Chapter 1117: Soft and Hard
As the person in charge of Tianfu Palace, Xie Jiaofeng was the first to speak. “I am Xie Jiaofeng of Tianfu Palace. If anyone has grievances or requests, you may speak to me—”
“Speak to you? You can’t make any decisions!” Someone shouted, cutting him off before he could finish.
Another voice immediately echoed, “Yes, we want to see Sage Qi!”
Spirit Guard Jia Yin quietly instructed the Spirit Guards beside him to identify and target those ringleaders.
Ordinary citizens would never dare speak this way to a Deputy Mansion Master. Those who did were clearly agitators.
Xie Jiaofeng continued speaking, but under the instigation of certain malicious individuals, the crowd grew noisy. Voices overlapped chaotically, and the crowd began to fall into disorder.
Seeing the situation escalate, Qi Xuansu could only step forward himself. He signaled Xie Jiaofeng to retreat, then took a step forward and used the remnants of his cultivation to let out a Martial Arts Practitioner’s Blood Roar. “I am Qi Xuansu.”
The roar was like thunder, instantly silencing the crowd. All eyes turned to Qi Xuansu.
With nearly ten thousand people watching him, Qi Xuansu showed no panic. Instead of addressing the problem directly, he said, “I am Qi Xuansu. You may have heard of me, but this is likely your first time seeing me in person. I’m not hiding from the public. I simply haven’t been in Nanyang for long. I’m from the Central Plains, and my first impression upon arriving here is how hot it gets. Now that it’s summer, it’s hot enough to bake flatbread on the ground. I appreciate you all coming out under this blazing sun to see me. But the heat is unbearable, so please, don’t kneel. The Daoist Order does not encourage that anyway. Everyone, stand up and speak.”
Qi Xuansu’s voice was loud, yet his tone was gentle. As he spoke, he walked a few steps forward, leaving the shade of the gate to stand directly under the sun.
Qi Xuansu continued, “I’m standing under the sun now, with all of you. But to be honest, I can stand here for a year without issue. You, however, will likely get heatstroke, which can be fatal. So don’t make this a contest of stubbornness with me. Don’t let anger drive you. If you have something to say, let’s have a proper discussion.”
No one had expected the notoriously stern Sage Qi to be this gentle. The contrast was startling. Surprised, many in the crowd obediently stood up.