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墨書 Inktalez
The collection in Xuming Hall was truly formidable, yet Zuo Dao patiently read through it all. Although the information regarding the Two Women was no longer particularly useful, Zuo Dao still gained a lot from it.
The situation with Void Bright was not unique; from Kun Ru Tao, Zuo Dao learned that such a force was active throughout the Lower Domain. Their focus was quite targeted, primarily aimed at the various branches of Doushuai Palace. The reason reinforcements from above were slow to arrive was due to the chaos in the Lower Domain, and sending help from a higher realm required a significant cost.
Xuming Hall did not rank highly among the lower twenty halls, and thus received little attention. If it weren't for the sudden emergence of Zuo Dao, its current state would be hard to imagine.
Now back in Xuming Hall, Zuo Dao understood his relationship with it. He had not anticipated that Doushuai Palace would exert such strict control over the cultivators below, particularly targeting those at the Star Diamond Level.
While other forces feared their high-end combat power might be insufficient, Doushuai Palace took an opposite approach. There must be something he did not know behind this, and he suspected only a few Star Diamonds were aware of this secret.
Currently, Zuo Dao found himself once again in a position where he had no one to rely on.
"Old Kun, can't we silver-level alchemists form our own squad?" Zuo Dao leisurely sipped tea while looking at Kun Ru Tao sitting beside him.
"Doushuai Palace has such rules, but very few actually do it," Kun Ru Tao replied. His status in Xuming Hall had greatly improved, all thanks to the person before him.
"So if I were to form a squad, what would their attitude be?" Zuo Dao gestured upward.
Kun Ru Tao understood his implication; Zuo Dao's current standing in the hall was already exceptional due to their shared background.
"They would be more than happy for you to do so," Kun Ru Tao said after taking a sip of tea and relaxing. "But now is not the right time—not because it's bad, but because where would you recruit people from?"
Kun Ru Tao's point was valid. Although the situation in Xuming Hall had improved somewhat, their opponents had not given up on attacking them; they merely operated covertly through several squads. It should be noted that there were numerous assassination attempts targeting Xuming Hall's cultivators.
Zuo Dao stroked his chin; Kun Ru Tao raised a significant issue.
If this matter had arisen before the troubles in Xuming Hall, it would have been a win-win situation. But now, after some thought, Zuo Dao concluded that it would be better for Ergouzi and others to handle recruitment.
The two continued to chat for a while before Zuo Dao stood up to leave. This matter needed to be resolved quickly; relying on the people from Xuming Hall was not a sustainable solution. He was unsure what had happened on the Heterodox side, and the situation was too complicated for him to handle alone.
The opponent's tactics were targeted. He could tell that the responses came from two different individuals; the first's methods were unfamiliar to him, while the second gave him a sense of familiarity.
Although this familiarity felt somewhat different from before, it was still familiarity.
“Tang Fengyue, I really don’t know what to make of you. It seems that people change when they are in a different environment,” Zuo Dao thought to himself, noting that Tang Fengyue's transformation was heading in a positive direction.
If Tang Fengyue had previously been merely a "general," now he had become a "handsome leader." Zuo Dao himself hadn’t expected that his probing would lead to such a revelation about Tang Fengyue.
Wherever Tang Fengyue appeared, the Lu Family was sure to follow. It seemed that the recent assassinations had all originated from them. Moreover, the current situation with Void Bright was not what Zuo Dao had anticipated. Although the opponent wasn't targeting him directly, he was already involved, and that feeling was quite unsettling.
Upon returning to the Humble Abode's alchemy shop, Ergou and the other two were still in their cultivation. With Zuo Dao's support, their realms were steadily growing. Although they weren't quite qualified yet, if they continued at this pace, their day of success wouldn’t be a distant dream.
“Ergou, come see me,” Zuo Dao called out as he entered his room, waking Ergou from his meditation.
“Master has returned!” Ergou arrived promptly.
“Hmm, it seems you all are doing well.” Zuo Dao smiled as he glanced at Ergou. Upon his arrival, he noticed that all three had already reached the Immortal Realm and were not far from advancing to the next level.
“We owe it all to you, Master,” Ergou said with a slight bow and a broad smile. Anyone would feel pleased to have such a good master.
“No need to thank me; if you hadn’t shown any improvement by now, I would have kicked you out long ago,” Zuo Dao replied sternly to Ergouzi, who was one of those types who would take advantage of any situation.
“Of course, Master is right,” Ergouzi maintained a grin that made Zuo Dao want to kick him a few times while nodding and bowing in agreement.
"Alright, put away your act; it won't work on me," Zuo Dao said with a laugh and a scolding tone. "Do you have anyone you can recommend?"
Zuo Dao's words caused Ergouzi's expression to shift from sunny to gloomy in an instant.
"My lord, I haven't done anything wrong! I just took a few more pills and sold a couple of 'Jade Dew Pills' to the shopkeeper Chen next door. I swear, I haven't done anything else!" Ergouzi pleaded.
"Pfft." Zuo Dao sprayed the tea he had just sipped all over, pointing at Ergouzi and laughing. "Oh, you..."
Ergouzi thought Zuo Dao had found out something and was preparing to replace him. But seeing the situation, it seemed he had made a blunder.
"Forget it." Zuo Dao truly didn't know about these matters, but he understood Ergouzi's character. Although he was a bit greedy, he would never be careless when it came to important matters.
As for Zuo Dao, Ergouzi had gained some understanding of him as well. Seeing his attitude reassured him that he was in the clear.
"My lord, why do you need someone? Don't you have plenty of people in Xuming Hall?" Ergouzi was somewhat aware of Zuo Dao's status.
"Smack!"
Zuo Dao slapped Ergouzi on the head.
"Can those people be relied upon? They'll cause chaos as soon as they step outside."
"True enough; right now in Voidlight City, they really don't dare to wander around," Ergouzi replied, unfazed by the slap. To him, it was a sign that his lord thought highly of him.
"I don't have high demands; just a bit of character will do. If their talent is lacking, that's not an issue," Zuo Dao stated as he laid out his requirements.
"Young Master, just give me a straight answer. What do you want to do?"
"I can trust you, right?" Zuo Dao replied.
Ergouzi immediately felt displeased upon hearing this.
"Young Master, if you don't trust me, who can you trust? Those two old folks? No, they can be trusted too."
Zuo Dao couldn't understand why Ergou's parents had given him such a peculiar name. However, it suited his character well. Despite some flaws, Ergou had a keen eye for people. As he would put it, this was a matter of reputation. Among his peers in the Loose Cultivator community, he was doing better than most. Even Yu Ming and Bai Lian had benefited from being chosen by Zuo Dao because of him.
"Squad." Zuo Dao looked at Ergou before casually uttering the two words.
"Cough, cough, cough." Ergou was so startled that he choked.
"Young Master, what exactly do you want to do? Those squads require significant resources and effort to establish. Even if you start now, it will take a long time to see results!"
Zuo Dao didn't express any dissatisfaction with Ergou's words; instead, he felt this was the real Ergou. What seemed like complaints were actually a veiled reminder to Zuo Dao.
Creating a squad required an immense amount of resources and effort from formation to maturity. The realm of the members, their cooperation, and their loyalty were all crucial factors in determining whether a squad was qualified.
Zuo Dao's mere suggestion to find candidates for a squad made him hesitant to agree, even with his abilities.
"You don't need to worry about that. I don't ask for much—Sixty People!" Zuo Dao gestured in front of Ergou. "The treatment will be comparable to the Dan Guard of Xuming Hall, but this Sixty People will belong to me."
Zuo Dao's intentions were clear; Ergou understood that the Young Master had made up his mind and chose not to press further.
“Sixty People is not too difficult. There are plenty of Void Brightness Loose Cultivators around, so finding some people should be easy,” Ergouzi gritted his teeth. “I’ll give it a try and make sure not to embarrass the young master.”
“Alright, you can take charge of the Squad. If you need anything, you can go find Yu Ming and the others. Go call them over now.”
There were too few capable individuals, and Zuo Dao couldn’t help but feel a bit of a headache. To be honest, handing the Squad over to Ergou didn’t sit well with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ergou; he just didn’t want Ergou to attract too much attention.
Yu and Bai could barely handle logistics, and at that moment, Zuo Dao realized how convenient the original Heterodox had been!
Talented individuals were in high demand everywhere; the biggest difference was that in his previous life, all the talents had been buried. In this life, he hadn’t encountered many either.
Thus, the task of forming the Squad was carelessly tossed onto the three companions by Zuo Dao. After watching Zuo Dao leave, Ergou and the others stared wide-eyed at each other.
“Well, we all saw what kind of master he is!” Ergou said, looking in the direction Zuo Dao had disappeared, his mouth twitching as the turmoil in his heart refused to settle.
How the three of them would manage a Squad was beyond Zuo Dao’s consideration. Whether they succeeded or failed depended on their abilities. He was deep in thought when he suddenly felt like taking a stroll in the Lower Domain.
Perhaps the matters concerning Heterodox had dealt him a blow, or perhaps he simply wasn’t someone who could stay put. In any case, when he shared his thoughts with Su Ziqing, he didn’t expect to receive strong opposition.
“I just want to go out for a walk; do you really need to react so strongly?” Zuo Dao had always suspected that there were things these old fellows in Xuming Hall were hiding from him.
“This…” Su Ziqing fell silent upon hearing Zuo Dao’s words but was inwardly lamenting. It was important to note how much Xuming Hall had done because of Zuo Dao. Initially, they were supposed to send someone down for rescue, but Zuo Dao’s appearance had changed their minds completely.
Moreover, those in the hall or branch who had witnessed Zuo Dao’s actions knew how much it had cost to quell the aftermath of those events.
As for the White Robe Squad matter, the Elders took it all upon themselves not to gain glory for their own faces but out of fear that Zuo Dao would be exposed to public scrutiny.
"Perhaps you should ask the Palace Master about this," Su Ziqing said, feeling helpless under Zuo Dao's intense gaze, and directly passed the responsibility to Master Situ.
"Zuo Dao, wanting to go out for a breath of fresh air is a great idea!" Master Situ replied after hearing his words.
"But you should really ask Elder Su; he is your master."
Seeing the way Zuo Dao practiced Tai Chi push hands, Master Situ couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy under Zuo Dao's half-open mouth staring at him.
"Are you hiding something from me?" Zuo Dao began to scrutinize the cultivator in front of him with a suspicious look.
"You know everything you should know; what you shouldn't know, of course, you won't. How could we possibly hide anything from you?" Master Situ thought of another response in his mind.
"You think we want to keep things from you? If it weren't for the sudden incident that prevented us from coming out, we would have told you long ago."
Zuo Dao nodded, half believing and half doubting.
"That's how it is then. Fine, I'll take my leave." Zuo Dao stood up and pretended to dust off nonexistent dirt from his clothes.
"Please tell my master that I'm just going out for a bit of fun and will be back soon. He can rest easy; I know the way myself."
Knowing the way himself? Master Situ almost choked on Zuo Dao's words.
Once Zuo Dao decided on something, he never let anyone else's will sway him. If Void Bright couldn't find what he was looking for, he would go to another domain.
If there was nothing in the Lower Domain, Zuo Dao would head to the Central Domain. If there was nothing in the Central Domain, Zuo Dao would dare to venture into the Outer Domain. The two women sleeping beneath the Nine Monoliths, along with the two others whose whereabouts were unknown, and what had happened to Heterodox remained a mystery.
Zuo Dao suddenly realized that after arriving at the court, he had a mountain of matters to deal with. If he had known it would be this troublesome, he wouldn't have chosen to come here in the first place.
But it was already a fact. He raised his eyes to look at the tall palace gate before him, the bright characters "Xuming Hall" shining brilliantly under the sunlight.
"Junior Brother, are you leaving?" Zuo Dao had long anticipated that his senior brother would show up, so he deliberately lingered at the gate for a while.
"Everyone is here; let's hit the road," Zuo Dao called out and turned to leave.
Kun Ru Tao smiled wryly and quickened his pace to catch up.
"The Palace Master and the Elders are doing this for your own good." His words made Zuo Dao pause slightly.
"I know, but I have too many concerns. This place is just a temporary stop for me."
Kun Ru Tao said, "Master will understand; just keep him in your heart and visit when you have time."
"I should have known he would arrange things this way," Zuo Dao replied with a smile. "I left something for Master as a token of respect from his disciple."
"Master received it and was very happy, which is why I came. Following you has more promise," Kun Ru Tao recalled the expression on Su Ziqing's face when he received Zuo Dao's gift. It was something that could make an elder from Doushuai Palace lose his composure, though he couldn't guess what it was since he hadn't seen it himself. In any case, he had been sent away.
"Alright, you can consider yourself one of my senior brothers now, even if you joined just a little earlier than I did," Zuo Dao patted him on the shoulder.
"What are you saying? You still have many senior brothers," Kun Ru Tao laughed.
"That's true. I’ll introduce you to them when I have time. But for now, let’s get going; I want to experience the sights of various regions." Although Zuo Dao tried to hide it well, Kun Ru Tao still sensed a hint of loneliness in him.
He was a person with a story!
Kun Ru Tao had never seen the Gossiping Flame burn so fiercely as it did now, yet he knew that this was not the time to ask questions. Perhaps when they finally met, everything would become clear.
"By the way, from now on, you are no longer a member of Xuming Hall. This is a decision made collectively by the Palace Master and several elders, but the doors of Xuming Hall will always be open for you."
"I understand."
"Also, it's best not to reveal your Alchemical Path cultivation in front of outsiders. Remember! Remember!" Kun Ru Tao couldn't understand why his master wanted him to convey this message.
"I understand."
"Get lost. Is there anything you don't know?" Zuo Dao's calm demeanor made Kun Ru Tao feel a bit frustrated.
"Yes, where is the Teleportation Array to other domains?"
"…………"
In the end, their conversation concluded with Kun Ru Tao's defeat.
From Void Bright, one could reach two other domains: Mysterious Brightness and Miao Cheng. The former was known for its flourishing martial arts, while Miao Cheng was famous for its innovative techniques. Both domains had their unique characteristics.
After hearing Kun Ru Tao's explanation, Zuo Dao unhesitatingly chose Miao Cheng. Void Bright was renowned for its elixirs, but Zuo Dao had not found what he sought here; he wanted to explore an alternative path.
However, Void Bright was also considered a relatively large domain. The two of them unceremoniously utilized Xuming Hall's Teleportation Array and arrived at Heart Hall, which was closest to the domain-level Teleportation Array.
Hall Master Sima Yan personally came out to greet her, having received the message that the Second Elder's disciple would be arriving. Generally, disciples under the elders of Doushuai Palace become Hall Masters of various halls after they complete their training. Therefore, her appearance did not diminish her status, especially since she was a disciple of Elder Su Ziqing.
This was Zuo Dao's first time seeing a female Hall Master. Although he had only encountered three Hall Masters from Xuming Hall, including the one before him, it did not dampen his interest in beautiful women.
"Hall Master Sima is indeed stunning. Old Kun, you better not miss this opportunity; I'm counting on you," Zuo Dao teased, causing both of the others present to blush.
Zuo Dao felt increasingly uneasy as he observed them.
"Wait, you two aren't..." Zuo Dao made an ambiguous gesture with his hands.
"Ru Tao, who is this young man? He’s quite handsome. If the sisters in the hall see him, they might just swallow him whole," Sima Yan laughed playfully.
"Yan, just know that he is my brother," Kun Ru Tao replied with a glance at Sima Yan.
Brother? Not even introducing his name—who exactly is he? Sima Yan and Kun Ru Tao were old acquaintances, familiar with each other's character. Anyone whom Kun Ru Tao introduced in such a manner must certainly have some significance.
Sima Yan's position as Hall Master indicated that she was an exceptionally capable person.
"He’s your brother; that makes him my brother too." At that moment, Sima Yan displayed a boldness that was equally impressive.
"A pair of lovers," Zuo Dao remarked slyly as he watched the two exchange glances since their meeting began.
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