Chapter 159: Good Cop, Bad Cop

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Good Cop, Bad Cop

"Why did a Dark Night Envoy’s assassin sneak in here?" Shui Zebo demanded angrily.

Jing’an glanced at him and said with a smile, "With his abilities, who among you could have stopped him if he wanted to get in? If Wu Guanghai hadn’t been so outrageous, how would you have even discovered his presence?"

What Jing’an said was true. No one knew how long Zhou Yi had been there. None of them had noticed him until he made his move and revealed himself. Only then did they realize such a person was present.

"Rest assured. To demonstrate our master’s righteous intentions, Zhou Yi and I will not take part in the discussion. We will merely report the circumstances and the outcome to our master truthfully," Jing’an added.

Then, without waiting for a reaction, his gaze sharpened as he stared at Wu Guanghai. "Slap yourself and apologize to me and Sect Leader Cheng. Otherwise, you will die here. And it won’t just be you. Your entire Xuanming Sect will be annihilated—not even a chicken or dog will be spared. Believe me, our master absolutely possesses that kind of power."

"Jing’an, no matter how powerful your master is, does that mean you can disregard everyone present?" Shui Zebo raged again. "Or are you saying your master can afford to make an enemy of every Cultivation Sect in the Eastern Domain?"

"Sect Leader Shui, there is still a score to settle between you and our master. For the sake of the Eastern Domain’s future and the people’s welfare, our master is willing to make peace for the time being. I hope you have the self-awareness to appreciate that. As for our master making an enemy of every Sect in the Eastern Domain... can your Celestial Derivation Sect truly speak for the entire Eastern Domain?"

When Jing’an finished speaking, many people frowned, all trying to guess the identity of this mysterious ’master’.

’When did such a formidable figure appear in the Eastern Domain?’

"Wu Guanghai, you were the one who insulted Sect Leader Jing’s wife. You should apologize. If the roles were reversed, any man with an ounce of dignity would risk his life to kill you for such an insult," Shi Yindi suddenly spoke up.

Many people stared at Shi Yindi in astonishment. ’Is this really the infamous Female Tyrannosaurus of the Eastern Domain Cultivation Realm?’ ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Sect Leader Shi is right. No one will laugh at you for apologizing, so why throw your life away?" Lü Hongshao added, trying to mediate.

At this point, Wang Zhiheng, the Sect Leader of the Cyan Cloud Sect, also stood up. "Sect Leader Wu, you really need to learn to control that foul mouth of yours. It’s only because Sect Leader Jing is considering the bigger picture today. If it had been me, if you had insulted my wife, I’d have drawn my sword already—and no one would have been able to stop me."

"A Second-class Sect dares to walk all over us, the Six Sects and Eight Gates, and you’re still taking his side?" Wu Guanghai snarled, still furious.

Li Qingyuan waved his hand. "Enough, Wu Guanghai. Apologize!"

Wu Guanghai sighed coldly and mumbled, "Sorry."

"Zhou Yi," Jing’an said, "it seems Sect Leader Wu hasn’t yet realized the error of his ways. Since he’s unwilling to strike himself, why don’t you lend him a hand?"

"You dar—"

Wu Guanghai only managed to get out half the word before a slap landed on his face with lightning speed.

He didn’t even have time to react.

His left cheek swelled up instantly. He glared at Ying Xiao, furious, but didn’t dare to retaliate.

This little farce served as a distraction, and the crowd forgot their suspicions about whether Cheng Shimo had proposed supporting Great Xia because he’d received some personal benefit from them.

Lü Hongshao then played his part, asking, "Sect Leader Cheng, what exactly is this plan you mentioned for supporting Great Xia?"

Cheng Shimo cleared his throat. "This is just my personal view. If I’ve overlooked anything, please feel free to share your own thoughts."

"First, if the Great Xia Kingdom unifies the Eastern Domain, the ceaseless wars between the Vassal States will finally end. This alone would spare the people of the Eastern Domain from the horrors of constant warfare."

"Second, the Eastern Domain has too many Vassal States, each with its own inconsistent laws. This has led to widespread suffering among the common people."

"Third, once the Eastern Domain is unified, we can work with the Emperor to establish a set of laws to govern Cultivators. We could even form a new department specifically to manage All Sects. The founding of any new Sect would require official registration. This department, staffed by members drawn from all of our Sects, would patrol the realm. This would prevent Sects of dubious quality from secretly harming the common folk or tarnishing the name of Cultivators. Any Sects that violate the law could be immediately shut down, restoring order and justice for the people."

"Fourth, after unification and the establishment of these laws, the Empire could centralize resource allocation. This would protect the interests of existing Sects and prevent them from fighting amongst themselves over resources."

"Fifth, why do the people of the Central Domain see us as Barbarians? It’s because we’re completely fragmented, like a fistful of sand. Every Sect has its own selfish agenda, and we can never truly unite."

Li Qingyuan frowned deeply. "Then in your view, how should we go about supporting Great Xia?"

Cheng Shimo replied, "That’s simple. Nearly all the Vassal States that have yet to submit to Great Xia are backed by one or two of our Sects. That’s why they dare to resist. We can return and persuade their Sovereigns to surrender. Of course, we can also negotiate terms for them with the Great Xia Empress. For instance, after the Sovereigns of Upper Wu, Bei Chen, and Huaiyang surrendered, weren’t they all granted the title of Prince, allowed to enjoy the riches and honor of their rank for all their hereditary line?"

"And what if, after we try to persuade them, those Sovereigns are unwilling to give up their power?" Lü Hongshao asked.

"If they refuse to listen, then we simply wash our hands of them. When Great Xia’s army marches, how can they possibly resist? At that point, whether they live or die will be no concern of ours. After all, we gave them a chance."

"If the Vassal States surrender, who will guarantee our interests?" asked Zou Yuting of the Chenqing Sect.

"Heh," Cheng Shimo sneered. "Sect Leader Zou, if you stay as a guest in someone’s home long enough, do you start to think you own the place? Interests? What interests are you even talking about?"

The expressions of several people changed at his words. People are selfish. How many would be willing to spit out something they’ve already put in their mouths?

Lü Hongshao quickly interjected, "Sect Leader Cheng, that’s going a bit too far. If that’s the case, then I can’t support Great Xia either. Why should I spit out what I’ve already eaten just because someone tells me to? I’m supposed to support their unification of the Eastern Domain, get nothing in return, and lose my own interests on top of it? What kind of idiot would agree to that?"

"Sect Leader Lü, please be patient and let me finish. As I said, once the Eastern Domain is unified, all Sects will have to be registered. At that time, we can negotiate with the Empress about how resources should be distributed. Furthermore, the quality of the Cultivation Sects in the Eastern Domain is currently a mixed bag. Some Sects shouldn’t exist at all—like the Red Blood Mansion and the many Minor Sects that cling to it. Once those Sects are eliminated, won’t a great deal of resources become ownerless?"

As Cheng Shimo finished his explanation, many people’s eyes lit up.

’That’s right! Wasn’t the whole point of this gathering to figure out how to deal with the Red Blood Mansion?’

’If they really supported Great Xia’s unification, what else was there to discuss? The Great Xia Kingdom would be sure to deal with the Red Blood Mansion.’

’And once the Red Blood Mansion falls, wouldn’t its resources be divided among the very Sects present here?’