pdf-ebookys Chapter 208 The Betrayal
Chapter 208 The Betrayal
"thump!"
Liu Zetao landed heavily on the ground, his face deathly pale and his lips bloodless. On the verge of death, he could only instinctively gasp for breath, desperately gulping in the precious air.
Si Jinchuan sat leisurely in the chair, even though the back of the chair was crushed by his hand, the chair was still usable.
"This is just a lesson. You should be grateful that you are the head of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Otherwise, you would be worthless, just like this piece of wood." Si Jinchuan held a piece of broken wood in his hand, crushing it into powder that floated in the air.
"Third, explain yourself." Si Jinchuan crossed his legs, rested his chin on his right hand, and looked down at Liu Zetao, who was sitting on the ground trembling. A cruel pleasure flashed in his eyes.
"Sect Master, I am truly grateful to the Shadow Pavilion for finding a way to lift the curse for me. However, Brother Qin has been kind to me, and he trusted me, which is why he made me the Deputy Sect Master of the Black Market. I don't want to betray Brother Qin." Liu Zetao lowered his head, his voice trembling noticeably. He knew that the Sect Master hated betrayal the most, but he couldn't let Brother Qin be implicated, so he took all the blame upon himself.
Qin Muyang had saved him once. His natural talent was lacking; no matter how hard he tried, his cultivation level couldn't keep up with others. Even if he followed Zhuge Tian and tried to curry favor with him, his master wouldn't give him a second glance. In battle, he was someone who could be pushed out to take the hit at any time; why would Zhuge Tian give this good-for-nothing a kind look?
He was the second oldest in his family. He was neither as steady as his older brother nor as clever and likable as his younger sister. He learned business from his older brother and accounting from his father, but he found that he could only ever be an assistant. If it weren't for his good spiritual talent, he would probably have become an accountant in some tavern long ago.
Disdain from his fellow disciples and neglect from his family, Liu Zetao was like a stranded fish, struggling desperately but never getting water to quench his thirst. He could only bask in the sun, waiting to dry up.
"Third Senior Brother, danger!"
"Second senior brother, go and save third senior brother."
Someone gave him a push, and he stood in front of the seventh-rank black bear, while Zhuge Tian had already escaped.
The black bear swung its massive paw at him. In this life-or-death situation, Liu Zetao had completely forgotten to take out his life-saving artifact. This was his first time exploring the secret realm; was he destined to be stuck here forever?
Well, this is his moment to shine. After all, he saved his third junior brother, and everyone's eyes will be on him right now.
That was the only sentence left in Liu Zetao's mind, and he actually laughed out loud.
"boom!"
With a sudden explosion, the giant bear in front of him was blown into pieces, and Liu Zetao was roughly pulled over. He heard a complaint: "Second junior brother, what are you standing there for? Are you going to get smashed into mincemeat by the black bear?"
Liu Zetao looked up and saw a tall and handsome young man in blue robes, who was none other than his senior brother Qin Muyang, who was away on training.
"Still laughing? If I hadn't come, you'd be dead already." Qin Muyang tapped Liu Zetao on the head and said with displeasure.
He had only met his second junior brother once and thought he was a blockhead, but it turned out he was also an idiot. Qin Muyang felt somewhat helpless. His monkey-like third junior brother and his simple-minded second junior brother were even more difficult to manage than the black market.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault for being useless," Liu Zetao said habitually.
"Alright, Second Junior Brother, you'll learn how to make magical artifacts from me from now on, so that we don't encounter any unnecessary dangers again." Qin Muyang felt that he should take on the responsibility of the eldest senior brother, so he prepared to train Liu Zetao.
"really?"
"Of course it's true. A promise is a promise." Qin Muyang chuckled and led Liu Zetao to continue exploring the secret realm.
He, who was previously ignored and of average talent, learned to craft magical artifacts with the help of Brother Qin, thus improving his cultivation and gaining some prestige within the sect. His junior brothers and sisters looked at him with reverence, and his master would occasionally praise him; he finally received the attention he craved.
Liu Zetao is a grateful person, so he always wanted to repay Qin Muyang.
"Second Junior Brother, I heard you're good at accounting." Qin Muyang suddenly found Liu Zetao and asked eagerly.
"Um, Wh...what's wrong?" Liu Zetao asked, puzzled.
"Can you help me with the accounts?" Qin Muyang asked earnestly, his eyes shining.
"of course can."
Qin Muyang patted Liu Zetao on the shoulder and nodded in satisfaction. Lately, the people in the black market have been acting strangely again, falsifying their accounts. If Guo Futing hadn't noticed the discrepancy, all the money in the black market would have been transferred away.
Qin Muyang was illiterate and knew absolutely nothing about accounting, so he needed to find a trustworthy person to do the accounting. His second junior brother seemed simple-minded and honest; he should be able to trust him.
Afterward, Liu Zetao received various account books, which he used for bookkeeping in his spare time. Qin Muyang would send him many treasures as a reward. Despite this, Liu Zetao became suspicious. After all, the accounts he calculated were far too large. Even though Qin Muyang claimed it was a large-scale shop, Liu Zetao didn't believe it. His family was in business, so he naturally knew the approximate profit margin of ordinary shops, and the shop his senior brother spoke of couldn't possibly exist.
"Senior Brother, what kind of shop's accounts do you want me to calculate?" Liu Zetao asked tremblingly. He was afraid that he might have done something dishonest, but he was even more afraid that Qin Muyang would be angry.
"Looks like we can't hide it anymore." Qin Muyang stood up, handed Liu Zetao a black token, and said, "From now on, you will be the deputy head of the black market. Don't ask any more questions. I won't treat you unfairly."
Liu Zetao was so shocked that it took him a while to recover. He had actually become the deputy head of the black market, and the head of the black market was none other than Brother Qin!
Liu Zetao gripped the token tightly in his hand. He knew that this was a symbol of Brother Qin's trust in him, and he must not let Brother Qin down.
“Okay, I’ll go with Brother Qin.”
Later, Brother Qin fell ill, and so did he, but no one could find the cause of their illness. Brother Qin secluded himself in search of a cure.
Si Jinchuan found him and told him that he and Brother Qin were cursed. He said that if he joined the Shadow Pavilion, they would help him find a way to lift the curse.
Liu Zetao accepted the offer; he was determined to find a way to save Brother Qin.
"You concealed your identity as the deputy pavilion master for Qin Muyang's sake. Didn't you expect this day to come?" Si Jinchuan sneered, his entire being exuding a sense of oppression.
"From the moment I joined the Shadow Pavilion, I was prepared to face today," Liu Zetao said resolutely, raising his head.
"Let's leave that aside for now. Third, why did you use divination on me? What exactly do you want to know?" Si Jinchuan's scrutinizing gaze fell on Liu Zetao.
“Sect Master, I just want to know what Brother Qin talked about with you that day? Why was he willing to give up his own life to fall into the Chaos Sea? Even if it was for Fellow Daoist Xie, Brother Qin wouldn’t have left no way out.” Liu Zetao asked, looking directly into Si Jinchuan’s eyes without the slightest fear: “The result of the divination just now was only one: you are not from this world, you have been reborn.”
"Yes, Qin Muyang knows about Xie Wanning's past life. He's going to take a gamble; it's his choice, and I can't stop him. A willing martyr for love—three, do you still think this was my plan?"
Liu Zetao lowered his head and remained silent. He knew that Brother Qin was a resolute and decisive person, and no one could stop Brother Qin's actions.
"Sect Master, I have only one question for you. How did you know that the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has a secret realm containing illusions?" Liu Zetao asked, his head bowed and his voice filled with confusion.
"Because I know everything! For example, three, don't try anything under my nose. You're really not a qualified subordinate!" Si Jinchuan stood up, stepped in front of Liu Zetao, and with a "clang," a broken bronze mirror appeared on the ground, while Liu Zetao was so frightened that his whole body stiffened.
"Master, I... dare not... dare not do it again!" Liu Zetao cried out sharply, but he still could not escape the punishment he deserved.
After an unknown amount of time, Si Jinchuan stood up, frowned, clicked his tongue, and reeked of blood.
Third, there must be no next time.
Upon opening the door to the secret room, a small figure appeared.
"Secondly, thank you for your help this time." Si Jinchuan forced a smile.
"It's no trouble at all, Lord Pavilion Master. I've already completed the mission, and Ye Qianqian won't discover the problem in the secret realm."
"good."