Hearing this, Chu Yuan glanced at Chu Yueqing.
Although this childhood friend standing before him possessed Earth-realm cultivation, the disparity between them was too vast. Thus, even the slightest fluctuation in her eyes was clearly perceptible to Chu Yuan.
It didn't look like she wanted to help him! It felt much more like she was plotting to harm him.
Still, Chu Yuan wanted to see what kind of medicine Chu Yueqing was selling in her gourd.
"You, or perhaps I should say the Chu family—can you really help me?" Chu Yuan asked.
"We can!" Chu Yueqing nodded, then added, "Our Chu family values sentiment and righteousness above all else. Even though you’ve practiced demonic arts and violated the rules of the Azure Cloud Sect, if our Chu family wishes to, we can still shield you."
"If you hide within our Chu family and change your identity, no one will be able to find you!"
"Oh," Chu Yuan nodded.
As the two were about to head toward the main hall of the Chu family, Chu Yueqing suddenly narrowed her eyes and asked, "Wait, I heard your cultivation had been crippled. Why are you still able to fly so high?"
"And why can't I sense your aura at all?"
"It’s likely because of this..." Chu Yuan took out a notice. It stated that Chu Yuan had been struck by the Azure Cloud Sect Master's technique, causing his cultivation to be gradually eroded and slowly decline.
"So that's how it is." Chu Yueqing cast a look at Chu Yuan. Then, the two left the spot.
...
In the Chu family's main hall, several guards came to report.
"Patriarch, we have not found the Young Master!"
"Keep looking!" Chu Tianlong commanded sharply.
Just then, two figures—one in black and one in white—appeared outside the hall. Chu Yuan and Chu Yueqing walked straight into the hall.
At that moment, hundreds of gazes inside the hall turned toward Chu Yuan. The air seemed to freeze. Their faces were filled with surprise, disbelief, and fear.
Everyone in the hall, including the Patriarch and the elders, had witnessed the strength of Chu Yuan in the past. Although they had heard that his cultivation was crippled, seeing him suddenly appear still left them unable to suppress their fear.
While everyone remained silent, Chu Yueqing, standing beside Chu Yuan, raised her head and shouted:
"Patriarch! I was just practicing in the training grounds when Chu Yuan suddenly appeared!"
"He is a demonic cultivator! Please, Patriarch, suppress him immediately! If we take him to the Azure Cloud Sect, they will reward our Chu family with many things, including a Ninth-Grade Divine Pill!"
"That pill would help me break through to the Heaven-realm. If I can achieve that within a month, then when the ancient ruins of the Extreme Light Holy Land open a month from now, I will surely bring glory to our Chu family and win great honor!"
These words struck the minds of the many elders and the Patriarch, Chu Tianlong.
Weren't Chu Yueqing and Chu Yuan close childhood friends? Now that Chu Yuan practiced demonic arts and had his cultivation crippled, coming to see Chu Yueqing should have been an attempt to seek help! But to everyone's shock, Chu Yueqing actually wanted the Chu family to suppress him!
Standing to the side, Chu Yuan’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. He seemed to have anticipated it. Perhaps Chu Yueqing was doing this solely for the sake of the Ninth-Grade Divine Pill. Suppressing him and bringing him to the Azure Cloud Sect would grant a vast amount of cultivation resources—a huge temptation for any cultivator.
It seemed Chu Yueqing had failed to withstand the temptation.
Originally, Chu Yuan had intended to return home in triumph and help Chu Yueqing, after all, they had grown up training together. Now, it appeared that Chu Yueqing was already a dead person walking.
"Patriarch! Please, strike and suppress him! His cultivation is crippled; with you, the First Elder, and the Second Elder here—all of you are in the Heaven-realm—you can definitely suppress him if you join forces!"
Seeing that Chu Tianlong on the throne was slow to act, Chu Yueqing grew anxious. She was afraid that Chu Yuan might lash out at her in a final struggle; after all, she was only at the Earth-realm! Chu Yuan might still be at the Heaven-realm, or he might have dropped to the Earth-realm—regardless, a desperate strike from him would still hurt her! She had to represent the Chu family at the ancient ruins in a month, so she needed to be in peak condition.
On the dais, Patriarch Chu Tianlong narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the First and Second Elders.
*Send a message:* "Do we strike now, or...?"
The First Elder replied: "I cannot see through this Chu Yuan. It is better not to strike; his cultivation seems to still be at the Heaven-realm!"
The Second Elder whispered to them: "Indeed. I suggest we stall him and keep him within the Chu family for now! He was struck by the Azure Cloud Sect Master's killing move; his realm will continue to decline, and it cannot be reversed. When his cultivation drops to the Earth-realm, we shall strike!"
Patriarch Chu Tianlong replied to the two elders: "Let us do that. First, strip Chu Yueqing of her status as Young Master, then find a way to keep Chu Yuan here!"
The two elders closed their eyes, signaling their agreement with this plan.
Immediately, Patriarch Chu Tianlong looked at Chu Yueqing, slammed his hand onto the armrest of his throne, stood up, and said coldly:
"Chu Yueqing, after consulting with the elders, we have decided to strip you of your status as Young Master for the time being!"
"From now on, you are a key member of our family. Do you accept this?"
Below, Chu Yueqing, who had been waiting for a reward, was stunned to find her status stripped instead.
"Why!" she cried out. "Patriarch, why?"
"I have my own reasons. Step aside."
"On what grounds! Besides me, who else in the Chu family is qualified to be Young Master?" Chu Yueqing looked defiant, tears streaming from her light blue eyes.
"This is a decision made after consulting the elders. You need not say more!"
"Step down!" Chu Wentian was growing impatient.
But Chu Yueqing still didn't understand and continued to struggle. "No! Why!"
"I do not accept this result!"
Without the status of Young Master, she would lose the privileges equivalent to the Patriarch! She would be unable to use family resources at will, nor would she be able to move freely through the training grounds. This would slow down her cultivation! And indirectly, it would allow the other geniuses of the Chu family to quickly catch up to her.
Chu Yueqing knew her own talent well—it wasn't particularly outstanding, and she couldn't maintain a gap between herself and the other geniuses of the family. Without massive resource backing, she would never have a chance to rise again. As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality. That was exactly her situation.
"Chu Yueqing! Your behavior violates family rules! Step down at once!" the First Elder rebuked, unable to watch any longer.
"I won't! Why strip me of my status for no reason!"
*Slap—!!!*
The Second Elder swung his hand, and Chu Yueqing went flying from the force of the blow.
"If you dare speak again, you will be dealt with according to family law!" the Second Elder barked coldly.
Silence fell over the hall, broken only by Chu Yueqing’s pained, hoarse gasps.
"Ah... ah..."
Chu Yuan turned his head slightly and glanced at Chu Yueqing, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. After all, this woman had just tried to trap him.
At this moment, the many elders in the hall filed out one by one, leaving only the Patriarch Chu Tianlong and the First and Second Elders—the three Heaven-realm powerhouses.
*Bang!*
The doors of the hall closed, and an invisible formation emerged, shrouding the entire hall.
"Chu Yuan, the hall is now sealed. No one will be able to sense you here. Now, tell me the purpose of your return to the Chu family."