Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

Chapter 323 - 251: Looking for a Pig, Quarreling by the Wall?

The night was cold, with dew forming a thin layer of frost.

Only a few sparse stars dotted the night sky.

Yi Chen, wrapped in a black cloak, walked near the outer palace. Just two days left until Hei Mietian’s deadline to attack, yet Yi Chen couldn’t shake off a faint unease that lingered in his heart.

Something felt off to him.

He once told his adept pupil Chief Zhang, "When you encounter an unreasonable situation, look for the pig on the field. If you can’t find one, then take a good look in the mirror."

The Hehuan Sect had extensive connections—why would Hei Mietian dare to boast that he would come to propose to the sect in fifteen days?

Based on the reaction of Sect Master Qinyun and the several True Monarchs who had come to help, Yi Chen felt that Hei Mietian’s strength shouldn’t be extraordinarily powerful. Being on par with Xin Yue-level True Monarchs entering the path was already quite high; at least they couldn’t overpower the current lineup.

If so, shouldn’t a person with normal intelligence take the opportunity to strike first, catching Hehuan Sect off guard?

But Hei Mietian did just the opposite, using various means to intimidate and pressure. Such tactics were simply feeding intelligence to the enemy.

In Yi Chen’s mind, this was tantamount to moving a machine gun placement six meters in a game of suffocating micromanagement.

A devilish powerhouse, likely cultivated to an entering-the-path level—was he the pig?

Where there is abnormality, there is demonry.

There must be something fishy about this.

And thinking back to the recent disturbance in Lotus City, it made Yi Chen somewhat puzzled.

In his view, Shi Changsheng’s actions simply disregarded the Hehuan Sect, a bit too self-assured.

"Eh, who’s the pig?"

"Surely I can’t be the pig...."

Feeling depressed, Yi Chen thought to get some fresh air and incidentally inspect the area around Hehuan Mountain.

If Hei Mietian decided to attack the mountain without abiding by martial ethics, that would be interesting. It would be better to do a thorough investigation himself to feel reassured.

Lost in his chaotic thoughts, suddenly, under the moonlight, a fire-red figure approached gracefully, wearing familiar armor over a skirt paired with black silk stockings.

"Daoist Zhang, what a coincidence~" Zhen Ruan said with a feigned casualness that couldn’t be more fake, "I specially came to thank you for helping me beat up that annoying Yuan Jin today. He’s like a fly, utterly irritating."

"I stole a pot of fine wine from my mother’s collection, ’Immortal’s Drunk’. Would you like a taste?"

With a flip of her palm, a celadon bottle appeared in Zhen Ruan’s delicate hand.

Yi Chen’s nose twitched as he could smell a rich aroma through the bottle, enlivening his spirits just by smelling it, indeed worthy of Sect Master Qinyun’s treasured collection.

"It was nothing, just a somewhat arrogant youngster. He may lack astonishing intelligence, but his talent is fairly decent among ordinary cultivators," Yi Chen commented noncommittally. At this moment, he unconsciously took the stance of an older generation cultivator.

The daytime fight with the youngster was no longer on his mind, an event hardly worth bragging about.

Taking the celadon bottle, he indulged in a sip, feeling as if his internal organs were cleansed. Given his control over his body, he even sensed a slight strengthening compared to before.

Although the progress was minimal and he only just managed to detect it with his current grasp on the twenty-eight acupoints within his body, the fact that it affected his physique was undeniably astonishing.

"Is it good?"

"You should try it, and maybe next time don’t swipe Sect Master Qinyun’s wine. I’m afraid she’ll beat you for it."

"This is the last bottle, even if you want more, there won’t be any," Zhen Ruan replied, sticking out her tongue playfully, taking the bottle back for a light sip which turned her cheeks rosy red as wisps of steam emerged from her head.

"By the way, Zhang San, what are you doing out here so late?"

"Don’t we have disciples on duty?" Zhen Ruan suddenly asked.

"I’m not quite at ease, so I came out for a patrol."

"Then I’ll join you."

Before he knew it, a smooth hand latched onto Yi Chen’s arm, the pleasant touch traveling through. Yi Chen tried to pull away, but when he couldn’t, he simply let it be.

Willpower -10, current stock, 20.

The two walked silently atop Hehuan Mountain, stepping on thick layers of fallen leaves without making a sound. They had reached a valley, and as they moved along the cliffside, Zhen Ruan’s cheeks grew redder, inching closer.

Suddenly, a voice transmission sounded in Zhen Ruan’s mind.

"Daoist Zhen, get down."

"Ah?" In that moment, Zhen Ruan blushed right down to her neck.

"Someone’s coming, it might be a big fish," Yi Chen’s voice transmission contained a hint of glee.

Overtime at night finally paid off.

A tremendous force surged; Yi Chen pulled Zhen Ruan behind a large boulder at the base of the cliff, and as mana flowed, their presence merged with the stone indistinguishably.

Soon, a whooshing sound approached.

A familiar figure, carrying a woman with her mouth stuffed with remnants of clothing, silently swooped down.

In that moment, both Yi Chen and Zhen Ruan were taken aback.

The man was none other than Xiu Feng, whose face had been battered by Yuan Jin into a pig’s head during the day. Now, restored by medicinal pills, his appearance had returned to normal.

But unlike his gracious demeanor during the day, Xiu Feng’s handsome face now carried a trace of sinister malice.

The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the valley.

"You wretch, now we can play to our heart’s content without interruptions," he sneered.

One strange item after another was taken out by Xiu Feng from the storage ring, and the whip turned out to be the most normal among them.

"You, do you not fear the wrath of the Hehuan Sect Master, fellow Daoist Xiu Feng?" The pretty female cultivator’s face was filled with terror. She had been eating hotpot and singing songs in her room that evening when suddenly, she was abducted.

"Me, afraid? You’re just a disciple with two cloud patterns of the joyous branch. Do you think you are a female cultivator of the harmonious branch? Drop the pretense. I haven’t touched anyone from Sect Master Qinyun’s branch."

"Our Hehuan Sect currently needs you folks. I am not afraid even if you speak up about such a trivial matter, moreover, I sneaked out."

"There’s no one around here, you can scream all you want, but nobody…"

The smile on Xiu Feng’s face grew more perverse, and suddenly, it froze completely as a dense shadow enveloped his entire figure.

"Are disciples with two patterns of the joyous hall not human?"

Struggling, Xiu Feng turned his head and saw Yi Chen’s expressionless face and Zhen Ruan’s angry countenance.

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"Chief Zhang, fellow Daoist Zhen, it’s all a misunderstanding."

"What a waste, why didn’t you capture Yuan Jin as well?"

A gold-colored palm suddenly descended, and Xiu Feng’s body instantly shortened by a head.

After skillfully searching the corpse, Yi Chen dropped a bit of white fire onto it. With a sweep of his hand, a gust of wind arose, leaving the ground white and spotless.

"Zhang... Zhang San, did you actually kill this man?" Both Zhen Ruan and the pretty female cultivator on the ground were shocked as they looked at Yi Chen.

They hadn’t expected Yi Chen to be so ruthless.

"What are you afraid of? He said he sneaked out, didn’t he?"

"Young lady, I’m giving you everything from this guy’s storage ring to compensate you for the shock. Don’t mention tonight’s events to anyone. Let’s not have unnecessary complications."

Yi Chen placed all the wealth found in Xiu Feng’s storage ring in front of the pretty female cultivator. The pervert was indeed a disciple of a True Monarch; his fortune was substantial, and the resources inside were enough for her to reach the True Person Realm without any worries.

"Thank you... thank you, Chief Zhang." Complexity flashed in the eyes of the pretty female cultivator. She glanced at Zhen Ruan and Yi Chen before stumbling away into the night.

This time, they hadn’t caught anyone from Hei Mietian, but had instead encountered a degenerate. However, this didn’t cause Yi Chen to feel any regret; instead, it made his heart tighten involuntarily.

"Fellow Daoist Zhen, may I trouble you to tell me about the historical relationship between the harmonious branch and the joyous branch?"

"Also, the sources of wealth of the Hehuan Sect, which branch contributes more, and how is it used?"

Under the moonlight, Yi Chen suddenly turned back to ask Zhen Ruan.

"Ah, Zhang San, why do you ask this? My mother and Aunt Hong get along very well."

"Oh, it’s nothing. Just tell it to me like a story."

As Zhen Ruan recounted the tale, the sense of unease in Yi Chen’s heart grew stronger.

The joyous branch was the major contributor to Hehuan Sect’s wealth, accounting for almost seventy percent, yet the harmonious branch used more of the sect’s resources.

Although the joyous branch’s cultivators progressed faster at the beginning, their mana was mixed and lacked purity, causing them to advance more slowly in the later stages compared to the harmonious branch.

At the start, it wasn’t too noticeable, but over time, as the number of experts in the harmonious branch increased, so did their usage of resources, which now surpassed a sixty-forty split, with the deficit becoming more apparent.

In this world, inequality is the cause of dissatisfaction, not scarcity.

Time has an astonishing power; many things that seemed fair at the beginning can become corrupt and collapse over time.

It’s like the entropy increase theory from my previous life.

"Could it be that inside the Hehuan Sect, there’s both an internal diviner and an external fiend planning to flip the table?"

If that was the case, then Hei Mietian’s actions would make sense.

Yi Chen suddenly recalled the flattery conference during the day. The reputation of the celestial fairy was basically synonymous with the harmonious branch, and the four True Monarchs who came were most likely there for Sect Master Qinyun.

And then there was Xiu Feng’s behavior before, which clearly lacked due respect for the disciples of the joyous hall.

"Zhang San, are you suggesting there might be a problem with Aunt Hong?"

"Impossible, my mother and Aunt Hong are close as sisters. Although there are occasional squabbles between the two branches, both of them have always pressed down and dealt with the issues amicably."

After a moment of silence, Zhen Ruan suddenly spoke up, her voice trembling slightly.

She wasn’t foolish; she clearly understood what Yi Chen was getting at.

"It was just a casual inquiry, don’t overthink it. Let me walk you back," said Yi Chen with a smile as he gently stroked Zhen Ruan’s ear-length hair.

Wild geese scatter like snow in autumn, and chilling dew brings a cool night.

The clouds beside the rocks are swept away, and I drunkenly tread on the moonlit pine roots.

The stars fill the sky as people slumber.

Soon after, two shadows walking side by side reappeared at the outer hall.

Watching Zhen Ruan leave with a heavy heart, Yi Chen couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

He too hoped things wouldn’t turn out as he suspected.

But, let’s just hope it isn’t so.

Otherwise, he really wouldn’t know how to handle this situation.

[Lu Cun Xingjun, is this Hehuan Sect’s internal strife, with someone being an insider and a fiend looking to overturn everything?]

"Such a hassle."

With a sigh, Yi Chen headed towards his own courtyard.