Chapter 9: On the Self-Cultivation of an Undercover Agent
The Council Hall was filled with the Inner Disciples of Wuhua Palace. Without the Elders present, only Luo Yingying stood as the temporary leader, presiding over Wuhua Palace.
Today, almost everyone had gathered, leading people to speculate about what major event had occurred.
Ye Changsheng was also suddenly summoned, not understanding the situation.
“There is a traitor among us.”
Luo Yingying spoke slowly, and the air grew heavy.
“He is a Cultivation Cauldron of Wuhua Palace, who infiltrated us by hiding his strength. He has been meticulously collecting intelligence, even seducing and baselessly exploiting members of Wuhua Palace.”
Everyone’s gaze turned towards Ye Changsheng.
Due to recent rumors, Wuhua Palace had been paying close attention to this suspect.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for Ye Changsheng to speak or confess.
Ye Changsheng felt that the person Luo Yingying was talking about was himself!
He remained silent, and the more he was silent, the more distrust and suspicion grew.
After much thought, Ye Changsheng decided to take a gamble—
“Young Palace Mistress! The appearance of a traitor in Wuhua Palace is a major issue. If this were to spread, where would Wuhua Palace’s reputation stand?”
Ye Changsheng took a step forward, bowed, and his indignant voice echoed through the council hall.
“We absolutely cannot let any traitor off lightly. This disciple is willing to personally accept the order to pursue the traitor!”
Ye Changsheng was indeed an undercover agent, but clarifying himself first would appear guilty.
As the saying goes, to deceive others, you must first deceive yourself.
At this moment, Ye Changsheng was incredibly confident, acting as if he were not an undercover agent but a loyal member of Wuhua Palace.
His hometown, where he grew up, had vanished from Qixia Isle. Ye Changsheng’s only connection to his past was Mo Baizhi.
Unless he could reach that ethereal True, it would be impossible to find evidence of Ye Changsheng’s past existence in this world!
A dead pig is not afraid of boiling water.
Luo Yingying nodded, approving of Ye Changsheng’s attitude.
“The traitor among the Cultivation Cauldrons is Chen Ye, who entered Wuhua Palace last year. He seduced Inner Disciple Liu Xue. While cultivating the Flower Transferring Art with Liu Xue, Chen Ye ambushed and killed her when she was unprepared, and has now fled in fear of punishment.”
After conveying this information to everyone, they no longer regarded Ye Changsheng as a suspect. Instead, they became angry at the traitor’s actions.
Fortunately, he had chosen to state his stance first instead of being evasive and ambiguous.
Ye Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He looked at Ling Xiaoxing; although the girl still looked disgusted, she no longer suspected him.
“Young Palace Mistress, Liu Xue was a Cultivator at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. If she was killed by the traitor Chen Ye, how strong is Chen Ye?” someone inquired.
Unless under extremely special circumstances, Wuhua Palace would not recruit overly powerful Cultivation Cauldrons, as they would be difficult to control.
“Chen Ye’s strength is estimated to be at the second level of the Foundation Establishment Realm,” Luo Yingying recounted. “Liu Xue, who was seduced by the traitor, removed the Heartless Seal from Chen Ye. Chen Ye seems to possess a special Cultivation Technique and should not be underestimated.”
Ye Changsheng felt unbalanced thinking that he hadn’t removed the Heartless Seal, yet that guy had done so and escaped.
If it weren’t for this guy suddenly causing trouble, he might have already dealt with the Heartless Seal’s hassle.
“As expected, no Cultivation Cauldron is good! No, I should say, no man is good!” Ling Xiaoxing exclaimed, stereotyping broadly.
“Calm down, Ling Xiaoxing. The Young Palace Mistress hasn’t finished speaking,” Chang Yu reminded Ling Xiaoxing to mind her manners.
Ling Xiaoxing realized her mistake too late. She quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had lost composure in front of her idol, and looked like she was about to cry.
“Then, Young Palace Mistress, what should we do next? Should we inform the Elders?” a disciple asked.
“Let me think.”
On the surface, Luo Yingying feigned calm consideration, but Ye Changsheng could see that she was actually debating the most appropriate course of action.
Normally, for such important matters, there would be Elders to offer guidance.
But now, all the Elders had gone to help Luo Lihong with her breakthrough. Who else was there?
As Luo Yingying hesitated, Ye Changsheng decided to help subtly.
“Senior Sister Chang Yu, it doesn’t matter what happens to Liu Xue, right? She’s practically no different from a traitor anyway.”
Ye Changsheng leaned closer to Chang Yu, hinting slyly.
“Before the Elders find out, I want to quickly go after Chen Ye. Perhaps I can get some rewards.”
“Heh heh, what a coincidence, Wuxiao. I was thinking the same thing.”
Chang Yu stepped forward. Since the Elders were absent, Chang Yu, as an official, had increased authority.
“Liu Xue colluding with a Cultivation Cauldron, violating sect rules, she no longer deserves to be called a disciple of Wuhua Palace! Furthermore, the Palace Mistress is on the verge of a breakthrough, which is of utmost importance. We cannot disturb the Elders with such trivial matters. I hope the Young Palace Mistress will reconsider.”
Chang Yu’s statement was met with approval from the crowd. Seeing their reaction, Luo Yingying made up her mind.
“Liu Xue is to be expelled from Wuhua Palace, and her body is to be discarded to nourish the spiritual plants as a warning! Furthermore, before the situation escalates further, we must pursue the traitor as quickly as possible!” Luo Yingying went along with the plan.
“Whoever brings the head of the traitor will be rewarded with ten Spirit Gathering Pills of Spiritual Grade and five hundred Spiritual Stones!”
…
“Wow, ten Spirit Gathering Pills! The Spiritual Stones I receive each month aren’t even enough to buy one pill.”
“These Spirit Gathering Pills can at least increase cultivation speed by thirty percent. Who would complain about having too many?”
“Don’t forget the five hundred Spiritual Stones. If one person gets all the rewards… how amazing would that be! Instant wealth!”
The Inner Disciples chattered excitedly about the enticing rewards.
For them, Liu Xue’s fate was no longer important. What mattered was how to claim the grand prize.
“Senior Sister Chang Yu, can you take me along?” Ye Changsheng wanted to team up with Chang Yu.
“Sorry, sorry, I don’t want to share these rewards with Wuxiao,” Chang Yu said with a smile. “After all, he’s just a weakling at the Foundation Establishment Realm. If he can handle it alone, why would he need to act with others?”
“You are too much! Aren’t we old friends?”
“Business is business. See you later, Wuxiao!” Chang Yu left Ye Changsheng behind and flew towards the Peach Forest Sea on her magical treasure.
The other disciples also mounted their treasures one by one and set off to find the traitor, eager to claim the reward for themselves.
Ye Changsheng had no magical treasure and could not fly on a mount currently. He had hoped a familiar face would give him a lift, but it seemed unlikely.
However, it didn’t matter. This incident wasn’t particularly related to him anyway. His previous actions were just to clear his name.
Later, he would just put on a show and slack off.
Just as Ye Changsheng was preparing to leisurely find a place to slack off, a girl blocked his path.
“Senior Sister Xiaoxing?”
Ling Xiaoxing stood with her arms crossed. Though she lacked the bearing of a mature woman, she possessed a haughty demeanor, staring directly at Ye Changsheng.
“You, come with me!”
