clergé - Chapitre 115
Amidst the cheers around him, Pang Wan felt utterly dejected.
How could this be? Why is this happening? This is not the script she had planned. In her imagination, the other sect leaders should have immediately discovered that the Jade Dragon Token was fake and questioned Gu Xiju on the spot. In that case, the people she had arranged would have stirred up trouble and made a scene at the altar. Why do these people just not believe that Gu Xiju's token is fake?
She couldn't help but try to rush out of the crowd, but her arm was grabbed.
Someone gently covered her mouth.
"Shh, come back with me," the masked man in black whispered to her.
Pang Wan turned her head and met those pitch-black pupils, her eyes instantly brightening: "Brother Nan Yi!"
"Let's go, he won't be smug for long," the masked man whispered in her ear.
The sacrificial ceremony to Heaven was successfully completed without any major incidents. Gu Xiju bid farewell to the group of sect leaders and returned to his room to rest, feeling quite pleased with himself.
He had just sat down and taken a sip of tea when he heard a maid's anxious voice outside the door: "Fairy, you can't go in, you can't..."
"Gu Xiju! How could you treat me like this!" Sang Chan's beautiful and refined face was filled with anger and resentment. "I never thought you would be such an ungrateful and treacherous person!"
Faced with the doubts, Gu Xiju raised the corners of his mouth without caring: "Junior sister, why are you in such a hurry? Why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea that I brewed?" He got up, poured a cup of tea, and leisurely placed it on the small sandalwood table in front of Sang Chan.
However, the teacup was knocked to the ground with a bang, and the fine celadon teacup shattered into pieces.
"Why didn't you keep your promise to me?" Sang Chan's originally gentle voice suddenly became high-pitched and shrill.
"Chan'er, let me explain." Gu Xiju straightened his face and said softly, "The position of deputy leader was indeed originally intended for you, but something went wrong at the last minute, so we had to let someone from Kunlun take over for now."
Sang Chan sneered, "What kind of mistake would make you pay such a high price? Is it possible that what He Shannai could do is more or more difficult than what I have done for you in the past ten years?" With a swift movement, she drew her long sword from her waist and held it to the neck of the person opposite her. "For the past ten years, I have disguised myself to gather intelligence for you, willingly become your excuse to block the marriage alliance, even at the cost of abandoning my most beloved maid, and even giving up the Ninth Prince's marriage proposal. What was all of this for?"
Tears welled up in her cold, star-like eyes: "Tell me, what did I do wrong? Why did you give the position you promised me to someone else? Why?"
At this point, the beauty began to choke up.
Gu Xiju frowned almost imperceptibly, then turned back with a soothing expression as warm as spring: "You didn't do anything wrong, Chan'er, it's just that the time isn't right yet." He reached out and patted her shoulder, his voice so gentle it was almost dripping with water, "You're only in your early twenties. It's not a good thing to take the position of vice leader too quickly. It would be better to wait a few years until your influence grows stronger, then it will be a natural progression."
Sang Chan stopped sobbing and looked up at him: "A few years later? Or decades later? Do we have to wait until He Shannai dies? Aren't I powerful enough now? The whole martial arts world knows of my existence as a fairy. Do you want me to wait until I'm old and faded before it's 'natural'?"
She slapped Gu Xiju's hand away, her face showing disdain: "Gu Xiju, you never intended to pass the position of alliance leader to me! You've only ever used me from beginning to end!"
Gu Xiju's face darkened: "Chan'er, why speak so harshly? Aren't we in a cooperative relationship? If it weren't for my behind-the-scenes arrangements, do you really think your reputation as a fairy could spread so quickly?" He snorted, "Junior sister, don't overestimate yourself."
Sang Chan finally laughed in anger: "What, is the Alliance Leader planning to tear off the mask now? Now that you've secured your position, you're going to start eliminating people?" She brandished her sword, and the bright, cold light reflected on Gu Xiju's face.
However, Gu Xiju laughed, laughing at her foolishness and her overestimation of her abilities.
"Chan'er, why are you in such a hurry to break the ice?" He shook his head with regret. "Besides me, what other backer do you have? Even if you find a new backer, do you think the heroes of the world would really openly turn against me for the sake of beauty?"
"Beauty fades in the blink of an eye, youth is fleeting." He calmly pushed away the cold sword and sighed softly, "How can one rely on beauty to please others for long?"
This is why he never fell in love with Sang Chan.
Since ancient times, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of beautiful women. His path to success needed the embellishment of a stunning beauty, and this ambitious junior sister was undoubtedly the best choice. Idols, in the eyes of public opinion, are an invisible but incredibly powerful weapon.
However, it was just a weapon.
"Think it over carefully, don't rush to distance yourself from me." He smiled kindly at Sang Chan, "Go back and calculate your bargaining chips, it's not too late to come back to me after you've thought it through."
Sang Chan stared at him, her whole body trembling.
However, no matter how angry she was, she knew that in terms of martial arts, this man was not even in the same league as her, and to fight him would be nothing short of humiliation.
What was even more terrifying was that she finally saw through this man's heart—it was empty, there was no one else inside, and she couldn't expect him to show her any mercy. Dropping her sword, she turned and left, tears streaming down her face.
As Sang Chan's figure gradually disappeared, another tall figure stepped into the doorway from around the corner.
"Did she have a falling out with you?" The young man in white greeted Gu Xiju; he was none other than Bai Xiaosheng.
Gu Xiju turned his head and saw the newcomer, and smiled slightly: "The strategist is overthinking it. Chan'er was just being a little temperamental on a whim."
Bai Xiaosheng sighed and said quietly, "There's a lot of talk outside about why the Alliance Leader suddenly wants to create a deputy position and hand over power to He Shannai, with whom he had a past conflict." He blinked, "Everyone's guessing that the Alliance Leader might have some kind of leverage over him that the Kunlun Sect has?"
Gu Xiju shook his head and chuckled: "Look at what you're saying, strategist. We've been through thick and thin together for over ten years. Don't you trust my character?"
“He Shannai wants power, Sang Chan wants fame, I’m just fulfilling their desires.” He said calmly. “Everyone has desires, and as long as you grasp what they crave, things will always be much easier.”
"And what about you? What do you want?" Bai Xiaosheng's voice rang out quietly.
Gu Xiju was taken aback.
"Well, it's probably..." He stopped mid-sentence, his relaxed expression vanishing, replaced by one of disbelief.
"You actually..." He looked at Bai Xiaosheng, the fierce light in his eyes like a raging fire that wanted to burn him to ashes.
A trickle of blood slid down the corner of his mouth.
"I actually poisoned you?" Bai Xiaosheng's refined and handsome face twisted in anger. He took a step forward with a cold smile. "Why wouldn't I dare to poison you? I'll not only poison you, I'll also use my sword against you!"
With a ripping sound, a long sword pierced Gu Xiju's clothes.
Gu Xiju felt a sharp pain in his chest, and suddenly everything went white before his eyes. The man's mournful voice drifted from afar.
"Do you think I don't know about your deal with He Shannai? You've never trusted me. That jade dragon token you entrusted to me for safekeeping was a complete fake! You've only used me as a human target! If you can cripple Sang Chan today, you'll cripple me tomorrow, Gu Xiju! You deserve it!"
Gu Xiju opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. Everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Oysters catching cicadas"
"What? Bai Xiaosheng is a member of the Moon Worship Cult?" Pang Wan could hardly believe her ears. She gripped Nan Yi's arm tightly, her hands trembling with excitement.