Chapter 42: Once the Scar Heals, the Pain is Forgotten

At that moment, Qin Haoxuan was eating in the dining hall with Xu Yu and Murong Chao. Gu Xiaoyun, having heard the news, immediately rushed over. He pointed at Qin Haoxuan with a swagger. “Junior Brother Qin, have you considered my proposal to trade land?”

Qin Haoxuan stopped eating, annoyed. “Impossible.”

Gu Xiaoyun’s chest heaved. I gave you all this time to ask around and learn who I am, and this is how you answer me?

“You have some nerve, Qin Haoxuan! If it weren’t for my uncle’s careful guidance, how could a mere weak seed like you have possibly established your roots in 20 days? I am offering to trade land with you now out of the goodness of my heart. If your ingratitude angers me, you won’t like the consequences!”

Qin Haoxuan sneered at him. Master Guyun was a venomous man who had fed him Corrosion Pills and tried to trick him into practicing the Grand Art of Corpse Refining. He had only claimed Qin Haoxuan as his student to cover his tracks, yet his fool of a nephew was acting as if he had bestowed some great favor upon him, as if he deserved to trade a superior Spirit Spring field for a mere first-rate spirit field.

“That Hall Master Guyun thinks highly of me is my own good fortune. What does it have to do with you? As for trading land, I must ask Senior Brother not to mention it again.”

Qin Haoxuan’s blunt dismissal nearly made Gu Xiaoyun explode with anger. But with Xu Yu and Murong Chao present, he knew a fight would draw them in. He couldn’t afford to offend two special seed disciples, especially the Purple Seed Xu Yu.

His face turning the color of a pig’s liver, Gu Xiaoyun sputtered, “Fine, fine! Qin Haoxuan, you just wait! You’ll regret this!”

News of Qin Haoxuan’s breakthrough and his confrontation with Gu Xiaoyun spread quickly. Li Jing immediately grew wary. He had thought nothing of Xu Yu’s breakthrough, but for a weak seed like Qin Haoxuan to do it in 20 days was unnatural. Moreover, Qin Haoxuan had poached Murong Chao, the most talented member of his faction besides himself. Now, the three of them had formed a small group that even a local tyrant like Gu Xiaoyun didn’t dare to cross.

Could it be that Qin Haoxuan is also trying to build his own power base? If so, whether he was forming his own faction or supporting Xu Yu for the position of Sect Master, it was something Li Jing could not tolerate.

If Li Jing was merely worried, then Zhang Kuang was so shocked by the news that he could barely eat or sleep.

He had tried to have Qin Haoxuan killed more than once. Although he had failed, he knew Qin Haoxuan was aware of his intentions. Now, Qin Haoxuan had seemingly won the favor of Master Guyun, completed the Rooting Stage in 20 days, and had the full support of a Purple Seed and a Gray Seed. And in their little group, he was the clear leader.

If Qin Haoxuan were to form a faction specifically to oppose him, with a Purple Seed and a Gray Seed on his side, it would be more than he could handle. Furthermore, Zhang Kuang shared Li Jing’s fear that he was building a power base to support Xu Yu’s future bid for Sect Master.

Even though he was just a weak seed, his 20-day record proved he was anything but a waste. He had now entered the field of vision of the sect’s upper echelons. Dealing with him in the future would be much more difficult.

Although Perfected Man Huanglong had lectured him, it hadn’t extinguished his desire to deal with Qin Haoxuan. It had only taught him to be patient and wait until his own strength and influence had matured.

When the news of Qin Haoxuan’s breakthrough arrived, Zhang Kuang immediately gathered his followers, including several Fifth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm menial disciples, to discuss the matter.

“We cannot let Qin Haoxuan live. Otherwise, if he grows strong and allies with Li Jing, we will be the first to fall!”

“Junior Brother Zhang, why worry about a weak seed? So what if he established his roots in 20 days? The path of cultivation is long. You are a Purple Seed. In the future, the gap between your cultivation levels will be like the sky and the mud.”

“How about we find an excuse and have a few of the Fifth-Leaf senior brothers cripple him?”

At this suggestion, the Fifth-Leaf experts exchanged uneasy glances. One of them immediately refused. “No! Qin Haoxuan has Hall Master Guyun’s backing now. If we attack him and word gets back to the Hall Master, how can we survive in the Taichu Sect? Besides, Hall Master Guyun is Zhang Yang’s master, and Zhang Yang is at odds with our boss. If we force them into an alliance, our lives will be difficult too.”

He spoke with righteous conviction, but in his heart, he was terrified. They had all heard of Qin Haoxuan’s fearsome reputation. He had fought the Fifth-Leaf Yuan Shanxiang to a draw. Now that he had completed the Rooting Stage, he was even stronger. If they couldn’t take him down and got injured instead, they would be utterly humiliated. And even if they did succeed, they would have to worry about Master Guyun’s retaliation. Zhang Kuang would surely throw them under the bus to save himself.

Zhang Kuang shot the speaker a cold look. He knew exactly what they were thinking. “Enough. I have my own plans.”

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them and sat alone in his room, deep in thought.

I absolutely cannot force Qin Haoxuan into an alliance with Zhang Yang, or even Li Jing. He was trying to think of a way to deal with him without incurring the wrath of Master Guyun when one of his followers knocked and entered, whispering a few words in his ear. The scowl on Zhang Kuang’s face was instantly replaced by a grin.

He sent the messenger away and muttered to himself, “So, Guyun’s good-for-nothing nephew went looking for trouble with Qin Haoxuan over the land trade again this morning. It seems the key to this is still that useless nephew.”

At this thought, Zhang Kuang smiled and immediately went to find Gu Xiaoyun.

He found him sulking in his room. A dignified Seventh-Leaf cultivator, the nephew of a Hall Master, someone even Elder Chu had to give face to, had been openly defied by a mere weak seed. It was an unbearable insult.

“Senior Brother Gu! Good morning.”

Zhang Kuang acted as if he had run into him by chance. His proactive greeting made the still-fuming Gu Xiaoyun feel a bit better, and he forced a smile in return.

“You look troubled this early in the morning, Senior Brother. Did someone upset you?”

Gu Xiaoyun was no fool. He just sneered. He knew Zhang Kuang had heard about his humiliation and had come to stir up trouble.

Zhang Kuang laughed at himself, realizing he had overdone it, but he pressed on. “I heard Hall Master Guyun helped Qin Haoxuan establish his roots. And Senior Brother, you wanted to trade for his land, banking on that great favor, but he refused you in front of everyone?”

Gu Xiaoyun nodded grimly. For a weak seed to achieve what he had was like being given a new life.

Thinking of this, he forgot all about Zhang Kuang’s scheming and his anger toward Qin Haoxuan surged anew.

“A bit ungrateful, isn’t it,” Zhang Kuang said casually, his nonchalant tone fanning the flames of Gu Xiaoyun’s anger. “If Hall Master Guyun had helped me like that, I would have gladly traded the land.”

Gu Xiaoyun didn’t care if Zhang Kuang was being sincere. Just hearing a Purple Seed speak to him with such respect was incredibly satisfying, especially in contrast to Qin Haoxuan’s attitude.

He thought of Qin Haoxuan again and ground his teeth, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists.

“Junior Brother Zhang, if there’s an opportunity, I will definitely recommend you to my uncle and ask him to take you in as his disciple.” Gu Xiaoyun said, not forgetting to offer a favor to a future power-holder while seething with hatred.

Zhang Kuang scoffed internally. Who cares about your uncle? All four Hall Masters were fighting to be my master. You make it sound like I’m unwanted. No wonder you’re only at the Seventh-Leaf after so many years. With your IQ, you deserve to be bullied by Qin Haoxuan.

But he still needed to use this guy. He maintained a grateful smile. “Since Senior Brother thinks so highly of me, let me offer you a plan to teach Qin Haoxuan a lesson. What do you think?”

Gu Xiaoyun’s eyes lit up. He knew Zhang Kuang was using him, but he was willing to use his plan to get back at Qin Haoxuan.

“So that Qin Haoxuan won’t trade with you?” Zhang Kuang said with a wicked smile, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “For someone so ungrateful, I think he needs to be taught a lesson. Tonight, go to his field and pull up all his crops. Make all his hard work go to waste. Keep doing it until he agrees to trade.”

Gu Xiaoyun sneered. “Junior Brother Zhang’s thoughts align perfectly with my own. That was my plan for tonight all along. It seems great minds think alike!”

“Yes, yes! Great minds think alike!” Zhang Kuang said with a smile, while cursing him in his heart. If I really thought like a fool like you, I’d be truly unlucky.

“Since we get along so well, don’t be so formal. You can just call me Brother Gu,” Gu Xiaoyun said, seeing an opportunity to get closer to a future powerhouse.

Zhang Kuang’s expression froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Then, I thank Brother Gu for thinking so highly of me. However, there is one more thing I must tell you.”