are infuriating.

That's why he thought of bringing George Lam over to persuade Su Zhirou together.

“Junior Brother Jiang, immediately send someone to Tianshan to inform Junior Brother Hu Xiaobao of this matter and invite him over. He is an elder of the sect, and since the current sect leader is not here, he must be involved in such an important matter. We will first talk to Junior Brother Wang Feng privately and persuade him before holding a meeting to announce it.”

"Okay, I'll send someone there right away."

"Junior Sister Su, we'll take our leave now." Lin Zixiang got up and left. Seeing this, Jiang Zichen also quickly got up and took his leave.

.........

At night, the moon is bright and the stars are few.

In the brightly lit hall of Tianshan, Hu Xiaobao strode in from outside. Yu Lian, who was sitting inside, saw him enter and stood up with a smile to greet him: "Elder Hu, I apologize for disturbing you."

"Senior Brother Yu, please don't stand on ceremony. What brings you here today?" Hu Xiaobao walked to the head seat, sat down, and waved his hand.

"I've come on Senior Brother Jiang's orders. Please come to the mountain gate." Yu Lian flipped his hand and took out a jade slip, handing it to him.

Hu Xiaobao took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and frowned slightly: "Why do I have to go and send out disciples? Wouldn't it be better if Senior Brother Lin and Junior Brother Jiang could handle this?"

"The current sect leader is not in the sect. Junior Brother Hu is an elder of the sect. Of course, we need to ask you to discuss such an important matter of the sect."

"Senior Brother Yu, do you know exactly who will be recruited for the war?"

"I really don't know that. I'm just here to deliver a message."

"Okay! I understand."

"Then I'll take my leave." Yu Liang got up and left.

Hu Xiaobao watched his departing figure, then immediately sent someone to summon Huang Sheng.

Huang Sheng has now become his personal strategist, advising him on all matters, big and small, both inside and outside the sect.

After he arrived, Hu Xiaobao recounted the events: "What do you think of this?"

Huang Sheng frowned: "I think the key issue is who will participate in the conscription, especially who will lead the team. The sect leader is not at the mountain gate, so Jiang Zichen certainly can't make the decision on his own. He invited you to come to discuss this matter, after all, you are an elder of the sect, and he needs your support to have confidence. I suggest that when you go to the mountain gate, you first discuss it with your senior sister Su Zhirou."

“I’m worried that George Lam will take this opportunity to weaken the power of Tianshan. If Uncle-Master George Lam and Jiang Zichen want to send people from Tianshan to participate in the conscription, you have Uncle-Master Su Zhirou to support you, so you won’t be left to fend for yourself.”

.........

Dark clouds obscured the sun, the sky was gloomy, and the interior of the house was dimly lit.

Wang Feng and Xiao Ling sat facing each other.

"You want me to lead the conscription team to Nanhan County?" Wang Feng's face was gloomy, and his eyes flickered.

He never expected that Emperor Qianqing would issue another conscription order, and that it would fall on his head.

He joined the Hunyuan Sect only for profit, and naturally he was unwilling to risk his life for it for the sake of his cultivation, let alone go all the way to Nanhan County. Therefore, his expression immediately changed upon hearing this.

"It was Sister Zhirou who told me. It was Lin Zixiang's suggestion, and Sister Zhirou has already agreed. I believe they will talk to you soon." Xiao Ling's expression wasn't so bad at the moment, because she had heard the news and naturally knew that Lin Zixiang's move was aimed at her.

"George Lam," Wang Feng gritted his teeth, "Why did you choose me?"

“Senior Brother Wang, you should know the reason. Lin Zixiang has been dissatisfied with you and me for a long time. Of course he won’t let this opportunity pass, especially since the sect leader is not in the sect now, and this matter is under his jurisdiction.”

"Can't I talk to Junior Sister Su about it?" Wang Feng was still unwilling to give up.

Xiao Ling shook her head: "Lin Zixiang and the others have already gotten Zhirou's consent first. The best course of action now is to think about how to deal with this."

Hearing her say that, Wang Feng knew she had a solution: "Junior Sister Xiao, what's your plan?"

"Senior Brother Wang, please tell me first whether you are willing to participate in the recruitment."

"Of course I don't want to go."

"There's only one way: muddy the waters."

"Stir up trouble? How do you stir up trouble?"

"When they talk to you later, just say that this is unfair, why were you sent instead of someone else, and that this is a deliberate targeting."

"Will this... will this work?"

"We'll try anything, even if it's a desperate situation." ...

While the two were talking, in the council hall of Luoyun Mountain, Hu Xiaobao, Su Zhirou, Lin Zixiang, and Jiang Zichen were gathered together.

“I have no objection to sending Wang Feng to lead the team, but I think this list of personnel is still open to discussion.” Hu Xiaobao slowly closed the roster of recruited disciples provided by Jiang Zichen after flipping through it for a while.

"What are your opinions, Junior Brother Hu?" Jiang Zichen asked immediately.

“Isn’t it too many to select fifty people from the Tianshan Camp? After all, the Tianshan Camp is already short-handed. If another fifty people are transferred, the Tianshan side will be even more stretched.”

Lin Zixiang glanced at him expressionlessly, and before Jiang Zichen could answer, he said, "The Bianxi Camp, the Guard Camp, and the Hunyuan Camp have each dispatched fifty men. It's not just Tianshan that sent people."

Hu Xiaobao frowned: "But the Hunyuan Camp, Bianxi Camp, and Guard Camp all have far more people than the Tianshan Camp. It's not a big deal to transfer fifty people from these three units, but it's a different story to transfer fifty people from the Tianshan Camp."

“Alright then, Junior Brother Hu, we’ll discuss the specific number of personnel to be recruited later. Let’s settle the issue of who will lead the team first!” Jiang Zichen smoothed things over. “Since Junior Brother Hu agrees that Senior Brother Wang Feng will lead the team, let’s call him over and talk to him first.”

Hu Xiaobao fell silent, so Jiang Zichen ordered someone to summon Wang Feng.

Before long, Wang Feng arrived and glanced at the four of them: "Junior Brother Jiang, what brings you here?"

"Senior Brother Wang, please have a seat." Seeing his expression, Jiang Zichen guessed that he might already know about this matter, so he kindly invited him to sit down and recounted the story: "We hope that Senior Brother Wang will lead the team there. We will have to trouble Senior Brother Wang with this task."

After hearing this, Wang Feng remained expressionless: "Whether it's hard or not, I don't care. But I want to know, out of so many people in the sect, why was I chosen to go?"

"There's no reason why, this is the sect's decision. As a cultivator of the sect, Junior Brother Wang must obey the sect's decision." Lin Zixiang's voice was as cold as ice.

Wang Feng met his gaze without backing down: "Since it's a decision made by the sect, let's discuss it during the sect's council meeting."

“We are discussing business right now.” George Lam stared at him with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s.

The two were locked in a fierce confrontation, and the atmosphere in the hall was already tense, with each person displaying a different expression.

Jiang Zichen frowned slightly, Hu Xiaobao watched coldly, Su Zhirou hesitated to speak, and Wang Feng remained expressionless.

After a brief silence, Su Zhirou finally spoke: "Senior Brother Wang, we sent you to lead the team not because we were targeting you, but because we trust your abilities. We hope you don't misunderstand."

Wang Feng feigned composure: "Junior Sister Su, please forgive my bluntness, but I'm not afraid of death. I just feel this is unfair. Why are we cultivators who joined the sect later the ones who are being recruited? Are we really stepchildren? Didn't the sect leader say he would treat everyone equally? But why are we sent out whenever there's a battle? I don't understand, I want an explanation."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in the hall changed. This was something that was tacitly understood, but saying it aloud made a difference.

Lin Zixiang's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly, "Stop beating around the bush. With the sect leader absent, we are in charge of the sect. We are now issuing a decree from the sect, ordering you to lead the team there. You only need to answer whether you will go or not."

"If you want me to lead the team, don't you have to give me an explanation? Why does it have to be me? Why were we cultivators who joined the sect later chosen for both recruitments?"

"There's no reason why. This is the sect's decision, and as a disciple, you must obey." Hu Xiaobao, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. He had been observing coldly, but Wang Feng's words had affected his authority.

Regardless, he was a sect elder and one of the sect's highest administrators. Wang Feng not only refused to obey orders but also attempted to provoke internal conflicts within the sect and drag this matter into the sect's higher-ups' differential treatment of disciples.

It should be noted that most of the disciples in the Hunyuan Sect were recruited after arriving in Bianxi City. If this were to spread, it would inevitably lead to internal chaos.

Seeing that everyone was already using their true energy and staring coldly at him, even Su Zhirou showed displeasure, Wang Feng felt immense pressure, but he still stubbornly argued back.
"That means if the sect wants us to die, we have to obey unconditionally. In the future, whenever there is a war, it will be us, the new members who joined the sect, who will line up to fight. I don't accept this. It's not fair."

Lin Zixiang stared intently at him, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

Jiang Zichen frowned. Hu Xiaobao also looked at him coldly.

Su Zhirou also frowned, her face full of displeasure.

A deathly silence fell over the main hall.

Just then, the voice of the disciple on duty came from outside the hall. The disciples were all sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, and they clearly heard him call out "Sect Leader".

The group exchanged glances, and Su Zhirou's brows relaxed, revealing a look of surprise and delight.

Jiang Zichen visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

George Lam maintained his stern expression, only slightly furrowing his brow.

Hu Xiaobao calmly looked out of the hall.

Wang Feng was the first to stand up, his eyes darting around, looking quite guilty.

Soon, footsteps sounded, and Song Xian's burly figure entered from outside.

Su Zhirou stood up and quickly went to greet him. Jiang Zichen, Hu Xiaobao, and Lin Zixiang also slowly stood up.

With his usual calm and confident smile, Song Xian strode into the hall.

"My husband is finally back." Su Zhirou walked up to him with a beaming smile.

Song Xian took her hand and led her to the head seat.

"Headmaster."

"Headmaster."

The group bowed in greeting.

"Everyone, please sit down." He walked to the head of the table and sat down, waving his hand: "What happened? Why are you all gathered here?"

Jiang Zichen was worried that if Lin Zixiang or Hu Xiaobao spoke up, they would directly target Wang Feng, further escalating the conflict, so he immediately replied first.

"It's like this, Sect Leader. The Chu Kingdom's Tianxuan Sect has announced an alliance with the rebels in Nanhan County and has already amassed a large force to support Nanhan County. The Qianqing Sect has issued another conscription order, requesting to recruit 20,000 cultivators from Xishu County. Xu Yaoming has requested that our sect send 200 cultivators. Senior Brother Lin, Senior Sister Su, Junior Brother Hu, and I feel that Senior Brother Wang is the most suitable person to lead this conscription team. We are currently discussing this matter."

Upon hearing that the rebels had allied with the Tianxuan Sect and even sent troops to support them, Song Xian was startled, but he remained outwardly calm, merely nodding slightly with a smile on his face. His gaze, however, was fixed on Wang Feng: "Just now, I faintly heard someone outside the hall saying something was unfair. What was unfair?"

Wang Feng cleared his throat: "Reporting to the Sect Leader, it was I who said those words."

"Junior Brother Wang, what do you find unfair?"

Wang Feng had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply, "Both times the sect summoned us, the later members, to go. I feel this is unfair, so I'm asking my fellow disciples for an explanation."

"Hmm." Song Xian nodded calmly, still smiling. "This is a reasonable request. Senior Brother Lin and Junior Brother Jiang, you should give me an explanation."

(End of this chapter)