After Kunpeng had his futon snatched by Jieyin and Zhunti, he did not go to the empty seats in the back like Hongyun, but directly seized a spot in the second row.
Seeing that he was no match for Kunpeng, the man had no choice but to accept his bad luck and move to the back.
The crowd, witnessing Jieyin and Zhunti's shameless act of snatching a seat even when it was not offered, secretly noted their audacity and resolved to avoid them in the future, given their own insufficient cultivation.
Although the four people on the futons were displeased with Jieyin and Zhunti, they remained detached as it did not concern them and said nothing.
Li Yi understood that if Jieyin and Zhunti had not claimed their positions, Hongjun would not have appeared to preach. After all, Hongjun and Luohu's battle had shattered Mount Sumeru, the ancestral land of the west, and Hongjun owed a karma to the west. The sacred positions of Jieyin and Zhunti were Hongjun's way of settling karma with the four directions.
Li Yi felt a sense of goodwill towards the good-natured Hongyun and thus stood up and spoke:
"Fellow Daoist Hongyun!"
Hongyun, upon hearing Li Yi call him, wondered what Li Yi intended. He looked at Li Yi with a puzzled expression.
Seeing Hongyun's confusion, Li Yi spoke:
"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, I am not comfortable sitting in this position. How about we switch?"
Jieyin and Zhunti, upon hearing Li Yi offer to switch seats with Hongyun, felt a pang of unease. They had pleaded tearfully to move Hongyun to give them a seat, and they had shamelessly snatched Kunpeng's futon. Now, Li Yi was offering to give his seat to Hongyun! They thought, "If you were uncomfortable, why didn't you say so earlier! Why did my brothers have to offend Kunpeng!"
Hongyun was also surprised that Li Yi intended to give him the futon and replied:
"Fellow Daoist Taishang, I appreciate your kind offer, but you should sit well. The preaching should begin soon!"
Seeing that Hongyun was unwilling, Li Yi spoke again:
"Fellow Daoist, please do not be polite. I am truly uncomfortable in this seat. If you do not take it, it will be taken by someone else!"
After Li Yi spoke, he left the futon. Seeing Li Yi leave, the others immediately became contemplative, wondering if they should take the seat. However, upon seeing Yuanshi beside the futon, they quickly abandoned the idea.
When Hongyun saw that Li Yi had truly vacated the futon, he said:
"Since that is the case, this poor Daoist thanks Fellow Daoist Taishang. I am willing to owe you a favor."
Li Yi smiled and nodded, thinking that Hongyun was getting a good deal by exchanging a favor for a sacred position.
As soon as Hongyun finished speaking, everyone turned their gaze towards Jieyin and Zhunti.
The two of them stared at their noses and their hearts, as if they had not noticed the stares of the crowd.
Yuanshi, seeing Li Yi leave the futon, frowned, wondering what his elder brother was doing.
Unable to figure it out, Yuanshi decided not to dwell on it. He watched Li Yi move to the back and thought, "Since Li Yi is not sitting in this futon, there is no need for me to sit here either." Gritting his teeth, he stood up and said to Zhenyuanzi:
"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, I am grateful for the spiritual root you sent for alchemy when I was injured, and for the ginseng fruits you gave my brothers to eat. I am deeply indebted. I also feel uncomfortable sitting in this seat. How about we switch?"
The crowd was again astonished, thinking, "What is Yuanshi doing? He's saying such a good seat is uncomfortable."
Jieyin and Zhunti's expressions darkened further, thinking that these two were deliberately trying to humiliate them.
Zhenyuanzi was also surprised that Yuanshi wanted to switch seats with him and said:
"Fellow Daoist, you should think clearly. Although I provided spiritual roots and a few ginseng fruits, they are far less valuable than this seat! Listening to the preaching from the front will surely be clearer. Fellow Daoist, reconsider!"
Hearing Zhenyuanzi's words, the crowd thought that Zhenyuanzi, like Hongyun, was indeed kind-hearted and a friend worth associating with, unlike some others!
After Zhenyuanzi spoke, the crowd cast curious glances at Jieyin and Zhunti again.
Jieyin and Zhunti, seeing the crowd looking at them again, could not bear it despite their thick skin. Recalling Yuanshi's reprimand earlier, they also began to resent Yuanshi, thinking, "As expected of the brother of *that* person, equally detestable!"
Yuanshi smiled and said:
"I naturally know the benefits. Thank you for considering me, Fellow Daoist, unlike some ungrateful wretches!"
After speaking, Yuanshi glanced disdainfully at Jieyin and Zhunti!
Jieyin and Zhunti's faces turned black with anger. Zhenyuanzi, seeing that he could not dissuade Yuanshi, made a promise to owe Yuanshi a favor and agreed to the seat exchange.
The crowd then looked at Jieyin and Zhunti again. Without Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun, they felt that although Jieyin and Zhunti's actions were despicable, they were not particularly noteworthy. However, compared to Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi, these two were nothing!
Jieyin and Zhunti sensed the disdain in the crowd's eyes and thought that Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi were being performative. They thought, "Just take it if it's offered! Why owe favors? Not taking advantage of a benefit means these two are definitely fools!"
After Yuanshi and Zhenyuanzi exchanged seats, Yuanshi turned to the cultivator beside Li Yi and said:
"Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to switch seats with me?"
The cultivator could not believe such good fortune and immediately replied:
"Willing! Willing! But we've agreed, I don't owe you any favors!"
A hint of disdain flickered in Yuanshi's eyes, thinking, "I may not even care for your favor."
Yuanshi nodded and then sat down beside Li Yi!
Tongtian, seeing that Li Yi and Yuanshi were no longer sitting in the futon, wondered why he should remain there alone.
So, Tongtian also stood up!
Seeing Tongtian stand up, the crowd knew that he must also wish to switch seats, and they immediately spoke:
"Fellow Daoist Tongtian, my seat is comfortable. How about we switch?"
After speaking, everyone looked eagerly at Tongtian, hoping he would switch seats with them, which would be a huge gain for them!
Tongtian looked coldly at the crowd and said:
"I do wish to switch seats, but only if you can defend it!"
After speaking, Tongtian turned to Fuxi and said:
"Fellow Daoist Fuxi, how about we switch seats?"
Fuxi knew Tongtian's temperament and did not try to dissuade him. Instead, he also offered to owe Tongtian a favor in exchange for the seat.
Jieyin and Zhunti, seeing Tongtian stand up, sensed something was amiss. When Tongtian stood up, they blocked their five senses and chose to turn a blind eye.
As expected, the crowd cast a disdainful glance at Jieyin and Zhunti. This time, the two did not feel embarrassed.
After Tongtian and Fuxi exchanged seats, Tongtian did not go to Fuxi's original position but directly to the side of Li Yi and Yuanshi. He then turned to the cultivator sitting beside Li Yi and Yuanshi and said:
"Let's switch seats, how about it?"
Hearing Tongtian's tone, which brooked no refusal, the cultivator, who was only at the early stage of Da Luo, dared not refuse and quickly scurried to Fuxi's original seat.
Seeing that all three of the Sanqing had moved to the back, the crowd was truly baffled, wondering what the Sanqing were up to!