Immortality begins with the Swordsman.

Chapter 49 Voting

The north wind howled, and snowflakes fluttered down.

Gu Changfeng walked calmly and steadily into the arena.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, his voice clear and firm, as if carrying the chill of the north wind.

"I do not approve of seizing power by force!"

He paused slightly, his gaze becoming serious, and said, word by word, "Only by learning from history can we understand the present and foresee the future. Have you ever considered why, in the three hundred years of the Tang Dynasty, every change of emperor was marked by bloodshed, fathers and sons turning against each other, and brothers becoming enemies?"

Lin Qingxuan frowned slightly and sighed, "Changfeng, we are all people of the martial world. Let's speak frankly and not be so formal. It's hard for everyone to understand."

Gu Changfeng curled his lip and said, "Gentlemen, you still need to read more books! The root of the Tang Dynasty's problems lies in Emperor Taizong's Xuanwu Gate Incident, where he seized the throne through ruthless means. Although this move won him the world, it set a bad example. As a result, his descendants followed suit, attempting to seize power by force, which led to this bloody disaster."

He then changed the subject, his tone steady and forceful: "Now, all of you senior uncles and elder brothers are trying to 'seize leadership through martial prowess,' which is tantamount to sending an extremely dangerous signal to the younger generation—that as long as one has high martial arts skills, one can become the sect leader. If this continues, our Huashan Sect will surely repeat the mistakes of the Tang Dynasty, and one day, we will be annihilated in infighting among sects..."

Only then did everyone fully understand what Gu Changfeng meant.

Although they felt there was some truth to what he said, the others didn't take it seriously.

Lin Qingxuan smiled and said, "The affairs of martial arts sects are ultimately different from those of the imperial court—in the end, it is still the real skills one possesses that can win people's hearts."

"Yes! Uncle Lin is right!"

"We people in the martial arts world only care about martial arts skills."

"What Xuanwu Sect, what role model? We don't understand any of that. We only believe one thing—whoever has the highest martial arts skills is qualified to be the sect leader!"

The disciples from both sects responded enthusiastically, their voices fervent and their emotions running high.

Lin Qingxuan stroked his beard, his expression leisurely, and looked at Gu Changfeng with a hint of a smile: "Changfeng, you see, this is the will of the people, and their wishes cannot be defied. What else do you have to say?"

Done.

He had assumed that Gu Changfeng would back down and leave in a huff.

Unexpectedly, Gu Changfeng suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, his loud laughter echoing through the wind and snow.

"Since that's the case! Then I suggest we just appoint me as the sect leader. With my martial arts skills, if the next sect leader isn't me? Heh, I'll definitely rebel..."

Gu Changfeng paused, looked at the eight grandmasters present, and said with a wicked smile, "So, all this fighting and arguing here, in the end, isn't it me who decides? Instead of this, why not pass the position to me now? That way, our Huashan Sect can avoid taking decades of detours."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces darkened, but they couldn't find any words to refute it.

Lin Qingxuan stroked his beard and smiled, saying calmly, "You're quite ambitious."

Gu Changfeng smiled and said, "My fellow disciples, you all know me. I'm young, good-looking, clever, and most importantly, obedient. I'll do whatever you tell me to do. Where else can you find such a well-behaved 'puppet sect leader' like me? Right?"

He clapped his hands and said, "Alright! I've finished speaking! Do any of you senior uncles or masters have any further insights? If there are no objections, then we'll stop here for today."

"Let us choose an auspicious day later, and all my senior uncles and elder brothers will come before the Ancestral Master to witness my coronation ceremony."

As soon as he finished speaking, all around fell silent, as if even the wind had stopped.

Cai Qingyan glanced at Gu Changfeng silently, then turned to look at the Purple Cloud Daoist opposite him.

Their eyes met, and in a mere instant, they completed an exchange:

"What's going on?"

"How should I know!"

"So what do we do now?"

"Let's wait and see."

……

At this moment, Ouyang Qingzhao suddenly smiled and returned to the original question, saying, "Changfeng, since you oppose 'seizing command by force,' do you have a more appropriate method?"

Gu Changfeng grinned and said, "Hey, I have plenty of ideas! The simplest one is to have my master and Uncle Cai play rock-paper-scissors, one move decides the winner, saving both time and effort!"

"Absurd!" Lin Qingxuan's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "How can the dignified head of the Huashan Sect treat this so lightly?"

Gu Changfeng remained calm and said with a smile, "Uncle Lin, don't be anxious. That was just the simplest method. I have another method that is the fairest and most impartial."

Lin Qingxuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? What method?"

Gu Changfeng, looking quite smug, uttered two words: "Vote!"

vote?!!

Lin Qingxuan was stunned for a moment, clearly not understanding what it meant.

Gu Changfeng suddenly said seriously, "The so-called vote is that all the disciples of our Huashan Sect will each have one vote to choose one of my master and Uncle Cai. The minority shall obey the majority, and the one with the most votes shall become the sect leader."

He changed his tone, adding with a grin, "How about it? Not a bad idea, right? We all chose it together, so we have to accept it even if it's tough. However, your Sword Sect has a larger number of members, so for the sake of fairness—oh dear, I haven't finished speaking yet, why are you pulling me?"

Looking back, he saw Yue Buqun and Chu Buxiu supporting him from both sides.

"I'm sorry! My junior brother has some mental issues; he only has these twisted and heretical ideas. Uncle Lin, please continue..."

Yue Buqun said something to the crowd, then he and Chu Buxiu dragged him away together. Gu Changfeng didn't forget to turn back and shout, "I'm really doing this for the good of Mount Hua! Voting is so democratic—mmm…"

……

Master Zixiao smacked him hard on the head and hissed, "You brat, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Gu Changfeng covered his head, looking aggrieved, and whispered in protest, "I just came up with an easier way..."

Master Zixiao glared at him coldly: "Behave yourself, don't you know what kind of occasion this is? If you dare to be naughty again, see how I deal with you."

"Yes, Master!"

Gu Changfeng immediately looked dejected. He had originally wanted to resolve the sword duel in a gentle way, but after stirring up the situation for so long, in the end, he still had to fight.

As everyone watched Gu Changfeng being dragged away, for some reason, they all felt a sense of relief.

However, Gu Changfeng's interruption turned the originally intense atmosphere into an awkward and quiet one.

Suddenly.

A figure leaped into the arena like a fleeting shadow, landing silently.

Ye Qingge moved with agility, her robes fluttering, her blue gown billowing in the wind, like a blooming orchid, cool and noble.

She looked up and softly called out, "Senior Sister Su, how about we two young ladies have a match first to warm things up, and set an example for our fellow senior brothers, what do you say?"

"good!"

Su Qingxue nodded slightly and slowly stepped into the arena.

Her long, blood-red dress billowed in the wind, a long sword in hand, she stood proudly like a plum blossom amidst the swirling snow.

Amidst the wind and snow, the two women faced off, their sword intent as cold as frost, their aura as imposing as a rainbow.

Just as the two were about to make their move—

"Wait a minute!"

A voice suddenly rang out, breaking through the heavy atmosphere and interrupting the impending clash of sword intent.

Su Qingxue and Ye Qingge frowned in unison, turned around and looked back, their eyes like swords, glaring fiercely at the person who had spoken, and said in unison.

"Shut up!"

Gu Changfeng chuckled awkwardly and said repeatedly, "Just one sentence! I swear, just one sentence, it won't delay your fight."

"explain!"

Su Qingxue spoke calmly.

Upon hearing this, Gu Changfeng immediately became serious and said, "My two senior uncles, today we are having a martial arts competition. We should stop when we've reached our limit and absolutely must not act rashly and damage the harmony of our Huashan Sect—remember this! Remember this!"