My Disciples Are All Villains

Lu Zhou did not enter the room nor did he turn around when he said, "Are you sure?"

"I am," Pan Litian smiled and said, "Li Yunzhao is a famous eunuch by the Empress Dowager's side… He has Daoist roots. He had cultivated some arcane arts and descended into depravity. However, he benefited from the misfortune, and somehow, his cultivation base improved by leaps and bounds. The Daoist sect chased him out to preserve their reputation. Many years later, he became a great elite."

Lu Zhou was slightly taken aback. He did not expect Li Yunzhao to be a famous eunuch. However, he did not find it strange that there were so many elites in the palace even though he had not been frequently going to the palace or fought any of the palace elites. Perhaps, the palace elites were wary of his title as the greatest villains under the heavens, or perhaps, they were restricted by the palace's rules. Who knew?

Lu Zhou was certain an elite like Li Yunzhao lived a good life in the palace even if he was just a eunuch. There would be no shortage of people trying to curry favor with him after all. Alas, not being a true man was probably a source of regret for Li Yunzhao.

Finally, Lu Zhou said, "Why would Li Yunzhao harm you when he had looked for you previously?"

"I don't know." The cold poison within Zhao Yue's body had just been dispelled so she was still weak. Even her voice sounded weak when she spoke.

Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "Forget it. Rest for two days." He waved his arm and left the south pavilion after he finished speaking.

Zhao Yue rose to her feet with great difficulty. A stunned expression could be seen on her face as she walked to the door and looked at her master's retreating back. His words had greatly shocked her. 'Master… master is concerned about me?'

Zhao Yue coughed again before her breathing began to gradually stabilize.

"It's gone?" She was greatly surprised. Previously, she was unaware that she was afflicted with a cold poison. She had assumed it was the effect of the Brilliant Jade Technique. The heat and the cold she felt were in line with the Brilliant Jade Technique after all. After cultivating it to its peak, the layer of frost on her skin would be able to intimidate her enemies. Apart from that, she really did not expect the cold poison was from the Dark Yin Palm.

Zhao Yue circulated her Primal Qi again and let it course through her extraordinary eight meridians. It flowed smoothly without obstructions. The self-healing effects from her Primal Qi was a lot more obvious now.

When she recalled her master's words earlier, she felt remorseful. Compared to this, the sufferings she had endured before seemed insignificant.

...

"Ding! Instructing Zhao Yue. Reward: 200 merit points."

What was considered as instructing? A senior instructing a junior, and the strong instructing the weak. That was instruction.

When Lu Zhou received the notification, he was slightly surprised, but he did not find it strange. He continued on his way to the great hall as Pan Litian and Pan Zhong followed after him.

After Lu Zhou entered the great hall, he slowly sat down before asking, "Elder Pan, do you know Li Yunzhao well?"

Pan Litian cupped his fists. "I've been in contact with people from the palace after I left the Clarity Sect… To tell you the truth, I joined the army back then and went to the frontlines. I killed countless enemies at Rongxi. For this reason, I seldom run into people from the palace. I don't know much about Li Yunzhao…"

Pan Zhong was slightly startled when he heard this. He did not expect this dirty-looking beggar to have such a glorious past that was worth bragging about.

Although cultivators joining the army were not a rare occurrence, most cultivators chose to focus on cultivating. Usually, there would only be five to six cultivators, a grand cultivator, and 100 to 1,000 mortal commanders in a 10,000 strong army. Most of the cultivators were not very talented in cultivation and had merely undergone Body Tempering and Mystic Enlightening. Hence, they chose to join the military in hopes of bagging achievements. However, it was unexpected for an elite like Pan Litian to join the army as well.

"With your cultivation base, you could've turned the tide of the battle… Surely it would've been easy for you to achieve glory when warring at the frontline?" Lu Zhou asked. What he meant to ask was why Pan Litian was an old beggar when he had definitely contributed greatly to the war?

"After I left the Clarity Sect, my cultivation base quickly weakened… At that time, I stopped being an elite," Pan Litian said.

Pan Zhong exclaimed in shock, "Old Pan, did the Clarity Sect do something to you?"

Pan Litian had gotten accustomed to this form of address. He replied, "There's no point talking about it."

Lu Zhou said, "In any case, I'll have to personally visit the Divine Capital."

Upon hearing this, Pan Litian was quick to reply, "I'm willing to accompany you."

Lu Zhou nodded and said, "You're dismissed."

"I'll be taking my leave."

"I'll be taking my leave as well."

Pan Litian and Pan Zhong left the great hall after that.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he observed the two of them. He was slightly surprised at how easily they had gotten along and their smooth transitions to the Evil Sky Pavilion. Well, in any case, that was how a person from the Evil Sky Pavilion should be.

Lu Zhou called out softly, "Yuan'er."

"Master." Little Yuan'er skipped into the great hall as she waved her Nirvana Sash around.

"Is there any news about Old Fourth?"

"No. Fourth Senior Brother only departed to Upper Prime City early in the morning. He should just be arriving now," Little Yuan'er said.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and nodded, still seated. After a while, he said, "I'm tired."

"Oh… I'll be taking my leave."

Lu Zhou had wasted some of his extraordinary power to help Zhao Yue purge the cold poison from her body. He had to replenish what he had lost in two days. Without the item cards, the extraordinary power from the Heavenly Writing was the biggest ace up his sleeve.

As for Zhao Yue's past, that investigation would have to wait.

...

Two days later, in Upper Prime City. Inside a room on the third floor of Long Wind Restaurant.

Si Wuya leaned against the railing as he looked at Upper Prime City through a window.

Upper Prime City was once the temporary capital of Great Yan. However, currently, it was only a pale reflection of its former glorious self.

The Five Mice had plunged Upper Prime City into turmoil and chaos. On top of that, the rebel army had also caused a disturbance here and nearly destroyed the city. Alas, those were not the last of the disasters that awaited Upper Prime City. An ill fate loomed ahead of Upper Prime City again.

A grey-robed cultivator bowed and said, "Sect master, our men are in place. We can move out once you give the order,"

Si Wuya glanced at him before looking out the window again and said, "Zhixing, how long have you been with me?"

Ye Zhixing was slightly taken back by this question. He did not know why his sect master would ask him such a question. However, he replied, "Ten years."

"So, it's been ten years…"

"I swear to follow you to death, sect master!" Ye Zhixing said.

Si Wuya sighed and shook his head, "Zhixing… tell me… am I making a mistake?"

Ye Zhixing hastily bowed and said, "Why do you say that, sect master? It's all thanks to you that the Darknet survives until today, sect master. You're the one who stopped the tens of thousands of cultivators in Rongbei, you're the one who supported Mister First from the Nether Sect, and you're the one who burned down the Black Forest…"

Si Wuya raised a hand to stop Ye Zhixing from continuing. Every time these topics were brought up, Ye Zhixing would act as though he was speaking about some precious treasure. "Maybe it's just me, but I feel there are too many things that are out of my control…"

Ye Zhixing regarded Si Wuya with a complicated look in his eyes before he said, "You can't lose your confidence…" Then, he fell to one knee.

Zing!

Ye Zhixing drew his sword out and expressionlessly said, "Sect master, I'll kill whoever you tell me to… I won't hesitate even if you ask me to go to the… Evil Sky Pavilion!"

Si Wuya frowned and said, "Impudent!"

"I've been careless with my choice of words. I don't dare to disrespect the Evil Sky Pavilion. Please forgive me, sect master."

"Stand up." Si Wuya would never punish his trusted subordinate. After all, it was all thanks to the core members that the Darknet was successful today.

"Thank you, sect master!"

Si Wuya looked out the window again. "The Upper Prime's Five Mice… When will they be here?"

Ye Zhixing bowed and said, "We've promised to meet this morning. However… I… I wonder if I should say this..."

"Speak."

"The Five Mice have robbed Mister Eighth's zen tunic without your approval. This will surely anger the old senior. Mister Eighth has always been…" Ye Zhixing paused. He was looking for a word that sounded better than cowardly but to no avail. He could only hem and haw as he searched for the right word.

"I understand what you're trying to say… Are you worried that Old Eighth will reveal the rendezvous point?" Si Wuya asked.

"You're intelligent, sect master." Ye Zhixing cupped his fists. "You have a close relationship with Mister Eighth. We should stop using some of our common rendezvous points. I'm worried that the old senior would send someone out of anger…"

Si Wuya said with a smile, "Fourth Senior Brother is the only one who's difficult to deal with, but he can't do anything to me as well."

"What if the old senior personally comes?"

"All we have to do is run." Si Wuya's tone was flippant when he said this. There was no hint of embarrassment in his voice when he spoke.

Ye Zhixing did not think it was embarrassing as well. After all, in the face of a peerless elite, fleeing was nothing to feel ashamed about.

A figure flitted past the roof at this moment, disappearing as soon as it appeared. A few afterimages appeared in its wake before disappearing like the wind as well. It seemed to deliberately appear in Si Wuya's sight. The others did not seem to notice it. After a while, the figure appeared again opposite him.

"You have a sharp eye, sect master." A man with black gloves and a mustache sat lazily on the floor.

"Lu Qiuping… are you here alone?" Si Wuya asked.

"Yes, I'm enough. Big brother said you're too cunning. Who knows if you'd set a trap to catch all of us in one fell swoop?" Lu Qiuping who was sitting lazily on the floor was one of the Five Mice who was skilled in escaping.

Si Wuya said, "So, how's it going to be?"

"According to our rules, you'll have to compensate us, regardless if we fail or succeed," Lu Qiuping said with a smile.

Ye Zhixing scoffed. "According to the Darknet's rules, those who failed their missions should be punished. How dare you ask for payment?"

"I'm not one of you… Your rules don't apply to me."

"We're not members of the Five Mice as well. So don't go applying your rules on us," Ye Zhixing retorted.

"Are you looking for a fight?"

Zing!

Ye Zhixing drew his sword. The sword glinted coldly in the light. It reflected the sunlight onto Lu Qiuping's face.

Lu Qiuping continued sitting as he chuckled. "Hey, hey, I'm just kidding. There's no need for you to draw your sword."

"Surrender the zen tunic," Si Wuya demanded.

"The zen tunic is with big brother. It's not with me. Don't give me that look. I only came here to greet you. You're a disciple of the Evil Sky Pavilion after all. Since we can't cross you, we can only hide from you. From this day on, all ties between us are severed. We don't owe each other anything," Lu Qiuping said.

Upon hearing this, Si Wuya's expression remained unchanged, "The reason I contacted you was because I believed in your abilities, and I'd hoped you'd be of some use..."

"Hm?" Despite Si Wuya's blank expression, Lu Qiuping could sense the abnormalities in Si Wuya's voice.

"I had no intention of holding the failure of your mission in the Evil Sky Pavilion against you, but you shouldn't have taken the zen tunic of all things."

"What do you mean?"

Si Wuya flicked the wine cup in his hand. The wine cup drew a perfect arc in the air and fell on the streets.

Crash!

It shattered.

Ye Zhixing steeled his gaze as his sword vibrated.

Zing!

The entire room was shrouded in an unique energy.

Lu Qiuping's expression changed drastically. He stomped his feet and leaped up into the air with nimble movements at lightning speed. A flash of green energy in his palm repelled the energy that shrouded the room.

Two grey-robed figures approached him.

Bam!

Lu Qiuping fell. However, he managed to pass through the roof, as slippery as an eel.

Ye Zhixing exclaimed in surprise, "As expected of a member of the Five Mice…"

Si Wuya was in no hurry. He remained seated as though nothing had happened. "We can make our move now."

"Understood." Ye Zhixing produced a black cylinder from his pouch, lit it at the window, and a projectile was fired.

A deafening whistle sounded in the air, accompanied by a flash of light.

This caught the attention of the pedestrians on the street. All of them stopped to look.

There were dozens of small groups that consisted of cultivators at several corners on the street who began to move. They did not attack the common folk as they headed to a specific location.

Upper Prime City was plunged into chaos at this moment!

The instant Lu Qiuping, one of the Five Mice, landed, he saw two gray-robed cultivators coming at him. "Si Wuya… just you wait!" His voice had barely faded when he turned around and bumped into someone.

A man with a mustache wearing clothing of the Other Region grabbed Lu Qiuping's arm and spoke stiltedly in Great Yan's language, "Y-you… You… bumped into me?"

"Get out of my way! Scram!"

Crack!

The man in the Other Region clothes put more force into his grip.

"Ahh!" Lu Qiuping felt as though his bone was shattered.

The man in the Other Region clothes hastily said, "I-I-I'm sorry… I-I didn't do it on purpose."

Lu Qiuping wanted to cry! He was no idiot. There was no way this person was a mortal if he could easily break the arm of a cultivator who had undergone Body Tempering. However, he had no time to waste with this man. His pursuers were hot on his heels. He would be done for if he was caught. He turned, wanting to flee.

"Do… D-don't go!" The man in the Other Region clothes did not loosen his grip.

Lu Qiuping's expression darkened as he said, "Big brother… Can you please release your grip on me now!"

"I… I… I can't."

The gray-robed cultivators were already on the ground as they flanked both of them.

Upon seeing this, Lu Qiuping knew things were not looking good for him. There was a flash of green in his hand as he drew closer to Lu Qiuping.

The man in the Other Region clothes widened his eyes. "Oh, no, are you planning to kill me?" Despite his words, his grip tightened even more

Crack!

With that, Lu Qiuping's entire arm was broken! The blade in his hand, which shone with a strange light, fell to the ground. He shrieked. He wanted to move, but he could not at all. No matter how he pulled and struggled, he could not free his arm at all.

The grey-robed cultivators approached them and cupped their fists. "Thank you for helping us, strong man!"

The man in Other Region clothes waved his hand and said, "It… It… It's nothing."

"May I know your name? Since you helped us capture this thief, we'll surely visit you to thank you."

"Y-you're welcome. My s-surname is Ri."

As soon as that man in the Other Region clothing finished speaking, Ye Zhixing supported Si Wuya as they emerged from the third floor's window and descended slowly.

Tears streamed down Lu Qiuping's face as he endured the pain in his arm and said, "St-strong man… surely we can discuss this?"

Smack!

The man from the Other Region slapped Lu Qiuping and said, "I have n-nothing to say to you."