Chapter 91: Wasn’t It You, Lan Zi Yu, Who Played Favorites?
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This wasn’t the first time Yu Zhao had taken a life.
In her previous life, she had been expelled from the Five Elements Dao Sect, reduced to a wandering outcast and labeled a public enemy of the cultivation world.
Countless people sought her life, eager to curry favor with Ye Cong Xin.
Yu Zhao didn’t want to die, so her hands were stained with the blood of those who sought to kill her.
Though she had never met most of them, her encounters with them always ended the same: one lived, and one died.
This life was no different.
Yu Zhao didn’t want to kill, but there were always people who wished to end her life.
Between killing and being killed, she was left with no other choice.
As she watched the four lives fade before her eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion. Yet, it only strengthened her resolve to grow stronger.
To avoid becoming the prey, she had to become the sharpest blade.
Exhaling deeply, Yu Zhao steadied her emotions and began cleaning up the aftermath.
The Four Gentlemen: Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum were renowned assassins in the cultivation world, notorious for their killings and treasure-seizing. Their storerooms were filled with wealth that now belonged to Yu Zhao.
She emptied their storage spaces, collecting everything of value. Then, using her spiritual energy, she dug a pit on the desolate mountain and buried their bodies before leaving without a backward glance.
The scene left behind bore the marks of a fierce battle.
In the Dark Pavilion, assassination missions remained active on the task list until completed or voluntarily canceled by the client. This meant that after the Four Gentlemen’s failure, others could still take on the mission.
By deliberately leaving traces of the battle, Yu Zhao was sending a message to the Dark Pavilion:
I’m not afraid of you. Come at me with everything you’ve got.
It was audacious to the extreme.
The Dark Pavilion’s administrators quickly understood her intention, leaving them with mixed feelings.
Her actions aligned perfectly with the reports they had gathered about her.
A person bold enough to defy her master and get expelled from her sect—would she hesitate to provoke an entire assassin’s guild? Even at an auction, she had made disciples of the Green Wood Sect lose face in public.
What they hadn’t expected was her formidable combat prowess. Defeating the Four Gentlemen, their top assassins, single-handedly? And to think she had only reached the Golden Core stage less than six months ago.
How was this even possible?
Are all disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect monsters? thought the administrator, shaking his head in regret.
Had he known, he would never have accepted this troublesome bounty for a few top-grade spirit stones.
“Pavilion Master, the Four Gentlemen are dead. Should the mission to hunt Yu Zhao remain active?” one of the black-clad subordinates hesitantly asked.
The Pavilion Master pondered for a moment before replying coldly, “Pass the news to the Green Wood Sect and see what they decide. If they want to proceed, tell them they’ll need to pay more.”
The task had already been issued.
By now, those who needed to know already knew. Backtracking wasn’t an option.
It was better to shift the problem to the Green Wood Sect and let them deal with it.
“Also, inform them that due to the severe losses we’ve suffered, the initial bounty deposit is non-refundable, even if they choose to cancel the task.”
The black-clad subordinate frowned. “Pavilion Master, this might violate protocol…”
Both the Five Elements Dao Sect and the Green Wood Sect were formidable. Offending either was a dangerous game.
The Pavilion Master smirked, unfazed. “They won’t make this public. Even if they bite their tongues, they’ll swallow the blood.”
From the moment the Green Wood Sect approached the Dark Pavilion, they had handed over a damning piece of evidence.
If word got out that Green Wood Sect disciples had hired assassins to kill a Five Elements Dao Sect disciple, the Green Wood Sect’s reputation would be in tatters. The person behind the bounty would face severe consequences.
The Pavilion Master was confident that Wang Qian and his peers wouldn’t dare come knocking.
Hearing this, the subordinate found the logic sound and left to carry out the orders without further hesitation.
…
Smack!
Su Ming opened his hand to reveal the nearly palm-sized mosquito beast squashed within. His face turned livid with anger.
Abruptly standing up, he vented, “Eldest Senior Brother! How much longer are we going to stay in this cursed place?”
Three months!
They had been stuck in this swampy forest, teeming with snakes, insects, and vermin, for three whole months.
They hadn’t encountered Yu Zhao—not even visiting cultivators seemed to pass through this desolate region.
Every day was a battle against the relentless pests. Su Ming had had enough, and today, the mosquito beast’s attack finally broke the dam of his frustration.
With pent-up emotions surging forth, he snapped, “Eldest Senior Brother, this is unbearable!”
Fang Cheng Lang didn’t even glance at him. Perched cross-legged on a thick tree branch, he replied indifferently, “I told you not to come back then, but you insisted. Now, if you don’t want to stay here, you’re free to leave.”
“Eldest Senior Brother!” Su Ming’s voice rose.
He knew it was his own decision to endure the misery of the swamp, and it wasn’t fair to blame Eldest Senior Brother. But Fang Cheng Lang had always been the most forgiving and dependable among their fellow disciples, the anchor of their group.
Su Ming’s complaints were, in truth, a veiled plea for comfort, hoping Fang Cheng Lang would offer a few words of reassurance.
To his shock, Eldest Senior Brother’s response was the opposite of what he expected. Su Ming’s anger mingled with a strange sense of unease.
Eldest Senior Brother doesn’t seem the same anymore.
A troubling thought crept into his mind. Will he, too, start distancing himself from us like Yu Xiao Zhao did?
Lan Zi Yu and Cui Jue exchanged worried glances. Both had noticed something off about Fang Cheng Lang. His demeanor had grown colder, and his strained interactions hinted at a barrier slowly forming between him and the rest of them.
“Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother didn’t mean to blame you. Please don’t be angry with him,” came Ye Cong Xin’s soft, timid voice.
Despite the grimy swamp, Ye Cong Xin remained clean and unblemished, thanks to the protective talismans and insect-repelling pouches provided by Lan Zi Yu and the others. Her appearance was a stark contrast to their disheveled state.
Fang Cheng Lang’s expression darkened further upon hearing her voice.
Ye Cong Xin bit her lip, looking as though she might cry, her delicate face brimming with grievance. Inside, however, resentment festered, growing wildly.
For weeks, she had humbled herself, tirelessly currying favor with everyone. Lan Zi Yu, Su Ming, and Cui Jue had all warmed to her in varying degrees.
Especially Cui Jue—his favorability score had risen to 85. Just five more points, and she could begin siphoning his fortune.
But Fang Cheng Lang remained an exception. Not only was he unmoved, but his favorability was steadily dropping.
Yesterday, when she checked his score, she was stunned to find it had plummeted to 20.
Twenty?!
Ye Cong Xin was furious, nearly beside herself with rage.
Her intention in stepping forward now wasn’t to mediate between Fang Cheng Lang and Su Ming but to increase her favorability with Cui Jue and the others.
As expected, seeing Fang Cheng Lang ignore Ye Cong Xin entirely, both Cui Jue and Lan Zi Yu showed signs of displeasure.
To them, their Little Junior Sister was frail yet determined. Her willingness to endure the dangers of the swamp with them in their search for Yu Zhao reflected her pure and considerate nature. If Eldest Senior Brother didn’t appreciate her efforts, the least he could do was not treat her coldly.
“Eldest Senior Brother, yes, Yu Zhao is our junior sister. But so is Little Junior Sister. Why do you treat them so differently?” Lan Zi Yu’s expression was solemn as he addressed Fang Cheng Lang.
“Differently?” Fang Cheng Lang chuckled coldly. “Lan Zi Yu, wasn’t it you who played favorites? If Yu Zhao and Ye Cong Xin are both our junior sisters, why do you address Yu Zhao by her full name but call Ye Cong Xin ‘Little Junior Sister’?”