Inside the quaint yet elegant villa, Zheng Kinson sat fuming, his face bruised and swollen as he applied medicine to his wounds.
The unprovoked assault and humiliation by Miu Tyanh had left him seething with rage. If not for Tyanh's wariness of Fairy Lith, Zheng might have been a corpse by now.
Over the past two days, he had sent his subordinates to the outer sect, desperate to uncover who had framed him and to piece together the full story. But with his pride battered and his spirit wounded, Zheng had holed up in Withered Orchid Villa under the guise of "cultivation," even barring his bloodline disciples from disturbing him unless it was a matter of life and death.
So when the knock came, his first reaction was a deep frown. Then a thought struck him: Could it be that the person who framed me has been found?
With a quick hand-seal, he deactivated the villa's defense formation and remotely opened the gate. "Come in," he called out in a deep, commanding voice.
"Senior Brother Zheng!" Pay Ling, standing outside the door, breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good sign that Zheng Kinson was willing to see him.
Stepping inside, Pay Ling clasped his fists and bowed respectfully. "Since joining the Holy Sect, I've been thinking of ways to repay Senior Brother Zheng's kindness. But my cultivation level is too low, and I have nothing to my name. It felt insincere to offer empty words of gratitude. Now that I've returned from a task mission, thanks to Senior Brother Zheng's great blessing, I've managed to scrape together a modest income. I've come here to express my sincere thanks."
As he spoke, Pay Ling retrieved ten d-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch, holding them out with both hands in a gesture of deep respect.
On the way here, Pay Ling had done the math. The rewards from his three tasks totaled 167 D$t, and with the inheritance money from Chen Haunt's crew, he barely had 200 D$t to his name. Against a fine of over 70,000 D$t, it was laughably insignificant.
But if he could leverage Zheng Kinson's influence to significantly reduce the fine, extend the deadline, or at least deter the families of Lee Sagwon and the others, it would be worth the effort. Even if he gained nothing, the cost of ten spirit stones was a risk he could afford. But if he secured even a single promise from Zheng, it would be a major win.
With that in mind, Pay Ling raised his head slightly, allowing Zheng Kinson to see the sincere and grateful expression on his face.
Zheng Kinson was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Pay Ling to visit, let alone come bearing gifts of gratitude.
Pay Ling, meanwhile, looked up and noticed the bruises and wounds marring Zheng Kinson's face. His eyes widened in shock. "Senior Brother Zheng, what happened to your face?"
Zheng Kinson stiffened, then quickly coughed to cover his discomfort. "Ah, I just had a sparring match with an Advanced-Phase Foundation Stage Bloodline Lord a few days ago," he said, forcing a casual tone. "I won by a narrow margin, but since the other party's cultivation was a phase higher than mine, it was inevitable I'd take some hits."
Pay Ling's jaw dropped, admiration bubbling up. In his eyes, even the outer sect disciples were no pushovers—take Chen Haunt and his squad, for example. And the inner sect disciples, who had clawed their way up from the outer sect? They were on a whole other level—straight-up predators.
Yet here was Zheng Kinson, not only holding his own but actually defeating someone a full phase above him! Sure, it was a narrow victory, but still—no wonder he was trusted enough to serve as Fairy Lith's trusted deputy.
"Impressive!" Pay Ling burst out, his voice filled with genuine awe. "Senior Brother, you've just entered the Mid-Phase Foundation Stage, and you're already taking down Advanced-Phase Foundationer? That's incredible! You're truly an inner sect prodigy—the future of the sect!"
Zheng Kinson embrassed internally, his body still aching from the fight. The praise made his cheeks burn, but he forced a cool, composed front. "Junior Brother Pay, you flatter me too much. Among the inner sect's Bloodline Lords, I'm only ranked… cough… cough…"
His pride wouldn't let him finish the sentence.
Pay Ling, however, nodded solemnly, as if he understood perfectly. "Senior Brother Zheng, I get it! You're incredibly strong but choose to keep a low profile. Don't worry—my lips are sealed!"
"Keeping a low profile?" Pay Ling thought to himself. "That's something I'm an expert at!"
But then a flicker of worry crossed his mind. If Zheng Kinson was the type to prioritize survival and avoid unnecessary trouble, he might not be willing to intervene in Pay Ling's problems. Could it be that the thirteen low-grade spirit stones he'd just spent were wasted?
"Let's drop that," Zheng Kinson said quickly, eager to steer the conversation away from his embarrassing defeat. "By the way, you mentioned you just returned from a task mission? You went on a mission right after joining the sect? What kind of task was it? Did you run into any trouble?"
Pay Ling had been waiting for this question. He clasped his fists respectfully and replied, "After enrolling, I read through the sect rules carefully. But since I was broke, I picked up a few tasks to avoid trouble. I headed to Lothgar City."
At the mention of Lothgar, Pay Ling's heart skipped a beat. Drainwood Yowl's instruction words flashed through his mind: "Gotta go to the Punishment Crypt again later!" He steadied himself and continued, giving Zheng Kinson a quick rundown of the task and finally the "troubles" he'd encountered.
"On the way to Lothgar," Pay Ling said, "a Senior Brother named Cheung Joer'tin wanted to test my strength to ensure I wouldn't be a burden during the mission. His cultivation was only one minor layer above mine, but I was defeated after just a short exchange. It just goes to show how truly talented you are, Senior Brother Zheng! To defeat someone an entire phase above you—that's real genius!"
Hearing Pay Ling's words, Zheng Kinson's lips twitched, but his mood lifted slightly.
Ever since Miu Tyanh had beaten him unconscious in front of several junior brothers, his prestige had taken a nosedive. To make matters worse, his senior sister, Fairy Lith, had just announced her highness's seclusion for training, leaving him without her protection. He was left to face this storm alone.
Miu Tyanh had deliberately spread the incident far and wide, and rumors swirled that he had the backing of Sect Successor Chou. Successor Chou had always been at odds with Fairy Lith, chafing under her power shadow. The whole affair had become a laughingstock throughout the inner sect.
That was why Zheng Kinson had retreated to his courtyard villa, using the excuse of cultivation to avoid the mocking glances and whispers.
Pay Ling's relentless praise, though initially embarrassing, began to strike a chord. The constant hyping of his abilities stung his bruised pride, but now he couldn't help but feel that there might be some truth to it.
"After all, that damn Miu Tyanh was at the Advanced-Phase of Foundation Stage!" Zheng Kinson thought to himself: "Is it really embarrassing or shameful for me to lose to Miu Tyanh when I'm only at the Mid-Phase of Foundation Stage? Absolutely not. Losing to someone an entire phase above me is natural—it's expected."
On the other hand, Miu Tyanh, despite barging into Zheng Kinson's villa with all his bluster and might, had ultimately chickened out. He hadn't dared to actually kill Zheng to avenge his kin brother. What a coward, Zheng Kinson cursed bitterly.
Pay Ling, of course, had no idea what his Senior Brother Zheng was thinking. But when he noticed Zheng Kinson's expression softening, he felt a flicker of relief and decided to steer clear of discussing his mission further. After all, explaining the deaths of Chen Haunt and his crew would be tricky. If he concealed the details and Zheng Kinson found out later, it might damage their rapport. Better to avoid the topic altogether.
Instead, Pay Ling shifted focus, repeatedly recounting the scene where he had lost to Cheung Joer'tin on the Corpse Cloud, using it as a springboard to highlight Zheng Kinson's "glorious achievements." The more he praised, the wider Zheng Kinson's grin grew, until he was practically beaming. Sensing the harmonious atmosphere was just right, Pay Ling finally broached his real purpose: "Senior Brother Zheng, I've just entered the Holy Sect and have run into some trouble. I was wondering if you could offer me some advice?"
Zheng Kinson, now in high spirits, quickly ran the numbers in his head. Pay Ling was someone Senior Sister Fairy Lith had personally brought into the sect. With her currently in seclusion, it fell to him to look after this kid. Besides, despite Pay Ling's humble origins, he was clearly sharp and emotionally intelligent—evidenced by his thoughtful gift of spirit stones. Sure, mere 10 D$t were practically pocket change, but the gesture showed Pay Ling wasn't clueless about how cultivation society worked.
Zheng Kinson figured the so-called trouble couldn't be anything too serious—certainly not a request for money rental or some earth-shattering crisis.
Feeling magnanimous, he puffed out his chest and declared proudly, "Junior Brother Pay, don't you worry. Although I'm just one of the thirteen Bloodline Lords in the inner sect, there's barely any outer sect affair that's a real big deal for me. If you've got trouble, just spill it! Brother Pay, I've got your back."
Pay Ling heaved a sigh of relief—thirteen spirit stones well spent! He quickly seized the moment and said, "Well, Senior Brother, on the very first day I joined the sect, my dorm mates—Lee Sagwon, Miu Toanh, and Chou Ease—took a liking to the Blade of Life Hater that you so generously gifted me. Not only did they try to snatch it away, but they were also incredibly disrespectful, even trash-talking you in their words! I, Pay Ling, have been deeply grateful to you, Senior Brother. How could I tolerate them insulting you like that?!"
He paused for effect, his voice growing more impassioned. "Even though I'm weak and inexperienced, I couldn't stand by and let them tarnish your reputation. I fought tooth and nail, risking my life to defend your honor! In the end, I managed to cut all three of them down with the Blade of Life Hater!"
Pay Ling glossed over the finer details of the fight, keeping it vague but dramatic. Then, with a pleading look, he added, "Now, the relatives and friends of those three are out for my blood. They're furious and want revenge. Senior Brother Zheng, I'm in desperate need of your protection. Please, shield this humble junior from harm!"