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115 - To Improvise a Scheme
🕑 Added 2024-11-15 23:38:21 +0000 UTCThe rubble of a destroyed stone house shifted slightly as a soft breeze floated over it, only for an explosion to occur soon after. The explosion propelled stone and wood upwards, resulting in thick sand clouds that lingered for a moment before being blown away, revealing the old elder looking slightly worse for wear.
His dark red robes were slightly frayed at the hem, and dust covered his long white beard, but he was otherwise unscathed. Still, the look in his eyes alone prompted the crowd to take a few steps back, unwilling to be the target of his ire. Fortunately, Zou Lan was ready; her domain prepared to engulf and restrain the man. However, Qin Yun had other plans.
“Although the old Guardian took pity on you and went easy with the formation, you might want to check if you haven’t broken any bones. After all, you aren’t young anymore, and he has a really difficult time trying not to hurt the weak ones,” Qin Yun said, his tone not betraying a single ounce of malice.
The crowd gasped, watching the old elder like a hawk, awaiting his reaction. Qin Yun's disrespect was too blatant for the old man to ignore. Still, the image of Zou Lan silently standing on the side was firmly imprinted in his mind. His only choice was to bear it. After all, he valued his life much more than his pride.
“I'm impressed. It's not every day you can meet a man of such self-control," Qin Yun added, his smile fading from his lips, losing all pretense. "Tell me, is your patience born out of magnanimity or cowardice?"
Silence hung over the crowd. Even the two remaining elders were perplexed by Qin Yun's actions. They couldn't understand what he tried to do, antagonizing the old elder with his pitiful strength. Was he relying on Zou Lan's support? Was this part of her plan?
If only unconsciously, their gazes were drawn to her, yet she seemed just as surprised as they were. She wore a deep frown, almost as if she couldn't believe her eyes. It seemed as if she was wavering, unsure whether to act or not.
“What are you playing at?” Zou Lan asked, breaking the silence.
She spoke just in time, noticing the old man was about to act. While she could easily prevent him from reaching Qin Yun, she hoped to avoid such an outcome, as it would only confirm that she somehow agreed with Qin Yun's words.
While it may be true, she would rather avoid it. The situation was already much too complex, and she didn't wish to muddy the water even more. However, her intentions seemed to fly over Qin Yun's head.
“I just spoke the truth,” Qin Yun shrugged. “I’m just a small Qi Refining cultivator, and just insulted a big elder from a prestigious sect, yet he doesn’t even dare to refute my claims. What is it if not cowardice? Or do you claim to be above it all, that your actions are beyond reproach? How about we ask the crowd? Is the Raging Sect elder a coward or not?”
Despite Qin Yun's provocative words, the crowd remained silent, too afraid to speak. Some sought to open their mouths yet were restrained by the pleading looks of their own families, as they knew the consequences all too clearly. Most were mere mortals or rogue cultivators; they couldn't afford to offend any of the present parties. Silence was the most prudent course of action. Still, not all had such self-control.
“He’s a big coward!”
The one who spoke was a young boy, no more than ten years old. His skin was dark as if burned by the harsh sun, and his clothes were tattered, eroded by the unending sands of this parched desert. His body was thin, weak even, yet he stood with much more strength than most of the adult males around him. His gaze was firm, his eyes clear, even as he faced the old elder, and the frightened gazes locked onto him.
To his side was a woman of small stature, probably in her early thirties. However, sorrow and hardship had eroded her features, yet she still shone regardless. She stood before the boy, protecting him with her body despite the fear that plagued her eyes. She knew her son’s words couldn’t be taken back, yet something in her heart told her he shouldn’t, no matter how estranged from reality it was.
“Why would you say so, boy?” Qin Yun asked, ignoring the heightened tension, especially the old elder now looking at the boy.
Zou Lan felt more tense than ever, wondering whether she should interfere before things devolved further. Yet, a small part of her wished to see where Qin Yun was going with this. What was it all for?
"They're all cowards!" the boy cried, but his words were aimed at all three elders this time. "My father bled and died to protect this city while they hid within their own clans. While I resent him for leaving me and my mother alone, people call him a hero. He's a thousand times better than these cowards!"
The woman held him tighter, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Her small back was turned towards the three elders, and she shivered slightly. Qin Yun couldn't help but begin to clap his hand, offering hommage to the boy's bravery, only to hear the old elder scoff.
“What can a child even know?” he said, looking unperturbed. “The four sects are the pillars that sustain this city. What do you think would have happened if they were to have been wiped out in the recent battle? Short-term losses are inconsequential when thinking of the greater good.”
The atmosphere became heavy as the people heard the old man's words. Some of these losses had been acquaintances, friends, even fathers, sons and daughters, not counting the countless rogue cultivators that gave their lives so that they could live another day. To have them all relegated to "short-term losses" was an insult to their sacrifice.
While the old elder looked smug, unconcerned by the masses, the other two elders couldn't help but frown. While they agreed with the man's statement, they weren't brazen enough to state it outright.
“You see? This is what they think of you,” Qin Yun said, addressing the crowd. “They think nothing of your life and death. You are mere sheep for them to slaughter as they please.”
However, just as the words left Qin Yun's mouth, a light flashed into the old elder's eyes, taking even Zou Lan by surprise. It was so sudden that it took her entirely aback.
The old man raised his hand, stretching a palm forward. Then a flame emerged from it, propelled forward as if creating a heat ray. Qin Yun's eyes opened wide as he saw it was aimed at him. He raised both hands, protecting his vitals, yet this was all the time he was granted.
Less than a moment later, the beam collided, producing a large explosion that engulfed most of the underground entrance Qin Yun stood next to. The heat wave continued outwards, threatening to engulf the crowd in its deadly heat, only for Zou Lan to stop its spread with her domain.
Just as dread took hold of the crowd's hearts and cold sweat poured down their back, Zou Lan glared at the old elder, only for him to ignore her as he knew she wouldn't retaliate. He only looked at the dust cloud lingering in the air, blocking the view as it slowly fell back down. Before Zou Lan could open her mouth, the old man was the first to speak.
“Do not believe his words," the old man said as he turned to address the crowd. "That man was a spy sent by the Outsiders to overturn the Frontier's order with his devilish tongue. He sought to undermine our unity if only to allow his vile masters to invade us further. Fortunately, I took swift action to rid ourselves of this pest. Now, the city can finally return to its proper order!"
Either due to the power behind his words or the confidence with which he spoke, some within the crowd couldn't help but believe him—mostly the various disciples of the three sects. Of course, Zou Lan knew better, yet she debated whether to act or to hold her tongue. After all, what could she even hope to accomplish now that the man himself was already dead? Still, her hand rested firmly on the hilt of her sheathed sword.
Still, just as the crowd had burst into a loud uproar over the young man's death, it soon became deathly silent as the dust cloud fell back down to the ground. Some cheered in their heart, while others couldn't believe their eyes. Even Zou Lan was taken aback, unable to comprehend what she saw.
Seeing their looks, the old man frowned as he turned around, only to see Qin Yun standing next to the same entrance, looking completely unscathed, but this time, the shimmering blue barrier seemed to be covering his body, protecting him from the inferno the old cultivator had unleashed.
“That’s impossible!” the old elder shouted. “There’s no way a Qi Refining cultivator could survive that! What kind of demon are you?!”
“He’s no demon,” the Alliance’s envoy said, eyes slightly narrowed. “The city’s barrier protected him.”
Looking closer, the old man finally noticed the shimmering blue barrier, only to see it slowly recede from Qin Yun's body back to the entrance of the underground staircase. Surprise remained on Qin Yun's face for a while longer before he shook his head and turned around, bowing slightly as he clasped his hand to the abyss below.
“Many thanks to the old Forgotten One for saving this unworthy one’s life,” Qin Yun said to the darkness. "This city is lucky to have you watch over them for so long, protecting them all this time without your existence ever being recognized—so long that even your name has been lost to the great flow of history. I, Qin Yun, thank you for all you have done!"
He closed his eyes and paid his respect to the void, only for the crowd to be most bewildered. Never had they heard of this Forgotten One, yet according to Qin Yun's words, he had long protected them in the dark, never asking anything in return.
To show their gratitude, some began to bow alongside Qin Yun, only for others to follow suit, almost like a wave rolling on the ocean's surface. Soon, all had clasped their hands, bowing just as Qin Yun did, except for the three elders, the envoy, and Zou Lan, who seemed utterly taken aback by the events, for she knew all too well that the Forgotten One was already dead and gone. Still, she noticed the slight smile creeping on Qin Yun's lips.
Discarding the scene before him, the envoy approached the passage, standing right next to Qin Yun, yet he ignored him completely. He bent down, looking closely at the shimmering blue barrier marking the threshold of this underground passage.
He extended a hand, pressing his palm onto it, only to be rejected. Unlike the old elder, he wasn't thrown away by the rebound. He even pressed slightly forward as if seeking to break through, yet it was all for naught. Even exerting most of his strength and prompting surrounding qi to come to his aid, the young envoy could only push the barrier inward less than an inch, not even destabilizing the boundary. He had no way of breaking through.
“How long are you going to punish yourself like this, Ancestor?” the young envoy mouthed silently.
As the only one near him, Qin Yun was the only one to read his lips. Still, the revelation couldn’t help but make him pensive. Maybe he had misread the situation. However, his course was already set. He had no way to back down anymore. He could only push through with what he hoped to accomplish.
