"Xiao Dong …" Liu Cheng pondered but he didn't feel like he had heard anything about him. "Who is he?"
Ma Zhi Wu lowered his gaze. He didn't mind telling them about Qiu Ling since there wasn't much to say that they didn't know yet and he was sure that Qiu Ling would be saved if something happened to him. With Xiao Dong, things were a little different. He was only a simple disciple of the inner sect, not even a head disciple like himself. Who would go and look for him if he was kidnapped by the Chun Feng Sect? This was much more dangerous than giving out information about Qiu Ling. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay quiet.
"He was originally a disciple of the outer sect. If I'm not wrong, he was taking in with that other disciple I already told you about. Later on, the two of them were brought to the inner sect by Elder Wang."
"Who is the other disciple?"
Ma Zhi Wu shook his head. "You can try to find out on your own. I will accept that you try to go against these so-called 'demons' since that's what you do but I won't help you involve others."
Liu Cheng scoffed. "What a bold thing to say after you had us involve Nian Hong Fang."
Ma Zhi Wu's eyes narrowed. "I don't think you can compare that at all. Xiao Fang and I —"
"There is no Nian Hong Fang and you. You've just used him so don't try to use that as an excuse."
Ma Zhi Wu harrumphed and turned his face away. There was no use in talking with these people. They wouldn't understand. They were too insistent on their own perception of everyone with demonic blood being evil. Regardless of what he said or did, he wouldn't be able to convince them. He was already prejudged, unable to influence the final verdict they would give. It had been like that five years ago and it was still that way now. Nothing would change about this.
Liu Cheng furrowed his brows when Ma Zhi Wu stopped talking. "What? Do you want to go back on your word now? We should have expected that I guess."
Ma Zhi Wu sighed and looked up at the ceiling, feeling defeated. There was nothing he could do. This kind of helplessness … it didn't suit him at all but he didn't know how to change his situation. "I'm not going back on my word. I just don't want you to hurt somebody else."
"We're not hurting anybody. So what do you know?"
"That Xiao Dong is a practitioner, very talented with the sword. There's something strange about him though. Since the day he entered the sect, he hasn't aged at all. He still looks just like when he became an outer sect disciple."
Liu Cheng looked at his Master. This was also something that was typical for demons. They didn't age like humans. So even before they reached a certain stage it would look like they didn't age for several years before slight signs of change could be perceived. It seemed they already had the confirmation that this golden-haired person was a demon. Not that they had ever doubted this result.
Liu Cheng turned back to Ma Zhi Wu. "What else can you tell us about him?"
Ma Zhi Wu shrugged his shoulders. "Not much. Five years have gone by. I took care of them a bit when they entered the inner sect since I am friends with one of Elder Wang's other disciples but that was it. I wouldn't know what progress they've made in the meantime or what they're doing right now."
Liu Cheng exhaled, his hands clenching on top of the table. This guy was trying to play them! He had promised them information but he was always pretending he didn't know anything else other than some basic information. He hadn't expected anything else from a demon but it was still frustrating to suffer such a setback after giving in to his demand. With that, hadn't they inconvenienced Nian Hong Fang without reason?
Xian Xun also wasn't happy but he hid his contempt slightly better. "It's to be expected that you don't know about recent information but what about before that? What were their strengths and weaknesses? What about that Xiao Dong's relationship to that other disciple? Are they 'lovers'? 'Friends'? Or something else?"
"As I said, Xiao Dong seemed to be well-versed with the sword. His movements were like right out of the textbook. I'm not sure about it but it might be that he had been trained before entering the sect or received training from somebody while in the outer sect. It could have been Elder Wang if he saw his talent but I can't say that for sure. It also could have been somebody else. Anyway, the way he used the weapon wasn't like somebody who learned without guidance."
Xian Xun nodded. He didn't believe that it had been Elder Wang. Instead, it was likely that it had been another demon. With more than one being there, it was likely that this was a plot they were in together. One of them might be the mastermind that trained the others so that they could also get into the inner sect and help him accomplish his goals.
Ma Zhi Wu had been in the Yun Zou Sect for a long time already so it could have been him but even after five years in their dungeon, nobody had come out to save him. Then again, that didn't have to mean anything. Demons were selfish creatures by nature. Naturally, they wouldn't put themselves in danger for somebody else. In fact, they might welcome that the one controlling them had disappeared and try to put themselves into his previous position, gaining control over the whole situation and broadening their influence. It would fit with their style of doing things.
But if it wasn't Ma Zhi Wu, then Grandmaster Zhangsun's disciple would be the most likely suspect. He also had the most favorable position in the sect to implement any plans. In that case, they had to find out more about him and make sure that they apprehended him as fast as possible. They just had to make plans …