Chapter 24: Clear-eyed Foolishness

Xiao Baidao pondered for a moment. "Very well, let's proceed!"

With that, he stepped onto a raised platform and cupped his hands toward the crowd. "Everyone, I, Xiao Baidao, have recently taken on a beloved disciple named Feng Xi. I had intended to hold an initiation ceremony at the Xuantian Sect in a few days, but Sect Leader Baili of the Hunyuan Sect has strongly urged me to hold the celebration now. Since I would not wish to disappoint his kind intentions, I have decided on the spur of the moment to host the initiation ceremony right here. We shall begin preparations immediately, and the ceremony will commence in one hour!"

Baili Muchen: "..."
What does he mean by "strongly urged"?
Xiao Baidao, are you even speaking like a human being?!
You and your disciple are singing from the same song sheet—it is obvious you are setting me up!

Regardless of how annoyed Baili Muchen was, the people of the Xuantian Sect began to bustle about. Aside from a very select few, no one in the Xuantian Sect had known about this, so there was a fair amount of chaotic scrambling. Precisely because of this, no one doubted Xiao Baidao’s words; they all assumed he had been left with no choice but to hold the ceremony on the spot due to Baili Muchen’s pressure.

The Xuantian Sect members cleared an open space, built a high platform, and hung up banners. They designated guest seating areas and even set up... a desk for recording gift money. Although Xiao Baidao was typically stingy, he was usually decent when it came to reciprocal social etiquette, so the guests felt it would be improper to lose face and one after another offered their monetary gifts and congratulatory presents.

Some whispered complaints: "We could have had a banquet at the Xuantian Sect, but now? We haven't even had a cup of water. It's all because Sect Leader Baili couldn't keep his mouth shut!"
"Exactly! Xiao Baidao is a man who values his reputation; he was forced into this corner by him."
"Luckily, Feng Xi gave us that generous gift of the Suanni’s roar earlier, otherwise, we’d have suffered a huge loss!"

Baili Muchen possessed profound cultivation, and even though the people were whispering, he heard every word clearly. He nearly coughed up blood in fury! Just as he was fuming, his beloved second disciple, Lu Xiu-han, approached him.

"Master, that brat Feng Xi is truly too arrogant. Why don't you find a way to let her enter the Tianhen Secret Realm? I will take care of her!"

Baili Muchen was already in a foul mood, and hearing this made him so angry he felt like slapping him to death. Previously, Feng Xi was merely a servant, and even if Baili Muchen suspected Lu Xiu-han might do something, he had turned a blind eye. But things were different now. Feng Xi was a formal disciple of the Xuantian Sect. No matter how much the four major sects bickered or fought, there was a fundamental bottom line: one did not touch another sect's formal disciples. Otherwise, there wouldn't be many formal disciples left among the four sects. If others heard Lu Xiu-han’s words, the Hunyuan Sect would become the target of public criticism.

During the last initiation ceremony, he had already been disappointed in this second disciple, and now, he felt even more disdain. Lacking talent was one thing, but one could not be this stupid!

He lowered his voice, gritting his teeth: "Stay quiet! If you dare to act on your own, I will not spare you!"

Lu Xiu-han was left speechless and humiliated, retreating to the side with a flushed face. Shen Zhilan whispered comfortingly: "Second Senior Brother, Master is in a bad mood, so he spoke a bit harshly. Don't take it to heart. Besides, Feng Xi is highly regarded by Sect Leader Xiao now, so it's better not to provoke her and invite unnecessary trouble."

Lu Xiu-han, already annoyed by Baili Muchen’s lecture, grew to hate Feng Xi even more after hearing this. He glared at Feng Xi on the stage as if his eyes were dripping with poison.

At that moment, Feng Xi was following the master of ceremonies to complete the apprenticeship rites. With the final pronouncement of "Ceremony Complete," the golden Suanni let out a roar that echoed across the heavens. It had to be said, the atmosphere was certainly fitting. The golden Suanni, forced to act as a prop, was absolutely livid! *You are using me like a firecracker at a mortal wedding!*

The first thing Xiao Baidao and Feng Xi did after stepping off the stage was to huddle together... to count the money! The eyes of the old man and the young girl both sparkled in the shape of spirit stones! Holding a celebration really was a lucrative business! No, it was a business with zero overhead! If they could hold eight or ten of these a year, the Xuantian Sect would soon shed its reputation for being dirt-poor!

The rest of the Xuantian Sect, such as the four peak masters, though they felt the celebration was a bit shabby and smacked of begging, couldn't deny the allure of the spirit stones! They simply stifled their consciences and put on innocent faces. After all, it was Baili Muchen who forced them; they were just innocent bystanders!

The scapegoat, Baili Muchen, was busy thinking of how to turn the tables, and he soon had an idea. He summoned Xiao Baidao, Hu Wankui, and Lu Zhenkuan together and said: "Gentlemen, we usually just rank the performance in the Tianhen Secret Realm without any rewards or punishments, which is perhaps a bit too dull. How about we change the rules this time? The sect that ranks last must surrender one-third of the spoils they obtained in the secret realm to be distributed among the top three. Then, the top three will divide these spoils in a ratio of five-three-two. What do you think?"

Lu Zhenkuan and Hu Wankui exchanged glances and nodded with smiles, agreeing immediately. They knew they certainly wouldn't finish last; why pass up free gains?

Xiao Baidao’s expression was not so pleasant. This was clearly aimed at the Xuantian Sect! Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that the Xuantian Sect would definitely be last. However, he knew that the other three had clearly reached a consensus; even if he objected, it would be useless. He could only swallow his pride and accept it. His good mood vanished instantly. Being weak was a fatal flaw! Thinking of his little disciple’s injuries, he felt even more depressed. However, he was a sect leader after all; even if he were miserable inside, he couldn't show it, so he forced a smile.

Feng Xi was unaware of any of this. She was huddled in a corner, whispering to Jun Wen. "Fifth Senior Brother, I’ve prepared something good for you. Keep it for use inside the secret realm."

Jun Wen looked curious. "What good things?"

He then watched as Feng Xi handed him a large bag of chili powder.

Jun Wen: "..."

"Fifth Senior Brother, we are poor. We can't afford talismans, so we have to use what's at hand! Use it sparingly; this was saved from between Master’s teeth!"

Jun Wen: *...Master must have very wide gaps between his teeth!*

Feng Xi continued chattering: "Fifth Senior Brother, don't underestimate this chili powder. Using it unexpectedly might yield great results. Don't be too stubborn when fighting others; use all the tricks and schemes you can. In dire situations, don't hesitate to use the 'honey trap'—after all, you are reasonably good-looking..."

Jun Wen: *I’ll thank you for that, I guess!*

"Fifth Senior Brother, our Xuantian Sect lacks strength, so you must learn to leverage others' power to strike, engage in political maneuvering, and build alliances..."

Jun Wen interrupted her: "Little Junior Sister, what is 'political maneuvering'?"

Just as Feng Xi was about to explain, the Tianhen Secret Realm opened ahead of schedule! Realizing they were out of time, Feng Xi hurriedly said: "It means uniting the weak to attack the strong, or serving the strong to attack the weak. In short, it’s about making changes according to the situation, uniting whatever forces you can, and occasionally sowing discord to borrow a knife to kill someone."

Jun Wen listened, completely bewildered, his eyes filled with a clear, innocent stupidity.