Chapter 48: Settling the Bet—A Huge Profit!

Liu Changqing’s sudden step forward took everyone by surprise.

Even the Disciplinary Elder in the sky, Wang Xuanfu, frowned slightly.

“Junior Brother Liu?”

Wang Xuanfu’s tone carried a trace of displeasure. “What does this matter have to do with you? Do you intend to plead for that wretched disciple as well?”

In his eyes, Liu Changqing was nothing more than an Outer Sect Elder who muddled through his days, of mediocre strength and without any background. Usually, whenever he saw Wang Xuanfu, he bowed and scraped. How did he dare to jump out and refute him in public today?

“Plead? No, no, no.”

Liu Changqing shook his head like a rattle drum. Yet on his old face, there appeared a mysterious smile. “Senior Brother Wang, you misunderstand. I am not here to plead for him, I am here… to congratulate the Sect!”

“Congratulate?”

Wang Xuanfu and the other two elders were stunned, and the disciples below were also confused.

At a time like this, where was the joy coming from?

“Indeed, to congratulate!”

Liu Changqing straightened his back, his voice growing louder. “May I ask Senior Brother Wang—you just said Chu Feng has tarnished the Sect’s reputation. This, I absolutely cannot agree with!”

“Oh?”

A glint of cold light flashed in Wang Xuanfu’s eyes. “Then tell me—how has he not tarnished it?”

“It’s very simple!”

Liu Changqing pointed toward Chu Feng on the high platform and said loudly, “The rules of the Life and Death Platform are written clearly—‘each relies on his own ability, and life or death shall not be questioned.’ Did the rules state that nets are forbidden? Smoke is forbidden? Or strong light is forbidden?”

“This…”

Wang Xuanfu was momentarily speechless.

Indeed, the Sect rules were not written in such detail.

“Since the rules do not forbid it, then what Chu Feng did is within the bounds of the rules! He used his own ‘wisdom’ and ‘methods’ to defeat an opponent far stronger than himself. That is not shameful—it is a shining example of our Qingyun Sect disciples’ ability to ‘adapt and innovate!’ Is that not something worth celebrating?”

“You… you’re twisting words and reason!”

One elder beside him shouted angrily.

“I’m not twisting reason,” Liu Changqing chuckled. He had discovered that ever since following Chu Feng, his eloquence had improved greatly. “As for saying that he’s forming factions and misleading others, that is pure nonsense!”

He swept his gaze across the crowd and asked loudly,

“Tell me, has Chu Feng’s Ascension Group ever forced you to join?”

“No!” someone below immediately shouted in response.

“Has he ever threatened your lives to make you join?”

“Of course not! The President leads us to make money!”

“Well then!”

Liu Changqing slapped his thigh.

“The disciples voluntarily united, helping one another, exploring the Dao of Cultivation together—that’s a great sign of unity and progress within the Sect!”

“Back then, when Li Aotian founded the ‘Aotian Alliance,’ why didn’t anyone accuse him of forming cliques?”

“Now that Chu Feng establishes the ‘Ascension Group,’ you all rush to condemn him. Isn’t this just ‘allowing the officials to set fires while forbidding the commoners to light lamps?’”

Liu Changqing’s words were logical and carried a tone of persuasion.

Many disciples below began nodding in agreement.

Wang Xuanfu’s face had already turned ashen.

He hadn’t expected that this usually insignificant Liu Changqing could be so sharp-tongued today!

“Fine! Very fine, Liu Changqing, what a silver tongue you have!”

Wang Xuanfu laughed in anger. “Even if what you say makes sense, this matter has caused a terrible influence—it is already a fact! If the Disciplinary Halll does not punish him, everyone will follow his example. Wouldn’t the Sect fall into chaos? Men, seize Chu Feng! Take him to the Cliff of Reflection to await judgment!”

“I’d like to see who dares!”

Just as the Disciplinary disciples were about to act, Chu Feng’s voice rang out again.

He still stood atop the platform, smiling, though that smile now held a trace of amusement.

He slowly took something out from his storage pouch.

It was a jade slip—one that recorded images, a Memory Jade Slip.

“Elder Wang, before you decide whether to capture me, perhaps you should take a look at this first?”

Chu Feng injected a wisp of spiritual power into the jade slip. A light curtain instantly projected into the air.

The image displayed was from three days ago, when the duel betting market had opened.

In the image, Elder Liu Changqing was enthusiastically explaining the betting rules to the crowd.

Behind him stood several Sect officials—Steward Elders from the Mission Hall, managers from the Finance Pavilion—all of them people of some rank within the Sect!

Each one of them had, more or less, placed their spirit stones on Li Aotian’s victory!

And the clearest of all—was the scene of Wang Xuanfu’s own nephew, the Inner Sect disciple Wang Chong, throwing down five thousand spirit stones on Li Aotian!

In the image, Wang Chong even shouted arrogantly, “My uncle is a Disciplinary Elder! Would I lie? Bet with me—there’s no way to lose!”

“Wha—!”

The crowd exploded in an uproar.

“Heavens! So the betting market was real! Even the Disciplinary Elder’s nephew bet!”

“This… this is open gambling!”

“No wonder Elder Wang came rushing to punish Chu Feng—he lost the bet and wants to back out!”

The murmurs of the crowd were like resounding slaps, landing heavily on Wang Xuanfu’s face.

His complexion shifted from blue to purple, then to black, his whole body trembling in rage.

He never imagined Chu Feng would have kept such a trump card!

This wasn’t merely a violation of conduct—it was a scandal!

A scandal big enough to shake the credibility of the entire Disciplinary Halll!

“Chu—Feng—!”

Wang Xuanfu squeezed out the name from between his teeth, his killing intent seething.

“Elder, don’t look at me like that.”

Chu Feng put away the Memory Jade Slip, smiling pleasantly.

“I’m not someone who likes trouble, but I don’t fear it either. I just want to remind you—the betting market was opened by our Ascension Group, in response to the demands of our fellow disciples, and under Elder Liu’s supervision. It was an ‘official’ market.”

“Now that the duel has concluded, according to the twenty-to-one odds, our Group needs to pay out a very, very large amount of spirit stones to everyone who bet on my victory.”

Chu Feng’s gaze swept over the disciples below—those who had bet on him and were now flushed with excitement.

Then his eyes returned to Wang Xuanfu.

“If you arrest me now, the bookmaker, then who will pay the winnings?”

“Wouldn’t those who won think that your Disciplinary Halll is colluding with the losers to default on the debt?”

“When that happens, what will the Sect say of you? What will they say of our Qingyun Sect?”

Every word from Chu Feng was like a blade, stabbing straight into Wang Xuanfu’s weak spot.

Cold sweat streamed down the elder’s forehead.

He knew he was caught in a dilemma.

Arrest Chu Feng—and it would be as good as admitting that the Disciplinary Halll couldn’t afford to pay up, losing all credibility.

Don’t arrest him—and all his earlier bluster would turn him into a joke!

Just then, Elder Liu Changqing once again “timely” stepped out to smooth things over.

“Aiya, Senior Brother Wang, I think this is just a misunderstanding!”

“Although this child Chu Feng acts a bit boldly, he still brought honor to the Sect (even if few realized it) and created tremendous economic benefits! In my opinion, let’s balance merit and fault—give him a light punishment and call it even, yes?”

As he spoke, he secretly transmitted his voice to Wang Xuanfu: “Senior Brother Wang, let’s call it a day. This time, our Group profited over three hundred thousand spirit stones from the betting! Later, I’ll make the decision to give your Disciplinary Halll… thirty percent! No—fifty percent! Consider it our tribute to you!”

“Fifty percent?!”

At that number, Wang Xuanfu’s pupils constricted sharply!