The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 330 Familiarity
Inside the Kongming Sect's mountain gate, Hua Zhi Qiu stood silently, completely oblivious to the fact that Gao An Yu and Cao Han Yan had already paved a bloody path ten feet in front of him.

In his hand was Gao Anyu's black ruler, which a disciple had pulled from the corpse and presented to him. He had been holding the black ruler for a long time, silent, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

An elderly man standing beside him walked up to him and spoke in a low voice.

"Sect Leader...is it that weapon?"

Hua Zhi Qiu nodded.

"Yes, Elder Qi, you noticed it too."

“I thought today’s events were a misfortune, but now it seems that it might be a blessing in disguise for our Kongming Sect—the ‘heavenly inheritance’ that we have been seeking for decades has been delivered to our doorstep.”

He suddenly looked at Gao Anyu, who was fighting, his eyes filled with undisguised greed.

"Elder Qi, what do you think our chances are of capturing this kid alive?"

The old man sighed.

"I'm afraid it's only about 60% or 70%."

"Although these two young men are still young, they are both geniuses who can dominate the martial arts world. Their moves, internal energy, strength, and adaptability in battle are all top-notch among the best."

"In a life-or-death battle, we must hold back to avoid killing them, and also prevent them from escaping... Even if we know how to counter one of their moves, we're probably only 60-70% sure we'll succeed."

Hua Zhi Qiu stared intently at Gao An Yu, his greed intensifying, and a smirk appeared on his lips.

"Isn't this enough?"

"That is a celestial inheritance! At the moon-viewing banquet, those major sects fought bloody battles just to keep this thing in their own hands. Shaolin and Wudang both had to bow down to the imperial court for this thing."

"Elder Qi, a celestial being! A celestial being!"

"Eternal youth, incorruptibility upon seeing gods, and the ability to regenerate severed limbs! Isn't this enough for our Kongming Sect to take a gamble?"

The old man was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice.

"However, Lord Xue from the Embroidered Uniform Guard will be arriving soon... We are not a top-tier sect, and according to the rules of that Commander-in-Chief, we are not qualified to retain the Celestial Inheritance."

Hua Zhi Qiu frowned upon hearing this.

The inheritance of divine power is good, but the dead cannot practice martial arts. His scheme to lure the Imperial Guards here and frame Gao Anyu and Cao Hanyan has now become a problem.

After a long pause, a ruthless look appeared on his face.

"Unless—we go all the way!"

Under Elder Qi's astonished gaze, Hua Zhi Qiu's expression grew increasingly crazed.

"Today, thieves came up the mountain, destroyed the wooden plaques, and killed Imperial Guards. Our Kongming Sect fought them to the death, suffering countless casualties, before we were able to barely surround and kill them—what do you think of this story?"

"You want to kill the Imperial Guards!?"

The old man was astonished and lowered his voice to speak.

"Why not?"

What she received in return was Hua Zhi Qiu's increasingly greedy smile.

"Once you cultivate to the level of a Celestial Being, you can go anywhere in the world! Even if my entire Kongming Sect were to relocate to the Western Regions, it would still be better than being stuck in Guangxin Prefecture! What treasure in this world can be picked up so easily?"

The words were well-spoken, but the old man knew in his heart that no secret could be kept forever. With so many disciples of the Kongming Sect, no one could guarantee that everyone would keep quiet, and Hua Zhi Qiu couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard will eventually discover the truth. After Hua Zhi Qiu receives the Celestial Inheritance, he will likely disappear without a trace. He should escape from Da Shuo before the Embroidered Uniform Guard discovers him, leaving the entire Kongming Sect to face the wrath of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's commander.

His affection for his sect and his greed for the inheritance of the Celestial Beings left the old man unable to make a choice.

Hua Zhi Qiu said slowly.

"Moreover, we don't only have a 60-70% chance of winning. There's another force we can rely on—the local militia!"

The old man frowned.

Today is the day the prefect of Guangxin Prefecture is "inspecting" the Kongming Sect.

At the beginning of this year, the court was in turmoil, which affected the previous prefect of Guangxin Prefecture, resulting in the confiscation of his property and the extermination of his entire family. The new prefect who took office had only been in office for a few months, and it was said that he was also a loser who had been kicked out of the capital. After spending several months confirming with this prefect that neither of them were good people, they finally arranged today to formally invite him to their home for an "inspection"—in reality, they were preparing to secretly exchange some benefits.

The prefect is coming, and this isn't some incognito visit; he'll definitely be accompanied by his guards. If those guards are included… I'm probably 80-90% confident we can keep those two lads here!

Hua Zhi Qiu said slowly.

"Kill the Imperial Guards first, and pin the blame on these two brats."

"Let's all rush in and see if we can take this kid down. If not, we'll stall until the prefect arrives. He'll trust my Kongming Sect more than these two unknown kids."

"With the combined strength of our Kongming Sect and the addition of the government troops, this matter is practically a sure thing! Elder Qi, this opportunity is fleeting!"

The old man gritted his teeth; such an opportunity was indeed hard to come by again.

"Okay! Let's do it that way!"

"it is good!"

Hua Zhi Qiu smiled with satisfaction.

As the two were talking, they heard footsteps coming from the direction of the back hall. The disciple who had been sent to deliver the message to the back mountain ran over first, followed by a middle-aged man dressed in black tight-fitting clothes with an embroidered spring knife at his waist, who walked slowly with a frown.

"Master Xue."

The two bowed to each other.

This person was Xue Zhongjing, a subordinate of An Ziyang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was stationed at the Kongming Sect after the moon-viewing banquet and was responsible for counting heads and distributing rewards.

"What's going on? Who dared to destroy the wooden plaque issued by my Imperial Guard!"

At this point, he was furious to the extreme.

With the wooden sign destroyed, his job was beyond repair. Given how much his superior, An Ziyang, valued Li Miao's discipline, he would definitely not show him any mercy; even surviving would be a luxury.

If he hadn't wanted to make amends and earn a living for his wife, children, and elderly parents, he probably would have packed his belongings and fled long ago.

At this moment, Xue Zhongjing was consumed by rage; his eyes were bloodshot, his hand gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, and he looked at everyone with murderous intent.

"Sect Leader Hua, what's going on! Your Kongming Sect can't even protect a wooden plaque! How can you have the face to stand in the martial world!"

He cursed repeatedly.

Hua Zhi Qiu put on a fawning yet aggrieved expression.

"My lord, it's not that our Kongming Sect hasn't done its best, it's just that the villains are too ferocious! Look—"

He gestured, drawing Xue Zhongjing's gaze towards the battle.

"The thieves are these three people."

Xue Zhongjing followed his gaze.

During this time, Gao Anyu and Cao Hanyan had once again approached the main hall by three zhang, where blood, broken swords, and writhing, wailing bodies were everywhere.

Xue Zhongjing first glanced at the two young men. Although his martial arts skills were lacking and he could only serve as a captain, he had served in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for many years and his judgment was not bad.

With just one glance, he knew that these two were both exceptional talents, destined to reach the pinnacle in time. Given the right opportunity, they might even cultivate themselves into celestial beings.

It's understandable that the Kongming Sect couldn't stop them because they didn't have a top-tier expert to back them up.

He turned his gaze to Li Miao, who was being protected by Gao and Cao and was walking slowly toward him, and frowned.

Li Miao was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and Xue Zhongjing's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and his knees felt a little weak.

Xue Zhongjing had no recollection of his face.

But the way he walked with his hands behind his back, and that mischievous and casual smile, felt strangely familiar to him—a familiarity that ran deep in his bones and was etched into his very being.

That familiar feeling that evokes a deep-seated fear.

(End of this chapter)