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Li Hong stepped into the great hall, and all eyes were on him.
Most of the low-ranking disciples could not take their eyes off him. The first elder of the Chu Lineage, a role model! He had advanced to elder in just eleven years. They seemed to see their own future in him, their gazes filled with admiration and respect.
The elders mostly wore humble and encouraging smiles, welcoming the newcomer into their ranks.
However, a few remained expressionless, lost in their thoughts.
Ling Xuzi was about to speak when a loud voice interrupted, “Such a grand ceremony, and you dare treat it as a joke, Chu Hong? Look at him; he hasn’t even changed his clothes! If he doesn’t take the honor of being an elder seriously, then he shouldn’t be one!”
The speaker was Yue Mangzi, who had always disliked Li Hong. Seeing Li Hong looking disheveled and travel-worn immediately triggered his outburst.
Li Hong raised an eyebrow in anger, ready to retort, but Spirit Stone suddenly tugged at him and laughed, “You’re about to change into elder robes anyway; not changing clothes is just fine!”
He leaped over the heads of the disciples and sat down in his designated spot with ease, playfully stroking his beard. He cast a smug glance at Yue Mangzi and said, “Elder, do not be angry; today is a good day, a day of great joy for Chu Hong.”
Ling Xuzi timely announced, his voice echoing throughout the hall: “The ceremony for Chu Hong’s promotion to elder begins now!”
Yue Mangzi was still unwilling to give up; he opened his mouth again, but many disapproving glares shot toward him. Ling Xiangzi’s eyes practically glinted with menace. Yue Mangzi immediately fell silent, begrudgingly swallowing his words.
The Nine Li Sect had this tradition: whenever a newcomer was promoted to elder, there would be a celebration and a promotion ceremony. However, it was unprecedented for someone like Li Hong to have such a grand occasion with so many attendees.
Amidst the curling incense smoke, Li Hong donned the brand-new Crimson Elder Robe. Spirit Stone took the Crimson High Crown from the White Jade Plate and personally placed it on his head. The golden cord beneath the crown tightened automatically around his jaw.
Li Hong was taken aback; so this elder's attire was also a magical artifact?
Spirit Stone seemed to sense his thoughts and whispered in his ear, “Hehe, it is indeed a magical artifact. However, this crown was specially crafted for you by your master Yue Changzi; no one else gets such treatment.”
He mischievously blinked before adopting a serious demeanor and loudly declared: “The seventeenth generation disciple Chu Hong is officially promoted to elder and changes his title to Chu Hongzi. Chu Hongzi pays respects to the Ancestor!”
Li Hong knelt before the statue of the Seasoned Master, bowing nine times.
"Master Elder Brother, I pay my respects!"
Li Hong was momentarily taken aback. What did it mean to pay respects?
Before he could react, he saw Ling Xuzi, Yun Jiuzi, and his master Ling Stone Ziyue Changzi, along with all the Elder Brothers and chief elders, stand up, placing their right hands on their chests and slightly bowing towards him.
He immediately understood; this was the formal respect! It not only signified honor but also meant that he would be on equal footing with them from now on!
He quickly placed his right hand on his chest but bent deeply at the waist.
Spirit Stone nodded in satisfaction and continued to chant, "Low-level disciples, pay your respects!"
All the low-level disciples immediately knelt down, a sea of black heads bowing towards Li Hong, including Chuxiong, Chuxuan, and Chu Xi.
In the vast hall, the unified sound of bowing echoed. Li Hong stood alone at the front; at that moment, he suddenly felt the glory of being an elder. But at the same time, he also sensed the immense pressure on his shoulders.
"The ceremony is over! Disciples from each faction are free to congratulate!"
Spirit Stone chuckled and looked at Ling Xiangzi. Just then, Ling Xiangzi's gaze met his, and they exchanged a meaningful glance.
The low-level disciples surged forward, surrounding Li Hong as everyone pressed towards him. A group of Disciples of Jiu Zhu Peak shouted, "Elder Chu Hongzi, our senior brothers have prepared celebratory wine; will you give us face?"
Spirit Stone's eyes twinkled as he said loudly, "Wait a moment. I still have something to say."
He looked down at Li Hong with a smile and asked gently, "Where do you wish to establish your residence in Nine Li Cave Heaven?"
Establishing a residence! This meant that from now on, there would be a small world of his own within Nine Li Cave Heaven! Li Hong's eyes flickered as he thought of the Underground Cave and declared loudly, "I want that gorge filled with silver sagebrush and the cave beneath it."
"Alright! From now on, it shall be renamed Silver Sage Cave, the residence of Chu Hongzi. No one is allowed to enter without Chu Hongzi's permission!" Ling Xuzi immediately agreed.
"Silver Sage Cave?" Li Hong chuckled bitterly; the name seemed neither grand nor pleasant. Well, it was just a title after all. He thought he would still reside mostly at Nine Vermilion Peaks, and this place would merely serve as a retreat.
Congratulations echoed throughout the hall when suddenly someone from the Disciples of Jiu Zhu Peak shouted, "Elder Chu Hongzi, now that you have established your residence, you can marry! Which sister from Nine Purple Peak have you set your sights on? Speak up so we won't go after her ourselves!"
"Haha!" Laughter erupted. These were all familiar disciples of Jiu Zhu Peak; the other sects wouldn't dare to be so audacious.
Even though Li Hong had thick skin, with so many people around, his cheeks flushed red, almost matching the new high crown on his head. He shouted, "Nonsense! Stop talking rubbish! Be careful or Ling Xiangzi will kick your heads in. Go back and drink!"
He pulled Chuxiong and walked out, surrounded by the excited lower-ranking disciples of Nine Vermilion Peaks.
At that moment, a clear voice called from behind, "Chu Hongzi, wait a moment; there's something to discuss."
Li Hong turned around to see Ling Xiangzi. Her expression was strange; slightly flushed and somewhat shy, not seeming angry about what had just been said—he couldn't quite grasp her meaning.
The disciples all retreated, and the doors of the main hall closed. Only Ling Xuzi, Sixth Pulse Master, and a few others like Yun Jiuzi and Yue Changzi remained.
Li Hong stood in the empty hall, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Spirit Stone exchanged glances with Ling Xiangzi; both wore strange expressions and hesitated to speak while looking at Ling Xuzi.
Ling Xuzi found it amusing; he rubbed his brow and cleared his throat. "Chu Hongzi, although you have been promoted to elder now, your master is still your master."
"Of course," Li Hong replied as he looked at Spirit Stone and Yue Changzi with gentle eyes.
"Then you should understand what your master's intention is; a master is like a father," Ling Xuzi continued.
"Yes, once a teacher, always a father. I am grateful for both masters' guidance," Li Hong said respectfully.
Ling Xuzi saw that he still did not understand, so he had no choice but to say, "Your father passed away early, and now your master can arrange for you to marry. Ling Xiangzi is proposing on behalf of Chu Xi. What do you think?"
Li Hong was instantly stunned, feeling a mix of emotions, his mouth agape and unable to speak.
Ling Xuzi thought he was just shy and laughed, "Ling Xiangzi is Chu Xi's master and can definitely make this decision. Your master, Spirit Stone, also strongly supports this marriage. We are just waiting for your opinion. Of course, this is only a betrothal for now. You will only be able to officially marry after Chu Xi becomes an elder. Hehe, this is the second great joy in our sect in a long time! You should know that Chu Xi is the second-best disciple after you in the Chu Lineage. Her Heart Demon Barrier signs have already appeared; it won't be long before you can officially marry! With your parents' approval, hehe, I will act as the matchmaker."
He continued to talk excitedly, but did not notice that Li Hong's face was gradually turning pale. Yun Jiuzi had just sensed something was wrong when Li Hong coldly said, "I cannot comply!"
Ling Xuzi's mouth dropped open; it was his turn to be stunned.
Spirit Stone forced himself to say, "Old Six, this is a good thing! It doesn't mean you have to marry right now; it's just a betrothal!"
"Master, no need to say more!" Li Hong replied firmly. "I can agree to a million other things, but not this!"
Ling Xiangzi finally became angry. She stood up abruptly and said coldly, "You better clarify your words! Don't think that just because you became an elder today I can't do anything about you! Since you're refusing to cooperate, let's tear off the facade! You've been so close to our Chu Xi all this time; now you don't want to marry her? Are you disregarding her reputation? Do you even have a conscience?"
"My relationship with Chu Xi is merely that of senior and junior disciples. We are close friends but nothing more," Li Hong replied.
"Really? Haven't you been alone with Chu Xi in a room? In the Ancient Celestial Field, in that cave, it was just the two of you! Do you want to deny it?" Ling Xiangzi shouted angrily.
Li Hong began to feel annoyed. Why had Chu Xi even told Ling Xiangzi about this? What did she want? Why was she always pushing him? The innocent girl who only cared about cultivation had disappeared; the current Chu Xi was a calculating girl who wanted to force him into submission.
He turned around and said, "If that's how you want to think, that's up to you. But forcing me to marry Chu Xi is out of the question! Let me reiterate: we were only together because we encountered an enemy; there’s nothing between us!" He strode out and pulled open the hall door.
Outside stood a person quietly, pale as paper, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Seeing Li Hong's familiar yet strangely cold face, Chu Xi felt a wave of sorrow.
Deep down she felt heartbroken but still wanted to salvage the situation. She reached out to tug at Li Hong's sleeve and said, "Senior Brother, it's not like that... Please listen to me..."
"Move aside!" Li Hong said coldly.
Chu Xi remained still, her delicate fingers tightly gripping Chu Hong's sleeve.
Outside the door, a crowd of disciples had not yet dispersed, and many pointed and whispered upon seeing her like this. However, Chu Xi could not care about anything else. She knew her master had spoken out of turn and blamed herself for being foolish; when she heard her master propose a marriage, she honestly told him about it. Unexpectedly, this only angered Li Hong.
He was a stubborn person; the more harshly he was treated, the more he would retaliate. Hadn't she already known his temperament? Chu Xi felt immense regret.
"Xier, let go! A heartless and ungrateful person like him is not worthy of you! Hmph! If he dares to come looking for you again in the future, I will break his legs! Let him go! From now on, we at Nine Purple Peak will sever all ties with Nine Vermilion Peaks!" Ling Xiangzi appeared like a white shadow, forcibly prying Chu Xi's hand away and taking her into the sky.
Chu Xi's pale, tear-streaked face was deeply etched in Li Hong's mind, causing his heart to tremble. What was happening to him?
Spirit Stone stood behind, stunned. He began to regret his actions; knowing that Old Six's mood had not yet calmed down, he had no choice but to comply with Ling Xiangzi's demands. Yet he forgot that Ling Xiangzi was a blunt person who couldn't even say a polite word… Now she had gone so far as to declare that Nine Purple Peak would cut ties with Nine Vermilion Peaks. What should they do now?
He stamped his foot and mustered the courage to chase after them. For now, they absolutely could not have internal conflicts.
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