Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Tidying Up the Sect

"Well, start explaining."

In Xuanyuan Sect's main hall, a black-robed man with one arm sat in the highest seat, his bodyguard holding a sword and standing at his left side. Several rows of people knelt below him, with the four Altar Masters and one Sect Protector in the front line, and their subordinates behind them. Each of them had distanced themselves from the other four, the lines in the sand clearly drawn.

Hearing the black-robed man's command, a tremble went through all five, but none dared to speak first.

"This Venerable isn't mad at you," Wenren È said, his remaining hand resting on an arm of the chair, as he surveyed them languidly. He continued at an easy pace, "This Venerable is just curious. How were two cultivators at the seventh level of Mahayana and two cultivators at the last level of Void Boundary all subdued by an average Sect Protector at the fifth level of Mahayana?"

Seeing that still no one dared to talk, Wenren È continued, "Seeing as it's been over a hundred years, you should understand this Venerable by now. I don't mind if my subordinates are disloyal. Xuanyuan Sect is a demonic sect, open to all paths of cultivation, and everyone has always done as they please. I don't care if you cultivate gu parasites, seduction, ghosts, tortoise shells, or the pursuit of power. All your pathetic ambitions can coexist in this sect. The only thing that can't be permitted is incompetence."

Hearing this, Shu Yanyan perked up. She still knelt as properly as ever, but her back straightened a bit. However you told it, she had come out ahead of everyone else at the end of this struggle, so she could be considered the most competent, much more so than the four kneeling beside her.

Seeing her straighten up, Wenren È said, "Protector Shu, you seem to have something to say."

"Venerable," Shu Yanyan said, loud and clearly. "From the beginning, this matter can't be considered this subordinate's fault. Your subordinate only wished to stop the infighting caused by the Altar Masters. Venerable, you've given the order before that when you aren't here, your Protectors can be your deputies. When I saw the Altar Masters fighting amongst themselves, imagine how disappointed I was! How could I not stop them? And as for bringing Altar Masters Ruan and Shi to my rooms... Venerable, you understand this subordinate. How could I not keep a little bonus for myself?"

Wenren È nodded in satisfaction and said to Yin Hanjiang, "Remember what I said, Protector Yin? If we had charged straight into Xuanyuan Sect, Protector Shu would've deferred to me immediately, and we wouldn't get this show."

Yin Hanjiang had never seen Wenren È act so mischievous before and smiled inwardly, though he kept his face emotionless and said, "The Venerable is right."

Shu Yanyan's bluff faltered at his words, and she could only try to change the subject. "Well, about this, you should probably ask Altar Master Ruan. If he hadn't supported Altar Master Shi in getting his position so they could join forces against Altar Master Miao, how could someone like me, who had just risen to Mahayana with average abilities and some seduction and charms, take out all four of the others?"

"Shu Yanyan, you watch your fucking mouth!" Altar Master Ruan exploded. He slammed a hand onto the floorboards. "I backed Altar Master Shi? Why don't you say that one more time—who exactly backed him? I must've been blind to work with this backstabbing pretty boy. When I get the chance, I'll fuck him dead!"

Altar Master Shi was a pale and sickly-looking young man who looked like a scrawny intellectual-type. Hearing Altar Master Ruan, he put a hand to his mouth and after coughing a few times, said weakly, "Altar Master Ruan, I can't accept being called a backstabber. I never planned on working with you from the start. You're the one who ran to me and started yapping about how you needed to teach Altar Master Miao a lesson, and needed to borrow my sickness qi in order to weaken his bugs. Faced with something like that, how could I not go discuss with Altar Master Yuan in the Venerable's place?"