"Yue'er, how is your practice of Demon Devouring Sabre going? Are you confident in this outer sect promotion?" Yue Ling smiled at her baby sister.
Faltering for a moment, Yue'er revealed a disarming smile, "It won't be a problem."
Nearby, Kui Lang was patting his son's shoulder, laughing, "You better become an inner disciple in this competition, or all your old man's effort would be for naught."
"Dad, I won't let you down." The youth's eyes showed conviction.
Kui Lang smiled in pride with Yue Ling.
"Yue Ling, who do you think will win if my son and your sister fight?" Kui Lang raised an eyebrow.
Yue Ling held supreme confidence, "Yue'er, of course."
"No, it's my son. He's stronger!" Kui Lang shook his head.
Yue Ling glared, "My sister!"
"My son!"
"Sister!"
The two went back and forth, with the argument getting heated by the second. While Yue'er and the youth just shrugged.
[The outer sect competition is around the corner and you're squabbling as if you're the one going up there!]
Zhuo Fan crept up on them like a ghost, saying, "Uh, it's more likely to end as a draw. No one's really better than the other, they're equal. Right?"
Ugh!
The two focused their anger on Zhuo Fan, shouting, "Beat it!"
Shirking, Zhuo Fan grinned and walked away.
Kui Lang glared, "Zhuo Fan, what a rotten mouth you have. My son is about to enter the competition, yet you have nothing nice to say? Are you mocking him instead, hoping that he would lose?"
"If anything happens to Yue'er, you will be sorry!" Yue Ling's eyes grew savage like a tigress, baring her fangs.
Zhuo Fan shrugged, "Not my problem. And you started it. In the competition, it is either win-lose, lose-win, or draw. How could they have a smooth sailing?"
Oh…
They were left speechless, resorting to snorts and flicking their sleeves.
"Zhuo Fan, you sure pack a sharp mouth!" Kui Lang sighed, feeling powerless.
This punk would one day kill me due to anger alone.
Yue'er pouted and sulked. [I get that he always annoys me every time we meet, but why is sister enraged too?]
While the young man was dumbfounded at the weird scene.
His old man was pretty well known even among the inner sect, [Ending up cast out in the Labor Office ought to make him king.]
But who was this guy with clearly weaker cultivation, to talk back to his dad? [And why isn't dad doing anything about it?]
This situation stinks to high heaven.
Looking at the cringing laborers standing in line, only Zhuo Fan did what he wanted, to perform his circus act as a mockery to these two leaders. It only worked to deepen his doubts though.
"Uh, dad, he is…" The youth pointed at Zhuo Fan.
Kui Lang groaned, to which Zhuo Fan laughed and stuck out his chest, "I am your father's fellow disciple, Zhuo Fan. Since you're his son, call me senior uncle Zhuo for now."
"Senior Uncle Zhuo, I am Kui Gang, greetings…" The kid got intimidated and responded quickly.
While Kui Lang rushed over and helped his son up while cursing, "Gang'er, you can't be so naive to get duped so easily. This punk is some prodigal son for sure. But he has nothing to do with me at all so how can you call him senior uncle?"
Kui Lang glared at Zhuo Fan, "Rotten punk, I can take your crass remarks and quips but know when to quit. Don't ever mess with my son!"
"So what if I call you my fellow brother, it is your honor. When your son comes crying to his uncle, I might just ignore him." Zhuo Fan shrugged with a grin that deserved a beating. Kui Lang was about to blow a gasket, yet had no way to vent.
Kui Gang was dumbstruck. Why all the mockery then, if the young guy wasn't his dad's fellow disciple? [How can dad still take it?]
The laborers knew fully well why, snickering inside and giving Zhuo Fan a thumbs up on the sly.
Zhuo Fan's background was a huge nebula, but at least this prodigal son wasn't hard on fellow laborers, taking it out on the two bosses. It was like he was the Labor Office's spokesman.
Kui Lang pulled Kui Gang, pointing at Zhuo Fan with a hard face, "Gang'er, see that, he is a nobody, using his connections to get into the sect. He might one day end up an elder executive, but he won't achieve anything in life. So don't hang out with the likes of him, he'll drag you down. You're bound to go higher than him."
Yue Ling did the same with her sister, wearing her disgust on her face while pointing at Zhuo Fan.
Zhuo Fan became the two's perfect negative example.
Zhuo Fan grinned uncaringly, "So what if I'm a prodigal son, aren't you the same, using your meager pull to give your connections, materials to train? Humph, there's no end to human greed. With power comes skimming, it's only logical. What would be the point of power then? You're mocking me for being a prodigal son when in fact you want to follow in my footsteps and pick on others. We're all demonic cultivators here, what's so great about showing off while faking innocence?"
Zhuo Fan had a flat tone, but no matter how it sounded, he had mocked the two.
Kui Gang and Yue'er nodded. Zhuo Fan's wording was a tad blunt, but made damn good sense. They had to believe him.
[The more you hate someone, the more you want to be like them.]
But no one wanted to admit their envy…
"Humph, enough of your sophistry. Yue'er and Gang'er have good talents and are hard working. They're sure to advance. All we do is give our best in supporting them. Unlike you, wasting your life away as you wait for death, stuck in the same dead-end position. You don't know any martial arts and the only reason you lived through Asura Circle is because of your high cultivation. I bet you'd sooner meet your end in the circle before your patron busts you out of here."
Kui Lang shouted, trying to salvage a modicum of self-respect. Zhuo Fan only had a taunting look, "Ignorant man, martial skills are only tools while cultivation is the core. I know no martial arts but my heart and my mind are solely on the Dao, helping me see through its mysteries and advance. Insight is the essence of cultivation, of skills and cultivation methods. Focusing on being staunch yet neglecting fundamentals is so laughable. "
Kui Lang paused, then shouted, "Zhuo Fan, w-what did you say? I didn't catch that."
Dong!
The minds of everyone exploded, wearing long faces and holding their heads at his awkward look.
Kui Gang was blushing in shame, [Dad sucks at quarreling, not even getting what the other party says.] Then again, that was who he was, a guy who relied on his fists.
Alas, he couldn't use them this time…
Elder Yuan sighed. The disciples of this sect always fought and were ruthless, emphasizing ability over Dao. For even a Radiant Stage expert like Kui Lang to be so ignorant of the Dao, he could only lament.
If this went on, Demon Scheming Sect would be stuck in the lower three sects for thousands of years.
Yet Zhuo Fan, who had come from the secular world, had amazing insights on Dao. Him leading the sect would move the sect down the right path, towards a glorious future.
Elder Yuan's eyes shined…
"Oh, what's all the hubbub? Why are laborers sitting around idle?" A teasing voice said.
They all turned to see an elegant woman swinging her hips. With how the Labor Office was filled with men, they all gulped at such a fine specimen entering their pen.
Only to lower their heads the next second. Because this creature was another savage beast.
She was no other than Hu Mei'er.
Zhuo Fan sneered inside, [Her kind smile only hides daggers.]
The last time she showed up, he ended up getting sneak attacked, and this time something was bound to happen as well. [Only the target isn't me this time around…]
Zhuo Fan followed her vixen eyes and arrived at Yue Ling and her sister…