“You only care about girls and now look. We are here stuck with our sealed cultivation while you play the hero, not caring what happens to us. How are we supposed to trust you?”
The fiends glared at Zhuo Fan, while the rest opted for silence.
Zhuo Fan rolled his shoulders, “Why are you complaining when I just saved you?”
Fiend Yang snickered, “You think that settles it? You brought this mess upon us. Now we are filled with fear, these youths will be so scared they can’t even sleep. Shouldn’t you do something about it?”
“Please, as elders coming to Double Dragon Gathering, you’re no scared children. You’re just trying to extort me. You think I’m gonna fall for it?” Zhuo Fan mocked.
The trio jerked yet saw Zhuo Fan wasn’t pushing it and signaled Fiend Yang to continue, “Kid, a leader does not cheat his fellow disciples, does not draw trouble…”
“Bah! When did I draw trouble?”
“What do you think Yan Mo was?” Fiend Yang shouted, “This was Mystical Heaven Sect’s problem, not ours. Yet for some broad…”
“What makes you so sure it was unrelated?”
Zhuo Fan cut him off with a heavy expression, “Hellion Flame is joining the Double Dragon Gathering, no? Don’t you know about knowing your enemy and yourself? Using this matter to find more about our enemies couldn’t be better.”
“But they’re a superior three sect!”
“All the more reason!” Zhuo Fan spoke from his moral high ground, “Don’t tell me you knew everything about their disciples when you fought with them, about their cultivation methods, skills, and whatnot. If so, why the hell did I have to fish for info? You should feel ashamed for neglecting your disciples instead of preaching reason with me!”
The trio was speechless.
[The hell? How is it our fault?]
Scratching their beards, the trio’s mind was mush by Zhuo Fan’s twisted logic. Fiend Yang yelled, “Hold on, they’re the superior three sects and have nothing to do with us. Why should we scout them out? We should be focusing on the middle three sects instead, to target the weakest and take its place!”
“Humph, how narrow-minded. You’re content with just being a middle three sect?” Zhuo Fan snorted.
The trio was stunned, “Y-you mean…”
“When I do something, I do it all the way.” Zhuo Fan was filled with pride and arrogance, “I will challenge the superior three sects. Those in the middle are too easy.”
Sss~
All gasped at Zhuo Fan’s declaration.
Being in the middle three sects had been Demon Scheming Sect’s life dream, not even considering the superior three sects.
These Double Dragon Gathering veterans felt small before Zhuo Fan’s great ambition.
“Truly, the young surpass the old. Zhuo Fan, you have a wider view and greater goals than we ever could. “
Fiend Gui patted his shoulder, “How confident are you?”
Zhuo Fan shook his head, “Their disciples are abnormal. Taking Yan Mo as an example, I had to use two-thirds of my strength to test him out. If the Double Dragon Gathering has someone much stronger, I may have no chance. But no worries, I’ll give my all either way!”
The trio’s faces twitched.
Yan Mo was like the representative of Hellion Flame with how insane his talent was, among the very best of western lands. They knew the guy, even if only by name.
And the only one who could best him was the western lands’ best talent, Wu Qingqiu.
[Yet, even so, this dude of ours still had a third to spare.]
While not even the three of them could deal with one disciple.
[But this guy might pull off his ambition.]
He was the best that ever happened to the Demon Scheming Sect.
The trio chuckled, “Let’s leave it at that then. As long as it’s for the sect, we’ll follow you along, ha-ha-ha…”
The trio clapped in glee as they walked away, then perplexed just a few feet away.
[Since when did we start being like this?] Not looking into this whole mess was more like using an excuse to get something out of Zhuo Fan.
[What though?]
The trio exclaimed after some deep thinking.
[Sacred stones!]
The three were regretting it inside. They wanted to use this chance to put some fear in him and get him to cough some sacred stones to keep them quiet.
Only to have the punk make it like he was challenging superior three sects all along, thus testing out Hellion Flame.
They were about to extort Zhuo Fan yet the ship sailed in the end. The trio cursed their damn mouths and more so the punk’s smooth style in getting them to earn jack squat from him.
[Steward Zhuo is as cunning as a weasel!]
Zhuo Fan’s regret was way bigger though.
He picked up on their intent from the start, so he faked being nice while saying whatever.
Only to end up challenging the superior three sects.
His mission was easy-peasy, taking down a middle three sect and putting the Demon Scheming Sect instead. Now though he had to work harder.
Based on Yan Mo, he knew the superior three sects were no easy targets, needing to use half of dragon soul’s power to beat the punk.
On the off chance the superior three sects had someone worse than Yan Mo, then he’d have hell to pay. The final fight could go either way.
“Me and my goddamned mouth.”
Zhuo Fan rubbed his mouth in regret.
Shui Ruohua came to him all tense, “Uh, young master Zhao, what do you mean?”
“Toothache.” Zhuo Fan deflected.
Looking at him oddly, she wondered. [We’ve been cultivating for years now so how can we get something so benign?]
Shui Ruohua chuckled at his gloomy look.
Zhuo Fan asked, “What do you want? Have you come to mock my toothache?”
“I only found out now.”
Shui Ruohua forced a smile, “Young master Zhao, thank you for all you have done. Mystical Heaven Sect will remember this. Since we are all off for Double Dragon Gathering and since your sect’s disciples are in a bit of a bind, why don’t we look after them on the way, to repay you for what you’ve done.”
“We have our own plans, so we don’t need your interference.” Zhuo Fan shot her down.
Shui Ruohua started, “Young master Zhuo, please, you are our savior. It’s only natural to look after those disciples that can barely move.”
Zhuo Fan eyed her, “I’m no believer in free meals and never counted on others to repay me. Missie, your actions are off. What’s your angle?”
Zhuo Fan’s cold eyes pierced her very core and tensed.
Xuan Shaoyu shouted, “Now we have to go along with some thieving demonic cultivators? There’s no way a righteous sect like Mystical Heaven Sect will let ourselves be smeared by their foul deeds!”
“Young master, with Yan Mo’s whereabouts unknown and a demonic cultivator, he is bound to take revenge and we’ll be involved in it. This disciple of the Demon Scheming Sect is the only one that can stop him. We have to go with him if we want to get to Double Dragon Gathering safely. We will part ways when we get there anyway. I understand the young master is noble, and I respect that. However, this matter is too important. Please think of all of us and accept this…”
Having enough of Xuan Shaoyu’s stubbornness, one elder shouted, echoing through the cave.
Demon Scheming Sect’s gang had a mocking smile.
[All they know is how to burn bridges.]
Shui Ruohua blushed from shame, lowering her head.
“I see. Yan Mo ran away and you fear revenge. A shame you have such a moron for a teammate. Not that your elder isn’t strange either. You’ll all end up last even if you go to Double Dragon Gathering, so you might as well save yourself the trouble and go home, ha-ha-ha…”
Zhuo Fan laughed as he went to his sect’s side.
Shui Ruohua shouted, “Sir Zhuo, please…”
“Oh, I’m not angry, no way a bunch of fools can get a rise out of me.” Zhuo Fan waved dismissively. He glanced at Chu Qingcheng, “We’re slow to get there, but you’re welcome to stay if you don’t mind it.”
Shui Ruohua’s eyes lit up and shouted, “Thank you, Sir Zhuo…”
But he was out of earshot, leaving Shui Ruohua watching him with a deep smile…
