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墨書 Inktalez
As they approached Broken Heart Cliff, Zhang Shoufeng hurried a few steps to close the distance with Xunuo. He was just waiting for Xunuo to set the Bronze Man down so he could have him carried away.
To his surprise, Xunuo did not stop. While walking, he shifted the Bronze Man to his other shoulder and stepped onto the Boardwalk, carrying the Bronze Man with him.
With that step taken, the previously chaotic murmurs behind Xunuo abruptly ceased. Instead, a creaking sound echoed from the Boardwalk. Zhang Shoufeng felt a wave of panic wash over him: this was madness—risking life for wealth.
Xunuo was still lost in excitement and joy, completely unaware of the danger he was in. He hadn’t even considered whether the Boardwalk could bear the combined weight of himself and the Bronze Man, which surely exceeded a thousand pounds. He was entirely absorbed in the thrill of acquiring something valuable, his mouth slightly agape in disbelief.
As Xunuo continued to walk along the Boardwalk, each step produced a sharp sound that resonated in the open Mountain Valley, as if it could break at any moment.
With each step Xunuo took, Zhang Shoufeng's heart trembled in response. It wasn’t until Xunuo turned a corner on the Boardwalk and disappeared from sight that Zhang Shoufeng swayed unsteadily. Bi Changjian, standing nearby, quickly reached out to steady him. Only then did he notice that his senior brother was drenched in sweat, and his face had turned pale.
Zhang Shoufeng remained oblivious to Bi Changjian's support, still intently listening to the creaking of the Boardwalk.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the sounds from the Boardwalk suddenly ceased. It felt as if the entire world had fallen silent.
Zhang Shoufeng raised his hand to point at the end of the Boardwalk, opening his mouth but unable to make a sound.
Seeing this, Bi Changjian quickly turned to a disciple from Seven Star Sword Hall standing before him and said, "Go check on Master Lu."
The disciple responded promptly and hurried up the Boardwalk. Moments later, he returned with news: "Master Lu has reached Broken Heart Cliff."
He then glanced at Qin Senior Brother's pale face and added, "The Meridian Copper Man is also up there."
Zhang Shoufeng finally let out a long sigh, only to realize that Bi Changjian was supporting him. He gave a wry smile to the Sixth Junior Disciple, signaling that he was fine.
Zhang Shoufeng knew that his master, Tian Feiyu, and even the sect leader, Ximen Tower, held Lu Shidi in high regard. If anything were to happen to him, they would not let him off lightly. Now that he had received news of this person's safety, he could finally relax. As for the Bronze Man, that was a minor issue in comparison.
Seeing so many people gathered outside Broken Heart Cliff, Bi Changjian shooed away the group of third-generation disciples and urged Zhang Shoufeng to go rest while he took over the watch.
Zhang Shoufeng remained silent as he glanced at Qin Senior Brother. Noticing Xunuo carrying the Bronze Man across the Boardwalk, Qin Senior Brother felt it was no longer possible to retrieve it and abandoned the thought. He looked at Zhang Shoufeng, and they both sighed simultaneously, each lost in their heavy thoughts.
After a while, a disciple in white rushed over. Upon reaching Zhang Shoufeng, he cupped his hands and said, "Zhang Shixiong."
He tilted his head to glance at the others and added, "Qin Senior Brother is here too; that's good. The sect leader has summoned both of you for questioning."
Zhang Shoufeng waved his hand and said, "Let's go."
He walked ahead while Qin Senior Brother followed the messenger disciple closely behind.
Bi Changjian settled down outside Broken Heart Cliff, allowing the other brothers to disperse. Finally, peace returned to Broken Heart Cliff.
This place was originally a prison-like forbidden area where few dared to venture. There were no guards present. If someone were confined inside for reflection, simply dismantling a section of the Boardwalk would turn it into an absolute dead end.
There was no need for guards at all. Food was passed through with long poles. In contrast, Xunuo's unique situation had drawn such chaos.
When Zhang Shoufeng and Qin Senior Brother arrived at the sect leader's residence, they saw Tian Feiyu and Azure Wind present and greeted them respectfully. Noticing that all three elders wore warm expressions, the two stood silently at the lower end, waiting for questions. Since mistakes had already been made, they could only accept whatever punishment awaited them.
Ximen Tower called upon Zhang Shoufeng to recount what had happened today. Zhang Shoufeng began to narrate the events truthfully. When he reached the part about Xunuo carrying the Bronze Man onto the Boardwalk, all three elders suddenly stood up together.
"Tian Feiyu" interrupted, "Just tell me where he is now."
"Zhang Shoufeng" felt a wave of relief in his heart and quickly replied, "Lu Shidi is at Broken Heart Cliff."
Only then did "Tian Feiyu" let out a long sigh and sat back down, while "Ximen Tower" also casually twirled his beard as he settled into his seat.
Seeing "Azure Wind" still staring at him intently, "Zhang Shoufeng" hurriedly added, "That Bronze Man is also at Broken Heart Cliff."
The three exchanged glances.
"Tian Feiyu" was both surprised and delighted as he exclaimed, "He actually made it through! This is really... really." He then noticed "Azure Wind's" increasingly gloomy expression and finished with, "a bit too reckless."
"Ximen Tower" fell silent for a moment before addressing "Zhang Shoufeng," saying, "You have been too careless in this matter. Lu Zaisheng is after all a person confined to Broken Heart Cliff; how could you easily take him around? If he wants to learn darts, you could have simply brought your fellow disciples to teach him. How could you cause such a great disaster? This matter is indeed your fault."
"Zhang Shoufeng" quickly said, "This mistake lies entirely with the disciple. Please punish me severely, Sect Leader."
"Ximen Tower" sighed.
However, "Tian Feiyu" spoke bluntly, "Although you are the eldest disciple of Seven Star Sword Hall, among your peers in Wuhua Sect, you are also the leader. Your every word and action should serve as a model. Now you have become the laughingstock of the sect and a disgrace to your school. If the disciples follow your example in the future, won't that mean there are no rules left? You must be punished severely to prevent imitation. You should go to Broken Heart Cliff and keep your junior company."
After hearing this, "Zhang Shoufeng's" face turned pale. Since joining Wuhua Sect, no one had ever spoken to him like this. He never expected he would be sent to face the wall at Broken Heart Cliff.
"Ximen Tower" was taken aback. He thought: Although "Zhang Shoufeng" has caused quite a mess this time, I must still maintain the dignity of our third-generation disciples. Not to mention that the new formation of Seven Star Sword Formation is currently being practiced and refined. We cannot do without a disciple like "Zhang Shoufeng," who possesses superb swordsmanship and strong inner strength.
Thus he hurriedly said, "Tian Master, please do not be too hasty. This matter certainly requires strict punishment, but it is not appropriate to send him to Broken Heart Cliff. There is already one disciple from your Seven Star Sword Hall up there. If another goes up, won't Broken Heart Cliff become a branch of your hall? This is not suitable at all. I see that the spiritual spring at the foot of the mountain has been left unattended by second-generation disciples for some time; they seem somewhat weary. Let him be punished to guard the spiritual spring for a year. This way, all disciples will see that even this elder brother will not be lightly punished for breaking sect rules."
Without waiting for Tian Feiyu to speak, he turned to Zhang Shoufeng with a stern expression and asked, "Are you willing to accept your punishment?"
Seeing the situation, Zhang Shoufeng quickly knelt down, saying, "Disciple accepts the punishment."
When Tian Feiyu noticed that Ximen Tower had spoken, he felt it was inappropriate to say anything further and simply snorted coldly, refusing to look at him again.
Ximen Tower continued, "This matter has already caused quite a stir in the sect, so it cannot be dealt with quietly. Tomorrow, we will post a notice to announce the punishment. What do you two think?"
Tian Feiyu replied, "I leave the punishment to Senior Brother."
Azure Wind still wore a gloomy expression and said, "If we only punish Zhang Shoufeng and not Qinling Xue, that would be unfair."
Tian Feiyu frowned slightly but maintained his calm demeanor. Ximen Tower sighed inwardly, realizing they could not avoid this issue. He finally said, "Since this time the fault does not lie with your disciple, we need not pursue it further."
Azure Wind coldly laughed and said, "Since my disciple is blameless, then we should return the Bronze Man."
Ximen Tower immediately felt overwhelmed; just moments ago, these two had argued about this very matter. However, they had been unaware that the Bronze Man had already been taken to Broken Heart Cliff. They were merely arguing for face. Now that the Bronze Man was actually carried by Xunuo to Broken Heart Cliff, they believed they had no strength to bring him back. Even if they attempted to lift him, it would only be a matter of inches off the ground. Therefore, as long as Xunuo did not carry him out, the Bronze Man would essentially settle down at Broken Heart Cliff. There was no way they could return him.
However, Ximen Tower would never allow Xunuo to take such a risk again by trying to bring the Bronze Man out.
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