395: Chapter 395 Taking a Bit of a Break

What did he mean? Was the Prince of Zhenbei going to intervene in the affairs of Blade Mountain?

The government wanting to regulate martial arts sects was nothing new.

But the problem was that these martial artists were a bunch of rabble; if one wasn't careful, not only would they fail to regulate them, but they would also end up getting dragged into a mess.

Thus, over time, the authorities stopped interfering in the operations of martial arts sects. As long as they didn't wreak havoc on the local populace, they were left to their own devices.

"Prince of Zhenbei, are you perhaps planning to... take over Blade Mountain?" Qin Hengjiang asked, emboldening himself.

Lin Xiao waved his hand. "Naturally not. Even though Blade Mountain is one of the Five Great Sects, it is merely one of countless martial arts sects. If this Prince had to manage every single sect, how would I ever manage it all?"

"Then does the Prince intend to send the Zhenbei Army to manage it?"

Qin Xiaoyan couldn't help but glance at his son. If Qin He represented the Zhenbei Princes Mansion and came to suppress Blade Mountain, it might actually work.

After all, no matter how stubborn those old diehards at Blade Mountain were, on the surface, they wouldn't dare disrespect the Prince of Zhenbei!

"My Zhenbei Army exists to guard the borders, provide peace for the people, and protect the nation. Why would I send them to your Blade Mountain?"

Lin Xiao frowned. "Besides, the Prince of Nanling has his own army in Nanling. If I were to send troops over, wouldn't that easily lead to misunderstandings and the outbreak of conflict?"

The group at the scene looked at one another.

This wouldn't work, that wouldn't work; so how did he plan to save it?

Even the Old Celestial Master and the Sword Saint looked puzzled, unsure what brilliant insight this young Earth Immortal might have...

"Prince of Zhenbei, please enlighten us!" Qin Hengjiang listened respectfully.

Lin Xiao pondered for a moment with a solemn expression, then said, "Blade Mountain, disband!"

The scene remained silent for a full dozen seconds before a roar of voices erupted!

"Whoa!!"

Every martial artist present couldn't believe what they had just heard!

Blade Mountain, one of the Five Great Sects that had stood on the Tianwu Continent for thousands of years—you wanted it to "disband"!?

Qin Hengjiang and the other elders and disciples of Blade Mountain turned either flushed red or deathly pale.

If they weren't afraid of death, they would have rushed up to berate Lin Xiao!

It was one thing to kill the Blade Emperor in a fit of rage, but to wipe out their sect as well!?

What kind of deep-seated hatred was this?!

"Prince of Zhenbei, are you serious?" Qin Hengjiang asked with a trembling voice.

"Elder Qin, don't get too excited just yet."

Lin Xiao said unhurriedly, "The disbanding I speak of is not the abolition of the Blade Mountain sect itself."

"Even though Blade Mountain has some scum, there are still many righteous martial artists with loyal hearts. My subordinate, Qin He, is a disciple of Blade Mountain; do you think I would not know this?"

"How could such a prestigious, righteous sect that has stood the test of time and produced so many talents just vanish?"

Hearing this, the people from Blade Mountain breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions softening considerably, and the people present nodded in agreement.

Many famous generals of the Central Plains had originally come from Blade Mountain and left a lasting legacy; these were all the achievements of Blade Mountain.

"Then may I ask, what does the Prince mean by 'disband'?" Qin Hengjiang asked curiously.

Lin Xiao countered, "Elder Qin, why do you think there is a lack of unity within Blade Mountain?"

"This..." Qin Hengjiang looked embarrassed.

"Let me say it!"

Qin He stepped forward at this moment and said loudly, "Prince of Zhenbei, I am not afraid of you laughing at me, but the reason for the severe internal strife in Blade Mountain is nothing more than 'fame and fortune'!"

"Blade Mountain is different from the other four sects. The number of disciples in the other four sects combined does not even equal that of Blade Mountain alone."

"Why? Because the threshold for accepting disciples at Blade Mountain is low. Many who practice the blade are from impoverished families, hoping to be selected to join the army."

"But once they come, they don't necessarily leave after practicing for two years. They develop feelings for the sect, and since they have a meal to eat, they naturally stay."

"Over time, the number of people in Blade Mountain grew, and the followers under each major family became comparable to a battalion!"

"With such a large organization comes more issues. It requires more than just those who know how to practice martial arts; it requires those who know how to manage, so that a large number of low-level disciples can be supported."

"The various positions in Blade Mountain are carved up by the major families. The Sect Leader, my grandfather as the Great Elder, and my father as the Hall Master of the Precept Blade Hall—these were not all earned through martial arts; most were obtained through the exchange of interests."

"The land, shops, escort agencies, martial halls that collect tuition from disciples, and working as bodyguards—these are all industries of Blade Mountain in Nanling."

"Take my Qin family, for example. My father alone has over thirty registered disciples and over two hundred unregistered ones!"

"If these disciples only practiced the blade all day, what would they eat? What would they drink?"

"It is because our Qin family occupies nearly twenty percent of Blade Mountain's shops and nearly fifty percent of the martial arts hall business!"

"Prince of Zhenbei, you tell me: in order to survive, is it too much for the followers of the Qin family to support my father in becoming the Hall Master of the Precept Blade Hall?"

When Qin He said this, the members of Blade Mountain looked around awkwardly, feeling quite embarrassed.

Qin Xiaoyan wiped his face, secretly cursing his rebellious son. If you want to give an example, find someone else! Why bring up yourself?

"Well said!"

Lin Xiao said with a smile, "Elder Qin, you don't need to feel ashamed. The reason Blade Mountain accepts so many disciples is also because you want to help those in need; it is a good deed."

"That's right, that's right! The ancestral motto of our founder is 'The blade breaks a thousand obstacles; goodness guards a single thought'!"

Qin Hengjiang hurriedly added, "We hold the blade in our hands to do good, not to commit evil!"

"But after doing good for so long, some people's hearts have changed."

Qin He sighed, "The leaders of the major families in Blade Mountain constantly fight for disciples to strengthen their own factions, all to seize more of the sect's resources."

"High martial arts skill is no longer used to uphold justice, but has become a golden signboard to attract children from wealthy families to join."

"For example, eight years ago, before I left Blade Mountain, my father would charge one thousand taels of silver as an apprenticeship fee for a single registered disciple."

Qin Xiaoyan's face turned green with anxiety. "Stop talking... you brat..."

If it weren't for his fear of Lin Xiao, he would have gone up and delivered a 'fatherly slap.'

Sure enough, there were exclamations everywhere. Everyone knew Blade Mountain was 'chaotic,' but they didn't expect it to be 'chaotic' to this extent!

Qin Xiaoyan's status in Blade Mountain was far inferior to Gou Qizi's status in the Daoist sect; at most, he was on the level of a disciple of Taoist Master Cangshuzi, a green-robed Daoist.

At this level, he dared to charge one thousand taels to accept a disciple?

Then, after teaching a blade technique, wouldn't he charge five or six thousand taels of silver?

This wasn't just a scam; it was robbery!

No wonder the internal strife in Blade Mountain was so intense. Once you have status and reputation, money is really easy to make!

"Elder Qin, do you admit to what Qin He has said?"

After the surrounding discussions died down, Lin Xiao asked.

Qin Hengjiang sighed deeply. "Prince of Zhenbei, I am ashamed... The chaos in Blade Mountain has indeed not been a matter of one or two days. What Qin He said is basically all true."

"I thought as much. All those excuses about Blade Mountain encouraging competition and saying that practicing the blade requires a competitive spirit are just excuses."

Lin Xiao sneered. "Since everything has been laid bare, the next steps will be simple."

"The root of Blade Mountain's disaster is 'fame and fortune.' It is this struggle for fame and profit that has caused Blade Mountain to be filled with factions. From now on, this Prince will take on some of the burden for you..."

"From now on, all the industries of Blade Mountain will be managed on behalf of my 'Northern Trade Alliance,' and the money earned will be distributed according to need."

"As for those various factions within Blade Mountain, they will only keep the sect in a foul state! Disband them all!!"