Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 108: Quarters of Female Disciples

Lady Xueyan sat back down, her movements tinged with anger. Wuyi sensed her emotional imbalance, likely due to the loss of the elder. After all, she was the pavilion's leader.

"I'm not certain that hiring you is the right course of action," she said.

"It may not be," Wuyi agreed. "But you summoned me and my faction because we are perhaps the only group of cultivators willing to undertake such a task, one that other factions might deem too dangerous or beneath them. And so, here we are. We have travelled long; my men need to be compensated, or they might become displeased.

I don't think you want a group of displeased Qi warriors on your doorstep, Lady." His voice had unconsciously softened.

"Is that a threat?" she inquired.

Ignoring her question, Wuyi reached into his storage bag again and pulled out an enchanted paper holding an arrow.

Lady Xueyan recoiled as if it were venomous. "My men discovered this," he said.

She turned her face away.

"You have a traitor among you," he declared, rising from his seat. "Elder Xingchen had an arrow in her back while she was facing something unimaginably horrific."

He continued, "I'll take a walk along your fortifications. You need time to decide whether you want our assistance or not."

"Your presence here may bring turmoil, not tranquility," she said, her eyes narrowing.

"We offer not tranquility, but a group of Qi Warriors who are here to solve the problem that you need to be solved, Lady," Wuyi responded, his tone measured. "We don't instigate chaos; there is no wealth in it, so you can be assured."

"Our role isn't to create conflict; we merely address it when it presents itself to us." He spoke this line, which was from one of the scriptures of the righteous faction he had read.

"Even malevolent spirits can cite holy texts," she retorted.

"Perhaps they even had a role in composing them," Wuyi countered.

She paused, visibly restraining herself from responding to his provocation. Wuyi felt a fleeting pang of regret for needling her.

"It's a bit late to ponder peace now," he said, his smile brief and fleeting. He could try to calm her with the statue of harmony, but he did not understand the depth of this lady or this ancient stronghold. Before understanding them, he was not going to act rashly.

"I understand you were expecting a group of righteous warriors to fight for you, ladies. Though we are righteous, we fight only for wealth. My men are restless, lacking both sustenance and employment for some time as we travelled long and far. They have not been paid. Consider this not as a threat, but as a factor in your decision-making.

Moreover, the entity you're dealing with is far more formidable than you or even I had anticipated. It's strong, irate, cunning, and likely not alone."

She flinched. "Give me some time to contemplate," she said.

Acknowledging her with a bow, Wuyi returned to the courtyard where his men stood, their dark garments contrasting sharply against the grey backdrop. "Relax," he told them.

They all exhaled in unison, stretching limbs fatigued from their Qi armor inside their cloaks. They had come prepared.

"Have we secured the job?" Jia inquired, his voice tinged with anticipation.

Wuyi avoided eye contact, his attention caught by a face peering from an open window across the courtyard. "Not yet. We're still under consideration," he said, gesturing subtly toward the window.

The face disappeared.

Shen, who was the brother of Baijian and Boluo and had also reached Qi adept level, grumbled, "This uncertainty isn't good for morale, Young Master."

Wuyi glanced at him briefly before returning his gaze to the Sleeping Quarters windows.

"More maidens are observing us at this moment than have ever graced my bed," Jia remarked.

Yun Ming responded seriously, "So, none?"

Dierke, one of the other warriors, let out a loud laugh. He joined the discussion, reminiscent of his days, "One time I met one ascetic girl on my journey; she said she was untouched," he said, feigning a whine. "Or so she assured! Until I found she was untouched just that day."

No one from a distance would believe all the black-dressed, masked, dangerous-looking men would be joking about such things.

Many of the initiates and adepts chuckled.

"I have decided to give our potential benefactor some time for contemplation," Wuyi announced.

Shen let out a sardonic laugh. "Letting her simmer to increase our worth, eh?" He gestured toward the temple, where a monk stood still. "That one doesn't seem too fond of us."

The monk retreated into the temple, and the warriors chuckled.

Jia chuckled and moved forward towards Wuyi and spoke. "What are your orders, Young Master?"

"I have something to investigate," Wuyi replied, his smile tinged with irony. He took a few steps toward the smithy, moved toward a shadow, focused his Qi, and disappeared from sight.

"Where did he go?" Jia wondered aloud.

Shen shifted the weight of his Qi-infused armor.

"How does he manage that?" he asked Yun Ming. To most of them, the Young Master was still a mystery; only Yun Ming knew most of his secrets in this world.

Wuyi, now appeared twenty paces away, passed the smithy as if he were a wind. Yun Ming silenced Jia with a hand before he could call out. Adepts noticed him moving towards the female disciples' Quarters.

"Our chances just plummeted. We were supposed to get cultivation materials here. His visiting the quarters of female disciples isn't going to please our employer," Tao commented, his eyes meeting Dierke's. "I told you the young master is too young."

Yun Ming removed his hand from Jia's mouth. "He has his methods," he said, shaking his head subtly.

Tao sighed and looked up toward the window.

Wuyi moved away from the horses, confident that the monk or observers in the window would be too preoccupied to notice him. He walked softly, ensuring his cloak made no noise.

Upon reaching the door to the disciples' quarters, he accessed the sacred chamber and chanted, "Iterum idem,". The statue of shadow stirred, reinforcing his concealment.