Chapter 383: The Supervisors’ Struggle
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“Sorry for bothering you but this is so important that I had to come here.” Seeing Zhou Bao’s teasing look, Princess Heyang, Yan Yunyan, felt so awful. It was as if he had seen right through her, all the way to the bottom of her heart. Her heart skipped a beat.
“It must be the Yin and Yang Dust Formation, right?” Zhou Bao smiled as he walked toward Yan Yunyan and saw her uneasiness. “Just take it easy and have a seat.”
Yan Yunyan nodded. Up until now, she had not realized that she had been so tense and she could not help standing up.
“Yes, it is! The master of the Golden Lights Cave, Qianyuan Mountain, came to Mingyi School for it in person. He obtained the recommendation of the Man of Honor, Ji Zhongtang, and met an upper immortal of the Divine Wind Palace. They finally came to an agreement after a confidential talk.”
“Did Li VII inform you of all this?”
“Yes, Li VII informed me. He asked me to remind you so that you could make mental preparations.”
“Li VII has good intentions, but he’d better not be so artificial. You go back and tell him that if he wants to cozy up to me, he just needs to show me his sincerity. After all, he’s the Third Supervisor of the School of Five Virtues. Whether in status or the authority to speak, he greatly exceeds that Man of Honor. If he only says something, I won’t have much trouble. And you also have no need to come here.”
Yan Yunyan was stunned because of his words. She sat down dreamily and silently. For her, things like the School of Five Virtues and supervisors were so distant. And Zhou Bao made it clear that she was not qualified enough to discuss it with him. He wanted someone who was his match.
That was Zhou Bao’s attitude now.
He had already gotten the information that he needed. It seemed that neither the Divine Wind Palace nor even the School of Five Virtues was as tranquil as what was said. The five supervisors all had different thoughts.
For example, not long after Yi IV made his own action, Li VII asked the people to inform him right away.
However, what Zhou Bao wanted was not merely a message, but Li VII’s sincerity. Since he intended to seek interests from him, he had to pay enough for it. If he aimed at Zhou Bao owing a debt of gratitude by asking Yan Yunyan to send a message, then he would be disappointed.
“Zhou Bao, my sister is so kind to come here to inform you. It’s fine if you’re ungrateful, but how can you be so enigmatic?!”
Seeing Zhou Bao act like a villain holding sway, Yan Yunfei was dissatisfied. She stared at Zhou Bao and then took Yan Yunyan by the hand, saying, “Sister, stop taking notice of him. Come this way, I’ll show you around. Our Wuyang Region has changed a lot these past few months. I’m sure you’ll like it.” As she spoke, Yan Yunfei had already pulled Yan Yunyan up and walked away without giving Zhou Bao any attention.
“It was you who asked me here.” Zhou Bao did not know whether to laugh or cry when he saw Yan Yunfei pull Yan Yunyan away. He sighed with the feeling that a man had better not try to guess a woman’s thoughts. It was Yan Yunfei who had asked Zhou Bao to the back parlor of Lord Mansion, but unexpectedly, she pulled the visitor away while leaving him here alone after his arrival. How unreadable!
At that moment, Renzhen Cuo came in and served tea. She was a little surprised to see Zhou Bao standing in the parlor alone. “Master, here is your tea.”
“Fine, put it down.” Zhou Bao glanced at Renzhen Cuo and then stared. He had not seen Renzhen Cuo for months, little did he expect that she would become more and more beautiful. With big eyes, a Roman nose, and a high and exquisite stature, she showed more exotic amorous feelings. Her temperament had become more distinguished than before, making her appear more like a princess of a tribe.
“I remember that you’re a princess of some tribe, right?”
Renzhen Cuo was a bit stunned and a gloomy expression flashed through her eyes. “Whoever I was in the past, I’m your family servant now, my master,” she said humbly. “According to your current position and power, even a true princess should also bow and kneel to you.”
“It seems that you’ve really taken note of the situation. You must benefit a great deal in my Wuyang Region these days. Your cultivation is about to reach Level Four and you’re a Junior Master now. You’re able to have that cultivation at such a young age, not bad.”
“I’m still far inferior to Your Excellency.”
“I’m not like you. I may appear to be well-regarded, but if I make one wrong move, all will be beyond redemption. You’re different, you have lots of chances.” Speaking of which, he said with a sigh, “I think it’s a pity to have you serve tea. Stop doing so from now on.”
“Your Excellency!” Renzhen Cuo was confused. There was a hint of provocation as she looked at Zhou Bao. She could not help blushing with shyness and she trembled. “I…”
“Okay, so be it. Go and find Jiang Xiao. Tell him that I want him to arrange a post for you. You can practice with them from now on.” After those words, Zhou Bao raised his forefinger and pointed directly toward the space between her eyebrows. Then some abstruse meaning was transferred into her brain, just as Stranger had done those years ago. The method of injecting one part of divine thoughts into the target object’s spirit was really quick and convenient. Zhou Bao’s strength had advanced at a high speed. He was no weaker than a Genuine Immortal now, therefore, it was easy for him to do so.
Renzhen Cuo’s eyes became glassy. She sensed the strong divine thoughts transferring from Zhou Bao and her eyes were full of ecstasy. “Your Excellency, you…”
Because she had gotten over-excited, she could not say anything but only gazed at Zhou Bao in surprise.
“Well, don’t be stupefied anymore. Hurry to look for Jiang Xiao. My wife will misunderstand us if she comes back and sees you gaze at me like this. That’s troublesome.” Zhou Bao laughed.
The blush on Renzhen Cuo’s face became darker. She responded in a quiet voice and ran away.
“This little girl seems to be fond of me. What a pity that I don’t want to hunt for beauties for the time being. Damn Li VII! Humph! Since you want to drag me into the internal strife of the Divine Wind Palace, surely I’d like to seize the chance to infiltrate your Mingyi School’s sphere of interest, stir up trouble behind the scenes, disintegrate your unity, and destroy you entirely from within, bravo! Don’t think you can make use of me easily. Humph!”
The Divine Wind Palace was too powerful for Zhou Bao or Wang She to deal with. Confronting the enemy head-on offered them no assurance at all but was stupid behavior. They could only try everything in the dark to plot against that powerful influence, like mice that hid in a ditch. Only by doing so could they gain a ray of hope. After a long time of observation, Zhou Bao and Wang She finally got it.
“Third Supervisor, this is my master’s decision. Are you sure you want to fall out with my master?”
While Zhou Bao was plotting against the Divine Wind Palace, there was a spirited debate inside Mingyi School. One of them was a deacon of Mingyi School and the other one was the Man of Honor, Ji Zhongtang, along with another middle-aged man.
“Ji Zhongtang, you’re merely a nominal disciple of the Second Supervisor. You’re not qualified to talk with me at all. It’s our business, so shut up.” The middle-aged man was Li VII, the Third Supervisor of the School of Five Virtues in the Divine Wind Palace, and the one who had asked Yan Yunyan to inform Zhou Bao. He looked at Ji Zhongtang, wearing a disdainful sneer on his face. After saying such words coldly, he stopped paying attention to that excited man.
Ji Zhongtang stood in front of him, bowing his body with his head lowered, but his face toward ground was filled with resentment. “The formation map of the Yin and Yang Dust Formation is what our master certainly must have. Even though the Third Supervisor has meddled in it, I’m afraid that you’ll end in failure.”
Li VII did not answer him. He picked up his teacup and blew off the foam lightly, and then took a sip of tea and pursed his lips, savoring the pleasant flavor of the tea.
“Well, the tea isn’t bad. Make me five kilograms or so for me to give away.” Seeming to be satisfied with the tea, Li VII stood up. “I’ll go back tomorrow. Don’t expect me to stay here any longer. This damned place is completely filled with the second eldest’s odor. How awful!” As he spoke, he also made a fanning motion in front of his nose, as if he was driving away an awful stink. It greatly irritated Ji Zhongtang, but he did not dare to say anything.
He did not look again until Li VII had gone. Looking at the remaining half cup of tea on the table, he felt even more distressed. Five kilograms or so? That was the best Yinshan Maojian tea, which only originated from the Jin. Its total production in all of the Jin was no more than one kilogram. And Li VII suddenly required what was produced in many years. Even though Mingyi School was rich, they could not have so much stock. How could they obtain so many kilograms of tea in just one day?
“What an unlucky guy! No wonder Yi IV wants to accept him as a nominal disciple. His temper and manner are both just like Yi IV’s. Perhaps he’s a bastard of Yi IV!” “I’m really irritated seeing him.” Li VII still wore angry expression as he left Mingyi School. It was not a secret that the Second Supervisor did not get along well with the Third Supervisor. Actually, everyone knew that they were mutually antagonistic. They both had different ideas and had an itch to kill the other. But they were balanced in power.
Mingyi School was Yi IV’s domain. And the Master of the Golden Lights Cave got along well with Mingyi School. It could be said that it was an extension of Yi IV’s influence. Yi IV had taken the upper hand in the Central Mainland Region. Li VII did not care much about it before because the Central Mainland Region was the Immortal Palace’s domain. The Divine Wind Palace was merely a guest there. There was not much use in taking the upper hand there.
But now, the situation was different. The contention for the Human Emperor had gone into the white-hot stage. Yan Yuntian, who came from the Jin in the Central Mainland Region, was a top competitor. Therefore, it was Yi IV who seemed to gain the advantage in the general situation. Under such circumstances, Li VII had to think it over to safeguard his profits in the Central Mainland Region. No matter if taking strength or status into account, Zhou Bao was an excellent choice.