The Old Timer

Ten months ago, when Mu Wanxi woke up in the back mountain, she suddenly found an extra segment of memory in her mind.

It was a memory about the future.

It concerned the annihilation of the Qingxuan Sect...

And how she would form a bond with a brat who trespassed into the back mountain, recover her soul body with his help, and gain a new lease on life. Spending day and night together, they would eventually fall in love.

Utterly absurd.

She was someone who had lived for over a thousand years; did a wet-behind-the-ears brat really deserve her affection? Moreover, he was a despicable coward who would cause the downfall of Qingxuan and flee at the last moment.

What a joke!

To avoid this fate, Mu Wanxi relied on a Heaven-tier soul cultivation technique from her memories to slowly restore her soul body on her own. As of today, she had already recovered the soul power of the peak Void Reversion stage.

Even as a mere soul, it was more than enough.

"Are you the current Sect Master of the Qingxuan Sect?"

Mu Wanxi's gaze swept across the mountain peak, passing over Su Xiao who had retreated to the spectator area, Su Qingyun who lay on the ground with her fate unknown, and Medusa who stood in front of Ye Shu.

Finally, her eyes landed on Li Daoyuan.

"Is this how you manage my Qingxuan Sect?"

Called out by name, Li Daoyuan stiffened all over. He looked exactly like a village chief caught by a visiting superior while someone was peeing in a corner, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

Indeed, during his tenure.

Numerous major incidents had occurred. Although no one had died, they were all events that had an immeasurable negative impact on the Qingxuan Sect's reputation.

But Li Daoyuan felt he had an excuse too.

What kind of people did the other Sect Masters have to deal with during their tenures, and what kind of people did he have to deal with?

With so many eccentric troublemakers, anyone else in his position would be equally helpless!

Li Daoyuan felt aggrieved but didn't dare to speak back.

"It is my fault for not managing the sect well. I cannot shirk the blame, but the matter has mostly been resolved."

Saying this, he raised his head and waved his sleeve.

"Why haven't you escorted this disgraceful thing on the ground back to the Law Enforcement Hall to await punishment?"

The Law Enforcement Elder hurriedly stepped forward, just about to take the unconscious Su Qingyun away.

However, Mu Wanxi raised her hand and softly parted her lips.

"Hold on."

The Law Enforcement Elder's hands immediately froze, and he looked at Li Daoyuan for help.

"Is Grandmaster's Wife dissatisfied with the punishment?"

Li Daoyuan looked at Mu Wanxi, muttering in his heart. This Dao companion of the founding patriarch had always been famous for her fierce and violent methods. Could it be that she thought the punishment was too light?

Li Daoyuan gave Su Qingyun a somewhat sympathetic look.

It seemed physical suffering was inevitable for her.

"When did I ever say I wanted to punish her?" Mu Wanxi said indifferently, her expression unchanged.

"Huh, ah, what?"

Li Daoyuan nodded subconsciously, then abruptly raised his head, his eyes full of astonishment.

"No punishment?"

"Grandmaster's Wife, she drove a beast horde and nearly harmed the commoners at the foot of the mountain, almost causing a massive loss of life!"

"Didn't it end up causing no actual harm?"

Mu Wanxi asked back nonchalantly.

"A young, impulsive girl liked someone and thus made some mistakes. This is very normal. Who wouldn't make a few mistakes at this age?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it. Why punish her?"

"Huh?"

Hearing Mu Wanxi's reasoning, everyone was collectively stunned.

Wait, she almost destroyed the Qingxuan Sect! If the Sect Master hadn't rushed back in time, how many mortals would have become bloody food for demonic beasts?

And it was just brushed off with a phrase like 'young and impulsive'?

"Grandmaster's Wife, Su Qingyun has committed a grave mistake. Would not punishing her be..." Li Daoyuan asked cautiously.

"Who dares to say they will never make a mistake?"

Mu Wanxi said calmly, "Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone deserves the right to be forgiven once."

"Huh? Wait, what?"

"Holy crap!"

"Is she even speaking a human language?"

The numerous disciples below held their heads in their hands, their eyes filled with shock, as if they had just heard something completely incomprehensible.

"I think this Qingxuan Sect is totally doomed."

Li Daoyuan was rendered utterly speechless.

"No, Grandmaster's Wife..."

"Do you have an objection?"

Mu Wanxi said coldly, looking down at Ye Shu and Medusa standing in front of him: "Rather than clinging to your own sect's disciple, you should look at the enemy right in front of you."

"An alien race is standing so blatantly within the territory of my Qingxuan Sect, yet you all turn a blind eye? Since when did our human race start wallowing in the mire with alien races?"

"And there is also that little thief colluding with the alien race."

Li Daoyuan was taken aback, then spoke up:

"But she came to help us!"

"Without her, the commoners at the foot of the mountain would have suffered long ago. If we repay her kindness with enmity, how will the world view our Qingxuan Sect when word gets out? Grandmaster's Wife, your handling of this matter will likely fail to convince the masses and is highly biased."

"Biased?"

Mu Wanxi stared at Li Daoyuan and said coldly: "Are you implying that I am unjust?"

"How many years have you been in the Qingxuan Sect?"

"When I followed your founding patriarch to establish this sect and resist the alien races, your ancestors weren't even born yet!"

"Have you forgotten the ancestral teachings of the Qingxuan Sect across the generations!"

Mu Wanxi shouted in a deep voice.

Smooth, throwing around seniority.

Below the stage, Ye Shu had a strange expression, feeling that this scene was somewhat familiar.

Wasn't this just flaunting one's age and seniority?

"This junior... would never dare to forget."

Li Daoyuan gritted his teeth and replied in a low voice.

"Hmph! My return today is to trace back to our roots, clear the source, and purge the crooked trends and evil atmospheres within the sect!"

"The alien race must be executed!"

Mu Wanxi's voice echoed across the square, brimming with killing intent.

"Hey! You dead old hag!"

Right at this moment, a tender, childish voice echoed throughout the venue.

Everyone turned around, only to see the little Medusa clinging to Ye Shu's back. Poking her small head over his shoulder, she pointed at Mu Wanxi in mid-air and cursed, "This Queen kindly helped you, and yet you want to kill the donkey the moment it leaves the millstone."

"I have never seen such a bitch like you in all my life!"

"If I were you, I would have gone and died long ago. Oh, I forgot, you are already a dead person. No wonder you are so brainless. I'm afraid your corpse was dug up by some stray dog from nowhere and had its brain chewed up."

"Oh wait, maybe not. Since you never had a brain to begin with, they probably couldn't find anything to eat anyway."

The entire audience was dead silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the little girl on Ye Shu's back.

She was clearly such a cute child, yet the words she spoke were so sharp and vicious.

Mu Wanxi clearly hadn't anticipated this either. Her face turned pale and green in turns, her lips trembling with rage.

"Alien, you dare insult me?"

"Why wouldn't I dare insult you? I even dare to beat you up!"

Medusa bared her teeth, revealing a fierce look. She rolled up her sleeves, looking like she was about to charge up and start a brawl.

This frightened Ye Shu so much that he hurriedly pressed down on her head.

"Let go of me! Watch me beat her to death!"

"Whether you can beat her to death, I don't know, but I'm afraid the moment you make a move, you'll be beaten to death by the others." Ye Shu forcefully held Medusa down, then cupped his hands and said: "Senior, isn't your way of speaking pushing things a bit too far?"

"Pushing things too far?"

Mu Wanxi coldly snorted.

"Ignorant brat, what I loathe the most are people like you who collude with alien races."

"As a disciple of this sect, you are hopelessly entangled with an alien, repeatedly offending your superiors and disrespecting sect rules. You simply have no regard for the laws of the Qingxuan Sect."

"Today, I shall kill the chicken to warn the monkeys!"

"Where is the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall!"

"This disciple is here."

A middle-aged man with a resolute face stepped out from the crowd, looking somewhat hesitant.

"Martial Grandmother Mu... this..."

"Xing Wuwei, I watched you grow up. Now that your wings have hardened and you've become the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, do you dare to disobey my words?"

"This disciple would not dare..."

"Then do it."

Xing Wuwei gritted his teeth. He turned to look at Ye Shu, then up at Li Daoyuan high in the sky, sweating profusely from anxiety.

Li Daoyuan also looked troubled.

Meanwhile, Ye Shu stood protectively in front of Medusa, remaining silent and facing the crowd with a cold glare.

The system was still far too overpowered.

Just then, a soft and delicate hand gently grasped Ye Shu's hand. He turned his head and saw Lin Qingxue standing beside him, blushing and avoiding his gaze.

"I-I'm not trying to help you."

"It's just that this Great Martial Grandmother who suddenly popped out is being completely unreasonable. I couldn't stand watching it anymore, so I stepped forward."

"Don't be afraid... they won't dare do anything to you."

Lin Qingxue was very confident when she said this.

Because behind her stood Lin Heming. Even though the tiger was away from the mountain, his lingering prestige still dominated the forest.

Similarly, the people of the Profound Heaven Sword Lineage also stood silently behind Ye Shu. Chu Jinghong held his sword to his chest, sneering coldly:

"I am afraid Great Martial Grandmother's actions are somewhat biased."

"You have lost the hearts of the people."

Mu Wanxi watched this scene, her expression unchanging.

"A bunch of brats who only care about their petty personal feelings, how could you possibly understand the greater righteousness of the human race? Lock them all in the Pure Heart Hall to observe the deeds of the human sages. They will only be released when they have thought things through."

Xing Wuwei looked at Li Daoyuan, asking for instructions with his eyes.

Locking up Lin Heming's granddaughter? Did he have a death wish?

Li Daoyuan shot him a look, signaling him to just take them back for now without issuing any punishment, and wait until the storm passed.

Xing Wuwei understood and took a step forward.

"Yes, Great Martial Grandmother."

However, before he could take more than a few steps, an elderly figure suddenly appeared in the sky.

Lin Heming had returned.