Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 278: Sect Internal Situation
Qianfeng Mountain is under the jurisdiction of Xuanyuan Sect’s Xijiang County.

In the brightly lit room, Wei Wuya, the head of Xuanyuan Sect, and Hong Haoran, the head of Beast Taming Sect, sat down as host and guest, discussing confidential matters.

"Our sect has decided to have one last talk with them. If we can reach an agreement, that would be great. If not, we will have no choice but to go to war."

Wei Wuya nodded: "Your Majesty, just go ahead and do it. We will support you."

"I have another request."

"Fellow Daoist Hong, please speak."

"I would like to go to your sect to pay a visit to Senior Yin. I hope you can introduce me."

"Oh? Why does Fellow Daoist Hong want to see Uncle Master Yin?"

"I know that Senior Yin of your sect and Senior Qi Xiaoyun are old friends. I heard that Qi Yunxuan has visited Senior Yin many times since arriving in Xijiang County. I am going here to, firstly, explain our sect's stance to Senior Yin, and secondly, to try to persuade him. If Senior Yin can speak or write a letter to Qi Yunxuan, I believe it will be helpful for the future peace of Xijiang County. Even if war ultimately breaks out, our sect will inform all parties in advance and do its utmost to be benevolent and righteous."

Wei Wuya gave him a meaningful look and said, "Okay, I can introduce you to someone like you."

…………

After returning from Bianxi City, Song Xian immediately summoned the sect's core disciples to discuss matters. He briefly recounted his conversation with Jiang Feng and asked everyone to be prepared. Once the Beastmaster Sect and Xuanyuan Sect went to war, there was a high probability that the Hunyuan Sect would be recruited.

In order to deal with possible unrest in the future, he made a series of deployments, such as strengthening the defense of the mountain gate, ensuring the safety of the gambling city and the inspection area, communicating with the various sects in Bianxia Town, holding sect competitions, and selecting outstanding disciples.

At the end of June in the year 187 of Daoding, the Hunyuan Sect held its first sect competition.

All disciples can participate, and a large amount of money will be taken out from the treasury to reward disciples with outstanding performance. Not only that, the top ten disciples in the competition will also be promoted.

After the news came out, it immediately caused heated discussions in the sect, and many people were eager to try. On the day of the competition, a total of more than 60 disciples signed up to participate.

Hunyuan Sect currently has more than 300 disciples, nearly 40 of whom are in the late Qi Refining stage, and many middle Qi Refining disciples are also participating.

Anyway, there is no fee, and if you can win a place, you will get a reward. If you don’t, there is no loss, so many people sign up with the mentality of joining in the fun.

Of course, not all disciples in the late Qi Refining stage participated.

Core members of the sect such as George Lam, Zhong Wenyuan, Lu Yuan, and Zhang Ningyuan did not participate since they were servants. They were already independent in the sect, and even if they won a place, they would only get more spirit stones and magic tools as rewards, and their positions could not be higher.

If you lose, it will be embarrassing and you will be laughed at.

Therefore, those who participated were disciples who were in the middle and lower levels of positions.

On the day of the competition, it was naturally very lively. After all, it was a rare event for the sect, and many disciples who did not participate in the competition also flocked to watch.

Song Xian personally presided over the opening ceremony and announced that today would be the date for the sect competition, which would be held every ten years thereafter.

The competition lasted for several days and ten disciples were selected.

When it came to the top ten competition, Song Xian attended every match in person and asked all members of the sect cabinet to come as well.

For disciples with outstanding performance, Song Xian would even pay out of his own pocket to give them some talismans, magic tools or spirit stones as rewards.

In the end, the top ten contestants were decided, and the first place was none other than Hu Xiaobao, with whom he had a close relationship.

Ever since the incident in the market town of Bianxia, ​​when Hu Xiaobao was captured and tortured by the Kong family, his temper finally became restrained. He changed his previous lazy, cynical and naughty habits and began to practice diligently.

This incident had a huge impact on him, making him deeply aware of the cruelty of the spiritual world.

In the past, he was like a flower in a greenhouse. Relying on the doting of Old Man Hu and his relationship with Song Xian, and being the only cultivator with a single spiritual root in the sect, he did whatever he wanted in the sect and looked down on everyone.

It was not until he was framed by the Kong family and imprisoned in the basement and tortured for more than ten days that he realized that what he had was not worth mentioning in the eyes of others. If he wanted to gain the respect of others and not be bullied, he had to have power himself.

It can be said that the Kong family taught him a good lesson. Since then, his personality has become much calmer, and he is almost a completely different person compared to before.

His cultivation has now reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, and his performance in this competition can be said to be stunning and far ahead of everyone else.

Relying on his single spiritual root and innate magical powers, he easily defeated Yaduhan, the deputy head of the Punishment Hall, who had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

At the end of the competition, Hu Xiaobao defeated his opponent and stepped forward to bow with a calm expression. When he humbly said the word "acceptance", Song Xian in the viewing stand also showed a gratified smile.

…………

After the competition, Song Xian promoted some people with outstanding performance, but did not promote Hu Xiaobao. He only gave him some extra rewards.

Hu Xiaobao is already the deputy chief of the guard battalion. Above him are the chief positions of each hall and each battalion. These positions are held by the core members of the sect and are all disciples of the sect's cabinet, so it is not easy to replace them.

In the days that followed, the sect's affairs proceeded in an orderly manner as before, and Song Xian focused most of his energy on the development of the gambling city.

Thanks to his relentless publicity campaign, several more forces have moved into the casino and some shops have opened.

Nowadays, the number of visitors to the casino remains at around two to three hundred people per day. Although it is far from the target, it is already quite popular.

One has to eat one bite at a time, and it is impossible to increase popularity drastically all at once, but he believes that as his fame spreads, more people will come.

Time flies, and a few months pass in the blink of an eye.

The war that Song Xian had originally worried about did not break out. Yun Xuanzong and the Beastmaster Sect seemed to have reached an agreement, and at least the conflict was not intensified.

Yun Xuanzong did not send anyone to Luoyun Sect to raise the issue of taxation again, and Jiang Feng also provided corresponding information, confirming that Yun Xuanzong finally compromised.

.........

Huang He pushed the door open and walked into the dim secret room of the majestic mansion. A thin man sitting inside immediately stood up and called out "Brother" when he saw him coming.

Although the Tianshan Sect has been incorporated into the Hunyuan Sect, the former Tianshan monks still maintain their previous address habits, and generally call their close superiors "Big Brother".

Huang He was originally a senior member of the Tianshan Sect. Now he was valued by Song Xian and promoted to a member of the cabinet and served as the head of the Supervisory Hall. Therefore, most of the Qin monks in the Tianshan Sect followed him as their leader.

"How's the investigation going?" Huang He waved his hand and motioned the man to take a seat.

"We've found a lot of clues. I think it's almost time to close the net." The man flipped his hand and handed him a stack of files.

Huang He took it and read it carefully for a long time: "Don't alert the enemy. First, arrest the person with solid evidence. It would be best if we can follow the clues and bring in more of their people."

"I know how to do it."

"Are they keeping an eye on them?"

"Watching."

"Then let's do it! Capture these two first, and be careful not to let the news leak out."

"I understand. But what about Vice Palace Master Huang? If he wants to mobilize manpower, he definitely won't be able to hide it." "Don't worry, I'll talk to him. You go and prepare!"

"Okay." The man responded and left.

Looking at his receding back, Huang He narrowed his eyes slightly. He had made up his mind to do this action. The reason why it was so secretive was because the person he was dealing with was not ordinary.

His target this time was none other than the sect elder Alan Tam.

In fact, he had long known that George Lam had been secretly instructing his trusted subordinates to enrich himself, but he had not taken action before because the conflict between the two sides had not yet reached that point.

However, in recent times, the frequent personnel transfers by George Lam and Zhong Wenyuan have obviously suppressed his faction. Several people who were originally in important positions, such as the heads of some resource areas, and disciples in charge of the casino and inspection area, have been replaced by their people.

This made him feel intolerable, so he decided to fight back.

Among the members of the sect's cabinet, former disciples of the Qingyun Sect accounted for the majority. Of the nine people in the cabinet, five were originally from the Qingyuan Sect.

In addition, Zhong Wenyuan and Lin Zixiang are the chief and second in command of the cabinet, so he has no say at all in the cabinet meetings. Although he opposes every time, he cannot change any results.

Fortunately, he also serves as the head of the Supervisory Hall. It is his job to supervise and investigate the disciples of the sect, and he does not need the permission of the cabinet. This gives him the power to fight back.

He had to fight back. In this position, he needed to give an explanation to the Tianshan monks led by himself. They had been bullying him to the point of being arrogant. If he endured it, he would lose all his prestige.

And those Tianshan monks who followed him would change their ways and no longer obey him.

After so many years of getting along, he has figured out Song Xian's character and knows that Song Xian cares very much about the dignity of the sect and his personal prestige.

Although George Lam is an elder of the sect and has a close relationship with Song Xian, if we can get evidence that he accepted bribes and instructed his disciples to embezzle money, he can definitely be brought down.

Just like Xu Ning and Cheng Qian before, no one thought that the two would be sentenced to twenty years in prison, and Song Xian made the decision almost against all odds.

If George Lam could be removed from the cabinet this time, even if it was just replaced by a relatively neutral person, his situation would be much better.

Of course, such a break-up is inherently risky, but he has no choice but to take a gamble.

………………

"Senior Brother Huang, what's the matter that you want me to see you?" Huang Ye walked into the spacious and bright hall, greeted him and sat down below.

Since the Tianshan Sect was merged into the Hunyuan Sect, all the people in the sect have been treating each other as brothers.

"Junior Brother Huang, take a look at this." Huang He handed over a stack of files. "This was sent by Feng Jie, the head of the Asset Investigation Peak. While reviewing the sect's resources, they discovered evidence of embezzlement by the director of the Crystal Sand Mine and the owner of a Feihuang Town shop."

Huang Ye took the file and looked through it for a while, then said calmly, "When did Feng Jie start investigating these two people? How come I didn't know about it?"

"I received a tip from a secret tip, so I secretly ordered Feng Jie to investigate. Since I had no hard evidence and was afraid that the news would leak out, I didn't tell you in advance."

Huang Ye nodded. He certainly knew that Feng Jie was Huang He's confidant. He was just a little dissatisfied with the two of them secretly conspiring without telling him, so he mentioned it. However, there was nothing wrong with this matter itself, so he did not dwell on it.

"Now that the investigation has reached this point, what are you going to do next, Senior Brother Huang?"

"I have ordered Feng Jie to organize elite personnel to secretly arrest these two people for interrogation. These two people must be involved with other sect disciples. By following the clues, we can catch them all in one fell swoop. But we must not let the news leak out. Once the news is leaked, I am afraid we will return empty-handed." Huang He said.

He knew that Huang Ye was not from Qingyun Sect, but a surrendered cultivator from Luofeng Valley. He was not in the same camp as Zhong Wenyuan, Lin Zixiang and others. Now that he was the deputy director of the Supervisory Hall, monitoring corruption was his job, and he would not tip off them.

Besides, it is unlikely that this matter could be done without Huang Ye's knowledge.

"Since Senior Brother Huang has already made the arrangements, let's do as you say!"

………………

At night, the moon is as bright as day.

Feihuang Town Market, Hunyuan Pavilion Shop.

In the backyard, a middle-aged man was checking the account books.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open and several disciples dressed in Hunyuan Sect uniforms walked in.

"What are you doing?" The middle-aged man slammed the table and stood up, looking at them in shock and anger.

"Junior Brother Yan, don't resist in vain. It's not good for you. Just come with us honestly!" The leading man flipped his hand and took out a file signed and sealed by the Inspector General.

"You have no right to do this." The man surnamed Yan shouted in fear.

"Of course we do. With the exception of the cabinet disciples, all disciples of the sect must unconditionally accept investigation and questioning by the Inspection Hall. The shops will be temporarily sealed and all account books will be taken away."

…………

In the majestic mansion of Tianshan Mountain, George Lam suddenly opened his eyes and heard a knock on the door. Realizing that something big must have happened, he quickly got up and opened the room. He saw a handsome man standing outside with an anxious and frightened look on his face.

"Brother Lin, something bad has happened."

"What's wrong? Don't worry, speak slowly."

"People from the Supervisory Hall just arrested Junior Brother Cao Qiyuan."

"What?" Lin Zixiang frowned immediately: "Are you sure?"

"It's absolutely true. The person has been brought back from the Star Sand Mine."

Lin Zixiang's eyes flickered: "You come in first."

The two entered the inner room and held a secret meeting there. Meanwhile, in the Supervisory Hall, Huang He and Huang Ye were also interrogating Cao Qiyuan, the head of the Xingsha Mine.

"Junior Brother Cao, we already know a lot about your situation. If you keep telling us, we can give you a lighter punishment."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Cao Qiyuan's face turned pale.

"The managers of the Xingsha Mine have all been brought back. If you don't speak up, someone will. The miners are also being questioned. It will all be clear if we ask you if you've embezzled money. From what I understand, the Xingsha Mine produces no less than 1,300 kilograms annually, yet you report less than 1,000 kilograms annually."

Cao Qiyuan kept his mouth tightly shut and said nothing.

Huang He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "I know you can't handle so many spirit stones by yourself. If you can reveal the person behind you and make meritorious contributions, I promise that your punishment will be reduced. To tell you the truth, you're not the only one brought back by the Supervisory Hall this time."

"Junior Brother Yan Kuan, you should be very familiar with him! He was also brought here, right next door. We already have evidence that he embezzled money. If you are unwilling to speak, you will be passive if he speaks."

Huang Ye on the side glanced at him and then looked away.

Cao Qiyuan's throat moved slightly, but he still said nothing.

(End of this chapter)