Chapter 34
“Hehe . ” Daoist Huode got up and poured a cup of wine for Gu Qingfeng then grinned, “I just need your help with a small thing . ”
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Gu Qingfeng shook his head and smiled . From the very beginning when he heard Huode say that he wanted to celebrate his return, he knew that things were not so simple .
Looking at the table full of delicious food, at the 37 jars of Icefire Wine, and then at Huode’s humble face, he was certain that this wasn’t just a small thing .
Of course, if he could help him, Gu Qingfeng would not refuse . After all, Daoist Huode did help him many times in the past and he even saved his life in his adolescent years . How could he not help him?
However, when he asked for specifics, Huode did not reply and instead asked him,” Brat, you’ve been here for a few days . How do you the sect is compared to how it was back then?”
“It’s a lot more imposing and stronger than it was in the past . I’ve heard there are now three mountains, six halls, nine peaks, and twelve courtyards . The sect even has more than 10,000 disciples and 24 factions with countless people . ”
Before when he was traveling with Ouyang Ye, he had heard a lot about the current state of the sect and he also knew some things about it . All in all, it was more powerful than 500 years ago .
Daoist Huode sighed, “You are correct, kid . However, not long from now, the Redcloud Sect will be plundered by outsiders…”
Plundered by outsiders?
Gu Qingfeng was a little bewildered .
“This actually goes back to 100 years ago, when the Tribulation of Heavens happened . ”
“Tribulation of Heavens?” Gu Qingfeng frowned, then picked up a spiritual fruit and ate it, “But the tribulation did not have too much influence on the mortal worlds . ”
“The tribulation itself did no do too much damage to our world, but the consequences it brought were very dire . When the tribulation began, the entire world was thrown into chaos, demons run amok and all sects were killing each other for resources . We tried our best to defend our sect, and in the end, we accomplished this . However, the Sect Master was very seriously hurt . ”
“Daoist Tude was hurt?” Gu Qingfeng knew that Huode had four apprentice brothers: Jinde, Mude, Shuide, and Tude . The latter was the oldest of them, and he was also the Sect Master of the Redcloud Sect .
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“He was badly wounded, so bad that it put his life in danger and he had to enter seclusion for one hundred years . ”
“Oh? Then what about now?”
Gu Qingfeng and Huode had a good relationship, but that was not the case for the other four . It could even be said that he had some personal grudged with the other ones .
After successfully passing the sect’s examination, Gu Qingfeng was rejected by Daoist Mude due to his average aptitude and spiritual root .
Back then, Gu Qingfeng had badly beaten up Daoist Jinde’s disciples, and because of this, he was almost killed by him .
Gu Qingfeng also had a grudge against Daoist Shuide because he was Hong Xiu’s master . He was the one that broke them up .
He also had a lot of resentment towards Daoist Tude, the Sect Master of the Redcloud Sect . He had begged Tude for several days and nights to allow him to be together with Hong Xiu, but he did not even look at him once .
Of course, too many years had passed and Gu Qingfeng did not even feel like thinking about it anymore . He had no reaction after hearing that Tude had been in seclusion for a hundred years due to his wound .
“Although the Sect Master managed to stay alive, his cultivation base had been crippled…” Huode sighed again and drank another cup of wine, “My senior brother had worked all his life for the well-being of our sect, but in the end… sigh . It’s uncertain whether this sect will be able to survive in the future . ”
“How come? Don’t tell me the four of you have been fighting with each other?”
“Let’s put it this way, right now, the Redcloud Sect has both internal and external crises . The internal crisis is that bastard Jinde! He had always been extremely ambitious and ever since the Sect Master entered seclusion, Jinde has started to grow his own power . Now half of the Redcloud Sect is controlled by him . ”
Jinde?
Ever since he almost died in Jinde’s hands, Gu Qingfeng had known that he was extraordinarily ambitious and shrewd .
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“Only I know that Sect Master’s cultivation base had been crippled, but I won’t be able to hide this matter for too long . Jinde has been trying his hardest to make our senior brother relinquish his position as the Sect Master . ”
“So Jinde wants to be the next Sect Master?”
“Our sect has a rule that says that only the Sect Master’s disciples could inherit his position . Unfortunately, most of my senior brother’s disciples had died in the tribulation, and those who survived have been harmed afterward… Sigh, this is all my fault!
Daoist Huode shook his head and sighed, and self-guilt was visible in his eyes .
Gu Qingfeng had spent a few years as a janitor in the Redcloud Sect so he knew all about its rules . The Sect Master’s disciples were like the princes in a dynasty . Once the time came and the Sect Master had to relinquish his position, one of his disciples will inherit it . If he had no disciples, then one of the elders’ disciples would inherit it .
“Jinde wants his disciple to become the next Sect Master?”
“That’s right!” Huode nodded, “That bastard is extremely ambitious and greedy! If his disciple becomes the Sect Master, I’m afraid our sect will…”
“Haven’t you accepted any disciples over the years?”
“You know how I am, I can’t be someone’s master . As for Mude, he has always been Jinde’s close friend . ”
“What about Elder Shuide? I remember that he wasn’t an ordinary person either . ”
Because of his relationship with Hong Xiu, Gu Qingfeng had a deep resentment towards Shuide in the past . But he had to admit that Shuide’s cultivation base, power, and insight had always been amazing .
“That traitor!” After Shuide was mentioned, Huode immediately became furious and coldly sneered, “Although Jinde is very ambitious, at least he didn’t betray our sect . But that motherfucker defected to Nineglory Alliance!”
“Nineglory Alliance?” Gu Qingfeng shook his head, indicating that he did not know this organization .
“When the Tribulation of Heavens started, our sect joined forces with a few other sects and created the Nineglory Alliance in order to defend against the demons that run amok in our world . We agreed that we will only resist those demons and we will not interfere with internal affairs . ”
“However, after the tribulation passed and all things began to recover, the resources increased and the alliance started to slowly change its views, and it began to interfere with the internal affairs of the various sects . ”
“Although on the surface it looked like they did not do anything, they’ve been secretly nurturing Shuide . That motherfucker used the alliance’s support and had raised his power over the years . ”
Huode took a sip of wine and angrily said, “Ever since our senior brother entered seclusion, those two bastards had been fighting with each other and salivating over the Sect Master position . The entire Redcloud Sect had been turned into a mess by them . ”
“If Jinde becomes the next Sect Master, our sect will become his personal property . However, if Shuide becomes the next Sect Master, our sect would no longer be the Redcloud Sect…”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingfeng more or less understood what happened . He took a sip of wine and teased, “Well, do you want to kill them?”
“Kill them?”
He didn’t expect Gu Qingfeng to say this so he was rather stunned . He bitterly smiled, “I’d like to, but killing them won’t solve the main problem, instead it will only aggravate it because they control the 12 courtyards and 24 factions in our sect . Moreover, we’re still apprentice brothers, if they aren’t heartless, I won’t be either . ”
“Then how could I help you if you don’t want to kill them?”
“About this…” Huode was hesitating .
He got up and poured a cup of wine for Gu Qingfeng then he smiled, “Kid, can you help me fight over the position of the Sect Master?”
“Fight over?” Gu Qingfeng frowned slightly, “How could I fight over it when I am not a disciple of the Redcloud Sect?”
“That’s my business . ”
“And then what?”
“Then what? After the situation calms down, you would be our Sect Master if you want to . However, I know you don’t want to, so I will pick a good disciple to take over your position . ”
“I see . ” Gu Qingfeng crossed his legs and drank a little wine .
He carefully considered it then shook his head, “Huode, you are my savior and I owe you a life . I would do anything to help you, but I’m sorry, I won’t help the Redcloud Sect . ”
“What?” As soon as he heard Gu Qingfeng’s refusal, Huode immediately stood up and asked with wide eyes, “Why?”
“Why? Heh…” Gu Qingfeng poured himself a cup of wine and smiled, ”What did your Redcloud Sect treat me back then? Even though I successfully passed the examination, I was still rejected by Mude . Only after I begged everyone was I accepted as a janitor . ”
“After that, I almost lost my life because I beat up an inner sect disciple . Then Shuide badly humiliated me because of Hong Xiu . As for your Sect Master, I’ve knelt in front of his door for three days and three nights, but he didn’t look at me even once . Now you have the nerve to ask me to help your sect?”
“It’s been so long since then, why do you still care about those things?”
“Nonsense . ” Gu Qingfeng snorted coldly, “I will never forget what happened to me in the Redcloud Sect . My excellent youth had been destroyed by your sect . Even now when I think about it, I’m still angry! If it wasn’t for your face, I would’ve destroyed the Redcloud Sect a long time ago!”
“You!” Huode got so angry that his beard was shaking as he glared and pointed at Gu Qingfeng, “Kid! Do you think that things were easy for us just because you let us off? After you gained fame, everyone knew that you have been a janitor in our sect . ”
“Because of this, we became the laughing stock of the entire world and everyone called us blind men . We couldn’t even lift our heads due to the shame! Very shortly, we began to decline and lost our status as the biggest sect in the Bluesun Domain . ”
Daoist Huode was full of anger as he recalled the events of the past, “And that’s not all! Do you know that after you left, Fatty Wang and those brats from the Bloodheaven Sect almost obliterated our sect several times?”
“If it wasn’t for you, our Redcloud Sect would not have declined! And if that didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have been bullied by so many people after the Tribulation of Heavens started! Our Sect Master would’ve never gotten hurt and we wouldn’t have been forced to make an alliance with other sects!”
“You are the reason why the Redcloud Sect is in the state it is now!”
“Don’t give me that bullshit . ” Gu Qingfeng waved his hand and sneered, “That’s your own fault, it has nothing to do with me!”