"How could this elder be calculative with juniors? It's just a matter of seniority and seniority. Since ancient times, from an ordinary family to an emperor's country, nothing could be accomplished without rules. Jiang Xiaosheng had repeatedly crossed the Flying Star House's bottom line. He should be punished. Elder Ye, placing righteousness before family is admirable. "
Lu Zhou had never thought of imitating Meng Changdong. It was not in line with his usual style, even if he altered his appearance and facial features.
Ye Zhen maintained a faint smile on his face.
"Elder Meng's words make sense. Within the sect, father, son, brothers, elders, juniors, all have their own rules. Ordinary sects are like that, let alone the Flying Star House that has tens of thousands of members. "
It was just as he had previously understood.
Ye Zhen was an extremely cunning person.
How could he remain so calm when he heard Lu Zhou address himself as an elder?
His tone was neither sad nor happy, going with the flow and concealing the conflict in the depths of his heart. This was not the demeanor that a person of his age should have.
Lu Zhou remained unmoved. He asked calmly, "Is there anything else, Elder Ye?"
Ye Zhen said,
"Elder Meng led 1,000 cultivators to attack the Thousand Willow Monastery today. The Twelve Sects of Cloud Mountain's Nine-leaf elite, Xie Xuan, was killed by a golden lotus cultivator. Where was Elder Meng when it happened? "
His tone was very calm. It was clearly a question, but there was no accusation in it.
Lu Zhou said.
"The Thousand Willow Monastery is protected by elites. Even Xie Xuan died. Naturally, I'll retreat."
There was nothing to be ashamed of.
From Meng Changdong's perspective, there was nothing wrong with his escape route. If Yu Shangrong caught up to him, he would surely die. No matter how much he calculated, he didn't expect to run into me.
However, based on Ye Zhen's words, it was clear that Ye Zhen's spies were in the group from the beginning until the end.
Ye Zhen felt as though he was there. He knew everything like the back of his hand.
"Now that Xie Xuan is dead, the Twelve Sects of Cloud Mountain will definitely hold him accountable. Elder Meng, do you have an explanation?"
"I'm sure you're aware of this, Elder Ye …" Lu Zhou was not afraid at all. His tone was calm as he said, "Elder Ye, you know that the Thousand Willow Monastery is connected to the Ninth Temple, and yet, you insisted on attacking us. What are your intentions?"
After Ye Zhen finished speaking, he did not lose his temper. His expression remained unchanged.
"You're wrong."
He paused for a moment before he continued to say, "The housemaster and I went to the Ninth Temple because we're confident we can take down Sikong Beichen … The attack on the Thousand Willow Monastery is merely an opportunity."
The way he addressed Meng Changdong had changed.
"Taking advantage of the situation?"
Lu Zhou smiled sheepishly. "Lu Song, Liang Zidao, and Daoist Master Xuan Ming were capable men of the Flying Star House. Now that they've died for no reason, you call this taking advantage of the situation?"
Ye Zhen heard the rebuttal in his words, but his expression remained the same.
"These three people acted rashly without my permission. Death cannot wipe out their crimes. Among the 1,000 cultivators who attacked the Thousand Willow Monastery today, 300 are from the Sky Martial Court, 500 are from the Twelve Sects of Cloud Mountain, 150 are from the rogue cultivators, and only 50 are from the Flying Star House. After retreating, all 50 of them escaped with their lives.
"…"
If Lu Zhou saw something in Yu Shangrong, it was his ability to control himself.
On the surface, Meng Changdong was the one leading the attack on the Thousand Willow Monastery, but Ye Zhen was the mastermind behind the scenes.
He was cunning.
Ye Zhen continued to say, "However, I'm curious. How did you escape with your life, Elder Meng?"
"I'm skilled in escape techniques. It wasn't a problem for me to escape with my life," Lu Zhou replied.
Ye Zhen nodded.
"Elder Meng, aren't you going to ask what happened between me and the house master in the Ninth Temple?"
Something stirred in Lu Zhou's heart. He could not help but feel that Ye Zhen's eyes seemed to be able to see through something. Ye Zhen's actions were unpredictable and unpredictable.
Lu Zhou remained calm. All he had to remember was that all plots and schemes were futile in the face of absolute power.
"If you want to tell me, Elder Ye, I'm all ears," Lu Zhou said.
Ye Zhen raised a hand.
The two sides of the dojo buzzed as the wooden doors were closed.
"Are you worried that the walls have ears as well?"
This was Ye Zhen's dojo on the fifth courtyard on the middle peak. Who would be bold enough to eavesdrop on their conversation?
Ye Zhen said, "Times have changed."
He rose to his feet slowly. His Confucian robes draped over his shoulders. His straight figure cast a long shadow on the floor as he continued to say, "The house master and I went to the Ninth Temple to investigate Sikong Beichen and the truth behind Chen Beizheng's death …"
"Oh?" Lu Zhou was puzzled.
"Although Sikong Beichen has mastered a new sword path, he doesn't have the ability and courage to kill Chen Beizheng. Doing so would surely offend the palace. The Ninth Temple is declining by the day. None of the five First Seats has mastered karmic power. Therefore, Chen Beizheng's killer must be someone else, "Ye Zhen said as he paced around with his hands on his back.
"You have a point," Lu Zhou replied.
"Sikong Beichen claims that this person has the surname Lu and is capable of killing Chen Beizheng. It's highly likely that he's in the Thousand Willow Monastery." Ye Zhen continued pacing around. "The disciples who attacked the Thousand Willow Monastery reported that they saw two Nine-leaf golden lotus cultivators. Did you see them, Elder Meng?"
"Indeed," Lu Zhou replied.
"Good."
Ye Zhen nodded. He returned and sat down with his legs crossed. "In that case, I'll have to ask you to do two things for me, Elder Meng."
Lu Zhou remained silent. He wanted to see what else Yu Shangrong had up his sleeve.
Ye Zhen said, "First, the Flying Star House can't afford to lose too many talents. If there's nothing important, don't go out for now. Second, the memory crystal is of utmost importance. I've already discussed it with the Sky Martial Court. We'll leave the crystal to them. There's no need for you to worry about it, Elder Meng. What does Elder Meng think of these two matters? "
After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Zhou and waited for a reply.
Lu Zhou was in no hurry to answer.
After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth to speak.
"You just want this elder to hand over the crystal …"
Lu Zhou was puzzled. Since Ye Zhen disliked Meng Changdong so much, why did he not get rid of him? He even wanted to ground Meng Changdong and protect him?
There was something fishy about this.
Ye Zhen smiled. He slowly extended his hand and placed it before Lu Zhou. "Thank you, Elder Meng."
He stretched out his hand and asked for the crystal.
"Do you really want the crystal?"
"To be honest, this crystal doesn't mean much to me. If the Sky Martial Court wanted it, he would fulfill their wish. Of course … if you want it, it's not impossible. What do you think, friend? "Ye Zhen smiled.
The word 'friend' was spoken softly and slowly. It meant Ye Zhen knew he was not Meng Changdong.
When Ye Zhen said the word 'friend', he did not shift his gaze. He tried to see the shock and panic on Lu Zhou's face.
However, Lu Zhou appeared unusually calm.
Since he had obtained the crystal, Lu Zhou did not mind it at all. When he first met Ye Zhen, he knew he would be difficult to deal with.
Lu Zhou said, "You're quite observant."
Ye Zhen smiled.
"From the moment you stepped into the dojo, I knew you weren't Meng Changdong."
Lu Zhou was slightly surprised by this.
It was normal for a smart person to be able to tell that Ye Zhen was not the real Ye Zhen through their conversation. However, Ye Zhen was indeed quite capable to be able to notice something amiss so quickly.
"Elder Meng is only at the Nine-leaf stage. His aura wouldn't be this steady after entering the dojo. Your cultivation base is far above Elder Meng's, "Ye Zhen said.
No wonder Ye Zhen was not angry.
Ye Zhen continued to say, "There are many people in the world who have mastered the art of disguise. Your Excellency has only changed your appearance, but you are not willing to change your speech and actions. It's clear that you're not afraid of exposing yourself. All you want is the crystal. "
Lu Zhou nodded. "Smart people have a weakness, and that's arrogance. You're no exception. "
Ye Zhen did not deny it. He nodded.
Then, he waved his hand again.
Veins that resembled flowing water appeared on the landscape paintings on the dojo's four sides.
"The Ninth Temple is no longer what it used to be. Why must you go against the trend, sir? The Flying Star House is like the sun at high noon. It'll surely become the greatest sect in Great Tang in the future. Why don't you join forces with me? "
"Join forces with you?" Lu Zhou studied Ye Zhen again.
"Feel free to take the crystal as a sign of my sincerity." Ye Zhen's tone was frank as he placed his palms on his thighs. "When you return, please relay this to Senior Lu. If you are good at making friends with others, you will respect them for a long time. I hope you will think twice before you act. "
Initially, Lu Zhou had thought Ye Zhen's cultivation base was unfathomable, and he was cunning and difficult to deal with.
After their conversation, Lu Zhou could sense Ye Zhen's ambition and scheming.
A lack of forbearance in small matters would spoil great plans. As expected of a Confucian scholar.
"Meng Changdong is now a prisoner. You and the house master are the only ones left in the Flying Star House. On the surface, we're far weaker than the Ninth Temple. How can we join forces? "Lu Zhou asked.
"I'm enough," Ye Zhen said.
As soon as Ye Zhen finished speaking, the landscape paintings around him moved like flowing water. Faint Primal Qi lingered in the air.
Lu Zhou saw the flowing Daoist veins in the air.
The Daoist veins flowed, illuminating the surroundings.
Ye Zhen folded his palms.
A miniature avatar appeared behind Lu Zhou. A Nine-leaf golden lotus slowly bloomed.
Lu Zhou turned to look at the landscape paintings on the dojo's four sides. The dojo used four paintings to form a mysterious Daoist veins Formation.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
