Chương 91: Beasts Walk Alone, Cattle and Sheep Herd Together

"Go on." Li Shanyun's expression turned serious at once. Su Zhe took out the Haiyan Tang (Sea-Tranquility Hall) core disciple token and the silk letter.

"I obtained these by pure chance. I never expected that the dying man I ran into would be a core disciple of Haiyan Tang, as well as a spy planted in Tang Prefecture… He exposed a conspiracy by the Qin family, one of the thirteen prominent clans of Zhujian Mountain City. They secretly murdered Mo Ye, second in the true disciple sequence of Zhujian Shanzhuang (Sword-Forging Manor)…" Su Zhe handed both items to Li Shanyun. Hearing his words, Li Shanyun was secretly startled, shock flashing across her face.

She glanced over the contents of the letter. It was extremely brief. The Qin family had caused the death of Mo Ye, second in Zhujian Shanzhuang's true disciple sequence. The information was to be passed to Haiyan Tang.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Li Shanyun asked Su Zhe, her expression turning grave.

"This matter is of great importance. I have not spoken of it to any outsider," Su Zhe said, shaking his head. It wasn't as if he didn't know how serious things were.

"Good. This matter is too serious. I can only report it directly to the five manor lords and leave the decision to them."

"These days, because of the disciple recruitment ceremony, the five manor lords have been rather busy."

"The Qin family… They hid in Zhujian Mountain City for so many years, relying on Zhujian Shanzhuang's influence to build their foundation. And now they've grown into a threat and started harboring evil intentions. Such… nerve." Li Shanyun gave a cold snort and put away the token and letter. Within Zhujian Mountain City, there were thirteen prominent clans. These thirteen clans were the city's great houses. They were also known as the Five Families and Seven Houses.

But in Zhujian Shanzhuang's eyes, these so-called great houses were nothing at all. The thirteen clans sent talent to Zhujian Shanzhuang, and behind them, Zhujian Shanzhuang also offered support and protection. Now that one of them had thoughts of rebellion, it was like a dog raised by its owner growing strong enough to bite back. How could that be tolerated? But for Zhujian Shanzhuang to move against the Qin family was no small matter.

And with the disciple recruitment ceremony close at hand, Li Shanyun naturally hoped no word of this would leak out. After finishing the matter, Su Zhe lifted his eyes slightly and smiled at Li Shanyun.

"I resisted a truly enormous temptation to report this matter."

"I've heard Zhujian Shanzhuang rewards and punishes with clear fairness. I wonder, for a contribution like mine, what sort of reward might I receive?" Seeing that Li Shanyun was about to leave, Su Zhe hurriedly voiced what was on his mind. Li Shanyun's expression turned a little strange. She frowned and said,"You are Martial Uncle Yushen's disciple. Joining Zhujian Shanzhuang is already a done deal."

"For you, the disciple recruitment ceremony is nothing more than a chance to fight for rank and see whether you can enter the core disciple ranks directly."

"You've rendered service to your own sect, and you still want a reward?" Su Zhe shook his head.

"My loyalty to the sect can be witnessed by the sun and moon."

"However, clear rewards and punishments are the way a sect lasts for generations."

"If we speak only of myself, with my sincere heart, how could I possibly covet some reward?"

"But if the sect grants no reward and word of this spreads in the future, I fear it may damage the sect's reputation. I am merely thinking on the sect's behalf." Su Zhe spoke smoothly and confidently. He argued his case with perfect conviction. Li Shanyun knew exactly what kind of person Su Zhe was, but for a moment, she truly did not know how to refute him. Her red lips parted slightly, yet no words came out for a long while.

"Haa! Honestly…"

"If a manure cart passed your door, you'd still have to taste it to see whether it was salty." Li Shanyun sighed helplessly. That so-called core disciple of Haiyan Tang had died right in front of Su Zhe. Given Su Zhe's personality, he had probably already stripped the man clean. And now he still planned to fleece Zhujian Shanzhuang too. Seriously… He didn't waste a single opportunity.

"Fine. What do you want?" Li Shanyun asked with a nod.

"A divine weapon… a martial weapon. The higher the grade, the better." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"I'll report it." Li Shanyun had no authority to decide, so she could only say that.

"Right, I also have one small matter that requires True Disciple Li's help," Su Zhe said again.

"There's more? Say it all at once. The Qin family matter is far too serious."

"I plan to request an audience with the five manor lords today." Li Shanyun was growing a little impatient.

"Back in Lu County, I had some fortuitous encounters and obtained a batch of East Sea Night Pearls. These things don't help martial cultivation much."

"But when ground into powder, they can help women preserve their beauty. I would like to ask True Disciple Li… to help sell them within Zhujian Shanzhuang."

"Of course, since I'm asking True Disciple Li for help, naturally I won't let you work for nothing… I can gift one Night Pearl to True Disciple Li." Su Zhe took out a large bundle. He opened it. Inside were a full one hundred and twenty-one East Sea Night Pearls.

"This humble woman truly did not expect… Brother Su to be such a wealthy man." Li Shanyun was slightly surprised. East Sea Night Pearls were rare treasures to begin with. They could be used in medicine. Although they were not very useful to martial artists, their effect in preserving beauty was excellent. For women, appearance was often the most important thing. Some extreme women even valued their looks more than their cultivation.

A scholar dies for one who understands him; a woman dresses for one who admires her. No matter how strong a female martial artist was, she still found it hard to escape this universal truth.

"Just a little modest wealth! A little modest charm!" Su Zhe smiled faintly.

"Very well! Then this humble woman will accept shamelessly. I'm willing to run this errand for you." Li Shanyun took the one hundred and twenty-one Night Pearls and said with a smile. Then her figure flashed, and she flew out through the window.

"Li Shanyun is a true disciple. For her sake, the price of these East Sea Night Pearls definitely won't be low."

"If I sold them myself, I might even run into someone trying to rob me after the deal."

"I'm only down one East Sea Night Pearl for this arrangement. I've made a killing!" Su Zhe chuckled. … Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Over these three days, Su Zhe devoted himself to cultivation. It was worth mentioning that quite a few talented martial artists hoped to huddle together for warmth after joining Zhujian Shanzhuang. Because of that, few people had been cultivating over the past few days. Instead, they were busy forming factions and making connections.

Xiao Xunhuan was very good at this sort of thing. Yu Yi was a bit worse. Even when he attended gatherings, he stood there like a lackey. Su Zhe rejected all of them. What a joke! These disciples forming cliques were nothing more than weaklings huddling together for warmth. What did that have to do with Su Zhe? Before even entering the sect, Su Zhe had already become a disciple under Manor Lord Yushen and built a connection with Li Shanyun of the true disciple sequence. He had no need to huddle with the weak.

In private, the martial artists taking the assessment also complained and gossiped. They felt Su Zhe was far too arrogant. Even if he was Manor Lord Yushen's disciple, he shouldn't look down on them so much. Outside Zhujian Shanzhuang. Countless young talents gathered at the manor. Zhujian Shanzhuang was located at the summit of Zhujian Mountain City, the highest point in the area. The martial artists taking the assessment gathered outside the manor square. Behind Su Zhe stood Yu Yi and Xiao Xunhuan.

"This Zhujian Shanzhuang really does look quite similar to the Forbidden City."

"Both in size and in style." Su Zhe thought to himself. The sight before him stirred a faint sense of familiarity in Su Zhe's heart. At this moment, everyone was waiting for the special envoy of the manor to arrive and lead them inside. The assessment standards of Zhujian Shanzhuang were different every year. Naturally, the martial artists taking the assessment felt a little uneasy.

"You are Manor Lord Yushen's disciple, Su Zhe of Lu County?" Someone strode over. He had sharp brows and bright eyes, his face filled with arrogance. As soon as this person appeared, Su Zhe heard waves of startled cries from the surrounding martial artists.

"It's Qin Tian!"

"The genius ranked first on the Linwu Ranking! His aptitude is top-tier, one in ten thousand, and his cultivation has already stepped into the Fourth Rank!"

"That's right. And he's a once-in-a-century genius of the Qin family! Once he joins Zhujian Shanzhuang, he'll probably become a core disciple on the spot. With the Qin family backing him with all their might, becoming a true disciple may not be impossible either!" The surrounding discussions fell into Su Zhe's ears.

"So he's just a second-generation young master."

"Still, this young master was lucky when he was born, but now… he's about to be unlucky." Su Zhe laughed inwardly. By chance, he had exposed Haiyan Tang's conspiracy. And among the thirteen prominent clans of Zhujian Mountain City, the one betraying its masters was the Qin family. Su Zhe had seen how domineering his shifu Yushen was. Given Yushen's personality, the Qin family was probably in for serious trouble.

"I am Su Zhe of Lu County. Qin Tian of the Qin family, what business do you have with me?" Su Zhe spoke calmly, his face indifferent. Qin Tian came in aggressively, clearly intending to demand an explanation. Su Zhe liked to scheme against people behind their backs while remaining polite on the surface. But that did not mean he was a soft persimmon anyone could squeeze.

"Su Zhe, you country bumpkin from some remote place like Lu County. This young master asks you: why did you refuse to meet me after I sent people to invite you several times? Why have you never attended any of our gatherings for assessment candidates?" Qin Tian gave a cold snort, lifting his chin high as he questioned Su Zhe. Su Zhe frowned. Whether he attended those so-called gatherings was his own freedom. Did this guy have something wrong with his head?

However, after thinking about it briefly, Su Zhe understood Qin Tian's mindset. A second-generation young master like him had countless people bowing and flattering him every day, naturally raising a personality that believed, "Heaven comes first, earth comes second, and I come third." Suddenly running into someone like Su Zhe, who "didn't know what was good for him," naturally made him extremely unhappy.

"Young Master Qin, there must be some misunderstanding here. My junior brother is obsessed with martial cultivation."

"He is not good with words and is rather dull. In order to cultivate the method taught by Manor Lord Yushen, he entered seclusion. He did not intentionally skip the gatherings."

"Another day, my little junior brother will host a banquet for Young Master Qin to apologize." Xiao Xunhuan put on an apologetic smile and hurried forward to explain to Qin Tian. Xiao Xunhuan was quite quick-witted. He even brought up Manor Lord Yushen.

"Hmph… Xiao Xunhuan, this has nothing to do with you."

"Back then, you offended my Xiao family's true disciple sequence. Before you could even take the assessment, you were severely injured and fled back to Lu County like a stray dog."

"Don't tell me you want history to repeat itself today." Qin Tian swept a cold glance over Su Zhe. He gave Manor Lord Yushen no face at all. Zhujian Shanzhuang had a rule: as long as competition between disciples was fair, it was encouraged. Even the five manor lords could not interfere arbitrarily.

"This…"

"Young Master Qin, my little junior brother… truly did not mean to offend you…" Hearing this, Xiao Xunhuan's face turned deathly pale, but he did not hesitate in the slightest. He stood in front of Su Zhe. Seeing this, Su Zhe felt warmth rise in his heart. Xiao Xunhuan might be a bit slick and not as honest and loyal as Guo Ju. But when it came to Su Zhe, he truly had nothing to criticize. Su Zhe sneered. The Five Families and Seven Houses. The Qin family was about to suffer a major disaster.

And now this Qin Tian had jumped out too, courting death. Even though Su Zhe had a good temper, he absolutely would not indulge him. Su Zhe pulled Xiao Xunhuan behind him, then smiled faintly and said,"Beasts walk alone. Cattle and sheep herd together."

"I pride myself on having some ambition, so naturally I won't gather in herds like cattle and horses!" When Su Zhe finished speaking, the surroundings fell completely silent. Around Qin Tian, many martial artists instantly grew furious. With those words, Su Zhe had insulted all of them too.

"You… you're insulting me… You called me cattle and sheep? Cattle and horses?!" Qin Tian flew into a rage. He had lived his whole life as a direct descendant of the Qin family, and his own elder brother was part of Zhujian Shanzhuang's true disciple sequence. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? Qin Tian was just about to attack.

"How dare you!"

"This is Zhujian Shanzhuang's disciple recruitment ceremony! Qin Tian, do you want the Qin family to suffer punishment because of you?" The special envoy of Zhujian Shanzhuang shouted. His qi and blood surged, his aura like a dragon. In an instant, he suppressed Qin Tian…