Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 467 Reconciliation of Conflicts
Song Xian remained silent.

This was the first time Lin Zixiang had questioned him so emotionally. Since he took office as the sect leader, no one in the sect had ever spoken to him like this.

Over the years, the two have had disagreements, but never to the point of tearing each other apart and going to court like this.

George Lam's reaction was completely unexpected, but he was speechless.

The hall fell silent. After his roar, Lin Zixiang took a deep breath, clearly having made a great decision before speaking.

"What does Senior Brother Zixiang want me to do? Does he want me to declare war on the Bright Moon Sect immediately? Or does he want me to replace Xiao Ling as the head of the External Affairs Hall? Fine, I'll replace her. You tell me! Who should take her place?"

After a brief silence, Song Xian spoke, his words tinged with emotion. He was also somewhat angry, and his expression was not pleasant.

Lin Zixiang did not answer, and the hall fell silent again. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, and neither of them looked at each other, their gazes fixed elsewhere.

"You can decide on Junior Brother Fan's matter yourself, Sect Leader! I'll take my leave." After a while, Lin Zixiang stood up and strode out.

Watching his departing figure, Song Xian leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat weary, and sighed deeply.

Cultivating oneself is difficult, being a good person is difficult, and being a sect leader is even more difficult.

Although he was unparalleled in prestige within the sect, he could not always have everything go his way.

Many things within a sect cannot be completely resolved simply by prestige and strength.

After a while, he got up and left the council hall, returned to his residence, and sent someone to summon Su Zhirou.

Before long, she arrived at the inner courtyard room. Although she held the position of sect elder, she usually did not concern herself with sect affairs and rarely participated in sect meetings. Due to their special relationship, everyone else in the sect knew this and was used to it.

"What's wrong with my husband?" Su Zhirou pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Song Xian's unusual expression, she sat down next to him.

"During today's meeting, Senior Brother Zixiang and Xiao Ling clashed fiercely over Fan Cheng's matter, making things quite ugly. After the meeting, he argued with me again."

"Huh? He dares to argue with his husband?" Su Zhirou looked incredulous, because such a thing had never happened before. Even with Zhong Wenyuan, at most they would argue about different opinions, but it would never escalate to the point of arguing.

"I didn't expect him to be so emotional today. It was just a matter of saying the wrong thing and things happening at the right time."

"what happened?"

Song Xian then recounted the events. Su Zhirou frowned, somewhat indignant: "How could he talk like that? It's too much. He's just being arrogant because of his seniority."

Song Xian shook his head: "Don't just talk about him. Xiao Ling also doesn't know her place. Who is Junior Brother Fan Cheng? He's an old man from the Guzi Peak era, and now he's been murdered inexplicably. She keeps calling herself a Qi Refining Disciple, a Qi Refining Disciple. How could Senior Brother Zixiang not be furious?"

"Not to mention him, Yu Lian and Junior Brother Zichen also looked unwell, but they didn't lash out."

"I didn't call you here to be a judge. Go talk to Xiao Ling!"

Su Zhirou pouted unhappily: "What does my husband want me to talk to her about?"

"Of course you should try to mediate. Do you expect me to help her argue? They already don't get along, and today they're arguing so fiercely. If we don't mediate, things will only get worse and they'll become irreconcilable enemies. What will the sect be able to do then? Besides, you should speak to her kindly and tell her to be more considerate of Senior Brother Zixiang in the meantime, and at least not to make such a scene in public."

“Lin Zixiang is in such a state, why doesn’t my husband talk about him, but only about Ling’er?”

Song Xian frowned: "Senior Brother Zixiang is an elder of the sect. How much has he done for the sect over the years? Whether it's his merits or seniority, shouldn't she, a disciple who joined the sect later, be more humble? If she's not humble, does she expect Senior Brother Zixiang to be humble towards her? What kind of behavior is that?"

Hearing the displeasure in his tone, Su Zhirou quickly replied, "Okay, okay. I'll talk to her. Why are you angry?"

"You should also be careful to avoid suspicion in the future. Let her handle her own affairs. Don't interfere or help her anymore; it's not a good thing. What Senior Brother Zixiang said today, didn't he mean that we're backing her up?"

"I understand. I'm going now." Seeing that he was getting more and more upset, Su Zhirou got up and left to avoid upsetting him.

Before long, she arrived in front of a magnificent mansion. As soon as the light of her escape descended, someone came out to greet her and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Martial Aunt Su. May I ask what your orders are?"

Is Ling'er here?

"Uncle-Master Xiao has just returned to the manor; I'm going to inform him."

"No need, I'll go find her myself." Su Zhirou said, striding into the mansion and heading straight to Xiao Ling's inner courtyard room.

"Sister Zhirou, what brings you here?" Xiao Ling had just received a report from her personal maid when she heard Su Zhirou's voice and quickly went out to greet her.

"I came to see you." Su Zhirou took her hand and led her into the room, where the two sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I heard from my husband that during today's meeting, you and your senior brother George Lam had a heated argument and it got quite ugly?"

Xiao Ling snorted: "It's not that I'm going head-to-head with him. What qualifications and status does he have? How could I dare to say a bad word about him? I just said a few words about Fan Cheng's matter and disagreed with him, and he said that I was a freeloader and that I didn't deserve to sit in this position. Sister Zhirou, why don't I just go and help you out, so that I won't be gossiped about all day long?"

Su Zhirou patted her hand: "I know everything. Actually, he wasn't targeting you specifically. After you left, he even had a big fight with his husband!"

Xiao Ling's eyes lit up, unable to tell whether it was surprise or delight and curiosity: "Really? He argued with the sect leader? And they had a big argument?"

"Of course it's true, would I lie to you? They had a really big argument, the likes of which we've never had before. My husband was quite unhappy when he got home."

Xiao Ling asked with a gossipy look, "Really? What were they arguing about? Was it about Fan Cheng?"

"That's the matter, but the focus isn't on Fan Cheng."

"So what exactly happened? Sister Zhirou, please tell us!"

"Never mind, there's nothing more to say. If you run into George Lam in the future, be a little lenient with him. He's a bit stubborn, but he doesn't have any bad intentions."

Xiao Ling sighed, feeling dejected. "What else can I do but give in to him? He's an elder, and I'm just someone who reaps the benefits without contributing. If I argue with him, wouldn't I just be humiliating myself?"

Su Zhirou naturally sensed the dissatisfaction in her words. Normally, she might have offered some words of comfort, but now she put on a stern face and spoke seriously.

“What he said is wrong. But you shouldn’t keep calling Fan Cheng a Qi Refining disciple. Think about it, what is Fan Cheng’s relationship with Lin Zixiang, Yu Lian, and Jiang Zichen? This person just died, so we should at least give him some respect!” Seeing that she was getting serious, Xiao Ling stopped being evasive, but she was still a little unhappy.

"Okay, next time I meet someone who entered the sect before me, I will definitely call them senior brother or sister with utmost respect."

Su Zhirou gently slapped her hand: "Look at you, you get upset just from being told off a couple of times. Do you know what Lin Zixiang said about his husband?"

Xiao Ling's interest was piqued, and her eyes lit up: "What did he say?"

"He said that it's because we're backing you up that you dare to speak so arrogantly as a Qi Refining disciple. See? He's turning his attention to us. You'd better watch out! Don't give them any more ammunition."

Xiao Ling's expression was one of undisguised surprise: "He dares to speak to the sect leader like that?"

“He is the most senior member of the sect. To be honest, my husband was able to become the sect leader because of his strong support. What is there that he wouldn’t dare to say?”

"Isn't the sect leader angry?"

Su Zhirou sighed: "How could I not be angry? I was furious. Didn't I tell you? My husband was unhappy after he went back, but there was nothing I could do about it. I can't just take away his position as an elder because he said a few words! After all, he has made great contributions to the sect."

"So, try to be more accommodating to him in the future and don't argue with him. If he dares to treat his husband like that, you can't be any different."

“If you two become irreconcilable enemies, it won’t do you any good. People in the sect, like Jiang Zichen, Yu Lian, and Shen Fan, are all people that my husband trusts and values. Whose side will they take?”

Xiao Ling put her arm around hers: "Of course I know they're all in cahoots. How could I dare to argue with them? I didn't start this today either. Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. Sister Zhirou, tell me, how exactly did Lin Zixiang argue with the sect leader?"

…………

As the two chatted, Jiang Zichen strode into the spacious and bright hall of Yu Lian's residence at the other end of the mountain gate.

Inside, Lin Zixiang, Yu Lian, and Shen Fan were already seated at the table, which was set with spiritual wine and food.

"Junior Brother Jiang is here, please have a seat." Yu Lian stood up to greet him warmly with a big smile.

George Lam looked up at him, then continued drinking his wine.

Shen Fan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Senior Brother Yu, what day is it today? Why have you invited everyone?" Jiang Zichen looked at the expressions of the group and guessed that it was about what had happened in the meeting room earlier that day, but he pretended not to know.

"Junior Brother Fan was murdered without any explanation. Our old brothers from the Qingyun Sect, do we really need a special day to hold a memorial ceremony for him?" Before Yu Lian could answer, Lin Zixiang coldly responded, without even glancing at him.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. Yu Lian's smile paused for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

Shen Fan glanced at Lin Zixiang but said nothing.

Jiang Zichen sat down awkwardly, knowing that Lin Zixiang was venting his dissatisfaction that he hadn't spoken up in support during the meeting and had instead tried to smooth things over.

“Senior Brother Lin is right. Now, only a few of us old brothers from the Qingyun Sect are left. Now that everyone is here, let’s have a drink!” Yu Lian said with a smile, seeing the lukewarm atmosphere.

They all raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

Jiang Zichen took the initiative to explain: "Junior Brother Fan was the deputy hall master of our Personnel Hall. He was murdered without explanation. For both public and private reasons, I want to avenge him. However, the matter involves too many people. The Bright Moon Sect is not only stronger than our sect, but also has many business collaborations with our sect. Therefore, we cannot act rashly."

Yu Lian glanced at Lin Zixiang and continued, "Junior Brother Jiang probably doesn't know yet! Senior Brother Lin and the Sect Leader had a heated argument over this matter after the meeting."

"Ah?" Jiang Zichen looked surprised. When he left the council hall, he saw Lin Zixiang sitting inside, so he knew that he and Song Xian still had something to talk about. He just didn't expect that the two would have an argument, let alone a heated one.

Even Yu Lian said so, which shows that the two must have had a very heated argument at the time.

He looked at George Lam with surprise, feeling somewhat incredulous. He knew clearly that over the years, the two of them were not as close as they appeared to be. There were some disagreements in secret, but he had never heard of them arguing in public. Even when there were bigger things before, the two of them did not have any heated arguments.

Unexpectedly, the two ended up arguing loudly in the council hall over this very matter.

"It's nothing, I just said what I've been keeping in my heart for a long time." Lin Zixiang's expression was calm, even somewhat dejected. He picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, as if he had a lot of pent-up emotions that he had nowhere to vent.

Yu Lian also showed indignation: "That Xiao Ling really went too far. She was a homeless dog with nowhere to go, and our sect took her in, yet she became so proud of herself. Junior Brother Jiang, you saw and heard it all today, how she looked down on Junior Brother Fan. In her heart, Junior Brother Fan was just a Qi Refining disciple, and his death was no big deal. It shows what she thinks of us who have worked so hard for the sect for so many years."

"If it weren't for Senior Brother Lin standing up for her in the council hall, I would have pointed my finger at her and cursed her. What a piece of trash!

Although Jiang Zichen also disliked Xiao Ling's words, he did not want to escalate the conflict further: "Senior Brother Lin and Senior Brother Yu, don't be angry. Why bother with her?"

Lin Zixiang suddenly looked up at Jiang, his face solemn: "Junior Brother Jiang, just you wait and see! There will be no place for us in the sect anymore."

These words immediately created a somewhat awkward atmosphere in the hall.

Even Yu Lian was surprised when he suddenly blurted out such a sentence, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.

Shen Fan remained silent, sitting there without saying a word, only glancing at Lin Zixiang.

Jiang Zichen frowned: "Senior Brother Lin, you're exaggerating! The sect leader trusts us the most, he wouldn't marginalize us just for Xiao Ling."

"Yes, not now, but who knows in the future. The gap between our strength and that of the sect leader is widening. If he advances to the Golden Core stage in the future, Junior Brother Fan's current situation will be our tomorrow." Lin Zixiang finished his drink, seemingly a little drunk.

“Junior Brother Fan was a brother who came with us back in the days of Guzi Peak. He has worked hard for the sect all these years. Now he has been murdered inexplicably. We know who the murderer is, but look at his attitude. Does he care? Has he said a word about reminiscing or seeking revenge?”

"Xiao Ling's words were harsh, but they were the truth. Not only in Xiao Ling's eyes, but also in his eyes."

"He was just a Qi Refining disciple. If he dies, he dies. What's the big deal? It's not worth risking conflict with the Bright Moon Sect for this."

“When he breaks through to the Golden Core Realm in the future, what difference will there be between us and Junior Brother Fan? We will just be Foundation Establishment disciples then.”

(End of this chapter)