506: Chapter 16: Switching allegiance to Tianyin Pavilion?

"Young lady, the Sword Flight Technique you just used suggests the three of you must be Disciples of the Qingyun Sect, right?"

"That is correct." Seeing that Universal Wisdom had recognized her lineage through her Sword Flight Technique, Lu Xueqi admitted it candidly.

Meng Li and Tian Linger also nodded.

Seeing this, Universal Wisdom continued, "Thank you, three, for intervening and preventing me from committing further slaughter. I am a member of the Tianyin Pavilion, and my Dharma name is Universal Wisdom. I would like to ask you three to do me two favors, for the sake of both the Tianyin Pavilion and the Qingyun Sect belonging to the Righteous Path."

"Let's hear them," Meng Li said.

Universal Wisdom said, "The fact that Zhang Xiaofan has received my true teachings has been exposed, and that man in black, suspected to be a demon from the Blood Refining Hall, will likely come after him. This child is innocent and should not suffer because of this, so I would like to ask you three to take him into the Qingyun Sect for protection. That is the first favor."

"The second is that I would like to request the Qingyun Sect to send a message to the Tianyin Pavilion, informing my fellow Disciples of what has happened here, so they can bring Zhang Xiaofan back to the Tianyin Pavilion for training."

"After all, I have passed on my skills to him, and he calls me Master; he is my Disciple, so it is only right that he Cultivates at the Tianyin Pavilion."

Meng Li was taken aback.

Have Zhang Xiaofan Cultivate at the Tianyin Pavilion, instead of the Qingyun Sect?

In an instant, he realized what was happening. Although the bloody incident had still occurred in Caomiao Village, because of his own accidental intrusion, the entire village had not been slaughtered. Zhang Xiaofan was naturally no longer an orphan of the village, and without that layer of identity, he might not necessarily be able to join the Qingyun Sect.

After all, Zhang Xiaofan's Aptitude had been verified by many, and it was truly not very good.

The reason Universal Wisdom chose to teach him the Tianyin Cultivation Technique was precisely because of his mediocre Aptitude, which would make it less likely for him to attract the attention of his seniors after joining the Qingyun Sect.

At Tongtian Peak, after seeing Zhang Xiaofan, the various peak Masters of the Qingyun Sect had all shaken their heads, unwilling to take him as a Disciple.

Zhang Xiaofan's later rise to power was due to the many Opportunities he obtained: the blood-devouring pearl, the Soul-Absorbing Rod, the Heavenly Book...

If he were to switch to Cultivating at the Tianyin Pavilion, whether he would still have so many Opportunities was hard to say.

Furthermore, what Universal Wisdom had said earlier was likely not the whole truth.

The slaughter of Caomiao Village was a major turning point. Meng Li vaguely remembered some details regarding this: Universal Wisdom had indeed ruthlessly slaughtered Caomiao Village, partly due to being hunted and falling into a demonic state, but the root cause was his own evil intentions to achieve his goal.

However, this had nothing to do with Meng Li, and he couldn't be bothered to pursue it.

As for Universal Wisdom's request...

Meng Li pondered for a moment before saying to Universal Wisdom, "My two Senior Sisters and I are young and have low seniority; we cannot decide on the matters Your Excellency has requested, nor can we even confirm your identity. However, as this concerns the Qingyun Sect and the Tianyin Pavilion, we can send a message on your behalf and have our seniors come to handle it."

Seeing that Meng Li said this, Universal Wisdom was stunned for a moment, then said, "That will do as well."

However, some of the grieving and indignant villagers were not happy, with Wang Daniu being the most vocal.

With a hint of anger, he asked Meng Li, "This Immortal, are you going to help this murderer?"

Meng Li glanced at Wang Daniu and replied indifferently, "I am simply handling the matter rationally."

Then, he raised his voice slightly and, pointing to Universal Wisdom, said to the villagers, "Although he just said he was under the influence of a Demonic Technique, he also admitted to committing the slaughter, so he is at least taking responsibility. If you want to avenge your deceased friends and family, he likely will not run, and currently, he cannot run."

"However, you all heard what he said afterwards."

"There are members of the Demon Sect hunting him, and they may later hunt Zhang Xiaofan. Under these circumstances, if Zhang Xiaofan continues to stay in the village, it is very likely that he will attract that demon and implicate you all. Although this village is near Qingyun Mountain, the Qingyun Sect cannot send people to station here at all times."

"Therefore, Zhang Xiaofan entering the Tianyin Pavilion is the only way to keep you all safe from the threat of the Demon Sect."

"Besides that, by having people from the Tianyin Pavilion come, you can also receive some compensation."

"Of course, compensation cannot make up for the grief of losing your friends and family. But the dead cannot return to life; you are still alive, so you must look forward and plan for the future."

Wang Daniu fell silent.

The other villagers also fell into deep thought.

A while later, Wang Daniu said, "Immortal, what you say makes sense, but..."

He paused, then pointed at Universal Wisdom with a ferocious expression, saying, "No matter what, he must die!"

These words instantly drew a response from the other villagers.

"Yes, he must die!"

"That's right, he cannot live!"

"He killed my son; he must be cut into a thousand pieces to vent our hatred!"

"He killed my second uncle's family; he absolutely cannot live!"

...

The clamor for revenge grew more and more intense. Meng Li channeled his magic power and issued a commanding, intimidating shout that drowned out everyone: "Quiet!"

Before long, the whole scene fell silent.

Meng Li said loudly, "Please rest assured, everyone. I will have someone return to the Sect to send a message and ask our seniors to come and handle the aftermath. You can take this time to deal with the funeral arrangements for your deceased friends and family. Afterwards, if you want revenge, I will absolutely not stop you."

After saying this, he turned his head to look at Lu Xueqi: "Senior Sister Lu, I will stay here to keep watch. Your mastery of the Sword Flight Technique is superior to Senior Sister Linger's."

"Please, I must trouble you to return to the Sect quickly and report this matter to Junior Martial Uncle Shui and the Sect Head, so they can send someone over as soon as possible to make a decision."

"Very well." Lu Xueqi readily agreed.

Having said this, she summoned the Tianya Sword and rode it, flying towards the Qingyun Sect.

Seeing Lu Xueqi fly away on her sword in front of everyone, the villagers present were all startled, then immediately called out "Immortal" in their hearts, feeling a mix of awe and envy.

Even Zhang Xiaofan, who had been greatly devastated by learning that his "Master had killed his parents and many of the village elders," recovered from his stupor. A sense of envy arose in his heart, along with a glimmer of hope. He had received Universal Wisdom's true teachings and, barring any accidents, would be able to go to the Tianyin Pavilion for Cultivation. When he achieved success in his Cultivation one day, he imagined he would also be able to fly on his sword like that.

Not far away, Lin Jingyu also felt envious.

He glanced at Zhang Xiaofan and the villagers who had begun to help their friends and family with the funeral arrangements. After a moment of thought, he walked over to Meng Li and fell to his knees with a thud.

Meng Li raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

Lin Jingyu looked up and said sincerely, "I want to join the Qingyun Sect to Cultivate. I beg the Immortal to take me as a Disciple!"

Tian Linger was drinking water. Upon hearing Lin Jingyu's words, she spat a mouthful of water directly onto Meng Li. When she realized what had happened, she took a handkerchief from her storage ring to wipe the water stains off Meng Li while apologizing, "Junior Brother, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. His words just caught me so off guard."

Meng Li naturally knew she hadn't done it on purpose and waved his hand, indicating it was fine.

Then, he asked Lin Jingyu, "What is your name?"

"Lin Jingyu."

Hearing this answer, Meng Li asked again, "Why do you want to join the Qingyun Sect?"

Lin Jingyu answered truthfully, "I want to become as powerful as the Immortal, then find that demon from the Demon Sect, eliminate the evil, uphold the Dao, and protect Caomiao Village."

Meng Li nodded and said bluntly, "I understand your intentions. However, forget about taking me as your Master. I have only been in the Qingyun Sect for a few years and have not yet finished my training; I am far from being ready to take on a Disciple. When the seniors from the Sect arrive, you can try asking them."

Not getting his wish immediately, Lin Jingyu was a little disappointed, but he still cupped his hands to Meng Li to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal."

"You're welcome. Go and attend to your own affairs."