âLord Sectmaster, do you know how Long Xiaoxiao is at the moment?â Chu Feng asked.
He wasnât bothered with how the Dragon Clan was faring, but he couldnât turn away when Long Xiaoxiao was in danger. He felt extremely nervous just thinking about it.
âHow am I to know? I only happen to hear about Long Xiaoxiaoâs affair by coincidence. I have no interest in such matters.
âChu Feng, I wonât stop you if you wish to interfere in this matterâyou have the freedom to do soâbut know that the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect will not help you in your own private matters,â the sectmaster said.
Despite her words, it was clear that she didnât want Chu Feng to get involved in this mess.
âThank you, Lord Sectmaster.â
While Chu Feng didnât receive the key information he wanted, he still bowed respectfully to the sectmaster. He could tell that the sectmaster was actually very fond of Zi Ling, but her earlier action was just trying to gauge if his feelings for Zi Ling were real.
She probably didnât want him to interfere in Long Xiaoxiaoâs affair out of worry that it could cause Zi Ling to misunderstand, especially since Long Xiaoxiao could somewhat be considered as Zi Lingâs love rival.
Regardless of how Chu Feng felt toward Long Xiaoxiao, there was no denying that Long Xiaoxiao did harbor feelings for him.
The sectmaster could have just hidden what she knew about Long Xiaoxiao or forbade Chu Feng from interfering altogether, but she chose to entrust the decision in his hands.
That was also the reason why Chu Feng thanked her.
âChu Feng, are you really going? Have you considered how Zi Ling would feel about this?â the sectmaster asked.
âLord Sectmaster, I apologize, but Iâll have to go even if itâll hurt Zi Ling. I cultivate not just to protect my kin and my lover; I wish to protect everyone whom I view to be important to me. This includes my friends and Long Xiaoxiao.
âLord Sectmaster, I believe that you also wouldnât want to entrust Zi Ling into the hands of a person who is able to heartlessly abandon his friends when they are in need, right?â Chu Feng said.
Those words moved the sectmaster.
âSince you have made up your mind, I shanât try to dissuade you. Clear up your business quickly and return as soon as possible. No matter what, youâre still a disciple of our Hidden Dragon Martial Sect. I hope to see you return safe and sound.
âAs for Zi Ling, you need not worry about her. Iâve thought of a way that could possibly cure her condition,â the sectmaster said.
As much as she didnât want to see Chu Feng go, it was clear that she cared for Chu Feng too, which was why she chose to respect his decision.
âThank you, Lord Sectmaster. Iâll be troubling you to take care of Zi Ling,â Chu Feng said.
To be honest, he felt guilt-ridden to leave Zi Lingâs side when she was in a critical condition. While it was true that there was nothing he could do to help her at the moment, he was also obliged to stay by her side and take care of her.
However, he couldnât just ignore Long Xiaoxiaoâs plight either.
Considering that he would likely have to face the Holy Light Clan, he couldnât afford to bring Zi Ling along out of fear that it might endanger her.
âDonât worry, Zi Ling is my disciple. Regardless of who you are to her, I wouldnât allow anything to happen to her. As for you, you were the one who chose to save Long Xiaoxiao, so donât blame me for not lending a helping hand if anything happens to you,â the sectmaster said before walking away.
Her attitude was a little cold at the end. It felt like she was harboring a grudge against Chu Feng even. She probably was feeling conflicted about this situation.
On one hand, she didnât hope for anything to happen to Chu Feng, but on the other, she was displeased that Chu Feng insisted on saving Long Xiaoxiao despite her dissuasion.
Chu Feng could understand where she was coming from.
It was normal for cultivators, regardless of gender, to take on multiple spouses in this world. Chu Feng had even heard of some who had tens of thousands of spouses.
This was a world where the strong reigned supreme. A person could do whatever he wanted as long as he was strong enough, and this naturally included building a harem.
But who wouldnât want to be the only one in the heart of the person they loved?
Given how much the sectmaster cared for Zi Ling, she naturally hoped that her future spouse would be devoted to her.
This left Chu Feng even more guilt-ridden. After all, he had Su Rou and Su Mei as well.
He wasnât the type to fall in love with others easily, but he couldnât be devoted to only a single person anymore.
So, even though he didnât harbor feelings for Long Xiaoxiao, he couldnât reach the sectmasterâs expectations of him too.
âBrother Chu, the sectmaster has already made her stance clear. It looks like I wonât be able to help you with this. You can only rely on yourself for this,â Duan Liufeng said.
âBrother Duan, I understand. I can resolve this by myself,â Chu Feng replied with a confident smile.
But deep down, he wasnât feeling as confident as he showed. If it was only the Dragon Clan he was dealing with here, he had nothing to fear.
However, if his opponent included those from the Holy Light Clan as well, that would cast a shadow of uncertainty over this matter. Till now, he still didnât have a concrete idea of how powerful the Holy Light Clan was.
So, he turned to Duan Liufeng and asked, âBrother Duan, do you what cultivation rank is the Holy Light Clanâs Clan Chief Shengguang Xuanye at?â
âIâm not sure,â Duan Liufeng shook his head and replied.
While Chu Feng was feeling disappointed about the lack of intelligence, he heard a voice transmission.
âActually, I do know. Shengguang Xuanye is at rank six Martial Exalted level, but he should be able to raise his cultivation to rank seven Martial Exalted level if he uses his bloodline ability. You should be able to deal with him with your current strength if you catch him off-guard and donât give him an opportunity to raise his cultivation rank.
âHowever, I heard that he has a defensive treasure on him. Iâm not too sure what it is, but this could complicate things. If possible, itâll be best for you to avoid any confrontations with him. The current Holy Light Clan couldnât be said to be powerful, but Shengguang Xuanye still possesses quite some means. Heâs unmatched in the Ancestral Martial Galaxy after all, so itâs possible that he might possess means that no one knows of.
âAh, donât let the sectmaster know that I told you all of this.â
It turned out that Duan Liufeng was just feigning ignorance on the surface out of fear that the sectmaster would blame him for divulging intelligence.