410 Still That Qiushan II

In the south, the Qiushan clan was naturally an extraordinarily amazingexistence, but this Qiushan clan head was not all that famous. In terms of bothcultivation and knowledge, he was very mediocre. There was even a saying in thecontinent: all the talent of the Qiushan clan completely fell on Qiushan Jun,so much so that even his father was ordinary. A similar commentary was also bandied about the capital of the Great Zhou.Although Divine General of the East Xu Shiji received the deep trust of theDivine Empress and had an exceptionally high status in the Great Zhou Army,everyone knew that this was all because he begat a good daughter. When comparedto his daughter Xu Yourong, whether discussing talent, military strategy, orintelligence, Xu Shiji was cast into the lightless shadows by his daughter. There were even many people that were perplexed on just how Xu Shiji and theQiushan clan head could possibly give birth to Xu Yourong and Qiushan Jun. Butthis was a fact, just like it was also a fact that the Qiushan clan head'swords were more forceful than Xiao Songgong's…because he was Qiushan Jun'sfather. In Mount Li, Qiushan Jun was the most unique person; one could even call himan anomaly. In the hearts of this young generation of disciples, he was theonly person that could be discussed on par with Martial Granduncle Su Li, evenif his cultivation was still vastly inferior to Su Li's. Even the Sect Masterto a certain degree did not have as much prestige as Qiushan Jun. From the Sect Master down to the most ordinary disciple, there was no one thatdid not like Qiushan Jun. From the most somber Discipline Hall elder to theunfeeling and fierce Guan Feibai to those demi-human servants that had beenpunished to sweep the leaves in the back mountains for forty-odd years,whenever anyone saw Qiushan Jun, they would always give their sincerest smileand show him the greatest kindness. Every display of kindness and love was mutual. Qiushan Jun had lived in MountLi for ten-odd years and had bestowed ample love and kindness to every personthat lived in it. And the thing called prestige was like ten thousand brooksforming a river, created from his devotion to Mount Li in the ten-odd years hehad lived there. To put it in simpler terms, he had bled for Mount Li, bledlots of blood. So when the Qiushan clan head spoke, all of Mount Li would quietly andsincerely listen to his words. Only nobody at this time realized that in that dwelling on that sickbed wherethat young man who had been in a coma for severals weeks lay, a finger hangingover the edge of the bed began to slightly move. "This was originally an internal matter of the Mount Li Sword Sect. Logically,my Qiushan clan is not qualified to speak about it." The Qiushan clan head looked at the Sect Master, looked at the several dozenMount Li disciples standing in front of the dwelling, and calmly said, "But nowthe situation is this. Sir Su Li and Qi Jian are suspected of colluding withthe demons and stirring bloody rains and foul winds within the Garden of Zhou.And it was my son Qiushan who, for the purpose of opening the Garden of Zhouand because of this demon infiltration, completely exhausted his essence blood.Presently, he is still in a coma, his ultimate fate unclear! I think that ashis father, I have the qualifications to stand for him and request that all thepeople of Mount Li do some things." These words were said to the Sect Master and the several dozen disciplesbeside him, and also to the disciples in the other peaks of Mount Li. Countless gazes, filled with concern and apprehension, rested on the tightlyshut stone door of the dwelling. The Mount Li disciples were all thinking,ifwhat Elder Xiao Songgong said is true, that this is all the scheme of thedemons… Senior Brother Liang Xiaoxiao is already dead; could it be that nowEldest Brother will also have to pay his life as a price? Could it be thatMartial Granduncle really took Mount Li as his personal property and decided topass down the position of Sect Master to Qi Jian and not Eldest Brother? Howcould this be okay! If this is all true, then the Qiushan clan's anger iscertainly very reasonable. All the peaks of Mount Li abruptly went silent. Bai Cai's expression subtlychanged. He understood that this signified an exceptionally ill omen,indicating that the hearts of the people were gradually shifting. However, evenfor him, there was still no way to respond to these words, because in theentire matter, Eldest Brother was the most innocent. Even now, he was still ina coma and no one knew when he would wake up. The several dozen disciples in front of the dwelling all gazed at the SectMaster, their expressions rather complex. Xiao Songgong looked at the Sect Master and said expressionlessly, "Hand overthe Myriad Sword Array." The Discipline Hall elder said with a voice as hard as iron, "Might I botherSenior Brother Sect Master to bring out the demon woman Qi Jian." Longevity Sect Elder Jiang was serene and silent. The Qiushan clan head calmly said, "I need you to hand over only one thing." Previously, every word of the Sect Master's had been like a sword. Now, it wastime for him to bear a rain of swords. These words which pressed him step by step, the hesitation exhibited on thefaces of several dozen disciples behind him, the silence of the peaks of MountLi—these were all swords. The testament borrowed from Liang Xiaoxiao, the nameof Qiushan, the returning of the myriad swords, the transition betweendynasties, the Longevity Sect once again holding the south in the palm of itshand, the Qiushan clan's advance into the north, the unification of the northand south, the world united as one…this was truly a glorious and beautifulpicture scroll! As the Sect Master thought about this picture, a slightly bitter smileappeared on his face. Xiao Songgong had no plans of giving him any time to think. Turning to theseveral dozen disciples standing in front of the dwelling, he sternly yelled,"Your Eldest Brother has been harmed by the demons' plot! For the sake ofletting the cultivators out of the Garden of Zhou, he unsparingly consumed hisessence blood to once again open the Garden of Zhou until he suffered heavyinjuries and fell into coma! Don't tell me you want to do this thing that wouldgladden our enemies and pain the ones close to you? Shouldn't you be quicklyputting down your swords, or else when your Eldest Brother wakes up and sees ariver of blood running down the main peak of Mount Li and disciples massacringone another, just how pained will he be!?" These words of his were all imbued with true essence and seemed like countlessswords. Although the several dozen sword glows in front of the dwellingdispersed the vast majority of it, the sharpness of the words still remained.The faces of those Mount Li disciples grew increasingly conflicted. There weresome people whose swords inadvertently drooped to the ground, while there wereeven more people that watched the Sect Master, hesitating as they waited forhis final decision. Seeing this scene, Xiao Songgong inwardly cursed in the depths of his heart,then he clenched his teeth and used his final method, his voice transmitting toall the peaks of Mount Li. "Today, I violated the laws of the sect, intrudedthe main peak, and was disrespectful to the Sect Master. I only want the SectMaster to abdicate and bring out the demon woman Qi Jian. I will not receivefive years of the Sect Master’s position, this being my proof that I do notcovet power, that I am at fault, and that I humbly apologize." With these words, the peaks erupted in a clamor. Even those Mount Li disciplesthat were the most furious at Xiao Songgong's conduct were forced to admit thatthese conditions were enough to express his sincerity. The Longevity Sect elder asked, "Then the position of Sect Master…who shouldit go to?" Xiao Songgong silently pondered this for a few moments, "My senior and juniorbrothers imprisoned in the sword array will have their own opinions, but if youask me, it's still…Qiushan." The Longevity Sect elder smiled. "He's too young, isn't he?" Xiao Songgong said no more. The Qiushan clan head also said nothing, only indifferently smiled. The several dozen disciples in front of the dwelling looked at each other indismay. Bai Cai walked up to the Sect Master's side, carrying his sword. He felt verydejected, but he didn't know what he should say. This proposal was seemingly the only resolution that everyone in Mount Li,from top to bottom, was willing to accept. At the very least, it could avert that final stage of Mount Li's internalstrife which, once reached, would be unmanageable. Why would Xiao Songgong be willing to pay such a great price? The Sect Mastercalmly looked at Xiao Songgong and noticed that Xiao Songgong and the Qiushanclan head briefly glanced at each other, and then he understood everythingclearly. To see the position of Sect Master of the Mount Li Sword Sect that hehad long yearned for but then be forced to submit and give way, and in additionseclude himself in the back mountains in bitter cultivation to atone for hiscrimes—presumably, the Qiushan clan and the Longevity Sect would have to pay asuitable compensation in the aftermath. But was this really a resolution that all of Mount Li was willing to accept? The peaks of Mount Li were all silent. Everyone was waiting for the SectMaster's final decision. At this moment, a voice came out of the dwelling. This voice was very weak, yet it was still bright. It was just like the sky that had been obscured by dark clouds for a very longtime: as long as the clouds dispersed, the skies would be as clear and blue asever.