Chapter 926: Expendable

Proofreader : Papatonks

"Say kid, just what are you looking for in the cave?"

Having looked over most of the cave yet not particularly interested in anything there, or maybe they were beneath him, one man got curious since he also didn't start choosing his party.

Zhuo Fan's eyes shone and looked at the puzzled people, "Looking for someone, a messenger."

"Messenger?"

"Precisely!"

Zhuo Fan grinned, "I need a runner, someone to send a letter to Flying Cloud manor to set a place for a hostage exchange."

The clansmen were curious, "Exchange hostages?"

"Sure, the Soaring Sword for my son, humph..." Zhuo Fan scoffed.

Shangguan clan elders were stumped but also annoyed.

[For crying out loud, wasn't that sword supposed to be for us? How'd you use it in an exchange?]

Zhuo Fan easily read their faces and smiled, "It's obviously a ruse. If it were that easy to get my son in an exchange with Baili Jingwei, I'd have done it already. Why would I waste time coming here of all places? Since I can't put stock in Baili Jingwei to follow through with the switch, I'll be needing you guys' help. Though if you feel disinclined to lend a hand, or two, I'll just have to go out on a limb. It's all the same to me, really."

"Uh, no no no, we're glad to help, glad..."

The elders rushed to reassure him, feeling sweat trickling down their necks.

[For god's sake, if this punk makes the switch that'll make all the losses we incurred all for nothing.]

They could trade with the kid to get the sword, but once it landed in Baili Jingwei's hands, all hope was lost.

So Zhuo Fan had them on a leash, dangling the sword in front of their eyes to do his bidding and making them readjust their attitudes. They were scared that any mood change would push the kid into skipping them for their enemy. One man's pain is another man's joy.

This led to the elders treating Zhuo Fan like their ancestor, hanging on every word and following it without question. While the onlooking disciples were looking baffled all this time.

[Do our elders have no dignity? What are they doing hanging around some brat? What about the honor of the Shangguan clan?]

[Why... not me?!]

Every disciple there looked at Zhuo Fan with envy. Not even the successors of the clan were given such respect, and they were the future...

Ignoring the blatant dagger stares on his person, Zhuo Fan took a round trip around the place, only to end it with a frown and a sigh, "Isn't there any Soul Harmony Stage disciple around?"

"Boy, such disciples are rare, barely a few of them around. Of the ones we brought, leaving Shangguan Yulin, the only ones left are the two you beat up." One venerable rushed to answer but then was puzzled, "Does it have to be a Soul Harmony Stage disciple? What does cultivation have to do with sending a message?"

Zhuo Fan shook his head, "If only it were that simple. This job comes with a high risk of dying."

"What?" Everyone gasped.

Ignoring their squeaks, Zhuo Fan chided, "What's with the whining? What's the big deal about using one life? Didn't you already use so many back in Flying Cloud manor for the Soaring Sword? I'm only asking for one, so that's a win for you. I need a Soul Harmony Stage cultivator because his self-destruction has to be at that level at the least. An Ethereal Stage one would hardly have any effect in deafening Shangguan Feiyun. I want a disciple out of consideration for you elders. Since you're all mighty important to the clan, I can't just as well ask you to die. Then again, since there's no disciple around..."

Zhuo Fan's eyes scanned the oldies with a creepy smile.

They shuddered and jumped in fright.

[Why the hell would we go back to Flying Cloud manor, just to blow up?]

Would they fear Shangguan Feiyun, a Sword King, if blowing up had worked? No, it was precisely because it couldn't even scratch him that they didn't feel like blowing themselves up for nothing.

Now that Zhuo Fan asked them this, they were put on the spot.

Zhuo Fan was totally right, so many died to get the Soaring Sword and now only one more was needed.

But sometimes, a clan had to ignore the pragmatic solution in favor of the ethical one.

So many died in their raid of the manor for Soaring Sword, but that was in the name of the clan. Because of their deaths, the survivors cared even more about the clan. That was called being united.

While being ready to sacrifice one member to get to their goal, that was the same as throwing away all ethics, morals and the clansmen's devotion all these years. The collapse of the clan would only be a matter of time.

Standing united was the clan's foundation!

Zhuo Fan was no Shangguan clansman and would simply write this off, but the elders could not just destroy the clan's morale because of a bit of danger.

They'd rather take the worst outcome, with them dying in hundreds for their goal, instead of killing off one of them for it.

This was never about gain and loss, it was about spirit. With their morale crushed, there was no team...

The elders looked at each other, but they all shook their heads.

Zhuo Fan's eyes shook.

[They're not the fools I took them for, at least. They know when to put their foot down.]

[But I need a man for my dastardly plan. Since Shangguan clan is out, what now?]

Zhuo Fan sunk into deep thought.

"Aah!"

A cry echoed throughout the cave, like a squealing pig. It was oddly familiar to Zhuo Fan, "Who's whining like that?"

"Humph, who else but Shangguan Yulin, the traitor!" one venerable spat in disgust.

Zhuo Fan lit up and a broad smile crept on his face, "People, is this condemned traitor still considered one of you? Could you lend him to me? Though I don't plan on returning him."

"Well..."

They looked at each other and then sported smirks. A venerable laughed, "Sure, please do. We were still uncertain if we should go for death penalty or torture him first for his heavy crimes. Since Mister Gu wants him, I believe using his life for the divine sword is enough to absolve him. That'd be so great, what do you guys think, ha-ha-ha?"

The others laughed along, with knowing looks.

Alas, the poor Shangguan Yulin had once again hit rock bottom, in the hands of the devilish Zhuo Fan.

[Now that's fate, or maybe a nightmare, he-he-he...]

Zhuo Fan snickered along with the other elders, the sound bouncing off the walls and making it even creepier.

A sudden chill crawled down everyone's spine, feeling like demons were cackling in their ears...

"Agh~!"

In a closed room, Shangguan Yulin was having the torture of his life. He was deformed in the process, hung to a stone pole and sealed of his cultivation.

An elder with black beard clamped his shoulder and sent Yuan Qi inside him without qualms, so that his bones would creak and his tendons would snap in the most gruesome way possible; hence the agonizing cries.

The elder demanded, "What else did you tell Shangguan Feiyun? Talk! Does he know about this place?"

"Sixth elder, have mercy!"

Sobbing from all the pain, Shangguan Yulin wailed, "Sir's asked me a thousand times already. I already told you, Shangguan Feiyun only wanted to kill the experts, not to eliminate you completely. He doesn't know of this place. He still wanted me to get back to eastern lands as a spy. He didn't even ask about our meeting place. Please, have mercy..."

Sixth elder huffed and ramped up the pain, "So you want to go back as a spy, is it? No matter how many times I hear it, it still fills me with absolute rage, making me wish I could skin you alive!"

"Screw you! You don't care but I am being asked the same thing over and o-, agh! Mercy, I was wrong, sixth elder! Spare me! I want to see my uncle! Uncle, save me!"

Shangguan Yulin once again howled in pain and tears.

The heavy stone door opened with a creek in his most desperate need and a familiar and most unwelcome laughter reached him, "Ha-ha-ha, easy with the cries, your uncle can't save you now. But your master might have something that does."

Startled, the two inside looked to see Zhuo Fan walk in with a wide smile, his ridiculing words mocking Shangguan Yulin's wretched situation...