Master, What Dao Do You Cultivate?

Chapter 67: Master’s Righteousness Echoes Through the Ages

The arrival of Sha Zizai’s trio didn’t just shake the assassin world—it was explosive even across the entire modern cultivation circle.

Because this was basically three people going up against the entire Xindong Street Commerce Guild. Even if one of the Nine Champions showed up, they’d probably give them a thumbs-up and say, “You’ve got guts!”

The elders present were all dumbfounded, thinking—these three really have guts! Walking straight into enemy turf to kill someone? Even if Xindong Street were in decline, it’s not so far gone that rats could be this arrogant.

In the chaos, no one except the nearby Yu Ye noticed the faint smirk at the corner of Ji Qinglin’s lips:

Everything was going exactly as planned.

Before those assassins had contacted him, Ji Qinglin had actually been quite worried about this Elder Conference.

Because no matter what decision was made, the outcome wouldn’t be ideal.

Anyone with eyes could see that the elders from Xindong Street’s branches were hungry for power. But since they were all from the same guild, one wrong move could cause infighting—or worse, a full-on split.

The one Ji Qinglin was most wary of was Bai Qiucheng, also known as “Snowfall Red.” He was a true Grandmaster, and apart from President Lei Qiong, he didn’t really take anyone else seriously.

Ji Qinglin didn’t think he had no chance of winning. It’s just that a full-on fight would definitely damage the guild’s strength.Win or lose, the Commerce Guild would suffer either way.

And if he wanted to help little Qiuyun establish authority, words alone wouldn’t cut it.

Just then, Sha Zizai and his trio showed up to “warm his heart” in the dead of night, giving Ji Qinglin a way to solve the problem.

Two nights ago, Ji Qinglin and Yu Ye carefully replied to Sha Zizai from the General Store, using a mock dialogue to “accidentally” hint that he was Bai Qiucheng.

Then, by analyzing their techniques, he confirmed their identities and prepared countermeasures based on the techniques they had revealed.

Twenty minutes ago, Ji Qinglin arrived at the off-site venue of the Xindong Street Commerce Guild, just as agreed.

The off-site venue was where the Guild held secret internal meetings. It had top-tier confidentiality measures.

The abandoned factory was Guild property. Although it looked dilapidated from the outside, the rooms on both sides inside had been renovated.

To maintain secrecy, the attendees were brought in at different times. The elders and members who had traveled from afar were first placed here to rest.

When they heard the signal firework, the Elder Conference would officially begin, and everyone would step out together.

Ji Qinglin, who had intentionally arrived last, entered the factory. Through the one-way glass, he could see elders and members whispering among themselves.

“There he is! That’s Elder Ji Qinglin—the legendary Guardian of the Guild!”

“Hiss... he looks pretty young. Other than being handsome, doesn’t seem too special. You sure he really beat the sh*t out of Elder Yu Jizi with one punch?”

“We didn’t see it firsthand, just heard about it.”

Even though Lei Qiuyun had tried to keep the incident in the HQ meeting room under wraps, elders had disciples tagging along, and walls have ears. The story of Ji Qinglin “nearly killing” Yu Jizi still got out.

Still, word of mouth wasn’t the same as proof. Many in the guild still doubted it.

“Elder Yu Jizi doesn’t seem that easy to beat, though.”

“I heard it was a total smackdown—the wall nearly broke.”

“Hard to believe. Could this whole thing be staged?”

“Staged? You mean Yu Jizi and Ji Qinglin are just putting on a show? D*mn, that’s actually possible! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Think about it—the guild’s in a crisis. Manufacturing a hero is the fastest solution. The two of them stage a fight, and of course no one else gets involved.”

“If that’s true, then Yu Jizi sacrificed his reputation to save the guild. That’s noble!”

“Hard to say for now. Judging by how tense things look today, someone’s definitely gonna make a move. The visiting branch elders are all skilled. We’ll find out soon enough.”

Ji Qinglin first visited Lei Qiuyun’s room—only to find Bai Qiucheng already there. His slender frame was wrapped in a white Cultivation Robe. Though he looked about thirty or forty, his eyebrows and temples were already snow-white. With his white brows and tiger-like eyes, he exuded a commanding presence.

From the looks of it, he was in the middle of a negotiation with Lei Qiuyun. When Ji Qinglin entered the room with Yu Ye, he respectfully saluted Lei Qiuyun and softly said, “President,” making his stance clear.

“Elder Bai, it’s been a long time.”

In the past, Bai Qiucheng would’ve just nodded in acknowledgment. But now, having heard the rumors about Ji Qinglin, he was surprised that someone who had kept such a low profile possessed this kind of power. He also became more guarded, replying:

“Elder Ji, seems like you’ve chosen to side with Miss Lei?”

This clearly acknowledged Lei Qiuyun as the heir, but not as the President.

Ji Qinglin didn’t escalate the situation. He smiled and said,

“I don’t pick sides. If I had to say, I’ll always stand with the Xindong Street Commerce Guild.”

The other elders present nodded silently. As expected from the Guild’s Guardian—he only cared about the guild, not the people within it.

Faced with such a broad-minded reply, Bai Qiucheng couldn’t argue. After all, he was here today to assert his authority and win support. He had to maintain dignity and image. He simply snorted,

“If that’s the case, then who leads the Xindong Street Commerce Guild from here on will depend on strength.”

With that, he prepared to leave the President’s room. Ji Qinglin added,

“Elder Bai is absolutely right. But I do have one thing to confirm with you: no matter how we fight, this is an internal guild matter. We won’t let other guilds benefit from our chaos, right?”

“Of course!”

“Good. With your word, I’m at ease. Even if I die under Elder Bai’s hand today, I will have no regrets.”

Even Bai Qiucheng and the other elders felt a bit uncomfortable hearing that. After all, no one wanted the guild to fall apart.

Once Elder Bai and the others left, Lei Qiuyun couldn’t help but object:

“Master, there’s no need for you and Elder Bai to wear each other down. Let me fight today’s battle. If I lose, the guild doesn’t have to carry the Lei name anymore!”

Ji Qinglin laughed:

“What nonsense are you spouting? If it’s not the Lei name, what am I even guarding?”

“Master, you...”

“That’s enough. You stay out of today’s matter. I’ll handle it myself. Where’s the signal firework?”

“Right here.”

Ji Qinglin took the firework and walked to the open space at the center of the factory.

Let the show begin.

With that, he raised the launcher toward the sky—

Sha Zizai knew full well that there was no way to escape from this situation. Their only shot was to kill Ji Qinglin and help Bai Qiucheng ascend.

That’s why he drew both blades and leapt straight at Ji Qinglin, shouting:

“Bai Qiucheng! What are you waiting for?!”

In his mind, he was thinking—since I already exposed you, you have no choice but to help me kill Ji Qinglin now.

But Bai Qiucheng, who had just been randomly accused of murdering his own comrades, was totally baffled. He cursed out loud without holding back:

“Who the f**k are you people?!”

How could the elders of the Xindong Street Commerce Guild let Sha Zizai succeed?

Although many cast complicated glances toward Bai Qiucheng, they quickly surrounded Sha Zizai’s trio, leaving them no room to act.

Ji Qinglin, however, shouted loudly:

“Hold on a second!”

The elders and members of the Commerce Guild paused, backing away just enough to open a path.

Ji Qinglin looked directly at Sha Zizai and asked,

“Judging by this, the three of you are clearly after me. I wonder what offense I, Ji Qinglin, have given you?”

Knowing there was no chance of getting out today, Sha Zizai was blunt:

“We take money to eliminate trouble.”

At that moment, one of the elders in the crowd quickly recognized him and whispered,

“It’s him! The Two-Faced Blade Ghost, Sha Zizai!”

“The assassin who wiped out the entire Lian Family Fortress in a single night? Wasn’t he supposed to be out in the Wastelands?”

Once Sha Zizai was recognized, the surrounding elders grew more cautious.

Even though they hadn’t seen Ji Qinglin fight yet, the fact that someone had hired an assassin like this to deal with him showed just how seriously his enemies took him.

Ji Qinglin frowned, his expression righteous and composed as he asked,

“Who sent you to kill me?”

Seeing that Bai Qiucheng had no intention of cooperating, Sha Zizai knew the situation had changed and the old fox had backed out.

He thought, even if I die, I’m dragging you down with me—and said with calm defiance:

“Bai Qiucheng.”

That hat got tossed and instantly became a scapegoat. Bai Qiucheng’s face darkened under his white brows, and he raised his hand, gritting his teeth:

“I’ll f***ing kill you!”

But Ji Qinglin reached out and stopped him:

“I’m the one being targeted here, and even I’m not angry. Elder Bai, no need to stoop to their level.”

He then turned back with a solemn expression and said firmly:

“Don’t try to sow discord within our Commerce Guild. I believe Elder Bai would never do something like this to me!”

Hearing this, Sha Zizai was furious and cursed,

“You think we’d risk our lives just to stir up trouble in your damn guild?!”

With that sentence, not just the elders, even Bai Qiucheng didn’t know how to respond. Who the hell knew why these three suddenly showed up and pointed fingers at him? Even if it was a setup, the cost was way too high.

Ji Qinglin glanced back at Bai Qiucheng, his eyes full of complexity and sorrow, as if he’d been betrayed by a blood brother.

Even Yu Ye standing beside him couldn’t help but admire inwardly: Master’s acting is incredible—if she didn’t already know the truth, she would’ve believed it too.

Soon, Ji Qinglin shook off the “grief,” turned back and shouted angrily:

“No matter what you say, I’ll always believe Elder Bai would never do this to me! Elders, step aside! Since the three of you have come for my life today, let it be known that the Xindong Street Commerce Guild hasn’t fallen so low as to gang up on the few with the many! My life is right here. If you want it—come and take it!”

With a single look and a couple of lines, Ji Qinglin embodied the loyalty and boldness of Xindong Street Commerce Guild to perfection.

They hadn’t even started fighting yet, but everyone present couldn’t help but feel admiration and respect in their hearts.

The elders and members stepped to the sides—they had long wanted to see just how strong the legendary Ji Qinglin really was. Even if the opponent wasn’t another elder as expected, it was still good for the guild.

Bai Qiucheng really wanted to take action himself, but he was afraid of being accused of silencing witnesses again. So he also stepped aside to see just what Ji Qinglin was capable of.

Chen Sun and Yang Qu had calmed down by now too. After all, they’d been in the killing business for most of their lives.

And since Ji Qinglin had graciously given them the chance, none of the three dared rush in like madmen. They exchanged glances, and “Heart-Piercing Hand” Chen Sun stepped forward first:

“Please give me guidance!”

“There’s no guidance today—only life and death.”