Chapter 122: The World Abuzz

The five of them ate the simple meal without appetite. Little Seven had already gone out to wash the pots and bowls, yet the atmosphere inside the cabin seemed even more oppressive.

Given Qi Shiqi’s identity and martial prowess, he should never have admitted in front of Yan Jiu and Fourth Miss that his cultivation had been severely damaged. The fact that he had done so showed just how little confidence he had in reclaiming the manor.

Yan Jiu rose to his feet. “Young Master Qi, your openness has convinced me that you are not someone who schemes and manipulates from the shadows. Rest assured, Fourth Brother and I will never reveal this secret.”

Of course, he was not truly declaring his loyalty. He was merely grasping for something to say, because he could not bear this atmosphere of defeat.

Fourth Miss let out a long sigh as well. “That’s right. Young Master Qi, you needn’t worry. When we came down from the mountain, the system had already informed us that we had been expelled from Famous Sword Manor. I’ve now fallen back to the third advancement. I only regret that I failed to bring down Golden Wheat Lang and avenge that girl’s blood feud.”

Zhang He suddenly cupped his fists. “Young Master, if you manage to reclaim the manor, might you be willing to take in Yan Jiu and Fourth Miss? Neither of them truly intended to oppose Hidden Sword Manor.”

Qi Shiqi gave a bitter smile. “Naturally, I hold no prejudice against either of them. But Brother Wu, as I said earlier, my cultivation…” He sighed.

His condition could no longer be described simply as damaged. Strictly speaking, he had once been an outstanding fourth-advancement expert, but his internal energy had fallen from the Transmutation Realm to the Nourishing Realm, while his movement technique had likewise dropped from the Unfettered Realm to the Nourishing Realm. Forget serving as a guardian—even dealing with a single incense master of Hidden Sword Manor was now a problem for him. How could he possibly talk about reclaiming the manor?

“Then, has the election begun?” Chen Guangxi asked.

It was a pointless question. The moment Qi Shiqi had been defeated, Shaogong had secretly sent a request to the system to open the sect channel election.

For a self-founded sect like Hidden Sword Manor, the election process was actually very simple.

The system would initiate a vote in every player’s sect channel. During those twenty-four hours, each player who was online would have one vote, which could be cast for any candidate they favored. Whoever received the most votes would become the new sect master.

Qi Shiqi lowered his head and glanced at the system panel before saying, “Our manor is a second-level sect with a total of 1,896 players. Shaogong currently has 239 votes, while Mantis has 158.”

Chen Guangxi could not help exclaiming, “Damn, that’s a huge gap!”

Fourth Miss said, “Then we’d better have Fat Mantis go around canvassing for votes.”

This time Zhang He said nothing. Yan Jiu, however, sighed first. “It won’t help. Think about it, Fourth Brother. Shaogong came up with such a formidable plan, so he must have anticipated this long ago. He will certainly interfere with the sect election.”

Fourth Miss asked curiously, “Interfere? What can he do? This is a system-regulated vote. I refuse to believe he can alter the system. If he had that kind of ability, I’d delete my account and quit the martial world this instant. There’d be no point muddling along in this lousy Dynasty.”

Just then, Little Seven hurried into the cabin. “Young Master, Shaogong has posted a notice at the manor gate. He says that if he is elected manor lord, every player—whether a life-skill player or a combat professional—will receive an additional two hundred taels of silver each month.”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone’s faces went deathly pale. Fourth Miss was rendered speechless.

Qi Shiqi gave a bitter smile and gazed up at the sky. “All beneath Heaven bustle for profit; all beneath Heaven rush toward profit.”

His smile was filled with indescribable sorrow and helplessness.

That famous saying had not only exposed the nature of Dynasty; it had also seen through the hypocrisy of the entire world.

Yes, when you, Qi Shiqi, were the manor lord, you treated the manor’s players with courtesy and generosity. Everyone loved and respected you. Yet the moment the new manor lord offered a higher price, those very people who had once admired and respected you would abandon you.

Objectively speaking, perhaps they would still consider you a good manor lord, a good leader. But the current lord, the current leader, was better, more impressive, and more outstanding.

In this modern society, filled with an apocalyptic restlessness, people no longer judged right and wrong by morality and justice, but by profit.

Whoever gave them benefits was right.

That was how reality worked—and games were even more so. What difference was there, in the end, between reality and a game?

Life was a play, and a play was life. Truth and falsehood mingled together; falsehood and truth became indistinguishable. Who could truly tell truth from lies, righteousness from evil, gratitude from hatred, or love from resentment?

Of course, without money and without profit, what good was it to talk about feelings or morality?

But viewed from the opposite direction, if all one cared about was making money and securing benefits, if one thought only of oneself and observed neither honor nor shame, neither principles nor boundaries, where would such a person eventually end up?

Consider Hidden Sword Manor now. If Shaogong became manor lord, what path would the manor take? Would it submit to Golden Wheat Lang’s overwhelming strength? Or would it become an empty shell despised by everyone?

The manor’s future had become an unknown.

Yan Jiu immediately said, “When Young Master Qi was still in charge, each of the 1,896 players received three hundred taels of silver. That came to more than 5,600 taels of gold, an enormous expense entirely dependent on supplies from Xie Family Station. Now, with an additional two hundred taels for each player, the total will exceed 9,400 taels of silver every month—nearly ten thousand taels of gold. Given Xie Family Station’s current situation, it can support that for half a year at most before inevitably collapsing.”

Qi Shiqi nodded approvingly. “As expected of a steward, Brother Yan. Your calculations are precise. Indeed, Shaogong’s notice is nothing less than killing the hen to get the eggs. I had considered this before: paying each player three hundred taels would neither treat the manor’s players unfairly nor prevent the station from gradually developing and growing stronger. Once the hen matured, it would lay more eggs, everyone would receive greater rewards, and the manor would become more powerful as well.”

Zhang He sneered. “He won’t consider any of those development plans. First, he’ll win people over and secure the sect’s votes. Then he’ll take the position of manor lord. Once he is in power, he can use the money to buy equipment and martial techniques for himself. He won’t care whether the manor grows stronger. Even if its operations deteriorate completely, he can simply dissolve it in the end. When Xie Family Station collapses, he’ll run off. He won’t lose anything.”

Fourth Miss was furious. “If the manor collapses, then the sect collapses too. How many people will lose their martial techniques and levels? He’s a complete swindler! If he does this, the manor’s players will lodge complaints against him. Isn’t he afraid of that?”

Zhang He said, “And what of it? If I were him, at worst I’d spend a month in prison, then join the Demonic Cult. Why would I care if my evil value rose? Besides, what good would your complaint do? Which of your eyes saw him deceiving anyone? He is merely making legitimate use of the rules. He has not cheated, nor acted dishonestly. If anyone is to blame, blame yourself for being kept in the dark—or for lacking the skill and intelligence to see through him.”

Fourth Miss was speechless again. After a long while, she stamped her foot and ground her teeth. “That bastard really has it easy. I never imagined Shaogong could be such a sinister and vicious man.”

Chen Guangxi said, “That’s right. He isn’t afraid of any of this. Besides, he has dealings with Boss Jin. If he becomes manor lord, what if he actually gives up part of Xie Family Station’s territory? He can ease the pressure from outside enemies too.”

Zhang He’s expression suddenly darkened. “There’s something wrong here.”

The other four turned toward him at once. “What?”

Zhang He frowned. “If Shaogong and Boss Jin had colluded from the beginning, then there would have been no need to assassinate Third Miss. That would have been entirely superfluous.”

Everyone nodded, finding his reasoning sound.

Qi Shiqi’s eyes flickered. “And what do you think, Brother Wu?”

“I find that difficult to understand as well,” Zhang He replied. “Judging from all the signs, it is indeed possible that Shaogong colluded with Boss Jin. But there is no solid evidence to prove it, so many questions remain.”

“What else have you noticed?” Fourth Miss could not help asking.

She trusted Zhang He deeply now. Not once had his judgment proved wrong.

If Qi Shiqi and Golden Wheat Lang had lost control of the overall situation, then Zhang He had control of every visible and hidden thread. If there was anyone capable of turning things around, it might well be Zhang He alone.

Zhang He smiled bitterly. “I only know this much: after Young Master’s duel with Boss Jin, Boss Jin remained calm on the surface, but I could tell that he had also suffered serious injuries. His strength had been greatly diminished. So when Shaogong said he would give us an answer within twenty-four hours, Boss Jin left immediately. At such a critical moment, every additional moment he stayed increased the danger. After all, the people of Hidden Sword Manor were enraged then and wanted nothing more than to kill him.”

Yan Jiu also gave a bitter smile. “So what? That still cannot affect the election.”

“That may not be true,” Zhang He replied.

“Oh?” The others were startled once again. “What do you mean?”

“Boss Jin must be seriously wounded now. First, he still has to wait for the new manor lord’s answer. Second, like Young Master, he urgently needs medical treatment. Therefore, I dare say he is still in Xie Family Station and cannot leave for the time being.”

A gleam flashed through Zhang He’s eyes. “If my guess is correct, something major will happen tonight. Of course, that is only a guess…”

At that moment, a milky-white homing pigeon flapped into the cabin with a loud flutter. Zhang He removed the note from its leg and glanced at it. A smile immediately spread across his face.

Everyone’s spirits lifted. “Well? Is there good news?”

Zhang He nodded. “A weapon I commissioned in the station town is finished. They sent word for me to collect it.”

The others once again looked disappointed. Qi Shiqi cupped his fists. “Brother Wu, if you have important business, go ahead. You have done more for me this time than I can ever repay. Once this matter is settled, I will reward you handsomely, so please do not refuse. As for Miss Zhong’s losses, I will compensate her twice over as well. Though I am no longer the manor lord, I still consider myself incapable of treating a good friend unfairly.”

Zhang He returned the gesture. “You flatter me, Young Master. It is still too early to draw any conclusions. Let us wait and see how matters develop. I will go first, and we can meet again later.”