Chapter 548: a.s.sa.s.sin
“Greetings master, Grand Elder, second elder.”
“Greetings master, Venerable Shi, Grand Elder!”
In a quaint wooden house, second senior brother and Hu Mei’er bowed before three people.
They were tall and imposing elderlies. The one in the middle had a hard look and sharp features, immovable as a rock.
Venerable Shi, master of Liu Xu.
On his left was a scrawny old man with beady eyes used particularly in devouring Hu Mei’er, this hunk of feminine pulchritude. He was none other than the second elder, her master.
As for the one on the right, he had a dull face and a shaky beard. He was in charge of distributing the sect’s resources, Grand Elder.
He had a weight no other elder in the sect had. In fact, most average Venerables had to show him respect.
The trio sat on a couch, watching the two while a buff man at the side sported a savage look.
Not even his silence could conceal his ruthless vibe.
“Gui Hu, I know it’s hard to hide the fiendish aura of that cultivation method, but you can at least control it and forge it into a weapon.” Grand Elder glanced over.
The man bowed, “Thank you master, I shall take it to heart.”
Gui Hu breathed in and the savage aura got cut down in half.
Grand Elder didn’t react while Venerable Shi smiled, “Gui Hu is the head inner disciple for a reason. At the 7th layer of Radiant Stage and the top profound ranked cultivation method, Underworld Fiend, there’s hardly any elites that could fight him.”
“Master is right, head senior brother is remarkable. I cannot wait, with the head senior brother’s help no other fellow disciples can stand in our way of becoming elites.” Liu Xu spoke in the most humble tone.
Venerable Shi smiled.
Grand Elder waved his hand, “Of no importance. Gui Hu helping you is all part of the agreement. Though Venerable Shi has many elite disciples, I will trouble sir to look after Gui Hu.”
“Ha-ha-ha, naturally. Gui Hu will remove many obstacles for us. He just cleared one elite position. We’re all on the same side here and of course should help each other.” Venerable Shi’s eyes shined.
Grand Elder nodded.
Not ganging up in Demon Scheming Sect did not mean just the elders and Venerables couldn’t skim the profits, but even their disciples would have an untimely end.
The same way the promising future of elites found their demise at Gui Hu and other’s hands.
Going by the current trend, only these three were hopeful of becoming elites and lavish in resources.
Grinning, Venerable Shi could hardly wait to dip his fingers, “I just can’t believe Venerable Qi and Venerable Bai found so many allies to get those two criminals to return. With their strength, they’re bound to take two spots.”
“No other choice, enviable talent exists everywhere. Decades ago, we were the ones to become elites, but those elders and Venerables had no disciples to use and favored Venerable Qi and the others. They must be jumping in joy that they stole two spots from us.” Second elder mocked.
The rest nodded.
Venerable Shi warned, “Are we just going to stand for this? Are we to let others take our bread? Why not incur public anger, we’re no pushovers either. By removing those seeds we’d do it from the shadows, even if those oldies find out, they’d have no proof. We’ll make them pay for our loss.”
The others nodded.
But Liu Xu spoke, “Master, I have a request.”
“Speak.”
“Sect Leader has brought in a disciple, Zhuo Fan, from outside and placed him in the Labor Office. I ask the honored master to investigate him.” Liu Xu looked Venerable Shi right in the eye.
Venerable Shi had never seen his disciple show such a calm expression, with so much eagerness too, “Isn’t he just a laborer? What’s the problem?”
“It’s grave, peculiar and convoluted.”
Liu Xu cupped his hands, “He has just joined the sect and was sent to the Labor Office, without any crimes. Even though the Sect Leader has brought him, they’ve never met. And finally, his outrageous power doesn’t fit his 7th layer of Profound Heaven cultivation. So much so that not even junior sister Mei’er could beat him. Master, something stinks here.”
Venerable Shi’s brow was locked in a frown, “It is indeed peculiar, and such strangeness is bound to hide something deeper. It must be Sect Leader’s plan.”
“Venerable Shi, won’t Sect Leader come for us if we interfere? We have been a bit brash over the past decades after all.” Grand Elder worried.
Venerable Shi sank into his thoughts before coming to a decision, “Sect Leader’s methods are cruel and cunning. He can’t come at us in the open and can only play some tricks. Letting his plan come to fruition will threaten our future. Humph, the first to strike has initiative. No matter how crucial that brat is to Sect Leader’s plans, getting rid of him will solve everything.”
“You want to… handle him?” Grand Elder cried, “But who should we send?”
Looking at the others, Venerable Shi said, “Based on Liu Xu’s words, the kid is an anomaly, stronger than what his cultivation dictates. Even Gui Hu will fail. That will give the Sect Leader an excuse to blow this out of proportions. By going myself, I’ll finish it in one blow with none the wiser…”
“You want to do it yourself?”
Grand Elder waved in panic, “Out of the question. The rules state no elder or Venerable can touch a disciple, not even a laborer. Even when picking up materials, we have to wait for the right time. But now that the Asura Circle is in effect, none of us can touch the Labor Office at all. Failure means ruining everything.”
Venerable Shi dismissed his worry, “It all comes down to getting some dirt on us. He won’t get squat if I don’t leave it! Or do you think a kid not even in Radiant Stage can do that? Hiding isn’t among the sect rules. Humph, Liu Xu, where is he?”
“Master, he is in the cemetery.”
“With a moonless night and fierce winds, it’s the most secluded location.” Venerable Shi made a sign, “Look after my body while I go!”
A shadow flew from his body and shot away in Zhuo Fan’s direction.
The rest remained to watch over the vessel.
An hour later, a shadow whistled into the cemetery in search of Zhuo Fan.
[Where the h.e.l.l is that brat hiding?]
Venerable Shi’s eyes shone like the sun in search of his target.
As he flew around in soul form, he picked up something and by following its trace, he found something rippling.
[The punk has even set up a barrier, a shame everything is moot beneath Ethereal Stage. I’m going to take your head!]
Venerable Shi charged right in.
But before he could enter, something slammed into him and knocked him away.
Crying out inside, Venerable Shi sensed something oddly familiar about that gray mist that had hit him and he ran without a moment to lose.
The gray mist chose to let him go, looking back at the barrier, before vanishing.
Silence reigned once again, with Zhuo Fan oblivious to his near brush with death.
Pff!
Venerable Shi’s soul got back in his meat suit, and his first reaction was to bleed out.
“Venerable Shi, what happened?” Grand Elder was restless.
The others were the same. What could make an Ethereal Stage expert suffer such a heavy wound?
Venerable Shi stammered, “I-it’s High Venerable!”
[Say what?!]
Everyone was speechless. [The punk has High Venerable acting as his bodyguard? Who the h.e.l.l is he? ]