Huanglong Temple...
Another extraordinary force, and one belonging to the Immortal Dao. It was no small outfit, either.
Wu Dao made a mental note of it but didn't respond. He knew Zhao Wei hadn't come over just to make small talk.
"I was rather rude just now. I mistook you for one of those Four Seas Gang pups. I hope you'll forgive me."
As expected.
Zhao Wei clasped his hands apologetically, then got down to business. "The Tyrant Whale Fist intent you carry is extraordinary, Brother. May I ask which master you studied under?
"To be frank, my master was once an elder of the Giant Whale Sect. Apart from a select few, he shared a deep brotherly bond with the other elders."
He was here to "claim kinship."
Wu Dao hadn't chased him down and kept after him. That proved their sects couldn't have been enemies.
All Wu Dao had to do was name someone.
Zhao Wei could spin a tale of blood ties and brotherhood, drawing them closer in no time.
Besides, the relationships among the Giant Whale Sect's upper ranks back then had been more or less as he described.
No matter how cold Wu Dao might be, he'd still have to acknowledge that bond between fellow disciples—unless he was a treacherous ingrate who'd forgotten his roots.
That would make him a heartless wretch, not worth recruiting.
It had to be said.
For all his rough, careless appearance, this man was sharp and calculating beneath the surface.
Wu Dao had lived two lives. He wasn't some brute with nothing but muscle for brains. How could he fail to see these social niceties?
But he had no intention of taking the bait. Besides, he wasn't foolish enough to invent some nonexistent person and risk being caught out.
So he folded his arms and flicked a bit of flesh from beneath his fingernail.
"Wu Dao, a wandering cultivator from the wilderness. I came by chance upon this art. It's nothing worth mentioning."
When the Giant Whale Sect collapsed, the Tyrant Whale Fist, one of its core legacies, scattered far and wide. It was perfectly natural for some wandering cultivator to come by it.
Of course, there was another reason.
By identifying himself as a wandering cultivator, he was indirectly making clear that he belonged to no faction. It also gave him a chance to raise his own "prestige."
If Zhao Wei wanted to recruit him—
Then he'd better offer something tangible. No more empty flattery and grand talk.
"For a wandering cultivator to reach your level, Brother Wu, you're truly remarkable."
Zhao Wei clicked his tongue in amazement. Whether or not he believed him, he offered a compliment all the same. Then he formally extended an invitation.
"When this matter is settled, would you honor us with a visit and exchange pointers with me? Our White Whale Martial Arts Hall may not have a genius like you, but our head instructor is a renowned Innate Grandmaster. We have a complete legacy, too, and I'm sure it could benefit you greatly."
The offer was generous.
A legacy was the lifeblood of a faction. Only its upper ranks could casually study it, and if an outsider learned it, the result would be a fight to the death.
In other words—
If Wu Dao was willing to pledge himself to them, he'd at least become an upper-rank member of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, with access to its core legacy.
With things put so plainly, Wu Dao stopped playing coy and grinned.
"I've long heard that the White Whale Martial Arts Hall's Giant Whale Art is a formidable Hard Qigong technique. They say that when mastered, it grants the strength of nine savage whales and a body capable of contending with an Innate expert!
"I'd truly like to see it for myself. Don't be stingy when the time comes, Brother Zhao."
Whether they passed on the legacy to him or not didn't really matter.
Wu Dao knew that when it came to a faction's core inheritance, Zhao Wei couldn't decide with a few polite words.
Wu Dao was only at the Divine Strength Realm. How could they possibly teach him a core legacy as soon as he joined?
Of course—
He still needed to give them a reason. If he joined a faction so readily without coveting anything, wouldn't that be like writing "I'm up to something" across his forehead?
Anyone would suspect and be wary of him.
"Heh, of course."
Zhao Wei laughed easily, not at all bothered by the naked greed in Wu Dao's eyes.
A person who showed his desires was easy to control.
The real danger was someone who hid his desires, smiled to your face, then plunged a knife into your back.
Hm?
Wu Dao was about to ask Zhao Wei for more details about the incident in Panshui Town when he suddenly sensed an undisguised chill.
He narrowed his eyes and looked over. Yun Tianliu was glaring at him in disgust—or, more accurately, at "them." Zhao Wei and the other three from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall were included.
Glancing at the severed limbs scattered across the ground, Wu Dao understood. He didn't care in the least and scoffed.
"Ha. What a fine, chivalrous heart."
In his view—
The man was a hypocrite.
When the inhuman Green-Clad Dan had slaughtered three martial artists, he hadn't stepped in to save them. Now, though, he hated Wu Dao for killing humans.
It was fine for a ghost to kill, but not a person?
If that wasn't false virtue, what was?
Of course, Wu Dao didn't care about virtue or false virtue. They were nothing but lowly creatures. If he killed them, then he killed them. As a superior predator, he had every right to do so.
"Don't mind him, Brother Wu. The people from Fangcun Sword Hall are all stubborn fools who can't stand the sight of any evil."
Zhao Wei was used to it. "I've been here for days. I know what these people are like—they treat human life like grass. Killing them is nothing to lose sleep over.
"Still, Brother Wu, you'd best be more careful in the future. The world is in chaos, and people courting death are as numerous as fish crossing a river.
"But if you run into some stubborn, hot-blooded hero, and you kill too freely, he won't care whether your victims were good or bad.
"That's because people like that see the world only through their own values. They take one glimpse through a tube and think they've seen everything. In a single look, they'll slap a label of good or evil on you that you can never tear off. There's no reasoning with them."
A black-and-white thinker, then...
Wu Dao understood and nodded. There had been plenty of people like that in his previous life. Nothing surprising about it.
Still, to avoid being branded a deranged butcher, he tossed out a casual remark.
"Unless there's a matter of interest or a personal grudge, I have no desire to bully the weak."
That was the truth.
Predators in nature never engaged in pointless fights. They conserved their strength and avoided injury.
"Uh, well, that's good."
Zhao Wei recalled Wu Dao's bloodthirsty frenzy just moments ago and nodded, his expression odd.
To be honest—
If the times hadn't changed and moral standards hadn't grown so flexible, he wouldn't dare recruit a "madman" like Wu Dao into the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, no matter how talented he was.
People with that sort of temperament—
You never knew when they might stir up a calamity big enough to bring disaster down on the faction behind them.
Wu Dao and Zhao Wei's unrestrained discussion hadn't escaped Yun Tianliu's notice.
But though he had a chivalrous heart, he wasn't some brainless fool whose hot blood made him charge in without thinking.
He'd have to think twice about taking on Wu Dao alone, never mind Zhao Wei from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.
Both men were Fist Dao Grandmasters. Together, they'd dare take on even someone in the Cocoon-Breaking Realm.
If he charged in and berated them without a second thought, that ferocious man's earlier temperament made it clear a fight was inevitable.
The reputation of Fangcun Sword Hall might prompt Zhao Wei to try to talk him down, but he certainly wouldn't take Yun Tianliu's side. If things turned ugly, it would become two against one.
Yun Tianliu would have no chance of coming out ahead.
If he got injured, he'd lose all hope of claiming the Strange Treasure in Canyun Mountain that could help him break through to the Cocoon-Breaking Realm. It wasn't worth it.
Know the times and know when to yield.
Upholding justice didn't mean throwing your life away.
That was a survival rule every martial artist needed to know.
No matter how deeply Wu Dao's brutal conduct displeased him, Yun Tianliu could only set it aside for now. The anomaly in Canyun Mountain remained the top priority.
In front of Chunxiang Garden—
While everyone was lost in their own thoughts—
The callow young Daoist had finished cleaning up the mess. He hung the Red Skin Gourd at his side, put away the Tianpeng Ruler, then sat beneath the moon and quietly chanted, as if performing rites to send the dead on their way.
The others exchanged glances.
But no one, Wu Dao included, interrupted him.
After their earlier fight, Wu Dao had realized one thing: this bunch of rough martial artists weren't professionals when it came to dealing with demons and monsters.
That included Yun Tianliu.
He was probably just tracking the Green-Clad Dan and looking for the real culprit.
Now that a professional had arrived—
Even if his background seemed impressive, there was no way they'd give up just like that.
The path of cultivation—
At its heart was the word "struggle."
How could someone claim the prize for himself with nothing but empty words and a famous name?
Especially since—
From Zhao Wei's tone, it was clear he was wary but not afraid. The Huanglong Temple behind this young Daoist probably wasn't an untouchable power in Guangqing Prefecture.
A short while later—
The callow young Daoist finished the rites.
He opened his eyes and swept his gaze over the crowd staring intently at him. A helpless glimmer flickered deep in his eyes. Then he rose, cupped his hands, and said:
"Gentlemen, this little Daoist is Mao Ba, a Third Generation Disciple of Huanglong Temple.
"I was merely passing through tonight, and had heard that demons were wreaking havoc in Panshui Town. I offended you earlier, so I hope you'll forgive me."
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