Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

The fifth day since the Tianyi Gang was destroyed.

That night, in the Qingxu Hall next to the sect leader's residence on Mishen Mountain, two coiled dragon incense sticks were burning as usual. The dark brown incense sticks were shaped like mother-of-pearl, and the orange-red flames flickered under the incense ash.

The moment the palace doors were pushed open, a warm scent mixed with agarwood enveloped the newcomer, who looked up to see the head of Penglai sitting beneath three towering statues.

Du Lingzi and Jue Chenzi were both present, and the youngest of the four, Gui Yunzi, entered through the door.

Penglai does not have a deputy sect leader. The sect leader oversees the entire sect, and under him are three lineages: Duling, Juechen, and Guiyun, who assist the sect leader in handling affairs.

The reason for this arrangement is mainly to facilitate the inheritance of the martial arts of this school. Penglai martial arts include sword, fist and palm techniques, among which the "Heavenly King Heart-Nourishing Needle" is the most outstanding. The specialties of each lineage are naturally different.

For example, Juechenzi's lineage is highly skilled in the swordsmanship of their sect, and he is known in the martial arts world as "the sword that leaves no trace".

"Sect Leader!"

Wearing a wide robe and sporting a three-inch beard, Du Lingzi angrily said, "Junior brother is incompetent; he lost that brat again."

The plan to destroy Qingcheng was orchestrated by Du Lingzi, and he was also in charge of cultivating spies using the identities of various families. Now, Gao Yuan had slipped away right under his nose, and he had nowhere to vent his anger.

"This is not Brother Du's fault."

Guiyunzi, who had just sat down cross-legged, was very close to Dulingzi and spoke first:

"Jingzhao Prefecture was never our territory to begin with. Without enough money, who knows where he would run off to in such a large prefecture, no matter which direction he goes?"

He even shifted the blame to the Kuangfeng Sect and the Tianyi Gang:

"Hong Zhaoren misjudged the situation and led my senior brother to Jingzhou. The Tianyi Gang leaked the news and was almost wiped out by one person. It was not my senior brother's fault."

Sect Leader Ling Xuzi sat upright on the futon, his deep voice coming from above, but he did not respond to Gui Yunzi's words.

"I underestimated him."

"Let all the disciples return."

Jue Chenzi asked respectfully, "Sect Leader, shall we discontinue the search for him?"

Ling Xuzi sneered: "Beyond Jingzhao lies the Song-Tu Kingdom, down to Dali, and up to Western Xia. His presence in Jingzhao Prefecture speaks volumes about his destination."

"Even the prefectures and counties of Song have no chance to capture him, let alone if he goes to a foreign land. It is pointless to continue sending disciples to search for him."

Turin's expression darkened further, then, as if remembering something, he spoke:

"Does the sect leader know what the Spirit Vulture refers to? That brat carved 'Sweeping the Court Spirit Vulture,' 'Welcome to Slay,' on the screen wall of the Heavenly Righteousness Gang's headquarters..."

Seemingly feeling that it was inappropriate to say such rebellious words as "welcome and kill Penglai" in the Ancestral Master's Hall, Du Lingzi swallowed the last two words and remained silent.

"What are you talking about? Senior brother, speak properly!"

Gui Yunzi arrived late and was unaware of the conversation that had taken place earlier, leaving him with a puzzled expression.

After learning the reason, he was furious: "That little beast, he has ruined Penglai's reputation time and time again, which has only increased his arrogance."

"If we catch him, we'll skin him alive!"

Juechenzi then added:

"Sweeping the Courtyard to the Spirit Vulture, literally speaking, the two characters 'Spirit Vulture' refer to a certain place, but it is my junior brother who is ignorant and has searched through many books but still does not know where it is."

"Perhaps there's no place called Lingjiu at all; it's just that kid's smokescreen to confuse people. He's extremely cunning, so we absolutely cannot trust him!"

Ling Xuzi's eyelids twitched slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

He had heard some secrets about the martial arts world from his grandmaster, including the rumors about Lingjiu Palace, which seemed to be a hidden sect that even Penglai could not afford to offend.

The grandmaster only said that he did not know the location of Lingjiu Palace, nor did he know the details.

Ling Xuzi was not worried about Gao Yuan's involvement with Lingjiu Palace. Although his grandmaster did not know the specific situation of Lingjiu Palace, he once said that all the members of Lingjiu Palace, from the Palace Master down, were women.

Therefore, he only regarded it as a scheme by Gao Yuan to confuse the east.

Ling Xuzi didn't raise his eyes, but tapped the peach wood table in front of him: "Let's put this matter aside for now. If there's any news, we'll make the arrest."

"Are you going to ignore the affairs of the various families?" Turinko brought up the topic.

"There's no need to pay attention to it. More than ten days have passed since the incident, and they haven't clarified the matter, nor has the Qingcheng Sect taken the opportunity to publicize it."

Jue Chenzi then asked, "How did the Kuangfeng Sect misjudge the situation while assisting in the capture?"

Turin exhaled:

"The Kuangfeng Sect owns numerous businesses and generates substantial income every year. It was he who helped contact the Tianyi Gang this time. The mistake was made by Tianyi. According to my junior brother, a few words of admonishment will suffice."

Ling Xuzi nodded:

"That's fine! The fault doesn't lie with Hong Zhaoren. If we punish him for this, it will make our Penglai sect look like we're heartless."

Sumeru, his eyes flashed again, and a cunning smile appeared on his face:

"I've heard that the young master of the Hongmen family is also a promising young man. Since Junior Brother Du missed out on many talented individuals this time, it would be a good opportunity to take him under his wing, teach him carefully, and make up for the regret."

The group exchanged glances, all understanding their leader's thoughts. The youngest son of the Hong family was indeed exceptionally talented, but...

For Penglai, if a promising talent emerges from a faction that relies on them, they will not only not like it, but will be extremely wary of it.

Because a promising talent, if he is hardworking enough, may lead the sect to prosperity and even threaten the status of Penglai. Only by entering Penglai can the people guide him.

"My fellow disciples, you must also be diligent and prepare early. Our score with Qingcheng still needs to be settled slowly; we'll settle it another day!"

"yes!"

Ling Xuzi and his fellow disciples continued their discussion, and no one mentioned Gao Yuan's name anymore.

As the sect leader said, since he has already run away, it is not worth wasting any more time and effort on him. Ordinary disciples cannot do anything about him, and the four of them cannot possibly spend all their time running around for him.

Unless, he deliberately appears in Penglai's sight.

......

In a courtyard where the Beggars' Gang gathered in Fengxiang Prefecture.

Fan Bailing had just learned about what had happened in Jingzhao Prefecture from his elder brother.

Kang Guangling asked with a solemn expression, "Second brother, a few days ago you said you were going to apologize to Master and wanted to take on a disciple with exceptional talent named Gao Yuan?"

Fan Bailing paused upon hearing this, looked up at Kang Guangling's solemn expression, and frowned deeply.

"Indeed, why did you suddenly think of him, brother?"

Kang Guangling pulled out a crumpled note from his pocket, which contained a message just delivered by a member of the Beggars' Sect.

The handwriting was messy but clear, and it read: "The person who plundered Penglai, killed the Nine Wings, and destroyed Tianyi was named Gao Yuan. He disappeared five days ago."

Fan Bailing stared at the two words "Gao Yuan" on the note and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Why are you so nervous, brother? I thought it was something serious. It's just someone with the same name; he's definitely not the kid I've taken a liking to!"

Seeing his relaxed smile and his peering out the window, Kang Guangling asked with utmost caution, "How do you know it's just a coincidence of names?"

Fan Bailing stopped laughing and joked:

"Brother, you're confused. My lad, whom I wanted to take on as my disciple, may have excellent talent, physique, and resilience, but how long has he been learning martial arts?"

"To plunder Penglai, slay the Nine Wings, and destroy Heaven's Righteousness?"

"Don't even mention him. If the eight of us hadn't gathered together, we wouldn't have had that ability. Do you really believe that?"

Kang Guangling lost his composure in his anxiety, but Fan Bailing's words made him realize the truth in his mind. If it really was the same person, then he was truly extraordinary.

"but......"

Fan Bailing abruptly changed the subject, a cold glint in his eyes:

"Even if it weren't him, so what? Are we afraid of Penglai? Humph!"

Kang Guangling knew that his second brother was always protective of his own. Not to mention his second brother, he was not afraid of him either. The eight friends were always like one body. If you offend one, you offend the whole group.