NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18 - You Are Mine; You Don’t Need to Kneel to Anyone
At this moment, with the situation at such a critical juncture, the Grand Elder had no choice but to speak up.
“Holy Son, it’s just a form of address. Elder Lin Mu has already apologized. Could you give me the face and accept his apology?”
Jun Jiuxiao snorted, his arrogance undiminished. “He addressed me by my name, making me think my master had already stripped me of my title as Holy Son.”
Jun Jiuxiao did not directly answer the Grand Elder’s request but his response was clear—he was not going to show the Grand Elder any face.
The Grand Elder was not angered. Instead, he said, “Elder Lin Mu showed disrespect to the Holy Son. He will be punished by reflecting on his mistakes at the Seclusion Cliff for three months.”
He then coldly asked Jun Jiuxiao, “Holy Son, are you satisfied with this punishment?”
“The punishment decided by the Grand Elder is naturally acceptable,” Jun Jiuxiao replied slowly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
Lin Mu wanted to argue but was silenced by a glare from the Grand Elder. He had no choice but to accept the punishment, saying, “Lin accepts the punishment.”
After accepting his punishment, Lin Mu turned his wrath back on Jun Jiuxiao, this time addressing him as Holy Son, though his tone was still filled with venom, as if calling out to an enemy.
“Since I have accepted my punishment, shouldn’t the Holy Son also be punished for maiming my disciple, Li Xian, without cause?”
Jun Jiuxiao said nothing, only looking at Li Xian and mouthing the word “cripple.”
Li Xian, unable to contain his rage any longer, charged at Jun Jiuxiao, shouting, “Jun Jiuxiao, I’ll kill you!”
He was immediately sent flying by a slap from Jun Jiuxiao.
Jun Jiuxiao then instructed Ji Lanqing, who had been standing like a statue behind him, “Go get me a basin of water. My hands are dirty and need to be cleaned.”
Killing someone was one thing; crushing their spirit was another. Li Xian, who had been sent flying, passed out from the sheer humiliation and anger.
Lin Mu was trembling with rage, pointing at Jun Jiuxiao, “You… you… you’re going too far!”
Jun Jiuxiao ignored Lin Mu’s accusations as Ji Lanqing brought the basin of water and stood before him. He washed his hands and then had Ji Lanqing dry them.
This act was a direct insult to Lin Mu and his disciple. As a strong cultivator at the Self-Severing realm, Jun Jiuxiao didn’t need to wash his hands, let alone wipe them afterward.
Ji Lanqing, having finished drying Jun Jiuxiao’s hands, obediently resumed her position behind him like a statue.
This act of hand-washing brought Ji Lanqing’s presence to everyone’s attention. The Great Elder glanced at her, lost in thought.
The Second Elder, worried about Jun Jiuxiao’s arrogance, kept trying to contact Jun Wuqi.
The old man never goes out early in the morning or late in the evening, but to go out at this time is really annoying.
The Second Elder thought too simply. The Grand Elder’s faction had taken the opportunity to act against Jun Jiuxiao precisely because Jun Wuqi was absent from the Holy Land.
If Jun Wuqi were present at the Holy Land and someone dared to question Jun Jiuxiao over such a minor issue as injuring an inner disciple, he wouldn’t waste time talking; he would directly take action.
Lin Mu, shaking with anger, could no longer speak and attended to his disciple Li Xian’s wounds.
The five elders remained silent, and the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall dared not make a sound.
Jun Jiuxiao was the first to break the silence, casually asking, “So, what do the elders plan to do with me?”
At Jun Jiuxiao’s words, the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall swallowed nervously, holding their breath, wishing they were not present.
Lin Mu spat out viciously, “Naturally, according to the sect rules, those who harm their fellow disciples without reason shall have their cultivation abolished and be expelled from Xuantian Holy Land!”
Jun Jiuxiao asked with an amused tone, “Does the Grand Elder also agree with this?”
After a moment of silence, the Great Elder replied, “The Holy Son has done nothing wrong. The fault lies with those who tempted the Holy Son into making a mistake.”
He then turned to Ji Lanqing and thundered, “A mere maid managed to provoke the Holy Son into harming fellow disciples. What crime should she be punished for?”
The Grand Elder, seeing Jun Jiuxiao unfazed and unafraid, knew that he could not be dealt with today.
However, with such a grand display, it was unacceptable to let Jun Jiuxiao handle it so easily. The dignity of the Qianyuan Peak needed to be preserved.
Thus, Ji Lanqing became the perfect scapegoat. Punishing her could tarnish Jun Jiuxiao’s face while preserving the dignity of their faction.
Jun Jiuxiao surely wouldn’t stand up against him for a mere maid, would he? He had to give some face to the Great Elder.
Lin Mu was bewildered by the Grand Elder’s sudden questioning of Jun Jiuxiao’s maid. Weren’t they supposed to use this opportunity to strip Jun Jiuxiao of his position as Holy Son? Why was the focus suddenly only on punishing his maid?
Lin Mu didn’t understand but looked to the Great Elder, who gave him a reassuring glance. Lin Mu obediently stood aside and said no more.
Ji Lanqing was also confused. She had considered taking the blame for Jun Jiuxiao but hadn’t expected the Grand Elder’s faction would take the initiative to have her bear the blame. What was going on?
Confused, Ji Lanqing was preparing to step forward and admit guilt.
But Jun Jiuxiao grabbed her hand, his smile carrying a hint of mockery. “Grand Elder, how did my maid provoke me into harming fellow disciples?”
The Great Elder, staring at the smiling Jun Jiuxiao, began to turn pale. The junior’s direct gaze made his face turn green with anger.
He realized that Jun Jiuxiao didn’t have any intention of him any face. He had offered Jun Jiuxiao an opportunity to save face, but he rejected it. Now, he couldn’t hold back his anger.
Ji Lanqing forcefully pulled her hand from Jun Jiuxiao’s grasp, rushed to the center, knelt down, and knocked her head heavily on the ground. “It’s all my fault. It has nothing to do with the Holy Son.”
Seeing Ji Lanqing’s prompt acknowledgment of guilt, the Grand Elder’s expression softened a little, and he slowly began, “Since you have admitted guilt, then…”
Jun Jiuxiao abruptly interrupted the Grand Elder, standing up. For the first time, his expression changed.
Jun Jiuxiao, who had previously appeared indifferent to everything, now looked furious as he faced Ji Lanqing kneeling and admitting guilt. He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, “I told you, you are my person. You don’t need to kneel to anyone. Have you forgotten?”