Volume 5 Chapter 86
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Volume 5 Chapter 86: Heart as Cold as Steel, Is the Rumor True?
Similar to Xu Qingfan, his two disciples Bai Yu and Zhang Ningmei, because of Xu Xiurong’s gentle personality, Lv Ziqing always treated her like a younger sister and protected her. However, Xu Qingfan’s words had crossed his line.
Watching Lv Ziqing point at his own nose with wide open eyes, Xu Qingfan was not angry at all. He just looked calmly at the furious Lv Ziqing, while Lv Ziqing stared back at Xu Qingfan without backing down.
Xu Qingfan’s next statement completely sent him into a rage.
"I have always wondered, with Martial Brother Hua Xian’s skill and the strength of Qingxu Gate, how could the small team you were in suffer such huge losses fighting against Beast Madness cultivators? Martial Brother Hua Xian was even injured and could not heal for three years. Now it seems the problem must lie with you all, or should I say, Martial Brother Hua Xian simply didn’t understand the situation and spoiled you."
"What did you say?!"
If Xu Xiurong was the person Lv Ziqing cared for the most, then as the pride of Qingxu, the top young expert of Qingxu, and possibly the top young expert in the Righteous Alliance, Hua Xian held a position similar to Jiuhua Xu Qingfan, and he was the one Lv Ziqing admired the most. It is easy to imagine how furious Lv Ziqing felt upon hearing Xu Qingfan say this.
As Lv Ziqing rushed towards him but was held back by others, struggling like a mere mortal and losing all signs of a cultivator, Xu Qingfan’s expression remained unchanged. He suddenly thought, if seven years ago, would he have been like the Lv Ziqing before him?
"Or maybe this is exactly what Martial Uncle Liu expected of me…"
After Lv Ziqing finally calmed down with the help of others, Xu Qingfan spoke again.
"In situations like yesterday, if we do it my way, Martial Sister Xu would certainly have been killed by those Beast Madness cultivators. While it is unfortunate, we didn’t lose anything more than that. But rushing blindly into a group of Beast Madness cultivators to save someone, yes, Martial Sister Xu is saved, but what about the rest? Our team lost seven Taoist friends in the chaos. Do you think it is worth it to trade seven lives for one? In this great disaster, no one’s life is more precious than another’s."
After a brief pause, Xu Qingfan stared into Lv Ziqing’s gradually calming eyes and said, "We are in the middle of a great disaster. Our most important goal is to survive and overcome this disaster. Do not forget this original purpose. Are you upset with what I just said? Think about how many people in your former Qingxu team died innocently like yesterday. Is Martial Brother Hua Xian’s injury related to this as well?"
When Xu Qingfan spoke, his expression and tone were calm, but this only made him seem colder.
Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, everyone from Qingxu Gate was taken aback, then their eyes showed a look of reflection. Although Xu Qingfan’s words were blunt and made them uncomfortable, they could not deny the truth in them. Lv Ziqing’s lips moved, but he could not find a way to argue back, while Xu Xiurong’s face turned pale.
Xu Qingfan knew that Xu Xiurong was probably starting to blame herself for this. He thought about finding a chance to talk to her. Given her personality, she might live with this guilt for the rest of her life, but Xu Qingfan’s goal was not this. Even though he thought this, his expression remained cold. He quietly looked at the twenty-two people in front of him and then slowly said, "If you have no other opinions, let us return. All the Beast Madness cultivators in this area have been eliminated."
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On the way back to "Ronghua Mountain," Xu Qingfan led the way on his cloud, while the others trailed far behind, keeping a distance of more than a hundred feet, seemingly unwilling to be close to Xu Qingfan.
Xu Qingfan’s earlier reprimand left everyone unable to argue back, but it also made them naturally reluctant to be close to him again.
Seeing the expressions of the others and then looking at Xu Qingfan flying alone ahead, Jin Qinghan sighed slightly and his eyes showed a hint of concern. After hesitating for a moment, he quickened his pace and caught up to Xu Qingfan.
"What’s wrong?"
Noticing Jin Qinghan coming to his side, looking worried, Xu Qingfan asked.
Unlike when he had scolded earlier, Xu Qingfan now had a thoughtful expression on his face, calm and gentle, just like seven years ago; he seemed like a different person. In fact, before what happened yesterday, Xu Qingfan had always been this way.
Seeing Xu Qingfan so gentle made Jin Qinghan sigh even more. War truly changes people. After seven years of fighting, even Jin Qinghan didn’t fully understand what Xu Qingfan was like now. He seemed changed but also the same; he wondered if the gentle and calm man was the real him, or if the cold and strict man from before was still there.
"Senior Brother Xu, you scolded them just now. Are you sure that’s okay? It’s one thing to scold us, since your reputation is so high in Jiuhua and even the elders respect you, but the situation is different now. This team is no longer just made up of Jiuhua members. Lv Ziqing and the others are from Qingxu Gate. Such scolding might cause them to react negatively."
"It’s fine," Xu Qingfan said, shaking his head slightly, with a hint of tiredness in his eyes. He replied gently, "The reason I did that was to help them understand what to do in the future. As the leader of this team, I have the responsibility to keep them alive in the face of disaster, even if it means they might hate me for it. At least, I don’t care."
"As for your worries about their backlash, it won’t happen. I’ve told them what they need to know, and as for any resentment they may feel, Li Yuhan and Senior Brother Lv will help me."
Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Jin Qinghan was slightly taken aback. He turned to look and found that Lv Qingshang and Li Yuhan had already gathered with Lv Ziqing and the others, and he didn’t know what they were talking about.
Over the years, while Xu Qingfan shone brightly, Li Yuhan and Lv Qingshang had played supportive roles, helping Xu Qingfan handle things, fill in the gaps, and soothe people’s hearts. Just like before the rise of Jiuhua, even though all the glory was taken by Xu Qingfan, they held no complaints. In comparison, Jin Qinghan could only try to help Xu Qingfan in battle as much as possible.
However, Jin Qinghan, along with everyone close to Xu Qingfan in Jiuhua, knew that this fame and glory were not what Xu Qingfan truly desired, just like the faint yet heavy tiredness on Xu Qingfan’s face right now.
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"Hmph, over the years I believed the rumors about Xu Qingfan were just made by jealous people who envied his success, after all, we have interacted with him before and always thought he couldn’t be that kind of person. When I first joined this small team, I thought Xu Qingfan was just the same as before, so I doubted the rumors. But now it seems he could really do those things. What’s the big deal? He just killed the person who spread the ‘Beast Madness’ five years ago and stopped it from spreading, which was just a coincidence. If it were Brother Hua, he could have done it too. What right does he have to talk about Brother Hua?"
An elder from Qingxu Gate spoke up in discontent.
At this moment, Lv Ziqing had calmed down, yet he was thinking about how different Xu Qingfan seemed at times, and the words he spoke; the always cultured Xu Qingfan suddenly became so cold, that it made everyone fearful.
Hearing the disciple’s complaints, Lv Ziqing only glanced up lightly, then slowly said, "While Xu Qingfan may be infuriating, we cannot deny his achievements over the years. The person he killed five years ago who spread ‘Beast Madness’ was one of the sixteen core members of the ‘Ming’ organization, and he had long surpassed the Golden Core Stage. Xu Qingfan managed to kill him single-handedly, cutting off the source of ‘Beast Madness’ and saving over a thousand cultivators who had not been infected. It was definitely not mere luck. Moreover, what Xu Qingfan has done these years is not just that; three years ago, he led Jiuhua Team to defeat eleven Flying Generals and four Evil Immortals from ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’, severely injuring the second master, Man Di, and driving ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ out of the prosperous Middle-earth. Many long-famous seniors have not been able to achieve such feats. Also, among all the tasks assigned by the Righteous Alliance in these years, his team was the only one to complete every single one, and he gained his current reputation not by luck."
"But he also planned to kill the entire ‘Xingyin Sect’ team, severely injuring their sect master Fan Xiaoyao before all the masters, and even personally killed one of his team members, who was also his Martial Uncle. Such treachery, what good is his ability?"
"Whether he did these things or not, it is still just rumors. Even if he did, the masters and his sect did not punish him, which proves he had his reasons."
Lv Ziqing began to defend Xu Qingfan, but his expression seemed strange as if he was recalling something.
"But…"
The Qingxu disciple, feeling dissatisfied, wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Lv Ziqing, who said, "But I would rather he didn’t have those achievements. Beneath the glory, Xu Qingfan is no longer the Xu Qingfan of the past."
The tone was low and soft.
"Everyone, are you still speaking badly of my Junior Brother Xu?"
Just then, a slightly cynical voice came over. Turning around, they saw Lv Qingshang and Li Yuhan from Jiuhua walking towards them. Lv Qingshang had a lazy smile on his face; it was he who had said that earlier.
