"No, send it directly to Mountain-Edge City. I'll head there directly as well," Lu Sheng changed his mind.
"Understood."
"I'll leave the rest to you. I'll head to headquarters first," Lu Sheng instructed and galloped towards the Crimson Whale on horseback.
He made no stops along the way. By the time he reached the Crimson Whale, many of the upper echelons, External Heads, and Internal Affairs Emissaries were already there.
The pier was bustling with people, including some of the nearby sects.
Just as Lu Sheng arrived on horseback, a sect member dressed in a red sect uniform welcomed him and led the way.
"Why are there so many people today?" Lu Sheng frowned as he looked ahead.
A group of people had just arrived, bearing the flag of Eastern Mountain Society. The leader, a white-bearded old man, was speaking softly to the sect member who was leading the way.
"It's the old Sect Master who's called for a meeting. All the reputable leaders in the vicinity will be at the Crimson Whale today," the sect member replied softly.
Lu Sheng dismounted and boarded the Crimson Whale from the side. The front was crowded beyond belief. There was no way to get in or out. There were already a few flags queuing up to board the ship. Due to the inspection, the speed was slow.
"A meeting call? What happened? "Lu Sheng asked.
"Your subordinate is not sure," the sect member shook his head as well.
Lu Sheng said no more. His brows furrowed, he had a bad feeling about this.
Boarding the ship, he headed straight for the central hall. Before he even got close, he could hear the commotion inside.
They entered the hall through the side of the ship, and all they saw were the banners of various sects and sects.
The hall was also filled with people from other factions.
The old Sect Master sat at the head of the table. Beside him was Chen Ying, as well as the other External Affairs Emissaries and Internal Affairs Emissaries. Elder Wang, Elder Ouyang, and a group of Elders whom he knew were all present.
Below them were the representatives of the Second Society, She Lin Society and Eastern Mountain Society. It looked like their representatives had arrived as well. A few men and women with extraordinary auras were seated at their seats.
Following them were the representatives of Transformation Sect, Gong Qu Sect, and Mountain Tiger Sect. The entire hall was in a hubbub.
Lu Sheng looked at the old Gang Leader. Hong Mingzi also saw him and nodded slightly, indicating for him to sit.
Lu Sheng noticed that there was a young man sitting on Hong Mingzi's left, a young man who looked calm and collected.
This man was clearly sitting beside the Sect Master of Crimson Whale Sect, dressed in grey robes and carrying a pine patterned sword on his back. Yet, there was not a shred of aura about him. Instead, he looked like one of those teachers that Lu Sheng often saw in the academy, or a bookstore owner. There was a mixture of gentleness about him.
He narrowed his eyes and strode over.
"Junior Apprentice Brother, sit beside me," Hong Mingzi said in a low voice, pointing to the seat on his right, just below Chen Ying.
Chen Ying was the second in command in Crimson Whale Sect. Letting Lu Sheng sit behind him clearly meant that he, Lu Sheng, was the third in command in Crimson Whale Sect.
Lu Sheng did not stand on ceremony. He strode over and sat down.
"Senior Apprentice Brother, what's going on? Why did you issue the summons?"
Hong Mingzi forced a smile and introduced the young man beside him, "This is Young Master Zhen Xun, the person in charge of Zhen Family's handling of the situation."
He turned to the young man and said softly, "Young Master Zhen Xun, this is this old man's Junior Apprentice Brother, Lu Sheng. My Junior Apprentice Brother's strength ranks in the top three in Crimson Whale Sect."
The young man nodded warmly at Lu Sheng. He did not speak, but merely gestured.
Lu Sheng instantly understood the other party's identity.
Zhen Xun!
The leader of Zhen Family's team this time was also a member of the legendary Noble Family. Moreover, for this person to be able to lead other members of Zhen Family, he must be one of the cream of the crop.
With a solemn expression, he stood up and cupped his fists at the other party. Zhen Xun merely nodded slightly.
Given his status, it was only normal for him to do so.
Lu Sheng did not take it to heart. He sat down and said no more. After all, in Zhen Xun's eyes, he was merely the leader of Crimson Whale Sect and an unremarkable subordinate of Zhen Family. It was already very kind of him to even look him in the eye.
After that, more Crimson Whale Sect upper echelons arrived one after another. Hong Mingzi introduced the stronger ones to Zhen Xun one by one. This high and mighty Young Master of a Noble Family showed no signs of impatience and maintained a gentle attitude.
Instead, after learning of his identity, the senior members of Crimson Whale Sect sat upright and still as though they were facing a formidable foe, afraid of upsetting him. The atmosphere was rather tense.
After waiting for about half an hour.
The introductions of all members of Crimson Whale Sect were completed. The leaders and representatives of the other sects had also arrived. The doors to the grand hall closed slowly.
Hong Mingzi raised his hand.
"BOOM!!"
The dull sound of a drum rang out.
"Silence!" Hong Mingzi's voice rang out.
Instantly, the originally noisy grand hall fell silent. The leaders of the various forces restrained their subordinates and looked up.
"Old Sect Master Hong, this is only the second time Crimson Whale Sect has used the summoning order ever since they obtained it more than ten years ago. Is it because of the recent unrest outside the city that you've invited everyone here this time?" Eastern Mountain Society's Vice Society Master asked loudly from his seat.
"Indeed. There's been a lot of trouble in the Northern Lands recently. All sorts of bizarre cases have emerged one after another, causing everyone to be on tenterhooks. It's not a good sign! As the dragon of the Northern Lands, can Crimson Whale Sect come up with some countermeasures to stabilize the situation? "She Lin Society's Society Master asked loudly.
The others chimed in in agreement. Indeed, in recent times, the various powers had been greatly impacted as well. Large numbers of headless murders were on the rise. Even the citizens within Mountain-Edge City were on tenterhooks, not to mention those living outside the city.
Although everyone was trying their best to muddle through, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the situation had completely slipped out of their hands.
Hong Mingzi coughed twice and gestured for everyone to quieten down.
"Everyone is right. The situation in the Northern Lands is indeed difficult to control. That's why Crimson Whale Sect has invited everyone here to resolve this matter."
He gestured to Zhen Xun beside him.
"This Young Master Zhen Xun is the one who has specially come to resolve the current situation."
Zhen Xun?!
That name seemed to have some sort of magical power, and it quickly spread among the leaders of the various powers. Everyone's expressions changed when they heard the name of that person. Apart from the newly promoted experts who were clueless about the situation in recent years, the rest of the upper echelons had all heard of Zhen Family's name.
The scene quickly quietened down. Some of those who had been guilty of misdeeds were now sweating profusely, unsure if this Young Master Zhen would bring up old scores.
Smiling, Zhen Xun stood up slowly.
Surveying the crowd, he was satisfied with the intimidating effect of his name.
"Everyone," his aura was not loud, but his voice spread out clearly for everyone to hear.
"On behalf of Zhen Family, I hope that everyone here can cooperate with me on two matters."
He stood up, and the rest hurriedly followed suit, including Hong Mingzi.
"Greetings, Young Master Zhen Xun! May I ask … what does Young Master want us to do? "Eastern Mountain Society's Society Master asked nervously and respectfully.
His question was what everyone present wanted to know as well.
Zhen Xun smiled, "I want all your forces and people to find out all the forces related to Scarlet District."
"Scarlet District?" Hong Mingzi's expression changed.
"That's right. Scarlet as in red, district as in music district. It's also the true source of this turmoil," Zhen Xun nodded. Zhen Xun nodded. "In addition, I want you to report all the conspicuous outsiders who have recently arrived in the five cities. Note down all the outsiders with unusual characteristics."
This was a monumental task. The Five Major Cities referred to the five great cities of the Northern Lands, including Mountain-Edge City. The daily flow of people in these cities was immense. It was difficult to filter out all the people with distinctive characteristics.
Standing to the side, Lu Sheng vaguely understood Young Master Zhen Xun's intentions. He was borrowing the strength of mortals to form an intelligence network to detect all potential enemies.
"Since this is Young Master Zhen Xun's request, we'll definitely carry it out!" Society Master She Lin was the first to express his stance. The other leaders quickly followed suit.
Those who could sit at the head of the table were all well-informed. Zhen Family was the true ruler of the Northern Lands and the backer behind Crimson Whale Sect. This was something everyone knew.
Every year, Crimson Whale Sect's immense wealth and resources disappeared without a trace like a raging flood. They were all supplied to Zhen Family.
"Since all of you understand what I mean, then gather all the intelligence and hand it over to Crimson Whale Sect. I'll send someone to check it out after a while. Any questions? "Zhen Xun swept his gaze across the room.
"We'll definitely follow Young Master's instructions!" Hong Mingzi was the first to answer loudly. He smiled obsequiously and put on a standard fawning look.
Lu Sheng was speechless. This was the first time he had seen his senior apprentice brother in such a manner. No wonder he was the Sect Master of the Number One Sect.
"We'll definitely follow Young Master's instructions!" The other powers dared not defy him.
Zhen Xun instructed them on who to watch out for, then left slowly with his hands behind his back. Before long, he mounted a fine horse prepared by Crimson Whale Sect and rode off.
The hastily assembled meeting also dispersed hastily.
None of the leaders present were as relaxed as they had been when they arrived. Instead, they returned with solemn expressions, prepared to follow Zhen Family's orders and arrange for spies.
Lu Sheng was about to leave as well, but was asked to stay by the old Sect Master.
"Senior Apprentice Brother, what's the matter? Why did you ask me to stay? "
In the Sect Master's study, Hong Mingzi dismissed his attendants, leaving Lu Sheng alone in the room.
"Junior Apprentice Brother, something big is bound to happen. You must be prepared," Hong Mingzi said solemnly to Lu Sheng.
"Something big?" Lu Sheng's expression turned solemn as well. The old Sect Master wouldn't have asked him to stay for no reason.
"Yes." Hong Mingzi nodded gravely. "I've been in contact with Zhen Family for more than twenty years. Their responses have always been resolute and harsh. They're steady and have their own style. But this time, something's not right. This Young Master Zhen Xun doesn't act like Zhen Family in the past. I have a bad feeling. "
"Senior Apprentice Brother, are you sure?" Lu Sheng's expression turned solemn.
"I'm sure. Zhen Family's actions are a little too hasty." Hong Mingzi continued, "Of course, it's also possible that I'm overly suspicious. But there's nothing wrong with being more prepared. Junior Apprentice Brother, you must be careful. Zhen Family … is a little unstable … "
"I understand …" Lu Sheng's heart felt heavy.
After leaving the study, he kept thinking about this matter on his way back.
Given Hong Mingzi's personality, he wouldn't tell him such things for no reason. He, Lu Sheng, had a clean background and was a member of the Crimson Sun Sect. He was his junior apprentice brother, and his conduct and personality were traceable. It was normal for Hong Mingzi to give him some advice.
He was treating him like a true family member.
'Zhen Family is unstable … If I really want to make a plan, what should I do?' Lu Sheng's heart was a little gloomy.
In the Northern Lands, Zhen Family was the one carrying the banner of resisting the Anomalies, demons, and ghosts. They enjoyed a large amount of resources from the entire Northern Lands and also provided stability for the Northern Lands.
But if something were to happen to this huge umbrella of protection, the ensuing trouble would be huge.
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