In the canyon outside the cave, there seemed to be a conflict between disciples of two sects as they shouted and cursed at each other.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Who's afraid of whom?"

That was the general situation.

The shouting involved the Bilan Sect and the Purple Cloud Sect; Chu Jingtang and Brother Lao led their respective groups, both sides appearing very agitated. A large crowd of onlookers didn't just watch; many intervened between the two groups to separate and stop the cursing.

Some tried to comfort both sides, saying things like "We're all from the same group."

Others held back both sides, pressing them down.

At the entrance of the cave, Wan Daoyuan and others frowned as they watched. Seeing that a fight hadn't erupted and since the factions weren't from their area, they hadn't planned to intervene, but amidst the shouting, the name Mulan Qingqing was sporadically mentioned.

Guann Yingjie's face tensed as Wan Daoyuan and his companions exchanged looks, unsure of what was happening. Who would dare bring Mulan Qingqing into this quarrel? She was the leader of the Xuan State's delegation—ignoring this could create chaos.

They immediately leaped down among the crowd and dispersed the pushing masses.

"Move aside, everyone move!"

"Those on this side, stay here; those on that side, move there, make way!"

"Everyone shut up!"

With a few stern shouts, Wan Daoyuan and his group used their sect's intimidating presence to quickly quell the chaos and separated the noisy factions to either side.

Meanwhile, a figure in white robes like snow also descended from the cliff top, landing on a conspicuously large rock. Looking down from above with a cold demeanor, it was indeed Mulan Qingqing.

"You and you, all come out," ordered Li Shanshan from Xuanhuang Castle, identifying the noisy groups by their outfits from the cliff top earlier.

Thus, still furious, Chu Jingtang and Brother Lao led their respective sect disciples forward, making their presence known to everyone.

Wuji Palace's Tang Zhen asked with a stern brow, "What is the cause of your quarrel?"

Brother Lao immediately pointed at Chu Jingtang's nose, cursing, "This damned fellow dared to publicly blaspheme Miss Mulan. In my opinion, his mouth should be torn off."

This statement made many who were unaware gasp in surprise. Could this be true? How could anyone be so bold?

Some indeed had heard snippets of the conversation.

Tang Zhen immediately questioned Chu Jingtang, "Is what he said true?"

"I didn't blaspheme; I was merely stating the truth," Chu Jingtang said as he turned to face the crowd and called out loudly, "Wang Sheng of Youxia Mountain Sect, being Miss Mulan's fiancé, surely isn't only known by us from the Bilan Sect, right? Who else knows this? Speak up if you are a man."

At his shout, everyone thought they had misheard, the area falling silent instantly, as many eyes turned toward the aloft Mulan Qingqing.

So that was the issue? Wan Daoyuan and his companions exchanged looks again, just now realizing the gravity of the situation that they were only learning about today.

If this was indeed the matter, they couldn't really fault Chu Jingtang for causing trouble, especially since what he said had been confirmed directly to Mulan Qingqing by Guann Yingjie.

Brother Lao continued to rant, "Isn't his nonsense exactly what blabbering looks like?"

Ignoring opposition, Chu Jingtang shouted even louder, "Damn it, hiding behind backs discussing before, now when given a chance to clarify face-to-face, you opt out; are you even men?"

As he finished, from the eastern crowd, someone chimed in, "I've heard about the fiancé thing."

Quickly, everyone turned to see who spoke, and then from the western crowd, another voice emerged, "I've heard about it too."

Turning again, voices came from the northern crowd, "I've heard as well."

Then, from the southern crowd, someone murmured, "Heard about it, not sure if it's true."

The successive admissions began to cause a commotion, further disturbing the crowd.

With so many gathered, most couldn't see who was speaking; only those nearby could see the speakers.

Chu Jingtang and Brother Lao knew very well, as Wang Sheng had arranged for disciples from five sects to return, and they were just two of them.

Fifteen individuals from the Hundred Refinement Sect, Vermilion Bird Pavilion, and Ten Thousand Grass Hall had, as previously planned, mixed into the nearly thousand-strong crowd to respond. Disciples from the same sect were not standing together to avoid obviousness when responding.

At that moment, Brother Lao looked around in shock.

Whispers also started to spread.

With many already responding, before everyone could see who those responding were, Chu Jingtang turned to the imposing Mulan Qingqing and bowed, "Miss Mulan, this isn't something shameful. Since you're here today, I'd like to ask right in front of everyone, is this matter true or false? Please clarify it here. If it's false, akin to spreading rumors, I will publicly slap myself and apologize."

The scene fell abruptly silent, countless eyes intently watching the elevated Mulan Qingqing.

Under the gaze of nearly a thousand pairs of eyes, Mulan Qingqing remained silent for a moment before responding decisively and clearly, "I am indeed engaged to him, arranged by our elders."

"Ah?"

"My heavens."

"I've met Wang Sheng before, we parted at Moon Sea."

"Yes, I saw him too, the tall guy with him was really noticeable, and that knife was indeed huge."

"Oh right, previously he seemed quite close to Chu Jingtang; I had no idea he was Miss Mulan's fiancé."

"Miss Mulan is already spoken for."

"How come she has a fiancé already? What is Youxia Mountain anyway, is it worthy of Miss Mulan?"

"Too bad for you, whether he's worthy or not, she wouldn't choose you."

"Stop your pitying, you look foolish."

The original speaker admitted it on the spot, and there was absolutely no mistake now, the scene erupted like a stirred hornet's nest, with exclamations rising and falling.

And speaking of Wang Sheng, most people still remembered him mainly because of Gao Qiang's height and the big knife.

Mixed in the crowd were many sighs of regret; the flower was taken, and any slight fantasies people held were now shattered because they knew well that a disciple from a famous sect like Mulan Qingqing would not easily break off an engagement.

Of course, many were curious what kind of bull dung Wang Sheng must be for Mulan Qingqing, such a delicate flower, to choose to be with.

Lao Changtai looked up at Mulan Qingqing high above him with an expression of profound distress.

Fellow disciples looked at him, all secretly sighing that Brother Lao was really putting on a show.

Suddenly, Lao Changtai shouted loudly, "So, is everything he said about Wang Sheng true?" pointing at Chu Jingtang accusatively.

His voice overshadowed the crowd, and the tide of discussion instantly halted as everyone's gaze returned to Chu Jingtang.

Chu Jingtang did not respond to the accusation but instead turned to Wan Daoyuan and others in front of him, bowing and asking, "Did you folks know about Miss Mulan and Wang Sheng's engagement beforehand?"

Once again, Wan Daoyuan and the others looked at each other. Saying no, they had indeed known before the commotion started; saying yes, they had barely known a step ahead.

The key to such unfortunate news, in front of everyone, was whether there was a need to explain it, and if they said they had just found out, it might appear as evading the main issue.

Their silence, in the eyes of many, also validated that they had indeed known beforehand.

Thus, Chu Jingtang said to Lao Changtai, "Brother Lao, that's enough; I spoke in the heat of the moment, let's let it be past us. Some things are better left unclear."

Lao Changtai angrily said, "This involves so many people's lives and deaths, how can we just let it be?"

Hearing him say this, it seemed quite serious, and Tang Zhen from Wuji Palace immediately asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Lao Changtai, pointing at Chu Jingtang's nose, shouted, "He said Miss Mulan told her fiancé to hide in a safe place until the assembly was over, yet commanded us to fight desperately for the Insect Extreme Crystal. So many have already died, while Miss Mulan's fiancé has been comfortably hiding away, unwilling to contribute."

The scene went silent; the accusation was quite severe as many eyed Mulan Qingqing's reaction.

Mulan Qingqing looked down from above and finally spoke, "Everyone has their own matters to sort, although we are engaged, we are not from the same sect; I cannot control him. We are all from Xuan State contributing together; Su Yuan Sect will not forget those who are willing to cooperate, and there's no reason to force those who aren't. There are many from Xuan State who have yet to join our sect."

Chu Jingtang immediately responded, "Since Brother Lao has torn open this matter, and Miss Mulan also speaks reasonably, it seems like my Bilan Sect is trying to stir up trouble and disrupt the unity among the people of Xuan State. If this really affects Xuan State's chances in the competition, and the Domain Master punishes us, our Bilan Sect cannot bear such a responsibility.

Alright, since it's come to this, everything can't rise above reason; may I dare ask Miss Mulan one more thing. Did Wang Sheng and the others ever join us under the name of Youxia Mountain? If Miss Mulan finds it inconvenient to answer, she can choose not to."

Mulan Qingqing fell silent, and everyone's eyes were once again drawn to her.

Those who had seen Wang Sheng before and knew that he had joined the group watched her with even greater suspense.

"They did join under the name of Youxia Mountain," Mulan Qingqing eventually admitted.

This statement immediately caused some disturbance.

Chu Jingtang loudly asked again, "Then may I dare to ask further, can the sects that joined leave at will?"

Mulan Qingqing responded, "Naturally not. If it's good they stay, if not they run; what kind of principle would that be? It would cause chaos, how then can Xuan State compete against other states?"

Chu Jingtang said, "Although it's true that joining us is voluntary, we all know very well that the sects could come together largely due to the coercive power of the Su Yuan Sect."

Mulan Qingqing said, "If you want to know why Wang Sheng did not contribute after joining us, there's a reason. He had initially joined Guan Wen and others in heading to the Moon Sea area to contribute, and many people can testify to this. Later, it's unclear what happened, but he and the others disappeared without a trace, so it's not that he was unwilling to contribute, but that he really couldn't be contacted."

Chu Jingtang scoffed coldly, "Interestingly, I happened to bump into Wang Sheng yesterday. Coincidentally, they were hiding nearby, and he even persuaded us not to reveal his hiding place. I wonder, he could hide anywhere, why choose somewhere nearby? Hence, someone brought up a suspicion.

Let me be clear, it's not my suspicion, but another fellow sect expressed a doubt.

They suspected whether he wanted to avoid contributing and avoid danger by hiding near a large contingent from Xuan State, so that if trouble arose, someone could quickly come to their aid. This sect, having the same suspicion, also took to hiding and hasn't come back with me."

Many were taken aback by his boldness, especially Wan Daoyuan and others, their eyes turning cold, surprised at his audacity to speak whatever he liked, unafraid of potential reckoning from Su Yuan Sect later on.

Only Guann Yingjie, from beginning to end, had a sullen face, remaining silent throughout, showing no expression as if this matter regarding his senior sister had nothing to do with him.

Mulan Qingqing coldly said, "Wherever Wang Sheng is, bring me to him right now!"

Everyone suddenly perked up; the real drama was about to begin. Was she about to punish her own relative?

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