Weng Qianxiang poured all his strength into whipping the fox demon this time, making it yelp miserably. Weng Qianxiang eventually stopped, drenched in sweat.
However, the fox demon had left Weng Qianxiang with a psychological scar. After whipping it, he eyed the demon warily, fearing it would utter another line: "My dear, I want more~"
Leaning against the wall, he told everyone, "None of you are allowed to speak of what happened today, or we're no longer brothers!"
Han San patted Weng Qianxiang's head and said, "We weren't brothers to begin with."
Weng Qianxiang was speechless, his eyes betraying his disappointment. He had thought he and Han San had a decent enough relationship to be considered brothers, at least for appearances.
To his surprise, Han San then grinned, "We're father and son."
"...Damn it!" Weng Qianxiang weakly gave Han San the middle finger.
"Stop messing around, don't you know the occasion?" Yan Shouyi shot Han San a glare, then spoke with mock seriousness, "I am, after all, Old Weng's sworn godfather, and I cannot stand idly by while you bully him."
This time, both Han San and Weng Qianxiang gave Yan Shouyi the middle finger.
Weng Qianxiang reiterated, "In short, nothing that happened today is to be spoken of outside!"
"What about me?"
Uncle Wei Changqing, who had been silent all along, voiced his question.
He and Weng Qianxiang weren't exactly brothers; they were at most uncle and nephew.
Weng Qianxiang covered his face, almost giving up, "Whatever happens, happens. I'm done."
Weng Qianxiang was truly exhausted. What he thought would be a simple espionage mission turned into an unexpected bonus, only to take a sharp turn for the worse, nearly resulting in him being sexually assaulted. After finally meeting the so-called Island Master, he was thoroughly disgusted.
But these things weren't important. What mattered was that Weng Qianxiang couldn't help but lament his poor choice of friends, finding himself surrounded by treacherous companions like Yan Shouyi and Han San who would kick him when he was down. His reputation was ruined, he was constantly held in their grasp, and social annihilation was a daily possibility.
Feeling dejected, he grabbed a can of sugar-free cola from the fridge, took a sip, and spat it out. "Peh! Sugar-free cola, even a dog wouldn't drink that!"
Yan Shouyi, meanwhile, began attending to the main business.
Yuan Jianxin asked, "Do we need to interrogate him?"
Yan Shouyi shook his head. "No need. Let's investigate first to avoid being misled by the fox demon. The previous Skin Master spoke not a single truthful word. Fortunately, Old Weng reacted swiftly this time; otherwise, things would be much more troublesome."
Yan Shouyi was already furious that the Skin Master hadn't confessed about the talismans, and the fellow had even feigned ignorance, claiming not to know the fox demon Island Master.
Weng Qianxiang's performance today was indeed brilliant. If it had been Han San, he would likely have revealed himself upon landing and been gunned down by the guards.
Their first target was the note brought by the fox demon Island Master.
The note was reportedly an order from Li Genmiao, making its information crucial.
Yan Shouyi picked up the note, unfolded it, and his expression gradually turned grave.
Seeing this, the others grew curious. Even Wei Changqing couldn't help but ask, "What does it say?"
"You can see for yourselves."
Yan Shouyi handed the note to Wei Changqing. Upon reading it, Wei Changqing's face also turned solemn. Then, everyone passed it around, and their reactions were all similar.
"What does the note say?" the fox demon Island Master meekly inquired.
"Get lost! Do you think you have a right to speak?" Weng Qianxiang, still furious, grabbed his whip and resumed his thrashing.
They pushed the fox demon Island Master aside and huddled together to discuss.
The note contained two main points.
First, Li Genmiao instructed the Skin Master to find ways to sow discord within the Lü Mountain Sect, ideally turning it into a scattered mess.
Second, they were to create conflict between the Lü Mountain Sect and folk religious sects. If necessary, they could, in the sect's name, kill a few disciples of folk religious sects to incite their anger.
Either of these directives was malicious in intent. If realized, they would have significant repercussions for both prominent sects and folk religious sects.
Yuan Jianxin frowned, puzzled. "Li Genmiao leads the folk religious sects himself. Why would he instigate prominent sects to go against folk religious sects? What benefit does he gain from this?"
Han San pondered for a moment and said, "As the saying goes, heroes emerge in troubled times. Is Li Genmiao trying to create chaos so he can fish in troubled waters and achieve his own objectives?"
As they pondered, their gazes turned to Wei Changqing.
Among those present, Wei Changqing was the most knowledgeable about Li Genmiao and the New Xuan Mountain Sect.
However, their gazes only lingered on Wei Changqing for a moment before shifting away.
The primary reason was that Wei Changqing was too formidable. These juniors dared not ask him directly. What if he became displeased and decided to resort to violence?
It was Yan Shouyi who cleared his throat, asking on behalf of everyone, "Uncle, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
Wei Changqing, unconcerned, stroked his chin and said,
"Strictly speaking, there's a significant difference between the Twenty-Eight Mansions and the Twelve Yuan Chen. The Twenty-Eight Mansions are more like an outsourced company, taking money from the New Xuan Mountain Sect to do their bidding. Therefore, members of the Twenty-Eight Mansions have access to very little information and don't hold Li Genmiao in such high regard."
Yan Shouyi nodded slightly. He recalled Chu Liang from before, who was also one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions. However, Chu Liang showed no respect for the "performer" (Li Genmiao), not only calling him by that name but also treating their relationship as one of cooperation.
Yan Shouyi had been puzzled then, but now he understood the reason.
What Wei Changqing said conveyed two pieces of information. Besides what Yan Shouyi had just realized, the second point was: he, as a member of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, also had limited knowledge of the secrets.
Wei Changqing continued:
"From my understanding of Li Genmiao, that fellow is a complete lunatic. His style of action is chaotic and disordered, making him utterly unpredictable. He even often makes self-defeating plans. However... when things settle and his true objectives are revealed, everyone will suddenly realize that all his planned arrangements were logical. Those illogical parts can be considered Li Genmiao cutting off his own arms to achieve his goals."
This was precisely what happened when Li Genmiao attacked Longhu Mountain.
On the surface, Li Genmiao retreated, but in reality, Longhu Mountain lost its Grand Heavenly Master, Zhang Yin.
As Wei Changqing spoke, he noticed everyone's expressions growing increasingly grim, as if they were all being weighed down by an invisible pressure.
They finally realized that Li Genmiao was not easy to deal with.
"Returning to Li Genmiao's objective this time," Wei Changqing said softly, "Splitting up prominent sects and creating conflict with folk religious sects—all these actions can only lead me to one conclusion, a conclusion Han San has already pointed out... heroes emerge in troubled times. Li Genmiao might want to create a period of chaos, then re-establish the Xuanmen himself, becoming the next Xuanmen Heavenly Master!"