Veila's struggle (part 2)

The sect presented a united front only in the eyes of outsiders and outer disciples who never bothered to learn more about its inner workings. In reality, though, save for having several divisions packed into a single area, there was more infighting between the different factions than there was battling with the outside threats like the one that brought forth the patriarch's request.

"We managed to avoid the worst so far only thanks to the massive financial contributions… But our businesses are all down because of those damn crusaders harassing us on the frontier!"

Elder's words now turned from a discussion with Veila about the outer disciple she found to an outright rant about the situation he was in.

"Respectable elder!" Veila raised her voice, infusing it with all the respect she had for the man but also all the determination she could foster in herself.

At this precise moment, she no longer appeared as a student pleading with their teacher for a favor. Right now, she assumed her role of the sole successor to the lineage of their sect who ended up joining a bigger organization just to survive.

"Do you really think I would bother you with puppy love?" Veila asked, saving the debate of whether she loved that strange disciple or not for later, focusing on the way more important topic of actually bringing him to their side.

Maybe it was Veila's attitude. Maybe it was the change in her voice, or maybe a glint in her eyes… But something in the girl's disposition made the division elder cease his rant and turn his eyes toward her.

Even if it was only for a short moment, the elder turned silent, giving the girl a chance to speak.

"The man that you called my crush is someone whom I saw studying cultivation tomes for three days straight," Veila revealed the very detail that caught her attention and made her go so far when it came to that particular disciple.

The elder was still silent… but Veila didn't bother to speak anything else. Instead, she gave her teacher the time to digest the news.

"Three days…?" the elder asked in a slightly hushed voice while leaning his head over his shoulder and squinting his eyes a little. Yet, his expression of a slight mockery soon gave way to one of shock when he realized his disciple wasn't playing with him.

"I couldn't explain it earlier because of all the hurry and all," Veila said, lowering her head in apology. The girl then bit her lips as a slight look of anxiety appeared at the very back of her eyes.

"I…" Veila gulped her saliva down, washing away all the doubt and hesitation that still lingered in her mind. "I'm willing to put all of my achievements and all of my authority on the line, but if what I saw wasn't some sort of elaborate trick that only a core sect disciple could pull out, this man has the potential to reach my level of strength in less than a year!"

The elder closed his eyes.

Veila's statement wasn't light. Putting all of her achievements and authority on the line could be boiled down to the entirety of her status. And if her words proved to be incorrect, she would turn into a slave in everything but name.

"That…" the elder hesitated only for a moment. While he wasn't eager to have his only direct disciple stripped of all the social power, her statement showcased just how much faith she was willing to put in that single disciple she found. "That changes things… a bit."

The elder closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then pushed all the troubling administrative matters that were weighing him down aside. And once he opened and then raised his eyes on the girl, his face returned to the state Veila saw when she gave herself as a student to him.

"Fine," the elder finally decided. "YOu might try to get him under your tutelage," he gave Veila some room to act. "No one will care what division you are from if you just want to support him as his senior."

This was the perfect solution.

On the political end, it was a clean move. An act that didn't directly infringe upon the authority of the other division as the connection between Veila and her disciple of interest would only be customary.

From the practical point of view, however, it allowed the girl to gain quite a lot of favor with that disciple, something they would really need if they wanted to coax him into switching to a different division.

"What about you, master?" Veila, rather than taking this slight concession and leaving, opted to press her agenda even further. "How are you going to aid him?" she asked, refusing to leave before she could obtain some more bargaining chips she could use when trying to coax the disciple she was interested in.

"Officially, I won't do crap," Veila's teacher announced. He then released a heavy sigh before dropping his head low and then slowly shaking it.

The elder turned around on his heel and approached his desk. There, he pulled open one of the drawers and pulled out a sizeable pouch that gave out small, metallic noises with every shake.

"Here," the elder muttered as he threw the small sack filled with golden coins at the girl. "Consider this my private investment and a token of trust in your word."