CHAPTER 110: OVERWHELMED

In fact, he felt like Chen Ruhai and Fan Tiantiao were the only ones suspicious of him.

Everyone else in the Hall of Protectionists had been very friendly to him, and they were eager to offer him their praise and encouragement for exposing the Ximen Clan and the Huo Clan.

In fact, Fang Che could clearly sense that some of them were even regarding him as a future colleague.

Ye Meng had become his maidservant back in Green Wave City, yet after the two of them traveled to the White Cloud Prefecture, Chen Ruhai and Fan Tiantiao had been transferred here from Green Wave City, so it was all but certain that these two were her handlers.

As for who was above them in the chain of command, that was currently unclear.

On to the second question. How many people in White Cloud Warrior Academy were aware of his identity?

This one was a bit more difficult to answer.

At the very least, Huang Yifan definitely knew, but aside from him, it was entirely unclear. Perhaps even Gao Qingyu and Meng Hejun were completely oblivious.

Li Changkong and the other instructors were most likely all in the dark. They had initially been a little hostile to him due to the terrible fate met by the Su Clan, leading them to suspect that he potentially had ties with a demonic church, but their attitude toward him had been gradually changing over time.

The other person that was definitely aware of his identity was the One Heart Church mole lurking in the academy.

Hence, there were at least two people in the academy aware of his ties with the One Heart Church. Beyond that, Gao Qingyu and Meng Hejun were the only other ones who were possibly aware of his identity.

As for the question of just how much Yin Shengong trusted him, once again, that was not so easy to answer.

He knew that Yin Shengong definitely didn't have full trust in him, but at the very least, there was most likely no longer any suspicion.

Given Yin Shengong's personality, even the slightest bit of suspicion would be just cause in his eyes to have Fang Che killed.

***

The next questions concerned Mu Linyuan, and it was the most important question that he had to address at this point in time.

Mu Linyuan had fled here after sustaining severe injuries, and Ye Meng had witnessed that entire sequence of events!

She was definitely going to be reporting this matter, and Fang Che couldn't do anything about it.

Once the matter was reported, the Protectionists and the Guardians could either choose to come here and kill Mu Linyuan, or turn a blind eye.

Either way, Fang Che was powerless to sway their decision.

However, he was certain that if Mu Linyuan were detained or killed here, then he would instantly lose Yin Shengong's trust.

At the moment, all he could do was pray.

After much contemplation, Fang Che sent a message to Yin Shengong.

"Pope Yin, Subordinate Night Demon reporting. The current circumstances are looking very grim. Master Bei was exposed and wounded, and Uncle-master Mu has also suffered severe injuries from Dong Changfeng's spear intent. At the moment, he's resting and recuperating in my manor, and it's going to be very difficult for him to leave the White Cloud Prefecture in the near future.

“The entire prefecture has been placed under lockdown, and many people have been detained, with more arrests yet to come. In light of what happened with the Su Clan back in Green Wave City, White Cloud Warrior Academy had been keeping a close eye on me.

“In the past, they've kept me on a very loose leash, even trying to use my identity against our One Heart Church, but this is such a major incident that my safety may be under threat, so I require your instructions on how to proceed from here.

“Additionally, Uncle-master Mu's injuries are very severe, and I don't have any medicine or pills fit for his consumption. At the moment, the only things I can provide him with are food and shelter."

***

How did a fucking idiot like Bei Mingxin become the main church's Enforcement Altar Master?!

At the moment, Yin Shengong was feeling utterly overwhelmed, and he was in no mood to check Fang Che's message.

Never had he imagined that things would spiral so quickly and massively out of control.

Bei Mingxin had had a hole impaled through his chest by Dong Changfeng's spear, and his four personal guards had always been his biggest trump card, lurking in the shadows wherever he went.

On this occasion, three of them had been severely wounded, and one of them had perished.

Of course, that hardly mattered to Yin Shengong. What was most infuriating to him was that Mu Linyuan was now stuck in the White Cloud Prefecture and had been wounded by Dong Changfeng's spear intent!

As a Sovereign, Yin Shengong knew just how severe injuries of this nature were, and just as Mu Linyuan had said, the only remedy was rest and recuperation.

There were countless examples of powerful warriors who had taken such injuries all the way to the grave.

Even Dong Changfeng himself had disappeared for over a century after being wounded by Duan Xiyang's spear intent, and that was sufficient testament to just how damning injuries of this nature were.

At the moment, around 60% of all members of the five southeastern path churches had either been detained or killed, and not even a single one had managed to escape.

It was no exaggeration to say that the White Cloud Prefecture was currently the cleanest place on the entire continent.

What left Yin Shengong feeling most exasperated was the fact that Bei Mingxin had fled to the One Heart Church headquarters.

Why didn't this bastard just die out there?! How did he even live this long when he's this fucking stupid?! And why did he choose to come here of all places? If my One Heart Church goes down, it'll be all his fault!

***

Bei Mingxin wasn't feeling any less disgruntled himself.

He had been put through several days of grueling manual labor for no reward, and he had just lost one of his four personal guards, someone that had been by his side for several hundred years!

He couldn't even recall the last time he had suffered a setback as severe as this!

In hindsight, it was clear that the Three Saints Church stronghold had been a trap!

The Protectionists had perhaps been hoping to reel in a big fish, but they surely hadn't anticipated hooking one quite so big!

To further compound his woes, Dong Changfeng had also been there!

What the hell was he doing there?! You can't even make this stuff up!

Driven mad with rage, Bei Mingxin pinned the blame entirely on the Three Saints Church, and he issued an order for Pope Guan Shandu to come and see him right away.

By the time Guan Shandu arrived, Bei Mingxin was already recuperating in seclusion.

"You have to help me, Brother Yin!" Guan Shandu implored.

Once Bei Mingxin came out of seclusion, Guan Shandu would have to bear the full brunt of his fiery wrath!

"I can't help you, Pope Guan. If I'm not careful, I could redirect Master Bei's wrath to myself," Yin Shengong said in a resigned manner.

"But it's not my fault, Brother Yin!" Guan Shandu said in a frantic manner. "Who could've possibly anticipated that Dong Changfeng would be lurking right outside our stronghold? Even the Guardians themselves didn't know! How can this be blamed on me?"

"I agree, but what I think doesn't matter. Right now, I have to focus on looking after myself," Yin Shengong sighed.

“Why? Is your One Heart Church in trouble as well?" Guan Shandu asked with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Ideally, Yin Shengong would also be a difficult predicament. That way, they would be forced to band together in the face of adversity.

"Why do you sound so hopeful?" Yin Shengong snapped. "Our One Heart Church isn't in any trouble, but Elder Mu Linyuan is stuck in the White Cloud Prefecture with no way of getting out."

"If you don't help me out here, then I'm screwed for sure, Brother Yin," Guan Shandu sighed.

"What do you want me to do? Get in trouble myself so I can take the fall with you? Piss off!"

"If you help me this time, from now on, our Three Saints Church will follow your lead."

Guan Shandu finally revealed his trump card, one that he was extremely reluctant to play, but his hand had been forced.

Playing this card meant he and his Three Saints Church would have to submit to the Yin Shengong for at least the near future, and Yin Shengong was renowned for his ability to take full advantage of such favors.

However, without Yin Shengong's help, this was going to be an insurmountable hurdle for Guan Shandu, and owing Yin Shengong a favor was certainly a more appealing option than being beaten to death by Bei Mingxin.

Sure enough, Yin Shengong's eyes immediately lit up as he asked, "Is that a serious offer, Brother Guan?"

"It is!"

Yin Shengong weighed up his options for a moment, then finally acquiesced, "Alright, I can give it a try, but Master Bei is really angry right now, so I can't make any guarantees."