Eternal Saber

Chapter 455 - 61: High Profile

In the depths of the cell, the elderly man shook his head and said, "Your ascension is illegitimate, your conduct unrighteous. Even if you become the Sect Leader of the Plum Blossom Sword Sect, the righteous path of the Jianghu will not recognize you."

"Hahahaha!"

Peng Shiquan laughed out loud and said, "Old Mei, you’re gravely mistaken!"

"I might as well tell you, at the Sect Leader’s ceremony in three days, all the influential forces of the Wu State’s Jianghu have promised to send people to witness and congratulate. This includes the Buddhist Sect, the Drunken Immortal Tower, and even people from Langya Pavilion have arrived!"

Mei Qingyuan remained silent.

Peng Shiquan let out a light snort and said, "I’ve told you before, your methods won’t survive in today’s Jianghu! Under your leadership, the Plum Blossom Sword Sect has declined year after year, yet you still cling to those rotten old rules, refusing to adapt!"

Mei Qingyuan slowly said, "Some things are the baseline, the foundation for standing in the Jianghu!"

"What nonsense baseline and foundation?"

Peng Shiquan sneered, "All I know is that the Plum Blossom Sword Sect is getting poorer, and the disciples in the sect are becoming fewer! Yet you stubbornly select disciples based on character and talent, what’s the use?"

Mei Qingyuan replied, "So, you secretly colluded with some powerful officials, inserting their people into the Plum Blossom Sword Sect."

"What’s wrong with that?"

Peng Shiquan said, "What’s wrong with power and the government? As long as there is money, what’s wrong with allowing their people to join the sect?"

"Do you have the widespread business like the Drunken Immortal Tower or the Tea Ceremony Sect across the Six States? Do you have a business like the Celestial Horse Escort Agency, where all the Green Forest forces in the Great Xia Martial World give face? You don’t rely on water, unlike the Xiajiang Ship Gang, doing water-based trade."

"The Plum Blossom Sword Sect has nothing, it will only get worse this way!"

Mei Qingyuan shook his head and retorted, "Taking someone’s meal ties your tongue, accepting someone’s money binds your hands. So you took money from powerful officials and dared to let any scoundrel or young master bully their way into the sect!"

"Hahahaha!"

Peng Shiquan laughed out loud and said, "They’re scoundrels, and what about the disciples you personally chose? When disaster strikes, didn’t most of them still stand on my side?"

Mei Qingyuan sighed inwardly, his expression complicated.

After seizing the Sect Leader’s position, Peng Shiquan started a bloodbath, purging the sword sect disciples who opposed him.

Under such slaughter and the threat of bloodshed, many fellow disciples indeed couldn’t withstand it and chose to submit.

Not everyone, in such a situation, can face death fearlessly.

Mei Qingyuan did not blame them.

After all, these disciples are still young, with an infinite future ahead.

Of course, like Mei Zhenyu and a few dozen others, they remained proud despite Peng Shiquan’s massacre, never yielding!

"Peng Shiquan."

Mei Qingyuan said, "It was my sole decision to expel you from the sect back then; these disciples have no quarrel with you. Give them a way out."

"Sure."

Peng Shiquan smiled faintly and said, "I’m not unreasonable. If any among you are willing to stand up and acknowledge me as the Sect Leader of the Plum Blossom Sword Sect, I’ll give you a way out."

"The opportunity is right in front of you, how you choose is up to you."

"Nonsense!"

"Dreaming in broad daylight!"

The remaining disciples, as long as they had the strength, all started cursing loudly, glaring angrily.

"Very well, with backbone."

Peng Shiquan nodded, grinned, and said, "In three days, when I officially become the Sect Leader of the Plum Blossom Sword Sect, I’ll play slowly with you."

Ah Li curled up, leaning against the wall of the prison, hidden in the shadows, blending into the night, the wall, and the surrounding environment, without revealing any flaw.

Her heartbeat had almost disappeared!

The nearest hermit was only ten meters away and hadn’t detected her presence!

Ah Li listened to the conversation inside, occasionally squinting her eyes to observe the surroundings, then quickly closed them, relying solely on her ears to listen.

This is the basis of a hermit.

If you stare at someone for too long, even an ordinary person would sense something, not to mention some powerful Martial Artists.

And the eyes should not be opened too wide.

Under the reflection of light, it’s possible to expose oneself!

Ah Li calculated silently in her heart.

With her skills, she’s seventy percent sure she can assassinate Peng Shiquan.

But it could easily alert the enemy.

There are too many guards around.

Many hermits are hidden in the dark, she can’t handle all the dark sentinels at once.

The slightest disturbance would alert some hermits!

Moreover, beside Peng Shiquan, it seems...

Ah Li was somewhat unsure.

She had a feeling, at this moment, there was a thirty percent chance of change in assassinating Peng Shiquan!

This was an intuition accumulated over countless assassination experiences.

Ah Li did not act rashly.

Her purpose tonight was mainly to investigate.

A moment later, Peng Shiquan was about to leave.

At the moment he pushed open the cell door, a ghostly figure drifted out of the darkness, following silently behind Peng Shiquan, as if it was his shadow!

Ah Li immediately closed her eyes.

Third Grade Upper Concealment!

Moreover, among the Upper Concealment, this person’s concealment skills are extremely advanced!

The thirty percent chance of change rested on this Upper Concealment!

After the two left, Ah Li remained unmoved.

Before long, the Upper Concealment returned, surveyed the surroundings, confirmed all the hermits were in place without any anomalies, and then left.

Ah Li waited for a while before quietly departing.

Noticing Ah Li had returned, Chen Tang sheathed his sword and returned to the house.

Only then did Wu Ming and a few disciples, who were watching, breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

Just now, they didn’t dare to breathe loudly, fearing exposure.

"This person’s stamina is impressive, practicing swordsmanship for more than an hour."

"The Sect Leader seems to have been a bit too cautious, this person’s swordsmanship does seem to be inherited from the Book and Sword Hall, something like a postscript."

"It’s called ’Riverside Preface,’ don’t you know? If you look carefully at his sword technique, he’s actually writing characters."

Even after entering the house, Chen Tang could still hear the conversation of the sword sect disciples outside.

It’s not that these disciples weren’t cautious enough.

They merely saw him as young, lacking Inner Qi, and assumed his cultivation was at most Sixth Grade.

At this distance, speaking quietly, they truly couldn’t be heard.

Unfortunately, Chen Tang had already achieved Great Success in the Opening Acupoints Realm, with the ability of Heavenly Vision and Earthly Hearing!

Ah Li made a few hand gestures, simply conveying what she had seen and heard to Chen Tang.

Chen Tang could understand the gist.

Finally, Ah Li indicated that the place was heavily guarded, impenetrable, with dozens of people trapped, weak and lacking combat strength, making it difficult for the two of them to rescue anyone silently.

Chen Tang pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "If it can’t be done silently, then we’ll do it openly."

"In three days, when this person assumes the Sect Leader role, I’ll give him a grand gift!"

In three days, Peng Shiquan was to assume the role of Sect Leader in front of the mountain of the Plum Blossom Sword Sect, with major Jianghu forces coming to witness and congratulate, and it would also be when the guards at the rear prison would be most lax.