A Farce in the Hall

The elder chuckled, barely hiding his smugness. "Kids don't know any better," he said. "On behalf of the Huang Hou An family, I offer my apologies to all of you. Please join us for a feast when the formal ceremony takes place. I must take my leave now." 

He bowed to everyone in the hall, then walked away, shaking his head and swaying his body.

The three sects' cultivators stood up, returned the bow, and watched him leave. They had a good laugh at the Chu Qin Sect's expense today. But little did they know, the drama was far from over...

The middle-aged cultivator from the Pavilion of Manuals couldn't take his eyes off the sect leader's token in Qi Xiu's lap. Thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, and he finally made up his mind. He gave a subtle nod to the fellow disciple who had previously tricked Qi Xiu.

Understanding the signal, the disciple nodded back, walked over, and snatched the token from Qi Xiu's lap. He then ran back and handed it to the middle-aged cultivator. "Senior Brother Qi Xiu isn't cut out to be the sect leader," he said. "Senior Brother Zhang here has both cultivation and character for it. We will only listen to him. He should be the sect master."

The Senior Brother Zhang he was referring to was the middle-aged cultivator from the Pavilion of Manuals.

Several other fellow disciples also agreed loudly, all of them supporters of Senior Brother Zhang.

Qixiu, already battered and emotionally overwhelmed, didn't even notice the loss of the token, sitting on the ground in a daze.

However, Sister Qin realized what was happening and rushed over to Zhang and tried to snatch the token from his hand. "What Senior Brother Qi, what Senior Brother Zhang!" She shouted. "This sect leader position belongs to our Qin family! Sect Leader Qi passed it on to Qin Si Yuan. Now, Si Yuan is acting like a kid, bewitched by that enchantress. But once we talk sense into him, he'll come around. He's a brilliant man, and the position will naturally be his again. Give it to me, give it to me!"

The disciples backing Senior Brother Zhang quickly stepped in to block her. "You old woman, you're being ridiculous!" said the same one who had messed with Qi Xiu earlier. "Qin Si Yuan just made it clear he's cutting ties with our Chu Qin Sect and leaving the family. Do you think we should beg him to come back? He's eighteen, not some little kid!"

"None of you have any right to it! The only reason the Chu family came to help us is because of the Qin family's reputation, not because of you outsiders," she snapped back.

Normally gentle, Senior Sister Qin had gone utterly mad. She tried to snatch the token, scratching and clawing at those blocking her, all while yelling, "You outsider dogs! You've fattened yourselves on the Qin family's resources, and now you're biting the hand that feeds you!"

Her insults were harsh, and Senior Brother Zhang couldn't hold back any longer. "Everyone's here; stop slandering us! Elder Qin was the first to betray our sect. But we—we outsiders—had fought in the Pavilion of Manuals until we could barely stand, until all our spiritual energy had run out. Do you not feel guilty saying such things?"

Senior Sister Qin, outnumbered and losing both the argument and the fight, quickly backed down. The remaining disciples, honest and good people, didn't step up to help her out. So she did what a village shrew might do—she plopped down on the ground and started wailing, cursing Senior Brother Zhang and his supporters.

Her baby, who had been lulled to sleep not that long ago and was now held by another female cultivator, woke up again at the noise and started crying.

The loud crying of the baby and his mother made the hall feel like it might collapse.

Senior Sister Qin, not really a village shrew, could only manage a few insults about pigs and dogs, but it was still way beyond what any of the cultivators were used to hearing.

The three sect cultivators were having a great time watching the spectacle, but the Chu family's Foundation Establishment cultivator was getting seriously annoyed.

The ancestor is getting more and more kind-hearted as he gets older. What kind of troublesome people he's helping!

Chu Youyan thought resentfully in his heart. Originally, the ancestor had said he wouldn't meddle in Chu Qinmen's affairs anymore. Yet, for some unknown reason, after visitors from the south came, he changed his mind again, leaving Chu Youyan in a tough spot.

Pressured by cultivators from the three sects, he had no choice but to promise not to intervene in Chu Qin sect matters and let them decide for themselves. Little did he expect that the people of the Chu Qin sect would each be more bizarre than the next, not only disgracing their own sect but also bringing shame to the Chu family.

The ruckus continued and dawn started breaking outside. 

Chu Youyan, seeing this nonsense dragging on, finally snapped.

"Enough!"

He used a bit of intimidating magical art, and both the baby and his mother shut up in fear. "I don't care about your internal drama," he said as he stood up. "Since your fourth-generation sect leader passed the position to that Qi-whatever, I will only recognize him. Get him over here!"

Qi Xiu was still sitting on the ground in the back, bruised all over. An Qi, angry that he had tried to hit his beloved son-in-law, had used a sneaky move, injuring him badly. A few fellow disciples finally helped him up and brought him to Chu Youyan. He was still somewhat groggy, but a tap on his forehead from Chu Youyan snapped him back to reality.

"Now, you are the fifth-generation sect leader of Chu Qin Sect. Are you willing to go South Xinjiang?" asked Chu Youyan.

Qi Xiu stayed silent for a moment, but it didn't take him long to figure things out. Chu Qin Sect has fallen into my hands by a twist of fate, although... He glanced back at Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Sister Qin. At this point, none of them dared to oppose the Chu family cultivator and were all looking at him anxiously.

Even though these people do not accept it. But... if the sect falls into the hands of these selfish and self-serving individuals, yesterday's disaster will just happen again. It's better if I take charge. At least I can do my best for my master and the sect that takes care of me. That way, I can live without regrets and make my life worthwhile.

Qi Xiu bowed deeply to Chu Youyan. "I am willing," he said in a solemn tone

"Good!"

Chu Youyan thought to himself that he finally encountered someone he could reason with. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his robe and handed it to Qi Xiu. "Sign this, then go back and make your preparations. I will come in three days to take you all directly to Xinjiang. During these three days, the three sects will not trouble you."

Qi Xiu examined the parchment closely. It was a soul contract detailing that the Chu Qin Sect would relocate to South Xinjiang, severing all ties with their previous territory. 

The agreement stipulated that Chu Qin Sect could not seek revenge against the three sects for taking their mountain, and the three sects in turn would not trouble Chu Qin Sect anymore.

In truth, Qi Xiu harbored no ill will toward the three sects. If it hadn't been them, it would have been someone else. It was they who brought disgrace on themselves, so there was no one to blame and no real grudge to avenge. 

Thus, he signed his name without hesitation. As soon as he did, he felt as if something in the unseen world glanced at him, and his soul seemed to be swept by a cold breeze, giving him a shiver.

The newly appointed head of the three sects came over and signed the contract as well, then handed it back to Chu Youyan to keep.

Without further ado, Chu Youyan exchanged greetings with the cultivators from the three sects, then stepped out, summoned a sword light, and flew away. 

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators from each of the sects also departed separately, leaving only the sect leader of the three sects behind to bid farewell to everyone.

Once these Foundation Establishment cultivators left, Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Sister Qin suddenly came alive and quickly swarmed around Qi Xiu, asking all sorts of questions.

Their real aim, though, was the sect leader token in his hands.

Qi Xiu tucked the sect leader token into his robe, ignored them, and walked straight to the leader of the three sects. "Friend, please forgive us," he said, bowing respectfully. "Our sect's former leader has just passed away, and we must borrow this place from your sect to handle the funeral affairs. We are deeply grateful for your understanding."

Hearing Qi Xiu's words, the leader of the three sects immediately looked at him with higher regard. And there was no need to make a fuss over such matters, so he readily agreed.

Qi Xiu turned and headed outside. A group of fellow disciples followed behind, still bothering him. And just as he reached the doorway, the disciple who had stolen the token from him earlier said with a sarcastically tone:

"Wow, the new sect leader is already throwing his weight around so quickly!"

Qi Xiu abruptly turned around, glaring angrily at him. His bruises hadn't healed yet; half of his face was swollen, one eye squinting, and his complexion pallid, giving off a somewhat fierce aura. 

"I won't hand over the sect leader position to any of you. The Chu family cultivators only acknowledge me now, and I'm the one who signed the contract, and you can't do anything about it. Now, I'm going to arrange my master's funeral. Anyone willing to go to South Xinjiang, come find me in three days. Those unwilling, consider yourselves out of the sect; we will have nothing to do with each other."