Please, Uncle Beimingzi, let's talk this out! Li Haimo's desperate plea echoed in his mind, his voice frantically projecting through a thousand-mile transmission, scattering in all directions.
Beimingzi, his presence towering and unyielding, regarded him with a glint of amusement. "Explain? What's there to explain? I haven't said a word, yet you seem to know exactly what I'm here for." The oppressive Heaven and Earth Discoloration remained, freezing the world around them.
The disturbance drew Xiaoyaozi and the others, their cultivation senses tingling, but none dared step into Beimingzi's domain. "Nothing to see here, just Uncle Beimingzi taking a stroll," Xiaoyaozi said, waving dismissively before retreating. No choice but to back off, he thought. Beimingzi could take on their entire sect single-handedly. Better to avoid trouble. The elders followed suit, vanishing as quickly as they'd arrived.
Spineless cowards! Li Haimo cursed inwardly. Forcing a grin, he transmitted to Beimingzi, "Wuchenzi is clueless, but if Uncle Beimingzi himself has come, I must've messed up somewhere. Whatever I did, I beg you to overlook this lowly one's mistake—just let me go like a passing breeze!"
Beimingzi snorted. "Such a silver tongue. The Daoist Sect is too small for you—you'd fit better with the School of Names."
"No, no, not at all!" Li Haimo protested, his voice dripping with flattery. "The Daoist Sect is my home, a place of unity and love. I'm Daoist through and through, in life and in death!"
Beimingzi's eyes narrowed. "The Qin Palace could use a martial artist as a eunuch. I think you'd be perfect. Shall I send you there?"
Li Haimo's mind raced. A eunuch?! "No, no, I'm all wrong for that! Clumsy hands, sloppy feet—my Harmonizing with the Light is a mess. I'd startle the palace nobles!" He frantically replayed his actions, trying to pinpoint what could've provoked Beimingzi to hunt him down personally.
"No, no, you're perfect," Beimingzi teased, drawing his jet-black sword, Youyu, his legendary blade. "That hair-braiding skill of yours? The palace consorts would adore it. Come, I'll help you out. One quick slice—my sword's fast, you won't feel a thing."
Hair-braiding? It's about Xiaomeng's hair?! Li Haimo realized, heart sinking. All this over a hairstyle? Is he really going to chop me for that? "It was Xiaomeng who asked me to braid her hair! Ask her if you don't believe me!" he blurted, desperate to avoid Youyu's edge.
"I know she asked you," Beimingzi said, glaring. "If she hadn't, your head wouldn't still be on your shoulders." His tone carried a father's indignation, as if his cherished disciple—raised like a daughter for over a decade—was being stolen by a reckless pig.
Li Haimo felt icy dread slither across his neck and lower body. One wrong word, and he'd lose either his head or his manhood. "Can't you say something?" Beimingzi taunted, stepping closer, Youyu gliding menacingly near Li Haimo's face, its cold gleam raising goosebumps. "Weren't you so eloquent, so glib just moments ago?"
"I'll take responsibility!" Li Haimo declared, gritting his teeth.
"Responsibility? For what?" Beimingzi faltered, nearly dropping Youyu in surprise.
Li Haimo's mind screamed, What do you want from me? Just say it! This is terrifying! Aloud, he steeled himself and said, "I like Xiaomeng, and she likes me. Please, Uncle, give us your blessing!" Bold words, just to survive this moment.
"What in the—?!" Beimingzi sputtered, caught off guard. He hadn't planned to harm Li Haimo, only to intimidate him. That morning, he'd noticed Xiaomeng smiling—smiling—with her hair neatly styled. When he asked who'd done it, she'd casually replied, "Wuchenzi." And when he pressed why Li Haimo was with her so early, she'd said, "I was in his room." That was enough to send Beimingzi storming over, sword in hand.
"You Human Sect scoundrels!" Beimingzi growled, trembling with rage. "No skills to speak of, but plenty of worldly tricks! Seducing an innocent girl to your bed!"
"No way, I didn't seduce anyone!" Li Haimo protested. "I just braided her hair—didn't even touch a finger!"
"Then why was Xiaomeng in your room at dawn?" Beimingzi demanded, teeth clenched.
"Ask her!" Li Haimo shot back. "I woke up, and there she was, right in front of me!"
"In front of you, or in your bed?" Beimingzi's eyes bored into him, ready to castrate him if his story didn't match Xiaomeng's.
Li Haimo froze. She was in my room, technically on my bed, but it's not what he thinks! "It's a misunderstanding!" he pleaded, swallowing hard. How do I explain this? Someone, anyone, help me out here!
"Guess if I believe you," Beimingzi said, raising Youyu, sizing up where to strike.
"Uncle Beimingzi, mercy!" Xiaoyaozi and the five elders, who'd been watching from a distance, finally intervened. They couldn't stand by as things escalated.
"What do you lot have to say?" Beimingzi snapped, turning his icy gaze on them.
Li Haimo mouthed, Run! The Heaven and Earth Discoloration had lifted, and he recalled Xiaomeng's words: "A conversation lasts a cup of tea; madness lasts an hour." They were nearing that limit. He bolted, vanishing in a flash of light.
Xiaoyaozi and the elders exchanged glances. Wuchenzi's got some loyalty, not dragging us into this, they thought. Worth saving him for that.
"You Human Sect folks have gathered," Beimingzi said, his aura intensifying. "Got an explanation?"
Xiaoyaozi braced himself. "This match—we, the Human Sect, approve it. Whether he joins your sect or marries her, we're fine with it."
A colossal kun fish plummeted from the sky, slamming Xiaoyaozi and the elders into the ground. They'd braced for impact, barely avoiding serious injury.
"Run! Uncle Beimingzi's gone mad!" Li Haimo's voice echoed via transmission, already long gone.
"We…" Xiaoyaozi coughed, spitting blood, furious. That kid seemed loyal a second ago! He knew Beimingzi would lose it and didn't warn us properly! Well, maybe he had, and they'd misunderstood. Too late now.
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