Nightmare Apostle

"The local United Federation in Qingzhou City also took this chance to make a big deal out of it, and after embellishing the matter, they reported Fu Qingzhu to the Provincial Federation. Your friend is in quite a predicament, I expect he’s having a headache trying to settle this affair."

"This is an internal matter for their federation, I wanted to help together with Huang Guozhao, but there’s no way for us to speak on his behalf." Nalan Shuo shook his head, not impressed with Fu Qingzhu’s actions. Although he was undeniably a smart person, his character was ruthless and solitary, bound to suffer a major loss eventually.

After a moment of silence, Yang Xiao sighed. He knew very well his good brother’s temperament; years of being looked down upon, falsely accused, and hunted down had twisted his mindset to the point of imbalance, making him desperate to climb upward, eager to prove himself.

"Here’s what I’ll do. I have a corpse in my possession; it’s the Great Protector from the Withered Bone Pavilion. I’ll give him the corpse, let him take it to the Provincial Federation to exchange for some merits, and try to see if this can settle the matter." Yang Xiao was also troubled.

"You can help him this time, but can you help him for a lifetime?" Nalan Shuo frowned, "Don’t interfere this time; let him suffer a bit. It’s for his own good. People can’t teach as much as experiences can—once is enough for someone to learn. It’s a consequence of his own making."

"How will the Provincial Federation handle this matter?" Yang Xiao asked.

"I don’t know, but they certainly won’t let him off easily. Normally, he’d get a major demerit and not be allowed to be promoted for five years; in more serious cases, they might even directly strip him of his Deputy Director position."

Nalan Shuo was an old hand in the world of martial arts, well aware of the outcomes of such matters. Although this issue may not seem severe, it brings about a very negative impact, detrimental to the cohesion of the Jiangbei Provincial Federation internally, thus necessitating typical disciplinary action and severe handling.

Yang Xiao’s heart tightened, realizing his good brother had stumbled upon trouble. Given Fu Qingzhu’s character, losing his Deputy Director position would be as good as literally executing him.

"Director, it’s not an option to do nothing about this. You know Fu Qingzhu’s nature; if his future is cut off, it would be no different from killing him." Yang Xiao pleaded on behalf of Fu Qingzhu.

Considering Yang Xiao’s relationship with Fu Qingzhu, Nalan Shuo ultimately relented. He knew that although Fu Qingzhu was greedy for merit, he was genuinely good to Yang Xiao. Moreover, he consistently showed respect to him and Huang Guozhao, visiting them with gifts during every festival.

"Alright, you two are brothers. I won’t oppose you helping him through this crisis, but it shouldn’t be now."

"Wait for two days; let him be anxious for a couple of days. If he doesn’t suffer, he won’t learn from it—this is also for his good." Nalan Shuo earnestly admonished Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao understood the Director’s good intentions, realizing that he couldn’t always intervene whenever Fu Qingzhu encountered trouble.

Director Nalan said it well: the path is chosen by oneself, no matter the outcome, it cannot be blamed on others.

Knowing this was also for Fu Qingzhu’s good, Yang Xiao gladly accepted Director Nalan’s suggestion. For these two days, he dutifully stayed at the Patrol Defense Office, catching up with old acquaintances.

The two discussed the subsequent journey to the Esoteric Sect. Nalan Shuo advised him to be extra cautious; now they had openly confronted Sheng Jingxuan from Yiling Academy. The opposition would likely look for ways to sabotage their operations, possibly gambling everything and taking action during their return trip.

As long as Elder Sheng is alive, Sheng Yanlin’s position as Dean remains illegitimate. Only by completely eliminating Elder Sheng can they ensure peace of mind without concerns.

"I understand your point, but I believe they wouldn’t dare take action domestically; after all, we’re still on the Patrol Defense Office’s turf. They would only act during our return journey. At that time, I’ll request the High Priest to arrange for the Esoteric Sect’s experts to escort us all the way to the border."

Yang Xiao hadn’t been idle in recent times; he had repeatedly played out the development of the situation in his mind.

With Elder Sheng on the turf of the Esoteric Sect, they were not in a suitable position to take action. He deduced that Yiling Academy’s Sheng Jingxuan, along with the forces behind the Dharma Sect, would undoubtedly not allow Elder Sheng to return alive to the country.

Upon Elder Sheng’s death, even the Patrol Defense Office would be helpless against Yiling Academy, after all, it would be considered their family’s affair, making it inappropriate to intervene openly.

Before Yang Xiao left the Esoteric Sect last time, Elder Sheng received a new magical artifact, the Wisdom Stick—pardon me, the Wisdom Staff.

This was one of the three primary treasures hidden deep in the Esoteric Treasure Vault, a very rare Spiritual Magical Artifact. Back then, Elder Sheng merely tapped it lightly and banished Bo Yetong, the young priest from the Gu Sect—the sight was breathtaking.

Now, so much time had passed; it’s unknown how much of Elder Sheng’s strength has been restored. Yang Xiao is looking forward to their next meeting.

Among so many friends, Elder Sheng holds an exceptionally special place for Yang Xiao; he is also one of only two who are aware that the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes are on Yang Xiao.

From this perspective, even Director Nalan does not understand him as thoroughly.

It’s not that Director Nalan and others aren’t reliable, but the matter of the Innate Nine Treasures is too significant; even the slightest negligence could lead to a mortal threat. The Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes are ominous, and Yang Xiao wishes to avoid bringing trouble to Director Nalan.

Elder Sheng had personally told him that in his prime, he was on the same level as Yang Qianhe from Ru Lin Academy—both were High-level Apostles in the mid-stage Nether Realm.

According to Yang Xiao’s calculations, if Elder Sheng can recover more than 60% of his peak strength, preferably nearing 70%, defeating an opponent like drug-enhanced Sheng Jingxuan should pose no issue. Yang Xiao himself will side with him, blocking those foolish Library Elders.

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