Inside the stone pavilion, Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong observed the two groups of people who had just arrived, claiming to be friends of Yang Kai. Secretly, they felt that it was possible for the first group, which had several beautiful young women in it, to have some kind of special relationship with the Holy Master, especially one of the young women who had a mature beauty to her yet also a kind of melancholy surrounding her. From time to time, this young woman would glance towards the nine peaks with a complex look upon her face, as if she had some kind of unresolved romance with the Holy Master.
The Holy Master was a young man after all, which young man didn’t have a few romantic encounters?
Thinking so, Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong both couldn’t help chuckling.
As for the second group which was comprised of nothing but old folks, although their strength wasn’t high, the aloof, superior temperament they gave off was not something that could be faked.
These old people were definitely prominent characters.
A short while later, the two Holy Land disciples who had been dispatched as messengers returned, bringing with them the command of the Holy Master.
Invite them inside quickly!
“Hmph, seems he still knows his limits!” Shui Ling was quite satisfied, bowing to Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong politely before she and the trio from Bold Independent Union set forth.
The several old folks also gently nodded to the two Elders before following after Shui Ling’s group.
However, before they could go far, the cultivators who were waiting in line for Alchemy began making a fuss, one of them clearly unable to endure this and loudly calling out, “Two Elders, what are these people doing? Why is it that they can enter the nine peaks after only arriving here today? If it’s convenient, could two Elders please explain this to us?”
“That’s right!” Someone else immediately followed up, “We’ve all been patiently waiting in line here for many days, but they can actually enter the nine peaks right away. Isn’t that somewhat unfair?”
“Your Nine Heavens Holy Land’s name resounds loudly throughout the world, so bullying us Immortal Ascension Boundary and Transcendent Realm cultivators may not matter much. We clearly aren’t able to argue back, but in this lineup, there are quite a few Saint Realm Seniors. Even these Seniors are willing to abide by the rules set out by your Holy Land, yet now you intend to destroy those customs yourself? If so, even if we hold our tongues, do you think these honoured Seniors will agree?”
These words seemed to resonate with many people who were standing in line and the various Saint Realm masters in line all indeed wore displeased looks upon their faces at this moment as they stared towards Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong.
After coming here, they had all put down their own lofty statuses and obediently followed the rules set out by Nine Heavens Holy Land, waiting in line like simple guests.
Naturally, this scene of people skipping the queue made these masters feel a little uncomfortable.
This group of line skippers did not have a single Saint amongst them, yet they seemed to be receiving preferential treatment, it was nothing short of offensive.
Hearing these shouts, Shui Ling’s and the old folks’ group halted their steps and looked back.
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong also realized the seriousness of the issue and knew if they couldn’t handle it properly, it was highly likely that the prestige and goodwill the Holy Land had finally managed to build up these past few months would be ruined, causing many here to have an unnecessary misunderstanding.
Wearing a gentle smile, Yu Ying stepped forward and announced, “Friends, please allow me to explain. These people are old friends of my Holy Land’s Holy Master, this time they have come here only to visit the Holy Master, not to request Alchemy.”
“Really?”
“Do I have a reason to lie to you?” Yu Ying replied with a forced smile.
In truth, even Yu Ying suspected these two groups were here to request Alchemy services from the Holy Land’s Grandmaster, but since the Holy Master had said to let them in, it was impossible that they were just casual acquaintances. Still, it had now become a troublesome situation with the Holy Land’s reputation at stake.
“If you say those few women are friends of your Holy Master, I can understand, they are similar in age to the Holy Master after all and him having friends in the outside world is only natural! But what about those old farts? How could it be possible they are friends with your Holy Master?” Someone amongst the crowd shouted.
This group of old folks were, first off, old, and second, low in strength. Each of them looked like they were struggling to pursue the Martial Dao but were restricted by their own poor aptitude.
There were many such people in this world.
Those who were in such a situation often sought out good pills in order to help them break through their current realms and prolong their lives.
Most people waiting in line thought this was the case.
Everyone turned their attention to the group of old people, and even Yun Cheng couldn’t help wrinkling his brow ever so slightly.
“Don’t you think you all are meddling too much in other people’s business? You should just wait patiently in line. Since Yang Kai invited this group of Seniors inside, naturally he has his reasons! Or what, are you just looking to stir up trouble? If I were you I’d think twice about shouting out accusations outside the Holy Land like this, lest you anger someone you shouldn’t and lose the chance to request for Alchemy services,” Shui Ling shouted out in an unrestrained tone.
Amongst the crowd, those who had just been shouting the most fiercely all shrank back upon hearing these words, trying to hide behind others, afraid their faces might be spotted and remembered by Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong.
Calling out just now was their way of venting their frustrations and had been done without thinking too much about it.
They also thought that Nine Heavens Holy Land was being unfair and that if they didn’t raise any objections right now, in the future, anyone who claimed to be Yang Kai’s friends could skip the line which would force them to wait even longer for their turn.
They felt all of this was unfair to those who obediently followed the rules.
“You little girl, you’ve courage is not small…” Among the group of old people, the one with a great rotund belly looked towards Shui Ling with a big smile, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll try to find trouble with you later?”
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Shui Ling smiled fearlessly, “Since you’re friends of Yang Kai that makes you this Young Lady’s friends too. Although you’re all much older than me, I can promise you that so long as I’m here, no one will are bully you! Otherwise, I’ll let Yang Kai clean them up.”
“Oh? You seem to have quite a good relationship with Yang Kai,” Another old man smiled meaningfully towards Shui Ling as he gently stroked his long beard.
“Well, something like that,” Shui Ling furrowed her brow, “Although that guy can be a bit of a bastard at times, the affection he has towards his friend and family is very strong, en, he’s still quite good in this Young Lady’s opinion.”
“En, you’re also quite good in this old master’s opinion!” The old man with the round belly smiled before turning to his fellow travel companions and said, “Old friends, what do you say, these people seem to think that we’ve come to Nine Heavens Holy Land to abuse some personal connections. If we don’t give them an explanation, it won’t be very good for Yang Kai’s reputation.”
“Then we’ll leave it to you,” The several old folks waved their hands casually, telling him to do as he pleases.
The fat man nodded lightly before turning to the crowd and shouting loudly, “Which one of you blind bastards dared call this old master an old fart? Show your face!”
Obviously no one came forward.
The fat old man seemed to have expected this and did not continue seeking any one person to pick a fight with, instead just pointing to himself and firmly declaring, “This old master’s surname is Chang, you’d best remember me!”
His appearance was arrogant and his tone without the slightest hint of politeness, as if he thought himself above everyone else here.
This caused many people to secretly sneer.
A mere Second-Order Transcendent cultivator facing this crowd of masters outside the nine peaks was really nothing much.
However, among those waiting in line, some of the more knowledgeable masters couldn’t help narrowing their eyes upon hearing this fat old man’s surname, the image of another rotund old man surnamed Chang appearing in their minds.
“Lightning Flash City’s Alchemist Guild branch manager, Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster Chang Bao?” Someone suddenly exclaimed.
“No wonder! No wonder he looked so familiar, it turns out he is the Alchemy Grandmaster from Lightning Flash City!”
“Why did he come here? Did he just say he knows the Holy Master here?”
“Who are those people travelling with him?”
……
The crowd which had a moment ago been silent suddenly began chattering loudly, many of those who had just been looking towards Chang Bao disdainfully hurriedly adjusting their expressions, putting on a respectful look.
No one dared despise a Saint Grade Alchemist!
Of the cultivators waiting in line, there were several who had visited Lightning Flash City before, hoping to meet Grandmaster Chang in order to ask him for Alchemy services; unfortunately, most of them had never even had the opportunity to speak with him.
Before the crowd could recover from their shock, the other old people around Chang Bao also reported their names.
“This old master’s name is Hong Fang!”
“Du Wan!”
“He Feng!”
“Kong Ruo Yu!” The only old woman gently shouted.
After all of these famous names came out, everyone present fell mute, too stunned to speak.
Shattered Star City, Three River City, Broken Moon City, Grand Boulder City. Lightning Flash City…
The managers from each of these five big cities’ Alchemist Guild branches had actually gathered together here.
Five Saint Grade Alchemists! This lineup was beyond luxurious.
No one dared let out a peep now, all of them staring dumbfounded towards these five people.
Everyone couldn’t help thinking for a moment that instead of Nine Heavens Holy Land, they were actually standing outside the Alchemist Guild’s headquarters!
After all, if that weren’t the case, how could there be five such Grandmasters all together in one place?
Du Wan smiled and stepped forward, “My fellow companions and I have come here today to visit with this place’s master, an old friend of ours. We hadn’t expected to create a misunderstanding, for that, please excuse us.”
“No no no, Old Man Du need not apologise!” Someone from the crowd immediately humbled himself and said.
The various Saint Realm masters here didn’t dare act dissolute in front of these five Grandmasters, all of them instead doing their best to show them the utmost respect.
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong’s beautiful eyes also flashed brilliantly, finally understanding why these five, despite their lower cultivation, treated them like mere Juniors.
On top of that, the two Elders were extremely shocked by the words they just heard.
These five famous figures had actually come here to visit the Holy Master! Just the words ‘come to visit’ implied a great many things.
Only those of the younger generations who were seeking to meet their seniors would speak such words, but if that were indeed the case here, then…
Yu Ying and Cheng Yue Tong both felt their hearts jump into their throats.
“Yu Ying had eyes but failed to recognize five Grandmasters! Five Grandmasters, please forgive this one’s lack of courtesy!” Yu Ying quickly bowed her head in apology.
“Think nothing of it, your honoured Sect’s Holy Master won’t mind,” Du Wan chuckled, “We are not strangers to him.”
“Then please at least allow Yu Ying to personally escort five Grandmasters to see the Holy Master.”
“Elder Yu Ying is too polite.”
“Five Grandmasters, please!”
Du Wan and the others exchanged a glance before ignoring the still stunned crowd of cultivators waiting in line and following after Yu Ying.
When they walked over past Shui Ling and her group, Chang Bao couldn’t help smiling towards her and saying, “Little Miss, what are you still staring at? If you don’t start moving, we are going to leave without you.”
“Eh? Ah… en,” Shui Ling responded awkwardly as if her mind couldn’t keep up with the current situation.
Remembering how she had just shamelessly boasted about how since they were Yang Kai’s friends, that made them her friends, Shui Ling couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into and hide.
Such disgrace!
Fortunately, the five Grandmasters were magnanimous and didn’t show any intention of teasing her; otherwise, she really wouldn’t have any face to show the world for the rest of her life.
