United We Prosper, Divided We Fall

The blaze faded.

In the blink of an eye, the place where Liu Dongqing stood returned to silence.

Perhaps because those two beams of heavenly light had just shone against each other, even as the soft moonlight spilled down once more, it seemed excessively deep and dim.

From afar, all one could see was a hazy, indistinct figure.

At that moment, the hazy figure first glanced at the charred corpse on the ground, then turned around and, with great certainty, looked in another direction.

"How long does Manager plan to keep watching from the sidelines?"

As the words fell, Manager Hou, clad in a splendid Daoist robe, truly did stroll out from the forest shadows spreading down from Departure Peak.

"You two caused far too great a commotion! And Liu Dongqing, what she said while begging for mercy was correct: you are both outer sect disciples. You must not slaughter one another. That is the rule of Sunward Dao Academy!"

At this, Liu Dongqing merely smiled calmly.

"But... before the steward returned to Rising Mist Dao Academy, he went to see you, didn't he, Manager? If I had not dealt the killing blow just now, then what I would be facing at this moment would likely have been your killing move, wouldn't it?"

Manager Hou took several more slow steps forward, standing beneath the moonlight as he revealed a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Perhaps so, perhaps not. After all, you ultimately did not choose to do so. But now that you have murdered a fellow disciple, are you not afraid of falling into the snare of another set of academy rules?"

Liu Dongqing simply stared fixedly at Manager Hou. After several breaths of silence, he finally spoke in an even tone.

"Are those things really any concern of a disciple? I only need to grow those Jade Cloud Fruits well, and cut off every tendril reaching out from Senior Brother Zhao. Whoever provokes this Daoist, whoever ruins Senior Sister Zhang's great undertaking, I kill. As for how many Sunward Dao Academy rules that may violate... aren't you our Sunward Dao Academy's Manager? How to clean up the loose ends is your business, Manager. I imagine it is not my place to worry over it."

Manager Hou gave a soft laugh, cutting Liu Dongqing off.

"Why should I wipe your ass for you?"

Liu Dongqing's answer was exceedingly direct.

"Because helping me is helping Senior Sister Zhang. Manager, surely you do not think that merely introducing me to Senior Sister Zhang counts as such a great contribution? If you do not put in more effort here, if you do not do more for Senior Sister Zhang, then once she succeeds in securing her position, how will you get a larger share of the spoils? Look at it that way: helping me is not merely helping Senior Sister Zhang—it is helping yourself as well. And besides. I do not know what the steward told you, but to speak words that pierce the heart: whether the Jade Cloud Fruit matter succeeds or fails, even if Senior Sister Zhang fails or succeeds in her bid for the position, the steward will still be the steward of an aristocratic household. But only if I emerge alive and whole, only if I carry this matter through smoothly, will you have earned merit in Senior Sister Zhang's eyes as well. You and I should be advancing and retreating together in this matter. Manager, what do you say?"

At those words.

Manager Hou said nothing.

He merely stared steadily at Liu Dongqing, as though he were getting to know the man before him anew.

After several breaths of silence.

Manager Hou suddenly broke into a broad grin.

"Remarkable, remarkable. Little Liu, I scarcely dare recognize you. Not only did you enter the gate of the Little Thought Primordial Furnace Fire-Nurturing Art that Junior Sister Zhang taught you so quickly, but you have also made quite an orderly use of the Flame-Splitting Spirit Aspect Path and the Seven Emotions Enter the Flame Path. And now, even your words cut straight to the marrow. In merely two or three sentences, you have laid bare the crux of the matter, enough to make me feel that acting as you say is indeed the proper path."

Liu Dongqing merely smiled faintly. He sensed the vague, almost imperceptible wariness in Manager Hou's words and expression.

"Not at all. This disciple has merely spoken the truth. The two of us both profit when we work together. Besides, after knowing Manager for so many years, constantly influenced by what I have seen and heard, this disciple ought to have made such progress."

Manager Hou's smile gradually became somewhat perfunctory.

"Good, good, good. Your progress greatly gratifies this old man. But what you did tonight was simply too brazen. Even though I am the Manager, I fear it will not be easy to handle..."

Almost the instant his words fell, Liu Dongqing's voice followed.

"Then Manager should go to Rising Mist Dao Academy and find Senior Sister Zhang."

The two of us were both working for her. Since that was the case, if there was trouble, we should take it up the chain. That was better than stubbornly botching the matter, only for even Senior Sister Zhang to be unable to clean up the mess in the end.

Besides, if you and I did not make a bigger fuss, if we did not make the matter harder to resolve, then how could Senior Sister Zhang, perched high amid mountain mists and clouds, know how hard we had run ourselves ragged?

How could she know the sincerity of what we had given?

Besides, what I refused today included a promise from Senior Brother Zhao: precious medicine like the Azure Flame Spirit Pill, a pill formula that could dissolve bottlenecks, handwritten notes on breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm, and auxiliary Dao techniques to strengthen the inner candle flame.

That was the price a disciple paid to maintain his loyalty.

Shouldn't Senior Sister reward and acknowledge such loyalty?

It would not be appropriate for me to seek out Senior Sister over this again. After all, it would carry the suspicion of self-praise.

But Manager, you can surely let your tongue bloom lotus flowers once more. When the time comes, we split the rewards we obtain evenly. How about it?"

Precious medicine, pill formulas, handwritten notes, Dao techniques.

With every sentence Liu Dongqing spoke, three parts of Manager Hou's wariness faded, while the greed in his eyes swelled by another three parts.

By the time he finished speaking, all that remained in Manager Hou's eyes was a blazing, greedy gleam, mingled with the violet heavenly light that involuntarily blossomed in the depths of his gaze—brighter even than clear moonlight.

"Impressive. Truly impressive. Little Liu, you've grown to the point where you can order this old man about.

But who told us it was exactly as you said? The two of us profit together when we join hands.

Leave this matter to me. You can rest easy at Sunward Dao Academy and wait to add another sum to your cultivation resources!

This manager thinks highly of you. One day, you may well rise into the inner sect!"

As he spoke, Manager Hou slowly stepped forward, passing Liu Dongqing from nearby. He then lifted the charred corpse from the ground, lowering his head to glance at the patches of wounds left on its body by the azure-flame flying bird.

Two or three breaths later, he silently raised his head again and walked toward the forests of Departure Peak, soon vanishing into the shadows of the woods.

Liu Dongqing's gaze was deep and remote as he remained where he was.

By decisively killing that conveniently acquired senior sister, the aftereffects of Senior Brother Zhao's open scheme are gradually dissipating.

At the very least, Manager Hou's doubts have been completely dispelled.

But inevitably, it has also made Manager Hou somewhat wary of me.

He has oppressed me for over three years. In all the world, perhaps no one wishes less for me to rise—or is less willing to see me rise—than he is.

Fortunately, he is greedy enough. With all the benefits of mutual profit dangling before him, his wariness will not yet drive him to act.

And though killing this person caused quite a commotion, looking at it from the other side, it was not without benefits.

At the very least, it will make the other disciples of Sunward Dao Academy feel some fear. For a short while, Senior Brother Zhao of Rising Mist Dao Academy will be unable to use similar methods again.

And after losing two rounds in a row, another defeat may damage his momentum. So if he moves again, Senior Brother Zhao will have to be more cautious and spend more days preparing and brewing his plans.

Thus...

Strike one punch to open the way, and spare myself a hundred punches to come.

By this, I have won for myself an exceedingly precious golden stretch of time to cultivate diligently!