Chapter 40: You do nothing but commit heinous crimes! Let us... run away, shall we?

Yun Qing had not forgotten the task at hand for the day. Most importantly, he needed to quickly brush past the topic of Wu Shanggui to ensure his disciple would stop dwelling on it. As expected, once Yun Qing began teaching Li Muchen the cultivation methods required to step through the gateway of the cultivators, Li Muchen was far too distracted to care about anything else. He stopped bothering with the matter of Wu Shanggui altogether.

However, Li Muchen kept the system’s previous words in mind. Wu Shanggui would trigger a special plotline in the future, and naturally, it would come with a special, grand reward. This remained etched in Li Muchen’s heart.

...

Over half a month had passed since then. The disappearance of the Holy Master of Green Wood Mountain and the Fourth Elder had stirred panic among all the disciples of the sect. With the Second Elder still in a coma, the senior disciples dared not delay and went to the Second Prince’s manor to report the situation.

Ji Hanliang sat in the seat of honor, listening to the senior disciples from Green Wood Mountain report the disappearance of their Holy Master and the Fourth Elder. The more he heard, the gloomier his expression became. He was aware that the Holy Master and the Fourth Elder had set out alongside the tiger-demon clan to deal with the deposed emperor in the State of Datang. Had these disciples not come today, he would have nearly forgotten about the matter entirely.

Logically, they should have returned to Green Wood Mountain ten days ago. Although the Southern Barbarian lands were distant, for cultivators, traveling through the sky using spiritual energy should not have taken much time. Could it be that after killing the deposed emperor and wiping out the State of Datang, they had traveled on to the demon lands? The Holy Master was a fellow disciple of the demon clan’s elder. It seemed quite normal for them to reunite after completing their mission.

More importantly, Ji Hanliang was accustomed to his own arrogance. Although there were many cultivation sects in the State of Beiji, Green Wood Mountain held a prestigious position among them. Furthermore, the Holy Master’s cultivation had already surpassed that of top-tier cultivators. With the help of the demon clan, failure was impossible. Even without word returning, Ji Hanliang insisted: The deposed emperor must be dead, and the State of Datang must be destroyed.

This was precisely why Ji Hanliang had completely dismissed the matter from his mind since the Holy Master’s departure. He had been too busy battling the First Prince to care about such trivialities.

After the senior disciples finished their report, they looked up cautiously and asked, "Your Highness... should we send someone to search for the Holy Master and the Fourth Elder?"

"Unnecessary," Ji Hanliang retorted instantly. "They were acting under my orders to carry out a mission. Wait another ten days."

Ten days—even if there were much catching up to do, it would be inexcusable not to report back by then. Ji Hanliang was certain the Holy Master would return within ten days.

"But... Your Highness...!" The senior disciples were terrified, still believing that the disappearance of the Holy Master and the Fourth Elder meant something had gone wrong. They had hoped to persuade the Second Prince to dispatch a search party. After all, the deaths of the Sect Leader, the First Elder, and the Third Elder had caused a massive stir throughout Green Wood Mountain. The entire sect was now gripped by fear, terrified that the Holy Master and the Fourth Elder had also fallen at the hands of others. If that were true, Green Wood Mountain would be finished among the sects of the State of Beiji, and their old enemies would inevitably descend upon them to seek revenge.

To the Second Prince, Green Wood Mountain was merely a pawn, but to the disciples, it was their only home. Before they could finish their plea, Ji Hanliang’s rage flared. He kicked the nearest disciple with such force—his own cultivation being at the top-tier level—that the man was sent flying, spitting blood as he landed.

"You insolent fools!" Ji Hanliang roared. "How dare you question my orders given your status? Get out! If you dare to whine again, I will kill you right now."

Ji Hanliang was known for his bloodthirsty nature and his disregard for human life; this was a well-known fact throughout Green Wood Mountain. The other two disciples immediately scrambled to help their injured comrade and dragged him away, fearing that any hesitation would cost them their lives.

...

After leaving the Second Prince’s manor, the disciples found an inn in the city.

"We will stay here tonight," one said. "We will return to Green Wood Mountain once our senior brother’s injuries have eased."

"But what about the Holy Master and the Fourth Elder?"

"Enough, let's drop that for now. The Second Prince... ever since he forcibly seized our sect twenty years ago, we have truly become nothing more than dogs at his beck and call. He never cares about our survival, yet he demands we fulfill his orders no matter how difficult they are. If not for his tyranny, I would have stopped obeying him long ago."

"Hush! Are you trying to get us killed? Never say such things again. If word gets out, our lives will be forfeit. Besides, with the Sect Leader and Holy Master gone, and the Second Elder in a coma, no one can protect us if the Second Prince loses his temper."

"You only make me angrier by mentioning it! The Holy Master has been missing for over half a month without a trace. Given his cultivation, even a remote communication back to the mountain shouldn't have been difficult. Such a complete lack of news has never happened in all these years. I believe... the Holy Master and the Fourth Elder have met with disaster!"

"Then what are we to do? The Sect Leader is dead, the Holy Master is likely dead, and the Second Prince will surely abandon us. We have committed so many atrocities under his command; our enemies will never let us be. When the time comes, the Second Prince will just push us out to die for him..."

The senior disciples dared not think any further.

"Wait," one whispered. "The new emperor of the Great Zhao State has ascended. The promises made to the Second Prince are likely due to be fulfilled soon. Now that our leadership is gone... should we continue helping the Second Prince with those evil deeds? Perhaps... perhaps we should flee?"