Chapter 143 Respecting Others' Fates, Let Flowers Become Flowers, Let Trees Become Trees
Lin Xuan was numb, a sense of helplessness rising within him.
From the moment Fu Youcai issued that order, he had already guessed that Gu Qing and the others might seize the chance to cause trouble. After all, this had fiercely slapped Zhimeng's face; if they did not retaliate, where would Zhimeng's authority and her disciples' prestige remain?
How could they continue standing firm in the Star Temple afterward?
Lin Xuan had long prepared himself for Zhimeng's disciples to stir trouble, believing it would inevitably provoke resentment among Dan Peak's elders and disciples. When that happened, he would appear as a savior—earning Dan Peak's gratitude while suppressing Zhimeng's influence, achieving two goals at once.
But unexpectedly, Zhimeng never appeared.
Gu Qing did cause trouble, but not in the way Lin Xuan expected.
What he thought would be a small conflict turned into Luo Li directly slaughtering the entirety of Dan Peak.
He had assumed Gu Qing was doomed, but with one sentence from Gu Qing, the entire nature of the matter changed instantly.
Lin Xuan looked at the stern elders, then at the radiant Gu Qing.
He understood.
The accusation of rebellion was nothing but a pretext.
This was no longer a conflict between Dan Peak and Gu Qing. The entire Star Temple had now been pulled into the matter.
Only two paths lay before them: the Star Temple would either abandon Zhimeng and her disciples, or abandon Fu Youcai and all of Dan Peak.
As long as the Star Temple was not foolish, everyone knew the correct choice.
"Senior Brother, you really are something." Luo Li reached out and poked Gu Qing's waist, her tone blaming and slightly gritted.
She had thought Gu Qing merely wanted to deal with Fu Youcai—she never imagined the true target was Lin Xuan.
Was Gu Qing treating her as a weapon?
Infuriating.
It seemed she would need to guard herself from him in the future, or one day she would end up being sold by him while still helping him count the profits.
Just like today—if Gu Qing had not appeared, she could not guarantee whether Fu Youcai and Lin Xuan would have killed her.
She was not Gu Qing; she had no ancestor protecting her, nor did Zhimeng or Jiang Yu value her greatly.
"You're blaming me? I thought you knew their relationship. Who knew you'd act before gathering information and be so aggressive…" Gu Qing complained.
"You're blaming me?" Luo Li snapped.
What did he mean by aggressive?
If he could not speak properly, then he should not speak at all.
Besides, she had just returned and had not even gone back to her cave abode—where would she find time to gather information?
"No, no, Junior Sister did excellently," Gu Qing said.
"Hmph. I'll forgive you this time." Luo Li snorted softly. She knew he had not done it intentionally—she was the one who had changed strategies first.
But she did not want anyone she valued to hide or scheme against her in any way.
"Fine," Gu Qing muttered, still puzzled. Luo Li was clearly a deep schemer and ruthlessly decisive, yet she nitpicked over something so trivial.
"Whew."
Wang Fan and the others exhaled, relieved to still be alive. Their inner garments were already soaked in cold sweat.
Far too frightening.
Fortunately, Gu Qing was as formidable as always.
To commit such a monstrous act and still twist black and white, treating Dan Peak as traitors—this was truly unbelievable.
Did this mean the Star Temple would even reward them next?
The thought stirred excitement in their hearts. They had yearned for the Star Temple's divine abilities for a long time.
"Brother Xuan… Brother Xuan, say something."
Seeing Lin Xuan silent, Fu Youcai's face paled instantly, his fat trembling uncontrollably.
He had done everything for Lin Xuan—now that disaster struck, how could Lin Xuan ignore him?
Say what?
What was he supposed to say?
Lin Xuan roared internally, barely maintaining his calm façade.
He was a god among mortals, overlooking countless ages, undying and eternal—yet before the Star Temple he still fell short.
Ignoring the ancients sealed in coffins, he could not even compare to Jiang Yu.
If he stepped in now, Gu Qing would certainly drag him into the conflict.
He could not possibly start a war with the entire Star Temple.
Yet he could not abandon Fu Youcai either.
Everyone knew the father and son were his people.
If he ignored them, he would truly become isolated within the Star Temple, unable to move even a single step.
The more Lin Xuan thought, the more suffocated he felt. His mind turned quickly, and he glanced at Xiao Huo.
For now, perhaps the only solution was for Gu Qing to die—only then would Fu Youcai be safe.
Though Su Yang and Ye Bufan had not returned yet, making a duel between Xiao Huo and Gu Qing risky, he could no longer care about such things.
Xiao Huo met Lin Xuan's eyes and instantly understood, stepping forward with confidence.
Dealing with prodigious geniuses was something he could do in his sleep.
Throughout his life, he had slain countless prodigies.
He, Xiao Huo, was the one who killed prodigies.
Looking at Gu Qing—dressed in black, unmatched in appearance, carrying the aura of a divine being—Xiao Huo felt a flash of jealousy.
This pretty boy truly was handsome.
But what use was beauty? This world revered strength.
He possessed the Supreme Bone Lin Xuan had given him, along with supreme techniques and divine abilities. His battle experience was vast, and killing above his realm was as easy as eating or drinking. He refused to believe he could not defeat this "greenhouse flower."
Moreover, he would give Gu Qing no chance to sneak attack him, nor would he underestimate him.
With that thought, Xiao Huo's delicate features showed mockery as he spoke calmly.
"Gu Qing, you know full well what is right and wrong."
"With such despicable conduct, you are unworthy of being called a prodigy. Are you not afraid of staining your Dao heart?"
Gu Qing frowned slightly and used the system to inspect Xiao Huo's attributes.
Two hundred fifty thousand fortune, possessing the Divine Li Fire Body—an ultimate divine body.
Combined with the Supreme Bone, Xiao Huo indeed was formidable, a true child of fortune.
But starting off so aggressively—was he trying to bait him into a wager?
He had picked the wrong target.
Gu Qing sneered inwardly, then replied with righteous composure, "Fairness lies in the hearts of the people. Right and wrong will naturally be investigated by the Law Enforcement Hall."
"As a True Disciple of the temple, it is my duty to eliminate threats to our sect."
Xiao Huo's breathing halted for a moment, stunned.
Why was Gu Qing's reaction completely different from his expectations?
He had thought Gu Qing would be enraged, at least argue back, or mock him. Then he would challenge Gu Qing and use Dan Peak as the wager.
But Gu Qing did not follow the script at all—he simply raised the banner of justice.
Xiao Huo's words were forced back down his throat.
His expression turned awkward as he glanced apologetically at Fu Youcai—unable to help at all.
Though Fu Youcai had given him sacred artifacts and medicines, he was unwilling to stake his life or risk accusations of rebellion.
Xiao Huo was not foolish.
Even Lin Xuan could not save Fu Youcai; if Xiao Huo got involved, he could very well die in the Star Temple's prison.
Shameless…
Hearing Gu Qing's righteous tone, the crowd cursed him internally.
Everyone knew the truth, yet Gu Qing twisted it so cleanly and righteously.
They had never seen anyone so brazenly shameless.
Chen Hekun glanced at Gu Qing, then at the devastated Fu Youcai, cursing his misfortune internally.
Of all matters, why did he have to be dragged into this mess?
And he had no idea whether Lin Xuan would intervene once he moved.
After all, Chen knew well that Lin Xuan and Fu Youcai were sworn brothers.
Would Lin Xuan watch his brother thrown into prison?
Impossible.
"Don't waste words with him. Kill him—I will find a way to save your master-uncle," Lin Xuan transmitted coldly.
He had long experienced the venom of Gu Qing's tongue and the depth of his sinister mind.
Sending Xiao Huo to deal with him like other prodigies was simply seeking humiliation.
"Huff."
Xiao Huo took a deep breath, calmed himself, and nodded slightly. Staring at Gu Qing, he spoke coldly.
"Gu Qing, enough nonsense. Do you dare fight me to the death?"
Gu Qing was speechless. What nonsense had he spoken?
Xiao Huo rambled endlessly, then blamed him in the end.
"Very well," Gu Qing nodded. This was exactly what he wanted.
He would kill Lin Xuan's disciples one by one until Lin Xuan became isolated and powerless in the Star Temple.
But before that—Fu Youcai needed to be dealt with.
Whether Lin Xuan dared to save him remained to be seen.
If Lin Xuan acted recklessly, Jiang Yu—hidden in the shadows—would teach him the meaning of fear.
Jiang Yu was someone who never meddled in unnecessary affairs, but when it came to her responsibilities, she was absolutely strict.
"Elder Chen, the traitor is right here. What are you waiting for?" Gu Qing urged impatiently.
Chen Hékun: …
He knew Gu Qing would not let him off.
Fu Youcai was scared out of his wits, trembling uncontrollably.
After all, they knew very well the result of entering the Heavenly Prison.
To enter as a traitor meant not only having one's cultivation crippled but also having to endure inhuman torture.
Fu Youcai no longer hoped that Lin Xuan would avenge him, but he should at least protect him and his son from the disaster of imprisonment.
"Don't panic. Don't resist for now. You should have some connections inside the prison, right? You go in and stay for a while, and I will find a way to get you out."
Lin Xuan's expression was grim as he sent a voice transmission to console them.
He knew very well that while entering the prison was easy, getting out would be incredibly difficult.
But now, he truly had no other choice.
As Gu Qing was not yet dead, he could only abide by the Divine Palace's sect rules.
Unless Jiang Yu was willing to help him.
At the thought of Jiang Yu, Lin Xuan's expression grew even more grim.
The commotion here was so great that Jiang Yu must have already known; perhaps she was secretly observing.
If only Jiang Yu would step forward and speak a word of fairness for him, all conspiracies and schemes would become meaningless.
He could extinguish the insignificant Gu Qing with a mere flick of his hand.
Yet Jiang Yu did not appear to help him, leaving him like fish on a chopping block, to be slaughtered at will.
His Heaven-Reaching cultivation had become completely useless.
He truly did not understand why Jiang Yu had become like this.
A woman whose heart has changed is truly heartless... Lin Xuan revealed a bitter smile as his heart ached with a sharp pain.
"Brother Xuan..."
Hearing Lin Xuan's words, Fu Youcai instantly felt a chill wash over his entire body.
The Brother Xuan who was unparalleled in battle, possessed near-demonic wisdom, was omnipotent, and filled with righteous brotherhood in his mind, was actually being toyed with by the insignificant Gu Qing.
Fu Youcai's majestic image of Lin Xuan began to crumble bit by bit within his heart.
They were sworn brothers, willing to live and die for each other.
How could Lin Xuan not help him?
"Father, what are we going to do?" Fu Annian's voice was choked with tears.
That was the Heavenly Prison; they truly could not be sent there.
"Don't panic. Brother Xuan will definitely save us."
Fu Youcai took a deep breath, suppressing the terror in his heart as he consoled his son.
Seeing this, Chen Hekun breathed a huge sigh of relief. However, Lin Xuan's choice to stand by and watch was truly beyond his expectations.
It seemed Lin Xuan was not as righteous and loyal as he appeared on the surface.
With this thought, Chen Hekun immediately stepped forward. With lightning speed, he struck nine Soul-Suppressing Nails into Fu Youcai's body.
Then, without hesitation, he struck again, crippling all of Fu Youcai's cultivation.
"Pfft!"
"You..."
It was over.
Fu Youcai was in utter despair.
He was truly finished.
Even if Lin Xuan rescued him in the future, he would just be a useless person without any cultivation.
But what use was that?
A short and undignified mortal life was worse than death to end it all.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a family's plea for help, a blood letter, flew into Fu Youcai's mind. Upon seeing the contents and images within the blood letter, Fu Youcai's eyes widened in fury.
"Gu Qing, you are so vicious. What did I ever do to offend you?"
"Why did you have someone annihilate my family?"
"Alchemist Fu, you can eat things carelessly, but you cannot speak carelessly," Gu Qing said with a cold sneer.
For this kind of matter, even if the entire world knew he did it, he could never admit it.
After all, Fu Youcai was an alchemist of the Divine Palace who had made numerous contributions and to whom countless people owed favors.
As long as he did not admit it, those people would pretend not to know and might even help clear his name.
"You..."
"Pfft..."
Fu Youcai was so angry he spat blood, his gaze wild. He turned to look at the people who owed him favors.
However, these people merely shook their heads coldly and sent him voice transmissions.
"Alchemist Fu, although you refined a few cauldrons of spirit pills for us, how many spirit stones were they worth? Besides, we gave you a generous reward back then. It was just a mutually agreeable transaction, so don't place yourself on such a high pedestal."
"You can only blame yourself for being too foolish. Knowing full well that the Starry Cosmos Divine Body is crucial to the Divine Palace and concerns the prosperity of our lineage, you still dared to get involved. If you don't die, who should?"
What damn favors? Those were just casual words.
They did not mind helping with small matters, but when it came to life and death, they would have to be kicked in the head by a donkey to help Fu Youcai.
Furthermore, this bastard Fu Youcai was incredibly greedy. Not only were his rewards high, but he often demanded various heavenly materials and earthly treasures as payment.
Just look at the Holy Artifacts all over his body; they were all Divine Iron he had extorted from them.
It was fine as long as Fu Youcai didn't get into trouble, but now that he had, they wished they could step on him.
After all, he was just a Ninth-Grade Alchemist.
If he was gone, they could just find another one, perhaps for a cheaper price.
"No..."
The wildness in Fu Youcai's eyes slowly turned to utter despair.
These people owed him favors to varying degrees, so why did no one speak a single word of fairness for him?
He was a Saint-tier Alchemist, capable of occasionally refining supreme-grade ninth-grade pills, who had made countless contributions to the sect.
Why was the sect so heartless?
Was it just because he had chosen the wrong side?
Fu Youcai knew the importance of the Starry Cosmos Divine Body. After ascending to the Immortal World, it would receive the protection of the old ancestor of their realm.
When Gu Qing grew up, he would give back to them.
That was why they protected Gu Qing one by one, allowing him to run amok.
But back then, he had not taken it seriously, as it was too far away.
It was still uncertain whether Gu Qing could even survive to ascend, so he had firmly followed Lin Xuan.
But what did Lin Xuan do?
Fu Youcai looked at Lin Xuan.
He saw that Lin Xuan's eyes were cold and his fists were clenched, but he showed no intention of making a move to save him.
Seeing this, a bone-chilling hatred appeared in Fu Youcai's eyes.
"Lin Xuan, despite my sincere treatment of you, for you I dared to offend the Starry Cosmos Divine Body, why are you unwilling to help me?"
"You heartless and unscrupulous villain, I truly regret it."
Lin Xuan:...
Lin Xuan's composure instantly broke.
Being cursed by a sworn brother made him feel incredibly ashamed, his old face burning with pain.
He regretted it now.
Lin Xuan regretted not saving Fu Youcai.
If he had known it would come to this, he should have rescued Fu Youcai and fled from the Star Divine Palace.
But it was too late to say anything now.
Fu Youcai was already crippled.
He still had a deep, blood-soaked feud to avenge, so he could not turn against the Star Divine Palace just yet.
But the humiliation Gu Qing brought him today, he would repay a hundred or a thousand times in the future.
No, not in the future. Right now, he would have Xiao Huo kill Gu Qing.
Then he would challenge Zhi Meng.
So be it if he could no longer stay in this Star Divine Palace.
One day, when he achieved the Heavenly God Dao, he would definitely return to the Star Divine Palace to wash away today's humiliation.
And then rescue his good brother Fu Youcai and help him reshape his fleshly body.
With this thought, the shame in Lin Xuan's heart was instantly soothed.
He was doing all this for the sake of forbearance!
"Lin Xuan, you despicable villain, I curse you to die a horrible death." Seeing that Lin Xuan only shamefully averted his gaze, Fu Youcai was completely and utterly despairing.
His heart was filled with immense regret. Why had he helped this villain, Lin Xuan, without regard for the consequences?
And Gu Qing...
"Why?"
"We have no grievance or enmity. I just helped Lin Xuan a little, why are you so vicious?"
Fu Youcai's face was contorted as he roared his unwillingness.
He could not accept it. He was clearly a noble Saint-tier Ninth-Grade Alchemist, how had his family been destroyed in an instant?
Was Gu Qing really this vicious?
"You're wrong. We do have a grudge."
Gu Qing's tone was cold and indifferent. "If you interfere in another's cause, you must bear their consequences."
"In your eyes, this may be a trivial matter, but to me, it is a matter of life and death."
"Have you never considered what would happen to me once Lin Xuan suppresses my master?"
Hearing this, Fu Youcai was first stunned, then he suddenly understood.
"So that's how it is, so that's how it is. I truly deserve to die... I'm the one who harmed my family..."
The elders present nodded thoughtfully, their hearts firming in their resolve to never be a busybody in the future.
If it didn't concern them, they would stay out of it.
Respect the fate of others, let go of the savior complex, let flowers be flowers, and trees be trees.
In this, they must learn from Palace Master Jiang Yu.
Just mind their own business.
There are too many injustices in the world. If you intervene every time you see one, you will eventually get into trouble.
"Take them away."
Seeing that Lin Xuan still did not dare to make a move, Gu Qing was somewhat disappointed.
As the Son of Providence, Lin Xuan was truly capable of enduring.
But it didn't matter. If one plan failed, he would just use another.
When all of Lin Xuan's disciples were dead, he refused to believe Lin Xuan could still remain composed.
Chen Hekun nodded and, with a wave of his large hand, led Fu Youcai and his son away.
What awaited them was a soul search to provide alchemy techniques for the alchemists.
After Fu Youcai's value was squeezed dry, that would be the time of his death.
"Tsk tsk..."
Some people present schadenfreude.
Fu Youcai and his son were accustomed to being noble and domineering. While gaining favors, they had also offended many people.
Now that they were in prison, they would have plenty of suffering to endure.
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