Xin Yijie glanced at him and said coolly, "That is an internal affair of your Snow Sword Sect. So long as you prepare the spirit jade yourselves, this old man naturally will not stand in your way."

"Excellent. I will go prepare the spirit jade at once." Xue Jianfeng turned and left immediately. Having to shell out several pieces of spirit jade all at once just to deal with Leng Leng did pain him somewhat, but this was official business; once he returned he could apply to the sect for reimbursement, and with his connections he might even overstate the amount and claim a few extra pieces—two birds with one stone.

Watching Xue Jianfeng's retreating figure, Xin Yijie shook his head with a hint of contempt. An arrogant brat with no one in his eyes—before his mishap he had at least carried himself with a semblance of decency, and one really would have taken him for a rare young talent. Who would have thought that now, with his dantian ruined, his true colors would show so instantly? With such petty, unseemly character, even if his dantian were repaired he would never amount to much.

Not long after Xue Jianfeng departed, another visitor suddenly arrived seeking an audience—none other than Fei Yangsheng.

"What brings you here? Has the Grand Master-Uncle issued some instruction?" Xin Yijie asked at once. In his eyes Fei Yangsheng was no longer a disciple of the Snow Sword Sect but had become Wei Zhao's spokesman—after all, it was Fei Yangsheng who had carried his message last time.

"Senior Uncle Xin misunderstands me—though this matter does indeed have to do with Senior Lin." Fei Yangsheng paused, then asked, "Just now, was Xue Jianfeng about to send Leng Leng back to the Primordial Little Jianghu?"

"That is so. It is an internal affair of the Snow Sword Sect, and I had no grounds to stop it. Does this have something to do with the Grand Master-Uncle?" Xin Yijie could not help asking in puzzlement.

"Senior Uncle Xin, you may not know this: Leng Leng is close to Senior Lin. If she is simply escorted back to the Snow Sword Sect, Senior Lin will surely fly into a rage when he learns of it. We must think of something," Fei Yangsheng said anxiously.

"This..." Xin Yijie was struck dumb on the spot, his expression indescribably odd. Wei Zhao might look young, but in his heart Xin Yijie regarded him as an ancient being from the Primordial era—and now he had apparently taken up with a young girl like Leng Leng. Was this not the finest case of an old ox grazing on tender grass?

"What is it?" Fei Yangsheng asked, puzzled by his expression.

"Oh, nothing." Xin Yijie hurriedly banished the strange thought and said with a bitter smile, "The problem is that this is an internal affair of the Snow Sword Sect. Even though I am the leader in charge of this mortal-world trial, I cannot directly interfere in another sect's business—that is a great taboo."

"Uh..." Fei Yangsheng was momentarily stumped, then said helplessly, "Then what do we do? Are we just to watch helplessly as Leng Leng is escorted back to the Snow Sword Sect?"

Xin Yijie thought for a moment and said, "How about this: I cannot step forward to block it directly, but there is no problem in stalling for a little time. You go and inform the Grand Master-Uncle, and tell him to hurry over as quickly as possible."

"Good, I will go at once." Fei Yangsheng nodded and set off immediately.

Half an hour later, all was ready on Xue Jianfeng's side. Bringing the spirit jade and Leng Leng, he arrived at the Primordial Passage teleportation array—only to be stopped by Xin Yijie.

"What is the meaning of this?" Xue Jianfeng's face darkened.

"No meaning in particular. The Primordial Passage has transmitted five or six letters in succession these past two days and needs a proper round of maintenance. If you want to use it, wait until tomorrow," Xin Yijie said in a flat tone.

Xue Jianfeng nearly went mad with rage at this. Maintaining the Primordial Passage—what kind of goddamned excuse was that? Since when did Xin Yijie, a mere early Golden Core cultivator, know the first thing about servicing and maintaining a Primordial Passage teleportation array?!

"Senior Uncle Xin, this is an internal matter of our Snow Sword Sect. Surely you are not going to block even this? This is no small affair—are you not afraid that my Snow Sword Sect will lodge a complaint against you, and that you will never again find firm footing in the Primordial Alliance?" Xue Jianfeng said in an ugly tone, laced with menace.

"What internal matter? Maintaining the Primordial Passage is my duty, and now that has somehow become an internal affair of your Snow Sword Sect? What a grand tone you take!" Xin Yijie said scornfully.

"Hmph, you know that is not what I meant. Not maintaining it earlier, not maintaining it later, but suddenly it must be maintained just when I need to use it—aren't the traces of settling a private score under public pretext a little too obvious?" Xue Jianfeng sneered. Xin Yijie might be the senior uncle in charge, but the two had all but torn off all pretense, and their words were naturally thick with the smell of gunpowder.

"You overthink it. As the senior uncle in charge of this mortal-world trial, maintaining the Primordial Passage is the most important of all my duties. Everything was arranged long in advance. My capacity is not so narrow as to take revenge on a junior like you," Xin Yijie said coolly.

"..." Xue Jianfeng was choked speechless for a good while, his face turning green and white by turns. In a battle of words with an old thing like Xin Yijie, he was far outmatched in both seniority and cunning. After a long pause he could only say, "Fine. Even if it is maintenance, there must be a limit. When can I use it?"

"In two days," Xin Yijie said offhandedly. Two days' delay was already his limit; to stall any further would truly be beyond excuse.

"Fine, I will wait two days for you!" Xue Jianfeng turned and left with his people, grinding his teeth. After two steps he seemed to think of something and deliberately raised his voice: "All Snow Sword Sect disciples, hear me! These next two days, keep Leng Leng under close watch. There must be at least four on guard at every moment. I want to see just who is so bold as to dare meddle in the internal affairs of my Snow Sword Sect!"

Xin Yijie grimaced speechlessly. The fellow actually thought he was stalling in order to find a chance to set Leng Leng free—did he really look that brainless?

The two days passed in a flash, and all was calm at the Shennongjia mountain gate. Xue Jianfeng came again with his people to the Primordial Passage, and the first words out of his mouth upon seeing Xin Yijie were: "What excuse do you have for stalling now?"

"Stalling? When have I ever stalled you? You deceive yourself." Xin Yijie gave him a flat look, though inwardly he was growing anxious—if Wei Zhao did not arrive soon, he would have no grounds to keep stalling.

Xin Yijie was anxious, but Leng Leng was more anxious still. She had no idea that Fei Yangsheng had already gone to tip off Wei Zhao; at this moment a fierce final struggle was raging in her mind—should she keep enduring and be escorted back to the Snow Sword Sect, or throw caution to the winds and resist?

Thinking it over carefully, neither choice's consequences were bearable for her: either she would part from Wei Zhao forever, or she would confirm the charge of betraying her sect. It had to be one or the other!

Seeing Xin Yijie tactfully step aside, Xue Jianfeng sneered in triumph and fixed his eyes on Leng Leng: "Let's go. What are you waiting for? Returning to the Snow Sword Sect to be punished is your only fate—do you think anyone can change this foregone conclusion?"