noffsinger Chapter 15 Strategic Planning
Chapter 15 Strategic Planning
The next morning, the servants' dining hall was bustling with activity as many servants ate their breakfast, preparing to begin their day's work.
In a corner, a burly, fierce-looking man finished his spirit grain porridge, stood up with satisfaction, and a hint of barely suppressed joy in his eyes.
He secretly rejoiced: Heh heh, this is like a pie falling from the sky. Senior Brother Tong Lu from the inner sect is actually willing to spend twenty spirit stones to let me teach that good-for-nothing Shen Li a lesson?
It's practically free!
A piece of trash at the second level of Qi Refining dares to offend an inner disciple? He's got a death wish. It'll be perfect for me to stretch my muscles and make a little money along the way.
This man was none other than Hu Wenbiao, a notorious figure among the menial disciples.
However, just as he was leaving, full of self-satisfaction, he bumped into someone with a loud "bang".
"Who's blind...?" Hu Wenbiao cursed as he looked up.
But before he could finish speaking, a fist the size of a sandbag whistled through the air and slammed into his left eye!
"Bang!"
Hu Wenbiao felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, saw stars, and was struck by excruciating pain.
"Damn it! Who dares to hit me!" he roared, covering his eyes.
His response was another precise and powerful punch, which struck his right eye!
"Ah!" Hu Wenbiao screamed in agony as his eyes swelled and became unbearably painful, blurring his vision.
He flew into a rage, roaring at those behind him, "Junior Brother Su! Junior Brother Zhang! What are you all standing there for! Attack! Beat them to death!"
The two henchmen behind him quickly stepped forward, ready to make a move.
But when they saw who had made the move and the three eager companions standing behind him, their expressions changed instantly.
The other party was none other than Wei Dachuan, a troublemaker who was as famous as their elder brother!
Moreover, the opposing team has a numerical advantage, clearly indicating they came prepared!
But since their elder brother had given the order, they dared not disobey and had no choice but to bite the bullet and charge forward.
In an instant, chaos erupted in the dining hall.
Tables and chairs were knocked over and scattered, and the sounds of breaking dishes, punches and kicks, and groans of pain filled the air.
Wei Dachuan's side had the advantage of numbers and the initiative, and they were almost completely dominating Hu Wenbiao and his two companions.
In no time at all, Hu Wenbiao and his two henchmen were bruised and swollen, lying on the ground, groaning and unable to get up.
Although cultivators have a constitution far superior to ordinary people and a strong recovery ability, judging from the extent of the injuries, they won't be able to get out of bed for several days without rest.
Hu Wenbiao, writhing in pain, pointed at Wei Dachuan, trembling with rage: "Wei Dachuan! We've always kept to ourselves, have you gone mad today? Are you deliberately picking a fight?!"
Wei Dachuan scoffed, his tone arrogant: "Keep your distance? Bullshit!"
You bumped into me just now, so two punches would be too lenient!
Also, don't think I don't know you've talked a lot of bad things about me behind my back.
"You...you're being unreasonable!" Hu Wenbiao was so angry he almost vomited blood. This excuse was just too lame.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with venom: "Fine! Wei Dachuan, today we've made an enemy of each other! We'll see! If I don't avenge this, I, Hu Wenbiao, will take your surname!"
"Hmph, I'll be waiting for you!" Wei Dachuan spat disdainfully, then led his men away, leaving behind a mess and a resentful Hu Wenbiao.
At this moment, Shen Li, who was observing everything from the corner, felt extremely pleased.
Although he really wanted Wei Dachuan to kill Hu Wenbiao directly, he also knew that in the Heavenly Demon Sect, private duels among the servant disciples were forbidden but not stopped.
However, the servants all had an unspoken agreement never to use their magic or magical artifacts in private battles, as that would be tantamount to violating the sect rules and courting death.
Even if you're going to commit a brutal act, you can't do it in public.
Therefore, the fights that are currently taking place with physical strength and at most a little bit of magical power to enhance the power are the most common and safest way for servants to settle personal grudges.
......
That evening, Shen Li gave a cold smile: Wei Dachuan was efficient and decisive in his work.
Hu Wenbiao is too busy to bother me for the time being.
However, his eyes became even more profound: But that wasn't enough.
The fundamental problem remains unresolved.
Pang Sicheng and Tong Lu are still watching from behind.
We must ensure that they have no time to spare for anything else.
Although I am not as capable as you, I can still do my job by keeping a low profile and using my words.
He looked out the window at the deep night, and a bolder plan gradually took shape.
Tonight, I'll show you what it means for public opinion to be so powerful and for slander to destroy even the strongest. I'm going to thoroughly muddy this water.
......
As night deepened, a small, secluded courtyard in the servant disciples' quarters was dimly lit.
The handyman disciple, Zhao Ping'an, was sitting leisurely on a stone bench in the courtyard, enjoying a few dishes and drinking by himself.
He was of average talent, but he came from a small but wealthy family of cultivators, and he never lacked spirit stones for offerings, so he lived a very comfortable life.
Joining the inner circle was only a matter of time for him.
However, this person has a fatal flaw—he loves to pry into other people's privacy and can't keep a secret; he's a notorious gossip.
If it weren't for his family's constant support, he would have been dead countless times over with that mouth of his.
Shen Li's goal was to exploit this "advantage" of his, using his words to ignite the "fire" he had carefully prepared.
Zhao Ping'an was humming a tune while drinking when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the courtyard wall.
He instantly became alert, his drunkenness mostly dissipating: Hmm? Who's lurking outside so late? Are they trying to ambush me?
Suspicious, he quietly moved to the door and peered out through the crack.
Under the moonlight, a blurry black shadow could be seen moving quickly into the distance, its behavior highly suspicious.
Seeing this, Zhao Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, it seems they're not after me.
But then, his deep-seated curiosity was piqued: This person is up all night and sneaking around like this, he must be doing something shady!
Driven by a strong voyeuristic desire, he followed them silently.
The dark figure ahead seemed unaware and disappeared into the nearby bamboo forest.
Zhao Ping'an was secretly delighted, feeling even more strongly that there must be some secret involved, and quickly followed them inside.
However, just as he slipped into the bamboo forest, he could faintly hear conversations coming from ahead.
Zhao Ping'an was overjoyed and immediately held his breath, listening carefully.
A slightly gruff voice said, "...Junior Brother Su, I heard that Hu Wenbiao has recently ingratiated himself with Tong Lu of the inner sect, is that true?"
Another voice responded hoarsely, with a hint of mystery: "Heh heh, Tong Lu? He's just a gofer. Senior Brother Hu's real intention is to use Tong Lu to climb the social ladder and get close to Pang Sicheng!"
"You've pledged allegiance to Senior Brother Pang?!" The gruff voice sounded utterly surprised. "That's Elder Pang's great-grandson! Senior Brother Hu's ambitions are quite something!"
The hoarse voice grew even more enigmatic: "What's this? Senior Brother Hu secretly told us:"
According to Tong Lu's own words, Pang Sicheng is currently secretly cultivating an ancient and evil technique that requires female cultivators as his vessel to absorb his primordial yin energy in order to achieve mastery!