Taking a deep breath, Elder Yuan sighed, âEver since you took your seat as Sect Leader, I have not once heard you address me as master!â
Xie Wuyueâs eyes shook, nodding, âBecause master once said that the ruler of a sect drives the entire sect, wielding absolute power above anyone elseâs. I could only keep the word master in my heart and never utter it. After that day, the Demon Scheming Sect only had Sect Leader Xuan and High Venerable Yuan Xinggang, nothing more, nothing less. Thereâs no other meaning to it.â
âDo you still remember my teaching? Then you should know that when the bigger picture is involved, I donât make decisions based on feelings.â
Elder Yuan let out a long breath then walked as he said, âStep down, taking a leisure Venerable office. Zhuo Fan wonât go as far as kill for my sake. Itâs great that I also have the True Self Art I mentioned once, and can help you to understand it with the time youâll have. Being so high in status for so long, youâve let your emotions control you. Stepping down and pondering on Dao might be the best thing for youâŠâ
Xie Wuyueâs face twitched. He clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth, âMaster, are you that heartless? Would you rather get an outsider on my seat than help me keep it?â
âItâs not a matter of wanting, itâs that providence made it so I canâtâŠâ
âHumph, providence?â
Xie Wuyue flicked his sleeve as he roared, âYou just think Zhuo Fan has those geezers under his thumb and now you donât want to see the sect suffer. But have you ever thought that without rules thereâs only chaos. If Demon Scheming Sectâs Sect Leader can be taken so easily, whatâs the point of sect rules? How will the sect be ruled later? Wonât it be a mess?â
Elder Yuan turned around to look into Xie Wuyueâs crazed eyes and chuckled, âWuyue, you really need to step down. As far as we know, if you get public support, you can have the world. It doesnât matter if itâs done by lying or stealing. The important thing is to understand it. Do you know why I was content with staying at the Labor Office for the past centuries? It wasnât just for peace of mind, it was because that was the closest place to true human nature, where the publicâs will was most obvious. Youâve been standing above everyone for too long youâve already gone blind to it. You need to step down and ponder on the true Dao.â
âHumph, ponder what? Dao what? Who doesnât know that in this world power is everything? What good will having Dao in your mind do to make me stronger? Nothing!â
Stomping, Xie Wuyue glared as he cursed, âHigh Venerable, youâve been around those stinkinâ laborers for too long and became weak. Youâre no longer the best expert in the Demon Scheming Sect who held supreme power. A mere Zhuo Fan got a bunch of ninnies to take arms and already got you scared. Now you come to me to step down and learn some weird True Self Art? Humph, master, to be honest, I never gave a damn about that art. What other use is there to it than to look weaker? I am the great Sect Leader of the Demon Scheming Sect. I need to show them all my strength and get their respect. Iâm not like you, always with your nose down.â
Xie Wuyueâs yelling shook Elder Yuan to the core. He was in pain as his withered white hair blew with every outburst from Xie Wuyue.
Elder Yuan did not react, he was just extremely disappointed in his disciple he helped so many years. âI now see I shouldnât have given the True Self Art to you. You canât see its value and just throw it away like junk. Thank god thereâs still Zhuo FanâŠâ
Elder Yuan closed his eyes and turned around. As he opened them again, gone was the pain and sadness, replaced by resolve and force as he spoke, âLetâs go out together. Iâve already drawn out a reason for your stepping down.â
Elder Yuan stepped towards the door once more, with conviction.
âMaster, you canât do this! Iâm your only discipleâŠâ
Bam!
Elder Yuanâs shut the door as Xie Wuyue wailed behind him without remorse, leaving him all alone.
[Master, are you that heartless?]
Xie Wuyueâs eyes shook and he closed them. He gnashed his teeth and dug his nails into his palms in anger.
[How the hell is that punk so much better than me that even my own master would forsake meâŠ]
Letting out a long breath, Xie Wuyueâs eyes shone with bloodlust.
Meanwhile, Elder Yuan looked calm but his heart was filled with pain and sorrow. His disciple who used to care so much about the sect just like him was now trapped in a deep whirlpool, offering the old man only disappointment and regret.
Zhuo Fan stood up and bowed, âMaster!â
âYouâre about to be Sect Leader. Itâs best if you call me High Venerable. In the Demon Scheming Sect, status must be clearly defined in private and public, and not let emotion interfere with it.â Elder Yuan chuckled, preaching as he did back then with Xie Wuyue.
Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow and said, âMaster is mistaken. Status must be upheld, but now Iâm not fulfilling my duty as the Sect Leader. Since I see you as my master, before you is your disciple. And itâs only natural for a disciple to show respect to his master.â
Startled, Elder Yuan gave him a long look then sighed, âI see it now, private is private while public is public. When there was primal chaos, heaven and earth were one, but as the yin and yang separated, so did the two. That means private and public are interchangeable, how foolish of me. Pushing him towards power and not giving him any friendship had made him turn out like this. Itâs all my fault.â
âUhm, master, what do you mean?â Zhuo Fan was stunned.
Elder Yuan chuckled and shook his head, âNothing, I just have one request. Xie Wuyue would come out and maybe heâll step down. For the safety of the sect, he mustnât get involved with more people. While a newly ascended emperor makes bold policies and snuffs out his remaining rivals, the Demon Scheming Sect is small and wonât survive such a purge.â
âOh, sure. Since master asked, I of course wonât deny High Venerableâs suggestion. At worst, Iâll just be thrown off my seat and will have to just leave. I donât care much for it anyway, ha-ha-haâŠâ Zhuo Fan nodded and laughed as he looked at Chu Qingcheng.
She nodded, not minding it at all.
Elder Yuan gave a heartfelt nod, but had a bitter smile inside.
[Zhuo Fan said that heâll consider the Demon Scheming Sect as his home with me here, but in the end he doesnât see it like that. Or else he wouldnât disregard being a Sect Leader so much.]
[Just what can I do to make him see the sect as his home? I have to settle this or the kid will just run off.]
Creak~
A door opened and Xie Wuyue came out with a dark face. He still had a foul look when he saw Zhuo Fan, but he was no longer crazed.
Elder Yuan spoke, âWell? Have you decided?â
âYeah.â
Totally unwilling to do this, Xie Wuyue still gave a nod.
Letting out a deep breath, Elder Yuan ignored him as he spoke to the couple, âYou three follow me. Itâs time we settle this.â
Elder Yuan was the first to walk ahead. Zhuo Fan, Chu Qingcheng and Xie Wuyue were right behind him.
Rumble~
With a heavy sound, the Main Hallâs doors opened. The crowd outside quickly turned their heads around.
Venerable Baiâs side had been tense all this time. Would Steward Zhuo get killed? How were they to carry out the uprising then?
Fortune had it that they soon saw Zhuo Fan and Chu Qingcheng coming out and let out a relieved breath.
The eyes turned to Elder Yuan, waiting for him to explain what had transpired inside.
Knowing their desires, Elder Yuan coughed before shouting, âDemon Scheming Sect, listen up! In view of Demon Scheming Sect disciple, Zhuo Fanâs exceptional conduct and remarkable achievement at Double Dragon Gathering in fighting for our sectâs honor, of the glorious win he had gotten by leading the sectâs experts and defeating Mystical Heaven Sect, after thorough deliberating with the Sect Leader, Sect Leader decided to step down, letting Zhuo Fan take his place. Please look forward to the ceremony being held tomorrow!â
[Come again?]
Everyone went slack-jawed. Venerable Shi and the Labor Officeâs oldies were all standing there incredulously at what they heard.
[High Venerable forced Sect Leader to step down so Zhuo Fan would go up?]
With Xie Wuyueâs vile temper, they could guess he would never accept this, unless High Venerable gave him no choice.
They all looked at Elder Yuan in shock and puzzlement.
They all knew the relationship between High Venerable and Sect Leader, but no one thought heâd side with Zhuo Fan still.
There was no attempt at crushing the uprising, nor stalling the situation. He helped them instead!
This decision was beyond perplexing. Not even Venerable Shi could make sense of itâŠ
âWuyueâŠâ
High Venerable looked at Xie Wuyue.
Xie Wuyue gnashed his teeth and stepped forward, forced to do this against his will, âThe Sect Leader is someone of ability. Zhuo Fanâs merits are unprecedented and I shall step down, offering my last meager help for the sectâs bright future.â
Xie Wuyue said that last part like he was choking. It was utterly humiliating for a proud man like him to say that he was beneath a disciple.
Elder Yuan chuckled and turned to the people, âTomorrow, the Sect Leader succession ceremony shall take place along with one more happy event. We will hold for our brand new Sect Leader a grand wedding, to celebrate the union between Sect Leader and his lady!â