At Lin Shu’s signal, the little chick cleared her throat, calmly stood up, and gazed toward the Stargazing Pavilion.
Then, while everyone’s gaze followed hers, she secretly rubbed her sore bottom.
A single, simple sentence, yet it caused the expressions of everyone present to shift.
’This Immortal hadn’t left her courtyard because she was waiting for Senior Brother Lin to return. Now that the other matters are resolved, the natural next step is to go to the Mountain Master and demand an explanation for being so subtly ostracized!’
...
「Qiankun Academy, Stargazing Pavilion.」
Inside the quiet pavilion, the atmosphere was exceptionally grave.
Yu Dongjun sat at the head of the table, flanked by many major figures renowned throughout Anren Prefecture.
The man with a handlebar mustache, clad in Heavy Armor, was General Lei Shouren from the Demon-slaying Bureau’s branch office. Beside him, two of his Personal Vice Generals also radiated powerful auras.
At the other end of the long table was a bald old man in a Yellow Shirt, his sideburns so long they reached his waist.
His eyelids drooped with seeming laziness, yet no one dared to disregard him.
Anren Prefecture was the Yu Family’s territory, but it was also where the Chen Family had established themselves.
Even Mountain Master Yu Dongjun was merely an Immortal Descendant, but this old man in the Yellow Shirt was a bona fide Scattered Immortal.
The Martial Arts Academy’s other three Vice Mountain Masters, including the Chen Family’s Immortal Descendant who had originally made way for Yu Sheng, had also been summoned back.
Essentially, all of Anren Prefecture’s most powerful experts were gathered in this room.
And yet, the imposing figure in the Flowing Cloud Sword Robe exuded an aura that was in no way inferior to these older-generation powerhouses.
Qian Yiru sat calmly, his eyes filled with pure Sword Intent.
He was like a three-foot blade, poised and ready to strike.
"..."
Yu Dongjun’s expression was a little grim.
Report after report was delivered by the Demon-slaying Bureau’s Vice Generals and placed on the table.
He didn’t bother to read them.
The tense expressions on the Vice Generals’ faces told him all he needed to know: the reports did not contain good news.
He had finally decided to step in and control the situation, only to be handed such a mess. Not only had he failed to decisively establish his authority, but he had also ended up shouldering all the responsibility.
"Having a meeting without me?"
With the sound of a door being kicked open, Yu Sheng swaggered in with her entourage and chuckled, "What’s the matter? Afraid I’ll leak your plans to the Demon Fiends and ruin your little party?"
HISS.
Everyone’s expression froze.
The many lecturers and Vice Generals standing in the pavilion subconsciously cleared a path for her.
Yu Dongjun’s already unsightly face was now so dark it looked like ink was about to drip from it.
’He hadn’t expected that even his previous, blunt words had failed to make this junior see reason. Anren Prefecture was his domain, the domain of the Mountain Master. For her to barge in so brazenly... was she planning to tear away all pretense and seize power by force?’
"There’s no need to provoke me. If you want a seat, take one. No one’s stopping you."
Yu Dongjun sneered. ’These little tricks might work on the likes of Yu Duchuan and Yu Mingxuan, but that’s as far as they go. I’m not stupid enough to brand a clan member with the potential of a Celestial Pride with the crime of colluding with Demon Fiends. The others from the clan probably suffered a great loss on this matter precisely because they couldn’t withstand her provocations. But I am older and wiser. As the Mountain Master, my thoughts are perfectly clear. As long as I do what needs to be done, no matter how much of a scene this junior causes, she won’t be able to shake my position. In the end, she’ll have no choice but to tuck her tail and leave.’
"General Lei! The squad led by Meng Ting has also disappeared! The Chen Family’s Mountain Master was with them."
Another Vice General rushed in. Though he tried his best to hide it, a trace of terror was still visible on his face.
This was already the second Golden Core Senior to have fallen on the mountain.
For Anren Prefecture, which had been peaceful for many years, this was an absolutely humiliating defeat!
’And it was the Chen Family’s Mountain Master again... It’s almost as if the Demon-slaying Bureau is using the Demon Fiends to specifically target the Chen Family Ancestor.’
Fortunately, Chen Wenxi showed no intention of reprimanding anyone.
As if he hadn’t heard a thing, he lifted his eyelids slightly and quietly looked toward the handsome young man who had just taken a seat at the other end of the long table.
At first, his expression was one of confusion, but then he began to probe more intently.
In his pair of murky eyes, an imperceptible glint of greed appeared.
The moment Lin Shu sat down, he smelled an extremely alluring, sweet fragrance.
It wasn’t a scent coming from any person.
Instead, it was like the sensation a starving person feels upon suddenly smelling meat.
He swallowed lightly, followed the scent with his gaze, and his eyes met the old man’s.
What was even stranger was that the others present, despite their profound Cultivation, seemed completely unaware of this sweet aroma.
Aided by his Guarding Essence Root, Lin Shu quickly suppressed the impulse and casually averted his gaze.
He didn’t let anyone else notice anything was amiss.
’I think I finally understand why Immortal Families cherish their lives so much, yet the Chen Family so carelessly sends so many of their Immortal Descendants into the Demon Mountain.’
"Hm?"
Chen Wenxi noticed the young man’s action.
The confusion in his eyes deepened.
’I clearly detected a trace of his aura, but he had no reaction whatsoever. How strange. Can a connection even closer than that between twin brothers be misperceived?’
His eyelids drooped again, and he reached out to gently press his chest over his heart.
The subtle exchange between the two did not affect the tense atmosphere in the pavilion.
Lei Shouren stared at the thick pile of reports on the table, his face ashen. The hand he had placed on the table had long since clenched into a fist.
After a long while, he said in a low voice, "I plan to halt all operations for now and first report to the Qi Family. There are definitely more than just those two beasts on the mountain. Something else must have changed."
As soon as he said this, Yu Dongjun’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint appearing within them. "Are you questioning my ability?"

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