On his way to find Little Fatty after leaving that gentle embrace, Du Youqian wore a grave expression, his heart heavy.
Thinking of what the two of them had discussed during their intermission the previous night, he found it impossible to relax.
Most of his previous doubts had been answered.
He also finally understood why the atmosphere in Wenzhe City was so strange, with undercurrents swirling beneath the surface.
He couldn’t help but sigh. The Sect had grown so weak. People were walking all over it, and it didn’t even dare to make a peep. How utterly suffocating.
’Yes,’ Du Youqian guessed, ’how could the upper echelons of the Zhongxuan Sect possibly be unaware of the little tricks the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect is pulling in the Blessed Land?’
They just couldn’t afford to provoke the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect. He figured that as long as that sect didn’t cross the line, their leaders would just pretend not to see or hear a thing.
What weighed most heavily on Du Youqian’s mind was the definitive news he had gotten from Lin Sha.
Yes, the Spiritual Qi in the Nine Countries of Monan Desert seed to be in a state of slow, continuous decline.
Furthermore, not a single Nascent Soul Cultivator had appeared in several thousand years.
’Will I really have a chance to reach Nascent Soul within ten reincarnations?’
~~~~~~~~~~
After just one night, Little Fatty Guo Mingsheng seed to have lost a bit of weight. He must have had a torturous night.
When he saw Du Youqian, a look of imnse relief washed over his face. "Brother Yuanqing, I’m so glad you’re okay! When do you plan to defect to the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect? You have to take with you!"
??? Du Youqian wasn’t sure if the guy was playing dumb or was actually this dumb.
’Though he’d always known Nephew Guo wasn’t wired quite right.’
’But surely he isn’t *this* far off base?’
"What are you talking about? I’ve always been completely loyal to the Sect," Du Youqian chided. "You’ve been knocking around the city for so long. Have you heard of the Runhe Comrce Association?"
Guo Mingsheng laughed. "Of course I’ve heard of them. They say this association has been growing like crazy the past few years, getting into all sorts of industries. Restaurants, gambling dens, general stores, pharmacies... It’s almost impossible to live in Wenzhe City without dealing with the Runhe Comrce Association."
"Then did you know," Du Youqian asked nonchalantly, "that Drunken Flower Shade is also one of their properties?"
Guo Mingsheng was taken aback. "That, I didn’t know. But what does that have to do with us? Brother Yuanqing, are you planning to take on Drunken Flower Shade and the Runhe Comrce Association? Let’s just forget it. We can’t afford to offend those lunatics from the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect. If you’re really set on dealing with them, you should at least report it to the Sect first."
"I’m not exactly planning to take them on," Du Youqian said, shaking his head.
"That’s good. The people from the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect are no joke." Seeing Du Youqian’s furrowed brow, Guo Mingsheng asked with a devil-may-care attitude, "Brother Yuanqing, that Demoness from yesterday... her Charm Skill is incredibly potent. You didn’t get the short end of the stick with her, did you?"
"COUGH, COUGH." Du Youqian felt a pang of guilt and shot a look at the Little Fatty, unsure if he was being clueless again or deliberately teasing him. "What are you thinking? How could I possibly have been taken advantage of!"
"Right!" The Little Fatty nodded emphatically. "Brother Yuanqing, you’re a True Inheritor of the Sect, after all. You must have plenty of life-saving tricks up your sleeve. Still, to be able to ’battle’ that Demoness all night without being taken advantage of, and without a single scratch on you... that’s truly amazing! If word of this got out, all those guys who were unhappy about you becoming a True Inheritor would be completely won over."
"COUGH, COUGH!" ’Should I just silence this guy for good...?’ Du Youqian thought.
"Let’s get back to business. Nephew Guo, I’m planning to return to the Sect today. You’ll hold the post here for for a few days. Unless sothing major happens, don’t do a thing."
The Little Fatty had no objections, but he let out a sigh. "Brother Yuanqing, do you still want to engage in Magical Combat with the people from the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect? Are you going back to call for reinforcents? In that case... I can only risk my life and stand with you. But..."
Du Youqian cut him off. "Enough with the ’buts’. I don’t intend to fight with anyone from the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect. I’m not going back for reinforcents. I have other business to attend to."
The Little Fatty’s eyes lit up with understanding. "I get it! Brother Yuanqing, you’re going back to inform the Sect Leader that you’re leaving the Sect to join the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect! That’s my Brother Yuanqing, all right! What did they promise you? The position of Inner Disciple? True Inheritor? Or did they offer you a spot as an Elder? OUCH! Brother Yuanqing, why’d you hit with your Top Grade Flying Sword?"
Du Youqian silently withdrew the Top Grade Flying Sword—a gift from the Sect upon his official promotion to True Inheritor—not wanting to waste another word on the blockhead.
~~~~~~~
Piloting the Flying Boat, Du Youqian arrived before the gates of the Zhongxuan Sect in just two hours.
According to the rules, disciples on garrison duty, without special circumstances, were not allowed to return without being summoned by the Sect.
However, as a True Disciple, Du Youqian still had this small privilege.
"Qiu Zhenchuan!"
"Greetings, Qiu Zhenchuan!"
"Welco, True Inheritor!"
Wherever he passed, the ordinary disciples all bowed in salute.
Even though he wasn’t deliberately flaunting his status.
Regardless of whether the respect from these ordinary disciples ca from the heart or was rely superficial.
He could still feel that this simple gesture cented the hierarchy between them.
It was as if, in the unseen world, destiny itself was coalescing around him.
Du Youqian arrived at his master Ma Chongyu’s cave residence.
"Master, your disciple pays his respects!"
"Co in."
The large gate swung open on its own.
Following the familiar path, Du Youqian soon found Ma Chongyu amidst the thick aroma of dicinal herbs. His master was dressed in a Crane Robe, leaning against the railing of a lush flower garden as he read a book.
"Master!"
Ma Chongyu looked up, a smile gracing his lips as he sized up his disciple. "You seem to have sothing on your mind. The garrison post in Wenzhe City isn’t as easy as it seems, is it?"
"Master, you knew? Why didn’t you give a heads-up before I left?" Du Youqian said with a wry smile.
"What was there to give a heads-up about? Stumbling into these situations unprepared is the truest test of your abilities."
"Aren’t you afraid I might have acted rashly and clashed with people from the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect? What if I’d made a careless move during Magical Combat and been killed?"
Ma Chongyu said coolly, "The title of True Disciple is not a protective talisman. If you get killed, you’re dead. And if you had died, you would hardly have been the first True Inheritor of the Zhongxuan Sect to be killed. Besides, the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect knows where to draw the line. Your life was never truly in danger."
Du Youqian nodded silently.
Ma Chongyu tossed the book aside and asked with a smile, "What are you planning to do?"
"I don’t know either," Du Youqian sighed.
After a pause, he continued, "In Wenzhe City, I discovered that the City Lord and the other city leaders are struggling with the conflict between an organization called the Wei Wen Alliance and the Runhe Comrce Association."
"They complain that the Runhe Comrce Association is expanding too rapidly and engaging in predatory competition across various sectors, which has nearly destroyed Wenzhe City’s comrcial order. The association runs casinos and Drunken Flower Shade, practices usury, bribes officials, and seizes land and assets from the common people. They are also involved in human trafficking, even buying and selling Mortals who have a Spirit Root, which has led to mass disappearances in the city."
"At the sa ti, they also complain that the Wei Wen Alliance is using violent ans to fight back, and the resulting clashes have severely endangered the city’s residents."
Ma Chongyu smiled. "You haven’t wasted these past two months. You’ve learned quite a bit."
’If it weren’t for my long talk with Lin Sha last night, I wouldn’t know most of this,’ Du Youqian thought.
"Master, the Wei Wen Alliance is made up of a group of Loose Cultivators. Ultimately, they’re the ones maintaining order in Wenzhe City. They’re doing the dirty work we can’t, confronting the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect on our behalf."
"And the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect has sent so of their elite disciples this ti, precisely to wipe out these Loose Cultivators in one fell swoop."
"You have indeed grasped the essence of the situation," Ma Chongyu said. "So, my disciple, what do you intend to do?"
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