Give a Face

Elder Qiu stood where he was, looking at the smiling Gu Chengyin before him, experiencing a complex mix of emotions.

At this point, no matter how much he resisted, it was useless.

Circumstances were stronger than men.

Regarding last night's events, the Celestial Master Mansion indeed bore the responsibility of negligence.

Three Golden Core cultivators had sneaked into the Luodu region and set up an ambush right under the nose of the Celestial Master Mansion. This was a responsibility they could not shirk no matter what.

Gu Chengyin not harping on this point was already giving face to the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion.

Therefore, he was not in the right.

Furthermore, wiping out bandits and thieves was proposed by him, and doing it for the Great Luo was also his own words.

Gu Chengyin had simply followed his words and requested to advance together; could he refuse?

No.

Once he refused, word would get out and ruin his reputation.

What was more...

There were too many factions backing Gu Chengyin.

The Internal Affairs Department, the Golden Feather Guard, the Censorate, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of War.

There were also those noble families who could not be brought out into the open but definitely existed.

With so many people simultaneously confirming the gathering place of bandits, even if there was a problem, it would become no problem.

Elder Qiu took a deep breath, suppressing the trace of helplessness in his heart, his face remaining as calm as still water.

Junior Preceptor Gu is concerned for the people of Luodu, so how could the Celestial Master Mansion refuse.

When the inspection team sets off, the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion will naturally send people to advance together and wipe out the bandits.

To return a bright and clear sky to the people of Luodu.

As his voice fell, the small garden fell silent for a moment.

Hearing this, the smile at the corners of Gu Chengyin's mouth deepened.

Elder Qiu did not explicitly state who would be sent, nor did he mention their cultivation level.

But it did not matter, as long as they participated.

As long as the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion boarded his ship.

What happened next would not be up to them to decide.

The smile on Gu Chengyin's face grew a bit brighter, as if he was truly rejoicing at Elder Qiu's righteousness.

Since that is the case, this junior will respectfully await the good news.

He paused and cupped his hands toward Elder Qiu.

I presume Elder Qiu is busy with affairs, so this junior will not disturb you any longer.

The corners of Elder Qiu's mouth could not help but twitch slightly.

These words were clearly chasing him away.

One sentence ago he was respectfully awaiting good news, and the next he was not disturbing him anymore.

This speed of changing faces was faster than flipping the pages of a book.

Elder Qiu understood in his heart that Gu Chengyin was being calculative about last night's events.

Last night, the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion had followed Emperor Luo's decree and surrounded him in front of the Meditation Pagoda.

Although they did not make a move in the end, that formation clearly intended to put him to death.

Now that Gu Chengyin had won this round, he naturally wanted to regain his standing.

However, this kind of expression actually made Elder Qiu breathe a sigh of relief.

Because Gu Chengyin put his dissatisfaction out in the open.

What did this mean?

It meant that his holding a grudge over this matter only went to this extent.

Expressing it, giving a bit of attitude, letting Elder Qiu know he was unhappy.

Nothing more.

He would not actually do anything.

He would not scheme against people behind their backs.

Nor would he make things difficult for the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion.

Therefore, this explicit expression was actually safe.

If Gu Chengyin had shown nothing, remaining polite and greeting him with a smiling face, that would be truly terrifying.

That would mean he was suppressing his emotions at the bottom of his heart.

That would mean he intended to deal a massive blow to the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion in the shadows.

Elder Qiu had seen too many such people.

Those truly dangerous characters never wore their grudges on their faces.

They would only smile, and smile, and smile...

And then, at the most unexpected moment, stab you with a knife.

In contrast, Gu Chengyin's behavior actually made him feel at ease.

He only needed to make a corresponding apology, and this matter would be considered passed.

Elder Qiu smiled slightly, as gentle as if he were looking at his own junior.

This old man indeed has some affairs to handle, so I will take my leave first.

In addition, regarding the matter of candidates, Junior Preceptor Gu can rest assured, this old man will definitely make you satisfied.

Gu Chengyin nodded in acknowledgment; his clear expression of dissatisfaction was telling Elder Qiu.

Last night's matter had not yet turned the page, and if he wanted to turn the page, he had to show enough sincerity.

Now that Elder Qiu had explicitly expressed that he would show enough sincerity, the page could be turned.

Take care, Elder Qiu.

The two parted ways just like that.

Elder Qiu turned around and walked along the corridor toward the way he came.

His back remained straight, his steps still steady, but his slightly drooping eyes betrayed the complexity in his heart.

Gu Chengyin was too formidable.

Formidable enough to make him, the person in charge of the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion, feel a trace of dread.

Yet, within this dread, there was also a trace of appreciation.

Elder Qiu's back disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Gu Chengyin stood in place, watching him leave, the smile on his face gradually fading, returning to his usual calmness.

He looked left and right.

The small garden was very quiet, with only the koi in the pond occasionally leaping out of the water, stirring up a small patch of ripples.

The sunlight fell on the water surface, shattering into pieces of golden scales, dazzling and warm.

Gu Chengyin walked toward the outside of the small garden.

Passing through the moon gate, he followed the corridor he had come from, walking straight ahead.

Along the way, he encountered several cultivators of the Celestial Master Mansion who bowed in greeting; he nodded slightly, his footsteps never stopping.

He was going to the cultivation room.

Lin Qingyan was still resting in the Meditation Pagoda. With her spiritual energy overdrawn and the impact of her inner demons, she needed time to recover.

Gu Chengyin originally wanted to go to the pagoda to keep her company, but after thinking about it, he dismissed the idea.

What Lin Qingyan needed most right now was quiet rest.

Yet, he was the person who could affect her the most.

Not because he would disturb her, but because as long as he was there, Lin Qingyan would be distracted.

Therefore, it was best not to disturb her.

The cultivation room of the Celestial Master Mansion was rich in spiritual energy and elegantly furnished, enough for him to stay for a few days.

When Lin Qingyan was fully recovered, she would naturally come looking for him.

Gu Chengyin pushed open the door and walked in.

The cultivation room was not large, containing only a bed, a small table, and a futon.

The windows were bright and the tables clean, with sunlight spilling in through the window lattices.

Gu Chengyin sat down on the futon, closed his eyes, and began to sort out the surging true qi within his body.

Although the disturbance from last night had not spread among the lower echelons.

In the upper echelons of Great Luo, and even the upper echelons of the cultivation world, it had already blown up.

This was inevitable.

Three Golden Cores joining forces to set an ambush, and Lin Qingyan fighting three against one.

How could such a thing possibly be kept hidden?

Those high and mighty people all had their own channels of information.

The Celestial Master Mansion, the imperial court, the sects, the noble families, all factions were keeping an eye on this matter.

They knew better than anyone else what had happened last night.

And the most crucial factor among all this was Lin Qingyan.

The battle record of fighting three against one was enough to make anyone who heard it gasp in shock.

The gap between those in the Golden Core realm was immense.

Being able to fight three against one meant that Lin Qingyan's strength was truly invincible.

With this news spreading, the deterrent power of the title Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion would undoubtedly become even more terrifying.

And Gu Chengyin, as the person Lin Qingyan overdrew her spiritual energy to protect.

Naturally, he also gained an extremely terrifying amount of influence.

Moreover, the quality of this influence was extremely high.

It was not that kind of superficial reputation, not that kind of hearsay rumor, but genuine awe.

Could someone whom Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion would fight to the death to protect be an ordinary character?

Those who originally paid him no mind would all have to reconsider.

Those who originally wanted to make a move against him would all have to think again.