Chapter 418: Chapter 417 Morality
A moment later, the sharp and powerful aura grew closer. The three of them looked to see a middle-aged man dressed in a grey robe sprinting towards them, bringing with it a whirlwind that seemed to form around him as he approached.
"I am a descendant of the Langya Wang Family, and this is a Pass Token, please kindly examine it, Senior."
When the man stopped about ten meters away, Wang Lei hurriedly tossed over the two Pass Tokens and pointed at Yang Fei, saying, "This is my younger blood brother, who went out with me on a mission years ago."
The middle-aged man’s sharp gaze swept across Yang Fei’s face, then he lowered his head to glance at the token in his hand. After confirming it was correct, he nodded, the sharp aura dissipating significantly, but then he pointed at Xu Jian beside them and asked, "And who is this person?"
Wang Lei, who had already prepared a story, replied, "This man has been kind to me and my brother. He is now gravely ill, and we have brought him here to seek a cure."
The man scrutinized Xu Jian carefully, then silently nodded.
At that moment, Xu Jian’s body was weak, seemingly losing his life force and on the brink of death. Martial Cultivators understand a bit about medicine and could tell at a glance that Xu Jian was close to death.
Meanwhile, a few guards who were responsible for overseeing the entrance and exit of the Hidden Sect hurried over, greeting the middle-aged man before turning their attention to Wang Lei and the others.
These were relatively young men, dispatched by various clans and sects to guard the gates, which indicated that they were not particularly accomplished within their own sects or families. Hence, none of them recognized Wang Lei.
"You two are members of the Langya Wang Family and possess Pass Tokens, so you naturally may come and go as you please. However, this man is an outsider, and according to the rules of the Hidden Sect, you should not have brought him here," the Lord Guardian said slowly.
Wang Lei immediately responded, "I hope the Senior can make an exception. The elderly gentleman indeed owes a favor to me and my brother. He sought our help, and we promised to find him medical treatments to extend his life for a few more years. Furthermore, once we bring him in, we will settle him within our family, ensuring he will not leave. This way, we would not be breaking the rules."
According to the rules of the Hidden Sect, without a Pass Token, one cannot leave freely, let alone bring outsiders into this world. If an outsider does enter, they must either be killed without discussion or, as Wang Lei said, not allowed to leave.
As long as those who come here do not depart, the existence of the Hidden Sect World will not be known to the common world.
Of course, there are exceptions for certain special individuals.
Zhang Yunlong and Qin Yanyang had both been to the Hidden Sect World and had also left it.
Before them, Zhang Wenfeng had entered and exited the Hidden Sect World even earlier.
But these were true masters of the Martial World, all Martial Artists themselves, concealing their identities in the mundane world. It was a great honor for them to be invited to the Hidden Sect as guests or for further cultivation, and it was only natural that they would not divulge anything about the Hidden Sect.
Xu Jian coughed weakly, saying, "Please, Lord Guardian, make an exception. This old man just wants to live a few more years. Once I enter, I will certainly not leave again. By the way, here is a check for two hundred million for the gentlemen to enjoy a cup of tea."
As he spoke, he boldly passed over a check.
This move left Wang Lei and Yang Fei a bit stunned, as they had not expected Xu Jian to pull such a stunt.
For the people of the Hidden Sect World, what use would an external check have?
Yet, Xu Jian, with the demeanor of a worldly and exceedingly wealthy old tycoon, had managed to convince the guards of his standing.
The Lord Guardian slightly furrowed his brow and, after hesitating a moment, casually gestured.
The check from Xu Jian’s hand lightly floated into his.
He examined the check for a while, then smiled faintly and tucked the check into his chest, saying, "Since you are descendants of the Langya Wang Family, and you’ve agreed not to take this person out again, it doesn’t count as a violation of the rules."
"What the Lord says is indeed true."
"It complies with the rules."
The other guards nodded their heads one after another.
If their leader had spoken thus, who were they to say more?
Not to mention the Langya Wang Family is one of the Eight Great Forces of the Hidden Sect World, even they hesitate to offend them lightly; being able to sell a favor to these two young masters might be useful in the future.
"Since you’ve returned here, your Pass Token is now void. I’ll take it, and you can leave. Remember, don’t let this man cause any trouble here; otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences," the Lord Guardian scanned the three of them again and said with a wave of his hand.
Wang Lei smiled and clasped his hands in a bow, "Thank you, my lord. Rest assured, we understand the severity."
The Lord Guardian waved his hand, signaling the three of them that they could leave.
Wang Lei then nodded to the others and turned to leave with Yang Fei and Xu Jian.
Once the group was at a distance, one of the guards beside the Lord Guardian said, "It seems that the rumors are true. Recently more and more people are traveling, it’s probably not long before the Hidden Sect World starts intervening in the mundane world."
"It’s too early to talk about such matters, do not speculate wildly," the Lord Guardian huffed lightly.
"Yes," the guard immediately stopped talking but inwardly sneered with disdain.
If the Hidden Sect World wasn’t planning to take major action in the world soon, then how could you possibly value a check worth two billion from the outside world? The Lord Guardian probably also fancied a stroll in the mundane world after completing this mission; otherwise, this check would be the equivalent of scrap paper in the Hidden Sect World.
"Shit, that worked?"
After walking a considerable distance, Yang Fei couldn’t help but complain, "It seems money is a universal language everywhere, even two billion can buy compliance."
Xu Jian chuckled with a trace of scorn, clearly also sneering at the Lord Guardian for accepting his two-billion bribe.
Wang Lei, however, looked serious and said in a deep voice, "Don’t you find this surprising?"
Yang Fei and Xu Jian were taken aback.
Wang Lei continued, "The Hidden Sect and the outside world are two unconnected realms. Under normal circumstances, people of the Hidden Sect would never leave here in their lifetime, but he accepted Senior Xu’s check. This indicates that he, or someone from his family, might have the opportunity to go out."
Yang Fei silently nodded.
Xu Jian said, "Do you think the isolation between the Hidden Sect World and the outside is about to be broken and that the Hidden Sect people will start going out into the world more often for their cultivation?"
"Bullshit cultivation, it’s just wanting to join the secular world," said Wang Lei.
Unsurprised by this, Xu Jian replied, "Us practitioners have made a fortune in the outside world, possessing endless wealth and certain special statuses, enjoying lives of luxury and leisure. These people from the Hidden Sect are even more formidable, naturally, they won’t be content living these monotonous and ascetic lives forever. The Hidden Sect’s immersion in the secular world is only a matter of time."
"Indeed, no one can withstand solitude. Once they realize that immortality is out of reach, these Hidden Sect Practitioners start thinking about living their finite lives to the fullest," Wang Lei added.
Shaking his head, Yang Fei said, "Nevermind that. Wang Lei, where is the Duanmu aristocratic family?"
Wang Lei looked at him and asked, "Are you sure you want to go to the Duanmu Family?"
"Nonsense, I came here to avenge my uncle and to seek justice for his death. If not the Duanmu Family, who else should I find?" Yang Fei said with determined eyes.
Although Duanmu Hai and Duanmu Yun had already been slain by his own hands, the Duanmu Family still needed to pay the price for it. Otherwise, his uncle’s death would be in vain.
Most importantly, he wanted to make a notorious name for himself in the Hidden Sect World so everyone would remember one thing: anyone could come after Yang Fei, but they should never harm his family members.
Since ancient times, outlaws of the green forests had always adhered to the rule that calamity should not befall family members. These various clans and sects of the Hidden Sect profess to be paragons of justice, yet they do not measure up even to these bandits, not even upholding the most basic moral principles.