Chapter 194: Why Talk of Profit?
“Greetings, Senior! We await your command,” the two men said hurriedly.
The girl in the yellow dress asked, her voice calm, “I believe I saw you yesterday. Are you from around here? What are you doing here? And who were you with?”
Wu Shun replied, “I am Wu Shun of Dingjiang Village, and this is Ding Shan, the Mountain Tiger, of Yulin Town. We came to investigate the unusual weather in Wu Gorge. The villagers are worried.”
“We were ambushed by a group of purple-clad warriors deep in the mountains and suffered heavy losses. Four people saved us. We then guided them towards the Scripture Bestowal Platform, but they were discovered.
“During our escape, the platform collapsed, and the earth split open. The four of them fell into the chasm. We had no choice but to flee, and we encountered more enemies here. We are eternally grateful for your help, Senior.”
They bowed again.
The girl in yellow pondered for a moment, then asked, “What did those four look like?”
Ding San replied, “A young man and three women. The young man’s name was Shi Yun, and one of the women, in her twenties, was called Shi Lingsha. I don’t know the names of the other two.”
The girl’s voice was cold and distant, “Shi Yun? Shi Lingsha?”
She looked up at the sky, then back at them, “This place is dangerous. Leave immediately and return to your villages. Evacuate the people. Don’t return to Wu Gorge until after the full moon. And don’t tell anyone about meeting me here. I value my privacy.”
Wu Shun and Ding San said in unison, “Yes, Senior.”
The girl flickered, like a swallow darting into the forest, and disappeared.
Her sudden appearance and equally sudden departure left them speechless, marveling at her power.
They didn’t dare linger and hurried away.
Deep within the mountain, Shi Hao and the white-bearded old man discussed the situation in Wu Gorge.
The old man and the mountain ghosts knew little about the Shen Ting Sect and the Poisonous Sunflower Sect’s motives.
However, through their conversation, Shi Hao learned more about the layout of the underground caverns.
The mountain ghosts had lived here for a long time, creating a network of tunnels connecting the various caverns, cultivating strange and unusual plants within them.
Drinking the spring water offered by the mountain ghosts, eating the small, purple fruits they cultivated, living in this hidden world… it was a strange and novel experience.
After their meal, he lay down in a small, tree-trunk hollow, furnished with a table, a bed, and a stool.
Small but cozy.
The silence here was a welcome change from the chaos outside.
However, the occasional tremors from above, the distant rumbles of the collapsing earth, unsettled the mountain ghosts.
They feared the caverns might collapse.
In another part of the cavern, water dripped from the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, forming a small pool fed by a spring flowing from a crack in the wall.
Steam rose from the water. It was a hot spring.
Sha Lingshan, Plum Blossom Lady, and Peach Blossom Lady, having undressed, were soaking in the hot spring.
Several female mountain ghosts bustled around them, attending to their needs.
“Miss,” Peach Blossom Lady, submerged in the water, couldn’t help but ask, “Are we really going to help these mountain ghosts?”
Sha Lingshan, leaning against the rock face where the spring emerged, the warm water flowing over her smooth skin, rinsed her silk fan.
She tapped the fan lightly on the water’s surface and smiled, “The Young Master made the decision. Why are you asking me?”
Peach Blossom Lady said, “But we’re demonic cultivators. What do we gain from helping them?”
Plum Blossom Lady also looked at Sha Lingshan. Having been raised in the demonic sects, where self-interest was paramount, they couldn’t understand the Young Master’s motives.
Sha Lingshan raised her left arm, rinsing it with water from her right hand, and chuckled, “If we truly followed the demonic sects’ principles, when the Young Master jumped into that chasm, you should have followed him without hesitation, risking your lives to protect him.
“But he had no obligation to save you. Yet, he did. He followed you into that chasm. That’s the kind of person he is. If it were me, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
Plum Blossom Lady and Peach Blossom Lady exchanged glances.
They knew their mistress wouldn’t have abandoned them either.
But she was right. According to the demonic sects’ rules, the Young Master, as the true inheritor, had no obligation to risk his life for them.
However, seeing him jump into that chasm for them, they couldn’t help but feel a surge of… something. Gratitude, perhaps. Or respect.
Sha Lingshan waved her fan gently and said, “I don’t know if the demonic sects should change, but the Evil Lotus Sect definitely needs to. It’s said that ‘When the Dao rises one foot, the Demon rises ten feet,’ that the demonic sects are resourceful and cunning.
“But throughout history, the Daoist sects have always had the upper hand. The Evil Lotus Sect has been divided for two hundred years, the rift between the three factions deep. Our Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion is relatively neutral, but the other two have been feuding for generations, their animosity difficult to resolve.
“Now that we’ve been reunited, if our new leader were like the others, selfish and manipulative, our unity would be short-lived. We would splinter again. Always taking, never giving… the demonic sects value profit above all else, but that ‘profit’ always comes at someone else’s expense.”
“You might gain a temporary advantage, but in the long run, everyone will see us as nothing but wolves. We say the demonic sects value secrecy, but it’s simply because we’re so universally despised that we’re forced to hide.”
Plum Blossom Lady and Peach Blossom Lady, surprised by her words, remained silent, unable to argue.
Sha Lingshan continued, “Mencius said, ‘Why talk of profit?’ The Young Master helped the Nine Villages in the Ba Mountains, and then left, seeking no reward. He gained their respect and earned the nickname ‘Hidden Dragon.’
“He risked his life for you two. I naturally had to follow him. And as for helping these mountain ghosts… we have no other allies in Wu Gorge. Only by helping them can we earn their trust and gain valuable informants.”
“That’s the demonic sects’ greatest weakness. Our obsession with profit, with short-term gains, has made us pariahs. Everyone fears and despises us. Even the slightest connection to the demonic sects arouses suspicion. How can we ever hope to surpass the Daoist sects?”
“The Young Master has his own reasons, whether for righteousness or for power. We don’t need to understand. If he’s worthy of our loyalty, the Evil Lotus Sect will prosper. If not, well, we’ve been divided for two hundred years. Reunification doesn’t guarantee lasting unity.”
Plum Blossom Lady and Peach Blossom Lady exchanged glances.
Plum Blossom Lady said, “We’ll follow the Young Master, of course. He saved our lives.”
Peach Blossom Lady said, “We’re not ungrateful. We’ll obey him.”
Sha Lingshan smiled, “Although he’s the Young Master of the Evil Lotus Sect, his true nature isn’t demonic, but righteous. The jianghu is a dangerous place, filled with schemes and betrayals. Protect him, if you must, but discreetly.”
“He’s intelligent and resourceful, his actions driven by both righteousness and a keen understanding of strategy. We can trust him.”
They spent over a day in the underground caverns, gathering information through the mountain ghosts.
The thunderclouds above Wu Gorge had dispersed, but the electrical energy remained, concentrated near the ground, refusing to dissipate.
From above, the scene was even more bizarre.
Sparks of electricity danced across the mountains and forests, a blinding white.
Wu Gorge, usually shrouded in mist and clouds, was now clear, the sunlight illuminating the strange, otherworldly landscape.
This unusual phenomenon suggested something big was about to happen.
The mountain ghosts, however, began to fall ill.
The illness spread rapidly, like a plague.
The sick, their bodies weak and frail, were gathered in a single location.
“Many of those Shen Ting Sect Daoists are also sick,” the white-bearded old man reported, “Like here, they’re falling ill in large numbers. They seem quite alarmed.”
Sha Lingshan, waving her fan, frowned, “This isn’t an ordinary illness, but a plague. And it’s affecting both the mountain ghosts, whose constitutions are different from ordinary humans, and the Shen Ting Sect members. This isn’t a natural plague, but a supernatural one.”
She paused, then added, “There are four divine crystals that can cause plagues: the Eastern Plague, Southern Plague, Western Plague, and Northern Plague. They can’t be absorbed directly; the user would become the source of the plague, spreading it while also succumbing to it themselves.
“Therefore, they can only be forged into magical weapons. I suspect someone is using such a weapon.”
Shi Hao said, “It must be the Poisonous Sunflower Sect.”
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