Chapter 3604 — Bullying by Power

But who would have thought that before he could even enjoy the spectacle, he would run straight into this mess—Lu Bianren, that spineless coward of a thousand years, was actually trying to change Wei Zhao's mining zone! A mere third pavilion master of the Welcome Newcomers Pavilion, stripped of all real authority, and he actually fancied himself somebody worth reckoning with!

"Who was it just now that wanted to change Wei Zhao's mining zone? Was it you, Third Pavilion Master Lu?" Xu Lingchong looked at Lu Bianren with a curl of his lip, his face utterly devoid of any attempt to hide his contempt.

"That's right, it was me," Lu Bianren said, steeling himself.

"Oh, so it really was Third Pavilion Master Lu who said it. Then I'm puzzled—since when does a mere third pavilion master of the Welcome Newcomers Pavilion get to meddle in the Spirit Jade Hall's affairs? Has the Spirit Jade Hall been annexed by the Welcome Newcomers Pavilion? Or perhaps the Spirit Jade Hall has been annexed by your Reflection Cliff?" Xu Lingchong sneered, pressing him relentlessly.

"Heh heh, listen to yourself, Young Master Xu! With the Welcome Newcomers Pavilion's penny-pinching, threadbare look, if anyone's doing the annexing, it'd be our Spirit Jade Hall annexing them!" Dai Wuchang chimed in with a chuckle from the side. A moment ago Lu Bianren had cowed him, but now that Xu Lingchong had his back, he naturally no longer needed to worry about Lu Bianren's displeasure.

Though both were independent departments nominally on the same tier, the Welcome Newcomers Pavilion could only oversee a pack of newly admitted disciple rookies, whereas the Spirit Jade Hall held the purse strings of the entire North Island—even the Three-Tier Pavilion regarded it with great importance. The appointment of the Spirit Jade Hall's master and that of the Welcome Newcomers Pavilion's master were simply not on the same level at all; the two bodies' standing could not be mentioned in the same breath.

"Haha, I only wish what you said were true, Young Master Xu! If Third Pavilion Master Lu really had the ability to annex the Spirit Jade Hall, I'd have to burn incense and set him up on an altar. Next month, when I become the newcomers' steward and take over Reflection Cliff, wouldn't I then be in charge of the Spirit Jade Hall? Just thinking about it is delightful!" Kang Jingming laughed, trailing behind them.

"In your dreams! You're a toad lusting after swan meat—oh, no, wait, the toad ought to be a certain third pavilion master!" Xu Lingchong and the others burst into a roar of laughter.

Hearing them mock him so brazenly, Lu Bianren's face darkened. Though he lacked the nerve to stand against Xu Lingchong, this concerned Wei Zhao's future—and, more than that, the principles he had always held fast to. In the end his expression firmed, and he said in a clear, ringing voice, "Young Master Xu jests. I am not meddling in the Spirit Jade Hall's affairs; the Spirit Jade Hall has always had this exception. Newcomers in Number Ten mining zone may, at discretion, be transferred to other zones. And Wei Zhao is a newcomer of my Welcome Newcomers Pavilion, so my request to change Wei Zhao's mining zone is no overstepping of authority."

"Oh? The Spirit Jade Hall has such an exception, does it? Dai Wuchang, you're the one in charge of the mining zone contracts—you ought to know this best. Tell us." Xu Lingchong raised an eyebrow and looked at Dai Wuchang.

"In reply to Young Master Xu, old Dai here has worked this post for some years now, and I've never once heard of such an exception. Perhaps Third Pavilion Master Lu would be so good as to point it out to my face—this exception he speaks of, just which section and which article of the Spirit Jade Hall's regulations is it?" Dai Wuchang said with a perfectly straight face, looking at Lu Bianren with mockery written all over him.

"You—!" Lu Bianren's face went ashen, and he choked on his words for a long moment.

This so-called Number Ten mining zone exception was in truth a long-standing convention, understood by all, known from top to bottom of the Spirit Jade Hall, everyone aware that doing so was reasonable and right. Yet it had never been written into the regulations. Dai Wuchang's deliberate phrasing now was plainly nitpicking.

"Oh... so the Spirit Jade Hall has no such rule at all, and Third Pavilion Master Lu simply fabricated it for his own convenience! Lucky for us Dai Wuchang was here today—otherwise this young master really would have been taken in by you. I'd always heard what a spineless sort Third Pavilion Master Lu was, but now it seems the rumors were wrong; you're actually rather sly!" Xu Lingchong said with feigned indignation. Of course he knew of the Number Ten exception, but since the other man had obligingly handed him a handle, he'd be a fool not to seize it!

"Enough of your slander!" Lu Bianren had never been a glib man, and now, ganged up on by Xu Lingchong and the others, he was at a loss for a retort. He could only look coldly at Dai Wuchang and say, "Junior Brother Dai, since you insist on making a mountain out of a molehill, I have no choice. Wait until I bring Vice-Pavilion-Master Tong Fei into this—then we'll see what you have to say!"

With that, Lu Bianren turned to leave with the put-upon senior brother in tow, and Dai Wuchang's expression changed at once.

His words just now had no real flaw, but any clear-eyed person could see he was deliberately helping Xu Lingchong corner Lu Bianren; on principle, his position would not hold up. More critically, Vice-Pavilion-Master Tong Fei had come out of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, and had always looked askance at arrogant, domineering young masters like Xu Lingchong of the Soaring Heavens Pavilion. If word of this truly reached Tong Fei's ears, Dai Wuchang might well find the man's wrath turned on him—perhaps even an investigation launched into him—and then the game would be well and truly up!

Dai Wuchang shot Xu Lingchong a look begging for help, but before he could open his mouth, Xu Lingchong had already spoken first: "Hold on!"

Lu Bianren had no wish to pay him any mind, but deterred by the other's formidable background, he could only curb his patience, halt his steps, and turn to look at Xu Lingchong. "What else is there?"

"Nothing much—just a word for you, Third Pavilion Master Lu." Xu Lingchong smiled mockingly. "If you go to Tong Fei to change Wei Zhao's mining zone, I won't stop you. But when I get back, I'll tell my grandfather that the Azure Cloud Pavilion's people are getting more and more out of hand these days—sitting in the third pavilion master's seat of the Welcome Newcomers Pavilion, yet reaching their hands into the Spirit Jade Hall, simply lording it over all with power beyond measure, eyes fixed on high and looking down on everyone. Shouldn't we bring it up with the Council of Elders, and have another rectification of the three pavilions, like the one three years ago!"

Hiss—!

At these words Lu Bianren could not help but draw a sharp breath. Looking at Xu Lingchong, so smug in this moment, his expression shifted uncertainly, dark and bright by turns.

The Council of Elders Xu Lingchong spoke of was the supreme body jointly formed by the three tiered pavilions—the Soaring Heavens Pavilion, the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, and the Azure Cloud Pavilion. Every member was among the foremost figures of the three pavilions, its nature akin to a parliament in the mortal world. It held discretionary authority over all major affairs of the three pavilions and the various independent departments; even the North Island's sect master could be removed outright, provided all the elders of the Council voted in resolution.