Shan Chengfeng gulped back his intention to meddle in Li Taixuan's redistribution of Wu Gui. Punishment on Wu was a domestic issue of the Taixuan Sect. But he could wait no more to crack on about winning back Lin Xiao right after Wu Gui left.

Shan hastened to pull over Lin Xiao and sputtered, "Lin Xiao, I did witness with my very eyes that brute harming you at the Elixir Furnace Hall. Perhaps Patriarch Li is aware of that as well. Laudable as it is to return good for evil, it can't be guaranteed that won't happen again. You'd better off leaving with me for your own sake."

Shan spoke so loudly that Wu Gui happened to capture what Shan said on his way. He uttered a scared scream and hastened to yell, "I dare not!" "If only I had another pair of legs!" He thought to himself and staggered along toward the sect, like a bat out of hell. Wu feared that his master would change his mind and chop him to death out of rage if Shan rattled on like this.

It had never gone across Lin Xiao's mind that the wretched taoist could have done this for him. He stalled Shan off by saying that they were merely comparing notes for cultivation. Then he winked at Li Taixuan for help.

What happened next stunned the seniors across the board--their patriarch even grasped Lin Xiao's other hand and got engaged in a tug-of-war against Shan Chengfeng.

Being so long in the tooth, the age-long followers had never seen Li snatch a talent against an old man regardless of his own dignity.

Actually, that could hardly compare with the possible reaction of their counterpart, the Danling Sect. Once they learned that the overbearing Taoist Shan, who took no notice of his disciples but his alchemy undertakings, strived to snatch a disciple up in a third-rate sect, they would have spurted their eyeballs out.

Though neither used their spiritual energy, their wrestle was already terribly forceful per se. It was just as well that it was Lin Xiao rather than anyone else who was in between, otherwise, the two arms had long been wrested off.

Albeit safe and sound, Lin Xiao could neither cry nor laugh.

"Esteemed Taoist, please let go of me. You know I won't leave with you."

On hearing that, Shan Chengfeng stiffened and really let go, ghostly pale.

"I even humiliated myself through and through, in the hope that I could win him over. But I failed! That was...insufferably embarrassing! How could this be right?!" Shan Chengfeng felt hurt as if he had swallowed thousands of flies.

In contrast, Li Taixuan was as happy as a clam. Chi Yan the Great Master didn't back the wrong horse. Lin Xiao was both talented and upright. The future sect under his leadership would be...

Shan Chengfeng threw cold water on Li Taixuan while the latter longed for a bright prospect.

"Patriarch Li, you won. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Just a reminder, I did my fair share just now," Shan brought up his contribution out of sheer desperation, but what he said foreboded a disaster for Li Taixuan.

Hardly had Li Taixuan attempted to prevaricate when Shan stopped him by with a waving hand. Shan went on, "I sacrificed four Martial Law Gestation Elixirs, which took me years of efforts to materialize. Now Lin Xiao is out, what about my pellets?"

Li Taixuan pulled a long face and got panicked. He thought, "Even the Taixuan Sect as a whole is no equivalent to the four pellets, as Shan Chengfeng is the only producer. Apparently, Shan is intimidating me just in a bid to get Lin Xiao."

"Yes, the countermeasure couldn't be simpler--handing over Lin Xiao to Shan. But that was not up to me. And granted it is at my discretion, I would by no means let him go. Lin Xiao had it all over millions of the Martial Law Gestation Elixirs! But what can I do now? This old dog should be so insidious and shameless!"

Li Taixuan fell in a state of utter stupefaction, so were the other seniors.