Chapter 264: Chapter 4: A Storm is Brewing?

Well... the truth was, he just wanted to slack off!

But just as he got everything set up, he felt a vibration at his waist.

Zhang Deming’s expression shifted. He pulled his Identity Card from his waist and opened a Light Curtain.

Luh Jingsun: "Where are you? Get back to Qingyou Pool immediately. Urgent!"

Reading the concise message, Zhang Deming’s expression flickered. ’Is it starting?’

Zhang Deming lay back on his recliner with a pensive look, waiting quietly.

Just a moment later, Zhang Deming felt the Array at the entrance ripple as Luh Jingsun rushed in.

But when he entered with an anxious expression, he saw Zhang Deming lying leisurely in the courtyard, looking comfortable and languid.

He froze, looking completely and utterly flustered.

The expression that flashed across his face was incredibly complex. Zhang Deming noted that for someone so stoic, it was as if he had used up an entire year’s worth of facial expressions in that single moment—and then some.

He took a deep breath, his indifferent expression returning, and walked over to Zhang Deming. He asked quickly, "You went to the Cyan Wood Secret Realm?"

Zhang Deming nodded. "Mhm."

"Who did you offend?" Luh Jingsun asked.

Zhang Deming shook his head. "I didn’t offend anyone."

"Then you must have done something out of line!" Luh Jingsun’s words were phrased as a question, but his tone was certain.

Zhang Deming looked at Luh Jingsun without answering. Instead, he asked, "Senior Brother Luh, what’s all this...?"

Luh Jingsun ignored Zhang Deming’s question and continued, "Tell me what happened. If you don’t know what it is, then give me a detailed account of your time in the Secret Realm."

Zhang Deming remained silent, watching Luh Jingsun quietly.

Luh Jingsun was taken aback. It was the first time he’d seen such a look on Zhang Deming’s face. He patiently explained:

"The higher-ups pulled your file. They’re doing a very detailed investigation, and it started a few days ago. I can’t believe I didn’t even notice."

"And it’s so incredible that you didn’t notice?"

Zhang Deming gave Luh Jingsun a surprised look. ’You’re just an Outer Sect Steward, not even at the Tai Chi realm. What’s with that tone?’

Luh Jingsun nodded, which only made Zhang Deming more confused.

"After Senior Sister left... well... for certain reasons, I joined a group with a few senior brothers from the Inner Sect.

It’s a kind of club-like association, which allows us to control certain things within the Sect.

The purpose of our group is, um..."

Luh Jingsun glanced up at Zhang Deming before continuing,

"Well... it’s to protect certain junior brothers.

Because... because I was the one who sponsored you into the Sect, information about you, in particular, is considered rather important within our group.

So, if someone has been accessing your file for days and I didn’t notice, it means something very serious is happening.

If Senior Brother Ji hadn’t sent word just now, I still wouldn’t have known something was wrong."

Zhang Deming looked at Luh Jingsun, nodded, and said nonchalantly, "Oh."

Seeing Zhang Deming’s reaction, Luh Jingsun’s stoic, icy face twitched with annoyance. He said,

"Are you even listening to me? This is serious."

Zhang Deming spoke calmly, "Senior Brother Luh, do you know something?"

Luh Jingsun’s expression flickered. "What?" he pressed.

"When you lie, your excuses are always so unique... and so elaborate," Zhang Deming replied.

Luh Jingsun froze instantly, once again looking completely flustered.

’Damn it... If I hadn’t been ordered to, do you really think I’d want to be your damn lackey, cleaning up your messes?!’

"Don’t change the subject. If you really want to know things, we can discuss it later. Now is not the time to be difficult.

Hurry up and tell me what happened. When Senior Brother Ji sent the message, he said the situation was already critical.

We don’t have much time to act. We need to..."

Before he could finish, a jade-green Vine poked him in the rear from behind.

Luh Jingsun, mid-sentence, waved a hand behind him. "What are you doing? Stop messing around!"

Zhang Deming’s expression froze. So did Luh Jingsun’s.

Zhang Deming had just been trying to be mischievous, but Luh Jingsun’s reaction...

’Were you really so anxious that you didn’t even notice, or did you just accidentally reveal some hidden trait?’

Luh Jingsun stood frozen for a moment before mechanically turning his head to look at the jade-green Vine behind him.

Then, just as mechanically, he turned back to look at Zhang Deming, a flicker in his eyes. He said in astonishment, "You... you... you’ve reached the Tai Chi realm?"

Zhang Deming reined in his wandering thoughts and nodded calmly. "Mhm."

"But... don’t you only have a 21-point Spirit Root? Didn’t you just advance to Intermediate Apprentice a year ago?" Luh Jingsun continued, his voice robotic.

Zhang Deming nodded again. "Mhm."

"So the Sect’s investigation... it’s because of this?" Luh Jingsun went on.

This time, Zhang Deming nodded, then shook his head. "Yes, but probably not entirely."

Luh Jingsun was stunned for a moment, then seemed to figure something out. He said,

"No wonder Senior Sister gave those instructions and made those arrangements before she left. So that’s how it is. You’re not a lost cause after all. That explains everything."

Zhang Deming looked at Luh Jingsun and said, "What did she instruct? From the sound of it, even though she’s left the Sect, her little schemes haven’t stopped?"

Luh Jingsun glanced at Zhang Deming, noticing that he didn’t have to ask who "she" was.

’So you knew all along that Senior Sister was backing you up?’

’Then again, for an extraordinary woman like Senior Sister, perhaps only someone as thick-skinned as you could accept her help so shamelessly.’

Luh Jingsun shook off his messy thoughts. "Even so, you should still tell me what’s going on so I can see how to handle this, before you..."

Zhang Deming shook his head. "It’s useless. Unless you can sway the Three Talents Ancestor, the Sect Leader, or even get involved at the Supreme Elder’s level.

Only if you can do that would it be possible to interfere in this matter. But can you?"

Hearing this, Luh Jingsun once again froze on the spot.

Zhang Deming shrugged. "See? Although I don’t know what kind of circle you guys have.

But I can guess the gist of it. The ones who normally manage the Sect’s affairs are, at most, at the level of the Duality Masters.

If I’m not mistaken, your so-called group probably has some kind of network to influence the decisions at that level, right?

That’s why I’ve been evasive. This is a mess you can’t get involved in, so don’t drag yourselves into it.

You won’t be able to help me, and you’ll end up losing your own ’fishing net’ in the process."

Luh Jingsun’s brow was tightly furrowed. "But..."

"Senior Brother Luh, do you think I’m an idiot?" Zhang Deming cut him off.

Luh Jingsun paused and looked at Zhang Deming again, truly looked at him, still lying there so casually. His expression flickered, and then he said,

"Alright. Someone will probably be here soon. You be careful."

With that, he hurried away. From his movements, it was clear he wasn’t entirely reassured.

The man was genuinely concerned for him. Whatever the reason, Zhang Deming would remember this kindness.

Zhang Deming quietly watched Luh Jingsun’s retreating figure. After he had left Qingyou Pool, Zhang Deming pondered for a moment.

’So, they’re coming?’

’My original plan was to play dumb and feign ignorance about everything. But Luh Jingsun’s arrival has made me realize that entering the Inner Sect might not mean I’m starting from nothing, after all.’

’So, the initial strategy I decided on seems a bit inappropriate now.’

’In that case...’

"Rune Summoning: Spirit Nurturing Summoning Technique - Dragon Turtle!"

A searing white orb of light fused into Zhang Deming’s body. His aura instantly skyrocketed, and in the blink of an eye, he became a Peak Three Talents Great Cultivator.

"Blessing: Protecting!"

The moment Zhang Deming acted, the Technique sent a piece of information back to him.

"Please select the amount of Cultivation to consume to determine the effect."

Understanding this information gave him a major headache.

The Luck Dao, the Destiny Dao, the Marriage Dao, the Karma Dao... Cultivating these ambiguous Daos was already hard enough.

But on top of that, casting their Techniques often required more than just damn Spiritual Power.