Chapter 52: Selling at a Good Price
The village chief raised an eyebrow and said, "If it comes to a fight to the death, the Heavenly Demon Sect would surely suffer countless casualties, wouldn't it? Why must you press so hard? If it's because of us old cripples that your sect's vitality is severely drained, National Teacher Yankang would certainly be delighted and take the opportunity to swallow the Heavenly Demon Sect whole. What do you think?"
The young patriarch nodded and said, "National Teacher Yankang has indeed been looking for an opportunity to subdue our sect and make us submit to the imperial court. However, our sacred sect's holy scripture has been lost, and the sacred leader was killed—it's almost as if the sect has been destroyed. If you, brother Daoist, insist on going your own way, then the small village you protect will have to clash with our sacred sect. Raise the banners!"
The enforcement elder beside him bowed and said, "Yes, Patriarch. Raise the banners!"
The three hundred and sixty hall masters each took out a large banner, unfurling them with a *shua* sound. The banners fluttered and billowed in the wind.
Qin Mu looked on and saw that the three hundred and sixty banners were growing wider and larger, each one covering an area of about an acre.
"Lower the banners," the young man said.
The enforcement elder called out loudly, "Lower the banners!"
One by one, the banners were lowered, their surfaces disappearing. Then Qin Mu saw that behind the banners were tens of thousands of cultivators, each one imposing and standing as straight as spears, without making a single sound, exuding an overwhelming sense of deadly seriousness!
The village chief sighed and said, "The Heavenly Demon Sect's teleportation banners truly live up to their reputation. With one raise and one lower of the banners, tens of thousands of cultivators enter the Great Wasteland directly. No wonder National Teacher Yankang is so eager to subdue the Heavenly Demon Sect. If he obtains this technique of your sect, the armies of Yankang will sweep across the world and unify all nations!"
The young patriarch sighed and said, "Without a leader, our sacred sect is now a scattered mess. Over these forty years, the Heavenly Demon Sect's situation has become increasingly difficult. I suspect National Teacher Yankang is about to lose his patience and make a move against our sect. Like you, I am old, with not many days left. Now, I only hope to select a new leader of extraordinary brilliance."
The village chief's eyes flickered, and he said, "So, the leader's wife who killed the old leader on their wedding night is your best candidate?"
The young patriarch nodded, smiled bitterly, and said, "Brother Daoist, you know how rare it is to find someone both brilliant and wise enough to be the leader. Although our Heavenly Demon Sect has many members, those capable of being leader are few and far between, and those who can match the leader's wife are even rarer. With no other choice, we must find the leader's wife, welcome her back to the sect, and let her take on the role of leader."
The village chief glanced at Granny Si, looking somewhat troubled, and said, "I heard it was this leader's wife who killed your sect's leader, Li Tianxing. Why would you let her become the new leader instead of avenging the old one? Isn't the murder of a leader a great humiliation for your sect?"
The young patriarch's eyes were bright, and he laughed, "Brother Daoist, you forget—we are a demon sect. You cannot judge us by common sense. If the new leader kills the old one, it shows the new leader is more capable, so naturally, we support her!"
The village chief's expression turned strange. Beside him, Qin Mu and the pharmacist also looked utterly baffled. The Heavenly Demon Sect actually had such a rule?
"Grandma, is there such a rule?" the pharmacist asked.
Granny Si nodded woodenly.
The pharmacist couldn't help but ask, "Since there is such a rule, why didn't you stay in the Heavenly Demon Sect and become the new leader after you killed the old one?"
Granny Si said bitterly, "I killed him. I had no face to stay in the Heavenly Demon Sect. Staying there would only deepen my inner demons."
The pharmacist still couldn't understand. To him, the Heavenly Demon Sect's forty-year search for the murderer of their leader to make them the new leader was already hard to grasp, and Granny Si's avoidance of them was even more incomprehensible.
The village chief smiled slightly and said to the young patriarch, "If Granny Si is unwilling to go with you, you won't be able to take her."
The young patriarch frowned and said, "I want to take both the leader's wife and the Great Cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Scripture."
The two stared at each other.
The village chief raised his teacup to signal the guests to leave, saying, "If the guests don't leave, I'll have no choice but to eliminate them. There are too many people in the Heavenly Demon Sect, so I won't bother making coffins. There are fewer and fewer people from our era, and I truly can't bear it."
The young patriarch raised his teacup, drained it in one gulp, set it down, stood up, and said, "Neither can I. But there are very few people in your village, so I can arrange coffins."
"Wait!"
Granny Si suddenly spoke up, laughing, "Village Chief, Pharmacist, you two take Mu'er back to the village first. I'll talk with the Patriarch! If we can't reach an agreement, then we'll fight to the death. If we can, then everyone will be happy—wouldn't that be a good thing?"
The village chief glanced at her, and Granny Si smiled, "Don't worry. At worst, they'll just kidnap me."
The village chief nodded and said, "Pharmacist, Mu'er, let's go back to the village."
After Granny Si watched them return to the village, she sat down in front of the young patriarch and said, "Enforcement, withdraw."
"Yes, Madam."
The enforcement elder bowed and slowly retreated.
Granny Si's eyes were bright as she looked at the young patriarch across from her. The young patriarch sighed and said, "You were originally our sect's saintess, with unparalleled talent and grace. I actually disagreed when Li Tianxing wanted to marry you."
"But you didn't stop him."
Granny Si smiled and said, "Li Tianxing was my master. A master marrying his disciple goes against human ethics. Our sacred sect claims to be holy—does it not even care about human ethics?"
The young patriarch frowned and said, "When Li Tianxing took you as his disciple, I already knew it was wrong. Spending day and night with you, I feared he would be completely captivated by you and lose his mind. And indeed, he was captivated by you, even going so far as to cast aside his wife of several hundred years to marry you as his new wife."
Granny Si ground her few remaining teeth and chuckled, "You knew he would be captivated by me, so why did you let him take me as his disciple? Patriarch, you should have taken me as your disciple! If I had been your disciple, none of this would have happened!"
"I was afraid that if I spent day and night with you, I would be captivated by you."
The young patriarch smiled bitterly, "The first time I saw you, you were only thirteen, but my heart suddenly pounded violently. At that moment, I knew I couldn't take you as my disciple. I am already old, and I didn't want to ruin my reputation because of you. A master falling in love with his disciple—I would be ridiculed."
He sighed and said, "Few who see your true face are not captivated by you. The longer they spend with you, the deeper the fascination."
Granny Si continued grinding her teeth and said with a half-smile, "In that case, why do you still want me to be the leader? Aren't you afraid I'll destroy the sacred sect?"
The young patriarch said, "You are the best candidate. I also think you are somewhat of a femme fatale. If you became the leader, you would likely cause chaos in our sacred sect. But over these forty years, we have searched far and wide for some talented youths, and none of them compare to you. They are always just a step short of becoming the leader."
He sighed again, dejectedly, "Once you've seen the best, everything else seems lacking."
"I'm not going back."
Granny Si said with a sly smile, "But I can give you back a leader, along with the sacred sect's founding scripture, the Great Cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Scripture."
The young patriarch's expression shifted, and he said, "Give us back a leader? What do you mean by that?"
Back in the Crippled Elderly Village, Qin Mu, the village chief, and the pharmacist watched intently, observing every move Granny Si and the Demon Sect Patriarch made. The two seemed to be chatting happily, laughing and talking, which was quite unexpected.
As Granny Si and the Demon Sect Patriarch talked, she turned to look back at the village. The Demon Sect Patriarch also looked over, smiling, and leaned in to say something to her.
After a while, Granny Si hobbled back to the village on her bound feet, smiling, "We've reached an agreement."
"An agreement?"
Everyone's expressions turned strange. Cripple was deeply suspicious and asked with a grin, "When do we start fighting?"
"No need to fight."
Granny Si blinked and said, "But they're going to stay here for a while and leave in a few days."
Everyone's hearts tightened. The Heavenly Demon Sect said they would leave after a while—what were they really up to?
Granny Si smiled and said, "Old Horse, Mu'er said his Overlord Body's vital energy has taken on the attributes of the Azure Dragon. Why don't you test him and see how much he's improved?"
"Can the Overlord Body's vital energy even mimic the Azure Dragon's vital energy?"
Horse was quite surprised and said, "Mu'er, come over here and spar with me!"
Qin Mu quickly walked over.
The pharmacist watched the two sparring, sidled up to Granny Si, and whispered, "Grandma, did you sell Mu'er?"
Granny Si blinked and said seriously, "What makes you say that? How could I betray Mu'er?"
"How much did you sell him for?" Cripple leaned in curiously and asked.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect's young patriarch."
Granny Si slumped and sighed, "Just a provisional title for now. I'll throw in the sacred sect's demonic scripture, the Great Cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Scripture. We'll see how he develops when he grows up. If he turns out promising, he'll officially become the sacred leader. How's that price?"
Cripple's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened: "Such a good deal? Grandma, why didn't you come to me sooner? Sell me!"
Granny Si laughed and said, "If you want to become the Heavenly Demon Sect's sacred leader, it's simple. Just go to the neighboring village, take on the three hundred and sixty hall masters, plus the twelve guardian elders, the left and right protector envoys, the four great town sect heavenly kings, the eight inspection envoys, and on top of that, the Demon Sect Patriarch."
Cripple's face turned pale, and he said, "Does Mu'er have to go to the neighboring village to become the young patriarch?"
Granny Si sighed helplessly and said, "They have to inspect the goods first. If they don't inspect them, how can they feel at ease making him the Heavenly Demon Sect's young patriarch?"