Misguided practice of sinister cultivation techniques: Slander! The problem lies with you all, not me!-Chapter 1172 - 604_2

Duan Yun quickly explained, "It's not what you think." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

As he spoke, he gave a shake, waking Ziyu up.

Ziyu shook her head, looking somewhat bewildered.

She just felt like she had been in deep sleep, but waking up felt a bit exhausting.

However, she quickly realized what had just happened, her cheeks flushing a little.

Why was I in that position, in that posture?

This posture usually only appears in casual novels when the heroine is being trained.

Green Jade!

At this moment, the Iron Maiden coughed and said, "No need to explain, you're both young, it's normal. But I've heard that when cousins get married, their children tend to be fools. There are indeed a few such cases in Yu'an City, with all the children born being fools."

Duan Yun and Ziyu had fabricated identities as cousins running away from home together, which aroused some concern from the Iron Maiden.

Seeing that it was hard to explain, Duan Yun said, "Master, we'll be careful."

Afterwards, he and Ziyu pretended as if nothing had happened and went to freshen up.

....

Their little spectacle was just a sideshow; today's main attraction was the Deyun Conference.

At noon, the innermost venue of Deyun Cave was already packed with people.

Sitting at the top was naturally Master Cao Wang, the organizer of this conference, and he was surrounded by several sage-like storytellers.

This was a gathering of storytellers, and the competition content was about storytelling.

The storytelling was divided into two parts, one part was traditional storytelling, and the other part was verbal sparring.

So-called verbal sparring means a verbal brawl.

A verbal brawl is a back-and-forth insult match, where the one who insults more viciously, makes the opponent lose control, or insults more fluently and creatively, often gains the favor of the "judges" and advances to the next stage.

This was also why the Iron Maiden believed Duan Yun had great talent.

Duan Yun's insults toward Old Demon Duan were unbelievably vulgar, never repetitive, and quite refreshing, something even she, with her years in storytelling, couldn't achieve.

By this time, Duan Yun and Ziyu were already in the cave venue.

There's no denying it, the Iron Maiden has quite a knack for persuasion, and her claim of being just a minor elder in the sect was not exaggerated, because Duan Yun and Ziyu were directly preselected to participate in this competition without needing to go through the external "tryouts."

Duan Yun couldn't help but remark, "Giving some gold sure gets things done."

The Iron Maiden, in fact, had her own thoughts. She was a junior elder, even one of the youngest of the Bloodthirsty Storytelling Sect's elders, but because she had offended some people before, she was never entrusted with important tasks.

In Yu'an City, her storytelling was said to be "expanding territories," but in fact, it was somewhat akin to being exiled, and in such a place, she always lacked "her own people."

In her eyes, Duan Yun was indeed a talent with great potential.

If this guy could really enter the Inner Sect and climb step by step, it would be beneficial to her.

Although she wasn't inclined to directly take him as a disciple yet, since him calling her "master" wasn't much different from calling her "mentor," after all, she was essentially providing a service for gold without much sincerity.

But if he became prosperous in the future, this act of guidance would have its merits; thus, in this conference, she was also keen on promoting Duan Yun and Ziyu, her two golden patrons.

The number of participants in this Inner Sect competition was significantly less than in the external "tryouts," approximately seventy people.

It was apparent that even among the connections like Duan Yun and Ziyu, their abilities were impressive, as one could tell from their warm-up moves.

For instance, a female storyteller was biting down on a steel pipe, her belly undulating like waves, uttering cries of "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Her voice wasn't particularly sharp, yet it caused the steel pipe to hum with vibrations, showing her remarkable oral and abdominal cultivation techniques.

While another contestant was burning incense nearby, praying while doing so, appearing extremely devout.

This appearance was more reminiscent of a swordsman preparing for a kill, bathing, burning incense, and dressing cleanly rather than a storyteller.

Swordsmen with such habits tend to have lethal skills, because to some extent, it represents a devotion to both the sword and the act of killing.

Once this storyteller begins speaking, it would probably be like a sharp sword being unsheathed, capable of killing metaphorically.

There was also a brother and sister duo, both with mouths filled with water, at that time spitting water to warm up their mouths.

Spitting water to warm the mouth involves holding water in one's mouth and spitting it towards the other's mouth while simultaneously catching the water being spat out by the other.

For a moment, the water flew back and forth between them in the air, exchanging places in each other's mouths without pause.

Ziyu observed this scene and said, "There's even a sibling pair competing together; they must both be quick talkers."

The Deyun Conference provided plenty of time for everyone to warm up their throats and voices, at least half an hour.

This half-hour was when participants diligently prepared, while for the Iron Maiden and the others, it was a rare opportunity for networking.

All those observing the conference were peers, many of whom were respected experts.

At this point, the Iron Maiden swung her ample bosom as she approached Third Sect Master Cao Wang.

Cao Wang had a fondness for beauty; if she could cater to his tastes, it would benefit her future growth within the sect.

The people she had once offended were all from the faction of the Second Master. Now, with Cao Wang, the young and capable Third Sect Master, surely the future Sect Leader, aligning with him seemed the right choice.

"Master Cao, it's been a while."

The Iron Maiden bowed deeply, displaying a prominent cleavage that left the nearby elders staring blankly.

Cao Wang's eyes twinkled as he quickly responded, "Elder Tie, it's been a while. I was wondering, have you married yet?"

The Iron Maiden's eyes sparkled with melancholy as she sighed, "Busy with storytelling and cultivating Inner Strength all day, I'm too busy to get married."

She intended to express her toil and dedication to the sect.

But upon hearing her answer, Cao Wang's demeanor instantly cooled as he remarked, "It seems the sect has burdened the elder with too much responsibility."

Only then did the Iron Maiden realize her mistake, thinking, "Uh oh! I forgot this rogue likes married women."

Cao Wang was notorious for his fondness for married women, having even slept with the Second Master's wife and the Great Sect Master's elderly mother, a fact known to many.

Unmarried women and virgins not only didn't appeal to Cao Wang but actually reduced his interest.

Seeing Cao Wang's change in expression, the Iron Maiden realized another attempt to ingratiate herself had failed.

"I'll marry off someday and then give you a visit, you Cao rogue!" the Iron Maiden thought to herself.

At this point, the Iron Maiden had no choice but to change the subject, saying, "Master Cao, I've brought some good talents this time."

Third Sect Master Cao Wang, disinterested, replied, "Is that so? Everyone here says the same thing, convinced that their own are the best."

Nearby, an elder with a prominent forehead spoke up, "Elder Tie, who are these good talents of yours?"

This elder with the large forehead was named Wang Tie and was from the faction of the Second Master.

You could say he and the Iron Maiden belonged to different camps.

At this moment, he stood up naturally intending to have a bit of a clash with the Iron Maiden.

He too had brought an impressive contestant this time.

It was none other than his own nephew, famously known as the Iron-faced Scholar who could talk circles around you with his tongue.

This time, he was confident that the top prize would go to his nephew!