Carefree Cave.
As dusk deepened and the sundries market dispersed, people from every walk of life poured out of the dark alleys onto the streets.
Bu Hanying walked through a damp alley in a black cloak, his brow tightly furrowed as he pondered the manor's recent arrangements.
The Daoist Sect had made a major blunder, the Buddhist Sect had successfully established itself in Capital City, and the Martial Dao factions were stirring restlessly. Naturally, the leading figures of their Gu Poison Sect wanted a share of the pie too.
Lu Wuzhen was far too domineering. He had only allowed the Buddhist Sect to rise because he was in the wrong; he could not possibly let any other sect gain a voice in affairs.
But Monk Wuxin had released quite a few of Ancestor Sikong's venomous scorpions and snakes back in the day, so there was something of a bond of merit between them. Besides, he belonged to the accommodating faction. As long as the Gu Poison Sect showed the right attitude, he might help it regain legitimate status.
To that end, the manor lord wanted him to work his connections and find someone to put in a good word, to see whether they could start with a "pilot program."
For example, they could first let Missing Moon Manor in and have it oversee a prefecture or county within the passes, then see how it worked out.
Missing Moon Manor could be patriotic too!
If Chi Dragon Cave and Three Corpses Cave could not get in, Missing Moon Manor would become the officially recognized leader of the Gu Poison Sect under Great Qian's Imperial Court. The manor lord would become a sect leader. That was called seizing the initiative...
Bu Hanying thought this was an excellent idea, perfectly in keeping with