How could a person about to be kicked out of their position have such an appearance? It seemed this so-called passing of position was not so simple.

“It’s an honor for Qianshi Gate to have such distinguished representatives from your sects here!” The Qianshi Gate Master laughed heartily, her eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Seeing that only four people had arrived, her raised smile gradually faded. After surveying them, her expression changed slightly. She looked questioningly at the elders behind her. The Grand Elder gave her a look, her face composed.

The Qianshi Gate Master barely suppressed her unease, turned back to the group with a smile and said, “There’s still one important figure who hasn’t arrived. Shall we wait until they arrive to begin? What do you think, Young Mistress Ye?”

“That’s fine.” Ye Xi Feng’s expression remained unchanged.

Just as they finished speaking, the Qianshi Gate disciples who had been quietly lined up at the Five Elements Platform began to stir. Ye Xi Feng suddenly raised her eyes to look, and in an instant, she was almost certain who had caused the commotion.

Perhaps only he had such charm in the world.

When she saw the man who appeared in her dreams night after night, Ye Xi Feng’s gaze suddenly became heated. She couldn’t help but stand up and walk down two stone steps to greet the man who looked like an immortal banished from heaven.

“Young Master Ming Yue.”

Jiang Ming Yue’s cold eyes swept lightly over the woman’s face, his voice cool: “It’s been a long time. How have you been, Young Mistress Ye?”

Even such polite words made Ye Xi Feng’s heart burn. The smile on her face deepened: “Very well. And you, Young Master Ming Yue?”

“Mm.”

The man responded faintly and walked past her towards the higher stone steps. Ye Xi Feng didn’t mind and followed him with small steps.

When the Qianshi Gate Master saw that the arrival was not the Changsheng Pavilion Master, her face sank. Even as the person walked up, she still couldn’t contain herself and asked, “Why has Young Master Ming Yue come on behalf of Changsheng Pavilion this time?”

The Grand Elder behind the Qianshi Gate Master frowned. This person truly wasn’t fit to be a gate master, how could she be so unable to control her emotions?

Jiang Ming Yue’s eyes were cold: “What’s wrong? Is Ming Yue not qualified to represent Changsheng Pavilion?”

The Grand Elder immediately stepped forward to block the woman, smiling until her face was full of wrinkles: “How could Young Master Ming Yue, the young master of Changsheng Pavilion, not be qualified? Come, Young Master Ming Yue, please be seated.”

When everyone was seated, she glanced at the guide slave waiting not far away. After receiving confirmation, the murderous intent in her murky eyes was revealed.

Ye Xi Feng was sitting next to Jiang Ming Yue, constantly trying to engage him in conversation. Even though the man’s responses were cold, it didn’t diminish her enthusiasm at all.

Time passed bit by bit. As it was almost noon and the succession ceremony still hadn’t begun, some people on the high seats became impatient. Only after urging did they realize something was wrong.

The so-called successor had never appeared.

“Qianshi Gate Master, what is the meaning of this?” Someone stood up and asked dissatisfied.

“My child hasn’t returned yet. Please, everyone, wait a moment longer.” The Qianshi Gate Master said while constantly observing the man’s jade-like face. Just like when he arrived, there was no change in his expression, not even a hint of impatience had appeared.

Unable to make a decision, she looked towards the elderly Grand Elder.

The four elders exchanged glances, and immediately made a decision with their eyes.

Just as they were about to make a move, the silent man spoke.

“By the way,” Jiang Ming Yue’s beautiful eyes looked at them, his thin lips curling into a smile that made everyone stare blankly. He seemed not to notice and raised his hand to gesture to the black-clothed person standing behind him: “Ming Yue has brought a gift. Please accept it, Gate Master.”

Upon receiving the order, the black-clothed person stepped forward and handed a black box to the Qianshi Gate Master.

The Qianshi Gate Master’s face flashed with a strange expression, not immediately accepting it.

“Won’t the Gate Master open it and take a look?” The man’s voice was full of temptation, as if there was some rare treasure inside the box.

Everyone knew that Changsheng Pavilion was a place of treasures, with all the world’s precious objects within. What they could give as a gift must certainly not be inferior.

Greed suddenly arose in the Qianshi Gate Master’s heart. Thinking of the upcoming plan made her even more excited. Soon, very soon, Changsheng Pavilion would belong to her!

“Since it’s Young Master Ming Yue’s kind intention, then, I’ll accept it,” she said.

The heavy feeling in her hands further confirmed her guess. Disregarding the elders’ hints, she actually opened it in front of everyone. What met her eyes was something black. When she glimpsed the familiar hair ornament, her eyes widened in disbelief, her hands shaking, her face full of incredulity.

“Cha, Cha’er!!”

The box fell, and the head inside rolled out. It was indeed the person they had mentioned as the successor.

The scene instantly fell into chaos. The Qianshi Gate Master’s eyes were bloodshot, her trembling finger pointing at the composed man: “You, you killed my daughter?!”

Jiang Ming Yue’s expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, “Miss Luo provoked Ming Yue first. You can’t blame Ming Yue for being heavy-handed.”

Ye Xi Feng’s eye twitched slightly beside him. She glanced at the head on the ground. This was indeed being “heavy-handed”.

At this moment, the elders also jumped out: “You, Jiang Ming Yue! Since you’re so vicious, don’t blame us for being impolite!”

As soon as the words were spoken, one of them summoned a crescent blade and chopped towards the man’s head.

Ye Xi Feng’s heart tightened. Just as she was about to draw her sword to help the man block, she found that she had no internal energy. As she was shocked, a black shadow blocked in front of the man, easily intercepting the attack.

The Grand Elder’s face tightened, her eyes narrowing as she sized up the black-clothed person who had arrived with the man. She gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, “You’re not poisoned?”

How is this possible! Anyone who passed through those blooming flowers should have been affected!

Her venomous gaze immediately turned to the guide slave. The guide slave immediately collapsed to the ground, covered in cold sweat, nodding vigorously: “This slave did lead them along that path, without any lies!”

Seeing that the guide slave didn’t seem to be lying, the Grand Elder’s murky eyes once again looked at the expressionless man, narrowing as she sized up the black-clothed person standing in front of him. The corners of her blackened mouth curled into a cold smile.

“I want to see just how capable you are!”

With a gesture, people from below the high platform swarmed up like ants. A cold light flashed, and those rushing in the front immediately splattered blood, spraying those behind them.

The man on the high platform was as cold as ice, holding Floating Snow, his murderous aura undisguised. That gaze, as if looking at insects, intimidated many people.

The Grand Elder’s face turned ugly: “You’re not poisoned either?!”

At this point, anyone who couldn’t see the conspiracy was truly stupid. Ye Xi Feng’s smile completely disappeared, her darkening face becoming increasingly terrifying: “What exactly is Qianshi Gate’s intention?”

The moment she entered, she sensed something was wrong. Could it be that those flowers were problematic, causing her to completely lose her internal energy now.

“My apologies, Young Mistress Ye, this matter has nothing to do with you. Please return to the pavilion to rest.”

Without her power of resistance, Ye Xi Feng had no choice. She took a deep look at the man who remained calm in the face of danger, clenched her fists, and slowly followed the guide slave into the pavilion.

Only Jiang Ming Yue and his companion were left facing countless people from Qianshi Gate. Before anyone could react, the Qianshi Gate Master, her eyes bloodshot, charged forward with a knife, intending to cut off the man’s head to avenge her daughter. But she only felt a black shadow flash before her eyes, and then a tearing pain in her chest.

The black-clothed person emotionlessly pulled out the sharp blade, letting the woman’s body fall to the ground with a thud. She couldn’t even make a sound before dying.

Seeing this scene, the elders who had originally thought victory was in their grasp showed a hint of retreat. The Grand Elder’s eyes flashed with venom as she said in a low voice, “What are you afraid of? With so many of us, are we afraid we can’t subdue just two men?”

With these words, those who had been thinking of retreating suddenly had their eyes burning bright, holding their weapons eagerly.

Jiang Ming Yue’s lips curled into a contemptuous cold smile as he looked at the foolish old creature who thought too highly of herself: “You thought my mother would be the one coming, so you planted those Fenjifeng flowers that can temporarily suppress internal energy along our path. Then you could do whatever you wanted?”

Looking at that dark old face, Jiang Ming Yue’s eyes grew colder, his thin lips uttering mockery: “Utterly foolish.”

This light remark completely angered the elders. With one command, everyone swarmed towards the two. The four elders exchanged glances secretly, intentionally separating the two during the fight.

The scene suddenly became four elders against one, while the black-clothed person was restrained by the numerous Qianshi Gate disciples.

Jiang Ming Yue swung his sword constantly blocking the attacks of the four, trying to break through that barrier in his body, but his dantian was completely empty, still unable to use even a bit of internal energy.

The elders weren’t stupid either. Although the man’s sword movements seemed normal, they could see from his dodging speed that he had clearly been affected by the flower’s poison!

What shocked them was that even if a woman was poisoned by these flowers, it would be difficult to exert strength. Yet this mere man could still fend off their four-person attack with his strength alone!

The four exchanged glances, suddenly jumping a few steps away from the man in a circle. They grabbed both ends of their weapons and pulled, instantly turning the blades into iron chains, with the sharp parts still glinting coldly.

Jiang Ming Yue tightened his grip on Floating Snow, cold air drifting from the sword body. His icy gaze fell on their fragile, wrinkled necks, ready to chop off their heads in one move as soon as they acted.

“Heh, Young Master Ming Yue, I advise you not to keep forcing yourself. If you obediently surrender, we can spare your life,” the Grand Elder’s eyes revealed her smugness, certain of victory. “You’ve been poisoned by the flowers. Even if you have the strength to block a few moves, you won’t last long. If you keep resisting like this, it will only backfire. By then, we won’t even need to make a move.”

Jiang Ming Yue coldly glared at her, his thin lips curling viciously: “Even if I’m poisoned, so what? It’s more than enough to deal with you old fools.”

“You don’t know what’s good for you!”

The elders were thoroughly angered. Just as they were about to swing their soul-capturing whips to attack the man simultaneously, they were suddenly hit by a roof tile falling from the sky. Fortunately, they reacted quickly and shattered it.

Immediately after, countless roof tiles flew towards the four of them, forcing them to jump away from the man to avoid them.

The Grand Elder shattered the last roof tile, her murky eyes seeming to be filled with poison. She suddenly looked up towards the top of the pavilion: “Who’s there?!”

Jiang Ming Yue’s face showed a moment of surprise, a flash of light passing through his beautiful eyes as he looked up at the petite silhouette on the eaves.

The girl had her back to the sun. Although her features couldn’t be seen clearly, he could guess what her expression must be like. Her small shadow stretched long, completely covering him under the pavilion in its shade. The overwhelming sense of security suddenly transformed into a giant deer, crashing hard into his heart.

It must be the effect of the poison, he felt his whole body starting to heat up abnormally.

“Hey!” The girl threw away the roof tile in her hand, crouching down to look at them seriously from her high vantage point: “Isn’t it too much for so many of you to bully just a few?”

Her voice was purer and more pleasant to hear than the plucking of harp strings.

Jiang Ming Yue lowered his eyes, his trembling fingertips slowly tightening into a fist. His heart, which should have been as calm as still water, now seemed about to jump out of his chest, making half of his body go numb.

…