My disciples are all villains.

"I'll do it." Duanmu Sheng tossed his Overlord Spear to Pan Zhong who was standing at the side.

Pan Zhong staggered, nearly falling from the weight of the Overlord Spear. Fortunately, he circulated his Primal Qi in time and managed to carry its weight.

Mingshi Yin made way for Duanmu Sheng to walk into the Cave of Reflection.

With Duanmu Sheng's build, he easily picked up Zhu Honggong like an eagle catching a chick without even using any Primal Qi. He placed a palm on Zhu Honggong before his Primal Qi flowed through Zhu Honggong's body. He said sternly, "Don't move!"

Zhu Honggong did not want to laugh before he could not help it. "I… I'm not deliberately moving, Third Senior Brother, b-but… it…" He laughed again before he said with difficulty, "But… it tickles. I can't help it." Inwardly, he thought to himself, 'Do you think I want this or that I know no shame? There's a crowd gathered here after all. No matter what, I'm still a disciple of the Evil Sky Pavilion!'

Duanmu Sheng ignored Zhu Honggong. He examined Zhu Honggong seriously and thoroughly. He would leave no stones unturned.

Zhu Honggong did not dare to resist with his Primal Qi and allowed his senior brother to do as he pleased.

After a few moments, Duanmu Sheng completed the examination. He bowed at Lu Zhou and said, "Master, I've examined him and didn't find anything suspicious."

Mingshi Yin was stunned. 'I'm done for… I was too paranoid. Master is definitely going to rebuke me.'

However, Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "This doesn't mean that spell won't be cast on him in the future. Old Fourth has a point."

"I'm wrongly accused!" Zhu Honggong's face was wet with tears. He had never felt so aggrieved in his entire life.

Mingshi Yin sighed inwardly in relief before he said, "Old Eighth, you can save your breath and stop trying to talk your way out of this. The Five Mice took your zen tunic away and didn't even bring you with them. Do you think Old Seventh will help you? He's only using you."

Upon hearing the words 'zen tunic', Zhu Honggong froze. He cherished that item the most. Taking the zen tunic away as akin to taking his life away. All of a sudden, he looked up and said, "Master… I have something to say!"

"Speak."

"I know you want to punish Seventh Senior Brother… I have a plan!" Zhu Honggong said.

Mingshi Yin was confused.

Everyone regarded Zhu Honggong with complicated looks.

'He's trying to propose a plan with that brain of his?'

'It doesn't sound reliable at all...'

"You are proposing a plan? All you can come up with are rotten suggestions," Mingshi Yin said mockingly.

Zhu Honggong smiled sheepishly. He had already gotten used to being mocked so he had developed a thick skin over the years. He said, "Master, I know where Old Seventh and the Five Mice usually meet!" 

Zhu Honggong's words shocked everyone.

Mingshi Yin asked skeptically, "Based on Old Seventh's character, how could he have let you know about this secret?"

Zhu Honggong said, "I accidentally found out about it. Moreover, Seventh Senior Brother trusted me back then.'

"So, that's why you turned the other way and are betraying him now?" Mingshi Yin said, pouring a figurative bucket of cold water over Zhu Honggong.

"…" Zhu Honggong wanted to cry. 'Fourth Senior Brother, can you stop saying these things? You'll be the cause of my death one day!'

"Where's this place?" Lu Zhou asked.

Zhu Honggong's information might not mean anything, but it was better than nothing. Moreover, they had to guard against the possibility of that rascal, Old Seventh, setting up a trap. Even then, Lu Zhou was not particularly worried. All he needed to do was to see Si Wuya. Plots and schemes were like a thin sheet of paper in the face of absolute power.

"Long Breeze Restaurant in Upper Prime City," Zhu Honggong hastily replied.

"The Black Knights had quelled a disturbance in Upper Prime City previously, but the Five Mice are bold enough to remain in Upper Prime City?" Zhao Yue asked, surprised.

"The most dangerous place can also be the safest place… After all, nobody knew how the mice look like. Even if you ran into one of them on the streets, you probably won't even recognize them. I'm not surprised they meet in Upper Prime City," Mingshi Yin said.

Lu Zhou turned to look at Mingshi Yin and said, "Mingshi Yin."

"Yes, master."

"You'll go to Upper Prime City and bring Si Wuya back…"

Lu Zhou continued to say, "Also, tell the Five Mice that they'd better come here and apologize, or else..."

When Mingshi Yin heard his master's 'or else', he shuddered slightly. He could not afford to be careless with this task.

Si Wuya's cultivation base was restricted. It should not be difficult to capture him. He did not succeed in waiting for the hare by the stump back then. He had been feeling dissatisfied since then. Now that he had been given this information, he had to make good use of it. 'One should always learn from one's mistakes… Second Senior Brother was around that time… I wonder who's going to be by Old Seventh's side this time around?' A peerless genius like Yu Shangrong could not possibly become a personal bodyguard to Si Wuya after all.

"Yes, master!" Mingshi Yin retreated to the side. It was already dark outside, and he was in no hurry to depart.

Zhu Honggong kowtowed and said, "Master… does this count as a merit? Please. Master, senior brother. Please help me retrieve my zen tunic!"

Lu Zhou's gaze fell on Zhu Honggong as he said, "Rascal, since you'd withheld information… How do you think we should deal with you?"

Zhu Honggong started. He no longer dared to make any request at this moment, and he hastily said, "I've made a mistake!"

At this moment, realization finally dawned on the others. Zhu Honggong, Old Eighth, had known about the rendezvous point all along and had kept it from them until now. He obviously harbored selfish motives!

"Fifty strokes of the plan… Old Third will be the executioner." Lu Zhou placed his hands on his back and turned around.

Fear tightened its grip around Zhu Honggong when he saw his master showed no signs of leaving. Clearly, his master intended to supervise the punishment. These 50 strokes were definitely going to hurt way more than the 100 strokes he received previously.

"Yes, master." Shortly after, Duanmu Sheng returned to the Cave of Reflection with a rod in hand. Then, he lifted Zhu Honggong without any preamble and placed him on the stone table.

"Senior brother… Senior brother, softly… softly please…"

"I'm sorry, junior brother… Rules are rules. It's better for me to be heavy-handed. This is for your own good. If people don't abide by the rules of the Golden Court Mountain, how can we regain our former glory?" said Duanmu Sheng.

Smack!

"Yowl! Ouch!" A sound akin to pigs being slaughtered rang in the air.

"Ding! Harsher punishment of Zhu Honggong. Reward: 500 merit points."

Lu Zhou did not even look at Zhu Honggong. He placed his hands on his back before leaving the Cave of Reflection.

"Safe journey, master."

"Safe journey, Pavilion Master."

The others bowed.

The others sighed in relief after Lu Zhou left the Cave of Reflection.

Mingshi Yin said with a smile, "Old Eighth, you brought this upon yourself. You should be grateful that your punishment is only receiving these 50 strokes… That's far better than destroying your cultivation base or killing you."

"Thank… thank you, senior brother… Ouch!"

Smack!

Smack!

Even for cultivators such as themselves, with bodies strengthened by Body Tempering and their protective energies, it would still be painful being beaten in this manner. Moreover, Duanmu Sheng was a straight person, he was not the type to pull his punches. There was no mercy at all when he was beating Zhu Honggong.

Tears streaked down Zhu Honggong's face from the beating.

Mingshi Yin shook his head and said with a smile, "I'll think of some way to retrieve the zen tunic for you."

When Zhu Honggong heard this, he was overjoyed. Although he was being beaten by the plank now, he cupped his fists and struggled as he said, "You're… the… Ouch! You treat me the best, senior brother!"

Mingshi Yin no longer looked at him. He turned around and left.

Pan Zhong hastily ran over and said, "You truly have a meticulous mind and outstanding intelligence, Mister Fourth. If you didn't see through the tricks, we would've all been fooled by Mister Seventh... Uh, I mean the traitor."

"Is there anything else?" Mingshi Yin found this strange.

"No… nothing. I'm just, I genuinely admire you, that's all… There are no lies in my words," Pan Zhong said seriously.

"I like that. They're all flattery, but they sound so sincere…" Mingshi Yi said before vanished from sight in just a blink of an eye.

…

Meanwhile, just outside of the secluded hut.

Si Wuya no longer attempted to break the Binding Mantra like he did before. Instead, he reclined on a bamboo chair and basked in the sun. On the rack next to him, there were various books about mantras. It was slightly messy.

"Since when did master learn how to cast such a high-level mantra?" Si Wuya could not find the answer to this question. This confounded him.

He had asked his men to get these books from him so he could look for a way to break the mantra. He had tried most of the methods mentioned in the books. Alas, none of them worked.

At this moment, a grey-robed cultivator, his subordinate, flew toward him from afar. The subordinate landed with one knee on the ground and said, "Sect master, as per your orders, I've investigated the Evil Sky Pavilion, and they have no contact with any Buddhist or Daoist elites."

Si Wuya stood up slowly. He walked along the secluded hut with his hands on his back.

"The Buddhist elite at the holy altar in Runan, the Daoist elite at Measure Heaven River, and the Nine Cuts Hand Seals at Tangzi Town… Even the unknown power on the Lotus Dais, none of these has anything to do with external help?"

Si Wuya had personally witnessed the scene on the Lotus Dais. He was certain the power originated from the barrier.

"There aren't any clues about that yet."

Si Wuya nodded and said with a smile, "In any case, I'm certain my master is looking for new ways… He's the same as ever."

"Sect master, should I continue the investigations?"

"There's no need for that." Si Wuya shook his head and asked, "Did you find out who's the Evil Sky Pavilion's spy?"

"For now, all we know is that he's skilled, but we don't know who he is…"

"What about the palace?"

"We have no clues about that as well… However, we did receive another piece of information. An elite from Rongxi's Lou Lan is now in the palace. That person should be the mastermind behind the Grand Formation on the Lotus Dais."

"Mo Li does have some tricks up her sleeve," Si Wuya said, "That'll be all."

"Understood." The gray-robed cultivator left.

Si Wuya returned to the secluded hut and sat on the bamboo chair. He closed his eyes and briefly rested.

After a while, another subordinate appeared.

"Sect master, a report from Upper Prime City."

"Let me hear it."

"The Upper Prime's Five Mice have stolen Mister Eighth's zen tunic. They said that it's to compensate for their trip to the Evil Sky Pavilion."

The moment the subordinate finished talking, Si Wuya's eyes snapped open. His expressionless face was contrary to his words. "Idiots!"

"Sect master, the Upper Prime's Five Mice aren't members of the Darknet after all. They're difficult to control, should we seize this opportunity to get rid of them?"

Si Wuya did not reply to his subordinate. He muttered to himself for a moment before he said, "Send word to the Five Mice. Tell them that we'll meet at Upper Prime City in two days."

"Sect master, it might not be the best idea to venture out in your current condition. I can carry out the task for you!" the subordinate said.

"It's alright," Si Wuya said, "The elite from Rongxi's Lou Lan is already here. Upper Prime City has been peaceful for too long. It's time we set it aflame."

"Understood! I'll see to it right away!"

...

The second morning. In the Evil Sky Pavilion.

Lu Zhou slowly woke up from his comprehension state. He checked the extraordinary power and found it half-full. Fortunately, his speed of comprehension had become quicker now. Previously, he needed seven to ten days to completely restore the extraordinary power. Based on his current speed, he would only need five days now.

He did not continue studying the Heavenly Writing. Instead, he stood up, walked to the table, and looked at the parchment drawing. The parchment drawing looked no different from yesterday. Only the Divine Capital's palace seemed clearer. The other parts of the drawing were either a blur or a blank.

"Perhaps, the other remnants of the Open Heavenly Writing are inside the palace."

How was he supposed to look for them then?

Although Jiang Aijian possessed remarkable abilities, this task was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, Jiang Aijian did not even know what the Open Heavenly Writing looked like.

'Should I personally make a trip there?' Nobody knew about the Open Heavenly Writing apart from him.

"Master… Old Eighth's still the same. His Primal Qi is still in chaos." Duanmu Sheng's voice rang out suddenly.

"Have Pan Zhong go over there to seal his meridians, dantian, and sea of Qi… If they can't be sealed, fight with him until he runs out of Primal Qi," Lu Zhou said.

"That's a brilliant idea, master. Why didn't I think of that?" Duanmu Sheng was delighted. Then, he mumbled, "It's been a long time since I sparred with someone…"

He was just about to turn around and leave when Lu Zhou asked, "Where's Zhao Yue?"

'Zhao Yue has been behaving strangely as of late. I should pay more attention to her.'

Also, Zhao Yue was the one who usually passed on these messages. Why did Duanmu Sheng come instead?

"Junior Sister Zhao Yue is feeling unwell and is resting in the south pavilion," Duanmu Sheng replied.

'Unwell?' At the Dao Forming stage of the Divine Court realm, ordinary ailments no longer affected a cultivator.

Lu Zhou emerged from the pavilion. He saw Duanmu Sheng standing there respectfully. He said, "Go and check on Old Eighth…"

"I'll head over right away." Duanmu Sheng turned around and left.

Lu Zhou went to the south pavilion.

It was completely quiet there.

"Zhao Yue." Lu Zhou projected his voice into the south pavilion.

"Ma-master?" A shocked voice rang from inside the room.

However, Zhao Yue did not show her face.

Lu Zhou walked over with his hands on his back but did not immediately enter. He had detected a hint of nervousness and pain in Zhao Yue's voice. When he was near the door, he felt a dark and cold air. He frowned and waved his arm.

A blast of energy forced the door open, and Lu Zhou's gaze fell on Zhao Yue immediately.

Zhao Yue was not resting. Instead, she was cowering and shivering, huddled up in a corner. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and her body was constantly releasing cold air. The cold and warmth in the air made her hair wet. A thin layer of ice could be seen on her clothes.

A shocked expression could be seen on Zhao Yue's face at this moment. She truly did not expect her master would visit at this time. She endured the cold and got up before she kneeled on the ground. Her teeth were chattering as she quickly greeted him, "G-g-greetings, master."

As soon as Lu Zhou saw Zhao Yue's condition, he roughly understood what had happened. He shook his head helplessly. 'These disciples… None of them will ever let me rest.'