“The sword is called Yuxi, a magical weapon at the fifth rank. It is a weapon that I used before I was fully grown. At the time, I used this sword to fight here and there and became well-known in Snow Province. I killed many talents in the nine sects and countless strong and powerful devils with such a sword. Now, Yuxi is not of much use for me and I present it to you. I hope that you will distinguish yourself and turn up your nose at all the heroes in the Frozen Peak.”
Luo Fengzhu smiled like a spring breeze.
“Huh? How could you do that? A man of noble character does not take others’ favored treasure. Since this used to be your favorite weapon, how can Ding Hao what you love?” Ding Hao was very grateful to her and he hurriedly declined her.
“Don’t mention it. With my present strength, I haven’t used it for a long time. In my hand, it is just a souvenir and has lost its real value.” Lu Fengzhu smiled. “Your Qi is variant mysterious ice, and water out of the Five Elements. Yuxi can help you display your fighting strength to the extreme. Just as it is said that a treasured sword should be given to a hero, don’t decline it but take it.”
“In such a case, it would be disrespectful to decline your kindness. I’ll take it.” Ding Hao thanked her repeatedly and took the magical weapon at the fifth rank, Yuxi.
The old monster Qi Qingshan nodded, and for the first time, he didn’t take and “keep” the gift for Ding Hao.
At this time, Young Master Jade went over slowly and gave Ding Hao a salute of the sect respectfully. He opened his palm and a thumb-sized jade with a strange shape like a machete appeared. The jade was shining attractively and giving off comfortable coolness faintly.
“That is an ancient jade that I got from a site in Qing Province of the Northern Wilderness Domain in antiquity times. It is not a rare treasure, but when you put it on, it has the effects of concentrating your attention, clearing your brain, and strengthening your consciousness so that your cultivation progress will be improved. It is very magical. Martial Uncle Ding, take it,” Young Master Jade said with a smile.
.
He finally called him “Martial Uncle Ding”.
Young Master Jade’s facial expression gave people the wrong impression that he seemed to be Ding Hao’s close friend. They had not seen that half an hour ago, he claimed with an aggressive attitude that Ding Hao should be killed.
Ding Hao nodded and grasped the cyan jade in his hand before the old monster took any initiative, then threw it into his storage ring casually. Then with a tone like an elder that he should be beaten, he said, “Um. This jade is nothing good, but since you are so poor, I, your Martial Uncle, will show you some respect with difficult and take it.”
Others present couldn’t help closing their eyes.
“He is too shameless!”
Ding Hao really was a vengeful guy, and he was plainly slapping Young Master Jade in the face.
Young Master Jade was so arrogant usually, but now he was so poor to have encountered this funny teacher and disciple couple. He volunteered to present them a gift. They were picky about gifts and he brought himself great shame.
Young Master Jade didn’t change his face but still smiled. He gave the jade to Ding Hao and left while laughing.
“A poisonous snake!”
In his mind, Ding Hao defined this noble young master in such a manner.
That kind of person often had a honey tongue with a heart of gall and was deep-minded. Like a coiled poisonous snake, they were always prepared to deliver a deadly blow to others. Anybody who was deceived by them and lost vigilance would come to a miserable end.
That day, all the big shots participating in the joint hearing conducted by Six Peaks in the interrogation hall were taken advantage of mercilessly by the old monster and his disciple Ding Hao, and they left with long faces. None of them had ever expected that the thing would turn out to be like this.
Even several white-haired elders with high seniority in the crowd at the age of over 100 took Ding Hao as their Junior Brother with willingness or reluctance. Fortunately, they had become inured to Qi Qingshan’s usual behavior for a long time, and they presented several gifts to Ding Hao while grinning, gave him some encouragement, and left.
…
Ding Hao came back from the interrogation hall alive.
Such news spread quickly all over the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect madly.
As the most popular news hyped recently, the story about Ding Hao’s life and death after the joint hearing by Six Peaks had become the hottest topic in many underground gambling houses within the mountain gate. Of course the topic that Ding Hao would be killed by the sect definitely had also become a choice for many experienced gamblers.
In the history of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, nobody could survive after he killed his brother in the same sect in broad daylight due to his personal hatred. Furthermore, the subject who was killed by Ding Hao was the first of the nominal disciples among the five academies, and he had been favored to be a little genius by many factions in the sect.
With such a crime, Ding Hao could not survive.
However, he came back alive from the interrogation hall without any harm.
For a while, many people widened their eyes.
Everyone wanted to know what really had happened in the interrogation hall.
Did Li Jianyi, the head of the sect, try to protect Ding Hao since they met twice?
Or had the chief of the interrogation hall, who had been strict and cruel, suddenly shown great mercy to Ding Hao?
All the people participating in the joint hearing in the interrogation hall that day were people at the top of the sect, and they were taken advantage of by the old monster so that they felt that they had lost face. They wouldn’t publicize the event on their own initiative. Half a month later, the event became an unsolved case. Even Ding Hao himself carefully avoided mentioning it.
But the most obvious change was that all people in the sect began to show their awe and veneration of Ding Hao.
Beyond all doubt, Ding Hao’s strength was outstanding, but what people couldn’t see clearly was his status in the sect. Even the joint hearing of Six Peaks had done nothing to him, so why would anyone dare be against him?
Those who had followed Lu Pengfei to bang the drum for him felt regretful at that time, and especially the people who used to have a good relation with Ding Hao tried to patch up their relationship with him, but it was too late.
Of course, some people felt happy that they had stayed with Ding Hao through those twists and turns, the proudest of which naturally was Li Yunqi. He used to be unknown to the public, but now he had become a hotshot in the Eastern Academy of Green Shirts.
Everything he had invested had paid off.
Li Yunqi’s words that day of “From now on you will be my brother Ding Hao” made Li Yunqi become an upstart among all the nominal disciples of the five academies. Nobody dared to look down on him. Even those brothers from the outer and inner core, who used to put on airs as if nobody on earth could defeat them, were polite and amiable to him.
Wang Xiaoqi’s and Zhang Tianyi’s positions were improved.
Ding Hao came back with strong momentum, Lu Pengfei was killed, and the joint hearing by Six Peaks came to a dramatic end.
Those interlocking events put the entire Swordsmanship-seeking Sect in an extremely strange atmosphere. The calm mountain gate began to get turbulent, as if something important was going to happen.
The situation was confusing, and no one could see the road ahead clearly.
