Chapter 5135 — Abandoned

"Enough!" Xue Liping could hold back no longer. He slammed his palm on the table, silencing the crowd, and snorted coldly. "At this rate, even if we argue for ten days or half a month, we will never reach a conclusion. The way I see it, we should settle the two most urgent matters first and leave the rest for later—no harm in quarreling over them then!"

"What two matters?" Everyone turned to look at him in unison.

"First, send healing pills to Bing Wushuang and my son Xue Jianming at once—this cannot wait." Xue Liping's face was grave, though in truth his son was the real priority; otherwise he would never have been so earnest. He paused, then continued, "Second, setting aside Cangwu Sect of North Island for now, that fellow called Lin Dongfang must be severely punished!"

The senior members of the Snow Sword Sect nodded one after another. Xue Liping's words did make sense. How to deal with Cangwu Sect of North Island and how to handle Lengleng were matters that could be debated at leisure; only these two could not be delayed and had to be decided at once.

Even Chi Qianqiu did not continue to oppose him, though neither would he let matters go so smoothly for Xue Liping. Instead he turned to Hong Qingyuan and said, "Sect Master, I fear this matter can only be settled by you personally."

From beginning to end today, Hong Qingyuan, the sect master, had stood by with folded arms, and no one knew what he was thinking. Perhaps he had not yet made up his mind, perhaps he was simply playing the balance between Chi Qianqiu and Xue Liping—at any rate, he came across as profoundly unfathomable.

Hong Qingyuan's gaze swept across each face in the hall before he finally spoke slowly. "Very well, then let us address the first matter. To heal the injuries of Bing Wushuang and Xue Jianming, nothing short of a fifth-grade Great Restoration Pill will do. Our Snow Sword Sect possesses one, but it is a necessary reserve for emergencies. According to sect rules, it may be used only when someone of elder rank or above is injured."

Xue Liping's expression darkened at these words. Though Hong Qingyuan had not said it outright, his meaning was already abundantly clear.

Bing Wushuang and Xue Jianming. The former was one of the candidates for elder, but not a full elder; as for the latter, by rank he was merely a disciple, distinguished only by the reflected glory of his father, the vice sect master. Neither qualified. So if the rules were truly to be followed, the fifth-grade Great Restoration Pill was out of the question.

"But..." Xue Liping wanted to plead further on his son's behalf. After all, this was his only promising son—if the boy were to become a cripple from now on, the Xue family would have no heir worthy of the name.

Yet Hong Qingyuan merely glanced at him, and Xue Liping did not dare say another word. He could spar with Chi Qianqiu, the grand elder, however he liked—to some extent that was tacitly permitted by Hong Qingyuan—but if he dared defy Hong Qingyuan to his face, his future days would be anything but pleasant.

"Second, regarding Lin Dongfang, the man who crippled Bing Wushuang and Xue Jianming. His identity remains uncertain. No one knows whether he is an expert of the North Island Alliance, a man of the secular world, or a mysterious master from somewhere else. Until we have clarified his origins and background, we must not act rashly. To cripple Bing Wushuang so effortlessly in a single exchange—this man's strength is by no means ordinary. Even among Golden Core experts he is not one to be trifled with. We would do well to proceed with caution," Hong Qingyuan said.

"Surely not, Sect Master? Our Snow Sword Sect is, after all, one of the ten minor sects of the Ancient Alliance. The North Island Alliance is powerful, so be it—but must we now bide our time even against some old man who has appeared out of nowhere? If word of this gets out, we will be looked down upon, and people will say the Snow Sword Sect has no one worth the name!" Xue Liping said hurriedly.

Failing to obtain the fifth-grade Great Restoration Pill was one thing—he could still find other means. But if Hong Qingyuan did not give his assent, dealing with Lin Dongfang would be utterly hopeless, and right now he was single-mindedly bent on avenging his son!

"Oh? Then what does Vice Sect Master Xue suggest?" Hong Qingyuan's tone was flat, without the slightest sign of displeasure.

"In my view, with the strength of our Snow Sword Sect, there is no need for such caution. That Lin Dongfang is at most a Golden Core expert. Our supreme patriarch, currently in seclusion, is a Nascent Soul old monster—what is there to fear from the likes of him!" Xue Liping said proudly.

"Is that so? Very reasonable indeed. But if Vice Sect Master Xue has such ability, why not go now and ask the supreme patriarch to come out and avenge your son?" Hong Qingyuan said with a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Er..." Xue Liping was instantly rendered speechless. The supreme patriarch's seclusion was the foremost matter of the entire Snow Sword Sect. He was merely a vice sect master—even Hong Qingyuan, the sect master himself, would not dare disturb the patriarch. As for avenging his son, that was nothing but a fool's dream.

The moment Hong Qingyuan spoke, the two matters were settled on the spot. Xue Liping could only fall silent with a sullen look. Matters had come to this; nothing he said now would make any difference.

"Very well. Since no one has any objections, that is our reply for now. Other matters can be discussed afterward." Hong Qingyuan tapped the table and gave the final verdict.

Before long, the reply from the Snow Sword Sect's senior members reached the hands of Bing Wushuang and Xue Jianming. They tore it open at once, and both hearts sank to the bottom of an abyss.

No fifth-grade Great Restoration Pill, no reinforcement of stronger experts—only a few bland, perfunctory words of comfort in the letter, and nothing else besides.

"This... how could this be?" Xue Jianming was dumbstruck.

Bing Wushuang remained huddled in the shadows, his face grim, and no one could tell what he was thinking. One thing, however, was certain: his mood at this moment could not possibly be bright.

"They tell us to rest and recuperate? We do not even have the most basic healing pills—how are we supposed to recuperate?" Xue Jianming refused to give up, poring over the reply up and down, hoping to discern some hidden meaning within.

"Stop looking. We have been abandoned," Bing Wushuang said suddenly from the shadows.

"What?" Xue Jianming was startled. In truth he had vaguely guessed as much, but he had never dared believe it. Shaking his head again and again, he said, "No! It cannot be! My father is the vice sect master—he would never abandon me, never!"

Bing Wushuang glanced at him. He had been beaten from an early Golden Core expert into a cripple—if blows were to be measured, his was far heavier than Xue Jianming's—yet he saw his own situation far more clearly than Xue Jianming did.

Though neither he nor Xue Jianming could by any measure be called weak in status or background, and under normal circumstances neither would likely have been cast aside outright, this reply from the sect had clearly not been sent in haste; it was the final conclusion reached after deliberation by the sect's senior members. Hard as it was to accept all at once, accept it they must. (To be continued.)