Because I'm Too Weak, Am I Misunderstood

Xie Lingyu sat down calmly, her gaze shifting to Chu Xingchen, who looked as relaxed as if he were in his own sect.

Before the two helmsmen even met, many matters and bottom lines had already been negotiated. In a sense, this meeting was merely a formality.

After all, if the two leaders were to argue and mock each other face-to-face, whoever won would only become a laughingstock to others.

Once this formality was completed, the Buddhist faction's actions could be declared a joint alliance with Chu Xingchen, serving to announce to the world that the Buddhist faction was still a righteous and proper sect.

Chu Xingchen spoke these diplomatic pleasantries with ease, praising the Buddhist faction's resplendent glory and abundance of talent, calling it a truly wonderful place in this world.

Runan then returned the praise, calling Chu Xingchen a young genius, a heaven-ordained hero, and a stellar youth willing to turn the tides of fate.

Flattery had become the prefix to every sentence they spoke, and they ended their statements lamenting that they had not met sooner.

Out of every five sentences, four and a half were pure adulation.

Naturally, Xie Lingyu was also swept up in Runan's compliments. She nodded in response, though her ability to spout pleasantries was clearly inferior to these two thick-skinned individuals.

Her gaze swept subtly around the room, observing the surrounding Buddhas. In her mind, she identified each of their titles and determined whether they were Karma Buddhas or Mortal Buddhas.

Soon, Xie Lingyu noticed something peculiar: those with gentle smiles on their faces were almost entirely Karma Buddhas, while those who remained calm and barely offered a polite smile were mostly Mortal Buddhas.

Thinking carefully, the reason was likely that regardless of what promises Chu Xingchen had made, he had in fact been backing the Radiant Buddha all along.

The matter of the Mahayana Buddhism had always been a sword hanging over the heads of these Mortal Buddhas.

After all, no one wanted to wake up one day to find that the Buddhist faction they had fought for most of their lives had suddenly kicked them out, mocking them as fake monks who only joined for the faction's power.

Even if that was the true reason, hearing it spoken aloud was rather jarring.

Speaking unspoken truths out loud was tantamount to shouting insults.

However, with the grand scheme of things at stake, no one was foolish enough to ruin the superficially harmonious meeting.

The gentle smiles on the Buddhas' faces never ceased.

Chu Xingchen also restrained his usual temperament, putting on an expression that treated the Buddhist faction as a great senior.

Various matters that had long been settled were brought up one by one. Runan did not even need to consult the other Buddhas; he simply smiled, nodded, chatted briefly, and agreed.

One major event after another, capable of reshaping the world's landscape, concluded amidst their flattering negotiations.

The Buddhist faction delineated its share of the benefits.

Chu Xingchen needed to cooperate with a series of promotional campaigns for the Buddhist faction.

The meeting ended with Runan's concluding remark: Let us encourage each other as we walk this grand, luminous path together.

Xie Lingyu hardly said a word. She raised her eyes slightly, looking at Chu Xingchen, who had once again pulled out a recording stone, and at Runan, who remained highly cooperative.

Chu Xingchen's subsequent actions would naturally be tied to the Buddhist faction for a while.

Xie Lingyu took a soft breath.

She wondered how things were going over at the Loving Family Peak.

During this time, truly no one was around to manage Chu Xingchen's group of disciples. She hoped they could get along well.

Previously, when she was at Zhuji Peak, counting both humans and the dragon, there were only three of them.

There were indeed some things she needed to learn properly.

At the Loving Family Peak.

Today was the first time Qian Qing saw the San Dong that Li Yingling had spoken of.

A tiny sprite wearing a dazzling dress, with a smile on her face that seemed like it would never fade.

San Dong came running over carrying a medicinal herb on her shoulder. The first thing she said upon seeing Qian Qing was:

Are you Qian Qing, the one Eldest Senior Sister mentioned?

Yes... are you San Dong?

Mhm! I am the sect's Great Protector, San Dong. San Dong nodded with a smile, her tiny body speaking with absolute confidence. You are a guest of the sect now, and San Dong will protect you.

San Dong had now reached the Foundation Establishment realm. Truth be told, Qian Qing probably couldn't defeat this tiny flower sprite in a fight.

Qian Qing recalled slightly that Li Yingling seemed to have said San Dong was very timid, but when she said the word protect, she sounded very resolute, not timid at all.

San Dong lifted the herb in her hand. Eldest Senior Sister asked me to show you around. If you're free, you can come stroll with me, and I can tell you a bit about our sect along the way.

Alright. Qian Qing followed San Dong's footsteps. Watching the flower sprite walk, she asked softly, Do you know Yuan Kong?

San Dong nodded and replied, I know him. He's a monk, but San Dong hasn't spoken to him much.

Hearing this, Qian Qing asked no more and continued following her down the mountain.

But after just a few steps, San Dong suddenly veered off the main path and started leading Qian Qing into the mountain forest.

Qian Qing was completely confused but instinctively hurried to keep up. Before she could ask what was going on, San Dong took the initiative to speak:

Our sect has a lot of people. Besides the ones you met today, there are others, like the great guy Cui Hao, Yun Li who only knows how to bury his head in cultivation, and some outer sect disciples.

But they are all really good people, and they treat San Dong very well.

Qian Qing nodded in agreement. Mhmm... I can tell.

Hearing this, the smile on San Dong's face grew even brighter. She then took out a spirit fruit from her spatial ring, hugged it, and handed it to Qian Qing, saying:

Here, Yan Yun brought this for San Dong last time. San Dong couldn't bear to eat it, so I'm letting our guest eat it first. Yan Yun said this is a very good thing, and eating it will give you a big boost.

Qian Qing hesitated to take the spirit fruit, which carried a sweet fragrance and made one swallow hard just by looking at it. She asked:

Such a precious thing... it wouldn't be right to give it to me.

San Dong replied naturally, Friends are the most precious of all.

Looking into San Dong's innocent eyes, Qian Qing smiled knowingly and accepted the fruit San Dong was holding.

San Dong nodded in satisfaction and continued leading Qian Qing toward a super beautiful scenic spot she had discovered.

It was the little white tiger's resting place. There was a very beautiful stream and a small sea of flowers that San Dong had specially planted.

She would let this guest see it first. If everything was fine, once the sect master and everyone else returned, San Dong would take them all to this secret base she had created.

San Dong walked with a leisurely pace, occasionally picking up some grass from the roadside to take a bite.

At first, Qian Qing could keep up with San Dong's footsteps, but soon, San Dong, being a flower sprite, started to dart around.

Sometimes she would appear far away in the blink of an eye, seemingly without any consideration for the fact that Qian Qing was a mortal.

It wasn't until the third time San Dong saw Qian Qing looking around, completely lost as to where to go, that she finally realized.

San Dong darted right in front of Qian Qing, looked her up and down carefully, and then asked in a surprised tone:

Are you not a cultivator?

Hearing this heartbreaking question, Qian Qing could only nod helplessly:

I am not... Aren't you cultivators able to see that I don't have a single bit of spiritual energy on me?

San Dong's face showed a hint of apology:

I thought you were a mighty figure like Yan Yun and the sect master. When I look at them, I can't feel any spiritual energy on them either.

"Sorry, sorry... San Dong didn't realize. San Dong will walk slowly from now on."

Qian Qing nodded heavily.

Was he being misunderstood because he was too weak?