"What's with all the formalities? We're brothers from now on. But since you're new here, according to the rules, you have to treat the four of us to a meal," Yang Wei said with a slight smile.
"No problem, anytime," Li Lin smiled. He didn't care about the small amount of money; besides, he had some questions to ask these people.
"Let's do it now then. I'm starving," Yue Buqun said immediately, then somewhat embarrassedly added to Li Lin, "Brother Lin, you really are straightforward. When I have a bit more money, I'll treat you to something nice."
"Let's go, I'm getting hungry just talking about it. It's been a while since we've had a good meal," Lai Yuejing said.
The five of them left the courtyard, winding through numerous alleys until they reached a street and entered a food and drink establishment that seemed to be doing good business, with many customers already inside.
They ordered a lot of dishes and drinks. Initially, Peng Chuanxiong and the others hesitated to order expensive items, but Li Lin encouraged them, so they ordered plenty of delicious food.
What surprised Li Lin was that this food and drink establishment was also run by disciples of Yunyang Sect. Yunyang Sect really was extraordinary.
Because of this meal, the relationship among the five of them got much closer quickly. They were all young people, and soon, any awkwardness disappeared.
Although Li Lin had traveled to this world, he wasn't much older before his journey, and he hadn't made any friends in this world yet. At this moment, he was enjoying a great time chatting with the four others.
"Brother Chuanxiong, are you familiar with Elder Yu from the sect?" After a fulfilling meal and conversation, the four returned to courtyard No. 806. Li Lin took the opportunity to ask them. Elder Yu had intended to take him as a disciple, and Li Lin wanted to find out more about Elder Yu.
"Brother Lin, are you talking about the sect master's senior brother, Inner Sect Elder Yu Yuqian?" Yue Buqun asked.
"That's right," Li Lin replied.
"Why are you asking about Elder Yu..." Yue Buqun, Lai Yuejing, Peng Chuanxiong, and Yang Wei all asked with some surprise...
In the evening, deep within the Yunyang Sect mountains, in a large courtyard surrounded by lush greenery and many plants, two graceful figures rushed in.
"Sister Wushuang, Sister Wushuang, I have good news." The two figures rushed into the courtyard, and Li Wushuang's figure had already appeared outside the courtyard. These two people were Du Gu Binglan and her maid, Cuiyu.
"What's the matter, you two rushing around?" Li Wushuang asked with a light smile.
"Sister Wushuang, I have good news for you," Du Gu Binglan said, somewhat out of breath, her expression mysterious.
"What good news could you possibly have?" Li Wushuang glanced at Du Gu Binglan.
"Well, if you don't want to listen, then I won't say. And here I was, sneaking away from my master to come and tell you," Du Gu Binglan pouted.
"Alright, my dear sister, just tell me," Li Wushuang smiled, charmingly.
"Sister Wushuang, just now Cuiyu happened to run into Elder Baimao. Elder Baimao said that Lin'er came back to Yunyang Sect today and is now in the sect," Du Gu Binglan said, looking at Li Wushuang, slowly speaking.
"Binglan, I know you want me to be happy, but it's been over a year, and I've accepted the fact. Lin'er might be dead," Li Wushuang said with a light smile, a hint of sorrow hanging on her brows.
"Sister Wushuang, Lin'er is really not dead. At first, I thought Elder Baimao was joking with me. I ran into Elder Baimao on the mountainside. Elder Baimao wanted to come in but was stopped by the master, so he asked me to tell you," Cuiyu said.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Cuiyu, are you really telling the truth?" Li Wushuang started to get excited, looking at Cuiyu, seeking a definite answer.
"Yes, Elder Baimao said it's true. I was planning to go down the mountain to confirm it, but then I thought of telling you right away, so I came here immediately," Cuiyu said.
"Is Lin'er really not dead? I knew it, Lin'er couldn't possibly be dead," Li Wushuang trembled slightly, then excitedly paced back and forth, saying, "Lin'er is here, I have to see him, I have to go down the mountain to see him."
"Sister Wushuang, we can only go down the mountain once every three months, as per the sect master's orders. Even Elder Baimao couldn't come up just now," Du Gu Binglan said.
"What should I do? I want to see Lin'er, I want to know if he really came, if he's really still alive," Li Wushuang anxiously said to Du Gu Binglan, her beautiful eyes showing helplessness, excitement, and joy.
"Sister Wushuang, how about this: I'm just a maid, no one will pay attention to me. I'll go down the mountain tomorrow to look for Lin'er, to see if he really came," Cuiyu said.
"Alright, Cuiyu, go early tomorrow. I want to know if Lin'er is really not dead, if he's still alive," Li Wushuang's eyes welled up with moisture.
At night, under the starry sky bathed in a hazy moonlight, the entire Yunyang Sect quieted down. In courtyard No. 806, Li Lin was astonished, having just learned about Elder Yu's status within Yunyang Sect. It was truly unexpected.
From the conversations with Yue Buqun, Lai Yuejing, Peng Chuanxiong, and others, Li Lin learned that indeed, Elder Yu Yuqian was an Inner Sect Elder and the sect master's senior brother. On the surface, his status was lofty, even requiring the sect master to address him as "senior brother." In the sect, no other elders or law enforcers dared to disrespect Elder Yu.
However, that was only on the surface. Inside Yunyang Sect, it was well known that Elder Yu was the least successful among the Inner Sect Elders, with his strength only at the sixth level of Martial General, which was far less than the other Inner Sect Elders. Even the sect's law enforcers were stronger than Elder Yu, with all of them being above the level of Martial General, and a few even reaching the level of Martial Commander. As for the strength level of the Inner Sect Elders, the lowest was also above Martial Commander.
As for why the sect master's senior brother had such low strength, it puzzled many, but those in the know were aware that Elder Yu, in his youth, was the son of a small family without any martial talent.
Because this family inadvertently saved the previous sect master, and the family was exterminated as a result, leaving only Elder Yu. Out of gratitude and guilt, even though the previous sect master knew Elder Yu lacked martial talent, he still took him as a disciple. Then, using countless precious medicines, he forcibly raised Elder Yu's cultivation to the level of Martial General, after which Elder Yu could no longer advance.
In a sect where strength is revered, Yunyang Sect was no exception. Although Elder Yu's status was ostensibly high, in the hearts of all other elders and law enforcers, few truly regarded Elder Yu highly.
Moreover, within Yunyang Sect, all elders and law enforcers had their own factions, each wielding their own influence through their disciples.
Every selection of direct disciples, in essence, was each elder picking their own disciples. Often, a disciple with exceptional talent would be fought over by all elders. The cultivation level of one's disciples directly determined an elder's status within the sect.
Yunyang Sect also had an unwritten rule: every selection of direct disciples would not include Elder Yu, because the sect did not want talented disciples to be taught by Elder Yu, whose strength was solely reliant on medicinal pills and lacked teaching ability.
There are a total of eleven Inner Sect Elders in Yunyang Sect. During the first round of selection, ten are chosen, and three years later, during the second round, another ten are selected, but all are taken by other elders. New disciples, upon learning of Elder Yu's situation, would not choose him as their master, directly affecting their future prospects.
Although Elder Yu's status was high, the status of the other elders was not inferior. Compared to them, no one would foolishly choose Elder Yu as their master.
Over the years, Elder Yu had indeed taken three disciples. It's said that during one selection of direct disciples, Elder Yu made a scene, insisting on taking a top-ten talent as his disciple, who had the best potential at the time.
However, in the end, that disciple turned out to be average in strength, only middle-of-the-pack among ordinary disciples. Of Elder Yu's three disciples, two are still in the sect, one with the cultivation of the eighth level of Martial Soul and the other with the first level of Martial General, but both are middle-aged. Among their peers, even the least talented has reached the eighth level of Martial Soul. However, Elder Yu's two disciples had used far more cultivation resources, proving that Elder Yu indeed lacks teaching ability.
Later, Yunyang Sect dared not let Elder Yu waste the potential of highly talented disciples anymore, only agreeing that, outside of the top ten direct disciple selections, Elder Yu could take any disciple he wanted.
Some ordinary disciples, whose talent was not far off from direct disciples, hoped Elder Yu would take them as his disciples, but after being rebuffed, Elder Yu refused to take any, as accepting would mean admitting his status was lower than the other elders. Elder Yu, a man extremely concerned with face, refused to lower his status.
As a result, the other ten elders' factions flourished, their influence much stronger, while Elder Yu's faction remained desolate, with only two disciples, illustrating the situation.