690: Chapter 101 The Matter of the Shushan Sect Leader

Half an incense stick's time later, the main gate of the first level of the Lock Demon Tower slowly opened from the inside.

Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, Xu Maoshan, and several Shushan Disciples waiting outside immediately perked up.

When Meng Li, Hong Kui, and Lan Kui walked out of the tower, they hurriedly went forward.

"Elder Brother Meng, little sister."

"Mr. Meng, Hong Kui, Lan Kui."

"Grandmaster Meng, Hong Kui, Lan Kui."

"Mr. Meng, young ladies."

"Are you all uninjured?" After the round of greetings, Jing Tian asked with concern.

Meng Li and Hong Kui shook their heads.

Lan Kui smiled and said, "We are both fine, don't worry, Brother."

"That's good." Jing Tian immediately felt relieved, then looked at the closed tower gate and asked, "So, what is the situation inside the tower now?"

Meng Li replied, "Everything went smoothly. The demons leading the charge against the Seal have all been cleared. As long as no peerless great demons are locked inside later, barring any accidents, there will be no need to worry about the Seal having problems for a very long time."

As he spoke, seeing that Xu Changqing and Chang Yin were not there, he couldn't help but ask, "Where are Daoist Xu and Daoist Chang?"

The leading Shushan Disciple, Chang Huai, said, "Senior Brother and Miss Zixuan have gone to retrieve the water spirit pearl, and Second Senior Brother is handling affairs in the Wuji Pavilion."

After saying this, he cupped his hands and said gratefully to Meng Li, Hong Kui, and Lan Kui, "Many thanks to you, Mr. Meng, and the two young ladies for entering the tower and resolving a great scourge for Shushan!"

The remaining Shushan Disciples immediately followed suit, cupping their hands in unison, "Many thanks to you, Mr. Meng, and the two young ladies for entering the tower and resolving a great scourge for Shushan!"

Meng Li waved his hand and said, "No need for thanks, I was just acting according to circumstances. The issue with the Lock Demon Tower still requires Daoist Xu to retrieve the water spirit pearl, and then use the power of the five spirit orbs to repair the tower before it can be thoroughly resolved."

Chang Huai said, "Mr. Meng can rest assured about this; Senior Brother will definitely bring the water spirit pearl back as soon as possible."

The other Shushan Disciples also nodded in agreement.

"That's right."

"Senior Brother will definitely be able to bring back the water spirit pearl."

"We believe in Senior Brother."

...

Seeing these Shushan Disciples trusting Xu Changqing so much, the mood of Meng Li, Jing Tian, and the others became somewhat complicated.

It was a good thing that the Shushan Disciples trusted Xu Changqing implicitly.

But the matter of the water spirit pearl was a difficult dilemma for Xu Changqing.

Lin Qinger was fine; with the sacred spirit pearl replacing the water spirit pearl, and only needing to consume one Heart-Protecting Lotus to ensure a smooth transition, she could still grow up healthily without sacrificing herself. Xu Changqing did not need to be as reluctant or conflicted as in the original story.

However, once Lin Qinger grew up, Zixuan would accelerate in aging and death.

This was undoubtedly hard for Xu Changqing to accept.

Furthermore, Meng Li also thought about the situation on Shushan's side.

Shushan was short on people!

Previously, the Shushan Five Elders consisted of five people; by Xu Changqing's generation, the only top-tier individuals were Xu Changqing and Chang Yin.

The remaining ones, like Chang Huai, Shouzhong, and Shouyi, could only be described as outstanding, but they had not yet fully matured at the moment.

Among these people, the only one suitable to be the Sect Head was Xu Changqing.

Chang Yin had the ability, but his personality was too righteous—righteous to the point of being evil—which easily led to extremes and a "one-size-fits-all" approach. It would be fine for him to be an Enforcement Elder, because there would be a Sect Head above him to suppress and mediate, preventing any major issues.

But if someone with such a personality were to become the Sect Head, with no one to suppress or mediate, it would be easy to lead the School astray, move toward extremes, and thus cause problems.

Jiang Juezhi from chinese paladin 1 was the best example of this.

Jiang Juezhi's personality was also righteous to the point of being evil; after he became the Sect Head, the entire atmosphere of Shushan was led to be overly righteous.

Then, Jiang Juezhi taught a prized Disciple named Jiang Ming.

Because of a fox demon, Jiang Ming began to question Jiang Juezhi's overly righteous methods.

The two sides engaged in battle, and Jiang Ming directly caused a generational gap in Shushan's strength, then fell into a demonic obsession, unable to be liberated.

Jiang Juezhi also died in depression.

Shushan, which should have reached greater heights, turned from prosperity to decline.

By the time the story of chinese paladin 1 began, the only figures capable of holding up Shushan's reputation were the Sword Saint Yin Ruozhuo and the Wine Sword Immortal Mo Yixi.

Thinking of this, Meng Li suddenly remembered one thing:

The story of chinese paladin 3 takes place before chinese paladin 1; Jiang Ming's incident must have happened later, and Jiang Juezhi's personality was so similar to Chang Yin's...

Could it be that Chang Yin, or rather a Disciple from the Enforcement Elder's lineage, became the Sect Head later on in Shushan?

That is actually quite possible!

Because Xu Changqing's Master, Cang Gu, was the Enforcement Elder during his lifetime.

In this way, it makes sense that Shushan's atmosphere would gradually become extreme and cause problems in Jiang Juezhi's generation.

However, those were all matters for the future.

The question Meng Li was more curious about right now was how Xu Changqing would choose.

Would he follow his previous decision to leave Shushan and spend the rest of his time with Zixuan?

Or would he wield his sword to sever his romantic ties and take over the position of Shushan Sect Head?

As for accompanying Zixuan while simultaneously serving as the Sect Head...

Don't even think about it; it's absolutely impossible!

Shushan Disciples are Daoists, belonging to the monastic order, and must observe precepts.

Not to mention that Xu Changqing was the Senior Brother and about to take over as Sect Head. Given his personality, he could not do the absurd thing of "holding a beauty while reciting scriptures, failing neither the Buddha nor the beloved."

As for how Xu Changqing would choose, the answer was revealed very soon.

Because a few days later, Xu Changqing returned, bringing Lin Qinger, as well as Zixuan and the Holy Maiden.

Zixuan's expression was numb, as if she were a walking corpse whose Soul had been extracted.

Clearly, between her and Shushan, Xu Changqing had chosen Shushan.

Otherwise, Zixuan would not be so disheartened and lost.

However, compared to this, Meng Li was more concerned with what Xu Changqing said.

"Brother Meng, the Sect Head once left a message instructing me, saying that the spirit orbs are beneficial to your cultivation, and that if there are no accidents with the Lock Demon Tower, the matter of repairing it can be postponed. Wait until you finish your cultivation, then use the five spirit orbs to repair the Lock Demon Tower. But since the spirit orbs involve Qinger, I do not know how much longer you need to use them for your cultivation?"

Meng Li thought for a moment and replied, "My current cultivation only requires the use of the water spirit pearl and the sacred spirit pearl. To complete my cultivation, it will take at most two months."

"Two months?" Xu Changqing murmured, calculated slightly, and nodded, "Very well."

After saying this, he turned his head and cupped his hands to the Holy Maiden, "I must ask Senior Holy Maiden to bring Qinger with me to the Wuji Pavilion to retrieve the water spirit pearl. I will use the Heart-Protecting Lotus to protect her well-being. Two months later, we will send the sacred spirit pearl into Qinger's body to allow her to grow up healthily."

"Very well." The Holy Maiden nodded in agreement.

If there would be no negative impact on Lin Qinger, she was not opposed to the matter of retrieving the water spirit pearl to repair the Lock Demon Tower.

Because this matter was beneficial to all living beings in the world.

As for Zixuan... the outcome was already determined; she had nothing left to say.

Moreover, she was somewhat tired and had already planned to take on a Disciple to succeed her in assisting the Descendants of Nüwa.

Not long after, Xu Changqing, the Holy Maiden, and Lin Qinger entered the Wuji Pavilion.

Tang Xuejian, standing to the side, saw that there were no outsiders around, so she walked up to Zixuan and asked carefully, "Sister Zixuan, you and Grandmaster Changqing..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Zixuan understood the implication.

She sighed softly and said with complex emotions, "Two hundred-plus years; I am tired. It is time to let go."