Chapter 709 - 149: Contact

Gan Zili froze. Yue Mengsheng glanced at him and said, "Now do you see the effect it has on the Low-Tier Disciples?"

"But our fellow cultivators..."

Before Gan Zili could finish, Guk Liancai’s eyes flashed with red light. He wore a strange expression as he said, "How bizarre. Why do so many people find it interesting? Are we old folks really that out of touch?"

Gan Zili paused at his words. After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "It seems this Celestial Universe Film and Television Path has its own merits, for it to become a Heaven-Reaching Path."

"Indeed. It seems the Sect must strengthen its defenses against this. We cannot allow another Qianyu to appear in Hongmeng. Otherwise, countless young disciples will neglect their cultivation," Yue Mengsheng said grimly.

Gan Zili nodded in agreement. "I have some matters to attend to anyway. I’ll go speak with the Sect Leader about this right now."

······

In the courtyard of the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower, Qin Shizhong stood frozen for a long time before lowering his head to look at Zhang Deming. "Martial Uncle, was that your promotion announcement?"

Zhang Deming nodded. "What do you think?"

Qin Shizhong replied, "It’s very appealing, especially for disciples like us who are struggling and clawing our way up from the bottom. Plus, the fact that it’s a promotion announcement guarantees a certain level of authenticity..."

"Martial Uncle, starting today, you’ll probably be the most famous Martial Uncle in the entire Sect among the low and mid-tier disciples."

"And, well, it looks like the number of eyes on our Flying Spring Waterfall Tower is about to multiply. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to keep my own room safe anymore!"

"Enough with the flattery. I have something I need you to do," Zhang Deming replied.

Hearing this, Qin Shizhong dropped his playful expression and said respectfully, "Please, Martial Uncle, give me your instructions."

"I need to deliver something, but no one can know about it," Zhang Deming said.

Qin Shizhong paused for a moment. "That shouldn’t be difficult. Nowadays, never mind the crowd of disciples at your cliff entrance who would be fighting to do it, even I have plenty of people willing to help me."

Zhang Deming glanced at Qin Shizhong, surprised. ’To think that after all these years, Qin Shizhong now has people trying to curry favor with him!’

’Well, that makes sense. Given his cultivation and status, he should have had followers long ago. It’s just that he’s always been so humble around me, never changing his attitude, that I completely forgot about it.’

Zhang Deming shook his head. "This matter is no small thing. It concerns the Alliance. If it’s discovered, not even I can withstand the consequences."

Qin Shizhong’s expression turned sharp. "Just tell me what to do, Martial Uncle. I will handle it personally!"

Zhang Deming shook his head. "No, you can’t go either. Our relationship is too close. If you’re discovered, neither of us will come out of it well."

"Then what is your plan, Martial Uncle?" Qin Shizhong asked, his face a mixture of confusion and gravity.

"Have you paid attention to the list of potential clerks that Steward Zhang updated?" Zhang Deming asked.

Zhang Deming had tossed a copy of that list to everyone back then.

Qin Shizhong paused, then nodded. "I’ve been studying it in my spare time recently and have memorized a good portion of it."

Zhang Deming said, "I want you to select one of the reserve members, preferably someone from the reception area on Celestial Spirit Peak. If there isn’t one, find a way to get one assigned there."

"But don’t make direct contact with the person. When you make the arrangements, don’t show your face. Do it by pulling some strings, perhaps under the guise of looking out for someone’s backer or something similar."

"Just get the person assigned to serve at the Immortal Fate Hall. You don’t need to worry about anything else."

’The Immortal Fate Hall? But these past few days...’

Qin Shizhong’s expression changed slightly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Martial Uncle, whatever it is, please let me handle it."

"Your promotion to Peak Master is imminent. You absolutely do not need to get involved with the people at the Immortal Fate Hall right now. It’s best if you have no connection to them whatsoever. The impact on you would be too great."

Zhang Deming smiled. "It’s fine. It’s not as serious as you think."

For once, Qin Shizhong went against Zhang Deming’s wishes, insisting, "In that case, Martial Uncle, just order me to do it. It won’t be a problem as long as you aren’t directly involved."

Zhang Deming paused and glanced at Qin Shizhong. ’It seems my decision to give him a leg up back then was the right one, at least.’

Zhang Deming shook his head. "Just go and do it. If I handle this, it will be seamless. If you do it, it will leave a trail for them to follow."

Qin Shizhong struggled with the decision for a long moment. Seeing Zhang Deming’s insistence, he sighed in resignation. "Very well. I will go and do it now."

"Good. Get the person in place as soon as possible. I’m waiting for the next step," Zhang Deming said. "I imagine with your current status, it shouldn’t be difficult to arrange for someone to serve at the Immortal Fate Hall without showing your face, leaving your name, or leaving any trace."

Qin Shizhong paused briefly. "Within the hour, I will definitely give you a satisfactory result, Martial Uncle."

Zhang Deming nodded. "Good. Then hurry up!"

Hearing this, Qin Shizhong bowed and quickly turned to leave.

After Qin Shizhong left, Zhang Deming’s Heart Spirit stirred. He opened his warehouse to take a look and saw that the Energy inside had already passed its rapid condensation phase. Although it was still accumulating, the subsequent rate was clearly flagging.

Zhang Deming looked at the condensed orbs of light. There were only nine of them, and he frowned slightly.

While it wasn’t a small number, considering this was the entire Sect—an Upper Sect, no less, during a major assembly—he had become famous across at least one-fiftieth of the Hongmeng region.

To only get nine orbs under these conditions, with the final total likely being around ten at most, was disappointing. ’It seems this ’celebrity cultivator’ path is only good for earning a little extra on the side. It’s not at all worth the dedicated effort to pursue it...’

Staring at the orbs of energy, Zhang Deming fell into a long silence.