Book 02 Chapter 073: Making Enemies with the World

In a valley within the Dragon Pinning Sect:

“Alright. Sect Master Ding, leave us for a while!” Gu Hai said.

“Alright! Alright!” Ding Dong saw the black-cloaked Gu Hai reveal a strange expression.

After Ding Dong stepped away, Gu Hai walked behind a large rock and opened up the cloak.

A pair of legs suddenly emerged from the black cloak. When the feet landed on the ground, a woman in tight-fitting clothes came out of the black cloak. It was Long Wanqing.

“Gu Hai, you actually…you actually! You!” Long Wanqing glowered at Gu Hai, feeling both shame and anger.

“That… You stood too close earlier. That was just a physiological reaction. I cannot control it. Hall Master, quickly put on this black robe. I’ll step aside for a while!” Gu Hai took out a black robe for Long Wanqing. Then, he immediately walked away from the rock.

“Humph!” Long Wanqing snorted coldly as she watched Gu Hai leave.

Suppressing the shame and rage in her heart, Long Wanqing dressed up quickly and walked away from the rock.

However, she still glowered at Gu Hai when she returned.

At the side, Ding Dong pretended not to see anything. Gu Hai could only smile bitterly.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous sound rang out in the sky. Following that, countless shattered rocks floated into the sky and orbited the Dragon Pinning Sect as if a meteor storm encased the entire Dragon Pinning Sect in an instant.

A loud commotion erupted in the distant Leisure Valley.

Gu Hai and Long Wanqing raised their eyebrows as they looked at the sky.

“Oh no! Ding Rui found out. She activated the protective ritual array to seal the sect. We cannot get out!” Ding Dong’s expression changed.

“Ding Dong activated the ritual array? You are the Dragon Pinning Sect Master. Don’t you have a way to get out?” Gu Hai asked.

“The protective ritual array sealing the sect has a core. However, Ding Rui is the one controlling it. Since the ritual array core controls it, I cannot do anything about this,” Ding Dong said anxiously.

“Ding Rui?” Long Wanqing’s expression turned unsightly.

After all, Long Wanqing’s cultivation was completely sealed, making her like an ordinary person. She could not do anything.

“Mister Gu, what should we do now? Should we inform the hall master’s maternal grandfather? No, the hall master’s grandfather should already know,” Ding Dong asked, feeling confused.

“Go to Leisure Valley. It is more open there!” Gu Hai said with narrowed eyes.

“More open?” Long Wanqing revealed a confused expression.

However, Ding Dong did not note Gu Hai’s tone.

“Alright! Alright! We’ll do as you say!” Ding Dong nodded.

“The Dragon Pinning Sect has five thousand disciples, and Ding Rui has one thousand-odd subordinates. Are we just going as we are? Should we disguise ourselves?” Long Wanqing looked at Gu Hai worriedly.

“There’s no need. Hall Master, since I’ve found you already, there’s nothing to worry about. Today, I will openly bring you out of the Dragon Pinning Sect. Let’s see how Ding Rui and her riffraff are going to stop me!” Gu Hai smiled.

“Oh?” Long Wanqing’s eyes widened in shock.

Openly bring me out? Is that possible?

However, Ding Dong took it for granted. With the hall master’s maternal grandfather around, Ding Rui’s group is indeed riffraff. Good thing I defected the moment I had a chance!

——

Ding Rui stood on a tall mountain, looking at the surroundings with chilly eyes.

“Have you informed everyone? Send the entire Dragon Pinning Sect to search for them. Find them! Their wings are clipped, and they cannot escape!” Ding Rui shouted coldly.

“Division Master, rest assured. Everyone is searching for them. They will not leave any stone unturned,” a subordinate said respectfully.

“Humph!” Ding Rui snorted coldly.

“I found them! I found them!” A loud shout suddenly came from a distance.

A Dragon Pinning Sect disciple ran over and said, “Division Master, I found the sect master and Gu Hai. There is also a woman with them!”

“Oh?” Ding Rui raised her eyebrows. “That was fast.”

“Indeed. They were walking openly to Leisure Valley, so we found them very quickly!” that Dragon Pinning Sect said gravely.

“Openly? They are not disguised or covering up their movements?” Ding Rui asked in shock.

“None at all. They are just walking openly. The woman apparently has to walk at a slower pace, so the sect master and Gu Hai follow her pace!” that person said.

“That’s impossible!” Ding Rui appeared skeptical.

“It’s true. They are about to reach Leisure Valley!”

“Let’s go! Off to Leisure Valley!” Ding Rui quickly headed to Leisure Valley, feeling confused.

——

At this moment, Leisure Valley was in utter chaos.

“What are you doing? What is your Dragon Pinning Sect trying to do? Why did you activate the ritual array to seal off the sect?”

“We can’t leave! The exit there is sealed too!”

“Are you trying to rob us? You think that you gave out too many spirit stones and want to snatch them back?”

“If you can’t afford to give out a reward, then don’t. What are you doing by sealing off the sect?”

The surroundings turned chaotic. After the one thousand-odd cultivators discovered that the Dragon Pinning Sect had sealed off the sect, they started clamoring.

However, there were many Dragon Pinning Sect disciples. Soon, a large number of them had gathered to prevent conflicts from happening.

The Life Slaughterer Go Master walked up slowly while holding a black-clad woman. A group of disciples followed behind, looking at the surrounding dissension in shock.

“Master, what is the Dragon Pinning Sect doing?” one of the Life Slaughterer Go Master’s disciples asked anxiously.

The Life Slaughterer Go Master held out his hand, stopping his disciples from speaking. All his disciples could only wait silently.

Whoosh!

More Dragon Pinning Sect disciples arrived, as well as Elite Hall’s Fire Division disciples. All of them rushed into Leisure Valley.

The initially noisy cultivators immediately revealed shocked expressions.

“Elite Hall disciples?”

“The Dragon Pinning Sect disciples are all rushing here? What’s going on?”

The surrounding cultivators marveled at this scene. They saw the Dragon Pinning Sect disciples searching the surroundings before suddenly looking to the north. The Elite Hall disciples mirrored the Dragon Pinning Sect disciples.

Everyone turned their head to look.

They saw Gu Hai, Ding Dong, and a woman strolling over, surrounded by several Elite Hall disciples coldly eyeing the three.

The woman was naturally Long Wanqing. She had assumed the post of hall master not long ago and rarely showed herself. Hence, very few people were aware of her identity.

“What’s going on?” Many cultivators revealed bewildered expressions.

The Life Slaughterer Go Master lowered his head and unconsciously clenched his hand. The woman he held let out a yelp of pain.

“What are you doing? What are you doing? Scram!” Ding Dong immediately shouted furiously.

The surrounding Dragon Pinning Sect disciples showed strange expressions as they looked at each other.

Bang!

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and a figure landed in the center of Leisure Valley.

It was an old woman holding a walking stick as she looked across coldly.

“Division Master!” all the Elite Hall disciples greeted respectfully.

“Elite Hall’s Fire Division Master, Ding Rui?” A cultivator suddenly recognized the old woman.

“What? Division Master Ding is here as well?”

“What are they doing?”

Many cultivators curiously watched this bewildering scene.

Everyone saw Ding Rui holding her walking stick as she looked at the other side coldly with rage flashing in her eyes.

When Ding Dong saw Ding Rui, he suddenly got flustered. After all, he had feared her for a long time already. This response was not something that he could change on a whim.

Long Wanqing’s expression turned sullen.

However, Gu Hai smiled faintly as he walked to the very front.

“Ding Dong, how bold of you!” Ding Rui said coldly.

“I…I…I…!” Ding Dong stammered somewhat fearfully.

“Ding Rui, how awe-inspiring of you!” Long Wanqing sneered.

Ding Rui looked at Long Wanqing coldly and jeered, “Did you think that you could run? You are now like an ordinary person; what can you do? Humph! Did you think that all you had to do was bring Ding Dong to your side? Or were you going to rely on this Gu Hai?”

Gu Hai smiled faintly. “Elite Hall’s Water Division Master, Gu Hai, greets Division Master Ding!”

“Hahahahaha! Water Division Master? Gu Hai, who said you were the Water Division Master? You really know how to blow your own trumpet!” Ding Rui said coldly.

“I appointed him. So what?” Long Wanqing said coldly.

“Appointing a division master requires the agreement of the other division masters. Furthermore, has he registered his name in the records? No. How is he qualified to call himself the Water Division Master?” Ding Rui scoffed.

However, Gu Hai narrowed his eyes as he said, “Unexpectedly, you still see yourself as an Elite Hall member. This is the Elite Hall Master. The hall master is not qualified to appoint someone, yet you qualify? Furthermore, you locked up the hall master. That is a major offense worthy of the death penalty!”

This immediately set the surrounding cultivators abuzz. This woman is the Elite Hall Master? The new hall master?

Many Dragon Pinning Sect disciples appeared shocked. Clearly, not many knew of Long Wanqing’s identity.

“Ding Rui, why are you persisting in your errors? Why are you not pleading with the hall master for mercy? If you don’t, you will not have a good end!” Ding Dong immediately scolded.

This set the surrounding cultivators abuzz again. Even Ding Dong admitted it. This woman was really the Elite Hall Master?

“Humph!” Ding Rui leaned on her walking stick, and a strong wind immediately erupted from her.

Ding Dong’s expression changed.

“Ding Dong, I have not even started on you yet. Why did you defect? Are you tired of living?” Ding Rui shouted coldly.

“I…I…I…” Ding Dong appeared flustered. Then, he turned his head and saw the calm Gu Hai, which allowed him to regain his courage.

“Humph! Ding Rui, I am forsaking darkness for light. You cannot escape. The Dragon Pinning Sect is already surrounded. Humph! With an order from the hall master’s maternal grandfather, none of you can escape. None!” Ding Dong shouted ferociously.

“The hall master’s maternal grandfather?” Nearly everyone felt shocked.

The expressions of Ding Rui’s subordinates changed. Even Ding Rui felt startled. However, she instantly recovered.

“So…so, this is why you defected?” Ding Rui asked coldly as she stared at Ding Dong.

“What? You don’t believe it?” Ding Dong questioned as he glared.

“I don’t believe it? Humph! Is your brain damaged? Long Wanqing is not his direct granddaughter. He has so many granddaughters. Why would he travel so far just to save the daughter of a daughter? What more lay traps? If he were here, why would he need to lay traps? Since there are traps, then bring it on. Come on! Kill me!” Ding Rui shouted.

[TL Note: Ancient China was a patriarchal society for a significant part of its history. As a result, sons were emphasized more than daughters. There are different words for grandchildren depending on whether they came from a son or daughter. Grandchildren from a son were known as inner grandchildren, and grandchildren from a daughter were known as outer grandchildren. When a daughter married, it was seen as her leaving the family for another one. The daughter’s family even received a bride price from the groom’s family in payment of raising the daughter up to then. It was kind of like selling your daughter off. On the groom’s side, the bride would move into the groom’s family and live with the groom’s parents/clan. As such, outer grandchildren are not seen as part of the family/clan and have much lower importance than direct descendants.]

Ding Dong’s expression froze.

“Are you bringing Gu Hai and Long Wanqing to flee? Are you really as stupid as a pig? If Long Wanqing’s maternal grandfather were here, would they still need to flee? Do you think they would still need your help?” Ding Rui asked coldly.

Ding Dong’s expression changed. Indeed, if Long Wanqing’s maternal grandfather were here, would they need me to assist in their escape? Furthermore, that secret… did Gu Hai deliberately reveal it so that I would hear it?

After being scolded by Ding Rui, Ding Dong instantly reacted.

“Gu Hai, you lied to me?” Ding Dong shouted lividly as he glowered at Gu Hai.

“Whether it is a lie or not, think about it for yourself. If you want to die, then, by all means, go over!” Gu Hai continued to speak calmly.

Ding Dong’s expression froze.

“You fool! Why are you not coming over yet?” Ding Rui shouted coldly.

Ding Dong felt conflicted for a while. However, he ran over to Ding Rui in the end.

“Aunt, I got cheated by him. I truly never expected it!” Ding Dong immediately pleaded for mercy.

“I’ll deal with you later. Humph!” Ding Rui snorted coldly.

Ding Dong’s expression froze. Why am I so unlucky?

Ding Dong turned his head and blamed everything on Gu Hai.

“Gu Hai, how dare you lie to me? Both of you can forget about leaving the Dragon Pinning Sect today. Humph!” Ding Dong barked while glaring.

“Ding Dong ran over!” Long Wanqing smiled bitterly.

“This is called ‘easily swayed while sitting on the fence. Such people will not have good ends. Even without your maternal grandfather, Ding Rui can no longer trust him. What do you think?” Gu Hai said with a smile.

Not far away, Ding Dong’s expression changed. He turned his head to look at Ding Rui. However, Ding Rui did not even look at him, gazing coldly at Gu Hai.

Ding Dong: “…”

Why am I so unlucky?

“What should we do now?” Long Wanqing looked at Gu Hai.

The Dragon Pinning Sect sealed off the sect, preventing everyone from leaving. Right now, the two did not have any allies. There were only the two of them facing thousands of people. Furthermore, there were Nascent Soul cultivators among them.

Making enemies with the world? Looking around, she had a feeling that everyone she saw was their enemy. Long Wanqing could only smile bitterly at this scene.

“Hall Master, have you forgotten? I said that I would bring you out. Furthermore, I would do so openly. Do you not believe me?” Gu Hai smiled at Long Wanqing, simply not caring about the cold gazes of the thousands of experts.

“Huh?” Long Wanqing showed a complicated expression as she turned to Gu Hai.