Chapter 20

The scene shifted, and it was night.The bright moon hung high, and the stars twinkled.

When Lin Mubai came to his senses, he found himself standing in an ancient forest far outside the sect.

While he was still confused, a figure flashed by, and a weary Jiang Chen appeared under an ancient tree.

“It’s already a thousand li of travel in a day, it’s time to rest,” Jiang Chen in white panted heavily, leaning against the ancient tree and sitting cross-legged.

With a thought, a pill exuding a rich fragrance appeared in his hand, and while examining it closely, he murmured, “Hmm, it’s only of medium quality, but not bad.”

“Those old men at the Ancient Pill Tower had already finished the pill days ago but deliberately delayed it, clearly targeting me. It seems the rumors are true. Elder Ma Wu from Elixir Peak indeed has a deep connection with the Ancient Pill Tower!”

“Well, I will go find Junior Sister Qingning after a short rest. She has come to me four times for the Jade Spirit Grass. If I don’t give it to her now, even she will be completely disappointed in me.”

“Ah, why is it so hard to be a true and admirable Eldest Senior Brother?” From these words, Lin Mubai heard helplessness and bitterness.

After taking a good look at Jiang Chen, he smiled with relief.

At this moment, he was certain. The Jiang Chen in white before him was completely different from the one in his memory.

Despite being misunderstood, he was indeed a respectable Eldest Senior Brother!

Thinking back on his own words in the dream, Lin Mubai was infuriated.

Different from reality, the present Jiang Chen always considered his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters.

Why couldn’t the version of himself in the dream see through Jiang Chen?

Wasn’t this Eldest Senior Brother exactly what he had hoped for?

“Ah, thankfully it was just a dream, or else I would want to beat myself up,” Lin Mubai sighed.

It was strange to say. It was clearly a dream, yet it felt excessively real.

If he wasn’t careful, he would immerse himself in it, unable to extricate himself.

Shaking his head continuously, Lin Mubai murmured, “It’s just a dream. I study the sage’s books, I couldn’t possibly be as excessive as that exaggerated version of myself in the dream.”

Right…?

He was somewhat uncertain again.

This feeling was inexplicable and without any reason. But the strong sense of guilt had already begun to spread in his heart.

“It’s fine, as long as Eldest Senior Brother gives the Jade Spirit Pill to Junior Sister Qingning, everyone will see his change. Such misunderstandings should not happen again.”

Lin Mubai comforted himself.

He suddenly felt some admiration for Xiao Hongyi and Qingning.

At least in this dream, Xiao Hongyi was still biased toward Jiang Chen, and Qingning did not harbor the intense disgust for Jiang Chen as he did.

With this thought, Lin Mubai’s heart relaxed, and he exclaimed with emotion,

“I have to admit this was indeed a beautiful dream, because in it, I truly had an upright Eldest Senior Brother.”

“Jiang Chen—!!”

An angry roar suddenly erupted!

The sound was so loud, like sunlight piercing through the night, startling countless sleeping birds and beasts.

The vitality contained in the voice was like a wave, suddenly shaking the ancient trees and causing the withered leaves to fall.

Looking in the direction of the sound, Lin Mubai’s pupils shrank.

He saw a youth dressed in Confucian attire, holding a sword in his left hand and a jug in his right, walking slowly with a heavy scent of alcohol.

This person was himself!

And at the sight of himself, Lin Mubai’s heart skipped a beat with a vague sense of foreboding.

“Mubai? Have you been drinking?”

The Jiang Chen in white also frowned upon seeing this.

“Burp—”

The Lin Mubai in the image let out a hiccup, his face slightly flushed, his body swaying as he said, “What if I’ve been drinking? I listen to the music of the water while holding my cup of wine. I wake from a drunken stupor at noon, yet my worries remain unawakened! If I don’t drink, how can I drown my sorrows? If I don’t drink, how dare I come to see you, Eldest Senior Brother?!”

These words made Jiang Chen’s expression turned serious.

The Lin Mubai in the void felt the same.

One knows oneself best, and his tolerance for alcohol was indeed not great!

They say scholars love their drink, and Lin Mubai was no exception, but he would go on a rampage when he was drunk!

When he first became a disciple, he drank two jugs in his excitement. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

That night, he sang loudly, recited a thousand poems, and wandered through the Ninth Peak, even forcing Xiao Hongyi to pour him more drink!

As a result, he faced the wall in penance for a hundred days.

When he realized his Eldest Senior Brother was a scoundrel, he drank three jugs and stormed into Jiang Chen’s residence, his angry shouts echoing through the sect.

Had Xiao Hongyi not arrived in time, his legs would surely have been broken.

When he learned of his parents’ death and that he was left alone in the world, he drank five jugs and barged into the Sect Master’s residence of the Jiuyan Sect, demanding the return of his parents!

Enraged, the Sect Master was prepared to forcefully expel him, but who knew he would use the Righteous Qi within his body to resist!

The Sect Master, not wanting to harm him, was in a difficult position.

If not for Xiao Hongyi’s timely arrival again, the entire sect might have believed that Lin Mubai’s parents were harmed by the Sect Master!

Since then, Xiao Hongyi has given Lin Mubai a strict order: do not drink more than one jug, or else his books will be burned!

Lin Mubai valued his books as his life, so naturally, he did not dare to disobey.

Hence, his drunken rampages had not occurred for a long time.

“Eldest Senior Brother, do you know that Junior Sister Qingning’s state of mind is unstable, and she almost succumbed to demonic cultivation just now during her practice?”

Carrying the scent of alcohol, the Lin Mubai in the image asked.

“How could this be?!” Jiang Chen was shocked.

“What do you mean ‘how could this be?’ What a phrase!”

An infuriated drunk Lin Mubai raised his sword and demanded, “No matter how others have tried to persuade her, Junior Sister Qingning has always trusted you. Yet you disregarded the camaraderie among sect members and took her Jade Spirit Grass. She has asked for it back time and again, but you refuse to return it! And you still ask me ‘how could this be?'”

“It’s a misunderstanding, I was just about to…”

Jiang Chen hurriedly tried to explain.

“Words are useless!”

With a grand gesture and slurred speech, Lin Mubai interrupted, “Today, I will cleanse our sect! Jiang Chen, I’ve tolerated you for long enough!!”

“Sigh.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chen sighed and said helplessly, “Second Junior Brother, there’s been some misunderstanding between us, but now is not the time to argue. Let’s return to the sect first, and once you’ve sobered up, I’ll explain everything to you in detail.”

“Explain? Eldest Senior Brother, I didn’t come here to listen to your explanations.”

A drunken Lin Mubai shook his head.

After taking another swig of wine, he raised his sword to the sky, his internal energy circulating.

A mighty aura emerged from within him, converging at the tip of his sword and shooting straight into the clouds.

Suddenly, the heavens and earth transformed.

Several figures in Confucian robes with white hair and beards appeared as ethereal images among the clouds.

Standing with their hands behind their backs, their gaze fixed on Jiang Chen seemed to penetrate the soul.

Their lips moved, emitting waves of ancient and wise sounds.

“Evildoers prosper through deceit, but it is not achieved through righteousness!”

Boom—!

The moment the voice fell, thunder and lightning flashed in the sky.

“Upholding ancient principles reveals justice, silencing evil people while the virtuous sing!”

The wind surged and clouds billowed.

Several thunder dragons tumbled within the clouds, and with each roll, a muffled thunder sounded.

The frequent flashes of lightning illuminated the earth as if it were daylight.

“Stop!!”

Jiang Chen shouted loudly, urgently saying, “You’ve studied diligently for more than ten years in seclusion, and you’ve finally cultivated a trace of Righteous Qi. How can you waste it here?”

“Haha!”

Lin Mubai in the image laughed loudly, “I’ve tolerated you until now for two reasons: one, our master does not wish to see her disciples harm each other, and two, because Righteous Qi is hard to come by, and I truly cherish it. Still, if I can use this trace of righteous energy to ensure peace in our Jiuyan Sect’s Ninth Peak from now on, it would not be a loss!”

“…You want to kill me?”

Jiang Chen’s expression darkened.

“Kill you?”

The drunken Lin Mubai shook his head, “I don’t want to kill you, nor do I wish to. Although you’re unworthy, you’re still the Eldest Senior Brother of the Ninth Peak. Besides, with the Jiang Family behind you, Eldest Senior Brother, how could you be without a trump card? I probably couldn’t kill you even if I tried my best.”

“Then what do you want?”

Jiang Chen asked again.

“Simple! I’ll cripple your cultivation!”

The long sword in his hand slowly swung down, and Lin Mubai’s eyes shone with a bright light, his voice merging with the ancient wise sounds.

“The wicked fear the heavens not, the good are bullied by the heavens not. Eldest Senior Brother, it’s time for you to turn back…”

Boom—!

As the voice fell, a dull thunder sounded again, deafening.

In an instant. The thunder dragons in the clouds converged, forming a massive purple thunder dragon.

Guided by the righteous energy of heaven and earth and empowered by the ethereal sages, it carried the might of the heavens and earth as it struck directly at Jiang Chen.

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