Chapter 359: Farce
Arriving at the outpost, Bai Mo asked where Xu Zhong was and led Jing Heng over.
In an open area of the courtyard, four heads were lined up neatly in front of Xu Zhong, their faces still eerily recognizable.
When Bai Mo arrived, he saw Xu Zhong speaking in a low voice to a disciple with a grim expression.
"Well? Can you tell anything?"
"...I can only tell they’re from two different sects..."
Seeing Bai Mo, Xu Zhong casually waved his hand, dismissing the grim-faced disciple.
"Junior Brother, you’re here."
"Take a look. Are these four villains the ones who ambushed you?"
Bai Mo quickly stepped aside and gestured for Jing Heng to come forward.
"Mmm, yes..."
Jing Heng’s expression flickered, and he corrected himself.
"These three are the ones. This last one, however, I’ve never seen before, though he resembles another person."
In other words, more than four people had come from the Seven Beasts Sect. Some had still gotten away.
Xu Zhong sighed.
"I knew it. Things are never that easy."
As he spoke, a jet of flame shot from his fingertips, incinerating the four heads.
All four villains were at the Core Formation realm. It was a mystery who possessed the strength to eliminate them all simultaneously.
Xu Zhong saw Bai Mo and Jing Heng out.
"Junior Brother, you should avoid going out for a while. People from the Seven Beasts Sect might still be lurking about."
Bai Mo nodded. Just as he stepped out the door, he caught a glimpse of a sky-blue sleeve disappearing around a corner. It was quite conspicuous.
Xu Zhong narrowed his eyes.
"I don’t know who that is. A half-step Nascent Soul Cultivator with a heavy killing intent, suddenly paying a visit to our Celestial Mountain City."
"That bunch from the Seven Beasts Sect was just unlucky to run into someone like him."
It dawned on Bai Mo.
"So the person who just left was..."
Xu Zhong nodded.
"You two go on. I’m going to see the Old Ancestor. He doesn’t come out often, so even seeing him is a rare opportunity. I must go and attend to him."
’If the old man is struck by a sudden whim and offers me a pointer or two, that would be even better.’
With this thought, Xu Zhong’s pace quickened as he left.
Bai Mo then departed with Jing Heng.
As they walked down the street, the crowds were particularly dense. The only people missing were the Alchemy Dao novices, who were usually heard holding forth at length.
Overhearing the idle chatter of passersby, Bai Mo suddenly understood.
’The Pill Master assessment must have started today.’
An idea struck Jing Heng. "Shall we go and take a look?"
Every city had its own style. It was a rare trip for him, and he was eager to see the sights and customs of a faraway place.
The two of them discussed it briefly but ultimately decided against it.
"Never mind. We’ve both made a name for ourselves. We shouldn’t go and disturb the novices."
Jing Heng said, "Do you know if there’s a large market for medicinal herbs in the city?"
"I’m still injured and need a few more herbs for my recovery."
He smiled. "Preferably one with some local specialties. I’d like to take a look around; that way, this long journey won’t have been for nothing."
Bai Mo thought for a moment.
"Why don’t we go to the West Pole Sect’s merchant guild? Their business is quite extensive."
"Excellent."
After winding through the streets, the two finally arrived at the West Pole Sect’s merchant guild.
Before they even went inside, they could hear what sounded like a shouting match.
Some patrons, unfazed, continued to go in and out, carrying away their new purchases.
Others hesitated outside, mixing with the crowd of onlookers and whispering among themselves.
"Tai Zhengran!!"
"If you have any conscience at all, get out here! Let’s clear the air, face to face, right now!"
"By the heavens, how are we supposed to live like this..."
"Tai Zhengran..."
At first, it was the voice of an enraged man, growing increasingly agitated. Then, it was joined by the soft sobbing of a woman.
Bai Mo and Jing Heng exchanged a look.
’Is this some kind of melodrama about a devoted woman and her heartless lover?’
But seeing the shopkeeper’s assistant from next door craning his neck to watch the spectacle, they noticed he didn’t seem particularly indignant.
’We have future dealings with the West Pole Sect. I should find out what’s going on.’
Bai Mo nonchalantly sidled up to the assistant.
"Quite a commotion. What’s going on?"
The assistant didn’t even turn his head, chuckling as he spoke.
"Seems like some bullshit about a family branch. I’m not too clear on the details, but those people have come by many times before."
"Heh heh, they even hire people to stir up trouble!"
"Let me tell you..." He turned his head and suddenly stopped short.
"Hey, where’d he go?"
Bai Mo had already walked away, pulling Jing Heng through the crowd and into the merchant guild.
The guild’s manager, a man named Yin Lang, stood at the entrance, a look of helplessness on his face.
"Why have you two come today of all days? Such unfortunate timing."
Bai Mo gestured toward the man and woman causing the scene inside.
"Senior Jing wishes to purchase some medicinal herbs. We came here knowing your esteemed guild has a large selection."
"What’s the story with them?"
A sturdy, dark-skinned man was shouting obscenities, while a delicate-looking woman sat on the floor, weeping.
Anyone watching would assume the West Pole Sect had done something to wrong them.
However, the few Cultivators the pair had brought with them—who were now standing off to the side with their arms crossed and mocking smirks—cast some doubt on the situation.
Those Cultivators clearly looked like trouble. Their ranks included both Foundation Establishment and Core Formation experts, which explained why Yin Lang hadn’t simply kicked them out.
"You, Yin!!"
"Get your Sect Leader out here! Tell him to give back what he took!"
"You’re just an outsider! How dare you use the name of the West Pole Sect!?"
The man roared in agitation, suddenly leaping up and lunging at Yin Lang with his hand outstretched.
The move was so sudden that the Cultivators he had brought for support didn’t have time to react, their expressions merely shifting in surprise.
"Hmph!"
Yin Lang’s brow furrowed. Before the man could get close, he flicked his wide sleeve, unleashing a powerful gust of wind.
The man took the full force of the blast. He had come flying in, and now he went flying back even faster, crashing into a pile of goods and letting out a string of miserable howls.
The crying woman stared in shock, finally snapping out of it a moment later.
"You... you... you actually hit him..."
After her initial shock, she began to wail even louder.
In an instant, her sobbing and the man’s howls of pain blended into a chaotic cacophony.
The hired muscle didn’t say a word, merely remarking on Yin Lang’s technique among themselves.
The authority of a Core Formation expert was not to be trifled with. Making a scene was one thing, but physically attacking was another matter entirely.
Listening to the racket, Jing Heng shook his head.
"So uncivilized."
"Is there a quieter place here?"
Yin Lang quickly replied, "Let me show you both the herbs we have in the storeroom."
After telling an assistant to look after the other patrons, Yin Lang led the pair toward the back of the guild hall.
"My apologies, you’ve had to witness a ridiculous scene."
"To be frank with you both, their commotion is all about the matter of the West Pole Sect’s succession."
"Oh?" Both Bai Mo and Jing Heng listened intently.
"Those two are descendants of a previous West Pole Sect Leader. After the West Pole Sect fell into decline, their branch of the family continued to style themselves as the sect’s true heirs."
"But with the core techniques lost, they couldn’t receive the inheritance and fell on hard times."
Yin Lang continued, shaking his head.
"That is, until our current Sect Leader appeared out of nowhere, obtained the true inheritance, and revived the West Pole Sect. Only then did these people show up at our door."
"It’s not that they expect the Sect Leader to just hand over the position, but they want to reclaim the core inheritance, as well as some of the sect’s assets..."
"How could that ever be allowed?"
Jing Heng listened, nodding slightly.
As a City Lord, he had seen more than his fair share of such petty squabbles and understood the nuances of right and wrong.
Yin Lang had explained all this because he didn’t want the two to misunderstand his sect. Seeing Jing Heng’s understanding nod, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"To say nothing of the fact that the position of West Pole Sect Leader isn’t hereditary, with their aptitude and character, they wouldn’t even qualify to join the sect."
"So how could they possibly be entrusted with the sect’s core techniques?"
"And yet, I don’t know who put them up to it, but they’ve stubbornly latched onto their own version of justice. They’ll swear on the heavens and earth, but they’re completely impervious to reason..."