This performance, with its layered progression and rich emotions, was worthy of a grandmaster of the stage!
Li Nanzhu nodded with satisfaction, looking like a little devil whose scheme had succeeded. She put the jade pendant away casually and clapped her hands. "That’s more like it! Wouldn't it have been better if you were this obedient from the start? It would have saved you from this physical suffering! Don't worry, following me... ahem, following our Five Elements Dao Sect won't lead you astray!"
Duan Xianxing also grinned and slapped Liu Qingyang's shoulder again, making the latter grimace in pain. "That’s right, Qingyang! The wise submit to the circumstances! Follow us, and I guarantee you'll be living the high life!"
He emphasized the words 'physical suffering' on purpose, earning a subtle glare from Liu Qingyang that carried hints of 'murderous intent' and 'settling scores later.'
Seeing that the act was sufficient, Jiang Yifan finally made the final decision. His tone carried a trace of unquestionable majesty and the slight helplessness of someone prioritizing the bigger picture.
"Since that is the case, Junior Brother Liu will travel with us for the time being. I hope you recognize the situation, stay in your place, and do not cause any more trouble. Otherwise..." He didn't finish the sentence, but the warning was clear.
These words were meant for Liu Qingyang, but also for any outsiders who might be watching, indicating that the Five Elements Dao Sect's attitude toward this hostage was one of control and utility rather than cooperation.
In reality, everyone knew it was all just a show, and each of them was secretly incredibly satisfied with their own acting.
On the high platform outside the secret realm, the atmosphere also became subtle due to this sudden scene in the cave.
When Li Nanzhu suddenly attacked Liu Qingyang and pinned him to the ground without warning, a low wave of gasps and discussions broke out on the platform.
"This... how can that little girl from the Five Elements Dao Sect be so arrogant?" An elder leading a mid-sized sect couldn't help but frown. "That Liu Qingyang just gave them medicine to help, and she turned on him in the blink of an eye?"
"Hmph, truly a heterodox path. Their actions have no sense of decorum!"
However, the more experienced and steady figures, such as the sect leaders of the major sects, did not speak immediately. Instead, they watched every detail on the light screen with sharp eyes.
When Liu Changhe saw his son suddenly knocked down and pinned by Li Nanzhu, his heart instinctively tightened. But only a moment later, a flash of realization crossed his sharp eyes.
What followed was an extremely complex emotion, a mixture of annoyance, helplessness, and a touch of being between laughter and tears.
'That stupid boy...' Liu Changhe cursed inwardly.
He knew his son too well!
How could he, as a father, not know about the life-and-death friendship Liu Qingyang had formed with those people from the Five Elements Dao Sect—especially Li Nanzhu, Duan Xianxing, and Zhu Yinxi—back in the Forest of Demonic Beasts?
The moment his son even twitched, he could guess exactly what the boy was thinking or planning to do!
He had seen clearly Liu Qingyang's earlier conflicted look—obviously wanting to stay but forced to refuse due to his sect's position.
Now that Li Nanzhu had suddenly pulled this 'coercion by force' stunt... Liu Changhe understood the intentions of these juniors almost instantly!
'Good grief! They’re giving Qingyang a way out to join them while appearing forced!'
This method was both clever and incredibly shameless!
It preserved the face of the Water Moon Sect while satisfying the wishes of the Five Elements Dao Sect and his own foolish son.
It was simply... a perfect script tailored specifically for him!
Having figured this out, the breath Liu Changhe had been holding turned into a helpless sigh, stuck in his chest with nowhere to go.
The anger on his face gradually faded, replaced by an extremely vivid expression—he wanted to curse, yet he also wanted to laugh, and in the end, it all turned into profound speechlessness.
He looked at the light screen. His son's face was flushed red from Duan Xianxing's touch, his body was trembling, and tears were even pricking the corners of his eyes as he struggled to keep from breaking character, trying his best to look humiliated unto death. His acting was actually much better than his father had imagined...
Liu Changhe felt his old face burning slightly.
After all, he knew very well that his son had been ticklish since childhood.
'Embarrassing! Truly embarrassing to the extreme!' He could almost imagine how the other sect leaders were feeling smug and contemptuous in their hearts right now.
Rong Lingmeng looked at Liu Qingyang's humiliated appearance on the light screen, a meaningful curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.
She naturally knew that Liu Qingyang had a good personal relationship with the members of the Five Elements Dao Sect; she had even heard rumors of their experiences in the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
In her eyes, this scene was ten to one a performance agreed upon by both sides.
But... Liu Qingyang's face was so red it looked like it was about to drip blood, the physiological tears at the corners of his eyes were so realistic, and his body was trembling slightly while he suppressed his reaction...
Wasn't this acting a bit too realistic?
'Could it be... that Duan Xianxing was being too rough and actually hurt him? Or is this Liu boy so thin-skinned that being searched in public truly feels like a humiliation?'
A trace of doubt flashed through her mind, causing her originally certain judgment to waver slightly.
She let out a light laugh and said to Liu Changhe, "Sect Leader Liu, your son's... look of enduring humiliation actually shows quite a bit of character." Her words sounded like praise, but they were actually a probe.
Ling Xiao's face remained as cold as ice. He valued rules the most and instinctively detested such coercive behavior.
But he was no fool. He had been a witness to the friendship between Liu Qingyang and the Five Elements Dao Sect back in the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
At this moment, he scrutinized every detail on the light screen.
In his eyes, the components of pain and humiliation in Liu Qingyang's reaction seemed a bit too intense, not appearing entirely fake.
Especially those instantly flushed cheeks and the bulging veins; unless one was truly subjected to great stimulation, it would be difficult to feign it so naturally.
'Could it be... that the Five Elements Dao Sect isn't acting, but actually taking the opportunity to control a disciple of the Water Moon Sect to restrain Liu Changhe? Does that Li Nanzhu truly have such courage and cunning?'
This thought made his gaze grow a few degrees colder, but in the end, he only gave a cold snort.
Gong Yang, the sect leader of the Wuji Sect, had his brow knitted into a knot.
He also knew some of the inside story, but Liu Qingyang's miserable state really didn't look like an act.
"Are those people from the Five Elements Dao Sect really that ruthless? They truly treated Liu Changhe's son like a hostage?"
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible. After all, in the competition for a secret realm, interests were paramount. What methods wouldn't be used?
The gaze he directed at Liu Changhe even carried a trace of undetectable sympathy as he said in a muffled voice, "Sect Leader Liu, my condolences... ahem, restrain your anger." He almost slipped up and quickly corrected himself.
The elders and disciples of the other sects were even more vocal, their opinions varied.
"I don't think it's fake. Look at Senior Brother Liu, he looks like he's about to cry!"
"Yeah, look at how red his neck is. He must be furious!"
"But weren't they on good terms before? Why would Senior Sister Li suddenly turn on him?"
"What do you know? This is the Sect Competition. In the face of interests, where are there any true friends? Perhaps the Five Elements Dao Sect saw Senior Brother Liu's status and wanted to use him to manipulate the Water Moon Sect!"
"That makes sense... this move is truly ruthless!"
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