Zhou Huan, Liu Qian, and Mao Yifan were overjoyed. It seemed like all their flattery over the past few days hadn't been in vain after all. They didn't believe that Miao Yi would dare act rashly with this deacon around.
The three of them crowded around Fan Zizhang, while everyone else surrounded the four of them, and the group marched up the Mountain Chieftain's manor. From the way they walked, it seemed more like they were planning a coup if anything.
"Roar!!"
Several roars could be heard coming from within the Mountain Chieftain's quarters. Everyone immediately looked at one another, puzzled as to what sort of creature could have made such a noise.
Standing guard outside the gates, Tian Qingfeng extended his hand and called for everyone to halt. "The Mountain Chieftain only asked to see Zhou Huan alone!"
Zhou Huan, Liu Qian, and Mao Yifan immediately shot him an icy glare. Tian Qingfeng couldn't help laughing bitterly deep down, 'It looks like Miao Yi was right after all. Now that we've knocked these people around so much, if we still let them live, we will surely have a rough road ahead of us.'
Fan Zizhang scoffed, "Are you saying I'm not allowed to go in too?"
Miao Yi's reply came from inside the courtyard, "Let Deacon Fan in. If any of the others wish to defy my orders, then they are free to come in too. For every single person that sets foot in here, there will be one extra corpse to haul out!"
'Whoosh!' A giant black shadow shot out from inside the courtyard, crashing into the ground with a deafening boom. Dirt and dust rolled about as the earth shattered in a terrible quake that shook everyone.
Everyone turned their heads to look and found a ridiculously giant hammer embedded in the ground. Then, with a thunderous noise, the hammer shot back up and flew back into the courtyard!
'A top-tier transcendent artifact?!' The crowd was utterly horrified. If something like this were to crash down on them, how could they possibly survive? They finally realized the extent of Miao Yi's confidence after his return from the Sea of Constellations. This was not something they could fight against at all. If Miao Yi were to really use force, it wouldn't take him much effort to deal with all of them.
Tian Qingfeng and the others who were standing guard by the gate were also completely stunned.
Even Fan Zizhang couldn't help the envy on his face for a brief moment. He turned to Zhou Huan and said, "I'm here. Don't be afraid. The rest of you, wait here. You come with me."
Zhou Huan felt a little regretful. When Miao Yi had assembled the School of Blue Jade disciples, all of them had already gathered together to make a run for it. But in the end, Miao Yi only came to seize them after the School of Blue Jade disciples had left. And now, it looked like it would've been better to have fled to South Edict Manor and wait things out. However, it was too late to run now that they were already at Miao Yi's doorstep.
That said, Zhou Huan believed things should be fine with Fan Zizhang around, and quickly followed behind the latter as he went inside.
As they entered the courtyard, the two ferocious-looking 'Black-Scaled Drake Beasts' immediately caught Fan Zizhang and Zhou Huan's attention. They watched as Qian'Er and Xue'Er stroked the beasts' heads and fed them. The mysterious roar just now must have come from these two creatures.
As for Charcoal, he was taking a nap under the eaves, completely unperturbed by these two terrifying beasts.
"Mountain Chieftain Miao." Fan Zizhang cheerfully greeted Miao Yi, then cupped his fists towards Zhao Fei and the others. "Manor Head Zhao. Manor Head Sikong. Brother Yan."
Seeing as everyone else was exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Huan went forward to greet Miao Yi and the others as well. Fan Zizhang pointed at the two strange creatures and asked, "What manner of creature is this? It bears some resemblance to a lion, yet looks like a tiger at the same time. It even has scales."
Miao Yi smiled and answered, "These two are spiritual beasts that I brought back with me from the Sea of Constellations. They're called 'Black-Scaled Drake Beasts'. I gifted them to my two girls as mounts."
Fan Zizhang chuckled and said, "What fine creatures indeed. Mountain Chieftain Miao, your handmaidens are truly lucky to have you."
Hearing someone compliment their Master's gifts, Qian'Er and Xue'Er couldn't hide the exhilaration in their eyes. The two of them were very happy to have received such unique gifts from their Master.
Miao Yi waved his hand and said, "That's not true. In the years I've been away, these two girls have suffered quite a bit and were bullied pretty badly!"
Knowing full well what Miao Yi meant, Fan Zizhang chuckled. Everyone then cast Zhou Huan aside and began talking amongst themselves. As he finished his tea, Fan Zizhang eventually cupped his fists and said, "It's getting late. Since Mountain Chieftain Miao still has business to attend to, I shall not bother you any longer."
"Goodbye then!" Miao Yi extended his arm towards the exit. When he saw Zhou Huan intending to leave with Fan Zizhang, he called out, "Zhou Huan, stay for a bit!"
Zhou Huan initially thought that Miao Yi was ignoring him because he couldn't do anything with Fan Zizhang around. Thus, when he heard Miao Yi calling out to him, he couldn't help feeling startled. He nervously voiced out to Fan Zizhang, "Deacon Fan…"
Fan Zizhang turned around and smiled at Miao Yi, saying, "Mountain Chieftain Miao, if anything happens to Zhou Huan, you'll be answering to me!" He then told Zhou Huan, "It's fine!" He left immediately after.
This deacon just walked in here and left without saying anything useful. Zhou Huan couldn't help feeling that something was amiss. He wanted to stubbornly tag along with Fan Zizhang, but Miao Yi's voice suddenly came from behind, saying, "Zhou Huan, if you dare defy this mountain chieftain's orders and take one foot out the moon gate, you will immediately die a miserable death. Do you believe me?"
Zhou Huan immediately froze and watched as Fan Zizhang nonchalantly departed as though he hadn't heard a single thing.
Miao Yi walked inside the pavilion and sat down, then asked, "Do you know Gu Sanzheng? I've already promised him that I won't go against your Sword Deviate Sect anymore, so you'd best not force me to not honor my agreement with him."
Having caught a glimpse of hope, Zhou Huan was a little overjoyed. He quickly rushed into the pavilion, then cupped his fists and asked, "Gu Sanzheng is my Senior Uncle. Mountain Chieftain, you are acquainted with Senior Uncle Gu?"
As he watched Qian'Er and Xue'Er tame their Black-Scaled Drake Beasts, Zhao Fei suddenly voiced out, "The Sea of Constellations is full of perils. Gu Sanzheng was our comrade-in-arms through it all, and you ask if we're acquainted with him? Had the two of us not convinced Brother Miao to spare you out of respect for Gu Sanzheng, do you think you'd still be able to stand there and talk for so long? Do you honestly think your meager Sword Deviate Sect disciples will be able to hold out against Brother Miao's transcendent artifact?"
"So both Seniors are Senior Uncle Gu's friends." Zhou Huan was beside himself with joy, cupping his fists from afar as he said, "This junior has been impolite."
Sikong Wuwei chuckled and said, "When you go back and see Gu Sanzheng, tell him that he now owes us another favor. He'll have to buy us drinks the next time we meet."
"Yes, yes, of course!" Zhou Huan hurriedly cupped his fists and replied. It seemed he was safe now. He then turned back to Miao Yi with cupped fists and asked, "Then may I know why the Mountain Chieftain has called for me?"
Miao Yi said blankly, "In short, I didn't call you here to kill you. Otherwise, I wouldn't even waste my breath talking to you. I want you to first ask everyone outside to leave. I have matters to discuss with you in private."
"This…" Zhou Huan was a little hesitant.
Miao Yi raised an eyebrow and said, "If I really wanted you dead, then it makes no difference whether there's a crowd outside or not."
Zhou Huan had to agree with his words. He quickly cupped his fists and departed. As he rushed outside, he waved his hand and said, "Leave, all of you. Everything's fine now."
The people outside were confused. Liu Qian and Mao Yifan asked, "What happened?"
"It's all just our misunderstanding. I'll tell you about it later. Just leave for now." After Zhou Huan had everyone leave, he returned to the pavilion in the courtyard and awaited further instructions.
"Sit down and talk!" Miao Yi nodded, then continued as Zhou Huan took a seat, "I can let you Sword Deviate Sect disciples off out of respect for Gu Sanzheng. However, that doesn't mean I will spare the others. Hence, I need you to do something for me to atone for your transgressions. If not, what will become of this mountain chieftain's esteem?"
Zhou Huan felt a thump in his chest as he thought, 'Don't tell me he's trying to get my Sword Deviate Sect to betray the other two sects?' He then asked carefully, "What does Mountain Chieftain intend for this subordinate to do?"
Miao Yi replied, "I need a written testimony describing all the instances of insubordination, conspiracy plotting, and defiance of a superior's orders committed by every single person from the other two sects. That Deacon Shen Fenghua is the main focus here! You were a part of it too, so surely you know what they did, right? I want you to write down everything you know!"
Zhou Huan was not an idiot. If he were to sell out the other two sects, then as one of the masterminds, he wouldn't escape unscathed either. By then, the other two would surely come back to bite him. Zhou Huan laughed drily and said, "I can't really remember every single thing that happened these past ten years on such short notice. But don't worry, Mountain Chieftain. I will go back and think long and hard about it, and give to you the testimony you need as soon as possible."
Zhou Huan was planning to make a run to South Edict Manor immediately after excusing himself. It was best for him to go into hiding for now. 'So what if you're acquainted with Gu Sanzheng? I'm not going to do something stupid like this.'
However, Miao Yi was no fool either, and said, "I will be leaving Mount Calming Sea in a few days. I don't have that much time to waste on you. I suggest you start writing now. If you can't give me what I want by sunrise, then don't blame me for not honoring my agreement to Gu Sanzheng!"
In order to give Zhou Huan some assurance, Miao Yi added, "I won't spare a single member from the other two sects. As long as you hand me the testimony I need, I can guarantee that none of them shall live. You don't have to worry about them singling you out either. If you choose not to write, then you can forget about leaving this place alive!"
'Won't spare a single member from the other two sects?' Zhou Huan was heavily shocked. He was feeling rather conflicted, but with his back pushed against the wall like this, there was nothing he could do but just try to save his own skin for now...
As dawn began to break, Zhou Huan's testimony was finally approved, after going through repeated rewrites and reviews from Miao Yi. With a bitter expression, Zhou Huan imprinted his transcendent seal. Miao Yi then tucked the jade archive away.
"Please excuse this subordinate then!" Zhou Huan bitterly asked to be excused. Now that he had written this down, he was practically a member of Miao Yi's heinous ship already.
"Hold on!" Miao Yi said plainly.
Zhou Huan was startled, thinking that Miao Yi was about to attack him. He asked anxiously, "Is Mountain Chieftain planning to go back on his word?"
"I've already sent out an official decree calling for all Sword Deviate Sect disciples from every Cave. I believe they should be reaching here soon. Once they're here, I want you to get them to write down everything that the people from the Jade Lady Sect and School of Imperial Beasts have done. I told you that I won't let a single one of them live. I'm sure you don't wish to see any survivors come back to bite you as well, correct?"
"This…"
On that following afternoon, all the Sword Deviate Sect disciples from every Cave had finally arrived. Zhou Huan stepped out and gathered all his fellow disciples in the assembly hall, then had them write down their testimonies. Liu Qian and Mao Yifan didn't know what Zhou Huan was trying to do, and they tried to investigate, but they were stopped by the members from the School of Blue Jade.
Meanwhile, the spirit eagles flew out once more. This time, it was to call every single disciple from the School of Imperial Beasts to gather in Mount Calming Sea.
Guarding outside the main assembly hall, Yan Xiu laughed bitterly deep down. He thought, 'It's this trick again. The same old 'written testimony' strategy. It seems the Mountain Chieftain likes doing these kinds of things!'
"To avoid the other two sects trying to pry information from you and put you on the spot, I will isolate you all for the time being!"
Having gotten the written testimonies, Miao Yi ordered all the Sword Deviate Sect disciples to be locked inside one of the courtyards at the back of the mountain. He also had the School of Blue Jade disciples watch over them and prevent them from contacting anyone on the outside. As for Zhou Huan, he was forcefully bound and locked within the Mountain Chieftain's quarters.
Soon, Mao Yifan was also 'invited' to the Mountain Chieftain's quarters. Miao Yi took out the taming method that Tan Lao had given him for training the two Black-Scaled Drake Beasts, pointing towards the two spiritual beasts as he said, "Do you know Tan Lao from the School of Imperial Beasts? He gifted me these two spiritual beasts back in the Sea of Constellations…"
The cycle pretty much repeated itself. The next day, the School of Imperial Beasts disciples also ended up being isolated. And inside the Mountain Chieftain's quarters, Mao Yifan was forcefully bound and tossed in together with Zhou Huan before he even realized what happened.
The commotion created by the first two groups had already turned Liu Qian into a restless chicken. It was no longer possible to employ the same tactic on her.
When Liu Qian was asked to come over, not only did the 'invitation' fall on deaf ears, it scared Liu Qian so much she immediately made a run for it with the other Jade Lady Sect disciples.