Nan and Mu exchanged glances. They were relatively clear about Yu Qing’s strength.
In the Peach Garden of Little Cloud Space, they had fought for almost a year, almost every night. Which time was not a real fight? Bruised and swollen faces were normal, they just fell short of being fatal.
They really could not win. Even fighting together they could not win. They felt Old Fifteenth’s sword was very powerful.
However, precisely because Yu Qing showed no mercy, the two of them had truly benefited greatly from long-term actual combat. The degree of improvement in their actual combat ability was beyond their own imagination. From the start they had no power to resist under Yu Qing’s sword, to later desperately blocking and exchanging moves, and moreover at night.
It was just that, no matter how they fought or quarrelled before, it was all a muddled account. Today this posture seemed to want to completely determine superiority.
Honestly speaking, none of them were fools. Having experienced so much together, some matters the two had already tacitly accepted in their hearts, only they did not want to admit it verbally, and were not very willing to accept it.
Today, this fellow Old Fifteenth did not want to give everyone a way out.
The two secretly looked toward Second Brother, thinking inwardly that it was bad. They really did not know how today would end.
Gao Yunjie stood with hands behind his back, lips tightly pressed, not speaking, his face gloomy.
Yu Qing observed the several people for quite a while. Seeing there was still no reaction, he looked at Chong’er again. “Chong’er, do you not plan to acknowledge me as Sect Leader?”
Chong’er hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands, indicating he did not.
Very well. Yu Qing raised his chin toward him, hoping he could take the lead and speak first to pay respects to the Sect Leader.
However, Chong’er lowered his head, pretending not to understand, and secretly observed the reactions of the other three senior brothers.
He did not want to publicly choose sides. Both sides were his senior brothers. Making him publicly stand in a team, he felt very embarrassed. He did not want to offend either side.
Yu Qing was immediately angered until one eyebrow twitched. He immediately spoke again, calling by name: “Old Seventh, matters having reached this stage, express your own attitude. Master’s last will, will you follow it or not?”
Nan Zhu looked toward Second Brother’s side from time to time, his face full of hesitation.
Silence. Quiet.
Yu Qing suddenly broke the calm. “The door is behind you. You decide yourself.”
This was being forced to the wall. Nan Zhu saw no one voiced support. He suddenly sighed, cupped his hands, and lowered his head. “Sect Leader!”
Yu Qing’s eyebrows immediately rose. He stared at another person. “Old Ninth, what about you?”
Mu Aotie’s pressure was slightly lighter, after all there was someone who took the lead. He lowered his head, was slightly silent for a moment, then slowly cupped his hands. “Sect Leader!”
Yu Qing’s expression relaxed considerably. His gaze fixed on Second Brother, but his mouth said, “Chong’er.”
Chong’er at the side immediately lowered his head, also becoming a weathercock, cupping his hands to pay respects. “Sect Leader Senior Brother.”
Next, Yu Qing sat there not speaking, both hands supporting his sword, sitting there quietly, neither forcing nor urging, waiting for the last person’s attitude.
Just when everyone thought Second Brother would make everyone wait a long time, or that it would escalate to a difficult ending, who knew Second Brother suddenly cupped his hands toward the superior position, and called out: “Sect Leader!” His face however turned to one side, closed his eyes, his face full of how could this be.
At such an advanced age, bowing to a young person whose seniority was lower than his and experience shallower than his, heaven knows what his heart had experienced.
Yu Qing’s cheeks slowly spread open. He suddenly burst into joy, smiled until his eyes narrowed, smiling amiably stood up, both hands making a virtual supporting gesture. “No need for ceremony, all no need for ceremony.”
His mood suddenly became extremely good.
He actually had no great breadth of mind. The place where he grew up from childhood was his home. Suddenly becoming the master in charge, he felt very pleased, with a feeling of floating like an immortal.
“Turning face thief…” Mu Aotie quietly muttered once.
Chong’er also stared blankly at Sect Leader Senior Brother’s reaction.
After everyone let go, Yu Qing also realised he had somewhat failed to control his expression. It seemed he had smiled a bit too wildly, as if he should not have had the reaction of a petty person succeeding in his schemes. He therefore rapidly changed his face again, forcibly becoming serious. “That, Old Seventh, Old Ninth, pack and prepare, come out on a trip with me.”
Nan Zhu was stunned. “Where to?”
Yu Qing: “Besides going to get money, where else can we go? Now there are still shops that can be mortgaged, what about next year? Wanting to sustain it we cannot sustain it anymore. The Dark Cliff ‘Nine-son Golden Lotus’ mission, we must in any case go try our luck.”
Nan and Mu exchanged glances, and immediately also became spirited. Unlike earlier, now their cultivation had broken through Xuan, they were just thinking of going out to move about, with a bit of itch to try and even wanting to actively find people to pick a quarrel.
Nan Zhu nodded with an “mm”, “Very well, then let’s go take a walk.”
Mu Aotie also nodded.
Chong’er quickly spoke out, “I’ll go too.”
Yu Qing: “Why don’t you go to heaven?”
Chong’er was immediately speechless.
Yu Qing continued, “I did not hesitate to mortgage shops to obtain Ice Soul for what purpose? Honestly raise your own cultivation first. You stay behind to accompany Second Senior Brother to watch the house. Those things need someone to remain home to guard. Also, Second Senior Brother, you and Chong’er’s cultivation for the time being try not to let people discover the bottom…”
Facing such careful lengthy instructions, Gao Yunjie had nothing to say, only silently listening, only occasionally nodding. His entire person’s vitality seemed immersed in a kind of inexplicable loss.
Later, Yu Qing again went to find Tie Miaoqing and Sun Ping to make arrangements.
After all arrangements were properly made, the three senior brothers did not delay much, and immediately set out.
All three were concealed in black cloaks, quietly leaving separately, setting out while it was dark.
After successively leaping out from the underground rapids, they successively met up near the agreed horse field.
Beside the horse field there was an inn. Many Thousand-li Messengers took jobs here. The three senior brothers found three Thousand-li Messengers willing to carry people, negotiated the price, then immediately rode flying beasts away.
Three large flying beasts flew along the transverse mountain range, equivalent to taking a large detour. There was no other way. Whether within Yin Country or Jin Country, flying beasts carrying people flying in the sky were not permitted. Thousand-li Messengers delivering things was acceptable, just not carrying people.
So they could only go around, then pass over the sea.
All the way the star river was brilliant, until the sky showed slight fish-belly white. The three flying beasts in the high sky again dove toward the darkness on the ground, charging toward the vast sea.
There was faint lamplight in one place on the sea. It was an island, called “Horseshoe Island”, named because it was shaped like a horseshoe.
This island was rather famous in the cultivation world. It was a place where many cultivators stopped to rest when passing by. It could be considered a no-man’s-land.
The three senior brothers also had to temporarily rest here. The three giant flying beasts carrying them had flown for one whole night, the consumption was truly great. They needed to rest a bit.
The three giant beasts successively landed on an empty space. The three senior brothers jumped down. The three giant flying beasts again transformed into human form. Buyer and seller began settling accounts. Very expensive.
It could only be said willing to hit and willing to take it. There was no other way. There were just people willing to spend money to buy time.
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie each gave fifty thousand taels. Nan Zhu gave seventy thousand taels.
Only because Nan Zhu was too fat, the burden was too heavy. If he did not give more money no one was willing to carry him flying.
Buyer and seller subsequently parted ways. The three Thousand-li Messengers needed to rest and recover for one day before flying again. The three senior brothers were unwilling to delay one day for this. They wanted to continue hurrying to the Nether Sea. They needed to find other giant flying beasts willing to carry passengers here.
Fortunately at this kind of transit place, what was least lacking were Thousand-li Messengers doing this business.
Looking from high sky it was nearly dawn. On the ground it was still pitch black. There were quite a few inns and wine shops on the island, open all night, lights twinkling.
The three senior brothers walked away from the surging waves at the seaside, walking toward the island centre. Knowing the island was not very large, since they had come they thought they might as well walk around and look, and also conveniently find suitable Thousand-li Messengers to continue the latter half of the journey.
They walked around everywhere, discovering it was dark and there was nothing worth seeing. They therefore found a wine shop with many night guests, entered to ask for some food and drink, using this to ask the shopkeeper about Thousand-li Messenger matters.
This matter was simple on this island. The shopkeeper let them eat at ease. When they wanted to leave they just needed to call out and it would be fine. He would help them find some.
Thus the three people concealed in cloaks sat down to wait to use the island-style delicious food, and also taste it by the way.
When the food and wine arrived, just as the three were almost finished eating and preparing to leave, two more people entered from outside, sitting right at their neighbouring table, also ordering food and wine.
“Don’t know who it is, didn’t expect they found the Nine-son Golden Lotus so quickly.”
“Indeed fast enough. The Dark Cliff mission was only posted a few days ago, right?”
“There are always people with good luck. Don’t know what conditions the person who succeeded will propose to Dark Cliff.”
Just when the three senior brothers had almost eaten enough and were preparing to leave, the casually chatting topic from the neighbouring table faintly entered the three people’s ears, immediately making the three people’s ears stand up.
After hearing the content clearly, Yu Qing immediately could not sit still. He immediately stood up, walked to the neighbouring table, cupped his hands and said, “May I ask, are the two of you perhaps from Dark Cliff?”
The two men at the neighbouring table sized him up and down, clearly with guarded faces. One person said, “So what if we are?”
Yu Qing asked again, “I just heard you two mention that the ‘Nine-son Golden Lotus’ new mission issued by Dark Cliff has already been completed by someone. I wonder if I heard wrong?”
The other party said, “You did not hear wrong. The new mission was indeed completed by someone.”
Yu Qing said puzzled, “Not hiding it from you two, I also only just came from Dark Cliff not long ago, and also wanted to go to the Nether Sea to find the ‘Nine-son Golden Lotus’. Before setting out, I still saw the mission properly posted there. You two couldn’t have seen wrong, right?”
The other party said cheerfully, “We’re not blind, how could we see wrong? The words on the cliff wall were extinguished just as we set out. Of course, you can think we’re blind too, you can think we’re talking nonsense as well.” He shrugged his shoulders, with a whatever, too lazy to say more appearance.
“Sorry to disturb.” Yu Qing politely spoke, slowly walking back to his seat to sit down.
The three senior brothers looked at each other, quite speechless. They estimated what the neighbouring table said should be true. The problem was the other party also had no need to lie to them about this kind of matter.
Probably it was just after they left Dark Cliff that someone completed the mission.
The three were extremely depressed. It was equal to a wasted trip. Not to mention, their funds were not ample to begin with, and they had wasted over a hundred thousand taels in travel expenses. It hurt so much the three did not want to breathe.
Yu Qing subsequently stood up, asking the shopkeeper for a guest room.
There was already no need to continue hurrying to the Nether Sea. Stay put first and then talk.
After arriving at the guest room to stay, the three people who met failure at the first step sat together not making a sound, staring at the flickering flame on the table in a daze.
Especially Yu Qing. He had still been thinking his Word Observation Technique would have an advantage in the fog. When setting out he was quite full of confidence, thinking opportunity had come. The result was before the people even arrived, the mission was taken first by someone else. His mood was bleak.