"By sacrificing Yang Kai to protect Su Yan, do you think your actions are right?" Shopkeeper Meng chuckled lightly.
Su Xuanwu's face turned awkward, thinking the other party had come to blame him.
Meng Wuyuan said, "Indeed, this way Su Yan can be safe, but... what if she finds out later, how will she feel?"
Su Xuanwu's expression froze, and in an instant, sweat poured down his forehead. He suddenly realized the severity of the issue.
"If you really do this, you will only bring a heart demon to Su Yan! She practices the Ice Heart Technique, and once a heart demon is born, the consequences are something you understand better than anyone else." Meng Wuyuan's calm voice echoed in Su Xuanwu's ears, and the latter felt as if struck by lightning, filled with regret.
He had only focused on the immediate benefits, without considering the terrible consequences it would bring to Su Yan in the future. Indeed, sacrificing Yang Kai this time could ensure Su Yan's safety, but as long as she lived, she would surely remember this incident, believing that her safety was entirely due to Yang Kai's sacrifice. Over time, her inner turmoil would only intensify, her mental state would become unstable, and how could her strength and realm improve?
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Meng, for enlightening me!" Su Xuanwu respectfully said.
"Hehe." Meng Wuyuan chuckled, "You would have realized it eventually, just a bit later!"
Elder Wei Xitong's face was unpredictable. He had finally found a chance to corner his second junior brother, and just as he was about to achieve his goal, Shopkeeper Meng appeared to lecture him. How could his second junior brother still be willing to be manipulated by him? For Su Yan's future, he definitely wouldn't compromise this time.
Realizing this, Wei Xitong's face turned gloomy. "Shopkeeper Meng, this is the Elder Hall of our Lingxiao Pavilion. Without the elders' permission, no one is allowed to enter. You should return to where you came from."
Meng Wuyuan glanced at him, casually threw back the elder's token, and in a flash, stood at the main seat of the Elder Hall.
"Bold!" Wei Xitong was furious, and the other elders also looked stern and unfriendly at Shopkeeper Meng.
The reason was simple: the empty main seat was reserved for the Lingxiao Pavilion's leader. No one except the leader had the right to stand there. The elders had been vying for power for years, and even the Great Elder dared not covet that position.
But now, a contribution hall shopkeeper of unknown origin stood at the main seat, how could the elders not be angry? This was a blatant insult to the entire Lingxiao Pavilion!
"Hehe, don't be angry, gentlemen." Meng Wuyuan smiled faintly, stroking his beard. "I come on behalf of your leader, just to deliver a message!"
"On behalf of the leader?" The five elders were all taken aback.
For the past decade, even the five elders found it extremely difficult to see the leader, yet Meng Wuyuan had actually met him. Moreover, from his words, it seemed the leader had something to say about today's incident.
What was going on? Even if the pavilion was in chaos, the leader never intervened. Why was a mere conflict among the younger generation enough to disturb the leader today?
"What is this, do you recognize it?" Meng Wuyuan held up a purple jade pendant.
"The leader's jade pendant!"
This jade pendant was the symbol of the Lingxiao Pavilion's leader, and it was impossible to fake.
"Good, you recognize it." Meng Wuyuan smiled slightly.
Wei Xitong cautiously asked, "May I ask, Shopkeeper Meng, what instructions does the leader have?"
Although the leader hadn't managed the Lingxiao Pavilion for over a decade, his authority as the leader had never diminished.
Meng Wuyuan said, "Your leader said, 'Make a big issue small, and a small issue nothing. Harmony is the most important! Why are you old men interfering in the conflicts of the younger generation? It's too shameful.'"
Wei Xitong was stunned, stammering, "The leader... the leader said that?"
"Oh, the latter part is my words, your leader only said the first half!" Meng Wuyuan said calmly.
The five elders were almost driven to the point of spitting blood! This scolding was so thorough! Yet they couldn't retort.
"Also, since Yang Kai has reached the Kaiyuan realm, make him a regular disciple. It's not right for him to remain a probationary disciple."
"Did... did you say that?" Wei Xitong asked, somewhat uneasy.
"It was your leader who said it." Meng Wuyuan chuckled. "The message is delivered, you decide what to do."
With that, he walked down and strode out of the Elder Hall.
The five elders looked at each other, all silent. With the leader's message, there was no need for further discussion. It wasn't a big issue to begin with; they were just using it as an excuse. Resolving it would be easy.
Su Xuanwu coldly snorted, swept his sleeves, and left. With the leader's order, he no longer needed to fight. He walked down the hall, picked up Su Mu, and quickly disappeared.
The second elder left, and the third elder, He Beishui, also took his leave, leaving only the Great Elder's faction in the hall.
Elder Wu You said, "Elder Brother, something seems off. This isn't a big issue, yet it disturbed the leader. Is there something deeper going on?"
Elder Si also nodded. "Is the leader trying to tell us he's still watching over the Lingxiao Pavilion?"
This was also the Great Elder's suspicion, but he didn't dare admit it. Now that Elder Si had said it, his heart skipped a beat.
"Regardless, we should take a step back this time and be more cautious in the future," the Great Elder pondered. "However, we can test the leader's intentions to see what he really thinks. If he's willing to come out and manage the Lingxiao Pavilion, we should support him. But if it's just a whim... the Lingxiao Pavilion can't continue like this. We need someone to take charge."
"Agreed! But how do we test it?" Elder Si asked softly.
"The leader said to promote Yang Kai to a regular disciple, right? We can work on that."
"Ah, I see!" Elders Si and Wu You immediately understood.
In front of the prison, Su Yan and Jie Hongchen, among others, were in a standoff, no one daring to make a move.
This situation had lasted for half an hour, and the cold aura around Su Yan had become even more intense. If not for Yang Kai's cultivation technique that counteracted Su Yan's Ice Heart Technique, he would have been frozen into an ice sculpture long ago.
Just as they were at an impasse, an enforcement hall disciple rushed over and shouted, "The elders' order, release the prisoner!"
"What?" Jie Hongchen was stunned.
The enforcement hall disciple looked distressed. "Brother Jie, the elders have said that today's matter ends here. No one is to pursue it further, or they will be punished according to the rules!"
Jie Hongchen glared at Yang Kai with venom. He had been waiting for Su Yan to make a move, because once she did, he would have a chance to eliminate Yang Kai. But Su Yan didn't give him that chance. Now, hearing the elders' order, he knew there was no hope.
Biting his teeth in frustration, Jie Hongchen roared, "Release the prisoner!"
Su Yan still supported Yang Kai, leading Li Yuntian and others, slowly walking forward. Her expression was calm, and under Jie Hongchen's complex gaze, she slowly left.