Stuck in a Chinese novel

"This is outrageous!" Elder Lu slammed his hands on the round table in a fit of anger but not a single dent was made in the table. Not because he was weak, but just because of how sturdy and tough the table was.

"You shouldn't be saying that Elder Lu when your own son started this," Elder Zhiang said in response.

"He was sure not to leave any permanent damage, isn't that so, Elder Shao?" Elder Lu asked the elder who was in charge of the Wei Jun's group's gate expedition, otherwise known as Elder Chun Shao.

Chun Shao looked at the sect master who was looking back at her and replied, "I remember disciple Ju Bai Lu attacking and damaging disciple Lin Ruan's Qi core."

"Then why is there no proof of it?" Another elder on the side of Elder Lu asked. It was true that Lin Ruan was almost killed but the keyword was 'almost'. Chun Shao wouldn't have let her die but she wouldn't have interfered otherwise even if her cultivation was damaged.

But that also changed when Wei Jun fed her some magical elixir that fixed her Qi core to perfection and even allowed her to break through to the peak stage of the Qi manifestation realm.

Chun Shao was flabbergasted when she such an elixir because it was widely known that once one's cultivation was gone; it was gone for the good unless they were willing to go through the grueling process of erasing their Qi core to create a new one if they survived the process first.

Chun Shao relayed that detail to the sect master but the sect master forbade her from saying anything about that. Since that was the case, she was currently at a loss for an answer.

"If Elder Chun Shao says so, then it must be the truth. It must have been by some miracle that Disciple Lin Ruan survived and her Qi core's damage reversed." The sect master said to the elder who spoke who hurriedly bowed and said, "It must be as you say, esteemed Sect Master."

The word of the sect master couldn't be questioned. That was the first and final say in the entire sect. No one was brave enough to defy him because even if they were to reach the strength equivalent to his, they wouldn't be able to defeat him. After all, a man who had defeated five seven-circle mages at once wouldn't have much of a problem with just a grandmaster.

Skill was a crucial factor and the sect master possessed that more than anyone.

Elder Lu knew he wasn't going to get any support from his peers because of the sect master so he also remained silent but the dissatisfaction on his face was obvious to anyone.

Seeing his baby brother like that, the sect master couldn't help but shake his head as he said, "But disciple Wei Jun Ruan went too far even still. Don't you agree, Sun?"

"Precisely so, sect master," Sun Ruan wasn't brave enough to refute the sect master as well.

The sect master nodded and said, "Both sides went too far and it was only bad luck that only one side managed to remain harm-free."

"But that doesn't mean that it's right so I will ask both sides to pay appropriate compensation." The sect master said before he relayed his order, "Disciple Wei Jun will return the arm of disciple Ju Bai Lu along with ten corpses of the blind bumblebees."

"I will see to it that it is done before the day ends," Sun Ruan replied.

The sect master nodded and turned to his brother, Elder Lu, and said, "A cultivator's life begins and ends with cultivation. Disciple Ju Bai Lu insulted all cultivators by going after the Qi core of disciple Lin Ruan."

Elder Lu sucked breath at this point because he knew he was about to lose a lot and he was right when the sect master said, "Elder Lu, you will give disciple Lin Ruan a hundred taels of black iron."

Everyone looked at the sect master in shock. Even Sun Ruan couldn't help but be shocked by this order. Black iron wasn't something that could be bought. It wasn't even something that could be found anywhere at all. In a rare type of gate, there may be some mines that could happen to possess black iron among other types of exotic minerals but to date, no other metal was more precious than black iron.

Even ten taels of it was a luxury and could be used to craft a decent treasure but to give up a hundred taels worth of black iron, the wound on the heart of Elder Lu would have been quite deep upon hearing that.

The sect master smirked as he saw the scene. Everything was going according to his plan. The war was brewing but at the same time, it was kept under control as well.

Not only that, the hate between both factions was beyond reconciliation now. There was no way these both parties would ever come to terms with each other ever and the war would be the only inevitable result.

Alas, no one in the room could see that and they were still holding the image of the sect master trying to keep his sect afloat.

'Just a little more.' He thought as he saw the expression on everyone's face. His goal was in his sight and he would stop at nothing to achieve it.

~~

'What's black iron?' Wei Jun asked as he saw Lin Ruan looking at the black iron with envious eyes because it only belonged to her for a moment before it was taken by Sun Ruan.

[Only the cheapest and most useless metal you will find]

[Its only quality is its sturdiness]

[It can't even channel Qi properly]

'They say it's a big deal,' Wei Jun said as he saw the exaggerated look in Lin Ruan's eyes and the happiness in Sun Ruan's.

[When a thing doesn't turn out to be good]

[The crafter is always blamed for it]

[So when flaws were spotted in such a great metal, the one doing the crafting was blamed because he must have been the wrong one]

[How could something so sturdy be faulty?]

Wei Jun couldn't help but feel that there was a personal story behind this black iron and the system but Wei Jun remained quiet because he knew how chatty the system could be.

'So is it available in the shop?' Wei Jun asked.

[Tones of it]

[Why?]

[Oh~~]

As soon as the system asked, it also realized at the same time why Wei Jun asked that.

"Return Ju Bai Lu's arm and also give up ten whole blind bumblebees." Sun Ruan told Wei Jun who nodded and said, "I will deliver it when I leave."

"No need," Sun Ruan said before he added, "Their followers are outside. Just give it to them."

Wei Jun nodded and said, "If there is nothing else, I would like to depart for the city."

"All right," Sun Ruan wasn't interested because he was weirdly fondling the black iron in his hands which was about 5 kg and the look on his face was making Wei Jun repulsive for some reason.

[As if an old man has found a young, well-endowed girl]

'That's not a good example," Wei Jun said before he turned and left. Outside, there were some familiar faces from the gate and Wei Jun handed them the bees along with the arm which he rudely threw on the ground and stepped on it while leaving.

Wei Jun and Lin Ruan, a slouching Lin Ruan who was acting like she had lost the fortune of a lifetime and her life no longer had meaning, headed to the helicopter that was prepared for them.

"My black iron…. Sniffle.." Lin Ruan said for the umpteenth time which annoyed Wei Jun so he asked, "If I give you some of it, would you please stop saying that."

He kind of hated the black iron now too with how much it was mentioned. Lin Ruan looked at him, her eyes like that of a man who no longer looked for hope, and said, "You don't have to console me with a lie, younger brother."

"Haa…" Wei Jun sighed before he opened the shop and searched for the black iron in it. He was quick to find it in the metal section where there were much better metals as well.

[I prefer meteorite iron]

[No equivalent to it]

Wei Jun checked the system's suggestion first and as he did, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

[Meteorite iron]

[Grade: Divine]

[Cost: 10,000,000,000]

'Tell me I'm looking at the wrong thing,' Wei Jun asked, just to be sure because the price stated wasn't something he thought he would be able to afford anytime soon.

To smear cold gel on his expectation, the system said…

[It's quite cheap for the best metal in existence]

And when he heard the word cheap to describe an item that cost him a whopping 10 thousand billion or ten trillion, Wei Jun coughed up blood involuntarily.

'You illogical piece of gh***'

[…]

[That's a new one]