Proofreader: Papatonks
“Wuyue!”
Taking a deep breath, Elder Yuan sighed, “Ever since you took your seat as Sect Leader, I have not once heard you address me as master!”
Xie Wuyue’s eyes shook, nodding, “Because master once said that the ruler of a sect drives the entire sect, wielding absolute power above anyone else’s. I could only keep the word master in my heart and never utter it. After that day, the Demon Scheming Sect only had Sect Leader Xuan and High Venerable Yuan Xinggang, nothing more, nothing less. There’s no other meaning to it.”
“Do you still remember my teaching? Then you should know that when the bigger picture is involved, I don’t make decisions based on feelings.”
Elder Yuan let out a long breath then walked as he said, “Step down, taking a leisure Venerable office. Zhuo Fan won’t go as far as kill for my sake. It’s great that I also have the True Self Art I mentioned once, and can help you to understand it with the time you’ll have. Being so high in status for so long, you’ve let your emotions control you. Stepping down and pondering on Dao might be the best thing for you…”
Xie Wuyue’s face twitched. He clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth, “Master, are you that heartless? Would you rather get an outsider on my seat than help me keep it?”
“It’s not a matter of wanting, it’s that providence made it so I can’t…”
“Humph, providence?”
Xie Wuyue flicked his sleeve as he roared, “You just think Zhuo Fan has those geezers under his thumb and now you don’t want to see the sect suffer. But have you ever thought that without rules there’s only chaos. If Demon Scheming Sect’s Sect Leader can be taken so easily, what’s the point of sect rules? How will the sect be ruled later? Won’t it be a mess?”
Elder Yuan turned around to look into Xie Wuyue’s crazed eyes and chuckled, “Wuyue, you really need to step down. As far as we know, if you get public support, you can have the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s done by lying or stealing. The important thing is to understand it. Do you know why I was content with staying at the Labor Office for the past centuries? It wasn’t just for peace of mind, it was because that was the closest place to true human nature, where the public’s will was most obvious. You’ve been standing above everyone for too long you’ve already gone blind to it. You need to step down and ponder on the true Dao.”
“Humph, ponder what? Dao what? Who doesn’t know that in this world power is everything? What good will having Dao in your mind do to make me stronger? Nothing!”
Stomping, Xie Wuyue glared as he cursed, “High Venerable, you’ve been around those stinkin’ laborers for too long and became weak. You’re no longer the best expert in the Demon Scheming Sect who held supreme power. A mere Zhuo Fan got a bunch of ninnies to take arms and already got you scared. Now you come to me to step down and learn some weird True Self Art? Humph, master, to be honest, I never gave a damn about that art. What other use is there to it than to look weaker? I am the great Sect Leader of the Demon Scheming Sect. I need to show them all my strength and get their respect. I’m not like you, always with your nose down.”
Xie Wuyue’s yelling shook Elder Yuan to the core. He was in pain as his withered white hair blew with every outburst from Xie Wuyue.
Elder Yuan did not react, he was just extremely disappointed in his disciple he helped so many years. “I now see I shouldn’t have given the True Self Art to you. You can’t see its value and just throw it away like junk. Thank god there’s still Zhuo Fan…”
Elder Yuan closed his eyes and turned around. As he opened them again, gone was the pain and sadness, replaced by resolve and force as he spoke, “Let’s go out together. I’ve already drawn out a reason for your stepping down.”
Elder Yuan stepped towards the door once more, with conviction.
“Master, you can’t do this! I’m your only disciple…”
Bam!
Elder Yuan’s shut the door as Xie Wuyue wailed behind him without remorse, leaving him all alone.
[Master, are you that heartless?]
Xie Wuyue’s eyes shook and he closed them. He gnashed his teeth and dug his nails into his palms in anger.
[How the hell is that punk so much better than me that even my own master would forsake me…]
Letting out a long breath, Xie Wuyue’s eyes shone with bloodlust.
Meanwhile, Elder Yuan looked calm but his heart was filled with pain and sorrow. His disciple who used to care so much about the sect just like him was now trapped in a deep whirlpool, offering the old man only disappointment and regret.
Zhuo Fan stood up and bowed, “Master!”
“You’re about to be Sect Leader. It’s best if you call me High Venerable. In the Demon Scheming Sect, status must be clearly defined in private and public, and not let emotion interfere with it.” Elder Yuan chuckled, preaching as he did back then with Xie Wuyue.
Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow and said, “Master is mistaken. Status must be upheld, but now I’m not fulfilling my duty as the Sect Leader. Since I see you as my master, before you is your disciple. And it’s only natural for a disciple to show respect to his master.”
Startled, Elder Yuan gave him a long look then sighed, “I see it now, private is private while public is public. When there was primal chaos, heaven and earth were one, but as the yin and yang separated, so did the two. That means private and public are interchangeable, how foolish of me. Pushing him towards power and not giving him any friendship had made him turn out like this. It’s all my fault.”
“Uhm, master, what do you mean?” Zhuo Fan was stunned.
Elder Yuan chuckled and shook his head, “Nothing, I just have one request. Xie Wuyue would come out and maybe he’ll step down. For the safety of the sect, he mustn’t get involved with more people. While a newly ascended emperor makes bold policies and snuffs out his remaining rivals, the Demon Scheming Sect is small and won’t survive such a purge.”
“Oh, sure. Since master asked, I of course won’t deny High Venerable’s suggestion. At worst, I’ll just be thrown off my seat and will have to just leave. I don’t care much for it anyway, ha-ha-ha…” Zhuo Fan nodded and laughed as he looked at Chu Qingcheng.
She nodded, not minding it at all.
Elder Yuan gave a heartfelt nod, but had a bitter smile inside.
[Zhuo Fan said that he’ll consider the Demon Scheming Sect as his home with me here, but in the end he doesn’t see it like that. Or else he wouldn’t disregard being a Sect Leader so much.]
[Just what can I do to make him see the sect as his home? I have to settle this or the kid will just run off.]
Creak~
A door opened and Xie Wuyue came out with a dark face. He still had a foul look when he saw Zhuo Fan, but he was no longer crazed.
Elder Yuan spoke, “Well? Have you decided?”
“Yeah.”
Totally unwilling to do this, Xie Wuyue still gave a nod.
Letting out a deep breath, Elder Yuan ignored him as he spoke to the couple, “You three follow me. It’s time we settle this.”
Elder Yuan was the first to walk ahead. Zhuo Fan, Chu Qingcheng and Xie Wuyue were right behind him.
Rumble~
With a heavy sound, the Main Hall’s doors opened. The crowd outside quickly turned their heads around.
Venerable Bai’s side had been tense all this time. Would Steward Zhuo get killed? How were they to carry out the uprising then?
Fortune had it that they soon saw Zhuo Fan and Chu Qingcheng coming out and let out a relieved breath.
The eyes turned to Elder Yuan, waiting for him to explain what had transpired inside.
Knowing their desires, Elder Yuan coughed before shouting, “Demon Scheming Sect, listen up! In view of Demon Scheming Sect disciple, Zhuo Fan’s exceptional conduct and remarkable achievement at Double Dragon Gathering in fighting for our sect’s honor, of the glorious win he had gotten by leading the sect’s experts and defeating Mystical Heaven Sect, after thorough deliberating with the Sect Leader, Sect Leader decided to step down, letting Zhuo Fan take his place. Please look forward to the ceremony being held tomorrow!”
[Come again?]
Everyone went slack-jawed. Venerable Shi and the Labor Office’s oldies were all standing there incredulously at what they heard.
[High Venerable forced Sect Leader to step down so Zhuo Fan would go up?]
With Xie Wuyue’s vile temper, they could guess he would never accept this, unless High Venerable gave him no choice.
They all looked at Elder Yuan in shock and puzzlement.
They all knew the relationship between High Venerable and Sect Leader, but no one thought he’d side with Zhuo Fan still.
There was no attempt at crushing the uprising, nor stalling the situation. He helped them instead!
This decision was beyond perplexing. Not even Venerable Shi could make sense of it…
“Wuyue…”
High Venerable looked at Xie Wuyue.
Xie Wuyue gnashed his teeth and stepped forward, forced to do this against his will, “The Sect Leader is someone of ability. Zhuo Fan’s merits are unprecedented and I shall step down, offering my last meager help for the sect’s bright future.”
Xie Wuyue said that last part like he was choking. It was utterly humiliating for a proud man like him to say that he was beneath a disciple.
Elder Yuan chuckled and turned to the people, “Tomorrow, the Sect Leader succession ceremony shall take place along with one more happy event. We will hold for our brand new Sect Leader a grand wedding, to celebrate the union between Sect Leader and his lady!”
Ugh!
Everyone faltered…
