Chapter 720: Arrogance has its advantages (1/2)

The sword sect master laughed coldly. “Whether you’re right or wrong? You hurt Yao Yao like that and still have the face to debate right and wrong with your master?”

“Master, my imperial mother is still lying in the estate in a coma. Forget about hurting her, even killing her won’t be enough to relieve my anger!” Long Feiye was very blunt.

A flash of unhappiness flickered past the sword sect master’s eyes. “Just what happened?”

Actually, his own shadow guards had told him everything as soon as he emerged from closed door cultivation. However, he hadn’t expected Duanmu Yao to be so severely injured. Just then, he’d clearly witnessed the dispute between Long Feiye and Cang Qiuzi before the main halls of Celestial Mountain Sword Sect as well. He was clear on all the details, but his unhappiness stemmed from the second half of Long Feiye’s sentence.

Meanwhile, Long Feiye explained everything that had happened before he concluded, “Master, Yunxi poisoned Martial Uncle Cang with the exact same toxin she used in the matrix pathway. If Martial Uncle Cang had really arrived later to Lost Void Lake, then he should’ve been able to dispel the stomach poison. If that’s the case, Yunxi doesn’t need to give him an antidote at all.”

Long Feiye didn’t spell it out, but the implications were clear. If Cang Qiuzi couldn’t cure the poison, then it proved he was hiding by Lost Void Lake the entire time. Cang Qiuzi fell silent. He knew he had no rebuttal. Duanmu Yao only found it unthinkable that Han Yunxi had left such a ploy. In other words, the person who helped us escape that day was a high level poisons expert as well? But she couldn’t be bothered to speculate on his or her identity right now.

With reality before them, how was she to argue back? There was no choice except admitting her guilt! Even then, what would happen to Cang Qiuzi? Goosebumps rose on her flesh as she suddenly realized the severity of the situation.

If master decides to severely punish Cang Qiuzi, then he might drag me down with him. He could even expose the unthinkable things we did together! What would master think if he found out we did those types of things?

Will he think I’m dirty? Or toss me aside?

The nerves in Duanmu Yao’s brain stretched taut as she stared at Cang Qiuzi. Her heart was pounding in her chest! If she only felt slightly contrite before, that had changed into full-blown regret. There was no chance for her to go back!

“Junior brother Cang, what do you have to say for yourself?” the sword sect master asked coldly.

“Yao Yao was heavily injured and needed treatment. As a senior brother, Long Feiye not only refused to help, but exacerbated her wounds. I couldn’t accept that, so I didn’t stop her. I only went to protect Yao Yao,” Cang Qiuzi was in enough pain to kneel on one knee, but still spoke with justice on his side. “If I hadn’t, she would have died for sure.”

“In other words, this grandmaster is supposed to feel indebted to you instead?” the sword sect master smiled coldly.

“I rescued the sword sect master’s beloved disciple. If the grandmaster still insists on punishment, then I shall listen to your respected orders!” Cang Qiuzi grew even more stubborn.

Duanmu Yao was so scared that her hairs stood on end. She never expected Cang Qiuzi to have the guts to challenge her master in person. It looked like she’d underestimated his strength. For the past two years, she’d been doing nothing but asking a tiger for its skin–expecting this man to act against his own interests was an impossible feat!

Han Yunxi could sniff the scent of combat in the air. Cang Qiuzi was both poisoned and heavily injured, so where did he get the nerve to stay so stubborn? You couldn’t act as you pleased without an advantage on hand! She suddenly discovered a frightening truth: the sword sect master dreaded Cang Qiuzi! That’s why he would try to de-escalate the situation and put on a show with Long Feiye.

Now the sword sect master was raging. “Punish as I please? Do you all think this grandmaster locked myself in closed door cultivation just for the right to punish everyone as I please?” As he spoke, he pointed at Long Feiye and roared, “Do you know why master punished you first just then? Because you were the first in the wrong!”

“So master already knew the truth…” Long Feiye intoned as he hung his head.

“Heheh, how could this grandmaster be ignorant? The disciples of the two Depositories and Courtyards were all watching the show. Do you all take me to be blind? I may have rarely interfered with internal sect matters these years, but I know in my heart exactly what each and every one of you is up to!”

The sword sect master whirled around and cried, “Cang Qiuzi, as the leader of Lockheart Courtyard and the four elders, you dared to get involved in such a mess with your juniors. Alright, so Yao Yao might have been disobedient, but you had the gall to collude with assassins? If this grandmaster hadn’t come out today, how could you have any face left after all that commotion? What about the respect owed to our Celestial Mountain?”

Cang Qiuzi fell silent, also hanging his head. But the sword sect master still wasn’t done.

“Feiye committed the crime of disrespecting his elders and has the first mistake, but you are guilty of the second by acting in a disrespectful manner. This grandmaster didn’t rebuke in front of all the other disciples so I could save your pride–and the face of the Council of Elders and Celestial Mountain Sword Sect.”

Cang Qiuzi’s eyes dimmed with complex thoughts. He was surprised to hear such thoughts from Li Jianxin’s lips. Looks like he still hasn’t changed after all these years! The veneration of the sword sect and its respected name was more important than anything else in his heart. It seemed like Li Jianxin wouldn’t publicize the news of him colluding with the City of Daughters to kidnap Grand Concubine Yi, much less punish him for the consequences. As long as he escaped a serious sentence, he didn’t need to get into a fight. After all, the ranking matches and Celestial Mountain Assembly were coming up next. He could gain more forces to supplement his power and move afterwards. Additionally, Long Feiye had brought Han Yunxi to Celestial Mountain, making this the perfect chance for him to use Duanmu Yao to sour relations between Long Feiye and his master.

Cang Qiuzi’s harried heart finally calmed down. After waiting patiently for so many years, he didn’t mind another two to three month delay. He relaxed his guard and borrowed the pain in stomach with the lack of energy in his limbs to pretend to collapse by the sword sect master’s feet and curl up into a ball. “Senior brother, I know my wrongs…I am willing to accept the punishment.”