Chapter 81: 81 Chapter 80: Conspiracy

"I'm afraid I'll have to retract my words. Just consider this as me never having said anything."

"What did you say?" Tong Xue asked, confused. After all, he wasn't present at the scene. He probably saw the commotion and heard about Hao Ying's death, but he wasn't around to hear Elder Zhao make all those bold declarations.

"Bringing Liang Shao Yang to justice," Lian Rou informed him. She briefly filled in the gaps for Tong Xue, who nodded.

"That's not good."

"Are you just going to let this pass?!" Tang Qi Hong demanded in disbelief. Elder Zhao could only look at her helplessly.

"…there's no other way."

It wasn't as if Elder Zhao liked the situation any more than we did. He wore a dark expression, his scowl sinking deeply into his aged face. Apparently he was still suspended in disbelief, unable to digest the fact that Liang Shao Yang managed to attain enlightenment at the Spirit Engraved Pillars just before he was about to head out and arrest him.

Everyone glanced at each other uneasily. They were still trying to absorb what had just happened, about how Liang Shao Yang had evidently achieved enlightenment underneath the Spirit Engraved Pillar.

The sect leader and his wife had returned at the most inopportune timing – or the most opportune timing, if we were to look at it from Liang Shao Yang's point of view. I briefly wondered of Liang Shao Yang had actually managed to achieve enlightenment earlier, but he decided to hold off and postpone his triggering of the reaction of the Spirit Engraved Pillar and patiently waited until the sect leader and his wife returned to put on a good show.

If that was true, then it meant that bastard was calculating beyond belief, with nearly prophetic vision.

Lian Rou, shook her head and swallowed sharply.

"For everyone to come witness this…this reminds me of the time when Qi Hong triggered a reaction from two Spirit Engraved Pillars."

"T…that time was nothing!" Tang Qi Hong hastily said, then she frowned and clenched her fists. "That Liang Shao Yang…how did he do it?"

"Does it matter how he did it?" Zhao Shi crossed her arms as she sank into deep thought. "This means he's virtually untouchable."

I nodded in agreement. Judging from Zi Shou De's reaction, he obviously appraised Liang Shao Yang as the sect's newest treasure, and had promised to devote every resource available into nurturing and training him. Zi Shou De evidently viewed Liang Shao Yang as one of the brightest and most promising prospect for the future of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect.

Even if they learned that Liang Shao Yang had committed murder right in the middle of the sect, they would do nothing. In fact, if Elder Zhao and the Blood Blades attempted to arrest him, Zi Shou De, his wife Da Ji, and the six great elders might even be the first ones to stop them. They had been driven crazy over the delight of discovering this new prodigy for the sect. there would be no one who dared to cross Liang Shao Yang now.

In other words, even if they learned that Liang Shao Yang murdered Hao Ying and tried to kill me, the sect leader and the great elders would just turn a blind eye to his actions. His talent was worth more than the lives of a mere inner sect disciple and several outer sect disciples.
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"I have underestimated Liang Shao Yang," Elder Zhao admitted mournfully. "That kid is really extraordinary. He is the most cunning person of your generation, and his operandi modus is impressive. I suspect that he only murdered Hao Ying when he had the confidence that he would be able to attain enlightenment from the Spirit Engraved Pillars. He probably calculated and timed everything precisely."

Same as me, then. Looked like Elder Zhao had also realized just how scheming Liang Shao Yang was.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Lian Rou asked worriedly.

"What can we do?" Elder Zhao glanced at her helplessly. "You've all seen how Sect Leader and the great elders react toward Liang Shao Yang. Never mind that he had only assassinated Hao Ying and failed in his attempt on Fei Wu's life. Even if he did kill Fei Wu and a few other outer sect disciples, Sect Leader will most likely pretend nothing had happened, just so he can continue to preserve Liang Shao Yang's extraordinary talent for the sect."

"Father is not that corrupted!" Zi Xiao Ji blurted out.

"That's right," Tang Qi Hong agreed. Then she sighed reluctantly. "But even if Godfather tries to make a move against Liang Shao Yang, the six great elders will surely move against them. Those old men value the future of the sect more strongly than anything else in the world. Godfather is similar to an extent, but even he will not move if pressured too much by the elders. They will most likely not do anything even if they find out that Liang Shao Yang killed Hao Ying."

"Huh? Then what's going to happen to Fei Wu?" Tong Xue demanded. "There's nothing stopping Liang Shao Yang from killing Fei Wu in broad daylight and getting away with it!"

"I'll talk to Father," Zi Xiao Ji promised. "Even if he's now the number two inner sect disciple in Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, there's a limit to Father's patience. Liang Shao Yang will not be bold enough to test the limits of his tolerance by killing anyone freely, especially if he doesn't have a good reason to do so. The sect doesn't just revolve around one person after all."

Tang Qi Hong nodded. "We should also talk to Godmother. She's more…discreet in handling these kind of affairs. She'll know what to do and have some sort of countermeasure in place to prevent Liang Shao Yang from doing anything too…violent."

"Worst case scenario, you still have us!" Da Ge assured me cheerfully, his grin as broad as ever. I couldn't help but grin back. It was a relief to have this guy watch my back.

"In the meantime, it's best that you avoid Liang Shao Yang as much as possible and try not to get into any conflict with him. If anything happens, it doesn't matter if Liang Shao Yang is the one who provoked you. The elders in the sect will definitely blame you instead."

"See?" I snorted coldly. "I told you there will be people who are exceptions to the rules."

Elder Zhao's face was full of regret. "I'm very sorry, Fei Wu. I'll also do my best." He glanced at Zhao Shi and Da Ge. "Da Ge is right. You'll be safest if you stick with them."

"Or if you just stay in Wu Ling Academy altogether and don't return to Tushan City," Tong Xue suggested. Tang Qi Hong looked a little upset at that.

"Wu is my assistant! Who's going to help me out if he doesn't return to the sect?!"

"I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more competent assistants. It's not as if you'll be short on volunteers."

Lian Rou sounded cheeky, but Tang Qi Hong was not amused. Not paying much attention to their bickering, Zi Xiao Ji bounced up.

"Don't worry! You'll be safe as long as you stick with me! No matter how high his status, even Liang Shao Yang would not dare to attack or provoke me!"

"That's right." Tong Xue smiled. "While it is true that whether you're an outer sect disciple or inner sect disciple, you will be forced to defer to Liang Shao Yang, having the sect leader and sect mistress's daughter on your side will prove to be a great boon. The elders might be able to pressure them if it's just you, but even they wouldn't be able to stop Sect Leader and Sect Mistress's rage if Liang Shao Yang were to harm Zi Xiao Ji."

"Yeah! So you're safest by my side!"

Tang Qi Hong scowled, looking very unhappy about that, but was unable to refute that. "Just make sure you escort him safely to my workshop everyday."

"Roger that, Sister Qi Hong!"

They really reminded me of siblings…sort of like how my relationship with my own brother was. Tang Qi Hong really was adopted into the Zi family, huh…

"Should we still report to the sect leader about Liang Shao Yang's murder of Hao Ying, and his attempt against Fei Wu?"

The voice surprised everyone. Turning around, we caught sight of the hooded Blood Blade from earlier, the one who had reported to Elder Zhao about Liang Shao Yang's successful attempt to trigger a response from the Spirit Engraved Pillar.

Elder Zhao considered for a moment, and then nodded.

"I'll personally inform him of the matter. Leave it to me." he sighed. "But honestly, I don't think Sect Leader will do anything. He'll find out eventually, but he'll focus on nurturing Liang Shao Yang along with the other elders."

"I'll tell Father about it!" Zi Xiao Ji repeated. "If I'm the one telling him about it, Father won't ignore it!"

"No, he and Sect Mistress will probably help keep an eye on Fei Wu for you, but they won't punish Liang Shao Yang. He'll still be allowed to run about freely." Elder Zhao growled and clenched his fists. "That's what irks me the most. Such a dangerous man given free rein in the sect. even if Fei Wu is protected, the same won't be same for the other sect disciples. I'm afraid he might end up killing a few outer sect disciples who are unlucky enough to get in his way."

"You guys are overthinking this."

Everyone turned to stare at me in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Tong Xue asked, baffled.

"Well, think about it…" I scratched my head and frowned. "Everything Liang Shao Yang has done is absolutely pointless."

"Huh?!"

"…I see." Elder Zhao was musing to himself as he stroked his chin, nodding. "The reason why Liang Shao Yang tried to kill Fei Wu was because he was too close to Tang Qi Hong."

"W…who…who is too close to me!?" Tang Qi Hong stammered, reddening. Elder Zhao ignored her and pushed on. This was no time to entertain her tsundere behavior. I could almost picture her folding her arms, puffing her cheeks and turning away with a "hmph!"

"That's why he also killed Hao Ying, to erase all traces of evidence that would lead back to him. The reason he came to Nine-Tailed Fox Sect in the first place is probably because he was aiming for Qi Hong. And Qi Hong is the most talented disciple that both Sect Leader and Elder Hai have placed their hopes on to revitalize the sect, and to succeed as the next sect leader of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. Now that Liang Shao Yang has successfully triggered a response from the Spirit Engraved Pillars and achieved enlightenment, he's also in line to be the next sect leader. In other words, there is no longer any need for him to woo Qi Hong."

"Woo me?!" Tang Qi Hong cried out in disgust. Girl, that wasn't the point here…

"Well, from this, we know a few things." I held up a finger and began counting off. "Firstly, Liang Shao Yang murdered anyone who could trace him back to his attempted murder of me. Secondly, Liang Shao Yang possessed some confidence that he would be able to attain enlightenment at the Spirit Engraved Pillars, and use it as a get-out-of-jail card in case he got into trouble. Thirdly, he actually succeeded in attaining enlightenment from the Spirit Engraved Pillar, which means that everything he had done prior was utterly meaningless. Even if they find out that he had killed an inner sect disciple, they would not care at all."

I lowered my hand and shook my head in exasperation.

"In other words, everything that Liang Shao Yang had done was completely pointless. All he needed to do was to gain enlightenment from the Spirit Engraved Pillar, get promoted to an inner sect disciple, and nobody can touch him. Nobody had to die. Why did he even bother to kill Senior Hao Ying? That made no sense. He could have left Senior Hao Ying or Long He alive, gain enlightenment from the Spirit Engraved Pillar, become an inner sect disciple, and even if the Blood Blades trace everything back to him, there's nothing he can do because Sect Leader and the great elders will protect him zealously with their lives."

"…"

Everyone stared at me. I shrugged to emphasize my point.

"So…what was the whole point of all that killing? That single action of gaining enlightenment made all his attempts to wipe clean any trace of his crime by killing completely redundant, foolish, impulsive and needlessly destructive. Senior Hao Ying and Long He would be more useful to him alive than dead. He had no reason to kill him at all if he knew he was going to get promoted to the inner sect while gaining enlightenment, but he did it anyway." I then turned to narrow my eyes at Elder Zhao. "And this is the guy that they want as the potential future leader of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect? Are you serious?"

Elder Zhao could only shrug helplessly, unable to refute my completely logical sense of reasoning. Judging from everyone else's silence, they couldn't find anything to object to at all, and Tong Xue was nodding in complete agreement.

"This brings me to the next point," I continued, even though Zhao Shi looked as if she was going to fall asleep, Lian Rou looked a bit terrified and taken aback, and Zi Xiao Ji's mouth was hanging wide open. Even Da Ge seemed a little bemused by my sudden hijacking of the conversation. "Sect Leader will eventually find out that Liang Shao Yang came to our sect in order to woo Qi Hong, and aim to merge the Divine Shadow Sect with the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect in the future. He will probably know that Liang Shao Yang originates from a most likely demonic sect filled with murderous, shady figures who think that killing everyone is always the best answer. From this, he should realize that Liang Shao Yang is not somebody you can entrust the future of your sect to, especially considering the interests of the sect and how it conflicts with that of the Divine Shadow Sect's. Yet the great elders will probably pressure him to allow Liang Shao Yang to do whatever he wants, just because he has far better talent with blacksmithing and spirit engraving than anyone else. So they are placing personal skills over personality and moral values when evaluating the suitability of someone as the next sect leader? Are they seriously considering the option to nurture a shadowy assassin prone to backstabbing to take over as the future sect leader of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect?"

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"To be fair, the sect leader and elders believe that a person's character can be shaped and molded during the nurturing process. That no one's personality in the future will be set in stone in the present. They will endeavor to change his attitude and…"

"…brainwash him?" I supplied helpfully. Tong Xue and Da Ge chuckled at that. Elder Zhao looked stumped, but unable to find a better word, he nodded.

"…I wouldn't put it that way, but yes. Anyway, a person's personality can be shaped, but it'll be too late to nurture his talent later. For the prosperity of the sect, he will not punish Liang Shao Yang. This I am very sure of."

"Wait…wait, wait." Da Ge suddenly realized something. "If Liang Shao Yang was confident of triggering a response from the Spirit Engraved Pillars, and thus get instantly promoted to inner sect disciple status and reach the point where the sect leader and great elders will consider him as the next sect leader in future, then why the hell would he need to woo Junior Qi Hong in the first place? He can just take over the sect all by himself."

"To be fair…" This time Tong Xue had a valid rebuttal. "I doubt Liang Shao Yang had the confidence of triggering a response and gaining enlightenment before he entered the sect. he only gained the confidence after spending several months meditating and communing with the Spirit Engraved Pillars. Back then, the only surefire way for him to gain control of the sect was to win Tang Qi Hong's heart and get married to the only future sect leader candidate at that time."

"There's no way a guy like him can win my heart!" Tang Qi Hong cried out, horrified. Tong Xue raised his hands to placate her.

"Nobody is saying you will. We're only talking hypothetically, and Liang Shao Yang's delusions obviously do not match up with reality."

Tang Qi Hong relaxed, but she still pouted at the implication of Liang Shao Yang's intentions.

"Well, putting the lack of logic and the complete pointlessness of Liang Shao Yang's absurd actions aside, what are you going to do?" Zhao Shi asked me.

I thought for a few moments, and then shook my head.

"Nothing."

"What?!" Tang Qi Hong demanded. "You're just going to let Liang Shao Yang get away with this? Don't you feel frustrated?"

"I never said that."

"But…"

I raised a hand to forestall her protests. "One thing at a time. Right now, I am in no position to challenge Liang Shao Yang. Never mind the vast difference in status, I haven't even reached the position of inner sect disciple yet. Rising to his provocations now would do me no good and instead harm me. Furthermore, Liang Shao Yang has no reason to attack me right now. So why should I go looking for trouble when I'm in such a massively disadvantageous position? I would rather make use of the time afforded to me to improve my own skills, raise my status and cultivation, and grow stronger. As I am right now, other than combat strength, I am completely outclassed by Liang Shao Yang."

"…excellent." Elder Zhao nodded, thoroughly impressed. "Not a hint of recklessness or impulsiveness at all. Despite your situation, you've remained clear-headed, calm and completely composed, able to think things through and reason." He leaned closer, thinking about something. "I'll formally invite you to join the Blood Blades. If you pass the test, you'll essentially become an inner sect disciple."

"That's great!" Tang Qi Hong clapped her hands, overjoyed.

However, I shook my head.

"I appreciate the offer, but…I'm not ready yet. First, I've to deal with the level 6 test in Wu Ling Academy tomorrow."

"Oh, right. I forgot that it's tomorrow." Tong Xue's eyes widened and he stared at me. "Are you prepared for it? I mean, with all that was happening."

"No problem. I've been prepared since last week."

"I see." Elder Zhao nodded. "You want to pass that test first before you take another test. We'll welcome you anytime."

"Do you mind giving me a few months?" I asked wearily, not feeling like I wanted to take so many consecutive tests in a week, especially with so many events and crises happening over a single week. My body couldn't hold out.

Elder Zhao laughed. "You can have as many weeks as you wish. The next Blood Blades entrance exam is in four months, anyway. After summer, and right at the start of fall."

"…after the interschool tournament then." I exchanged a glance with Tong Xue. "Plenty of time to get ready."

"Hmm, might be a good idea to get some combat experience in the tournament before taking the Blood Blades test," Tang Qi Hong agreed approvingly. "I heard that you'll be thrown into the wild and forced into real combat."

"Well, there's no use coddling prospective candidates," Elder Zhao pointed out. "Not when we have to deal with very real threats on a regular basis. We want our candidates to be prepared for that, otherwise they won't make the cut."

"We will be," both Tong Xue and I chorused.

"That doesn't mean I'll go easy on you for blacksmithing!" Tang Qi Hong warned me. "You're still my assistant, and I'll be drilling blacksmithing techniques into you!"

I groaned inwardly, but put on a firm experience outwardly. "I'll do my best to learn."

"Good. Prepare yourself!"

"On that note…" Elder Zhao cleared his throat. "You guys should go back and rest. There isn't much of a reason to stick around here. Remember what I told you!" he turned to Zhao Shao and Da Ge. "Keep an eye on Fei Wu. I know his reasoning is sound and all that, but not everyone operates on logic. Liang Shao Yang is the greatest example of that. Best to be careful."

"Roger that, sir."

"You got it, Elder Zhao!"

Elder Zhao then turned to address Tang Qi Hong and Zi Xiao Ji. "And I'm counting on you two to talk to Sect Leader and Sect Mistress."

"You can count on me!"

"I'll talk to Father and Mother! I promise!"

"I know you will." Elder Zhao nodded with a smile, then waved us off. "Good night, everybody."

With that, everyone left the office.

*

When I exited along with my friends, I couldn't help but glance at the Lake of Fire. In the aftermath of Liang Shao Yang's success, many hopeful outer sect disciples had gathered on the drifting platform and attempting to commune with the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars.

Once again, I felt my skin crawl when I felt the presence of the malevolent entity lurking beneath the platform. Swallowing, I withdrew myself and hardened my mental defenses to prevent any invasion.

I spotted Yin Jing Jing, Tian Jian Hao, Pang Feng and Pang Yun, along with countless other Nine-Tailed Fox Sect disciples, all gathered underneath the Spirit Engraved Pillars in an attempt to comprehend the arcane symbols and pictures.

The majority of the sect disciples had not dispersed and returned to their apartments or rooms after the miraculous event, even after Sect Leader, Sect Mistress and the three great elders departed. Instead, it seemed that they had grown even more enthusiastic in their efforts, passionately focusing their minds and trying to communicate with the spirits embedded within the Spirit Engraved Pillars.

I wouldn't do that if I were you…

That would leave them vulnerable to an open attack, but fortunately the malevolent entity found all of them unsuitable as its host. The bastard was still aiming for me, huh?

I quickly withdrew my spirit within a fortified mental barrier and prayed that he wouldn't notice me this time.

"Fei Wu, there's still some space over there. You want to try and commune with the Spirit Engraved Pillars?"

Tong Xue thought he was being helpful, and I inwardly cursed. To be fair, I couldn't blame him because he had no way of knowing that his suggestion would put my very soul in jeopardy. Even so, I had to decline because I didn't want to offer my body up as a host to some demon.

"No, I'm…a little tired. I need to prepare for the level 6 test tomorrow, remember?"

Good thing I had an excellent excuse on hand, so I could decline the offer without drawing suspicion or hurting Tong Xue's feelings.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot about that! Go get some rest! And good luck tomorrow!"

"Thanks."

I bowed and then left for my apartment, with Zhao Shi, Da Ge and Zi Xiao Ji trailing behind me to keep an eye out for any assailants.

"Dudes…you do know that Liang Shao Yang is up the volcano with Sect Leader and the six great elders, right?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "He's not going to suddenly teleport down here and try to kill me."

"He has a point," Zhao Shi admitted. She exchanged glances with Da Ge, and the two of them escorted Zi Xiao Ji home. Zi Xiao Ji looked a little reluctant, but I reminded her that she had to speak to her parents.

"I'm counting on you to convince your parents regarding the matter on Liang Shao Yang."

"Leave that to me, Brother Wu!" Zi Xiao Ji brightened up and almost skipped away. Da Ge gave me a wave before he followed her and Zhao Shi into the distance.

Left on my own, I returned to my apartment and began making preparations for tomorrow.

Over the next few days, the major sects all over the Great Zhou Empire sent their congratulations, and even the patriarch of the Divine Shadow Sect himself had reportedly set out to personally visit Nine-Tailed Fox Sect to congratulate them, praise his son, and I suspect, to give him new orders under the table.

Liang Shao Yang moved away from the outer sect district and into the core of the inner sect, one of the luxurious residences embedded into the volcano. He was being personally tutored by Sect Leader and at least three of the great elders, all of whom offered him advice and guidance on forging spirit armaments and inscribing Spirit Engravings.

Even Elder Hai Mo, who was away on a mission, rearranged his schedule to return earlier than planned, just so he could personally teach the new prodigy who triggered a response from the Spirit Engraved Pillars.

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