Steward Wu nodded and said, "Elder Qi and the other Elder Hu, who also voted against, have some private ties with Elder Xiu. Perhaps he persuaded these two elders, so they didn't advance the tea fund payment to you."
She knew it; Elder Qi suffered such a big loss, practically shelling out four million seven hundred thousand spirit stones from his own pocket and being forced to kill his most capable subordinate, Juan Niang, to calm the situation. High-level cultivators have their pride, and given his disposition and temper, it would be a surprise if he managed to swallow this grievance!
