Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 542 - 541 Sweeping Situ with Sword 1

Zong Qian couldn’t help but want to laugh, yet there was also a bitterness to it. In public, Wang Mian acted carefree, as if everything was going smoothly for him. But in private, at Situ Mansion, this was the state he was in.

Many things became clear just by observing the scene; he had always complained that he was only a lowly Ji, while Wang Mian had already become a Si Ge of Situ Mansion, a rank higher. Yet who knew that behind the glamour, there was a price to be paid.

This is the typical workplace bullying, as common in the Mortal World as it is in the Cultivation World.

Like myself in Sikong Mansion, entering as a Ji at the God Sensing Realm, I had a much better situation with a name and position that corresponded, and since Sikong Mansion was full of dark and ruthless people, adhering to the style of Sikong where if you didn’t mess with others, you didn’t get messed with, and thus no one bothered someone at the bottom like me.

For someone like Hou Niao, entry came after making a name for himself, and he had a brilliant track record, so there was less to worry about in terms of trouble.

It was only someone like Wang Mian, who was not only new but also had overtaken the Yi Wei to become a Si Ge, that really attracted attention. For most of the Sword Cultivators in Situ Mansion, it was necessary to start from Yi Wei and work their way up, accumulating achievements. Therefore, Wang Mian became an object of envy for many.

Of course, the envy and occasional frustration were mostly resolved through a good fight; according to the unspoken rules, when you could defeat most of the Yi Wei, it showed that your becoming a Si Ge was deserved. As time passed, people would gradually come to accept you.

But that was not the end of it. Within the group of Si Ge, there was a need to establish a hierarchy, a pecking order for future collaborations. Hence, after Wang Mian had made it through the Yi Wei group’s test, he now faced challenges from the Si Ge group, and this time, it was not easy for him to pass.

After all, he had not been in the Natural Realm for long, and there was indeed a gap between him and the veteran cultivators and master swordsmen. Without sufficient time to delve deeply into swordsmanship, after a dozen fights, a pile of Personal Puppet Fragments behind him spoke volumes of his predicament.

Wang Mian actually didn’t want his friends to see him in such an embarrassing state, but now that they were here, there was no escaping it. After once again having his Personal Puppet shattered, he finally got a break,

"Hehe, it’s just normal dueling; everyone here is used to it. If we don’t have a duel a day, we get itchy all over..."

The two just looked at him amusingly and didn’t speak until Wang Mian himself couldn’t keep up the act,

"Uh, alright, I’ll admit I’ve been trained hard at Situ Mansion; those Yi Wei were manageable, but these old Si Ge are troublesome. They’ve spent decades more on swordsmanship than we have, and that gap still exists. Give me ten years, oh no, just give me another five years and I can beat them so badly they’ll be searching for their teeth on the ground..."

This wasn’t entirely bluster. Wang Mian’s potential in cultivation was astounding. He was only a decade or so behind Hou Niao in reaching the Upper Realm, and his talent for swordsmanship was quite impressive. He was highly regarded by the elders amongst the disciples of his generation, which was also why he was promoted directly to Si Ge.

Zong Qian felt much more at ease hearing this, "If you have any difficulties, just speak up. There’s no need to feel embarrassed. We’ve been friends for decades, who doesn’t know who by now?"

With a hehe, Wang Mian, who was direct and carefree by nature and never hid anything in his heart, especially not in front of these two genuine friends, gave up on keeping up appearances. Now that the cat was out of the bag, might as well let it all hang out.

"The thing is, I’m a bit strapped for cash. These guys challenging me one after another, I just took it as sword practice. Free sparring partners, where else would I get so many opportunities? But these Personal Puppets are quite expensive. I’ve only been in the mansion for a dozen days and I’ve already bought dozens of Personal Puppets, it’s a bit hard to keep up..."

Looking at the group from Situ Mansion nearby, idly chatting and pointing in this direction, laughing and joking, he knew that in matters like these, there wasn’t really a right or wrong, good or bad. He himself did not detest this kind of well-meant competition. For a Sword Cultivator, it was a rare opportunity, but the expense was indeed a bit high.

Tossing over a Treasure Gourd, "You take this and use it for now, but what I can’t understand is, even though Personal Puppets aren’t cheap, you’re still of Natural Realm status. It doesn’t make sense that you couldn’t afford it after just ten or so days?"

Wang Mian somewhat evasively replied, "Oh, I spent a little too much when I was in the Upper Realm, put all my assets into it..."

While the three were speaking, a few Sword Cultivators from Situ Mansion came over and glanced over the two, noticing the embroidery of an eye hidden in the cuffs of Hou Niao and his companion’s sleeves, understanding their origins.

In the Shan Sect Quanzhen, there were no special requirements for attire, but typically, the cultivators from Sima Mansion would embroider a scale on their cuffs to represent fairness in their actions; those from Situ Mansion would have a sword, signifying a focus on combat; and those from Sikong Mansion embroidered an eye, symbolizing oversight and control.

Without asking, it was certain that these two friends of Wang Mian were from Sikong Mansion.

The leading cultivator didn’t seem to care, merely looking at Wang Mian, "Junior brother, your Personal Puppet is broken, let your senior brother sell you another one..."

Wang Mian’s face turned slightly embarrassed, "Okay, I thank Senior Brother Dan, can we put it on my tab? Senior brother, you know my character well, I’m not one to renege on a debt."

That Senior Brother Dan laughed, "Of course, you can put it on your tab if you have no Spirit Stones, but if you have Spirit Stones and still don’t pay up, wouldn’t that invite suspicion? Junior brother, you’ve just borrowed a gourd of Spirit Stones, how can you start evading a mere one hundred Top Grade Spirit Stones?"

Zong Qian was quite astonished, "One hundred Top Grade Spirit Stones? Are you trying to rob him? I just checked that Personal Puppet, and it’s the kind with the least functionality. In the market, one of this quality would cost no more than thirty Top Grade Spirit Stones at most. Is the grand Situ Mansion running some kind of extortion racket?"

Zong Qian wasn’t very good with words, which was a common issue among scions of major families, but he was upright in character. His valuation of the Personal Puppet was accurate. Indeed, these puppets made for Sword Cultivators to spar with were quite rough in their construction, as they were meant to be destroyed eventually. If one were to truly buy one, it could be had for no more than twenty Top Grade Spirit Stones on the market. Clearly, this was strong-arming.

Senior Brother Dan’s eyes grew cold, "This junior brother has good discernment, but do you think that we accompany others in swordplay out of sheer generosity?"

Zong Qian stood his ground, "Then you might as well be upfront about charging newcomers a protection fee rather than dressing up your actions with an honorable pretext. Would you believe me if I reported this, accusing you of privately gambling and mistreating fellow disciples?"

Senior Brother Dan laughed heartily, "You’re overthinking it, young man. Even with the long reach of Sikong Mansion, they can’t extend into Situ Mansion! I see now, you want to stand up for your friend, right? Fine, I’ll satisfy you. We’re all Sword Cultivators after all, so let’s let the swordsmanship speak the truth!

If you win, my Situ Mansion won’t charge a penny for the Personal Puppet, and we’ll refund what we’ve overcharged him! But if you lose, I’ll sell this Personal Puppet for one thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones!

How about it, do you dare?"