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Chapter 406: Hmph

However, those who managed to become sworn brothers with the Chief of the Whale Gang were all prominent figures in the immortal realm, such as Huang Hanshan, the Lord of Thunderbolt Stronghold.

Chu Liang never imagined he would encounter such a situation himself and could only conclude that this man truly had a deep fondness for forming brotherhoods.

But he couldn\'t find any reason to refuse.

After all, having an older brother like this in the martial world would certainly boost his confidence when venturing out in the future.

And so, he agreed without any hesitation.

However, Xu Hongqiu, who had been silent until now, spoke up from behind, "Father, if you do this, how am I supposed to interact with Young Hero Chu in the future? Wouldn\'t he be a whole generation older than me?"

"Oh, what\'s the big deal?" Xu Bashan dismissed his daughter\'s concern with a wave of his hand. "From now on, you each address him as you see fit. You can call him Uncle, and he can call you Elder Sister."

Well then, you are clearly well-versed in the art of swearing brotherhoods.

Since he had said this, Chu Liang naturally agreed, "Since Chief Xu has extended such a gracious offer, I wouldn\'t dare refuse."

Xu Hongqiu, standing nearby, couldn\'t argue any further.

Today, she and her father truly owed a great debt to Chu Liang and his teacher. If Chu Liang hadn\'t rescued Xu Bashan from Python Belly City, or if Di Nufeng hadn\'t driven the Heaven-Devouring Python to this place...

The outcome might have been Xu Hongqiu\'s wrongful death, with the added accusation of colluding with the Celestial Charm Sect, while Xu Bashan would have remained trapped in Python Belly City for life.

One had to admit that Xu Bashan\'s actions were an excellent strategy.

Considering that Chu Liang had saved the lives of the Chief of the Whale Gang as well as his daughter, what could he even give to show his gratitude? Although he had lowered himself down to swear brotherhood with Chu Liang and he might need to look out for Chu Liang later on, Chu Liang was not an ordinary person.

Maybe in a dozen years, Chu Liang would end up being the one looking out for the Chief of the Whale Gang.

With hundreds of thousands of members in the Whale Gang, anyone who could become the Chief would naturally be well-versed in social matters.

Immediately, Xu Bashan grabbed Chu Liang. As they stood before the members of the immortal sects and the brothers in the martial world, he declared loudly, "Listen up! Everyone! Today is the day that I, Xu Bashan, swear to be brothers with Chu Liang. Even if we are of different surnames, we shall be brothers! From now on, as long as he doesn\'t go against morality or commit crimes, all his affairs are my affairs as well! I ask you all to bear witness!"

Naturally, the crowd was stunned. Everyone knew Chu Liang had saved Xu Bashan, but none of them expected such an extravagant display of gratitude.

However, given that it was Xu Bashan, this sort of grand gesture was entirely in line with his character.

If this had happened on its own, it would have been the talk of the martial world. But on a day already packed with one dramatic event after another, it merely added to the chaos, causing only a minor stir among the crowd.

In the blink of an eye, the members of the Whale Gang had already set up the altar, incense, candles, a rooster... and all the other items needed for a brotherhood ritual, leaving Chu Liang momentarily stunned. It seemed this new Big Brother was indeed highly experienced in these brotherhood-forming rituals, as even his subordinates were well-versed in the process.

After all the chaos, the forces of the Imperial Supervisory Bureau quickly arrived and started questioning everyone present, inquiring about specific details.

Of course, the observers from the immortal sects received slightly better treatment, being questioned briefly before being allowed to leave.

It wasn\'t until they left the Giant Whale Mountain Manor that Chu Liang finally had a chance to speak with Jiang Yuebai.

...

Chu Liang and Di Nufeng, being the most involved, were the last to leave this session of questioning.

Since this involved the people in the Python Belly City, Chu Liang reminded the Imperial Supervisory Bureau to check on those people as soon as possible since they had captured the Heaven-Devouring Python. He was concerned that a conflict between the demon race and the human race in the city could result in unnecessary casualties. However, with the Heaven-Devouring Python already in Li Chengfeng\'s hands, it was only a matter of time before the people inside were rescued, so there was no need for excessive worry.

The Imperial Supervisory Bureau took this matter seriously and immediately dispatched people into the hidden realm to investigate.

By the time the teacher and disciple came out from the hall, it was already evening. The group from the Mount Shu Sect who had come to attend the ceremony was waiting in an open field outside the manor.

"Senior Uncle Wang and fellow disciples," Chu Liang greeted as he stepped forward and nodded slightly. He glanced over at Jiang Yuebai and said, "Senior Sister Jiang."

Although Chu Liang appeared fine, Jiang Yuebai still asked softly, "Are you alright?"

"All is well," Chu Liang replied with a smile, shaking his head.

On the other side, Di Nufeng greeted Wang Xuanling in a much more straightforward manner.

With her hands tucked into her sleeves, she walked up to him, frowned, and bluntly said, "Let\'s go, old man."

Wang Xuanling\'s expression immediately darkened again, but he was too tired to argue with her. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned to leave.

Di Nufeng, however, refused to follow behind him, unwilling to let it seem like he was leading her group. She quickly took a few steps to overtake Wang Xuanling.

Wang Xuanling, not wanting to walk behind Di Nufeng, immediately quickened his pace, taking a few swift steps to overtake her.

The rivalry between the Jade Sword Peak’s master and the Silver Sword Peak’s master flared up, driving them to quicken their pace. What began as a brisk walk soon escalated into a full-blown race, until they both unleashed their divine abilities, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"..."

The disciples who had just started walking exchanged helpless glances. These days, the disciples of Jade Sword Peak, like Xu Ziyang and Lin Bei, got along quite well with those from Silver Sword Peak, including Chu Liang. The old rivalry between the two factions had long since faded.

Their two teachers were their only worry.

In any case, the disciples knew their way home, so they let the two go on ahead.

Just as everyone was about to take off and head back, a voice suddenly called out from behind, "Young Hero Chu!"

Chu Liang turned around and saw that it was Xu Hongqiu once again.

"Miss Xu?" He was a bit puzzled as he turned back to meet her. Naturally, he couldn\'t call her "niece."

"Things were quite chaotic earlier, and I didn\'t even get a chance to thank you personally," Xu Hongqiu said with a smile. "I wanted to take this moment to express my gratitude before you leave."

"Miss Xu... Didn\'t Chief Xu already swear brotherhood with me?" Chu Liang replied with a smile. "As I travel the martial world, I\'ll surely rely on the protection of the Whale Gang, so there\'s no need for further thanks."

"My father and I are not the same person. I truly don\'t know how to repay you for saving my life..." Xu Hongqiu said solemnly, her gaze fixed on Chu Liang.

As she spoke, her thoughts drifted back to that moment of despair, when he descended on the back of the Inferno Dragon and...

"Cultivators like us should always be loyal and heroic. What I did at that time was something anyone would have done, so it\'s really not worth mentioning. If you keep talking about repayment, I\'ll start to feel a bit embarrassed," Chu Liang said, waving his hand dismissively.

But then, with a sudden change in tone, he added, "However... now that I think about it, there is a small favor you could help me with."

"Hmm... Hmm?" Xu Hongqiu was about to respond to Chu Liang\'s generous words when he suddenly shifted the conversation, catching her off guard.

She quickly asked, "What favor?"

"Your Whale Gang..." Chu Liang smiled and said, "has quite a few businesses in Taotie City, right?"

After a brief conversation with Xu Hongqiu, Chu Liang rejoined the group, only to notice everyone watching him with a peculiar glint in their eyes.

Yet, no one uttered a word.

The atmosphere seemed a bit awkward.

Lin Bei’s expression revealed the internal struggle he was facing as he held back a wave of teasing remarks. If Senior Sister Jiang weren’t present, he would have surely teased Chu Liang.

As they walked together, Jiang Yuebai finally broke the silence. With a soft smile, she teased, "From the way Miss Xu was gazing at you, one might think she\'s ready to propose marriage."

"What?" Chu Liang blinked in surprise. "I can\'t believe you guessed it right!"

Without missing a beat, Jiang Yuebai quickened her pace, putting some distance between them.

"Hey, wait!" Chu Liang called after her, chuckling. "We were just discussing business, I swear!"

"Hmph."