The Demon Lords

The clandestine sect, as the name implies, is a school that stirs up trouble in murky waters. It doesn’t belong to either black or white, as neither would typically accept them; it’s not even considered gray.

The term ’clandestine’ refers to their trade and their identities. They must remain ambiguous; otherwise, it’s easy for them to die an untimely death.

Earlier,

The old drunk had already analyzed the identity traits of Lord Zheng’s three companions, yet the woman, the monk, and the scholar seemed completely unfazed, as if they hadn’t heard a thing. Any normal person, upon hearing the old drunk’s warning and seeing the calm reactions of Lord Zheng’s three companions, would likely feel uneasy.

When Sword Saint broke the heroine’s sword with his fingertip and subsequently drew Longyuan, if one still couldn’t discern the identities of these three, they’d truly be quite foolish.

But they indeed didn’t "see" it, because a level of deception requires one to first deceive oneself before deceiving others, and they were clearly in that state.

In other words, the three of them had begun to act towards a goal, and to achieve this goal, they needed the identities of "Zheng Fanli" and the "Sword Saint’s disciple."

Through these two identities,

in the end,

they wished to leverage the identity of "Lord Zheng."

Because Zheng Fanli has always been known in the street but left no fixed trace, and the Sword Saint’s disciple is even more mysterious since the Sword Saint himself has nearly disappeared from the street after the battle at Snow Sea, never reappearing.

From the personas of two elusive figures, they created the illusion of acting under the "will of Lord Pingye." What exactly are these three planning?

Zheng Fan looked at the drunkard and asked:

"Is there a way to break it?"

"There might be, either through time or a sudden enlightenment," the drunkard immediately replied.

"Sudden enlightenment?" Lord Zheng was a bit puzzled.

The drunkard promptly slapped his own forehead,

and replied:

"Strike here."

This method is quite direct indeed.

Lord Zheng spoke to the Sword Saint ahead:

"Since they’re impersonating our identities, evidently planning to use us as a cover, you should first wake them up and then make them bleed a bit, hit hard if you must."

The Sword Saint didn’t respond, but he wielded his sword again.

To be honest,

watching the Sword Saint wield his sword is a delight—no showy tricks, just sheer straightforwardness.

With one thrust, the Sword Saint aimed at the monk.

The monk, already wounded, endured and approached again, though the golden glow that had earlier surrounded him was now quite fragmented.

Longyuan sped straight for the monk’s face.

The monk clasped his hands together, attempting to catch the blade.

"Bang!"

Indeed, Longyuan was caught by the monk.

But as the sword body trembled, a burst of Sword Intent shot from the blade, hitting the monk squarely on the forehead.

"Buzz!"

The monk fell to the ground.

The next moment,

Sword Saint dashed toward the scholar.

The scholar drew an arrow, but his movement was too slow. Longyuan flew from the Sword Saint’s hand, cutting the arrow into two halves, then returned, with the sword spinning upside down, the hilt striking right on the scholar’s forehead.

"Thud"

The scholar toppled to the ground.

Along with the heroine he was supporting, both fell to the ground.

The Sword Saint summoned Longyuan back with his left hand, advancing forward, squatted down, and struck the heroine’s forehead with his right palm.

The three individuals,

all unconscious.

Sword Saint slowly stood up, sheathing Longyuan.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap."

Lord Zheng applauded,

and said:

"I really enjoy watching you fight because each time I imagine myself as you, I feel like I’m a peerless expert myself."

Sword Saint glanced at Lord Zheng and said:

"If you continue consuming tobacco without any special fortuitous encounters, it’ll be hard for you to truly advance in this life."

The path of cultivation is long, and regardless of the path, those who reach the Third Rank are outstanding among individuals, even kings must regard them with esteem.

Lord Zheng smiled and said: "I think I’m working hard enough."

The harsh, vengeful path of cultivation was not to Lord Zheng’s liking. He had no deep-set vendettas in this life, and with seven guardians around him, it’s hard to push oneself when supported by others. After all, there’s no sense of urgency.

Moreover, as long as his cavalry doubles, while seated within Snow Sea’s city, how could any master disturb him as he listens to Miss Ruqing perform the Eighteen Touches?

One should seize the moment and enjoy life.

The most important thing is, although there wasn’t any burning vendetta-driven cultivation, Lord Zheng was nonetheless self-disciplined.

The three individuals were knocked unconscious by the Sword Saint and hadn’t yet awakened. Lord Zheng’s gaze naturally fell upon the drunkard and the accountant.

The drunkard, being perceptive,

spoke before Lord Zheng could,

and directly said:

"Lord, I’m Fushun Ear, an elder of the Lotus Gang from Cloud Country."

Cloud Country is one of the many small countries, and it maintains reasonably good relations with Yan. When Lord Jingnan borrowed the path into Jin land, both Cloud Country and An State cooperated by offering a thoroughfare.

Of course, there was some coercion in this, but since the die was cast, and South Gate and Jin land fell entirely into Yan’s hands, these two countries immediately sent their heirs to Yanjing as hostages, serving Yan with submission.

In these small countries, there are often well-known schools, and the reason lies in that some schools struggle to survive within the original four major countries, or simply had to relocate to small countries due to transgressions within the four major countries.

Lord Zheng looked at the Sword Saint, a questioning look in his eyes.

What does the Lotus Gang do?