Hidden moth

Chapter 343 A Fist That Breaks Through the Wall, A Masterful Move

Hu Weidong's single sentence defined the nature of the incident.

First of all, this was an assassination attempt against a senior member of the Supreme Council, which was clearly visible and undeniable. In any case, Johnson was already dead and could not possibly get up to explain anything.

In fact, not long ago in the conference hall, Hu Weidong also made a move against Johnson, but the nature of the move was different.

At that time, Hu Weidong's methods were not harmful; they were intended to stop Johnson's disrespectful behavior and maintain order in the council, though they did have a slight suspicion of establishing his authority.

But in the scene just now, Johnson was genuinely aiming to injure or kill someone.

He then labeled Johnson a "spy" for openly assassinating a senior elder of the Supreme Council at the headquarters of the Alliance of the Freemasons. If doing this doesn't qualify someone as a spy, then who does?

What's even more absurd is that everyone knew this was just a personal grudge, but because Johnson was already dead and they couldn't get anything out of him, the investigation had to focus on the people associated with him.

Johnson was recommended to the Supreme Council by Merlin, so if an investigation is to be conducted, Merlin should be investigated first.

The person in charge of internal supervision in the Xiaomeng is the Grand Elder and a sixth-level Earth Master, Madara, so Hu Weidong specifically mentioned his name.

After speaking, Hu Weidong turned and left, his face grim and ignoring everyone else. This was understandable, as no one who had just been assassinated would be in a good mood.

Johnson's actions just now were exactly what Hu Weidong wanted; he was secretly delighted. He knew Johnson's character well; they had already made an enemy of each other today, and Johnson would surely retaliate.

Even if Hu Weidong himself wasn't afraid, he still had children and relatives and friends. So he might as well cut off the root of the problem on the spot. He even managed to steal a quasi-divine artifact. It was like someone delivering a pillow when you're sleepy.

Arthur, walking at the back, glanced at Merlin beside him, as if to say, "Why did you choose such a brainless person to be placed in the High Council?"

What else could Merlin say? Arthur had agreed to recommend Johnson as a veteran, treating him as a brainless and easily controlled tool.

The situation spiraled out of control today mainly due to a misjudgment of Hu Weidong's temperament and style of doing things. They thought he was an easy person to talk to, which was also their stereotype of many people of Dongguo descent, but it turned out to be completely different!

It seems this person was usually very good at hiding his true colors, but after becoming a senior elder of the Supreme Council, he finally revealed his true colors.

Merlin said in his mind, "The man surnamed Hu took the Fusang Bow."

Arthur: "It's already in his hands, there's no use trying to stop it now. Let's think about how to clean up the mess. You shouldn't participate in the nomination of the new elders this time."

Hu Weidong has already shown obvious signs of establishing his authority and vying for power. Arthur and the others certainly don't want him to obtain another powerful and versatile quasi-divine artifact, as that would make him even more difficult to deal with.

The Fusang Bow is one of the most precious heirlooms of the Xiaomeng Alliance. Only the elders of the Supreme Council are qualified to receive and keep it. In other circumstances, even if Hu Weidong wanted to apply, he would not be able to receive it because it had already been taken by Johnson.

Now, things have turned out badly. Johnson, this "assassin," has been killed by Hu Weidong himself, and the murder weapon, the Fusang Bow, has also been taken away by him. As a senior elder, Hu Weidong was entitled to use it, and it's impossible to stop him now.

The investigation into the assassination attempt may not actually do anything to Merlin, but it will certainly damage his prestige. Since his last nominee, Johnson, turned out to be such a scoundrel, his nomination this time is unlikely to be convincing.

……

A few days later, the Supreme Council convened again, and Merlin apologized to Hu Weidong for her "misjudgment of people." The accountability for her ended there, but Merlin did not participate in the nomination of new elders.

Ultimately, one of the candidates nominated by Hu Weidong and five other elders successfully passed the vote and became a new elder.

The fact that these elders were able to jointly nominate each other must have involved private negotiations and collusion. These things that are not made public are the most important steps, and when it comes to the vote at the meeting, they are often just a formality.

This once again alerted Arthur. Hu Weidong was able to win over nearly half of the elders of the Supreme Council. Although it was only a temporary matter of electing new elders and did not necessarily mean that they had formed a real alliance, it was still a bad sign.

With the joint nomination by six elders including Hu Weidong, the new elders they nominated have taken up seven seats in the Supreme Council, which is more than half!

However, there was nothing wrong with the candidates they nominated; it was clearly the result of weighing the interests of all parties, and no one could openly object to it.

The new elder is named Wengers, a lover of the Xing Shen lineage, with a perfect fifth-order cultivation. He is the most promising cultivator in the Xiaomeng Alliance to break through to the sixth-order illusionist, and the importance of a sixth-order illusionist to the organization is self-evident.

Even a fifth-level love-stealer possesses the ability to observe and manipulate people's hearts, making them indispensable in many tasks.

The Supreme Council has thirteen seats, and cultivators of the Body Observation lineage originally occupied three seats, including two Grand Elders. After Johnson was removed, it was certain that cultivators of the Body Observation lineage could no longer be elected, which was also a consensus among many Elders.

After Wenger was elected as a senior member, the six major lineages of Body Observation, Subtle Insight, Mind Compass, Qi Observation, Alchemy, and Spirit Awakening each occupied two seats, which was very fair and reasonable.

There's only one spot available for the Lingxi lineage, which is unavoidable. This lineage has always been weak within the Xiaomeng Alliance, so having even one spot is already a good thing.

With the addition of three elders not long ago, the Supreme Council of the Xiaomeng has changed four people in a short period of time. Even if they straighten out the internal power structure, they will be busy for a while, and it will be difficult to make any big moves against the Shumen for the time being.

That same evening after the meeting, Hu Weidong received a visitor at his residence. The visitor was none other than Wenger, a newly promoted veteran and a fifth-tier lover, who had come specifically to express his gratitude after hearing the news.

Wenger was around forty years old, with a full head of light yellow curly hair. He could speak fluent Dongguo, though his accent was a bit strange. He respectfully addressed Hu Weidong as his senior uncle.

It's normal for the cultivators of the Free Alliance to speak the Eastern language, because the techniques they practice were originally passed down from the Eastern Kingdom, and the secret manuals and cultivator notes they have stolen from the art sects over the years are all recorded in the Eastern language.

Although the Xiaomeng Alliance has a dedicated team responsible for translation, organization, and re-editing, and has spent a considerable amount of money, many terms used in cultivation cannot be directly translated, and it is difficult to explain them clearly. It is better to read the original Dongguo language text.

One of the most important tasks undertaken by the high-ranking members of the Xiaomeng in modern times was to strip away the cultural background content from various techniques and recompile and repackage them into traditional classics, but the results were not very satisfactory.

The language of the Eastern Kingdom is said to be very difficult to learn, and many low-level sorcerers cannot learn it. However, for high-level sorcerers, it is not difficult as long as they are willing to learn it. What is really difficult to understand is the cultural background.

After everyone was seated, Hu Weidong served tea to the guests. Wenger praised the art of tea tasting in the East, saying it was both elegant and classy, ​​before thanking Hu Weidong for the recommendation and expressing his intention to support each other in the Supreme Council in the future.

This last sentence is the most important. Although six elders jointly recommended him, Hu Weidong's role was undoubtedly the greatest. Putting aside everything else, without Hu Weidong getting rid of Johnson, where would the new seat come from?

After expressing his opinion and exchanging pleasantries for a few more rounds, Wenger finally asked a question that he was very concerned about: "I also received the announcement from the Sect Law Hall of the Art Sect not long ago... Uncle Hu, can what they said be true?"

Hu Weidong replied seriously, "You can question the intention behind the announcement from the Sect of Techniques, but you don't need to question its content at all."

Wenger nodded and said, "Understood, understood. Just like a great elder like you, your words are always true."

Hu Weidong shook his head and said, "You still don't understand. Even if you have broken through the illusion realm and verified the sixth level of cultivation, you are still limited by your knowledge and can still say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, and even make false statements and do evil deeds."

Empty words are not lies, but they are empty and useless. A great cultivator simply does not speak falsehoods, while worldly affairs often have other causes and conditions.

The nature of the ancestral hall's announcement is different. It is not the private musings of a certain accomplished cultivator, but a proclamation to all sorcerers in the world, clearly stating the cause and effect, equivalent to a kind of legal decree.

Wenger carefully chose his words and said, "According to Elder Hu, the announcements from the Sect Law Hall of the Art Sect are all true and have the effect of a legal contract. Almost all the disciples of my Xiaomeng Alliance have seen them."

So, what if—and I mean just suppose—a disciple of the Free Alliance, finding cultivation difficult and seeking guidance on secret techniques, followed the announcement's requirements to join a sect and learn the methods?

Hu Weidong thought to himself—what's the point of hypotheticals? Isn't this describing you?

Among the Xing Shen lineage of the Xiaomeng, Wengers is currently the one with the highest cultivation. There was a sixth-level illusionist named Grossi before, but he was killed in Qiyuan.

The secret techniques of the Xiaomeng Spirit-Boosting Technique are well-preserved, and one should have no problem cultivating them to the sixth level. However, without guidance from a master, it is extremely difficult to comprehend and break through the barrier on one's own.

Although it's only a fine line between them, they might never be able to take that step in their entire lives. Wenger was willing to seek advice from someone, but he couldn't find anyone suitable.

Guidance on one's spiritual level doesn't necessarily have to come from a master within one's own sect; one can also seek guidance from masters of other lineages. For example, the three elders have given He Kao a lot of advice. However, it is best to have the guidance of one's own sect's founder.

Wengers didn't have the same popularity as Hekao. Although he held a nominally high position within the Xiaomeng Alliance, he didn't have a strong factional background and wasn't involved in any specific management affairs.

Otherwise, given his cultivation level, he wouldn't have only now entered the Supreme Council. Even when Grossi was still alive, Wenger wasn't well-liked, and even after Grossi's death, when the Supreme Council added three elders, he wasn't elected.

It wasn't until Hu Weidong ousted Johnson and, together with several other elders, nominated Wenger that he became an elder.

The other elders were not familiar with Wenger, so he came not only to express his gratitude, but also to ask Hu Weidong for advice on cultivation issues. In any case, in the eyes of outsiders, he had already been labeled as part of Elder Hu's faction.

Hu Weidong immediately knew that Wenger was tempted after reading the announcement from the Sect Law Hall of the Arts Sect. This was understandable, given his cultivation level; there was indeed no one in the Free Alliance who could offer him much more guidance.

The magic sect not only has sixth-level illusionists still alive, but also the cultivation insights of masters throughout the ages, as well as sect grotto-heavens and the divine thoughts left by the founders...

Thinking this to himself, Hu Weidong said aloud, "It's not about joining the sect of magic, but according to the announcement of the clan hall, it's about returning to the sect of magic. If you do that, the sect of magic won't do anything to you, there are only three requirements."

First, one must truthfully disclose their identity and background without concealment; for example, if one is a sorcerer from the Free Alliance, one must tell the truth. Second, one's past conduct must be verified to ensure there is no history of wrongdoing. Third, one must abide by the rules and regulations of the sorcery sect.

These are all in the announcements, so why ask me again?

As he spoke, Hu Weidong couldn't help but sigh inwardly. In fact, not only was Wenger tempted, but he himself was tempted as well, otherwise he wouldn't have secretly contacted the magic sect.

Wenger asked with some unease, "If someone does this and the Alliance finds out, what will the Supreme Council do?"

Hu Weidong looked into his eyes and after a while asked in return, "You will also be entering the Supreme Council as a senior member. What do you think should be done about this situation?"

Wenger lowered his head and said, "In the votes on matters in the Supreme Council, I will maintain the same position as Elder Hu, which is why I would like to ask for your opinion."

Hu Weidong said meaningfully, "Since we are fortunate enough to be cultivators, we should naturally prioritize our physical and mental cultivation. Other matters are not unimportant, but they are secondary."

Everyone has their own opportunities and secrets, as long as they don't violate the natural order. For example, if someone obtains an opportunity that can help their spiritual practice, they will often keep it a secret, which is only human nature.

As for my stance, as long as it doesn't harm others or betray the Xiaomeng Alliance, that's fine.

According to the rules of the Art Sect, disciples are not actually prohibited from remaining in the Free Alliance. And the current regulations of the Free Alliance do not prohibit disciples from joining the Art Sect either!

I don't want such a rule, nor do I want such a vote, so it would be best if no one proposed it. Even if someone does propose it in the future, I don't want it to pass.

That's all I have to say; there's no need to go into further detail.

Why can't we go into more detail? Because Hu Weidong was just hinting to Wenger that this kind of thing can be done but doesn't need to be said. As long as it's not mentioned in the Supreme Council, no one will have a vote on how to deal with it.

Hu Weidong also used an analogy, comparing returning to the sect and receiving inheritance and guidance to a cultivation opportunity. It is all too common for cultivators to keep such opportunities secret.

The essence of the Free Alliance is still a magic inheritance organization, so it cannot prevent its members from cultivating, nor can it prevent its members from communicating with other magicians or seeking advice from masters in the world.

As long as one does not leak organizational secrets that should not be leaked or harm other members of the organization while doing so, that is Hu Weidong's stance.

Having stated his position and gauged public opinion, the newly appointed veteran, Wenger, finally took his leave.

After Wenger drove away, Hu Weidong left the living room and went into the study at the back. As he opened the door, he smiled and said, "Julie, just as you expected, Wenger came to see me as soon as he got the news."

Sitting in the study was a beautiful blonde woman who appeared to be around thirty years old. She was Julie, a senior member of the Supreme Council and a fifth-level guide of the Lingxi lineage.

**
(End of this chapter)