A Blood-Moving Realm has arrived in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Qiu Chuji turned to look at Zhang Huai and Yang Guo, and said gently, "..."

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I will definitely give you a proper explanation."

Qiu Chuji's voice carried a hint of nervousness, fearing that breaking their previous agreement would displease Zhang Huai, as Chongyang Palace could no longer withstand any further disruption.

Zhang Huai sipped his tea leisurely to the side, pretending to be an elegant gentleman even though the tea tasted bland and unpleasant.

Zhang Huai was quite surprised when he heard the disciple's reply.

He had always known that Zhao Zhijing was a cowardly and narrow-minded person, so he was not at all surprised that this man would run away out of fear of punishment.

What truly surprised him was Zhen Zhibing.

In his memory, although Zhen Zhibing was obsessed with Xiaolongnu to the point of madness and acted in a strange way, he was still a decent person. He never imagined that this person would also flee to escape punishment.

Perhaps there are some unknown secrets hidden here.

But Zhang Huaiben didn't care much about any of this.

These two were insignificant to him; no matter where they fled, they posed no threat to him whatsoever. If he encountered them again in the future, he could simply eliminate them.

What he wanted today was simply a clear stance from the Quanzhen Sect. Seeing the anxious and flustered state of Qiu Chuji and the others, he already knew what was going on and understood the Quanzhen Sect's attitude.

But one must always maintain the facade.

He gently set down his teacup, a forced smile on his face, and glanced at Qiu Chuji and the others, asking in a cold voice:

"Sect Leader Qiu, are you perhaps trying to deceive us?"

"Old man, be smart and hand over those two right now!" Yang Guo chimed in with a threat, his tone impatient.

Qiu Chuji and the others immediately tensed up and hurriedly began to explain:

"Young Master Zhang, Guo'er, Miss Long, we would never dare to protect those two villains! Our Quanzhen Sect has always been a people of our word, and we are by no means cunning or untrustworthy."

Zhang Huai remained silent upon hearing this, simply staring at him intently, his eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Seeing that Zhang Huai didn't believe him at all, Qiu Chuji panicked and shouted:

"Someone come here!"

Upon hearing the noise, the disciples on guard outside the door immediately rushed in.

"Immediately mobilize all disciples to search for Zhao Zhijing and Zhen Zhibing! No one is allowed to return until they are found!"

Qiu Chuji's voice was filled with urgency and panic.

Several disciples received the order and immediately turned to go down and relay the message, mobilizing the entire sect to search for the person.

"Wait!"

Zhang Huai suddenly spoke up to stop them.

"If you can't find them, you won't come back? Then who will guard Chongyang Palace? With the Mongol army pressing in, who will fight them? If you're the thief crying 'stop thief!' and deliberately hiding them, wouldn't you never find them and use that as an excuse to avoid fighting the Mongols? Sect Leader Qiu, you're quite the schemer. Do you think I'm a fool?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Huai raised his hand and slapped the teacup on the table. The porcelain shards hit his palm but failed to pierce his skin; they were directly smashed into powder.

This scene shocked Qiu Chuji and the others, sending chills down their spines.

They all knew that even if Yang Long and Zhang Huai didn't make a move, Zhang Huai alone was enough to wipe out the entire Quanzhen Sect.

Zhang Huai's words were all reasonable, leaving them with no way to refute them.

"Young Master Zhang...we..." Qiu Chuji opened his mouth to explain, but was speechless.

Zhang Huai raised his hand to stop him, and slowly spoke:

"With the Mongol invasion looming, the task of resisting the Mongols must be undertaken. Don't you all agree?"

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen were already flustered, their usual dignified and otherworldly demeanor completely gone, and they nodded repeatedly like chickens pecking at rice upon hearing this.

"To be honest, Zhao Zhijing and his companion are nothing more than two insignificant little people to me. They've run away, so be it. If I ever have the chance to run into them again, I'll just kill them with a single blow."

Zhang Huai spoke casually, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"Young Master Zhang is absolutely right!"

Wang Chuyi quickly chimed in with flattery.

"My disciples are not skilled enough. Even though those two are top-notch in the sect, they can't cause any trouble in the entire martial arts world."

"but,"

Zhang Huai suddenly changed the subject.

"Since there was a prior agreement, these two should have been handed over to me. But now they've escaped. This shows that the Quanzhen Sect has broken its promise to us, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Wang Chuyi replied, his head bowed and his voice barely audible.

The Quanzhen Sect, once the most powerful sect in the world, has enjoyed a prestigious reputation and immense prestige for many years. Yet, it has repeatedly fallen into the hands of others, not only wrongly accusing good people but also losing credibility and utterly disgracing itself.

The other immortals in the hall also hung their heads in shame, unable to lift their faces.

Zhang Huai's gaze slowly swept over the group, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, the soft sound particularly clear in the silent hall.

"I believe that all of you seniors are people of your word, so this breach of trust must have been quite unexpected. But rules are rules, and a breach of trust is a breach of trust, and that is always true."

"Young Master Zhang is right. Our Quanzhen Sect would never dare to shirk this responsibility." Qiu Chuji quickly responded. He was originally a proud man, but now that he had violated morality time and time again, he had to humble himself.

Zhang Huai continued, "Since that's the case, Zhao Zhijing and the other two won't be found anytime soon, so they should at least make amends to us."

"What does Young Hero Zhang desire? As long as it is within the power of our Quanzhen Sect, we will do our utmost and never refuse."

Qiu Chuji raised his eyes and cautiously met Zhang Huai's gaze.

"Excellent! As expected of the Quanzhen Sect!"

Zhang Huai immediately praised him, flattering him without batting an eye.

"I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You're bold and responsible, truly role models for us江湖人 (jianghu people)."

He said slowly:

"Actually, there's nothing excessive about it. It's just that I've long heard that the Quanzhen Sect is the most orthodox sect of martial arts in the world, with unparalleled techniques and skills. The reputation of the venerable Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine, is renowned throughout the martial arts world. Am I right, young man?"

"Of course." Hearing Zhang Huai praise his sect, Qiu Chuji straightened his chest and showed a hint of pride on his face. But then he sighed, "It's just a pity that the later generations of disciples are not up to par and have failed to carry forward the prestige of our ancestor."

Zhang Huai chuckled softly, his words carrying a hint of probing: "In that case, why don't you lend me your sect's cultivation technique so I can broaden my horizons?"

Seeing that the others had already agreed to discuss it, Zhang Huai took the opportunity to state his own requirements.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Chuji and the others widened their eyes in astonishment, staring at Zhang Huai with flushed faces, and hurriedly refused:

"Young Master Zhang! Absolutely not! The Quanzhen Sect's martial arts techniques were personally passed down by our founder, the very foundation of our sect. How could we possibly pass them on to outsiders? That's absolutely impossible!"

"What do you mean, old Taoist!" Yang Guo immediately rebuked, his face full of dissatisfaction. "Just now you said you would do your utmost, but now you say you absolutely cannot even borrow the technique to take a look. Is this selective effort, or are you breaking your promise?"

Yang Guo's words made the others blush with shame, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

Even the usually taciturn Little Dragon Girl couldn't help but speak up, bluntly stating:

"Why do you people always go back on your word? First you broke your promise to us, and then, having promised to do your best to make amends, you're now making excuses and delaying."

Wang Chongyang, a hero of his generation, how could he have disciples like you? I truly don't understand how our Grandmaster could have ever taken a liking to him.

Despite being questioned repeatedly by the two, Qiu Chuji and the others remained silent. However, the martial arts technique was the foundation of the Quanzhen Sect's survival and development, and it was of utmost importance. Even if they were to reveal it to the heavens, they could not easily divulge it.