Dust billowed as the Qingyun Heaven Scripture Pavilion planted itself firmly right next to the Myriad Snow Palace Scripture Pavilion.
The two colossal buildings, completely different in architectural style, stood side by side.
A dead silence fell over the plaza.
Zhang Mingyuan stood in the shadow of the massive building.
He dusted off his hands, his green robe fluttering in the lingering air currents.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the entire area.
Thud.
Thud, thud, thud.
The disciples of Qingyun Heaven fell to their knees in a massive, dense crowd.
“Sacred Lord, we were wrong!”
Their shouts shook the heavens.
The female disciples of Myriad Snow Palace retreated one after another.
They distanced themselves from the Qingyun Heaven disciples.
Chu Jinghong shrank back behind Bai Yao.
He stood over six feet tall, while Bai Yao was petite. He could only bend his waist and crouch down, gripping the hem of her robe with both hands.
Bai Yao turned her head, her clear eyes filled with utter disgust.
Yet, she did not move away.
Zhang Mingyuan let out a deliberate cold snort. Though his voice wasn't loud, it exploded in everyone's ears.
“Wrong? Then this Lord would like to ask, what exactly did you do wrong?”
He stepped forward, walking up to the disciples kneeling on the ground.
“We were wrong in every possible way!”
“Is that so? To think you've dared to make so many mistakes! Then should this Lord punish you all to copy the 《Qingyun Heaven Disciple Code of Conduct》 ten thousand times?!”
“No, please, Sacred Lord! We'll die!”
As soon as those words fell, hundreds of disciples began to kowtow furiously, their foreheads hitting the ground with a series of loud thuds.
Wails and lamentations rose and fell in waves.
Zhang Mingyuan smiled at this sight. These little rascals... they really take after me...
“Alright, alright, all of you stand up.”
At his command, the disciples stood up in unison, as if their repentant display from a moment ago had absolutely nothing to do with them.
Zhang Mingyuan scanned the crowd and directly released a tiny wisp of his Mahayana Stage pressure.
Instantly feeling the crushing weight, the disciples wailed once more. “Sacred Lord, please, no! We really know we're wrong!”
“Alright, stop putting on a damn act for me.”
Zhang Mingyuan's face darkened.
“Making you cultivate hard on regular days is, first, to urge you forward, and second, to maintain the reputation of Qingyun Heaven.”
“But this behavior of yours today makes this Lord very displeased.”
Hearing this, everyone buried their heads low.
Zhang Mingyuan crossed his arms.
“However,”
He changed his tone.
“Since you're already here, and no one in Myriad Snow Palace is an outsider anyway, you might as well have a good time!”
Everyone froze in disbelief.
Zhang Mingyuan continued:
“Our two sects have joined in marriage, and this Lord has become Dao companions with the Myriad Snow Immortal Lord.”
“It is only natural for you to interact more with one another.”
“But if anyone neglects their cultivation and does nothing but seek pleasure, this Lord will personally suppress them and throw them into reflection.”
Chu Jinghong poked half his head out from behind Bai Yao.
Zhang Mingyuan pointed a finger at the crowd.
“Furthermore, making friends is fine, and discussing the Dao is also fine.”
“But if anyone dares to use... cough, underhanded means to harass the young ladies, this Lord will cripple their cultivation and throw them into the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave!”
As soon as he said this,
a strange brilliance flickered in the eyes of the female disciples of Myriad Snow Palace.
The Qingyun Heaven disciples looked at one another before bursting into earth-shattering cheers.
“The Sacred Lord is wise!”
“We respectfully obey the Sacred Lord's decree!”
Zhang Mingyuan's gaze pierced through the crowd, locking onto that six-foot-tall figure.
“Especially you, Chu Jinghong. If you shrink back any further, this Lord will stuff you under this pagoda right now.”
Chu Jinghong's body stiffened.
Releasing his grip on Bai Yao's robe, he stood up straight with a dry laugh.
He shuffled out of the crowd, step by slow step.
Bai Yao also stepped forward, folding her hands over her stomach and bowing slightly.
“Greetings, Master's Husband.”
Her voice was crisp and devoid of fluctuation. Her eyes were clear and stubborn, and the tear mole at the corner of her right eye was exceptionally distinct in the sunlight.
Zhang Mingyuan's stern face instantly melted away.
The corners of his mouth curled up as a warm smile crinkled his eyes, his once-sharp gaze softening into crescents.
“Ah, Bai Yao. No need for such pleasantries,” Zhang Mingyuan said, his voice becoming incredibly gentle.
Standing to the side, Chu Jinghong widened his eyes, looking back and forth between Zhang Mingyuan and Bai Yao.
Bai Yao straightened her posture. “It is only proper to greet you upon your arrival, Master's Husband.”
Zhang Mingyuan clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
“Good! You certainly know your manners. As expected of Su Jinxue's personal disciple!”
He turned his head, his smile vanishing the moment his gaze landed on Chu Jinghong.
“Unlike a certain rebellious disciple of mine. A grown man, yet he hides behind a girl the moment something happens. Utterly disgraceful!”
Chu Jinghong heard this and clutched his chest, his facial features twisting together.
He felt deeply, deeply wounded!
Sniffling, his eyes reddened as he squeezed out a few tears.
“Master! This is blatant discrimination! My heart is so bitter! I don't want to live anymore! I'm going to jump off a cliff!”
Zhang Mingyuan strode over and immediately delivered a swift smack to his forehead with his right hand.
Thud.
The crisp sound of the blow echoed across the plaza.
Chu Jinghong squatted down, clutching his head.
“Stop playing the fool with me,” Zhang Mingyuan said, pulling his hand back.
Squatting on the ground, Chu Jinghong fell silent and began tracing circles in the dirt with his finger.
Zhang Mingyuan turned around, and the moment he looked at Bai Yao again, his expression instantly softened back to gentle warmth.
“Xiao Yao, this kid has a screw loose. If he ever dares to bother you or talk nonsense in the future, just hit him.”
Bai Yao listened quietly.
Zhang Mingyuan continued, “If he dares to fight back, come find me, and I'll deal with him for you.”
Lowering her head, Bai Yao glanced at Chu Jinghong squatting on the ground, her eyes flickering.
“Very well, Master's Husband. If someone gets too annoying, I will definitely let you know.”
She placed extra emphasis on the word "someone."
Upon hearing this, Chu Jinghong, still squatting on the ground, instantly radiated an aura of profound despair.
He was completely deflated.
Zhang Mingyuan shook his head and laughed at the sight.
This kid...
Without saying anything more to the crowd, he crossed his hands behind his back and swaggered into the Myriad Snow Palace Scripture Pavilion.
Truth be told, it felt pretty good. In the past, if he wanted to enter a place like this, he had to sneak in to avoid being caught.
Now, he could walk in openly and proudly.
The interior of the Scripture Pavilion was vast. Row upon row of red sandalwood bookshelves stretched all the way to the vaulted ceiling.
The air was filled with a faint scent of ink and the spiritual energy fluctuations of protective arrays.
Jade slips, bamboo scrolls, and ancient books were neatly arranged, glowing with various colors.
There were easily over a hundred million books in here.
Zhang Mingyuan used his divine sense to scan this vast sea of books.
Finally, after the time it took to burn a stick of incense, he found the relevant content in a book titled 《Ancient Anecdotes》.
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