Zhang Xuan was completely stupefied.He quickly shook himself out of his daze and walked forward to hold Luo Xuanqing"s arms, supporting the latter back to his feet. "There"s no need to stand on ceremony! You can just think of me as a friend…"
To be honest, while Luo Xuanqing"s recklessness had left him with a splitting headache on many occasions, he was actually quite fond of the other party"s forthright personality. While it was a pity that the other party did not become his brother-in-law in the end, his impression of the other party still remained rather favorable.
I thought that you were my brother, but you actually wanted to become my pupil instead…
"The Zhang Clan"s Zhang Xuan has infringed on the honor of our Luo Clan and broken my younger sister"s heart. I can never forgive him for all that he has done! I know that given the limitations of my talents, I"ll never be able to catch up with him alone, so I implore you to impart the method to comprehending the Spatial Quintessence of Sealing to me! After I master the Spatial Quintessence, I shall exact vengeance and slaughter that wretched b*stard!" Luo Xuanqing declared with gritted teeth, refusing to stand up at all.
"…" Zhang Xuan staggered slightly as a feeling of helpless despair arose in his mind. With a splitting headache once more, he took a deep breath and attempted to counsel the reckless young man. "Ahem… Have you ever considered the possibility Zhang Xuan also didn"t intend for all of this to happen either?"
I thought of you as my brother, but not only do you want to become my pupil, you are even intending to use the skills you wish to learn from me to kill me! Just what in the world did I do in my previous life to deserve such retribution?
"Just because he didn"t intend for it to happen, he can break my younger sister"s heart and abandon her during the engagement ceremony? Just because he didn"t intend for it to happen, he can humiliate our Luo Clan and trample our dignity as if it was worthless dirt?" Luo Xuanqing raised his head as he spat with suppressed rage. "Elder, I implore you to help me in my vengeance! As long as you are willing to take me in as your student, I"ll devote my entire life to serving you once I have exacted my vengeance!"
"This…" Zhang Xuan really had no idea what he should say.
If only he had known that this would happen, he never would have come to the Luo Clan. He really was asking for trouble!
It"s one thing for me to be forced to become the clan head, but even the one friend that I have made wanted to become my student… and the motive for doing so is to kill me in cold blood…
What am I supposed to do? Am I to teach you or not?
Completely distressed by the situation he was in, Zhang Xuan directed another pleading gaze toward Luo Ruoxin, asking for her help. However, the young lady simply looked back at him with a knowing smile on her face, as if she had known that this would happen from the very start.
Zhang Xuan sent a telepathic message over and asked, "Ruoxin, did you know that I would be tested to have the Luo Clan bloodline? Wait a moment… is it the effect of your disguise amulet?"
Despite the doubt he had earlier, the fact that his history was a perfect fit with the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan and his ability to trigger the Zhang Clan bloodline were more than enough proof that he was from the Zhang Clan.
Since that was the case, the only possible reason that he could think of for the Bloodline Basin revealing a "9" was the disguise amulet that Luo Ruoxin had given him!
"Un. The amulet is made from condensing the zhenqi of cultivators possessing unique const.i.tutions. Not only is it able to alter one"s appearance and aura, it"s even able to disguise one"s bloodline as well, such that even Ancient Sages would not be able to see through it! Besides, given that you have comprehended the Spatial Quintessence of Sealing, if you reach Ancient Sage as well, the bloodline that you pa.s.s down to your offspring will be largely similar to that of the Luo Clan. It"s no surprise that the test with the Bloodline Basin showed a "9"," Luo Ruoxin replied calmly.
"This…" Zhang Xuan"s face twitched upon hearing those words.
In the end, the fault lay in the disguise amulet! If he had known that this would happen, he never would have used it in the first place!
Just that… he did not think that the amulet would be able to disguise one"s bloodline as well. Such an ability meant that one would be able to create an impeccable disguise in the truest sense!
Why had he not heard of such an artifact in the world before?
Seeing the many emotions flickering across Zhang Xuan"s face, Luo Ganzhen thought that the middle-aged man was intending to turn them down, so he quickly bowed his head deeper and urged, "Brother Tianya, please stop turning us down. The Luo Clan urgently needs a powerful clan head to lead us during this time of need!"
"It"s not that I"m unwilling to do so, but I"m really not suited to become the head of the Luo Clan!" Zhang Xuan released an exasperated sigh. "Give me some time. I need to consult my wife on this matter first!"
Really, Ruoxin should have told him in advance that the disguise amulet had such an effect! He never would have agreed to the bloodline test if he had known this would happen!
Since it was partially her fault, she could not blame him for using her as an excuse…
Hearing that the middle-aged man was going to consult his wife, Luo Ganzhen was visibly surprised for a moment before asking, "Oh? Is our sister-in-law here, too?"
"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan replied with a bright smile as he turned his gaze to the crowd and beckoned. "Lingxi, come here!"
"…"
Luo Ruoxin did not think that Zhang Xuan would really toss the ball to her. With everyone looking in her direction, she realized that she would not be able to continue watching the drama unfold as an idle spectator anymore. With a helpless sigh, she leaped onto the elevated platform as well.
"Clan Head Luo, I don"t mean any disrespect, but power and authority mean nothing to me and my wife. We have vowed to spend our life traveling freely around the world, so I fear that I can only turn down your goodwill!"
Holding Luo Ruoxin"s hand tightly, Zhang Xuan sent a telepathic message over and said, "Ruoxin, help me turn him down!"
"This…" Having her hand held in front of so many people, Luo Ruoxin"s face reddened slightly. She discreetly shot Zhang Xuan a irked look before turning her gaze to face Luo Ganzhen. "Since my husband has asked for my opinion, I"ll give my view on this matter then. Actually… I don"t think it"s an issue for Tianya to become your clan head!"
"Huh?" Shocked by what he had just heard, Zhang Xuan"s eyeb.a.l.l.s nearly popped out.
This isn"t the script we agreed on!
Remember the script, the script! This isn"t the time for you to be improvising!
"However, he wishes to devote his time to cultivating, so he won"t have any time to manage the matters in the Luo Clan. Furthermore, his purpose for coming here is to pa.s.s down the method to comprehending the Spatial Quintessence of Sealing so that the Luo Clan can recover from the setback of being rejected by the Zhang Clan… As long as Clan Head Luo is agreeable with this, I don"t think it"ll be much of an issue for Tianya to be your clan head!" Luo Ruoxin said with a nod.
Seeing a ray of hope, Luo Ganzhen immediately s.n.a.t.c.hed at it. "Of course, of course! I have no problem with that!"
In the first place, they had already promised that they would deal with the miscellaneous affairs so that the middle-aged man would not be bogged down by administrative matters. In fact, it would be much better this way! If someone inexperienced in managing the Luo Clan forcefully attempted to interfere in its matters, it could cause a huge mess instead!
Furthermore, considering that the middle-aged man would be pa.s.sing down the method to comprehending the Spatial Quintessence of Sealing to them, what did they have to complain about?
No matter how they looked at it, this deal was beneficial to the Luo Clan!
They would have to be dimwits to turn it down!
Luo Ruoxin shot a glance at the dumbstruck Zhang Xuan and chuckled softly. She explained through zhenqi telepathic, "Considering the current circ.u.mstances of the Luo Clan, there"s no way they"ll let you go easily. Since that"s the case, you might as well just accede to their request for the time being. Our ident.i.ties are fake anyway, so if you wish to back out at any moment, you can revert back to your original ident.i.ty. After being unable to find you for some time, they"ll get to electing a new clan head…"
"Is that so? I guess it should be fine then!" Zhang Xuan nodded helplessly.
Luo Ruoxin was right. Given the current turn of events, he had no choice but to go along with Luo Ganzhen and the others.
But still… he had only gone there to compensate them for his earlier actions, but in a bizarre turn of events, he had ended up becoming their clan head as well.
This really was a huge problem.
The head of the Zhang Clan, the Luo Clan, and the Sanctum of Sages… And not to forget, there was also the Master Teacher Pavilion…
At this rate, he really might end up uniting all of the top powers on the Master Teacher Continent, becoming its supreme dictator!
Speaking of which, of the Three Premier Clans, there was still the Jiang Clan… Given the current rate at which things were developing, if he took a walk around the Jiang Clan, he might just end up becoming their clan head as well!
"The Luo Clan pays respect to Clan Head Luo Tianya!"
With Zhang Xuan agreeing to the matter, everything else swiftly flew into place.
It happened that all of the clan members were still around, and in order to host the engagement ceremony, most of the items that were required for an inauguration ceremony were in place, too. Thus, it did not take them long to complete the inauguration of their new clan head.
Meanwhile…
After leaving the Luo Clan, Nangong Yuanfeng and the others were heading in a certain direction with a gloomy air surrounding them.
"Teacher, we didn"t accomplish the mission required of us. What should we do?" one of the young men asked.
"What else can we do? We"ll just have to accept the punishment for our failure!" Nangong Yuanfeng shook his head. "For the time being, let"s find a place to recuperate. Once we have recovered from our depletion, we"ll head to the Zhang Clan. I don"t believe that the Zhang Clan will also have a monster as powerful as that Luo Tianya!"
"I guess that"s all we can do for now…" The young man nodded.
All of a sudden, the s.p.a.ce around the group of five froze in place, rendering them unable to advance any further.
Narrowing their eyes in alarm, they quickly scanned their surroundings. Soon, they noticed a ravis.h.i.+ng figure standing not too far away with them. A round sphere spun leisurely in front of her, emanating astounding prowess.
"Don"t you think it"s impolite for you to leave just like that after the fuss you have caused at our Luo Clan?" the young lady asked coldly.