Chapter 785: Respect Given, Respect Returned

Ye Guan cast a bewildered gaze at Qiu Shi.

Is he serious?

Qiu Shi was respectful, but he was all smiles and his face was filled with undisguised flattery.

Qiu Shi's face made Ye Guan realize that he seemed to have underestimated the status of the Supreme Scholar in the Asura Civilization.

"Let's go see the Supreme Scholar."

Qiu Shi felt a bit disappointed that Ye Guan showed no interest in his daughter; he didn't dare to grumble as he said, "All right."

Ye Guan and Yi Nian followed Qiu Shi's lead. Along the way, Ye Guan's expression grew colder as he looked around.

The middle-aged man had clearly targeted him, but he didn't even know the former, which meant that someone was pulling some strings behind the scenes.

Who is behind it?

Ye Guan already had a guess.

On the other side of the road, a lady on the street was staring coldly at Ye Guan and Yi Nian from afar. The lady was none other than Commander Pan, and she was both surprised and delighted by Ye Guan's arrival.

The blood-red coffin!

A divine object from a Tier Four civilization—she naturally had her eyes on it. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to target Ye Guan directly. The Supreme Scholar wasn't someone she could offend, after all.

Thus, she dared not act on her desires, but Ye Guan had decided to visit the Asura Civilization for some reason.

And just because she wasn't daring enough to do anything to Ye Guan didn't mean that other people in the Asura Civilization shared the same sentiment as her...

Commander Pan retracted her gaze and turned around to leave.

***

On the street, Yi Nian was playing with a small wooden figurine.

Ye Guan was curious. "What is that?"

Yi Nian smiled and then leaned closer to Ye Guan, whispering, "I'll tell you once no one else is around."

"All right,” replied Ye Guan, sounding surprised.

Soon, Ye Guan and Yi Nian followed Qiu Shi to a grand hall.

The grand hall's walls were painted with gold and jade, and a young man in a white robe was standing at the entrance.

The young man walked up to the three of them and frowned. "Qiu Shi, why are you here instead of standing guard outside?"

Qiu Shi bowed slightly and said, "Scholar Yu, these two esteemed guests are friends of the Supreme Scholar..."

Qiu Shi glanced at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan took out a badge, astonishing Scholar Yu.

Scholar Yu swept his gaze across Ye Guan and Yi Nian, and his icy face softened. "Please give me a moment."

With that, he turned around and walked deeper into the hall.

Ye Guan looked around with a frown; he could feel quite a few gazes scrutinizing him from afar.

Just then, a young man walked over from a distance. He was dressed in a robe decorated with cloud patterns, and there was a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Qiu Shi hurriedly bowed upon seeing the young man. "Greetings, Young Master Jiang."

Taia Jiang!

The Asura Civilization had three major powerful clans—the Taia Clan, the Asura Clan, and the Xuan Clan. Naturally, these three clans hold immense power.

Taia Jiang ignored Qiu Shi and looked at Ye Guan, smiling, "So you are Ye Guan?"

Ye Guan was a bit surprised. "You know me?"

"I heard you obtained a divine item from a Tier Four civilization. I'm very curious about it. Would you mind showing it to me?"

"I mind."

Taia Jiang's eyes narrowed slightly, but his smile remained as he asked, "Can you show me some respect?"

Ye Guan cast an indifferent gaze at Taia Jiang before turning to Qiu Shi beside him, asking, "Is killing illegal here?"

Qiu Shi was completely stunned.

"

Haha!

" Taia Jiang suddenly laughed, "Here, the strong are respected. Killing isn't much of an issue. Come... I beg you to kill me—"

Swoosh!

A sword suddenly appeared a few inches away from Taia Jiang.

The Phantom Edge executed with the Qingxuan Sword!

Whenever two powerful and straightforward individuals meet, they would most likely end up fighting each other. It seemed that the famous saying was true.

Taia Jiang's pupils shrank, but he recovered quickly and waved his sleeve.

Swoosh!

A shield appeared in front of him.

Bang!

The shield shattered instantly, and the Qingxuan Sword stopped half an inch away from Taia Jiang's forehead.

At the same time, an elderly man in hemp clothing appeared behind Taia Jiang; his right hand was clenched into a fist, but he dared not attack.

Taia Jiang stared at the Qingxuan Sword in front of him with a pale face.

Instant defeat!

Ye Guan chose not to kill Taia Jiang. He opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword flew back into his hand.

"Is it worth it to die as a mere pawn?" he asked and turned to the elderly man in hemp clothing behind Taia Jiang. "What do you think?"

The elderly man cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for sparing his life."

With that, he grabbed Taia Jiang and was about to leave when Taia Jiang said, "If it weren't for that sword, you—"

"Shut up!" the elderly man interrupted, and his voice boomed like thunder.

Taia Jiang's face became ugly.

The elderly man glared coldly at Taia Jiang, and then he cupped his hands toward Ye Guan. "Young Master Ye, our Taia Clan has no idea of this incident. Otherwise, we wouldn't have allowed him to target you.

"We apologize for our mistake today. If you're free in the future, please feel free to visit our Taia Clan. We'd be honored to host you."

Ye Guan said, "If there's an opportunity, I'll certainly visit."

The elderly man cupped his hands again and said, "We will certainly welcome you!"

With that, he turned around and left with Taia Jiang.

After they left, Little Pagoda remarked,

"I thought you'd kill him."

Ye Guan chuckled.

"Why would I?"

Little Pagoda replied, "Why not?"

"He was clearly being used. If I had killed him, I'd be making an enemy of the Taia Clan, which is exactly what the mastermind wants to happen. The Taia Clan would then go all out to attack me. I'd likely lose and would have to flee. In the worst-case scenario, I'd have to call on Plain-Skirt Aunt or my grandfather to resolve the situation," Ye Guan remarked, and then he added, "Some issues can be avoided, and this issue is one of those issues that can be avoided. Wouldn't the Taia Clan be angry upon learning that the young man earlier was doing someone's bidding? They'd definitely be mad. The fact that I did not kill the young man and even revealed the truth means that I may just have obtained an ally."

"You've truly matured a lot,"

said Little Pagoda.

Ye Guan smiled, and then he turned to look at the entrance of the grand hall.

A lady was walking toward him, and she was dressed in a pristine white robe that looked as pure as snow. She was none other than the Supreme Scholar.

The Supreme Scholar quickly approached Ye Guan and the others.

Qiu Shi immediately knelt down, and he was trembling as he greeted, "Greetings to the Supreme Scholar!"

The Supreme Scholar smiled gently. "No need for formalities."

Qiu Shi bowed. He stood up slowly and then walked away to stand on the side. His waist was still bent slightly; he dared not stand tall before the Supreme Scholar.

The Supreme Scholar looked at Ye Guan and said, "I apologize. I was doing some research. Otherwise, I would have come to greet you personally."

Qiu Shi's eyelids twitched in disbelief.

"Please follow me," said the Supreme Scholar.

Ye Guan suddenly called out, "Wait."

The Supreme Scholar turned around to stare at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled and explained, "I encountered some trouble when I first arrived in this city, and this senior here—Senior Qiu Shi—resolved the issue for me. The situation is a bit complicated, so I'm a bit worried that he'll end up becoming a target to bully. That's not going to happen, right?

Qiu Shi was deeply moved. When Taia Jiang decided to make trouble for Ye Guan, Qiu Shi realized that the situation was far more complex than he had imagined.

It seemed that the middle-aged vendor from earlier was doing someone else's bidding, and Qiu Shi had killed the man, which meant offending the mastermind behind the middle-aged man.

Qiu Shi had a low status in the Asura Civilization, so if someone wanted him to "disappear," it would be as easy as taking candy away from a baby.

Ye Guan's words to the Supreme Scholar were clearly an attempt to secure a safety net for him, and Qiu Shi felt deeply moved upon realizing it.

The Supreme Scholar looked at Qiu Shi and said, "From now on, you will work at the Supreme Scholar Academy. Ah Ku, make the arrangements."

The young man in white behind her nodded. "Understood."

Qiu Shi was overjoyed, and he hurriedly bowed to express his gratitude

With that, Supreme Scholar led Ye Guan and Yi Nian deeper into the grand hall.

***

Meanwhile, the elderly man in hemp clothing was glaring coldly at Taia Jiang.

"Third Uncle, why should we fear him? He's just an outsider..." Taia Jiang grumbled.

"Fool!" the elderly in hemp clothing roared, his beard trembling with anger. He wanted to say more, but a middle-aged man suddenly appeared.

Taia Jiang's expression changed upon seeing the middle-aged man. He bowed deeply and exclaimed, "Greetings, Clan Leader!"

The middle-aged man was none other than Taia Tian—the Clan Leader of the Taia Clan.

Taia Tian glanced at Taia Jiang and nodded slightly. "Return to the clan."

Taia Jiang bowed deeply and retreated quietly.

Upon Taia Jiang's departure, Taia Tian calmly said, "Inform the Council of Elders to remove him from the list of heirs and cease his training."

The elderly man in hemp clothing hesitated.

"Making mistakes isn't the issue here; the issue here is that he can't even realize the mistake he has committed. Even worse, he isn't repenting after making a mistake. He's not worth cultivating at all."

The elderly man in hemp clothing sighed softly.

Taia Tian turned to look at the Supreme Scholar Academy in the distance and muttered, "Someone."

Swoosh!

A shadowy figure appeared behind Taia Tian.

Taia Tian calmly said, "Report."

"The mastermind who incited Young Master Jiang to make a move was Xuan Ming—the heir of the Xuan Clan. Meanwhile, the information about how Ye Guan has the inheritance of a Tier Four civilization was deliberately leaked by Commander Pan."

Taia Tian's eyes narrowed. "Commander Pan wants to use someone else's hand to kill, while the Xuan Clan wants to use us to test that young swordsman."

He then looked at the elderly man in hemp clothing and said, "Bring Commander Pan's head to Ye Guan."

"But Clan Leader!" the elderly man in hemp clothing hurriedly exclaimed, "Commander Pan is one of the Asura Guards under Commander Huang. If we—"

"She's nothing but an ant. The Asura Guards won't go to war with our Taia Clan over a young woman," Taia Tian assured and waved his hand dismissively.

"But we're not going to make any profit from this..." the elderly man in hemp clothing said.

"I've sought an audience with the Supreme Scholar three times, and she has never accepted my request, but she actually met that young man personally," Taia Tian said. He then closed his eyes and added, "That young man gave us some respect as well. Respect given, respect returned; that's all there is to this."