Mortal Saint

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Struggle of the ’Direct Lineage Faction’ and the ’Disciple Faction’, Surging Undercurrents

’Vice Hall Master?’

’Me?’

The moment he stepped inside, he heard the jesting words of Wei Dinchang, the Butcher’s Saber.

Ji Xiu’s eyes narrowed.

He immediately noticed the hall was filled with people, each one powerfully built. They were all, at the very least, masters who had achieved Great Success in Blood Nourishing...

As one, all eyes in the room turned to him.

"Vice Hall Master? Him?"

"That Grandmaster from the Prefecture City established a new School, graciously promoting the three Manor Masters. He established three seats of power for them, making them the Vice Presidents of this Wind and Cloud Association."

"Below them are the Seven Great Halls, which include those of the Three Major Professions!"

"Even if it’s just a Vice Hall Master."

"But this position is not only a level above the Sword-carrying Guests of Lu Manor, it also surpasses the top Guests from Chai Market and the Cattle and Sheep Market."

"I’ve never heard of anyone like him in Fire Kiln Lu Manor. What’s he capable of?"

Gathered in the hall, aside from the Guests of Fire Kiln, were a considerable number of Guests from the other two professions, brought by Purple Robe Crane Xuu Manor and Butcher’s Saber Wei Dinchang.

They neither knew nor cared about the inside story.

It was only out of deference to those seated at the head of the hall that they kept their voices down to a murmur.

"But... this kid is certainly handsome."

"And isn’t that Master Lu’s own daughter, Lu Hongyu, following behind him?"

"Ah, I get it!"

Suddenly, from the seats occupied by the Chai Market contingent, someone clapped his hands in a moment of sudden realization:

"I hear the young lady of Lu Manor has impossibly high standards for a husband. She even turned her nose up at the ’Fire Kiln Facade’ himself, Luo Xiao—the senior disciple who has learned seventy percent of Master Lu’s True Inheritance and already succeeded in Bone Tempering."

"Rumor has it... she’s a bit shallow when it comes to looks."

"But I was just thinking, among us Martial Artists, how many are both top-tier in Martial Arts and handsome to boot?"

"Aside from those Nobles’ Sons who practice Superior Pile Skill, locking their Qi and Blood firmly within their bones so they appear frail but can unleash the force of a collapsing mountain with a single move—in all five hundred li of Anning, how many could possibly meet that standard?"

"I never thought... I’d actually see one today."

"Looked at that way, this must be Master Lu paving the way for his future son-in-law..."

The rumors and gossip spread, a constant, annoying buzz like flies and mosquitoes.

The gossip reached Luo Xiao, who was entrenched in the inner circle of disciples from the Three Major Professions. The veins on his forehead bulged as he pressed his lips into a thin, hard line, his expression cold and silent.

Seeing his expression, the two young men at his side couldn’t help but whisper.

"Brother Luo, don’t take it to heart. The men are just gossiping about something new. They don’t mean to mock you."

Li Ye, a direct disciple of Purple Robe Crane Xuu Manor from Chai Market, patted his shoulder comfortingly.

On the other side, a burly young man with a Black Water Flood Dragon tattooed on his left arm crossed his arms and snorted coldly.

"We country folk have loose tongues. It just happens to have affected Older Brother Luo."

"The words may be crude, but there’s truth to them."

"This kid seems to have some Qi and Blood, but that’s it. Joining the Sword Sect... heh."

He slapped the wide-backed scabbard at his side.

"’Meeting on a narrow path, fearless in the face of death.’ They say that’s a trial for some great sect’s disciple selection, but frankly, when faced with absolute power, all of that is meaningless."

"The Wind and Cloud Association, formed by our Three Major Professions... aside from the President, my Master and the other two seniors hold the three Vice President seats, controlling all the association’s affairs."

"Below them are the Seven Great Halls. Besides the halls for our Three Major Professions, there are four others: Discipline, Pills, Martial Arts, and Scriptures."

"Under the three Vice Presidents are the seven Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters. They hold both real power and status."

"The Seven Great Halls are all lucrative posts. If our three families stick together and crush the Three Great Gangs and the Four Great Halls, our influence in the future will be unchallenged."

"I hear he’s only been at Lu Manor for a little over a month, right? We’ve served our masters diligently for so long just to scrape our way to a Vice Hall Master position. How can he be our equal the moment he arrives?!" freēwēbnovel.com

"If he takes this seat, it won’t be convenient for you to challenge him, Younger Brother Luo."

"But I, Fang Xiao, have been fighting my way through the markets with a blade in my hand since I was fourteen. That’s how I earned Boss Wei’s appreciation and the chance to serve him. So I’ll be the one to put this right for you!"

Fang Xiao, the head disciple of Wei Dinchang the Butcher’s Saber, shot to his feet with a WHOOSH.

"Kid,"

He jutted out his chin.

"My Master is right. At your age, this seat... is not for you to sit in."

"Just be a good boy, find a seat at the back, and don’t covet what’s beyond your reach."

These words, aimed squarely at Ji Xiu, made his brows furrow.

But before he could speak...

From across the hall, opposite where the disciples of the Three Major Professions—Luo Xiao, Li Ye, and Fang Xiao—were seated,

Someone suddenly shot to his feet.

"Fang Xiao, enough of this nonsense!"

"Our three seniors are present. When did it become your place to make decisions?"

"Besides, Little Brother Ji entered the Sword Sect at sixteen. I see today that his Qi and Blood are like a dragon’s and he has reached Blood Nourishing Perfection. He can also refine Ninth-grade Pills. He’s a budding Pill Master from our own ranks, not some outsider."

"It might be one thing for other halls, but this is the Medicine Hall. If you don’t have someone who knows Alchemy in charge, are you suggesting we put an ignoramus like you there instead?"

"Don’t go eating the wrong Pill and poisoning yourself!"

The speaker was a refined-looking man dressed in black. But when he sneered, every word was a sharp gem that pierced right to the heart, making Fang Xiao’s face darken.

"Xuu Heng, you...!"

"Enough!"

BANG!

Purple Robe Crane Xuu Manor slapped the table, his brows knitting together.

"Both of you, sit down."

"From now on, in all five hundred li of Anning County, the Three Major Professions are one family."

"Although the Wind and Cloud Association in Anning County is just a branch, our founding Ancestral Master is a true Qi Cultivation Grandmaster!"

"He has established a foothold in Jiangyin Prefecture and founded our School."

"If we can’t put down roots here in all five hundred li of Anning and unite as one, how will we ever open a path for you to advance to the Prefecture City in the future?"

With the big boss having spoken, both sides had to stand down, no matter how sharp their animosity.

Xuu Heng sat down with a nonchalant air.

Lu Yu, who was beside him, immediately gave a thumbs-up.

"Excellent, excellent. You’ve got guts. Just as expected of the trueborn son of the Chai Market’s Boss." frёewebnoѵēl.com

"Say no more. For sticking your neck out today, I’ll treat you to a table at Feiyan Tower one of these nights. My treat!"

Xuu Heng flicked a bit of dust from his sleeve, glanced at Ji Xiu, then looked to the side at the lovely Wei Zhi, the Butcher’s Saber’s own daughter, who was covering her mouth as she laughed lightly. He said calmly,

"I wasn’t just speaking up for you. I was also doing it for Sister Wei."

"Fang Xiao reeks of the gutter. Ever since he started following Uncle Wei, he’s been strutting around, arrogant and domineering, acting as if a massive operation like the Cattle and Sheep Market will one day take his name."

"We are from the Direct Lineage. Our elders built these manors from the ground up. What right do they have to a share?"

"Sister Wei is skilled in the Martial Arts, too. She’s no less capable than any man and should have a right to inheritance."

The Three Major Professions were not established Noble Clans with deep-rooted histories; their leaders had either come from fallen branch families or had clawed their way up from the mud.

Thus, it was perfectly normal for the disciples and the direct-lineage children to compete for inheritance, and over the years, factions had formed around this conflict.

For example, Luo Xiao, Li Ye, and Fang Xiao represented the Disciple Faction—disciples who had loyally served their Bosses for years, acting as their public faces and accumulating considerable prestige.

Meanwhile, the likes of Lu Yu, Xuu Heng, and Wei Zhi were the Direct Lineage Faction—the children of the bosses of the Three Major Professions, born with silver spoons in their mouths.

But because they had started their training later, their physical progress lagged behind that of the senior disciples, leaving them at a disadvantage. In terms of sheer presence and status, however, they were not the least bit inferior and frequently clashed with their rivals.

"You both spoke up for me," Wei Zhi began. "The market received a shipment of goods from the mountains a few days ago—all of them well-matured Treasure Materials. If you don’t mind... why not allow your little sister to play host?"

"When the time comes, Second Young Master Lu, you can bring Young Brother Ji along. Having met such a handsome and talented man today, I find myself wanting to get to know him as well."

The woman, with her wide sleeves and slender waist, had eyes that curved into crescents. As she looked at Ji Xiu, a brilliant and unusual light danced within them.

It was hard to imagine how a man like the Butcher’s Saber could have fathered a daughter of such stunning beauty.