Thanks for Marc Ferras, Ardarain murray jr. and NeoSamurai223 for becoming as Supporters!
===BREAK===
"Yo~~ isn't this the womanizing Daoist Yin Zhiping? Which young lady are you flirting with this time?"
A teasing voice came from behind Arden.
Hearing the three words "Yin Zhiping," Arden instinctively tensed up, thinking it was another hater of the Divine Tiger Companions coming to pelt him with rotten eggs.
"Hoo… turns out it's Jane."
After turning around and seeing Jane Doe, Arden finally let out a breath of relief. "On vacation?"
Hearing that, Jane Doe shook her head. "Not really a vacation—just some free time before the next mission starts."
At that moment, Jane Doe recalled what Inspector Huang had said to her, and an idea surfaced in her mind.
"Mm… hn~~"
Jane Doe rolled her arms and shoulders, then pounded lightly on the back of her neck. She did indeed feel a bit stiff. Then she looked at Arden and asked, "I heard Inspector Huang say your skills are really good. True or false?"
Her meaning was unmistakably clear.
Arden glanced over Jane Doe's voluptuous figure.
"Of course it's true. Don't believe me? Come try it yourself!"
As he spoke, Arden pointed toward the sidecar motorcycle parked not far away.
With business coming straight to his door, there was no reason for him to refuse.
"I guarantee you'll feel ecstatic to the bone—uh, I mean, completely relaxed, like you've got a brand-new body."
"Is that so? Then I won't hold back."
A smile tugged at Jane Doe's lips as she followed Arden toward the sidecar motorcycle.
"Oh right, do you want an essential oil massage, chiropractic manipulation, or cupping therapy? Or maybe… the full package?"
"I'll leave that to Master Xu's recommendation… hm?"
As she climbed into the sidecar, a cat suddenly rushed toward her face, making Jane Doe frown. She immediately got out and instead sat behind Arden.
Her body pressed close, arms wrapping around Arden's waist.
"I prefer the back seat."
The familiar sensation of friction from his back made Arden freeze for a moment.
Last time it was the front—this time the back?
"Let's go already!"
Jane Doe urged.
"Alright!"
Arden started the sidecar motorcycle.
With his consulting work finished, aside from gaining three female friends—Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and Jane Doe—as well as Liu Mingyue, a prospective fellow disciple, Arden returned to a calm yet not-so-calm life as a disciple.
On this day, Yixuan Shifu sent word for Arden to go to the main hall to discuss an important matter.
Going to the main hall… what could it be about?
As Arden headed there, he pondered inwardly.
If it were ordinary business, it could usually be settled in the master-and-disciple courtyard. Being summoned to the main hall meant something that required serious deliberation.
"Brother Arden!"
"Senior Brother Xu!"
"Second Senior Brother!"
All of Yixuan's direct disciples were present, greeting Arden as soon as they saw him.
But that wasn't the key point.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Xu!"
Bu Lü clasped his hands toward Arden.
"Yixuan Shifu!"
Arden returned the greetings one by one, then bowed toward Yixuan Shifu seated at the head. Finally, his gaze landed on the last person present.
"Why are you here?"
"Junior Nephew Xu, it's been a long time."
Yi Jing bowed deeply to Arden, his manner extremely polite.
That's right—the Yi Jing who had been expelled from the mountain had returned to Yunkui Summit. However, judging by his plain attire, he had not regained his status as a disciple.
"Hmph!"
Faced with Yi Jing's courtesy, Arden snorted coldly. "Who's your junior nephew? You can't just eat rice carelessly—or talk carelessly either!"
"Yes, yes, Daoist Arden, I overstepped!"
Yet instead of getting angry at Arden's rebuke, Yi Jing became even more submissive.
"Hm?"
Arden raised an eyebrow.
Is this really the same Yi Jing as before?
Seeing Yi Jing so meek—almost fawning—left Arden puzzled.
Could it be… after getting kicked out of Yunkui Summit and beaten down by reality, he finally changed?
Arden didn't deny that people could change, but he'd also heard the saying that a dog can't stop eating shit. So, he looked up at Yixuan Shifu, silently asking what was going on.
Yixuan first gave Arden a reassuring look, then waved her hand at Yi Jing.
"You may leave for now. As for your proposal, I need to discuss it with the disciples."
After Yi Jing and Bu Lü departed, only Yixuan Shifu and the disciples remained in the main hall.
"Master, what's going on? Why did you let that traitor Yi Jing into the mountain?"
With no outsiders present, Arden no longer restrained his temper and asked bluntly, his tone even carrying a hint of accusation.
"Sigh~~"
Seeing Arden looking like he'd personally wipe Yi Jing out if this wasn't explained properly, Yixuan let out a soft sigh.
She realized that in some respects, she could no longer fully rein in this disciple of hers.
Arden had made great contributions to Yunkui Summit and was extremely popular—he could rally people with a single call, gradually becoming someone whose achievements overshadowed authority.
Of course, Yixuan was well aware of Arden's feelings toward her. He wouldn't openly betray his master, but secretly "bullying" his master wasn't entirely impossible.
"Arden, don't be angry. Listen to your master first…"
"Hoo… alright."
Arden took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, then pulled over a chair and sat down.
Some time ago, Bu Lü had proactively approached Yixuan, saying that his master Yi Jing had contacted him, expressing a desire to repent and rejoin Yunkui Summit.
Betraying one's sect and wanting to return was no easy matter. Yixuan had firmly refused at first, but the "token of sincerity" Yi Jing offered was simply too significant, leaving her unable to decide right away.
Thus, Yixuan convened all the disciples to deliberate together.
"A large-scale Porcelume mine?"
Not only Yixuan—even Arden showed surprise upon hearing the condition Yi Jing offered for his return.
"This… would be enough to change the entire Waifei Peninsula—no, the entire landscape of New Eridu!"
The other disciples were equally shaken.
What was New Eridu's most critical issue? Unity—standing together to confront the Hollows.
A large Porcelume mine could produce vast quantities of Porcelume for manufacturing anti-ether equipment. Its importance was self-evident.
TOPS Alliance was able to balance multiple powers within New Eridu—especially the Defense Force—precisely because Porcelumex controlled a large number of Porcelume mines. If, at this moment, a massive Porcelume mine not under TOPS' control suddenly emerged, the impact was easy to imagine.
"I think Yi Jing—uh, that guy—is talking nonsense. Porcelume mines aren't that easy to find."
"That's hard to say. What if it's real?"
"If we get targeted by Porcelumex over one mine, then with a large-scale mine… those people—TOPS Alliance definitely won't sit still."
Everyone voiced their opinions one after another.
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa