CHAPTER 195: CHAPTER 63

"Why doesn’t Brother Rong ask us for help? We are fellow disciples. No matter what he does, we will always support him!" Gu Qingqing asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Because he doesn’t want the reputation of the Holy Land to be tarnished because of him," Wen Guiyun’s expression remained peaceful, but a hint of emotion flickered in his eyes. "He appears proud, but he truly cares about you. He doesn’t want you to get hurt because of him."

Rong Ye seemed arrogant, never easily bowing to anyone, but in his heart, Yue Zhao and the others were the most important to him. How could he let them get hurt because of his own matters? That would torment him with guilt!

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.

"Brother Rong is such a fool!" Gu Qingqing, with reddened eyes, broke the silence through gritted teeth. "He doesn’t want us to worry, does he think we can just watch him get into trouble? I won’t let anything happen to him!"

"My junior brother is not someone who can be bullied by anyone!" Si Lin remained expressionless, his tone firm.

"That’s right, we from Spirit Hidden Mountain cannot be easily bullied!" Yue Zhao agreed, nodding, with a genuine smile now on his lips.

"Only we can bully Little Five. If anyone else wants to, they’ll have to see if our weapons agree!" Nan Hua fanned himself, rolling his eyes as he earnestly declared.

"That’s right, if they want to bully Little Five, they have to see if my Elixirs and the Red Flame Spear agree!" Mu Chen, who got along best with Rong Ye, remarked resolutely.

In their hearts, Gu Qingqing was, of course, the most important. Although they usually teased Rong Ye, and Nan Hua occasionally sparred with him, Rong Ye also held significant importance in their hearts. They couldn’t allow anyone else to bully him!

"Master, please allow us to help Brother Rong." Gu Qingqing and Si Lin exchanged a glance and jointly requested from Wen Guiyun.

"Very well," Wen Guiyun’s expression finally showed some emotion. "I agree. If not for my position preventing me from intervening in these affairs, I would certainly demand an explanation from the Rong Family!"

Wen Guiyun had known Rong Ye’s situation when he took him in as a disciple, and he valued all his disciples greatly. Seeing Rong Ye being mistreated by the Rong Family naturally upset him. However, due to his status, he couldn’t interfere, though Si Lin and the others had no such constraints!

"Thank you, Master!" Seeing Wen Guiyun’s agreement, Si Lin and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were sure Wen Guiyun wouldn’t refuse, they still had been anxious.

"This is the first matter I wanted to discuss with you today. There is also a second matter." Wen Guiyun shifted his tone, bringing up another topic.

"Is Master referring to the upcoming Sub-immortal Realm competition?" Yue Zhao, always well-informed, had been paying attention to these matters. Lately, this was something Wen Guiyun had been focused on.

"Yes, that’s the matter." Not surprised by Yue Zhao’s guess, Wen Guiyun continued. "In two months, the Sub-immortal Realm competition, which occurs once every decade, will take place. According to the rules, every faction must send disciples to participate. Since you six are my direct disciples, you all must take part. However, since Si Lin has already reached Half-step Immortal Rank, you will not be competing but accompanying the others instead."

Si Lin’s breakthrough to the Half-step Immortal Rank made him akin to a pinnacle existence in the Sub-immortal Realm. Truly competing would be unfair to others, and Wen Guiyun would not allow that. Therefore, Si Lin’s eligibility was rescinded.

Si Lin had no objection, "I understand Master’s intention and will certainly take good care of them."

"You don’t need to expend too much effort. Your Uncle Zhao will also accompany you, leading the team. You only need to handle emergencies. Recently, the Demon Path has been restless, so be cautious during the competition." Wen Guiyun trusted Si Lin but didn’t want him to be overburdened, so he spoke directly.

"Yes, disciple understands." Gu Qingqing and the others immediately became more serious.

"I’ll tell your Uncle Zhao that you will depart on your own. The event will be held in Cloud Peak City, and you will rendezvous with him there." They still needed to find Rong Ye and were worried about running out of time, so Wen Guiyun let them travel to Cloud Peak City by themselves.

"Yes." Gu Qingqing and the others had no objections and nodded in agreement.

"When do you plan to depart?" Having arranged everything, Wen Guiyun’s expression returned to calm. He poured himself some tea and inquired.

"Gu Qingqing and the others just returned from outside. Since Rong Ye’s situation is urgent, we’ll stay at the Holy Land for one night and set off at dawn tomorrow," Si Lin, as the senior brother, always took the initiative in such matters and decided after some thought.

Wen Guiyun nodded, "Alright, you can go pack up, and have a chat."

Knowing his disciples had strong bonds, Wen Guiyun was pleased to see this and certainly didn’t want them to spend all their time with him, so he advised.

Si Lin and the others exchanged looks, nodding and bidding farewell to Wen Guiyun.

After leaving Wen Guiyun’s place, they usually gathered at Si Lin’s courtyard, but as it was under repair, they had to go to Yue Zhao’s courtyard.

"What do you think about Rong Ye’s matter?" Si Lin first gave Gu Qingqing a bottle of her favorite Spiritual Dew, receiving a smile from her before turning to ask the others.

"We don’t know much about the Rong Family matters, and Rong Ye wasn’t inclined to share much before. We should first head to the Rong Family, investigate the situation there, and then find Rong Ye," Yue Zhao had been pondering this since Wen Guiyun brought it up and expressed his thoughts when Si Lin asked.

"That’s right; the Rong Family is far from us, and ordinarily, none of us pay much attention to them. Now that we need to confront the Rong Family Head, we have no immediate plan. Let’s first reach the Rong Family and then decide after learning more." Nan Hua nodded in agreement with Yue Zhao’s suggestion.

The others shared similar thoughts with Yue Zhao. After a brief discussion, as night fell, they returned to their respective courtyards.

After returning to her courtyard, Gu Qingqing called over Jun Wu, Zhuo Tingqiu, and Yun Ran to brief them on the situation.

"For this trip to the Rong Family, Sister Yun and Tingqiu, you two should stay here and focus on cultivation. I’ve already spoken to Master. If you encounter any issues in cultivation, you can seek Master’s guidance," Gu Qingqing looked at Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu and said to them.

"Gu Qingqing, we also want to go with you to help Brother Rong." Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu exchanged a glance and said.

"That’s right, Brother Rong has taken good care of us daily; now that he’s in trouble, we want to help him too." Zhuo Tingqiu echoed beside Yun Ran.

"I understand your intentions, but the big competition in the Sub-immortal Realm is coming up soon, and it’s a rare opportunity for you. However, your current cultivation is still a bit low. Staying in the Holy Land to train will only benefit you." Gu Qingqing looked at the two, knowing they were people of loyalty, and earnestly analyzed for them.

Hearing this, the two exchanged a glance, both somewhat hesitant.

"Moreover, this may involve a confrontation with the Rong Family, and I don’t want you to get hurt." Seeing the two were already wavering, Gu Qingqing quickly added.

At this, Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu could not help but understand Gu Qingqing’s meaning. Seeing her firm attitude, they thought about it and felt they wouldn’t be much help if they followed, so they reluctantly nodded in agreement with Gu Qingqing’s arrangement.

"Alright, since you say so, we’ll stay in the Holy Land and train hard, striving to reach the Ninth Rank as soon as possible so we can help you." Yun Ran said earnestly.

Having experienced so much with Gu Qingqing and the others, there weren’t many times they could be of help. Often they needed Gu Qingqing and the others to take care of them. The two have always vowed in their hearts to train diligently. Staying in Lingxi Sacred Land is indeed a good opportunity for them.

Gu Qingqing nodded, indicating she understood their intention.

"Jun Wu, do you want to return to Yunlan Sacred Land first?" After settling Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu, Gu Qingqing turned to Jun Wu, who hadn’t spoken, and asked.

"No need, I’ll go with you." Jun Wu shook his head, immediately refusing without thinking.

He had followed from Yunlan Sacred Land precisely to spend more time with Gu Qingqing. Seeing that Gu Qingqing was growing increasingly fond of him, perhaps she would soon agree to be with him. How could he give up halfway? If he separated from Gu Qingqing and she ended up with someone else, it would kill him.

"But if you go to the Rong Family with us, we are fellow disciples of Brother Rong, helping him is natural and unquestionable. Your identity is too sensitive; if you come along, people might gossip about Yunlan Sacred Land, which wouldn’t be good for your and the land’s reputation." Gu Qingqing had anticipated Jun Wu’s refusal but still seriously explained.

"I know you are Brother Rong’s fellow disciples, but am I not his friend?" Jun Wu wasn’t so easily dismissed. As he listened to Gu Qingqing and Yun Ran talking, he had already thought about it. "I’m helping as Brother Rong’s friend, not as the Saint Heir of Yunlan Sacred Land. Even if people want to talk, what can they say? Besides, our Yunlan Sacred Land isn’t afraid of petty gossip!"

Jun Wu rarely explained so much, just to persuade Gu Qingqing to let him follow along.

"But..." Gu Qingqing still had concerns, though she knew Jun Wu and others weren’t afraid of gossip, she disliked hearing anyone say anything bad about Jun Wu. Though she couldn’t say why, just as she was about to speak, Jun Wu interrupted.

"Enough, it’s decided—I’m going with you!" Jun Wu did not fancy Gu Qingqing’s continual refusals; he was determined to be with her and interrupted her impending objections, showing his firm attitude.

Gu Qingqing looked at Jun Wu for a while and could only concede, agreeing to let him accompany them.

"Alright, since you’ve said so, then you may come along, but if it adversely affects you, you should stay out of it!" Gu Qingqing instructed Jun Wu.

"Hmm, I understand." Jun Wu answered affirmatively, but only he knew what he was truly thinking.

Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu exchanged a glance, feeling they truly shouldn’t be here at the moment. Not only were they completely overlooked, but they also oddly felt a sense of being overly indulged.

...

Early the next morning, Si Lin and the others left Lingxi Sacred Land.

There were only six of them this time, and to reach the Rong Family swiftly, Wen Guiyun generously lent them a Flying Artifact, just enough for them.

The Rong Family, where Rong Ye resided, was located in Rong City within the Central State Prefecture of the Sub-immortal Realm. The Rong Family wielded significant influence in the Central State Prefecture; otherwise, they wouldn’t own a city as their domain.

Traveling from Lingxi Sacred Land to Central State Prefecture using the Flying Artifact would take seven days. Fortunately, Gu Qingqing and the others had similar experiences before, knowing how to spend this time, and with their minds fixed on Rong Ye, they didn’t find it unbearable.

Seven days passed swiftly. Their Flying Artifact stopped outside Rong City. After keeping the Flying Artifact properly, Gu Qingqing and the others queued at the gate to enter Rong City.

Rong City was a city with thousands of years of history, like a sleeping giant dragon winding on the ground. Thousands of years ago, the Sub-immortal Realm was far from peaceful; war between the Righteous Path and the Demon Path raged on. Even on the city walls, one could see traces left by spell attacks, appearing ancient and weathered.

It was not originally called Rong City, but a thousand years ago, the Rong Family’s ancestor established the family here and protected the city amid chaos, becoming its protector. The people, in gratitude, then renamed the city to Rong City.

However, compared to a thousand years ago, the present Rong Family has declined considerably, especially under the current Rong Family Master.

Before coming, Yue Zhao had already instructed the intelligence department of Lingxi Sacred Land to hand over all information collected on the Rong Family. Having reviewed it together, they discovered the current Rong Family Master, Rong Ye’s uncle, lacked cultivation talent, far inferior to Rong Ye’s father.

It’s just that his age was significantly older than Rong Ye’s father, and he was the legitimate eldest son, whereas Rong Ye’s father was born to the previous master’s second wife, not the original wife. However, Rong Ye’s grandmother died in childbirth with Rong Ye’s father, only then did Rong Ye’s uncle dare challenge Rong Ye’s father—otherwise, with Rong Ye’s grandmother alive, he’d never have had a chance!

If it were only that Rong Ye’s uncle lacked talent, it might have been forgivable; but his intelligence was also inadequate, seemingly entirely exhausted in plotting against Rong Ye’s father.

Over the years, in managing Rong Family affairs, he repeatedly made blunders leading to a significant reduction in the family’s influence; even within Rong City, they are no longer the sole dominant force!