Wénrén Píngxīn paused for a moment, gazing at the elders who sat there without the slightest reaction.
Her eyes then turned to Su Bei, who was also listening with a serious and earnest expression. Her delicate eyebrows slowly unfurled, and she said slowly:
"Furthermore, this person in charge had better be someone who has nothing much to do in the sect."
"They must be deeply loved and respected by the disciples of the Sword Sect."
"An elder with very high prestige within the Sword Sect."
"Only by meeting all of these criteria can one shoulder such a heavy responsibility!"
"......"
Su Bei crossed his arms over his chest, listening while nodding along.
A cooperative smile would occasionally surface on his face, except—
Why did he suddenly feel everyone's gaze shifting toward his direction?
......
Let him be the person in charge?
Keep on dreaming that beautiful dream!
It seemed he urgently needed to defend his leisurely sect life!
Su Bei put away the smile on his face and said with the utmost solemnity:
"I have always been most supportive of Senior Sister's decisions."
"It's just that I feel Senior Sister's approach lacks fairness and impartiality!"
"......"
Wénrén Píngxīn wrinkled her nose, then let out a scoff, looking at Su Bei with disdain in her eyes as she spoke:
"Oh?"
"Lacking impartiality?"
"Then why don't you tell me how it lacks impartiality?"
"......"
Su Bei took a deep breath, wore an expression of intense indignation, stood up, and pointed straight at Jūn Wúxié, who was aggressively gulping down wine from a jug:
"Sixth Junior Brother has nothing to do in the Sword Sect either!"
"Why can't he be the person in charge?"
"......"
Wénrén Píngxīn leaned casually against the Vermilion Cloud pillar in the center of the grand hall, her eyes fixed on Su Bei with a half-smile, before extending a slender, delicate finger to point at Jūn Wúxié.
"Wúxié? Do you think this person in charge should be you?"
"......"
Jūn Wúxié was in the middle of heavily guzzling rice wine when his peripheral vision accidentally swept over Wénrén Píngxīn and her murderous glare.
Those sparkling, beautiful eyes were fixed upon him with a chilling intent, causing cold sweat to instantly break out and every hair on his body to stand on end.
The next instant.
He spat out a mouthful of the wine he was drinking, staggered to his feet, and began kowtowing to the stool beside him:
"Brother Běi! You're drinking too..."
"Hiccup! So drunk, I'm drunk..."
"Good wine..."
With that, he collapsed flat onto the floor and slammed his eyes shut.
I'm sorry, Fifth Senior Brother.
It's not that your junior brother refuses to help you, but rather that this tigress is simply too terrifying.
......
"Oh my! Běibei."
"Look at little Jūn in such a drunken state; how could this sovereign possibly rest assured leaving such an important matter to him?"
Wénrén Píngxīn looked at Su Bei with curved eyes, an elegant arc tugging at the corner of her lips, and spoke in an utterly solemn tone.
Su Bei clenched his teeth tight, glaring furiously at the drunken ghost lying on the ground like a rotting corpse.
He then swept his gaze around the elders present, before looking at the red-haired man. His eyes suddenly lit up as he spoke:
"Eldest Senior Sister, I believe Seventh Junior Brother is entirely capable of bearing this heavy responsibility!"
"Seventh Junior Brother has plenty of leisure, doesn't drink alcohol, and holds high prestige..."
"......"
Under the warning glare of Wénrén Píngxīn's narrowed eyes, Yù Xié, the red-haired man, let out a cold snort and said:
"Fifth Senior Brother, I am already at Peak Soul Formation!"
"I have already faintly captured a trace of the Void Return energy!"
"I'm sure I'll break through successfully in no time, and our Sword Sect will gain yet another Void Return expert!"
"Time is tight; what if these external affairs interfere with my breakthrough?"
"......"
Su Bei wore a face full of dark lines, his gaze occasionally darting toward Wénrén Píngxīn as he said darkly:
"Didn't Junior Brother just break through to Peak Soul Formation not long ago?"
"What a truly [remarkable talent]!"
"......"
Wénrén Píngxīn giggled, waving her delicate hand. With an elegant stride, she swept forward, trailing a wave of fragrance as she walked slowly toward Su Bei.
Her long eyelashes fluttered gently like butterflies, her downcast eyes shimmering with liquid light.
"Běibei, do you have any other candidates?"
"......"
Su Bei bit his lip, gazing at the two female figures sitting in the corner who looked as though they had been carved from the exact same mold.
One of them had long white hair cascading down, dressed in purple robes like a painting, with a long sword as bright as snow. The only flaw was a lack of rosy warmth in her skin, making her appear somewhat unusually pale.
The other, also dressed in purple robes like a painting, glowed with the luminescence of fine jade like a bright pearl suffused with a halo. The only difference was that her face bore a touch more rosiness than the white-haired woman.
He took a deep breath and spoke:
"There is also Eighth Junior Sister, and Ninth Junior Sister..."
"......"
Before he could even finish speaking, one of the white-haired women slowly raised her head, casting a cold, indifferent glance at Su Bei as she flatly stated:
"Not going."
Immediately after, the slightly shorter, black-haired woman beside her blinked her fluttering eyes, looked at Su Bei, and also spoke:
"If Younger Sister isn't going, then I'm not going either!"
"......"
......
"Through everyone's unanimous agreement, Fifth Senior Brother Su Bei shall serve as the overall planner for this Sword Sect Recruitment Assembly!"
"None of my fellow junior brothers and sisters have any objections, do you?"
Wénrén Píngxīn covered her mouth, smiling like a blooming flower.
"Then let us disperse."
"Mm. Běibei, stay behind."
"......"
In the span of a single breath, all the elders vanished from the Sword Sect's grand hall.
Second Elder Xi Qingyi cast a trace of a sidelong glance at Su Bei, let out a cold snort, and likewise disappeared into thin air.
Su Bei sprawled out on his chair, picked up a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, took a heavy gulp, and said impatiently:
"Eldest Senior Sister, don't you know my temperament by now?"
"How could I possibly be suited for this..."
"......"
Midway through his sentence, Su Bei cast a suspicious look at Wénrén Píngxīn.
Wénrén Píngxīn gazed back at him calmly.
The grand hall, which had been somewhat noisy just moments before, instantly plunged into absolute silence.
Su Bei and Wénrén Píngxīn sat facing one another—one lounging lazily in his chair, the other sitting with effortless elegance.
The quiet was almost oppressive.
Su Bei felt somewhat baffled, having no idea what Wénrén Píngxīn could possibly want by making him stay.
As for that recruitment assembly, he had already agreed to take charge; was there anything else?
Yet unexpectedly, as Wénrén Píngxīn looked at him, sparkling tears welled up in her eyes before she suddenly burst out laughing.
Her peerlessly beautiful, maturely charming face was filled with infinite gentleness.
Then, she softly uttered words that left Su Bei completely bewildered:
"I watched you grow up, and I was always worried about the way you used to be."
"This way of yours now is actually quite nice..."
"I can tell that you are truly living as yourself now."
"In the blink of an eye, you've become a master yourself."
"Remember to treat your disciple well!"
"......"
Treat his disciple well?
Of course he would treat her well!
Su Bei wished he could keep her from sleeping, forcing her to sit there and cultivate every single day, showering her with whatever heavenly treasures she wanted!
At any rate, he was certainly not going to sit there in meditation for decades out of sheer boredom.
Having such a convenient tool at hand was simply wonderful!
Still, did she keep him behind specifically just to say that single sentence?
Su Bei maintained his usual expression. Although he didn't quite understand what Wénrén Píngxīn was talking about, he still set down his teacup and rose from the chair.
"Senior Sister, then I'll be leaving first."
"I still haven't taught my disciple how to cultivate!"
"......"
Wénrén Píngxīn waved her hand, her eyes following Su Bei as he stepped onto a auspicious cloud and leisurely departed from the main hall, murmuring to herself:
"He has changed."
"In the past, even though he was always pleasant enough, he always gave me a sense of unease."
"Even though he looks much the same now, I can feel his heart..."
"It's a good thing."
"......"