"Old Madam, I came to plead our case and bring back reinforcements."
On Holy Mother Mountain, Xie Minghe had bathed, changed his clothes, then leisurely drunk two cups of tea in front of Madam Xian, the Holy Mother of the Southern Ranges, an elderly woman and a Great Grandmaster. He had also eaten half a catty of fresh fruit whose name he did not know. Only once he felt comfortable all over, and the surrounding Feng Clan disciples and countless maidservants from various peoples had gathered and grown tired of watching, did he calmly speak, with unexpected frankness.
"Could I ask you to go in person to the Yangtze River and kill True Fire Sect Master Cao Shiyu and Master of Danglu Wei Shengji for our Exorcising the Dragon Gang? Failing that, sending two Grandmasters would do."
The hall, converted from a stone cavern and so spacious as to be somewhat daunting, fell utterly silent. A moment later, the atmosphere eased slightly, but only as the dozens of Feng Clan disciples and dozens of maidservants exchanged looks in groups of three or five. Their expressions varied; some signaled with their eyes, others curled their lips, but none dared make a sound.
Seeing this, Xie Minghe prompted her. "Old Madam, what do you think?"
The Holy Mother of the Southern Ranges, seated on the couch at the head of the hall, was somewhat at a loss herself. "I did not even know you had joined the Exorcising the Dragon Gang, Young Master Xie. I thought you were working for Great Liang now."
"Great Liang?!" Xie Minghe slapped the table and sprang to his feet, actually looking somewhat furious and flustered. "Old Madam, even if I, Xie Minghe, am no outstanding hero, I am at least a man of mettle. How could