The Grand Elder's forehead beaded with sweat upon hearing Liu Buli's arrangements.
The one serving tea was his confidant, the very person who had poisoned it. For a moment, the man stood frozen, his gaze fixed on the Grand Elder, filled with desperate pleas for help.
He was utterly terrified.
However, the Grand Elder was, after all, a man who had weathered many storms. He took several deep breaths, and his emotions gradually steadied.
He even managed to force a smile at Liu Buli and said, "Sect Master, you are being too formal. This is a ceremony for you and your disciple. Arranging and preparing is my duty. It has always been this way for centuries; there has never been a process for me to receive thanks. If you insist on having me drink tea, you are essentially belittling me."
His words were skillfully crafted, elevating Liu Buli while demeaning himself.
The underlying message, in essence, was:
If Liu Buli were to insist on him drinking tea now, it would be utterly unreasonable.
All eyes turned back to Liu Buli.
The Grand Elder's maneuver was not spoken aloud to others, so only he and his confidant understood the tea's hidden danger. In his mind, he was saving his own life, and his carefully chosen words were enough to make others perceive Liu Buli as being unreasonable.
The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.
Liu Buli stroked his chin, his smile growing even brighter.
Clearing his throat, he asked the Grand Elder, "Grand Elder, do you acknowledge me as the Sect Master of the Dan Sect?"
The Grand Elder immediately nodded, his reply resounding with conviction: "Sect Master, what are you saying? It's not just me; everyone in the Dan Sect knows you are our one and only Sect Master. This is not a matter of my acknowledgment; it is a fact!"
Liu Buli smiled. "Then, since I am the Sect Master, are my words the rules of the Dan Sect?"
The Grand Elder hesitated.
But the logic was sound, so after a moment of silence, he nodded. "Sect Master, you are correct. Since ancient times, every Sect Master has set the rules. Therefore, it is only natural for subordinates to follow what you say."
Liu Buli's smile faded, and he narrowed his eyes. A chilling glint appeared in his gaze. He said, word by word, "Since the Grand Elder knows this, why are you still wasting my time? If I tell you to drink this tea, you drink it. Even if I am belittling you by being overly formal, you must accept it. I am the Sect Master; I have the final say. Have you truly taken this to heart?"
As he spoke, his spiritual pressure was released.
When the crowd was gasping for breath under the overwhelming, domineering pressure, they finally remembered a long-forgotten fact:
Liu Buli's position as Sect Master was not due to his trivial research and innovations.
It was because he was truly powerful, so powerful that he could face the entire Dan Sect alone without any issue.
At this moment, even a fool could see that Liu Buli was radiating killing intent.
No one dared to provoke him.
The Grand Elder and his disciple, caught in the epicenter of the killing intent, trembled. Hesitantly, they remained silent, utterly afraid to utter another word.
Liu Buli's voice was like a phantom. After a brief pause, he continued, "Serve tea to the Grand Elder. If you cannot understand what I am saying, then your ears are no longer needed. After they are cut off, I believe the next person will be able to understand my words."
The disciple holding the tea trembled, nearly dropping the teapot.
However, he possessed some intelligence and knew that if the teapot fell now, Liu Buli would have his head follow. He managed to steady himself, gritted his teeth, and brought the teapot back to the Grand Elder, shifting the problem back to him.
The Grand Elder was on the verge of exploding with anger.
Yet, not only was he furious, but Liu Buli's fear also rendered him powerless.
He sat there, stunned. It was only when Liu Buli's reminder echoed in his ears again that the Grand Elder's trembling hand reached for the teapot containing the poisoned tea.
He absolutely could not drink it.
The tea within could kill a person in a single sip.
He knew his own creation best. He was acutely aware of its deadliness and dared not touch it.
With a trembling hand, he reached for the teapot. A sudden inspiration struck him. He grabbed the teapot, as if by accident, loosened his grip slightly, and cried out as the teapot tumbled towards the ground.
He had already planned his excuse.
He would say that he was old and his hands were unsteady, and he had failed to grip it properly. With the teapot shattered on the ground, he wouldn't need to explain any issues with the tea itself.
Everything seemed to be back under his control.
All he needed was for the teapot to hit the ground, and his heart would be at ease.
The Grand Elder waited expectantly for the crisp sound of shattering.
But he watched in disbelief as the teapot stopped just a finger's width from the ground.
With a flick of Liu Buli's finger, the teapot returned to the side tray, following his movement.
His smile widened. Liu Buli explained solicitously, "Grand Elder, seeing how your hands were shaking, I was worried you might spill this fine tea. It seems I had foresight; I even guessed this correctly."
As he spoke, his fingers moved again.
The teapot in the distance levitated, pouring a cup of tea for itself. Then, with another movement of Liu Buli's finger, the cup filled with tea was sent to the Grand Elder.
"Since the Grand Elder's hands are too shaky to hold the teapot, consider this cup as me serving you tea," Liu Buli said calmly. "From a hierarchical perspective, my actions are indeed improper. However, as the Grand Elder is advanced in age, consider it a junior serving tea to an elder. I see no issue with it. But if you were to refuse again, you would truly be disregarding the rules."
His tone was light, but his words carried immense weight.
The Grand Elder had no choice but to refuse. He could only brace himself, pick up the cup, and bring it to his lips.
One second, two seconds...
As the silence stretched into the third second, the Grand Elder finally couldn't bear it any longer and placed the cup back on the tray.
His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed. Trembling all over, he looked at Liu Buli with pleading eyes and stammered, "S-Sect Master, I am truly unwell today. I don't want to drink tea. This... this cup of tea, why don't we offer it to the Second Elder? Or, or anyone else. Right! This tea was brought by this disciple; it would be good for him to drink it!"
As he spoke, the Grand Elder retreated a few steps in panic.
Liu Buli stood up and calmly walked to his side. He picked up the teapot and finally asked directly, "The Grand Elder is unwell. Are you afraid of the tea, or are you afraid of the poison that you personally arranged to be put into this tea?"