Chapter 49: Zhao Ming’s Wariness

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Zhao Ming’s Wariness

Zhao Ming slowly lowered the jade slip in his hand and look up.

"Li Jian returned?"

His voice was calm, but the coldness in his eyes was impossible to miss.

"Yes."

For several breaths, Zhao Ming simply stared at the outer disciple.

"Alive, huh. That trash had actually come back alive."

He had personally arranged the mission.

An 8th Stage demonic beast against a 3rd Stage outer disciple with no background, no powerful family behind him, and no particularly impressive talent.

It should have been a simple matter.

Li Jian should have died outside the sect, and once his body was devoured by the Ironback Demon Wolf, the matter would have ended there.

No one would have cared.

No one would have investigated.

At most, his name would have remained in the Mission Hall records as another unlucky outer disciple who had taken on a mission beyond his ability.

Yet somehow, Li Jian had returned.

Not only had he returned alive, but he had also completed the mission and brought back the beast core as proof.

Zhao Ming’s fingers tightened slightly around the jade slip.

"What about his condition?"

"He appears to be unharmed. He completed the mission normally and returned to the sect together with Su Qin and Han Jin."

At the mention of those names, Zhao Ming’s eyes narrowed.

Before he could say anything, one of the inner disciples standing nearby stepped forward.

He was a sharp-eyed young man who had followed Zhao Ming for years and understood his temperament well.

"Senior Brother Zhao, this doesn’t feel right."

Zhao Ming glanced at him.

The young man continued, lowering his voice.

"An outer disciple at the 3rd Stage shouldn’t have been able to get those two top outer disciples to help him. Su Qin and Han Jin aren’t exactly the type to go out of their way for someone like Li Jian."

Another inner disciple nodded in agreement.

"Senior Brother, perhaps we should investigate him more carefully. If he really survived because of some unusual means, or if he has some connection we don’t know about, leaving him alone could become troublesome later."

He hesitated briefly before adding,

"...After all, you were the one who sent him on that mission. If he somehow finds out that you deliberately put him in danger, he might hold a grudge."

Zhao Ming’s expression remained calm.

The sharp-eyed disciple’s gaze turned cold.

He slowly raised a hand and drew a finger across his throat, his meaning clear.

"Or we could simply get rid of him now. An outer disciple dying from an accident inside the sect isn’t unusual. If necessary, we can arrange something that won’t attract attention."

The other disciple nodded in agreement.

"It would be cleaner to deal with him now than to wait until he becomes a problem."

Zhao Ming remained silent.

His gaze fell back onto the jade slip in his hand.

For a moment, the room was so quiet that the faint sound of spiritual mist flowing outside could be heard through the open windows.

Then Zhao Ming shook his head.

"No."

The two inner disciples exchanged surprised glances.

"Senior Brother?"

"There is no need."

Zhao Ming placed the jade slip on the table and leaned back slightly.

"The Inner Sect Tournament is approaching."

His expression gradually returned to its usual calmness.

"And this year’s rewards are much better than before... There is even a chance to catch the attention of one of the grand elders."

His eyes flickered with ambition.

He had been preparing for this tournament for a long time.

A good ranking would not only bring him resources.

More importantly, it would strengthen his position among the inner disciples and give him a chance to attract the attention of the grand elders.

He had no intention of allowing some insignificant outer disciple to interfere with that.

Zhao Ming turned his gaze toward the distant outer sect.

Even from Alchemy Peak, he could vaguely see the layers of purple mist covering the mountain slopes.

Zhao Ming’s lips curled into a faint, disdainful smile.

"Li Jian is still nothing more than an outer disciple. He has no background, no influence, and no one powerful enough to protect him."

He tapped his finger lightly against the table.

"So what if he managed to survive once? If he knows his place, he will remain quiet and leave the sect."

Zhao Ming’s smile slowly disappeared.

"But if he doesn’t..."

A faint killing intent flashed through his eyes.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with him after the tournament."

The two inner disciples immediately understood.

They exchanged a glance before bowing.

"Understood."

"We’ll keep an eye on him for now."

"Don’t even do that too openly," Zhao Ming said.

His tone became slightly colder.

"I don’t want anyone wasting time on him. Focus on the tournament. If Li Jian really is hiding something, we’ll find out eventually."

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhao."

"Good."

Zhao Ming picked up the jade slip again and returned his attention to it, making it clear that the conversation was over.

The two inner disciples quietly withdrew.

Only after the door closed did Zhao Ming’s expression change slightly.

His eyes remained on the jade slip, but his thoughts were no longer on its contents.

He had underestimated Li Jian once.

He would not make the same mistake twice.

Still, there was no need to act immediately.

A mere 3rd Stage outer disciple was not worth disrupting his plans.

Once the tournament was over, he could deal with Li Jian at his leisure.

Zhao Ming’s fingers slowly tightened around the jade slip.

He had already given Li Jian a chance to quietly disappear.

If that trash insisted on coming back alive, then Zhao Ming would personally remind him just how wide the gap was between an outer disciple and an inner disciple.

As for why Zhao Ming had targeted Li Jian in the first place, the reason was rather simple.

He had felt strangely irritated the first time he saw Li Jian together with Zheng Qingyao.

He couldn’t quite explain why, but Zhao Ming had always trusted his instincts.

They had helped him survive numerous dangerous situations and climb to his current position within the sect.

Something about Li Jian simply didn’t sit right with him.

Perhaps it was the way Li Jian interacted with Zheng Qingyao, or perhaps it was simply the sight of an insignificant outer disciple standing beside someone like her that rubbed him the wrong way.

Whatever the reason, the more Zhao Ming thought about it, the more unpleasant the feeling became.

And Zhao Ming was not the kind of person who would tolerate something that displeased him when he had the power to make it disappear.