Chen Wuji, who would usually wait for Hong i's opinion before making a decision, made his bed with the right thing he felt he could do for his sect.
Now only one remained.
All eyes turned to Hong i.
She stood there, arms crossed, her lips twisted in an expression of sheer resistance. "Hmph," she scoffed. "Well, aren't you all quick to fall in line? One threat from so unknown force, and suddenly you're all wagging your tails."
Chen Wuji sighed. 'Here it cos.'
He had already guessed that this was going to happen based on her personality. He knew among all of them, Hong i had the least chance to join the Empire even if her sect fell apart.
She would fight to the death before asking soone else for help.
Hong i glanced at XingJian, who winced slightly at her tone but nodded with quiet understanding.
"And you!" She pointed at Wuhan. "You could have said sothing earlier instead of going all tyrant-mode and blowing people into walls! Do you even know how close you were to getting a cauldron to the face?!"
Wuhan didn't speak. He simply watched her with that calm, unmoving expression. Dealing with Noah, Xin Yan, and the others, his ntal capacity to deal with soone like her had already increased a lot.
"And Wuji!" she spun toward him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You traitor! You were supposed to be my support! You picked him over !"
Chen Wuji went silent hearing her words; he opened his mouth, but no words ca out. What could he say to her? She was the woman he loved.
"He picked sanity over your flying cauldrons." XingJian shot a playful jab from the front as she looked down at the woman with a bored look on her face.
Hong i's eyes narrowed. She bit her lip, her cheeks flushing. She turned again toward Wuhan, clearly warring with herself. She was too ashad of herself to even look at the woman, let alone fight back with her.
"But… I guess…" She shifted her feet. "Maybe you did save her. I an—just maybe! That doesn't make you smart or anything, just… lucky! And strong. And annoyingly perceptive."
Her arms crossed tighter, like they were keeping her pride from leaking out.
"I—tch! !—Fine! Hong i, Great Cauldron Master of the Scarlet Cauldron Sect, will temporarily acknowledge the rule of the Feng Empire… for now!" She added quickly, nose in the air.
Silence filled the air as Wuhan said nothing for a good minute, silently watching her with sharp, narrowed eyes.
"…" Hong i felt the weight of his gaze and looked around, anywhere but in his eyes. She may have acted tough on her adrenaline and pride, but her back was covered in sweat.
She realized too late to whom she had spoken those words.
Fortunately for her, Wuhan finally drew his gaze away from her and turned to look at XingJian once more, who seed to have recovered well. Seeing her rosy complexion, he nodded with satisfaction. "The state of your sect has reached a critical point; we should 'clean' it up before it's too late."
XingJian understood the aning of her words and bit her lips. "Can we not save them?"
She knew she was asking too much; even though she might not have acted out of her own will before, she was aware of everything she did and all that happened to her.
The lotus Wuhan had used on her was nothing short of a treasure that nations would kill for. Without her, she could think of nothing that could save them.
But Wuhan's next words ca as a shock to everyone…
"I might not have a way to save them imdiately, but if they are not completely infected by the curse, I can seal them in an array formation before locking them up in the Empire's dungeon." Wuhan's words were not a baseless attempt to give the woman hope.
He and Noah had already talked about what to do with those they found cursed.
If they were completely under the control of the cult, kill them.
But should they have a chance to be saved, Noah left him an array formation to place their bodies in a state of stasis.
"Looks like the empire has been preparing for the dangers posed by this cult for a long ti." Chen Wuji spoke with a smile on his face.
Wuhan turned to Chen Wuji with a calm expression, waving off his words.
"It's nothing much," he said plainly. "We have a dedicated team—scholars, cultivators, soul healers, and formation specialists—working on these threats as soon as they present themselves to us."
Then, with a slight nod, his tone changed—more commanding now, brisk and urgent.
"We move imdiately to the Zither-Wave Sect." His gaze swept over the room. "Ti is our greatest enemy. If this corruption spreads deeper, there won't be anything left to save."
The leaders, one by one, nodded. XingJian looked resolute. San Ji cracked his knuckles. Qiuan Yu gave a silent nod. Even Hong i, who had remained still and stiff, turned her chin and followed without protest.
Wuhan followed at the rear. As he passed the arched doorway, he sent a silent ntal thought transmission, a secret ssage, more of a warning, for a single person.
'Hong i.' Hearing her na, she paused mid-step.
'Your pride may amuse the others, but I'll remind you once—and only once. Today I let your transgressions slide because none of them heard your insolence clearly but .'
The voice was cool, razor-sharp, and almost emotionless.
'In public, if you cannot speak with respect, then speak not at all.' Wuhan did not want to make a threat, but the image of an empire in the public was most important, and he could not have others challenging him, even if it was out of their petty pride.
Hong i's steps stalled slightly, and for a mont her chest tightened. She hadn't even realized she was still trembling. She didn't respond—she knew it wasn't a request.
Behind her, Chen Wuji cast her a curious glance, but she brushed past him with an unusually quiet, "Let's go."
Wuhan's eyes lingered on her back for a mont, unreadable. Then he turned his gaze to the distant horizon, toward the Zither-Wave Sect.
User Comments
0 comments from readers