"Despicable scoundrel!" Ye Haochuan glared furiously at Li Qi, his eyes filled with rage. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

In fact, as soon as Li Qi leapt off the cliff, he already realized that Li Qi hadn’t really fallen. Instead, he’d used a pre-prepared sword to anchor himself in a crevice, hanging mid-mountain.

Originally, Ye Haochuan didn’t pay much attention to this clown, planning to teach him a lesson after dealing with Ju Yuqu.

However, Ju Yuqu’s strength was beyond his imagination. Even while fighting desperately, he was still in danger.

In the heat of battle, he naturally forgot about the unimportant Li Qi. Who would have thought that in the end, the one who would foil his efforts was indeed this clown, making it impossible for him not to be angry.

"Ye, last time I told you not to be so careless. And here you are, still not learning your lesson!" Li Qi smiled smugly, "You gotta use your brain. Relying just on brute strength is foolish!"

"You..." Ye Haochuan was momentarily at a loss for words.

He had indeed been careless, even after being framed by Li Qi before, he still didn’t hold enough vigilance against him.

"What a scoundrel!" In the main hall of the Half-Mountain Residence, the sturdy man snorted furiously, "Second senior brother, such a person, even if he gets the Seven-Colored Mysterious Stone, should never be accepted!"

"Indeed a bit treacherous..." Liu Bai frowned, disdainfully.

But Shentu Fu, eyes twinkling, laughed, "I think, although not quite above board, he accurately seized the moment, so can’t really call it wrong!"

"Third senior brother, weren’t you rooting for Ye Haochuan the most? Why are you now speaking for that scoundrel?" The sturdy man asked, puzzled.

"Just because I support him doesn’t mean he has to be a disciple of the Half-Mountain Residence. This time, he successfully stopped Ju Yuqu from entering the Half-Mountain Residence, so he completed the task. Whether the person entering is him, doesn’t really matter!" Shentu Fu smirked.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bai suddenly fell into contemplation.

Moments later, eyes lit up, he smiled, "Third junior brother is right. Given Young Chap Ye’s status, he’s indeed not suitable to directly enter the Half-Mountain Residence. Let’s do it like this and let Li Qi take the title!"

With that, he waved his hand, and the three who were originally on the mountaintop suddenly appeared in the main hall.

At this time, Ye Haochuan looked at Li Qi with eyes almost spitting fire. Ju Yuqu was vacant-eyed, eventually laughing foolishly, seemingly out of his mind.

Only Li Qi was utterly smug, his face breaking into a grin as wide as a chrysanthemum.

Upon seeing Liu Bai and the others, his expression immediately became serious, respectfully saying, "Manor Master, here is the Seven-Colored Mysterious Stone. Please confirm it!"

"No need for confirmation. Though your strength is slightly lacking, your scheming isn’t bad, and fortune seems to favor you, so it appears to be destiny." Liu Bai kindly said, "From today onwards, you are the ninth disciple of the Filial Sect!"

"Thank you, Manor Master!" Li Qi knelt and bowed respectfully three times to Liu Bai.

Liu Bai nodded and called toward the door, "Longyue, take your ninth junior brother down and see everything arranged properly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened, and Shu Longyue along with Ge Ping and others slowly entered.

When they saw Li Qi kneeling in front of Liu Bai, they couldn’t help being astonished.

They had thought Ju Yuqu might win or Ye Haochuan would turn the tables, but never imagined that the least conspicuous Li Qi would become their junior brother.

However, since it was the Manor Master’s judgment, naturally, they dared not voice any opposition. Quickly, Shu Longyue left with a thrilled Li Qi.

While leaving, Li Qi smugly glanced at Ye Haochuan.

If not for the exhaustion in his body, Ye Haochuan would have loved nothing more than to crush Li Qi.

After arranging for Li Qi, Liu Bai had Ge Ping take Ju Yuqu away, to heal him and then send him out of the Half-Mountain Residence.

Thus, in the main hall, only Ye Haochuan, Liu Yifei, and the three heads of the Half-Mountain Residence remained.

"Young Chap Ye, don’t be disheartened..." Seeing Ye Haochuan’s disappointed look, Shentu Fu smiled.

"I didn’t become a disciple of the Half-Mountain Residence, and yet you won’t save Sophia. How can I not be disheartened?" Ye Haochuan said angrily.

Shentu Fu lightly smiled and said, "Even though you didn’t become a disciple of the Half-Mountain Residence, you successfully completed the task, so I will indeed save your lover!"

"Really?" Ye Haochuan instantly perked up, asking in return.

"Of course, what’s the benefit of lying to you for me?" Shentu Fu smiled.

"That’s great!" Ye Haochuan was overjoyed, but then he frowned slightly and asked, "So, the reason you wanted me to become a disciple of the Half-Mountain Residence was simply because you didn’t want Ju Yuqu to enter?"

"You’re very perceptive!" Shentu Fu smiled, "However, I can’t tell you why for now. Also, after I save your lover, you’ll need to agree to some of my conditions!"

"Again with the conditions? Didn’t we already discuss them before? Do you never tire of them?" Ye Haochuan said grumpily.

"The previous condition was for you to become a disciple of the Half-Mountain Residence, which you didn’t achieve, did you?" Shentu Fu chuckled.

"You..." Ye Haochuan was instantly speechless.

Beside him, Liu Bai chuckled and said, "Stop teasing him, let me explain."

He then said to Ye Haochuan, "What we propose isn’t really a condition, because everything we do is for your protection, to protect the Hua Clan!"

"Protect me? Protect the Hua Clan?" Ye Haochuan was somewhat bewildered.

"Yes, to protect you and the Hua Clan! Because you will be the hope for the revival of our Hua Clan!" Liu Bai said seriously.

"What? Grandfather, you say he is also from the Hua Clan?" Liu Yifei asked in surprise, shedding her previous demeanor.

"Grandfather?" Now it was Ye Haochuan’s turn to be surprised.

Liu Bai smiled slightly and introduced to Ye Haochuan, "Yifei is my biological granddaughter and the only Hua Clan member in the Filial Sect!"

With that, he also explained to Liu Yifei about Ye Haochuan’s origins from the Lower Realm. Only then did Liu Yifei accept the fact, amidst her astonishment, that Ye Haochuan was also from the Hua Clan.

"What exactly is this Hua Clan? Throughout my travels, I’ve never heard anyone mention it. I thought all cultivators in the Immortal Realm belonged to one tribe." Ye Haochuan asked in confusion.

"In the Immortal Realm, there were once countless tribes, but now, it’s indeed become one tribe!"

"You mean, the Hua Clan was also one of those countless tribes?"

"The Hua Clan was indeed one of the myriad tribes, but it’s different from the others!"

Liu Bai explained, "All I can tell you is, when you go out in the future, never claim to be a member of the Hua Clan, or you’ll bring about your own destruction!"

What, is it that severe?

Ye Haochuan was incredibly curious in his heart.