Hidden Agenda
"Amazing! He is a hidden master!" The Patriarch of the Heavenly Divine Dragon sect exclaims. "Is he going to join our sect soon?"
Li Xing grits her teeth. "He will not join the sect."
!
"What?! Li Xing you-"
"Shut your mouth." Li Xing says. "He is nothing special, Xie Mo and I will prove it to you."
"You! Xie Mo again! All this time, he has been going around and offending every single person from important families and sects, do the both of you want to see the sect die?!"
Li Xing smirks. "When the Patriarch is so foolish, I expect nothing less. Xie Mo will be the rising star of this sect and will leave this weak and dirty place in the future."
!!!
"You bitch! Is this how you speak to your father?!" An elder screams at Li Xing.
"He is not my father, this isn't my family. All you scumbags want are the benefits I can bring to the sect, none of you cared about me!"
"Y-You!!!"
All of the elders present clench their fists in anger.
The Patriarch's veins are popping out. "You fucking... If Xie Mo wants to leave, I will gladly throw that fucker out."
"And shoulder all the debt he created?" Says Li Xing.
!!
"You..."
"Just wait for the Junior Cultivation Tournament, I will show you Xie Mo's brilliance and how blind you are entrusting the sect to Wang Ji."
And Li Xing left.
The Patriarch sighs. "This foolish girl... Let's change the topic, do you have any latest news about Wang Ji?"
The elder smiles as he rubs his hands together. "There are sightings of Wang Ji wreaking havoc in Jiangxi. Even the Xi family isn't able to do anything to him."
"Oh!? That Xi family?! Impressive!" Says the Patriarch.
...
"Uhm... Patriarch, may I ask something?" The elder asks.
"Go ahead."
"Are you really entrusting the sect to Wang Ji if he joins?"
The Patriarch sighs. "It would be a huge blessing if he, a master, wants to join such a weak and lowly sect like us. Thus, we must do whatever we can to attach him to this place and bring us to glory so I am planning to step down and pass the position to him."
"Ah! Of course, the Patriarch is wise!" All of the elders say.
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New Symptom unlocked from Manuel Mutation:
-Immunity evasion 1
Survivability of viruses increased to (B)
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Finally.
However, Li Ruo isn't showing any symptoms.
(Sarpins have a natural immunity to Viruses because of the Bone Marrow Qi they absorb.)
Makes sense.
A large red tiger pounced on me from above, but with one swift thrust and Azrim pierces through its skull.
I catch the corpse and bring it back to the merchant.
"Nice! It would have taken ordinary folks like us a considerable amount of effort to kill that thing. Cultivators sure have it easy." The merchant driver says before drinking some water from his waterskin.
...
"Xu Lou, you cannot detect my broken meridians and dantian?"
Xu Lou chokes on his water and starts to cough.
"Y-You have a broken what?!" He exclaims.
This merchant who agreed to take Li Ruo and me to NieLong from Jiangxi is called Xu Lou. We are currently taking a break from the journey.
"Wow... A mortal with broken meridians can do better than me..." He sulks.
"It's just my special physique that helped," I reply.
Now that I took a good look at him, he seems to be an easygoing man in his early 20s. His black hair is short, which is covered by a straw hat, and he wears a blue ordinary-looking robe.
"I can't detect your broken meridians, or at least mortals can't because we cannot grasp and feel Qi." Says Xu Lou
He makes it sound like I am not included in the 'we'.
With that, Xu Lou whipped up a meal for everyone with the tiger and kept the hide for himself as pay.
A day later, I reached NieLong just in time before the spring festival tomorrow.
"Brother! I enjoy the journey with you, if fate permits, we shall meet again. It's just that slave... I advise you not to bring her around, she is an eyesore." Says Xu Lou.
I nod and waved goodbye before heading for the A.A.
When I walk in, everyone seemed shocked by my appearance.
I walk to the lady behind the desk at the entrance and show her the alchemist plate. I was about to walk up the stairs when she suddenly stops me.
"Wang Ji?" She says.
"Yes?"
"Y-You are alive?!" She exclaims.
"That's...a bit rude isn't it?" I reply.
"I-I mean... All of us heard that only one male survived the ghost valley competition."
"Yeah, that's me. Why?"
"I-I...my apologies..." She says.
...
I walk up the stairs as many heads turn to glance at me.
"He survived?! I heard that competition was sabotaged by the blood sect and male cultivators died due to the blood curse."
"How can this be...?"
"He isn't a cultivator yet..."
Some pinch their nose. "Ugh, that beast human...she stinks."
I knock on the door leading to Choi Inyoung's room.
"Leave, I'm not seeing you Xie Mo." She says from inside.
My eyes widen.
"It's me, Wang Ji."
!!!!!!
She hurriedly runs to the door and opens it. "T-This voice..."
Her hand touches my face.
I smile. "What's wrong? Is there a need to be so emotional when we aren't close?"
"No... It's... Bastard! Where were you after the competition?!"
"Haha... I went on a little trip."
-----------------
I explain to her everything, omitting and editing some parts of my journey.
"So you saved this girl from a group of kidnappers... She's lucky." Says Choi Inyoung.
Inyoung walks to Li Ruo and pats her. "You are really lucky." She says.
Li Ruo smiles. "En."
Inyoung goes over to a cabinet beside the rows of tables near the window, I don't think I've seen that there before.
She walks back with a bottle of blue liquid in her hand and gives it to Li Ruo. "Drink this," Inyoung says.
Li Ruo looks at me and I nod. She gulps the liquid down.
The foul smell she emits dissipates and stops.
!!
"Beast Humans tend to produce a lot of irregular Qi because they have two polarising genes in their body in harmony. Thus, drinking condensed Qi can overwhelm the produced Qi and regulate it to normal."
...
"Oh yeah, here are the materials you requested," I say.
!!
Inyoung takes the bag I handed and smiles. "Amazing! Good job, I will put in a good word for you to the elder. This is your compensation."
She gives me a bag of silver coins, I pocket it.
"By the way, have Xie Mo visited you recently?" I ask.
Choi Inyoung stiffens. "That bastard, he heard the rumours of your death and came to seek an apprenticeship."
I sigh.
A knock was heard on the door. "We are from the Murin Alliance, disciples of Soaring Sword Sect."
I open the door to find five large men dressed in blue at the door, all of which are at the foundation establishment realm. They each have a large sword behind them.
"Ah, Wang Ji, you can return for now. I have something to discuss with them."
I nod and left with Li Ruo, closing the door on my way out.
...
The Murim Alliance is a coalition of righteous factions. According to Choi Inyoung's knowledge, they haven't made a move for the past 20 years. The blood sect...
And for the spring festival to be tomorrow, such coincidence huh...
I walk back to my room in the inn.
Li Ruo sits on the soft bed as she looks around and outside of the window.
"Come out," I say.
One of the assassins sent to kill me comes out from the shadow at the corner of the room. He kneeled with his head down at my presence.
"Tell me the plans of the Blood sect," I say.
"I've been involved to spy on Xie Mo, they've noticed his sudden immense presence. For the Spring Festival, they are planning to create a stir and release She Du Poison throughout every city in Mount Hua Xi."
!!
"How long... Have they been planning this?" I ask.
"Ever since 4 months ago."
...
If everyone dies, I will miss out on a lot of potential points. They dare do something so ridiculous during such an opportunity?!
"They plan to sneak disciples of the Blood sect into the city and plant a poison explosion that will rapidly spread. The target of this isn't to eliminate everyone but to 'scare' the Murim Alliance and show that the Blood Sect can be anywhere. Attacks are not only happening in Mount Hua Xi but all across the country."
...
Scare? Just to scare?
Ha...
Hahahaha...
SHOULD I JUST ELIMINATE THE ENTIRE BLOOD SECT?