Chapter 520 NNF invitation
?A wizened old man who had a still muscular and powerful frame, but in already visible decline, and with a thick white beard covering most of his lower face and tied up in several places below, hanging to his lower abdomen, sat on a sitting mat at the end opposite from the stairs that led up to the terrace.
His frame was lit from behind with an orange-yellow glow of the volcanic lake, and thus his features were harder to see with naked eye because of the contrasting dark, and yet there seemed to be a fiery glint that should be coming from lava in his eyes despite facing away from it.
Wu Long noted twelve empty sitting mats on both sides of the man, six on each.
There was also a sitting mat in the very center of the terrace, likely prepared for himself.
"Greetings, Temple Master Qi"
Wu Long cupped his hands and the man nodded, cupping his hands as well.
"Welcome to the Brilliant Sun Temple, Daoist Wu, I have heard a lot of praise from Grand Elder Gan, and despite the impression he gives off he doesn't give out his praise easil-..."
The man smiled under the beard, speaking in a wizened, raspy old voice that still had a lot of power behind it, but the next moment his words were interrupted by a shout filled with indignation.
"Huh?! What do you mean despite the impression I give off?! Are you saying there's something wrong with how I behave? You wanna fight, Old Man?!!"
"Huh?!?! I see the previous beating I gave you wasn't enough? Sit down and let me talk with our guest before I just might take you up on that offer!"
"Well come on then! I was itching to have a revenge match with you since the last time!"
"You just never learn! Have you ever won even once? I might be getting old but I still haven't declined to be beaten by mutts like you"
"Oho! Let's test that out then! There's a first for everythi-...!"
"Master, Grand Elder... we have a guest"
Beng Mao tore into the heating up conversation between the two as their faces were starting to get red. The two froze, and turning their eyes to Wu Long, only exchanged gazes that said "this isn't over" before turning to him completely and Grand Elder Gan went off to sit down.
But to Wu Long's surprise, he did not take up one of the twelve seats around the Temple Master, as there was a separate sitting mat to the side.
Beng Mao sighed with relief and also went to take his place behind and slightly to the side of the Temple Master while Wu Long was offered a seat in the center.
"Ahm, khu-khum. My apologies Daoist Wu.
Now, where were we...?
Ah, yes.
I was going to apologize for having you come so far out here on such short notice, but there has been some opposition on the matter and... it would've become complicated if we were to postpone it"
Temple Master Qi Shan cleared his throat and continued where they left off earlier.
"It is quite alright, Palace Master Qi.
I understand the gist of it. Though it seems this meeting would have more people in attendance..."
"Mm, the rest of the Grand Elders would be joining us later, but as I wanted to have at least an opportunity to speak to you eye to eye without every word being interrupted, I delayed summoning them.
Though we do not have much time until then"
"Then let's get to it, what did you wish to discuss?"
"I have already heard from Grand Elder Gan, but, just for the sake of confirmation, you wish to get access to our Temple's legacy, correct?"
The old man spoke, raising his hand toward Grand Elder Gan when the latter wanted to bicker about not believing his words.
"Indeed"
Wu Long nodded without changing his expression much, as the glint in the eyes of the Temple Master intensified.
"Hahaha, quite bold of you to ask something that you know is more valuable than almost anything in any Sect, isn't it?"
The man spoke lightly, without any heavy emotions as Wu Long smiled back at him.
"Well, I do offer you a hand in passing the ordeal that is ahead of your Sect"
"Hehe, that is the problem.
Our council is split in half, as some believe there is absolutely no scenario of us participating in that conflict"
"But then again, is that not why you have Grand Elder Gan to be an outside voice?"
Wu Long chuckled, causing both old men to very subtly widen their eyes, as Qi Shan then smiled with a hearty laugh whileGan Shihan started counting his praying beads.
"Hahaha, nothing gets past you
That is true, and it is true he believes that the flames of war outside will reach our distant shores, however..."
"...it is not so easy to persuade people adamant that they are right?"
Wu Long finished the words for the Temple Master when the latter paused, earning a smile from him.
"Mm, and there are also those among those believing in the conflict involving us that do not trust you would be able to help"
"Am I not offering to help you first and receive access to the Sect's legacy later?"
"Haha, it is nice and simple with you"
The Brilliant Sun Temple Master chuckled, nodding as he spoke. He could see the logic, but the trust of others was not so easily earned.
It was easy to say that they only needed to give him this reward after he helped them, but wouldn't his help require their cooperation? What if his goal was to confuse them by concealing that his real goal was actually go get their cooperation and lead them all into ruin?
There were also those adamant about preserving the secrecy of the legacy even if it meant the doom of the Sect, as that was the doctrine of the Eternal Sun Temple, whose members surviving the Great Calamity founded the Brilliant Sun Temple.
The legacy of the Eternal Sun Temple has not been breached even once throughout its immensely long history, a feat so monumental it was hardly ever achieved by any Sect.
Even some of the most powerful Sects had their secrets eventually exposed one way or another at some point in their history.
It was the reason why Wu Long never had a chance to study that particular legacy, along with the legacy of the Eternal Moon Garden, even if he was at one point determined to.
It was definitely a longshot, but since this was not really the Eternal Sun Temple and only its offshoot Sect which in itself was not possible in the outside world, he saw a very slim possibility to finally get access to those precious secrets.
"If you really wish to study our legacy, why don't you enter our Sect?"
Beng Mao spoke up enthusiastically while both Grand Elder Gan and Temple Master nearly wheezed from laughter seeing Wu Long's expression in response to that proposal, that was very quickly hidden but was engraved in the eyes of the two.
'And become a permanent member of the No-Nut-Forever Club? Is this guy mocking me?'
Wu Long thought for a split moment.
The image of him with a bald head also visited the two old men and Grand Elder Gan nearly lost it, turning to the side while coughing as Temple Master Qi put a fist to his mouth.
"Ahem, khem~ Daoist Wu is already a Dual Cultivator, so he would not be able to practice our ways, My Disciple"
"Ah, my apologies, I have not thought about that. My condolences on not having the fortune of receiving the blessings of the Brilliant Sun Temple"
Beng Mao sincerely spoke as Wu Long shook his head.
'I'm good thank you. NNF Club is definitely not for me'
As he thought that, there was movement in the lower levels of the Pagoda Tower, as it seemed that the Grand Elders have finally arrived.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ov𝒆l.com