Chapter 3104 — Weighing the Long Game

Compared with ascending to the Heavenly Dao, what were the petty scandals of the sect worth? So everyone felt that the Dark Night Elder had done far too little—he ought to have killed Dongfang Buruo as well!

Naturally, Dongfang Jinxing received the news at the first possible moment, and was nearly sick with rage!

The person Dongfang Cha had captured just happened to be a successor the Dark Night Palace was searching for? Could it really be such a coincidence? Yet he knew the Dark Night Palace could not possibly lie about this—one check would reveal the truth—so the one Dongfang Cha had taken was undoubtedly a successor of the Dark Night Palace. That also explained why the Dark Night Elder had flown into a rage and killed for no apparent reason: you had nearly ruined their successor, and no one could have accepted that.

"I'm furious, furious!" Dongfang Jinxing felt he had done something unbelievably stupid. Had he known the truth beforehand, he would never have issued that challenge. Now the Eastern Family had become the laughingstock of every ancient-tier sect. It would have been bad enough that no one supported them—but the crux was that everyone was cursing the Eastern Family for being shameless: they had committed the offense, yet played the victim and laid the blame first, feigning grievance to deceive everyone's sympathies!

Dongfang Jinxing knew the Eastern Family's prestige had not merely plummeted—even if they wished to make trouble for the Dark Night Palace, they could not. For now, none of the ancient-tier sects supported the Eastern Family's course of action!

Had there been no challenge beforehand, then once the Dark Night Palace issued its statement, Dongfang Jinxing could still have stepped forward to play the wronged party and drum up sympathy. After all, yes, we captured your successor—but how were we to know? Could you not have given us a word of warning? Was killing really the only way?

In that case, perhaps some would still have sided with them. Ignorance is no crime, is it not? Who is free of fault? If it had been someone from another ancient-tier sect, would you have cut them down just the same?

But now, saying anything was useless—further talk would only add to the mockery.

Drawing a deep breath, Dongfang Jinxing hurried to Dongfang Badao's room. This time he did not knock, nor wait for a word from within; he simply walked straight in.

"Jinxing, has the challenge been sent?" Seeing Dongfang Jinxing barge in like that, Dongfang Badao was at once displeased. You are a cultivator yourself—do you not know what a bad thing it is to disturb another's cultivation like this?

Still, Dongfang Badao took Dongfang Jinxing's manner for sheer excitement, an eagerness to deal with the Dark Night Palace, and said nothing more of it.

"Yes, it has been sent!" Dongfang Badao nodded, his face savage. "But this time, our Eastern Family has lost face—and badly!"

"Oh? What do you mean?" Dongfang Badao was startled, and beside him Dongfang Yinxing opened his eyes as well, staring at Dongfang Jinxing in puzzlement.

"Just as I sent the challenge out, the ancient tier still supported us—supported us in taking revenge. Everyone knew in their hearts that no sect is without its dirty secrets. So they all thought the Dark Night Elder had nothing better to do and was meddling in others' affairs. But who would have guessed that before long, the Dark Night Palace issued a statement too, saying that people of our Eastern Family had gone and captured their successor! One of those two girl students was actually a successor of the Dark Night Palace. And now look—the whole ancient tier is cursing our Eastern Family, saying we died well, that one death was too few, that the whole family ought to be wiped out!" Dongfang Jinxing said hatefully. "Now the Eastern Family is caught between a rock and a hard place. Revenge is well-nigh impossible; not to take revenge is to slap our own face. The humiliation has been carried all the way to the Pacific Ocean!"

"The Dark Night Palace issued its statement afterwards? After ours?" Dongfang Badao frowned. "If that is so, then they did it deliberately? Why not say it earlier—why wait until after we sent our challenge? Isn't this plainly meant to make the Eastern Family a spectacle? Jinxing, if you seize on this point, there is still a chance to turn things around!"

It must be said—old ginger is the hotter for its age. Dongfang Badao had found the way out at once. He had not said outright that the Dark Night Palace was lying, that it had done this on purpose, yet the other ancient-tier sects would inevitably let their imaginations run. By then, the pressure on the Eastern Family would ease considerably.

"Father, if that were really so, then what you say would be a fine plan. But the Dark Night Palace used carrier-pigeon transmission. From the look of it, they sent their statement out the moment yesterday's affair ended—it is only that everyone has received it just now. And we used the fax..." Dongfang Jinxing said meekly.

"This..." Dongfang Badao was stunned, then suddenly remembered that the Eastern Family used modern equipment throughout! In the past he had often mocked the other ancient-tier sects for being backward, for still wearing ancient garb and using carrier pigeons—wasn't that tiresome?

But today Dongfang Badao discovered that though the fax was convenient, if the Eastern Family had not had a fax, this matter would have been far easier to handle. After all, carrier-pigeon transmission was not as convenient as the fax: first a specialized beast-tamer had to show the pigeon a map to fix its direction before it could set out—and by the time that was done, the Dark Night Palace's message was already out!

Truly, the same man who makes you can also break you!

"Father, the matter can no longer be helped. Let us say nothing more of it. A temporary forbearance is only for the sake of a more satisfying revenge later!" Dongfang Yinxing spoke up now. "The Dark Night Palace, is it? Let us mark this debt down for now. Once this storm has passed, we will go make trouble for the Dark Night Palace—but now, it is impossible."

"Quite right, Yinxing speaks well. Jinxing, do not be angry either—do what needs doing. Send another elder to assist Dongfang Buruo, but no more capturing of girl students. Settle the matter of Xu Shilan, and then come back!" Dongfang Badao said.

"Yes, Father!" Dongfang Jinxing drew a deep breath, smoothed the stifled anger in his heart, nodded, and took his leave.

Though Dongfang Jinxing was furious beyond measure, once back in his room he still calmly dialed Dongfang Buruo's number and recounted the whole affair to him.

"So that is how it is... Then with Dongfang Cha dead, what about the matter of Xu Shilan on my end?" Dongfang Buruo asked with some concern, though inwardly he was cursing Dongfang Cha for a fool—going out to capture people without eyes in his head, how had he gone and provoked a successor of the Dark Night Palace? Of all the beauties in the world, he had to grab a successor. What rotten luck!

And it had cost him the chance to go after girl students anymore, for Dongfang Jinxing had already warned Dongfang Buruo to go straight for Xu Shilan and stir up no more side troubles! (To be continued)