Eternal Saber

On the other side.

Everyone watched from afar as the two individuals conversed beneath the pavilion.

Shen Zhiyuan whispered, "Just watch, Uncle is going to scold someone. Brother Chen is definitely going to be in trouble."

"No way, right?"

Su Muzhe was puzzled and asked, "After all, Brother Chen has accomplished a great deed today. Why would Marshal Xuan scold him?"

"You grew up in Peach Blossom Village, never encountering Marshal Xuan."

Shen Zhiyuan said with lingering fear, "He can be very fierce when scolding people. When I was a kid, he made me cry several times. I suspect it might be because of the Sword Casting Manor incident."

"Even though Brother Chen achieved a great feat today, he wasn’t careful when he acted, killing over a dozen people from Sword Casting Manor, including a Fourth Manor Master. This has caused such trouble; likely, his merits and faults cancel each other out."

"Is Uncle really that strict?"

Zhiwei widened her eyes in confusion and said, "Today, he came to see me with my mother and was really nice to me."

"That’s to you."

Shen Zhiyuan said, "After all, you’re a girl. It’s different for us. If we make a mistake and he catches us, he can scold us until our skin peels off! When I was a kid and heard Uncle was coming this way, I would go around the other way."

"Really?"

Yan Shu glanced over there and said, "Look, he’s letting Brother Chen sit down."

Shen Zhiyuan explained, "After all, Brother Chen is an outsider, so Uncle has to handle it with tact first."

Everyone was skeptical, half-believing and half-doubting.

Before long, not knowing what the two talked about, there was suddenly a loud thud from over there.

Ye Xuan had slammed his palm on the stone table, eyes like lightning, with a look of displeasure.

"See, what did I tell you!"

Shen Zhiyuan clicked his tongue and said, "Now it’s bad. Judging by this stance, Uncle is truly angry."

Su Muzhe furrowed his brow and said, "Brother Chen is stubborn and prone to opposing Marshal Xuan, I’m afraid..."

Zhiwei, worried, quickly said, "Let’s hurry over to mediate."

"We can’t go over there!"

Shen Zhiyuan quickly stopped Zhiwei and said, "If we go over now, Uncle is already angry; he’ll definitely scold us as well."

"Are we just going to watch like this?"

Zhiwei asked again.

Shen Zhiyuan pondered, "If the situation becomes unfavorable, we’ll have to call Grandma or Aunt Ye to intervene."

While they were discussing this, there was no more activity from over there.

Yan Shu, attending clearly, didn’t have any preconceived notions about Ye Xuan and said with a puzzled expression, "It doesn’t look right to me. Marshal Xuan seems quite polite to Brother Chen, and just now he even smiled at him."

"You must be seeing things."

Shen Zhiyuan shook his head and said firmly, "Trust me, I’ve got experience in this area!"

"When has Uncle ever smiled? I doubt he even knows how to smile!"

As they spoke, over at the pavilion, Ye Xuan and Chen Tang both stood up.

Ye Xuan approached Chen Tang, patted him on the shoulder, chuckled a few times, and nodded at him.

Shen Zhiyuan: "???!!!"

Zhiwei: "..."

"An illusion, it must be an illusion!"

Shen Zhiyuan shook his head.

Zhiwei stifled a laugh and said, "Cousin, you almost fooled me. Uncle isn’t as intimidating as you made him out to be."

Shen Zhiyuan thought for a moment and suddenly said, "I get it, those pats Uncle gave just now were meaningful. He must have used hidden strength to discipline Brother Chen lightly!"

Su Muzhe couldn’t help but laugh and said, "Brother Shen, if Marshal Xuan wants to discipline someone, does he even need hidden strength?"

"That’s strange."

Shen Zhiyuan was in great confusion, his mind spinning with countless possibilities.

He even considered the possibility that Chen Tang might be Uncle’s illegitimate child...

Just then, a guard hurriedly ran over from outside, seemingly with urgent business, heading towards Ye Xuan.

"Guard Geng, what’s going on?"

Shen Zhiyuan quickly called him over.

Seeing this, Guard Geng clasped his hands towards Shen Zhiyuan and said, "Young Master Zhiyuan, the Pavilion Master asked me to inform Marshal Xuan that the people from Sword Casting Manor suddenly left the pavilion without saying a word!"

Shen Zhiyuan reacted quickly, understanding immediately what was going on.

It seemed that the matter with Sword Casting Manor couldn’t be concealed!

"You should go back first."

Shen Zhiyuan said sternly, "I’ll inform Marshal Xuan about this later."

Guard Geng nodded and turned to leave.

Everyone’s mind, which had been on Ye Xuan and Chen Tang, lost interest at that moment, faces showing concern.

Mei Zhenyu and Zhu Lingxue exchanged a glance, even more unease in their hearts.

Ye Xuan seemed to hear the commotion from this side and stopped conversing with Chen Tang.

Chen Tang walked towards them.

Shen Zhiyuan couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked, "Brother Chen, what did Marshal Xuan say to you just now, and why did he pat your shoulder and smile?"

"Nothing much."

Chen Tang smiled and said, "Just chatted casually."

This matter involved Ye Xuan and his daughter, so he didn’t want to speak carelessly.

Ye Xuan had indeed said some strange things.

Things like Yushi being lukewarm to others not being due to nature, but due to past mistakes, making him reluctant to get close to others.

He even told Chen Tang not to mind and to help resolve Yushi’s issues if given the chance.

Chen Tang sensed there was more to Ye Xuan’s words.

"That’s it?"

Shen Zhiyuan didn’t understand.

Chen Tang chatted with Uncle for so long and actually managed to come out unscathed?

"Zhiyuan, what are you doing here!"

Just at that moment, Ye Xuan walked over, his face stern, and said in a commanding voice.

"I, I..."

Shen Zhiyuan was startled, stammering.

Ye Xuan snorted lightly and said, "I haven’t even addressed the prior matter. You, being a disciple of Book and Sword Hall, couldn’t even tell from half an article, truly irresponsible!"

"Martial Arts cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you don’t advance, you retreat. This time, losing to Xia Yuanxian serves as a warning to you. If you don’t focus on cultivation, how will you carry the reputation of Book and Sword Hall in the future!"

Shen Zhiyuan was scolded by Ye Xuan, not daring to make a sound, his head hung low, his face full of grievance.

Xia Yuanxian, mastering Black Tortoise Dual Cultivation, stood a whole level above him. How could he possibly win?

"You feel dissatisfied, don’t you?"

Ye Xuan seemed to see through Shen Zhiyuan’s thoughts and said, "Chen Tang is about your age. Why was he able to defeat Xia Yuanxian with ease?"

Zhiwei stuck out her tongue discreetly.

It was not until this moment that she realized her cousin was not exaggerating.

Uncle truly was severe and unyielding when scolding someone.

Su Muzhe lightly coughed to cover and said, "Marshal Xuan, Brother Shen stayed to inform you that the people from Sword Casting Manor left without saying goodbye."

"Understood."

Ye Xuan was hardly surprised, replying calmly, and then turned to Shen Zhiyuan, "What are you still doing here? With your Dantian injured, you should be recuperating instead of wandering around!"

Chen Tang changed the topic, saying with a stern voice, "Marshal Xuan, the Sword Casting Manor incident was solely my doing. Since it can’t be hidden, I will leave this place to avoid implicating Langya Pavilion."

"If you leave now, doesn’t that confirm Sword Casting Manor’s slander against you?"

Ye Xuan said, "Stay here; truth will out. I want to see what kind of storm Sword Casting Manor can stir up."