Faced with the facts, Miao Yi had nothing to say. Yang Qing didn’t have the time to forge the candidate list that he had shown to him on the spot. Moreover, it was impossible for him to replicate another copy and alter the names for the Hall Master to see.
"Only Hall Master and I know of this list. As of this moment, you are the third person to know." Yang Qing was clearly warning him, ‘If someone else finds out about the list, you will not be forgiven.’
Miao Yi quietly returned the list to him. He was still confused as he asked, "I don’t even know what the Hall Master looks like. Why did he add my name in there?"
"You really don’t know the Hall Master?" Yang Qing questioned.
Miao Yi shook his head helplessly, "I do want to be acquainted with him, but unfortunately, I really don’t know him. Otherwise, I would have asked him the reason myself. Typically, Blue Lotus Cultivators partic.i.p.ate in the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade. Why throw me, a White Lotus Cultivator, in there? Isn’t this trying just thrusting me into danger?"
Miao Yi didn’t seem like he was telling a lie. Yang Qing frowned and said, "Now, that is strange. Why would he do that for no reason at all?"
Miao Yi abruptly c.o.c.ked his head upwards and asked, "Manor Head. Could it be because of then—when Hall Master met with Xiong Xiao but didn’t meet with me after summoning us. Did he added my name when he saw that only Xiong Xiao was added to the list?"
"That might be possible if you put it that way, but..." Yang Qing shook his head and muttered, "But what is the point of doing that? It doesn’t make sense at all."
Miao Yi had some guesses in mind. The only thing that could have offended the Hall Master was plucking of the sprig from the plum garden. After that, the Hall Master called for Xiong Xiao and not him. He did feel the situation was odd at that time, and now all of a sudden, his name had appeared on the candidate list. When he added two and two together, he finally realized, ‘That dirty dog. Xiao Yizhu must have reported me to his superiors. He better wish I don’t meet him again next time!’
Both of them continued discussing this matter. Yang Qing purposely did not mention the marriage proposal again to him.
Miao Yi could not help himself letting out a helpless laugh in his heart. The reason Yang Qing told him about Xiong Xiao becoming the Manor Head of Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor was to make him understand, ‘Your situation is precarious. How can I allow you to marry my daughter in peace?’
It was more apparent when he disclosed the candidate list to him, as if Yang Qing was saying, ‘This matter was already decided by the Hall Master. Even I can’t change that fact. I don’t know if you will survive after joining the crusade. Is it appropriate to marry my daughter now?’
This matter concerned his daughter’s marriage, and yet he did not even mention a word of it to him. This was simply too strange. Miao Yi wasn’t a moron. It was clear to him that Yang Qing disapproved of their marriage, and he wanted him to take the initiative to back out from it. If he was still clueless, the discussion of marital affairs would take a turn for the worse.
Speaking of this tactic, Miao Yi was very impressed by Yang Qing. He accepted the betrothal gift for the sake of appeasing Qin Weiwe first. Afterwards, he successfully send Qin Weiwei away. Right now, he was indirectly pressuring Miao Yi to break off the marriage by Miao Yi’s own will. He managed to manipulate both sides without displeasing either of them!
‘Yang Qing. You managed to settle both sides, but Qin Weiwei will definitely direct her anger at me. You are ruthless!’
Yang Qing observed Miao Yi’s reaction and knew that he understood his intentions. He couldn"t help regarding him with an appreciative glance—he knew Miao Yi was a clever man, but he was definitely not suited for Weiwei. He would only bring harm to her should they end up together.
Yang Qing knew he was being a little excessive in handling the matter this way. But as a father, he needed to take into consideration his daughter’s marriage. He could not risk sending his daughter to the lion’s den knowing how dangerous it was. Yang Qing took a deep breath, then looked at the betrothal gift on the tea table and pursed his lips, "What is inside this box?"
‘I admit you are formidable, alright?’ Miao Yi almost forced out a bitter smile. Yang Qing knew that he understood the situation, and was now suggesting for him to take back the gift.
Miao Yi cupped his fists together and said, "To be honest with you, this betrothal gift was actually prepared by Mountain Chieftain Qin herself, because she said you have been pushing for her to get married ..."
He took action and was completely honest in telling Yang Qing about Qin Weiwei making him act along with the marriage proposal scene together with her.
"This girl is a fool!" Yang Qing scoffed. He glanced at Miao Yi for a moment. He was well-aware that his daughter wanted the act to be real, but this guy was so dense that he couldn’t even discern the truth. Yang Qing couldn’t bring himself to impart the truth either.
"Mountain Chieftain had no choice." Miao Yi was being courteous. He cupped his fists again and said, "But if she finds out about this, I fear that she will not let me off that easily."
He was trying to tell Yang Qing, ‘You will definitely put the blame on me later. If I am to be pushed into a corner, it will end badly for you once I spill the beans to her.’
Yang Qing waved his hand, dismissing the threat. He muttered, "Xiong Xiao is now in command of Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor. The enmity between you and him hasn’t been settled yet, and that will be a threat to you. Should Xiong Xiao becomes impudent, your small East Arrival Cave will not be able to hold up against him. Return to Mount Calming Sea and a.s.sume your new post."
As soon as he was done talking, he swiftly invoked a piece of jade archive and wrote a writ of appointment before giving it to Miao Yi.
Miao Yi received the archive and examined it. He was shocked and surprised, because Yang Qing actually appointed him as the Mountain Chieftain of Mount Calming Sea. He finally achieved what he had been seeking for many years.
"Thank you, Manor Head!" After Miao Yi expressed his grat.i.tude by clenching his fists together, he couldn’t help but become anxious and asked, "If I command Mount Calming Sea, then what becomes of Mountain Chieftain Qin..."
Yang Qing calmly responded, "You may approach me directly should you face any problems in the future. You don’t have to go through her anymore. I will relocate her from Mount Calming Sea to somewhere else."
"Yes, sir!" Miao Yi let out a sigh of relief. As long as Qin Weiwei was not his superior, there was nothing to worry about. He cupped his fists together and said, "If Manor Head has no other command, I will take my leave now."
He didn’t want to stay longer and see Qin Weiwei later on.
Yang Qing understood his predicament. If Miao Yi didn’t manage to leave in time, it won’t be easy for him blame Miao Yi in front of his daughter later. He gave a nod to consent to his leave.
Even though Xiong Xiao is very powerful, you have your own advantages as well. You will be going to the Sea of Constellations soon and as they say—those who have nothing, will fear no one. There are some things that Xiong Xiao will not dare do. However, if you do slip up a little dealing with him, I will simply punish you by sending you to the Sea of Constellations when the time comes. As long as it isn’t too big of a ruckus, I will cover for you.
Miao Yi was surprised. He immediately understood what Yang Qing meant. With a calm expression, he clasped his fists together once again and excused himself.
"Do you really have to relocate Miss from Mount Calming Sea?" Qing Mei asked as she approached Yang Qing and went to stand beside him. She had been calmly observing from the sideline.
Yang Qing nodded, "Xiong Xiao has defected. People at Mount Shaotai are beginning to panic. If I have to send someone to mediate the situation, it would be better to send my daughter to do the job. It is for her own good if I let her take up the tasks of two mountains. Isn’t this reason enough to relocate her from Mount Calming Sea?"
"How about the marriage proposal?"
"Miao Yi was the one who backed out from the marriage-"
Miao Yi and Luo Shuangfei quickly dashed through the mountain gates of South Edict Manor as though running from something.
Luo Shuangfei noticed something was wrong with Miao Yi, so he asked, "My Lord. What happened to you?"
"Nothing much. Just a little shaken up." Miao Yi chuckled.
This was the second time his marriage proposal was rejected. The first was at the tofu store; his betrothal gift was immediately tossed out by Old Li, and he was verbally abused right after.
Although the situation was much better this time around and it was all an act. He still felt a little shaken up, even though he was the one who wanted to back out from the proposal..
Regardless of whether it was the Li Family from the tofu store or Yang Qing, it was obvious that they thought less of him. They felt that he had no rights to marry their daughters. In reality, that might actually be the truth. What made him think that he was qualified to marry Yang Qing’s daughter?
Luo Shuangfei was curious, "What happened?"
Miao Yi laughed, "Manor Head has appointed me as the Mountain Chieftain of Mount Calming Sea."
Luo Shuangfei exclaimed, "That’s great news!"
"Indeed. This will be my last time slaving myself for him. After this, I will owe him nothing. From now on, no one should think of controlling my destiny, otherwise they will have to answer to my Inversed-Scales Spear!" Miao Yi suddenly faced the sky and let out a maniacal laugh. Yet his laughter seemed tinged with a depressed air.
He wasn’t a fool either. It really didn’t feel good being exploited like this in real life...
A mount was seen entering the territory of Mount Calming Sea alone. This visitor was a familiar individual; it was none other than Cave Master Gongsun Yu of Long Viridescent Cave. The loss of troops at Long Viridescent Cave had to be replenished. This was the reason why he had come to seek Qin Weiwei’s a.s.sistance.
When Gongsun Yu found out that Qin Weiwei wasn’t at Mount Calming Sea, he became a little disappointed. However, he was pleasantly surprised after being informed by Hong Mian about East Arrival Cave. ‘East Arrival Cave has been ma.s.sacred by Xiong Xiao’s troops?’
Gongsun Yu did not show his true feelings before Hong Mian, but in truth, he was bursting with laughter in his heart. ‘Indeed, evil will always be punished. You deserve it, Miao Yi!’
Qin Weiwei wasn’t around, so he decided to wait until she returned. He departed the main hall; just as he was about to proceed to the guest room at the back of the mountain, he saw two mounts approaching quickly from a distance. At first he thought that it was Qin Weiwei returning, but after using his transcendence vision, he realized that it was Miao Yi and Luo Shuangfei instead.
And so, Gongsun Yu firmly stood outside of the main hall. He waited for Miao Yi to close in before, cupping his fists together with a pained expression to say, "Brother Miao. I heard that East Arrival Cave has met with disaster. My deepest sympathies."
Miao Yi gave him an odd look and smiled, "I guess Cave Master Gongsun is laughing on the inside right now, isn’t it?"
Gongsun Yu knew his strength was no match to Miao Yi. In any case, Miao Yi still had the hardy and dauntless Luo Shuangfei by his side. Even though Gongsun Yu was trying to mock him, he managed to keep a serious expression as he said, "Brother Miao is mistaken. As a comrade under the Mountain Chieftain, I am truly sad for your loss."
‘I would be a fool if I believed you!’ Miao Yi chuckled. He reached out and patted Gongsun Yu’s shoulder with an expression that seemed to be saying, ‘You are on your own now’. Shaking his head, Miao Yi ascended the stairs.
Gongsun Yu didn’t know what Miao Yi meant by that, but he did notice that Luo Shuangfei was looking at him very strangely. He couldn’t help but feel everywhere about his body and adjusting his clothes to check if anything was out of place .
"Cave Master Gongsun. How are the preparations going for the two hundred low-grade Orbs of Will? You won’t get away for not paying up!" Luo Shuangfei sneered and swiftly followed Miao Yi from behind.
After Miao Yi met up with Hong Mian, he borrowed a spirit eagle to deliver a message to East Arrival Cave and instructed Yan Xiu to bring Qian’Er and Xue’Er to Mount Calming Sea.
He didn’t tell Hong Mian that he had already been promoted to the position of Mountain Chieftain because he would still need to make some arrangements with Qin Weiwei later on. However, he didn’t want to see her, so the reason he called Yan Xiu over was to authorize him to carry out the transfer on his behalf.
Afterwards, he met up with the disciples from the School of Blue Jade whom he had contacted before in Mount Calming Sea. He intended to seek them out and request troops from them.
However, these disciples weren’t inexperienced fools. Miao Yi’s troops often died before they could even reap any benefits from their battles as he did not cherish his troops at all. Tong Renmei’s response to his request was a little evasive. He said that he was still discussing this matter with the others.
Miao Yi quickly wrote a jade archive stating that he had become the Mountain Chieftain of Mount Calming Sea, and he was prepared to reward the support they had given to him all these years. He also stated that he required twenty Blue Lotus Cultivators while attaching the meeting point in the archive.
After releasing the eagle, Miao Yi took Luo Shuangfei with him and left Mount Calming Sea in haste...