Chapter 3087 — The East Is Not Weak

The Grand Elder was a person who placed supreme importance on interests. In her heart, face and dignity meant nothing; only the interests of the sect mattered. Anything that could bring benefit to the sect was a good thing, and anyone who brought benefit was a good person—and the reverse held equally true.

"No, Grand Elder, you mustn't!" Just as the Grand Elder wavered and was about to agree to Elder Li's proposal, Zhao Qibing leaped out.

"Oh? Qibing, why not?" the Grand Elder asked.

In truth, Zhao Qibing only wanted Wei Zhao dead. Whether Gu Mengyao and Gu Pengzhan lived or died was of little concern to him; what he most desired was the deaths of Wei Zhao and Shen Yushu. But if the Grand Elder spared Gu Mengyao and Gu Pengzhan, she would likely never again raise a hand solely to kill Wei Zhao on his behalf. So Zhao Qibing immediately jumped out to object.

"Grand Elder, think about it—if someone commits a wrong and goes unpunished, won't everyone start committing wrongs?" Zhao Qibing countered. "If this newly found Dark Phoenix bloodline inheritor also has a boyfriend, and she secretly sleeps with him, won't she follow suit and learn from Ye Rou'er? Would we not punish her either? Without severe punishment, how can we make her obedient?"

"Hmm... Qibing, there is some sense in what you say!" The Grand Elder nodded. Indeed, without rules there could be no order. If Gu Mengyao and Gu Pengzhan were let off, the new Dark Phoenix bloodline inheritor would follow suit, and everything would descend into chaos.

"Grand Elder, that's not how it should be..." Ye Rou'er grew anxious at once...

"Grand Elder, I agree with Zhao Qibing!" The black-clad elder gave Ye Rou'er no chance to speak, cutting her off directly and addressing the Grand Elder: "Not only must they be punished—they must be severely punished! Once the bloodline inheritor is found, we shall execute Gu Pengzhan and Gu Mengyao before her very eyes, killing the chicken to frighten the monkey, so that she sees the fate of those who disobey!"

"Yes, the black-clad elder speaks well!" The Grand Elder nodded, her decision made. She waved a hand at Ye Rou'er: "Ye Rou'er, go back with Elder Li. My mind is made up. The matter is settled and will not be changed."

"But... Grand Elder, I beg you, spare Yao Yao and the others. They are innocent..." Ye Rou'er panicked and dropped straight to her knees.

"Zhao Qibing, see them out!" The Grand Elder gave a cold snort, utterly unmoved by Ye Rou'er's pleas.

"Ye Rou'er, Elder Li, this way please? Surely you don't want to anger the Grand Elder?" Zhao Qibing, petty man that he was, was drunk on his petty triumph and did not regard Ye Rou'er or Elder Li with the slightest respect. The two of them were nothing but discarded figures in the Night Palace now. Zhao Qibing believed that so long as he clung to the Grand Elder and the new palace master, his position in the Night Palace would be secure beyond worry.

Of course, all of this was nothing but the Grand Elder's wishful fantasy. Once the Dark Phoenix bloodline inheritor was found, would she necessarily come to cultivate in the Night Palace? What if she refused? In the Grand Elder's view, the Night Palace was so mighty—an ancient sect where cultivation could bring immortality and power. This was what everyone fought and broke their heads over to obtain. Just look at Zhao Qibing—was he not proof enough?

So in the Grand Elder's eyes, once she found that Dark Phoenix bloodline inheritor, the girl would come weeping and begging to return with her to cultivate in the Night Palace. It never once occurred to her that the girl might simply refuse to come.

Helpless, Ye Rou'er and Elder Li could only return for the time being. Ye Rou'er could do nothing but bathe her face in tears, while Elder Li sighed and groaned—yet there was nothing either of them could do.

……………………

A Lexus LX570 pulled up beneath the Xue Shang Business Hotel, a business hotel located in the East Sea University Town.

From the car stepped a young man and a middle-aged man—none other than Dongfang Buruo and Dongfang Cha, who had come to East Sea City.

"Dongfang Cha, are you certain Xu Shilan has already arrived in East Sea City?" Dongfang Buruo was rather cramped and restless after the long journey. Though a cultivator, he seldom rode in cars, and this sudden long trip had left him thoroughly displeased. He wanted nothing more than to find a girl and enjoy himself, and the best candidate was Xu Shilan.

So the moment the car stopped at their destination, Dongfang Buruo could barely contain his impatience.

"Certain, Young Master Buruo. Xu Shilan secretly flew to East Sea City earlier without notifying the media, but I still tracked down her flight records through a secular information company," Dongfang Cha said. "Moreover, Feng Tianqi of the ancient Feng family already knows of this. He doesn't want anything to happen to Xu Shilan, so he will certainly have her hide away—which means Xu Shilan must be in East Sea City."

"Then how do we determine exactly where Xu Shilan is?" Dongfang Buruo asked, growing impatient. "East Sea City is so vast—where are we supposed to look?"

"Rest assured, word will come soon. I have other sources of information," Dongfang Cha said.

"Good. In that case, we'll wait a while!" Dongfang Buruo knew he certainly would not see Xu Shilan today, so he said to Dongfang Cha: "Go find me a few female students. I want to enjoy myself. Cooped up at home for so long, I've finally found a chance to come out and play!"

"No problem, Young Master Buruo!" Dongfang Cha nodded. Though in his eyes Dongfang Buruo was far inferior to Dongfang Bushu, there was no help for it—who had let Dongfang Bushu die? Now Dongfang Buruo had become the sole heir of the Dongfang family, and currying favor with Dongfang Buruo would lay the foundation for Dongfang Cha's future standing in the family.

"Yes, then open a room for me first so I can rest..." Dongfang Buruo nodded and said.

In his view, seizing Xu Shilan and getting her into bed was no difficult task with a capable man like Dongfang Cha at hand. Even without Dongfang Cha, with his own strength at the peak of the late Earth Rank, he could handle it perfectly well.

Investigating the cause of Dongfang Jian's death, however, would be rather more difficult. Who knew whom Dongfang Jian had offended at the Cultivator's Guild? Now that the Guild would not cooperate, relying on his own investigation—where would he even begin?

To be honest, Dongfang Buruo's trip into the secular world this time was entirely to get his hands on Xu Shilan. The matter of Dongfang Jian was merely an excuse; he had not taken it to heart at all.

(The bonus chapter for 280 votes will be delivered the day after tomorrow. Double monthly votes have begun, but the Fishman still updates one chapter per 30 votes; anything this month that can't be delivered will be made up next month. There are only a few days left until month's end—summoning [monthly] votes!) (To be continued...