PCJ – Chapter 557 Manipulation

Hua Zhaoyang naturally wouldn’t offend a young master from one of the Three Great Holy Lands just for the sake of the head of a declining sect. However, since this was the market of the Xiyun Sect, if they simply handed the person over, no cultivators would come to this market in the future.

“Young Master Liang, could there be some kind of misunderstanding here? Perhaps it’s best to clarify things first,” Hua Zhaoyang said.

Sure enough, Hua Zhaoyang’s stance won the hearts of the cultivators attending the market.

“Hua Sect Leader is truly a man of righteousness. If it were another sect, would they still care about the head of a declining sect at a time like this? They would have handed the person over long ago.”

“Exactly. Sect Leader Hua is really loyal and brave. Attending Xiyun Sect’s market was the right decision.”

“But by doing this, I fear Sect Leader Hua may have offended a young master from the Kunlun Sect. Kunlun is one of the Three Great Holy Lands. Even if a young master from one of these holy lands is not well-regarded within their sect, once they step out of it, they’re still a young master, more prominent than many heads of ordinary sects. It really may not be worth offending him.”

…

“What is the meaning of this, Sect Leader Hua?” Liang Mingjie’s expression turned cold. Just as the onlookers suspected, Liang Mingjie was not really considered a true young master within the Kunlun Sect. Due to his poor talent, even though he was of direct lineage, his position within that lineage was quite awkward. He had numerous siblings, and without exceptional talent, his status meant little—he was even outshined by some talented collateral members. Still, even if he held little status within the sect, outside of Kunlun, he represented it. He couldn’t afford to disgrace the Kunlun Sect.

“Young Master Liang, I truly had no intention of offending you. It’s just that this market has its own rules. I’ve been informed by our Xiyun Sect’s patrols about the origin of this incident. It appears unrelated to you, Young Master Liang. It seems that someone under your command acted without your knowledge. I’ve already handled the matter appropriately. As for the one who attacked your subordinates, our patrols reported it was a monkey whose cultivation is equivalent to the peak of the Qi Refinement stage. This Kong Fangzhou is just a beginner cultivator—how could he possibly command such a powerful spirit beast?” At this point, Hua Zhaoyang had no choice but to argue on reasonable grounds.

Liang Mingjie turned around and shot a fierce glare at Liang Hongkai and Liang Yucheng. The two immediately lowered their heads.

“Since Sect Leader Hua is so wise, then please do your best to find that monkey. Just as you care about the Xiyun Sect’s reputation, I must also protect Kunlun’s.”

This put Hua Zhaoyang in a tight spot—one he couldn’t refuse.

Hua Zhaoyang knew there was no way he could avoid responsibility for this. “I will certainly investigate this matter to the best of my ability. However, the appearance of that monkey was very strange. Since its sudden appearance, it has vanished without a trace. Before this incident, no one had seen the monkey, nor had anyone brought such a beast into this secret realm. All we can do is try our best. After all, someone at the peak of Qi Refinement is already a top expert in our Xiyun Sect. Even if we find the monkey, we might not be able to do anything to it.”

Liang Mingjie felt the same headache. Even he wouldn’t be able to subdue such a monkey. A spirit beast of that caliber was rare even in the Three Great Holy Lands—how could it appear in a crumbling sect’s secret realm? Could it have come from one of the other two Holy Lands?

Though Liang Mingjie knew Hua Zhaoyang was brushing him off, there was nothing he could do. His mission was to resolve the issue, and if he created further complications, he would have to answer for it back in Kunlun.

Hua Zhaoyang, the cunning old fox, had clearly seen his predicament—hence his confidence.

Zhang Jiaohua, watching from the sidelines, was surprised to see Hua Zhaoyang completely dominate Liang Mingjie. But upon examining the cultivation levels of Liang Mingjie and his two subordinates, Zhang Jiaohua suddenly understood. The cultivation world is all about strength. If Liang Mingjie had enough power, there would be no need for discussion—he could’ve simply crushed Hua Zhaoyang. But since he lacked the strength, even knowing he was being brushed off, he could do nothing.

The surrounding cultivators admired Hua Zhaoyang even more.

“Sect Leader Hua is truly bold and skilled—he’s managed to completely suppress that so-called Kunlun young master. Just because this guy is from Kunlun doesn’t mean he’s truly a young master. Inside Kunlun, no one from other sects would dare touch him, but once outside, who cares if he’s from Kunlun? If your fist isn’t strong enough, you just have to behave yourself.”

“No wonder Sect Leader Hua dared to act this way—he must’ve anticipated this outcome.”

“Whatever his motive, I deeply admire Sect Leader Hua’s actions.”

…

Kong Fangzhou still had no idea who had saved him—he remained completely bewildered.

From that moment on, the Xiyun Sect’s attitude toward Liang Mingjie completely changed. Hua Shaobo, who usually acted high and mighty, found it hard to adjust to suddenly behaving meekly in front of others.

“Daoist Zhang, how was your harvest?” Hua Shaobo asked as soon as he saw Zhang Jiaohua.

“Just so-so,” Zhang Jiaohua replied, not revealing that he had acquired a large number of spiritual herb seeds and alchemy manuals from the Medicine King Sect.

“That monkey from earlier—did you see it?” Hua Shaobo asked, testing him.

“Yeah, I saw it. I was about to buy an ancient sword when the argument broke out. Then suddenly, that monkey appeared and started throwing things from the rooftop,” Zhang Jiaohua answered casually.

“Oh? Could you tell what level that monkey’s cultivation was?” Hua Shaobo asked, seemingly offhandedly.

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “Maybe it was just like Sect Leader Hua said—at the peak of the Qi Refinement stage.”

“I heard that during your last autumn outing, you guys had a monkey picking wild fruit for you. Is that true?” Hua Shaobo asked.

“You’re not suspecting me, are you? We didn’t bring any monkey on that trip!” Zhang Jiaohua retorted, not falling for it. Although he had secretly let out Fat Monkey during that outing, no one in class had known. How could Hua Shaobo possibly know?

“Oh, really? I must’ve remembered wrong,” Hua Shaobo tried to cover it up, but Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t fooled.

“It’s getting late, and I’ve spent all my money. Since your Xiyun Sect no longer welcomes me, I’ll be going.” Zhang Jiaohua snorted coldly.

Hua Shaobo looked embarrassed. “Daoist Zhang, don’t misunderstand. I was just making conversation.”