166 Chapter 165: Double Standards (2/2)
”There truly is no such thing as fairness in this world.” Elder Zhao sighed heavily. He clenched his fists. ”But we'll do our best to get justice for you.”
”Um, I already got justice for myself.” I scratched my head sheepishly. ”To be honest, I didn't intend to kill Liang Shao Yang…”
Actually, I wanted to pull off one magnificent stunt and then rub it into Liang Shao Yang's face, but alas, the bloody fucker attacked me and forced my hand before I could do so. Who would have thought that he would be so easily provoked and reckless attack someone right inside the main grounds of the sect?
”Regardless of what you intended, the fact remains that you killed him,” Elder Zhao pointed out wearily. ”And that's going to have heavy consequences for our sect.”
”So what are we going to do now?” Elder Cheng asked nervously. ”There's no way Liang Yang Zu is going to let this pass…”
At that same moment, right at the entrance of the sect, Sect Leader Zi was having an identical discussion with his wife and the Great Elders.
”Sect Leader, what are we going to do with Liang Shao Yang?” the second Great Elder asked.
Sect Leader Zi Shou De shrugged, trying his best not to make his movements look too casual (as if he didn't care about Liang Shao Yang's death – he probably was inwardly happy that I eliminated a threat to his adopted daughter's life without requiring him to meddle and stain his own hands). ”I guess there's only one thing to do. Give him a proper burial.”
”He is Liang Yang Zu's son. Liang Yang Zu will surely not let this go after he finds out that his son was killed at the entrance of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect like this.” The third Great Elder looked very solemn as he vocalized his thoughts.
Sect Leader Zi snorted. ”Wait, so his son can go around attacking our other disciples and try to kill them, but our other disciples are not allowed to defend themselves? If he really wants to be unreasonable, then I can't be bothered to be courteous to him.”
”Even so, Liang Yang Zu will still be very troublesome to handle.” Luo Zhi Chang frowned, not sharing his leader's levity.
”The main point is that Fei Wu has a very legitimate reason for killing Liang Shao Yang,” Sect Lady Zi Da Ji pointed out. ”Liang Shao Yang clearly attacked not just him, but also Pang Feng and Tong Xue, and even heavily injured Pang Feng. He also tried to kill Fei Wu. As my husband said, why is Fei Wu not allowed to defend himself? We have plenty of eyewitnesses, and even visual recordings as evidence if he demands it.”
”You think Liang Yang Zu will buy that?” the fourth Great Elder grumbled cynically. ”He will claim that all the eyewitnesses are from our own sect, and so we're covering it up. And he'll accuse us of doctoring the footage.”
Sect Leader Zi's expression darkened. ”If he doesn't, so what? We all know what Divine Shadow Sect is after. Even you guys.” The six Great Elders flinched when they heard the unspoken reprimand in his tone. Evidently Sect Leader Zi was harboring a grudge against them for siding and covering up for Liang Shao Yang despite knowing his true nature and motives. ”They've always been looking for an excuse to attack us. If the Divine Shadow Sect wants to clash with us, then so be it. We will exterminate them with all our might.”
And that was that. Nobody could object to that. Instead, Sect Lady Da Ji smiled brilliantly as she stepped to her husband's side.
”The Blood Blades will be at your service.”
”I know I can count on you, dear.” Sect Leader Zi returned the smile.
While all that was unfolding, in the distance, there was one person who had collapsed far away, unable to believe what she had witnessed.
Hu Mei Er felt tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the frozen, shattered remains of Liang Shao Yang, slowly melting away under the blazing hot sun. Soon there wouldn't be enough of him left to properly bury.
She knew the truth about her lover, and she was aware of his motives and schemes. She had even thrown her lot with him, believing that she could one day stand at his side as his wife when he took over Nine-Tailed Fox Sect and perhaps merge it with Divine Shadow Sect.
Hu Mei Er never expected him to meet his demise like this…at the hands of…a…a trash!
”I'll never forgive you,” she whispered venomously as she clenched her trembling fists. ”I swear, you'll pay for this!”
Turning around, unseen by the rest of her fellow disciples, Hu Mei Er disappeared into the shadows.
*
Back on the path of Flame Volcano, Elder Cheng Ping was expressing his same concerns to Elder Zhao.
”A war with Divine Shadow Sect is inevitable now. Surely Liang Yang Zu will not let this go. He will definitely want revenge.”
Even though his son was the one who was in the wrong? It figures…typical villains.
Elder Zhao snorted. ”Let them come. If those shadowy assassins who only know how to use descipable methods to backstab people think they are a match for our Blood Blades, then we'll be more than happy to demonstrate to them the depths of their delusions.”
”Oh, boy…” I muttered. I hadn't thought this far ahead when I was fighting Liang Shao Yang, to be honest. Seriously, how much could you think about irrelevant matters when someone was doing his best to kill you? ”I've gotten the sect in trouble, haven't I?”
”Liang Shao Yang had it coming,” Elder Zhao assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
”Even so, this is going to be a bloodblath,” Elder Cheng muttered under his breath, not looking forward to that conflict at all.
”Why? Do we Blood Blades have some Blood Pool that we need to soak in while practicing blood techniques?” I asked snidely.
”Huh?” Elder Cheng had no idea what I was talking about. ”What the hell is a Blood Pool?”
”Never mind.”
”Anyway…” Elder Zhao coughed. ”It's not your fault, Fei Wu. The Divine Shadow Sect would have looked for any excuse to attack and invade us. It was inevitable, the moment they set their sights on our armory. Liang Shao Yang infiltrating us from the inside was just one of their underhanded tactics. Even though we knew about it…”
”…because he triggered a response in the Spirit Engraved Pillars, the Great Elders went mad with joy and decided to forget that he was sent by the enemy,” I finished for him. Elder Zhao smiled wryly and nodded.
”So what do you intend to do here?” he asked. I realized that we were finally within sight of the plaza surrounded by the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars.
Once again, I felt the presence of the dark entity. It also noticed me, and greedily lashed out with its qi trendrils, trying to ensnare me. My Snow Aegis glowed hot, the Spirit Engravings that Tang Qi Hong inscribed upon its surface shining brightly, as it formed a spiritual barrier to protect me. Like a Gellar field, an insubstantial screen completely invisible to the naked eye, shimmered around me. The qi tendrils scrabbled desperately against the arcane protection, trying to find an opening or a weak point, but so far it failed.
The malicious, demonic entity seemed to grow ever more desperate, hammering violently against the pseudo-Gellar field with increasing intensity. I winced, but endured the mental onslaught. It shouldn't take me too long, and the spiritual protection that Tang Qi Hong helpfully wove into my Snow Aegis should hold until I was completed.
Swallowing, I took a brave step toward the plaza.
”Do you mind if I spend some time here before going to the Fire Prison Cliff?” I asked the two elders. They shook their heads.
”Be my guest,” Elder Zhao said.
”Don't try any tricks,” Elder Cheng warned. ”We can't let you escape. We can only help you so far, but if you…”
”Don't worry, I have no intention of escaping,” I assured him before turning my attention back to the Spirit Engraved Pillars. The malevolent entity was still there, brushing against the edges of my consciousness and being repelled by the spiritual qi barrier from my Snow Aegis. I tried my best to ignore its creepy qi tendrils, which were whispering eerily to me, trying to tempt me into opening the walls and allowing it in.
Like hell I would.
”Is Fei Wu seriously…?” Tang Qi Hong, who had followed me along with the others, raised her hands to her mouth in shock.
”Seems like it,” Tong Xue confirmed, amused.
”Will he really be able to do it, though?” Pang Feng wondered out loud. ”I mean, the number of people who succeeded in triggering a response from the Spirit Engraved Pillars in our nine hundred plus years of history numbers less than forty…”
”Perhaps he will be the fortieth one,” Pang Yun suggested, her eyes gleaming.
Lian Rou laughed nervously. ”That will be quite the sight…”
”I believe in Brother Wu,” Zi Xiao Ji declared. Everyone turned to stare at her, and she shrugged. ”If it's Brother Wu, I believe he can do it. That's why you chose him, right? Sister Qi Hong.”
”Uh, I…no, I just…” Tang Qi Hong stammered nervously. I would like to think that she liked me because of my character and personality, and not because of any talent or potential I displayed. I was right, of course. Tang Qi Hong wasn't such a shallow person. She would still have made the same choice and stuck by me even if I had no talent or potential or whatever.
”Are you seriously going to try and comprehend the Spirit Engraved Pillars now?” Elder Cheng Ping asked. He looked a little anxious, probably because he had a duty to do. He also wondered if I was trying some kind of trick. ”Don't take too long, okay?”
Elder Zhao, who was my staunch ally all this while, also looked uncertain.
”Why now?” he asked.
There were many reasons why, but it would take too long to explain each and every one of them. The main reason was because I finally had something that could protect me from being possessed by the demonic entity lurking under the Spirit Engraved Pillars, thanks to Tang Qi Hong inscribing those Spirit Engravings just yesterday, but obviously I couldn't tell them about the malevolent presence dwelling at the heart of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect for almost a millennium.
That would surely give every member a heart attack.
Instead, I smiled brightly and then sat down in the middle of the plaza, facing the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars.
”To prove a point,” I replied flippantly.