My disciples are all villains.

As soon as Si Wuya heard the voice, he shook his head. He knew to whom the voice belonged to.

"There's nothing else. You're dismissed."

"Sect master…"

"He's my friend."

"I'll be taking my leave."

At the same time, a man in peculiar clothes walked in with his hands on his back. His beard was long, and his hair was pulled up. His long robes made him look like a merchant from the other regions.

When he saw the man walk in, Si Wuya was slightly taken aback for a moment. He quickly regained his senses and said with a smile, "Long time no see, Fourth Senior Brother."

'What friend with the surname Ri? It's just a name he randomly came up with!'

Mingshi Yin removed his beard and his baggy robes, regaining his familiar appearance. He said, "Aren't you surprised?"

Si Wuya sat down, keeping quiet. Indeed, he was surprised.

"Master's orders?"

"Master told me to bring you back to the Evil Sky Pavilion," Mingshi Yin said with a smile.

Si Wuya found Mingshi Yin's words strange. He thought back to the incidents at the Clarity Sect. He was perplexed. His master had personally gone to the Clarity Sect with his flying chariot and even unleashed a mantra. Why did he send his Fourth Senior Brother here alone? Moreover, it seemed like his Fourth Senior Brother had been waiting on Yellow Peak Mountain for two days now. Although he was more intelligent than the ordinary person, he could not figure this out. 'Isn't it better to wait for the hare to bump into the tree stump?'

Outwardly, Si Wuya calmly asked, "How did you know that I'll be here, Fourth Senior Brother?"

Mingshi Yin did not act like a stranger. He walked to the other side of the table and took a seat. He poured himself a cup of tea and said, "Simple, I investigated you. There are no walls in the world that don't have ears. Do you remember the flying chariot at Skylark Pagoda? Junior Brother, you've been careless… No matter how many men you employed, do you think ordinary people are able to own flying chariots?"

Si Wuya nodded and clapped his hands despite himself. "How did you find out about the password?"

"I stayed at the Crouching Dragon for two days. I must apologize… I can't really stay put so I went through the entire Crouching Dragon," Mingshi Yin said, "By the way, I've gone through this place as well."

"…" Si Wuya regarded Mingshi Yin with a complicated gaze. For a time, he did not know what he should say. He did not expect Mingshi Yin to put so much effort into tracking him down. Then, he said calmly, "As long as you're happy, Fourth Senior Brother."

Mingshi Yin emptied the teacup in one go. Then, he looked at Si Wuya and said, "Eh? You don't look so good."

Si Wuya was silent.

Mingshi Yin said with a smile, "Don't pout. My brain's on par with yours. It's not embarrassing to lose to me for once."

Mingshi Yin felt exceptionally happy for besting Si Wuya. The joy he felt was similar to that of a vile character getting into a position of power.

"Fourth Senior Brother, I have something to ask you," Si Wuya said.

"… What is it?" For some reason, Mingshi Yin felt exceptionally happy at this moment. If he had to be honest, he never thought that he would be able to see Si Wuya. He felt like a blind cat that chanced upon a dead rat. Although luck played a huge part in this, luck was also a form of strength. This was especially true now that he managed to catch a smart and cunning person like Si Wuya here.

"The Evil Sky Pavilion's barrier is greatly weakened. I heard that master forcibly absorbed its power to maintain his cultivation base, is it true?" Si Wuya asked.

Although Mingshi Yin had heard about this matter, he had not been back to the Evil Sky Pavilion yet. Since he did not personally witness it, he did not dare to deny or confirm it. He only said, "I'm sorry. If you want to find out, you'll have to follow me back to the Evil Sky Pavilion."

Si Wuya smiled and nodded. "I must say, Fourth Senior Brother, you've changed…"

"Hm?"

"I remember that you were the one with the most opinions in the past."

"That was in the past. We're living in the present…"

"In that case… Why didn't you forcibly bring me back previously?" Si Wuya asked, puzzled.

"What difference does it make if I bring you back now?" Naturally, Mingshi would not admit that he did not have the strength to do so in the past.

Si Wuya chuckled and said, "We're both fellow disciples. Why do you have to make things difficult for me?"

"A traitor is a traitor after all… You should be thankful that I'm the one who came today. If master were here, he'd turn your bones to ashes with just a palm strike. I wouldn't be surprised he does something like that."

"Master's cultivation base is unfathomably profound, I have no reason to doubt his strength… However, I have many things that I've yet to accomplish. I'm slightly reluctant to return at this moment."

"I don't care about your plans… You must return to the Evil Sky Pavilion with me today." Mingshi Yin rose to his feet as Primal Qi surged out of his body.

Si Wuya was not afraid. Instead, he said calmly, "Do you think things will change even if I return? What about five years down the road?" He had shortened the time from ten years to five years due to the problem with the barrier.

Five years later, all of them would still be scattered all over the place. Si Wuya had lost count of the number of times he had tried to tell Mingshi Yin this.

"We'll leave tomorrow's troubles for tomorrow," Mingshi Yin said.

Si Wuya said in a disapproving tone, "In that case, I'll mimic you and say something rebellious… If I'm unwilling, not even master himself can do anything about it!"

Mingshi Yin slammed his plan on the table as he said, "Traitor! I'll purge the pavilion's scum on master's behalf today!"

Smack!

The table cracked. The pots and cups fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.

Mingshi Yin's palm strike elicited no reaction from Si Wuya. He frowned and said, "Impudent! Do you think that I've made no progress?" With that, he struck with his palm again! It startled him when his palm seal landed accurately on Si Wuya's chest.

Bam!

Si Wuya flew back and crashed through the pillar and the wooden door.

"Hm?" Mingshi Yin was puzzled. He had expected to be entangled in a long battle with Si Wuya. He did not expect Si Wuya to stand still and take his blow.

…

Far away, in the Evil Sky Pavilion.

Lu Zhou who was in the midst of comprehending the Heavenly Writing in the east pavilion was startled and confused by a sudden notification from the system.

"Punished Si Wuya. Reward: 200 merit points."

After mulling it over for a moment, Lu Zhou figured out that Mingshi Yin must be the cause of it. However, he was puzzled. Mingshi Yin had just recently sprouted leaves on his Golden Lotus, how was he a match for Si Wuya?

...

Mingshi Yin walked over to Si Wuya.

Si Wuya spat out a mouthful of blood before he propped himself up in a sitting position.

After appraising Si Wuya for a moment, realization dawned on Mingshi Yin. Si Wuya was not intentionally concealing his aura. Si Wuya's cultivation base had been sealed. He half-lowered his body to look at Si Wuya as he said, "So your cultivation base is sealed… To think that I'd live to see this day, Seventh Junior Brother."

Si Wuya was not angered. He said, "You're indeed more powerful than before, Fourth Senior Brother… However, if my cultivation base weren't sealed, you won't be a match for me."

"Well, it's a pity we won't know for sure. As of now, you've been defeated," Mingshi Yin said.

"Forget it…" Si Wuya shook his head calmly. "A loss is a loss. Do what you must, Fourth Senior Brother."

"Do you think I won't?" Mingshi Yin grabbed Si Wuya by the collar of his shirt and raised a palm.

"Will you?" Si Wuya was not afraid as he stared into Mingshi Yin's eyes.