Chapter 791: Distant Allies, Close Enemies

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Tap, tap!

In a dusky hall, two rows of faint candlelights burned gently. The only sound was the rhythmic steps of a single person.

Sitting on the guest chair, an aged man was sipping on his tea as the footsteps came. He placed the cup down on the table and waited.

“The grand steward of the best clan in Tianyu, Zhuge Changfeng, ha-ha-ha…”

Following the bright laughter, a sturdy middle-aged man came out from the shadows and into the light, taking the seat of honor, Heaven Trailing Sect’s Sect Leader Ren Xiaoyun. 

“Yesterday Tianyu Empire’s Prime Minister, and now Luo clan’s first steward. The title might have changed but the power is no less than that of a prime minister. Zhuge Changfeng, what are you doing here instead of minding Tianyu’s affairs?”

Zhuge Changfeng stood up and made a light bow, “Sect Leader Ren, Heaven Trailing Sect is the head of the Tinayu’s three guardian sects and I am ashamed to say that in all my decades as Prime Minister and now steward of Luo clan, I have failed in paying my respects to your glorious sect.”

“Secular clans and sects hardly ever meet. No apology needed.”

Ren Xiaoyun waved his hand, “I wonder what brought on this visit from miles away?”

Zhuge Changfeng smiled and bowed again, “I shall be frank, Sect Leader, I have come with a defined purpose in mind. I am before Sect Leader with a request.”

“What is it?” Ren Xiaoyun raised an eyebrow.

Zhuge Changfeng’s eyes flashed, “I hope that Sect Leader Ren may be willing to go easy on the Demon Scheming Sect traitors.”

“Oh?”

Ren Xiaoyun stared hard into Zhuge Changfeng’s tranquil gaze, then mocked, “You’re from Tianyu but nonetheless informed. You heard of western lands’ nine sects’ affairs quite fast. But why do you want to save them? Is it for your previous steward, Zhuo Fan?”

Ren Xiaoyun’s tone dropped and became chilling.

One word out of line and Zhuge Changfeng would find himself gone from this world. 

Zhuge Changfeng smiled still and nodded, “In a way, but not fully.”

“How so?”

“Of course there’s the respect and gratitude towards Steward Zhuo’s former efforts. Even if strays, they were once under Steward Zhuo’s wing and we have to lend a hand, lest we’d be taken as ingrates. Sir must know by now of our young Clan Head’s personality, holding loyalty above all else. By not doing this now, it will harm his name. “

Squinting, Ren Xiaoyun sneered, “So what you’re telling me is that the Luo clan is helping the traitors for their reputation?”

Ren Xiaoyun’s hand flicked and bloodthirst flickered in his eyes.

“Not entirely, since there’s still respect for the previous Steward Zhuo, even if not enough to warrant the destruction of the clan. That’s why it’s most out of reputation. The world is filled with people striving for fame, and our Clan Head is no exception.”

Zhuge Changfeng chuckled and sighed, “Over the years, Tianyu has flourished and, in turn, filled the three sects’ coffers, with the tribute growing yearly. Sect Leader Ren is sure to know this. Why? All because of the Luo Alliance, drawing in dozens of clans, big and small, from the nearby nations and empires. But why could the Luo Alliance attract so many people? It is without a doubt our Clan Head’s righteous and loyal nature that set their minds at ease. This is a reputation we have to protect and, most of all, make excessive use of it.”

Ren Xiaoyun’s eyes shook and his hand stopped to ponder.

Zhuge Changfeng grinned inside.

He knew very well that the wrong word would have his blood paint these walls. Ren Xiaoyun was only testing him to check just how far the Luo clan would go for Zhuo Fan alone, just how much were the two tied up.

If the Luo clan still cared for Zhuo Fan, or if they were outraged over Zhuo Fan’s actions, Ren Xiaoyun would’ve killed Zhuge Changfeng then and there, following with the Luo clan.

He had no intention of fostering a group of enemies.

However, Zhuge Changfeng’s answer was smooth, avoiding all pitfalls. If he had said there was no loyalty for Zhuo Fan left, then it would have been an outright lie.

Zhuo Fan had been the Luo clan’s previous steward that made the Luo clan what it was today. Yet the clan would just ignore all that?

Ren Xiaoyun would’ve slapped him in the hereafter where he stood. 

Zhuge Changfeng was shrewder than most, saying there was some loyalty left, but not the main cause for the clan’s decision.

[We’re not disregarding Zhuo Fan’s gratitude, just thinking of profits. Furthermore, we’re using that bit of loyalty to earn even more by making use of our reputation.]

This was enough to get Ren Xiaoyun to relax. Since they held interests above their past relations, he put them getting revenge for Zhuo Fan at the back of his mind. They had nothing to gain by fighting Heaven Trailing Sect anyway. 

As a man with an eye for profit himself, there was no way they would risk it all just for Zhuo Fan’s hatred to be sated. That was what made this line so believable, it appealed to his own principles.

While a Luo clan without an ounce of gratitude would’ve been worse, totally unreliable. He only wanted to see what the Luo clan cared about, happy to know now that it was proft.

Zhuge Changfeng was also sharp in pointing out Tianyu was doing so much better now. 

[You guardian sects get almost double every year, all because of the Luo clan. Without us, you’d end up starving.]

This struck where it hurt the most and made him withdraw his impulse of slapping the Luo clan’s envoy dead.

“So, your request to let the traitors go was all about keeping your loyal reputation?” Ren Xiaoyun probed after a pause, “I have promised Sect Leader Xie to cull any traitors…”

Zhuge Changfeng shook his head, “Sect Leader Ren, I would’ve never taken the risk if it was just merely out of reputation. We want to take them because we will fight the Demon Scheming Sect!”

“What?” Ren Xiaoyun’s eyes bugged out, his hand tightened with bloodthirst, “A secular clan wants to fight a sect? What a joke!”

Ren Xiaoyun was enraged.

His heart was once again beating frantically. Heaven Trailing Sect was in cahoots with the Demon Scheming Sect right now. Fighting them was fighting Heaven Trailing Sect, no?

[The Luo clan still cares about getting revenge for Zhuo Fan!]

Zhuge Changfeng read him like a book, sighing dramatically, “Sect Leader Ren, that’s not my meaning at all. We of course would want to live at peace with the three sects for thousands of years to come. But that doesn’t mean the Demon Scheming Sect wants to. I heard that the Demon Scheming Sect’s Sect Leader Xie Wuyue has a nasty temper and is ruthless. He can kill Zhuo Fan all he wants, not like we can do anything. What I fear though, is that he’ll drag innocent people into this. Because Zhuo Fan came from the Luo clan, he’ll cull us all. We thus have no choice but gather anyone that can help and fight to the death.

“As sir knows, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Demon Scheming Sect traitors don’t hate you and Mystical Heaven Sect the most, since they already attacked Mystical Heaven Sect before. The two sects coming to attack was natural. They hate Xie Wuyue with a passion. So we must work together and resist the Demon Scheming Sect!”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Ren Xiaoyun eased a breath.

[Luo clan is using its power to defend itself, not target Demon Scheming Sect specifically and our alliance.] 

This made him relax.

He did not noticed that Zhuge Changfeng’s wording made it so Venerable Bai’s group hated only Xie Wuyue, keeping Heaven Trailing Sect out of it. 

This was how Ren Xiaoyun decided to let them be. 

When he joined Xie Wuyue in culling everyone, he feared retaliation. And since he had nothing against them to begin with, why push things so far?

[Besides, these men might become a weapon to keep Demon Scheming Sect in check.]

Ren Xiaoyun thus made his decision, but he decided to play along for now, frowning, “In the end, letting them go is up to the Demon Scheming Sect. Heaven Trailing Sect can do it, but I can’t say the same about Demon Scheming Sect.”

“Ha-ha-ha, Sect Leader Ren, who doesn’t know that Heaven Trailing Sect is the leader in the empire’s three guardian sects. Would the other two sect go against your word?”

Zhuge Changfeng praised, “I’ll be frank here, Demon Scheming Sect and Mystical Heaven Sect are nothing more than dying dogs. Can they still be part of the guardian sects? Especially Demon Scheming Sect, after that calamity, how many experts does it have? How can it protect Tianyu? Our Clan Head decided to cut ten percent out of their tribute and give it to Heaven Trailing Sect.”

Shaken up, Ren Xiaoyun’s heart burst with joy, but he didn’t let it show, “How can we? They have been through so much pain and doing this…”

“Sect Leader Ren, no need to be polite. Those capable always earn more. With the Demon Scheming Sect’s miserable state, it’s not worth twenty percent of Tianyu’s resources. Tianyu’s safety would in the end depend on Heaven Trailing Sect.” Zhuge Changfeng cupped his hands as he finished his speech.

Ren Xiaoyun frowned in fake anger, “Are you trying to turn the three sects on each other? Demon Scheming Sect is about to become a middle-three sect…”

“Sect Leader Ren!”

Zhuge Changfeng cut him off with sneer, “After such an event, regardless of power and fame, would it still be fit to be a middle-three sect?”

Ren Xiaoyun jerked awake and then laughed before slapping his shoulder.

“Ha-ha-ha…”

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