Chapter 267: Even If It’s Something I Don’t Want, Like Trash, You Still Can’t Take It!
Zhang Yangqing understood what had happened just by listening once.
It turned out that while he was in the world of weird tales, these people had been scheming all this.
According to Luo Hao’s plan, Zhang Yangqing just needed to scold him and then kick him out.
That way, Luo Hao could go back and report on his mission, and because his rudeness had backfired, the Kunlun Mountain Association wouldn’t send anyone else.
Then Zhang Yangqing could enjoy some peace and quiet, rest well at Dragon Tiger Mountain, and deal with other matters later.
After finishing his tea, Luo Hao stood up, yawned, and said, “Yangqing, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out. You’re pretty busy too, right?”
He seemed to think Zhang Yangqing wouldn’t refuse his suggestion, since Zhang Yangqing was usually a laid-back person.
But at that moment, Zhang Yangqing slowly stood up, a subtle expression flickering in his eyes.
Then he said to Luo Hao, “Go back and tell the head of your Kunlun Mountain Association that I will definitely keep the appointment.”
These words startled Luo Hao. He looked at Zhang Yangqing in confusion, wondering if this guy had changed his personality.
If I remember correctly, aren’t you usually the one who hates trouble the most?
In the past, apart from the Old Heavenly Master, no one could get you to move.
“Are you serious? Those old guys are going to be a real hassle. Are you sure you want to go?”
“This is just my temperament. I never wanted to fight over this kind of thing in the first place, and I’ve been a bit tired lately. Besides, the next round isn’t a vote anyway. They can go pressure the expert panel if they want, but if they try to force me, then sorry, I’m going to stake my claim!”
Zhang Yangqing’s principle: Even if it’s something I don’t want, like trash, you still can’t take it.
If you want to play it that way, then I won’t be polite.
And just so happens, I want to teach these old fogeys a lesson too!
Let them know what it means when the times have changed.
Hearing Zhang Yangqing’s tone, Luo Hao didn’t try to dissuade him further.
He simply said, “Then I will await the Heavenly Master’s arrival at Kunlun Mountain.”
Zhang Yangqing nodded and personally saw him out.
It wasn’t really about being polite, after all, Zhang Yangqing didn’t have many friends.
So seeing a friend off the mountain was only reasonable.
Besides, the Old Heavenly Master used to often tell him to do this. It seemed the Old Heavenly Master knew back then that Luo Hao was very clever and wanted Zhang Yangqing to befriend him.
In the world of cultivation, having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy.
Like I said, Luo Hao might be a bit arrogant, but he’s still qualified to be Zhang Yangqing’s friend.
To put it this way, if Luo Hao really got into a fight, he’s someone who could stir up supernatural phenomena.
It’s just that he can’t beat Zhang Yangqing, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t formidable elsewhere!
Zhang Xuanjing watched Luo Hao’s figure descending the mountain, his heart full of mixed emotions.
Did this guy calculate this, or did he not? Or was all of this the outcome he had predicted?
Either way, Zhang Xuanjing felt that Luo Hao was not simple.
Sure enough, a cultivator who dares to call himself the second-best of his generation is no ordinary person.
He used to think that only Zhang Yangqing stood as a great mountain ahead of him, maybe with Su Muyu added to that.
But now it seems these guys aren’t pushovers either.
Thinking about this, he even looked forward to crossing hands with Luo Hao.
Noticing Zhang Xuanjing’s confusion, Zhang Yangqing explained, “You’re not his match for now, but don’t overcomplicate him either. Whether I go or not, he’s already been honest with me about everything. He doesn’t lose anything either way. That’s a smart person.”
This was why Luo Hao could be friends with Zhang Yangqing.
Elsewhere, Luo Hao might be full of tricks and not one to suffer losses.
But on Dragon Tiger Mountain, near Zhang Yangqing, he was as simple as a child.
“But, couldn’t they have other motives?”
Zhang Xuanjing was still worried. After all, Kunlun Mountain isn’t Wudang Mountain.
That’s not Taoist territory, and trouble could easily arise.
“If they don’t want their whole family wiped out, they’d better behave.”
Zhang Yangqing said disdainfully. Don’t think I wouldn’t actually make a move.
I’ve just been lazing around at Dragon Tiger Mountain because I never had a reason to act.
If you provoke me, then feel free to try.
Zhang Yangqing might be idle, but that doesn’t mean he’s afraid of trouble.
With enough strength, you can dominate everything!
Zhang Yangqing’s proud, world-defying attitude left Zhang Xuanjing beside him in awe.
He certainly didn’t think Zhang Yangqing was joking.
Respect is always earned through fighting, not through giving in.
That has always been the creed of Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Otherwise, why would every generation of Heavenly Masters choose the one with the greatest talent and strength as their successor?
It’s because situations like this arise. Only strength gives you a voice.
Once you start reasoning with people, you’ve already lost half your momentum.
If Zhang Yangqing didn’t have all these skills, they probably wouldn’t even bother joining forces to pressure him.
“If you’ve watched enough, get the hell back to training.”
After Zhang Yangqing said this, several figures nearby immediately scurried off.
Afraid of being caught by Zhang Yangqing and then having the ‘pleasure’ of personal instruction from the Heavenly Master.
On the other side, in the Kunlun Mountain range.
When they learned from Luo Hao that Zhang Yangqing was coming to keep the appointment, they were incredibly surprised.
Given how rudely Luo Hao had greeted him yesterday and gotten shut out, they thought there was no way Zhang Yangqing would come this time.
Who knew Luo Hao had actually ‘persuaded’ Zhang Yangqing?
This set the Kunlun Mountain Association into a flurry of activity.
The conference hall of the Tianyong Sect on Kunlun Mountain was already filled with many people, all with white hair and beards.
Leading them was naturally the head of the Tianyong Sect, who also served as the president of the Kunlun Mountain Association, Yao Ci.
He was a bona fide veteran in the Dragon Kingdom. Many large-scale ceremonies and celebrations in the country would invite him to attend.
If they could secure his presence, it proved the organizers had a certain level of prestige.
His status in the Dragon Kingdom was beyond doubt.
Next was the president of the Buddhist Association, Abbot Hui Yuan.
As the abbot of the thousand-year-old temple, Shaolin Temple, he was naturally a revered monk who seldom left the mountain anymore.
He was almost ready to retire but had been invited here again by Yao Ci.
For the sake of cultivation resources, he had to make this trip.
Besides them, there was the president of the Imperial Capital Association, Lu Hao.
The president of the Tang Sect Association, Tang Zhong.
The president of the Tianshan Association, Zhao Jinlai.
And the president of the Taoist Association, Daoist Qing Xu.
Any one of these individuals held significant sway wherever they went.
The fact that Yao Ci could gather all these people showed he had considerable standing in the Dragon Kingdom’s cultivation world.
A few days earlier, they had already laid everything out on the table.
The plan was to invite Zhang Yangqing, the new Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, to come and share some of his experiences on clearing the strange tales, so to speak.
After all, they were all extraordinary forces within the Dragon Kingdom. If everyone progressed together, the Dragon Kingdom would become stronger.
This was their so-called noble and high-sounding reason, something they had already agreed upon well in advance.
Now that Zhang Yangqing had agreed to come today, they were making their final preparations.
Of course, these past few days, the head of Wudang Mountain, Daoist Qing Xu, hadn’t said a word.
He was only qualified to be present here; it didn’t mean he agreed with the others.
But if you want to go ahead, go ahead. I’ll just listen in. I won’t stop you.
When the time comes and things fall apart, you’ll deal with it yourselves. After all, this isn’t my Wudang Mountain, so why should I be scared?
That’s why Daoist Qing Xu refused the others’ requests for him to invite Zhang Yangqing.
In Qing Xu’s view, if you want to play with fire, go ahead, but leave me out of it.
If Zhang Yangqing actually gives you face, gives up his spot to enter the strange tales world, and teaches you how to get through, then I won’t say anything.
But if Zhang Yangqing doesn’t give you face, don’t come begging me to mediate.
At the last Taoist gathering, Zhang Yangqing had already shown Daoist Qing Xu considerable respect, and Qing Xu isn’t the type to take advantage of kindness.
For both public and private reasons, he couldn’t afford to offend Zhang Yangqing, because it wouldn’t benefit him.
The discussions among the seven association presidents over this period covered the following points.
First: For the sake of fairness, each association would participate in one strange tale, with seven sessions making one round, excluding random selections and voting.
As for other smaller associations or individual factions wanting a piece of the pie, that was impossible.
These seven associations were already the seven largest and most influential organizations in the Dragon Kingdom.
Second: Establish an intelligence-sharing agency. This idea was indeed a bit far-fetched.
Intelligence sharing essentially meant getting Zhang Yangqing to tell them everything he could.
Then, when others went in and gained their own experiences, they could share those too, improving the overall success rate.
Third: The distribution of resources. Any faction that obtained resources couldn’t keep them exclusively. For fairness, the association presidents would distribute them according to each group’s share.
This would depend on each association’s own distribution plan, after all, there was never enough to go around.
Fourth: Jointly protect the security of resources, since incidents had already occurred abroad where factions lacking the strength to guard spawned resources had them seized by other extraordinary forces.
Hypothetically, if a small sect under a major association spawned resources, they naturally couldn’t protect them. They could then request help from the seven associations, either by dispatching strong guardians or temporarily storing the resources with a major faction and collecting them periodically.
These were paid protection measures.
Paying a price was better than getting robbed.
These plans were the resolutions reached by the seven associations after discussions during this period.
If a majority agreed, it would pass.
There would definitely be those who didn’t表态 or rejected it, but here, the minority submits to the majority.
Of course, this was just the result of their discussions. Whether Zhang Yangqing would agree or not was another matter.
But the problem was, once Zhang Yangqing arrived, how would they bring it up? Who would talk to him?
Originally, Daoist Qing Xu would have been the better choice, since they were from the same tradition.
But Qing Xu had been skillfully dodging the issue, hardly leaving an opening.
His meaning was simple: Zhang Yangqing consistently entering the strange tales benefits our Taoist tradition, so I’m certainly not going to undermine him.
And since you’ve made a majority decision, I can’t very well reject it.
But as for how to tell Zhang Yangqing, that’s up to you. I’m not saying a word.
Seeing the other presidents looking worried, the Tang Sect’s president, Tang Zhong, said nonchalantly, “You guys are really living in fear. I was a close friend of Zhang Yangqing’s master. I don’t believe he won’t show me some respect!”
Present at this meeting weren’t just the seven association presidents; there were also many old men nearby.
Only the seven presidents had voting rights; the others only had the right to advise.
There were over twenty old men and four middle-aged men here.
The younger generation simply wasn’t qualified to attend a meeting of this level.
Hearing Tang Zhong’s remarks, some of the old men behind him also began speaking in that condescending tone.
“I admit Zhang Yangqing has skills, but we were already navigating the martial world before he was even born. So what if he inherited the position of Heavenly Master?”
“Exactly. By seniority, his master was of the same generation as me. When he sees me, he should respectfully bow, call me ‘elder,’ and pour me a cup of tea. That would be proper etiquette.”
“Why are we talking so much? The agreement is already drafted. When Zhang Yangqing gets here, we’ll just tell him. What’s there to worry about?”
“I told you, we didn’t need to call him here. We could have just sent him the drafted document. You insisted on making a fuss, making me wait here for days. Does Zhang Yangqing dare to rebel against heaven itself?”
“When I studied at Dragon Tiger Mountain in the past, even Zhang Yangqing’s master had to call me ‘senior brother.’ I’m part of Dragon Tiger Mountain too. If you’re all afraid, I’ll be the one to tell him.”
Inside the conference hall, it seemed none of these speakers took Zhang Yangqing seriously.
They spoke of righteousness and morality, of seniority and rank.
This is how the Dragon Kingdom’s cultivation world works. Many of these old-timers had only average skills in their youth.
They hadn’t improved much with age, not matching the seven association presidents, only stronger than some younger folks.
But in many traditional fields, if you get old enough, still hang around, and outlive your peers,
then you gain a certain say in that field.
For example, carpenters, blacksmiths—whoever lasts the longest becomes the master.
Since many places emphasize seniority, these old guys hold a certain status and position on certain occasions.
Usually, even if a young person has exceptional abilities, they still have to respectfully bow their head and call them ‘elder’ when they see them.
They might lack skill and couldn’t beat these juniors, but they can still lord it over them with their status, and those juniors have to listen carefully.
When it comes to obtainable benefits, they feel entitled to priority.
Who asked you to be the junior? Juniors get to stand in the back.
If any junior dares to disobey, they’ll mobilize their social circles and accuse that junior of being ignorant of etiquette.
In a country that values manners, once you’re labeled as ‘ignorant of etiquette,’ people will gossip about you wherever you go.
This was the common tactic of many old-timers on site.
Simply put, they were pulling rank.
They were old and didn’t believe Zhang Yangqing would dare lay a hand on them.
If Zhang Yangqing did, it would be the height of disrespect.
It was the same here. The three middle-aged men, though qualified to attend this level of meeting, only listened on the sidelines and weren’t allowed to speak.
Because if they spoke, they’d be considered disrespectful to their elders.
Only after enduring enough years would they be qualified to pontificate here.
Tang Zhong of the Tang Sect Association, seeing his words echoed by many, puffed out his mustache.
A smug smile played on his lips, as if everything was under his control.
He had already calculated in his heart: so what if Zhang Yangqing has skills? Doesn’t Dragon Tiger Mountain want to operate in the Dragon Kingdom anymore?
As the head of a major sect, would he dare offend so many people?
Remember, the people here are all influential figures from various regions and major powers.
If Zhang Yangqing offended everyone present, he himself might not suffer much, but the disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain would find it very hard to get by in the cultivation world afterward.
The cultivation world isn’t just about fighting; it’s also full of endless social complexities.
This is why these old-timers dared to speak arrogantly about Zhang Yangqing. They had their own ways of making life difficult.
The other six of the seven associations either kept quiet or looked at each other.
After all, the ones at the back were just echoing; they had no real decision-making power.
At this moment, Yao Ci, the president of the Kunlun Mountain Association, looked at Abbot Hui Yuan and said, “Abbot Hui Yuan, what’s your take on this?”
The ‘matter’ he referred to wasn’t the agreement drafted by the seven associations today.
It was how to handle Zhang Yangqing, and whether he supported Tang Zhong’s approach.
Because without the approval of more than half of the seven associations, even if Tang Zhong dared to speak to Zhang Yangqing, he would only represent the Tang Sect Association, not the seven associations.
Only with the agreement of more than half could Tang Zhong represent the united front.
This was the most important issue of today’s meeting.
Outwardly calm, Abbot Hui Yuan inwardly cursed Yao Ci for being cunning. At a time like this, you pass the ball to me?
He figured that Tang Zhong definitely dared to offend Zhang Yangqing, but one association wouldn’t be enough to make Zhang Yangqing compromise. He needed the backing of the others.
Daoist Qing Xu would most likely oppose or abstain.
After all, no matter how foolish Qing Xu was, he wouldn’t stab Zhang Yangqing in the back at this moment.
For days, Qing Xu had remained silent. His stance was clear enough.
As for Abbot Hui Yuan himself, being part of the old guard here, Yao Ci asking him wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
But he also feared Yao Ci playing tricks, so he said, “Amitabha. This humble monk is getting old and doesn’t understand many things, but I trust President Yao’s judgment.”
This meant: if you support it, I support it.
If you oppose it, I oppose it too.
Don’t you go, old fox, gathering four supports while not stating your own position, so that if Zhang Yangqing explodes, you won’t be implicated.
At this stage, considering Zhang Yangqing’s performance in the strange tales world and at Huaiyin City,
if he really started a fight, there would be massive chaos on site.
Because no one could guarantee they could beat Zhang Yangqing. The head of the Taoist tradition is no joke.
And if it came to a fight, Daoist Qing Xu would be the first to leave!
If Zhang Yangqing didn’t have some truly terrifying skills, would they even need to hold this meeting? They would have just made the decisions themselves, alright.
Everyone present was relying purely on seniority to pressure Zhang Yangqing, gambling on whether he would show them respect.
So, they would advance or retreat together. No hiding.
Hearing Abbot Hui Yuan’s reply, Yao Ci felt speechless inside. Indeed, all cunning old foxes. Having worked with you all in the Dragon Kingdom for decades, I really can’t get any advantage.
When Yao Ci looked at the others, apart from Tang Zhong and Daoist Qing Xu who had clear stances, the other four presidents were essentially of the same mind.
If you, President Yao, support Tang Zhong, then naturally, we will too.
Seeing this attitude from those with voting power, Yao Ci knew it would ultimately fall to him.
So, he said, “Doing this is also to jointly promote the development of the Dragon Kingdom’s cultivation world and make our cultivation level far surpass others. Therefore, I support Old Tang’s opinion.”
With one sentence, he raised the stakes to the entire country. That’s the old generation’s way of speaking.
Hearing his clear support, the other four naturally agreed as well.
