Inside the great hall at Blackwood Cliff.
A cult member knelt on one knee, holding a letter up with both hands. "Reporting to the Cult Leader: someone delivered a letter for you to open personally."
Chief Steward Yang Lianting extended his right hand. "Bring it here."
Yang Lianting casually tore open the envelope, drawing frowns from several elders of the Sun Moon Holy Cult.
The envelope clearly said that only the Cult Leader should open it. Banking on Cult Leader Dongfang's favor, Yang Lianting had become utterly disrespectful of the rules.
[Cult Leader Dongfang:
Zuo Lengchan of Mount Song is rallying the entire Five Mountains Sword Alliance to destroy the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Within days, experts from all five sects will gather at Mount Song to discuss attacking the Sun Moon Holy Cult's headquarters at Blackwood Cliff.
The Five Mountains Sword Alliance claims to represent the righteous path of the martial world, but it has committed no shortage of evil deeds. They are a pack of hypocrites.
Their talk of vanquishing demons and defending righteousness is merely a pretext for chasing fame and profit, all for their own selfish ends.
When the Five Mountains Sword Alliance attacks the Sun Moon Holy Cult's headquarters at Blackwood Cliff, their sect strongholds will be left poorly defended. That will be the perfect opportunity to avenge their destruction of the Holy Cult's Branch Altars.
Let the world see the consequences of provoking the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Turn those hypocrites into the laughingstock of the martial world, proclaim the Holy Cult's might, and spread Cult Leader Dongfang's fearsome name.
-Someone wronged by the Five Mountains Sword Alliance.]
Yang Lianting looked at the cult member who had brought the letter. "Who delivered this?"
If its contents were true, this really was a heaven-sent opportunity.
Once he destroyed the strongholds of four sects in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, who in the cult would still refuse to accept him as chief steward?
The cult member lowered his head. "Please forgive me, Chief Steward. A little beggar delivered this letter. He said someone gave him a steamed bun, but he didn't see what that person looked like. Their face was hidden beneath a veiled bamboo hat."
Tong Baixiong, the elder in charge of the Wind and Thunder Hall, asked, "Chief Steward Yang, what does the letter say?"
Yang Lianting cast him a glance. "You have no need to know its contents, Elder Tong."
"However, there is a task I need you and the brothers of the Wind and Thunder Hall to carry out. The other halls will have assignments as well."
Tong Baixiong snorted. "Deploying the brothers of our four great halls requires an order from the Cult Leader."
Yang Lianting turned toward the figure behind a curtain. "Cult Leader, I have received important intelligence. I wish to send the brothers of the four great halls to destroy the strongholds of four sects in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, avenging our destroyed Branch Altars and our dead and wounded brothers. Please grant your permission."
The Cult Leader's voice came through the curtain. "Mm."
Tong Baixiong stared at the figure behind the curtain in shock. "Cult Leader, destroying the strongholds of four of the Five Mountains Sword Sects with only our four halls may be beyond our strength."
Was the Cult Leader sending them to their deaths too?
The other three hall masters, who oversaw the Azure Dragon Hall, White Tiger Hall, and Vermilion Bird Hall, all paled.
They might claim that the Five Mountains Sword Alliance could not withstand a single blow, but every sect possessed a formidable swordsmanship legacy. Agreeing to this would surely mean going out and never coming back.
Yang Lianting must have known that they all looked down on him for his paltry strength. Now, relying on Dongfang Bubai's favor, he wanted to kill them with a borrowed blade.
Yang Lianting sneered. "Are you afraid of dying, Elder Tong?"
"You will be taking many brothers of the Holy Cult with you. I certainly won't send you to your deaths."
"I have received intelligence that the other four sects of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance have sent out all their elite fighters to gather at the Mount Song Sect and discuss attacking our Holy Cult's headquarters at Blackwood Cliff."
"We should seize this chance to destroy their strongholds and accomplish a great undertaking that none of the Holy Cult's previous leaders ever achieved!"
"You don't even dare destroy a stronghold with no experts left in it? If you don't, I'll have other elders lead the teams. Hand over the command tokens of your respective halls."
Tong Baixiong and the other three exchanged looks. If that was the situation, what was there to fear?
They would not need many men. Taking a few dozen skilled fighters from their halls, slipping over quietly, and using hidden weapons, poison, and the like would be enough to earn them great merit with ease.
Was that intelligence in the letter?
"Very well. If your intelligence is accurate, Chief Steward Yang, we will certainly return in triumph." Tong Baixiong cupped his hands. Seeing that Dongfang Bubai behind the curtain had not uttered a word, he turned and left the great hall. The other three elders followed.
"Hmph! What does Yang Lianting amount to? I truly don't know what the Cult Leader sees in him," Tong Baixiong snorted once he was outside.
Dongfang Bubai had originally been merely a deputy incense master in his Wind and Thunder Hall. After gaining the favor of the former Cult Leader, Ren Woxing, he had risen through the ranks to become Right Emissary, and eventually even Deputy Cult Leader.
After Cult Leader Ren disappeared, Tong Baixiong had been the first to support Dongfang Bubai's succession to the leadership, killing quite a few people for his sake.
Yet Tong Baixiong had not received the vacant position of Right Emissary. Instead, Yang Lianting had become chief steward, overseeing all the cult's affairs. His authority even seemed to surpass that of Left Emissary Xiang, and elders like them all had to obey his orders.
That position should have been his!
"Mind your words, Elder Tong," Shangguan Yun, the elder of the White Tiger Hall, cautioned him. "Let's prepare our men first and have someone investigate whether those four sects really have emptied their nests. If they have, this is indeed a fine opportunity."
Tong Baixiong turned. "If it's true, I'll take my men to wipe out the Huashan Sect. You can divide the other three among yourselves."
Inside the great hall, Yang Lianting dismissed everyone else, then left together with the "Cult Leader" behind the curtain.
They headed into the mountains behind Blackwood Cliff and arrived at a place filled with blooming flowers. A figure dressed in red reclined on a cushioned couch, embroidering flowers.
No one could have imagined that this rouge-wearing, embroidering "woman" was actually Dongfang Bubai, the true leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult.
Yang Lianting walked straight over, sat down beside the table, and drained a cup of tea in one gulp.
Dongfang Bubai raised his head. "Brother Lian, you're here. What happened?"
Yang Lianting set down the cup. "Someone sent a letter saying that Zuo Lengchan has summoned every expert in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance to Mount Song. They will launch a direct attack on our Blackwood Cliff headquarters within days."
Dongfang Bubai sat up. "How dare Zuo Lengchan! Don't worry, Brother Lian. If they come, I'll make sure none of them returns!"
Yang Lianting looked at Dongfang Bubai. "I've already ordered Tong Baixiong and the other three elders to take the four great halls and seize the opportunity to wipe out those four sects' strongholds, tearing them out by the roots."
"I've also ordered the other cult members to return to Blackwood Cliff as quickly as possible for a fight to the death against the Five Mountains Sword Alliance."
"I'm not worried about the Five Mountains Sword Alliance. But what if Northern Shaolin, the Wudang Sect, and other sects that bear grudges against us come as well?"
Holding an embroidery needle between his fingers, Dongfang Bubai smiled. "An excellent plan, Brother Lian. It will teach the Five Mountains Sword Alliance a harsh lesson. It doesn't matter if the Wudang Sect and Northern Shaolin intervene. However many come, I'll kill them all!"
At the Thousand-household Office in Pingyang Prefecture.
Wang Wu stood before Lin Lang. "Sir, you truly foresee events like a prophet. You're Zhuge Liang reborn."
"As the Five Mountains Sword Sects gathered at Mount Song, the Sun Moon Demon Cult's men did indeed mobilize, taking minor roads toward the strongholds of the other four sects."
"After suffering such a devastating blow, the Five Mountains Sword Alliance will surely fight the Sun Moon Demon Cult to the bitter end, only to be wiped out by them."
"When Governor Cao hears this good news, he will certainly praise you highly."
Jia Liu chimed in from the side. "Even Zhuge Liang couldn't have predicted all this. Sir, you'll surely go from temporarily overseeing the Thousand-household Office to commanding it officially very soon."
"Oh, I was only guessing." Lin Lang's face was the picture of humility. Stirring up trouble was his specialty, after all.
There was no need for elaborate words to sow discord. Showing them tangible benefits was enough.
None of those who roamed the martial world could escape the lure of fame and fortune.
He was so busy; he ought to find some work for Old Cao too.
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