Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

"Sect Master, you acted impulsively. Gao Liqiu shouldn't have been killed," Zhang Fakui said with a hint of complaint after seeing Gao Liqiu's death.

"I know what I'm doing," Song Nianqing said calmly. His composed attitude gradually put the Dongyue Sword Pool members at ease.

"Good job, Senior Brother! I've been wanting to kill that damned eunuch for a long time..." Shan Eryi said excitedly from the crowd.

"Indeed, how dare a mere eunuch like him insult my Dongyue Sword Pool, a sacred place of swordsmanship..."

Compared to the Second Elder Zhang Fakui's worries, the disciples were quite pleased with Gao Liqiu's death. As disciples of a prestigious sect, they naturally could not tolerate the existence of someone who offended the sect's dignity.

"Gao Liqiu is dead. Is Lord Shen still satisfied with the attitude of my Dongyue Sword Pool?" Song Nianqing asked, looking at Shen Qing.

After Li Yibai killed Gao Liqiu, the Dongyue Sword Pool completely offended King Zhao Yi of Guangling, leaving no room for maneuver. Even if the entire Dongyue Sword Pool were to apologize now, they would not receive King Zhao Yi's forgiveness.

After all, Gao Liqiu was one of Zhao Yi's closest confidants. If he could be forgiven even if he were killed, then Zhao Yi's confidants would become disloyal, and the Guangling King's faction would fall apart.

Shen Qing nodded upon hearing this and said, "Of course I'm satisfied. However, I prefer to call it a win-win situation. Dongyue Sword Pool also made the right choice, withdrawing in time at this critical juncture. Otherwise, they would have been dragged into the mire by Zhao Yi."

"What do you mean by that, Lord Shen?" Zhang Fakui asked, puzzled.

"The restoration of Western Chu is imminent, and the land of Chu is about to descend into chaos. Once Cao Guanzi initiates the war, Zhao Yi's territory will be engulfed in flames of war. At that time, he himself will be too preoccupied to even take care of himself. If your Eastern Yue Sword Pool gets involved, the consequences will be unpredictable," Shen Qing said calmly. However, the implication in his words caused the expressions of the people from the Eastern Yue Sword Pool to change drastically.

Ultimately, Dongyue Sword Pool is merely a first-rate sect in the martial arts world. Unlike those transcendent forces, it focuses more on news from within the martial arts community and is always slow to react to major events like rebellions, unlike Longhu Mountain, which is often aware of events before they even begin. If Zhao Yi were to drag them onto the battlefield and they suffered casualties, it wouldn't be something they could simply back down from.

War is never child's play. Once casualties occur, it is easy to become bloodthirsty and, when people are united in spirit, they will inevitably be drawn into a fight to the death.

Therefore, the people of Dongyue Sword Pool were overjoyed after hearing Shen Qing's words.

"Lord Shen, now that the cooperation has been reached, Junior Brother Zhang will handle the rest. I need to go into seclusion to hone my swordsmanship, so I'll have to take my leave." Seeing that the matter was settled, Song Nianqing said to Shen Qing and prepared to turn and leave.

Although Song Nianqing is the sect leader of the Dongyue Sword Pool, he is also a grandmaster of swordsmanship. In his heart, the way of the sword is above all else. If it weren't for the fear of offending the Yue King's Mansion, he wouldn't have appeared here at all. Fortunately, today's events have brought unexpected joy. After reaching a cooperation agreement with the Yue King's Mansion, the Dongyue Sword Pool can take another step forward.

Just then, Li Chungang looked at Song Nianqing's back and said, "Boy, although your strength is passable, your swordsmanship has gone astray. Remember my words: if you want to achieve something in swordsmanship, you need vision and breadth of mind. Don't get stuck in a rut and go down a dead end. Your talent is a little less than Deng Tai'a's, so you can't follow his path. When you can achieve a state of mind that resonates with the sword, that will be the opportunity for your breakthrough."

Li Chungang was a peerless swordsman in the martial arts world, unmatched in talent and skill in swordsmanship. The moment he saw Song Nianqing, he sensed that she followed a ruthless path of swordsmanship. While this path allowed for rapid progress in the early stages, it easily led to a bottleneck from which she could not escape, ultimately harming herself and others, making it difficult to achieve true mastery.

In the original novel, Song Nianqing followed a single path to the bitter end, never showing any affection for his children. Even after marrying his wife, they treated each other with the utmost respect. Ultimately, under the oppressive pressure of the Heaven and Earth in Luoyang, he finally realized his true nature, felt guilty towards his wife, and thus broke free from the shackles of the ruthless sword path, greatly improving his cultivation. He then unleashed the Sword Immortal's Sword, shattering the Heaven and Earth in Luoyang's palm and causing Luoyang a great deal of suffering.

Originally, Li Chungang did not intend to meddle in other people's business, but after seeing that Dongyue Sword Pool was willing to submit to the Yue King's Mansion, he finally felt that he should cherish talent and gave some pointers. As for whether Song Nianqing could listen to them, that would depend on his own fate.

As Li Chungang finished speaking, Song Nianqing, who had been walking forward, suddenly stopped. Then, his cold voice rang out, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Li." He then left without looking back.

"Well, I knew it would be like this. These people who practice the ruthless sword path have all gone mad. They're blinded by a leaf and can't see Mount Tai. They only think about the sword and nothing else. They're hopelessly stupid..." Li Chungang blew his beard and laughed self-deprecatingly when he saw Song Nianqing's behavior. He had kindly given her some pointers, but judging from Song Nianqing's actions, she didn't appreciate them at all.

"Senior Li, please calm down. The sect leader did not mean to slight you..." Zhang Fakui's face turned green when he saw Song Nianqing turn and leave without any hesitation. He hurriedly tried to smooth things over, afraid that Li Chungang would blame Dongyue Sword Pool for this.

"Alright, I'm not going to stoop to the level of a junior. When he finally comes to his senses after hitting his head, he'll know I wasn't lying," Li Chungang said nonchalantly to Zhang Fakui. At his age, he had seen through many things and rarely got angry.

"Lord Shen, Senior Li, tea has been prepared in the sect. Let's go inside and talk further." Zhang Fakui wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly changed the subject, inviting the two into the interior of the Dongyue Sword Pool.

Led by Zhang Fakui, Shen Qing then toured the various buildings of the Dongyue Sword Pool. There were training grounds for disciples, a medicine hall for treating their injuries, a weapon shop supplying swords, and a sword pavilion storing martial arts manuals, among other things. After the tour, Shen Qing was amazed and gained a clear understanding of the strength and foundation of the Dongyue Sword Pool.

Everyone sat down in the reception room, where sect servants served tea, fruit, and snacks. Apart from the Second Elder Zhang Fakui, only Li Yibai, Shan Eryi, and Song Tinglu came along; the other disciples were dismissed. The Third Elder Qin Shiming also returned to his forging workshop.

"I wonder how Lord Shen intends for my Dongyue Sword Pool to proceed?" After finishing a cup of tea, Zhang Fakui asked first. He had only received one sentence from Song Nianqing: everything should be done according to Shen Qing's arrangements.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing gently put down his teacup and said, "No rush. How many disciples does your Dongyue Sword Pool currently have? What are their cultivation levels?"

"Reporting to Lord Shen, we currently have over 30 inner disciples, all of whom have reached the fourth rank or above in cultivation. We also have over 160 outer disciples, whose cultivation ranges from the seventh to the fourth rank. There are approximately 450 miscellaneous disciples below the seventh rank, totaling over 600 people," Zhang Fakui replied truthfully.