Chapter 273 - 272: So What About the Venerable Realm? To Join the Heaven-Blasting Gang, You Still Have to Start with Chores

Evening.

At the Scripture Pavilion of Jianghai Martial Arts Academy.

Gentle moonlight shone upon the back mountain as the wind rustled through the forest, creating a soft, soughing sound.

A stilted pavilion stood among the mountains.

In front of the pavilion, Elder Li and Li Zixuan were already waiting. One wore a Zhongshan suit and the other an elegant, light-colored dress. Beneath the clear moonlight, the old man and the young woman quietly awaited the arrival of the Venerable from the Heaven-Blasting Gang.

"Xuanxuan, look, is my collar wrinkled again?"

Elder Li, dressed in his Zhongshan suit, turned to Li Zixuan and asked nervously, "When the elder arrives, I can’t afford to be disrespectful in his presence."

"It’s fine, Teacher."

Li Zixuan came up behind Elder Li and gently smoothed out the wrinkles. "The elders of our Heaven-Blasting Gang aren’t hypocrites like Meng Tianxuan. They won’t care about your attire."

"That’s true."

Hearing this, Elder Li’s anxious heart settled a little. "Still, one must observe the proper etiquette."

As they spoke,

RUSTLE!

A fierce gust of wind tore through the woods, whipping the canopy into a violent frenzy. A figure approached from the distance, speeding toward the Scripture Pavilion.

"The elder is here!"

Seeing this, Elder Li’s expression jolted. He hurriedly strode forward, afraid of being a step too slow. Li Zixuan followed close behind, her own heart pounding in her chest.

’There are many elders in the gang.’

’Fourteen Venerable Realm experts were dispatched for that battle at the apartment, and that must have been just the tip of the iceberg. I haven’t met the elders who came after.’

’I must be respectful and cautious!’

They hurried into the woods and, sure enough, saw a figure standing by a tree in the distance, a Profound Bow slung across his back. But before they could even offer a greeting, Elder Li got a clear look at the person’s face and froze on the spot.

"Liu Wushuang?"

"What are you doing here?!"

Elder Li was stunned, the smile he had prepared freezing on his face. "You’re from the Venerable Alliance. What are you doing here?"

"Ahem."

Liu Wushuang gave a light cough, guiltily dusting off his sleeves. "Please, calm down. I mean no harm, it’s not..."

"You’re not welcome here!"

Li Zixuan cut him off with a frown, crossing her arms and staring warily at Liu Wushuang. "If you’re here to fish for information on behalf of the Venerable Alliance, then you can just leave. We won’t reveal a single thing about the Heaven-Blasting Gang."

"Go on, get out!"

Elder Li waved his hand dismissively, his impatience growing more pronounced.

’The Heaven-Blasting Gang suffered terrible losses in the battle against the Venerable Alliance Leader, and more than half of that was because Liu Wushuang led the way. With a stained record like that, I can’t even stand the sight of him!’

’Even if Liu Wushuang was forced into it.’

’The responsibility is ultimately impossible to erase.’

’The lives of eight elders from the Heaven-Blasting Gang!’

’How could those people from the Venerable Alliance ever repay that debt?’

"Hurry up and leave! What are you still standing here for?"

At this thought, seeing Liu Wushuang hadn’t moved, Elder Li placed his hand on his sword hilt and urged him sharply, "Don’t waste our time! Even if you are in the Venerable Realm, that doesn’t give you the right to trespass in our Jianghai Martial Arts Academy!"

"Leave!"

Li Zixuan also gripped her sword, growing anxious. If the elder from the Heaven-Blasting Gang arrived and ended up fighting with Liu Wushuang, the elder would surely be in mortal danger.

In an instant, the atmosphere became fraught with tension.

"Are you two done venting?"

Liu Wushuang looked at Elder Li’s furious expression, neither hurried nor angry. He waited for them to calm down before explaining softly:

"I did not come here under the Alliance Leader’s orders this time. I was entrusted by the Heaven-Blasting Gang..."

As he spoke, he glanced toward the top of the Scripture Pavilion on the back mountain. "Aren’t you in need of a Tower Guardian? I’m the one Qin found to stand guard!"

As his words fell,

"???"

Elder Li and Li Zixuan stared blankly for a moment, then at each other. Their minds couldn’t quite process it; the situation had left them completely dumbfounded.

’Liu Wushuang, a Tower Guardian?’

’Did I hear that right?’

"Xuanxuan, didn’t your Senior Brother say he was sending an elder from the Heaven-Blasting Gang?"

Elder Li’s expression remained unchanged as he sent a voice transmission to Li Zixuan’s ear. "Why did he send someone from the Venerable Alliance? Was there some kind of mistake?"

"I..."

Li Zixuan was taken aback and at a loss for words. She couldn’t make sense of the situation either.

’He promised an elder from the Heaven-Blasting Gang...’

’So why did he send Liu Wushuang instead?!’

Seeing their confused expressions, Liu Wushuang raised an eyebrow and continued to explain, "Rest assured. As of a few days ago, I have already left the Venerable Alliance and joined the Heaven-Blasting Gang."

As he spoke,

he slowly paced over to Li Zixuan.

"From now on, I am a member of the Heaven-Blasting Gang. You can trust me completely!"

"?!"

The moment he finished speaking,

Elder Li and Li Zixuan stared at each other, both seeing the utter shock in the other’s eyes.

???

’No way!’

’Is he actually serious?’

"If you don’t believe me, you can call Qin to verify."

Liu Wushuang sighed. "I have indeed wronged the Heaven-Blasting Gang in the past. It’s normal for you not to trust me. I understand."

At his words, Elder Li and Li Zixuan exchanged a look, silently conferring. Without hesitation, Li Zixuan took out her phone and dialed Qin Yang’s number.

The background was still noisy, filled with the constant sound of video games.

"Senior Brother, Elder Wushuang is here."

Li Zixuan held the phone to her ear and asked in a low voice, "He says you sent him, and that he’s one of us from the Heaven-Blasting Gang... He’s right in front of me now..."

"Huh? He’s there already?"

Qin Yang sounded surprised on the other end of the line. "I thought he’d be later. That was pretty fast. He seems eager..."

"What?"

Hearing this, Li Zixuan’s delicate brows furrowed. "Senior Brother, you really sent him? Is he the new elder for our Heaven-Blasting Gang?"

As she said this, her voice unintentionally grew louder, and Elder Li, standing nearby, froze when he heard it.

He looked over at Liu Wushuang in utter disbelief.

The latter simply shrugged.

He gave them a look that seemed to say, ’Figure it out yourselves.’

"Yeah, I’ve been busy the past few days and forgot to tell you."

Qin Yang yawned and continued, "He’s still in his probationary period, I guess, so he’s not officially an elder of the Heaven-Blasting Gang yet... Elder Wushuang is very eager to work for the gang. You can trust him."

"Senior Brother, can we really trust this person?"

Li Zixuan covered the phone’s mouthpiece, glancing sideways at the waiting Liu Wushuang, her tone reluctant. "He was responsible for the deaths of our junior martial uncle and the others... And the other elders from the gang, he was involved in that too..."

"Junior Sister, some things... just let them go. I’ve assessed Elder Wushuang. His heart is sincere enough. We have to give him a chance to atone."

On the other end, Qin Yang slowly explained:

"Let’s leave it at that for now. I’ve still got things to do, so I’m hanging up. Just arrange things for him at the Scripture Pavilion. Don’t be formal."

After giving his instructions, the call ended.

BEEP—

The line went dead.

A cold, lonely wind swept through the mountain forest.

The remaining three stood there, looking at one another in silence.

The scene descended into an awkward silence...

「A few breaths later.」

"See? Just like I told you, wasn’t it?"

Liu Wushuang said with his arms crossed, "Qin vouched for me. I am now a member of the Heaven-Blasting Gang, so there’s no need for such hostility."

"So he really is an elder now..."

Elder Li muttered blankly, still finding it hard to believe.

But Qin Yang’s words echoed in his mind.

They couldn’t be fake.

’You have to understand.’

’Liu Wushuang has a prestigious status. He was a former high-ranking member of the Venerable Alliance!’

’And now, after joining the Heaven-Blasting Gang...’

’He has to start with menial tasks?’

’As expected of the Heaven-Blasting Gang!’

’They poached someone from the Venerable Alliance so easily!’

Once it was confirmed, Elder Li’s expression turned solemn and respectful. He looked at Liu Wushuang and gestured toward the Scripture Pavilion behind him:

"In that case, Elder, please follow me inside. We can discuss the details there."

"Alright."

The three of them slowly walked into the Scripture Pavilion and entered a previously prepared reception room. Tea and snacks were served, the fragrant aroma of the clear tea filling the air.

"So, what are the terms of compensation?"

Liu Wushuang sat down, surveying the Scripture Pavilion’s interior before getting straight to the point. "Since Qin sent me to stand guard, the compensation can’t be too shabby, can it?"

"Of course. Since you were willing to come, Elder, we certainly won’t treat you poorly."

Elder Li poured a cup of tea and handed it over, saying slowly, "The salary here is ten times the standard rate outside. Of course, if you have any objections, Elder, we can negotiate..."

Elder Li paused, glancing at Liu Wushuang’s fine clothes. "But to be frank, I don’t get the impression that you’re someone who needs money, Elder. Would you prefer something else...?"

"No need!"

Liu Wushuang blurted out, cutting him off. He then opened his Star Ring and took out a slip of paper with a number written on it.

He slapped it onto the table with a THWACK!

"Just pay the salary as usual. It’s true that I don’t care for such a small amount of money... but this is a mission for the Heaven-Blasting Gang. Deposit the salary you would pay me into Qin Yang’s account, and we can consider that my reward."

"This..."

Hearing this, Elder Li took the slip of paper. He pondered for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Very well. I will have someone handle this later. We’ll be troubling you to watch over the Scripture Pavilion, then."

"Rest assured. With me watching over this place, one man can hold the pass. I’ll keep a good eye on it for you. Forget people—not even a mosquito will get in!"

Liu Wushuang nodded and glanced at the nearby bookshelves.

A quick scan revealed that while the books in the Martial Arts Academy’s Scripture Pavilion were valuable,

at best...

they were only at the Grandmaster Level.

They didn’t even reach the Venerable level.

’The kind of people who would covet these books are nothing more than small fry. For an Earth Venerable Realm expert like myself, they’re nothing to worry about.’

’It even feels a bit like overkill.’

But Liu Wushuang had no regrets.

As long as he could complete missions for the Heaven-Blasting Gang, he was content. Besides, guarding the Scripture Pavilion was far more satisfying than spending every day at Qin Yang’s house playing video games with them.

"Very well. We are in your debt, Elder."

Elder Li nodded. Seeing that Liu Wushuang had agreed to the post, he was also very satisfied.

But soon, he suddenly remembered something else and asked hesitantly, "However, Elder Wushuang... I have one more question."

"What is it?"

Liu Wushuang took a light sip of tea. "I will do my best to answer it for you."

Elder Li hesitated for a moment before saying slowly, "When you joined the Heaven-Blasting Gang, wasn’t there an assessment?"