Chapter 83: Information Sure Spreads Fast and Eternal Rivalry

Yu Liang didn’t consider himself a hero.

Justice, righteousness, the moral obligation to fight evil as these were concepts for sect disciples with their proud declarations and righteous speech. Yu Liang understood the world more simply: his people had been attacked. That was his bottom line. Everything else was secondary.

The Crimson Fire Sect had crossed that line. They already planned to use his restaurant as hunting grounds and customers as livestock. The punishment for that was necessary. If eliminating them happened to save hundreds of other lives in the process then that was an acceptable collateral benefit.

But he wouldn’t go seeking out injustice and patrol the streets looking for wrongs to right. The cultivation world was filled with cruelty, exploitation, and casual evil. If Yu Liang tried to fix everything in his power, he would never stop fighting.

So there’s a simple solution. He will protect what’s his. Help people when their interests align with his own. Anything beyond that was someone else’s problem.

He returned next morning carrying out his usual routine like reviewing accounts, checking inventory, ensuring Heaven’s Table operated smoothly.

The news reached Jade City by the afternoon.

Yu Liang was inspecting the expansion construction when he heard the whispers of workers, glancing nervously toward the Northeast. By evening, the rumors had crystallized into something resembling facts.

The Crimson Fire Sect had fallen overnight.

He continued his inspection while listening to conversations around him.

"Every elder is dead, they say."

"The sect master too. They found him in his throne room with his heart pierced."

"The disciples woke up to find bodies everywhere."

"I heard nobody even saw who did it."

"Then who could have killed them all?"

"I don’t know. Whoever it was, they were strong enough to wipe out the entire sect overnight."

Inside Heaven’s Table, the lunch crowd buzzed with speculation. Yu Liang sat at a corner table with Meihua, reviewing menus while actually listening to every conversation in the room with her.

A merchant two tables over spoke loudly. "My cousin’s friend has a nephew in the Crimson Fire Sect. He says that the disciples are terrified. Half of them fled immediately. They just grabbed whatever they could carry and ran away."

His companion leaned in. "Can you blame them? Waking up to find your entire leadership is executed? Let alone them, I’d run too."

"Some stayed though," a third cultivator added. "Ther are fiercely loyal ones. Trying to rebuild their sect apparently. Claiming their elders were framed."

"Framed?" The merchant laughed bitterly. "They found evidence everywhere. Preservation arrays filled with body parts, pills made from human organs, and ledgers documenting thousands of kidnappings over the past three years."

The third cultivator’s voice dropped. "That’s not even the worst part. They also found proof that the Crimson Fire Sect was working with the Passion Sect."

Within moments, everyone around them was talking about it.

"The Passion Sect?" someone else whispered. "But they’re—"

"Demonic sect, yes." The merchant’s expression was grim. "Apparently the Crimson Fire Sect’s leader was providing them with sacrificial materials which were Independent cultivators, wandering merchants and anyone without backing."

"A Righteous sect working with demons..." The first companion shook his head in disgust. "How many more are like that? Wearing righteous faces while conducting demonic practices?"

The conversations spread through the restaurant like wildfire. Each table adding details, speculation and horrifying events.

Yu Liang sipped his tea calmly.

Across from him, Meihua kept her voice barely above a whisper. "The Passion Sect connection did it’s job."

"Yes," Yu Liang agreed. "It doesn’t need to be perfect. People will believe it, and once they do, someone is bound to start digging."

She looked at him for a moment. "What now?"

"I just gave them a story they were willing to believe." He set down his cup. "The Crimson Fire Sect was conducting forbidden practices. That’s the fact. Their connection to demonic cultivation was implicit in their methods. Whether they formally affiliated with the Passion Sect or not becomes irrelevant as everyone will assume they did."

"Will you be targeting demonic sects?"

"I’m just directing the attention." Yu Liang’s voice remained soft. "Demonic sects prey on the weak constantly. If the righteous sects suddenly have reason to investigate the Passion Sect more closely, if independent cultivators become more aware of these threats, if other organizations think twice before targeting unaffiliated cultivators..." He shrugged slightly. "These are acceptable outcomes."

Meihua was quiet for a moment. "You’re playing a dangerous game."

"The game was already being played. I’m simply moving pieces on the board."

One thing Yu Liang realized once again after the lecture was that he couldn’t remain passive forever. The cultivation world was a chessboard, and he didn’t want to be another piece on it. He wanted to be the one moving the pieces.

By evening, the entire city was consumed with the news. Righteous sect disciples gathered in tea houses, debating implications. Independent cultivators whispered nervously about how close they’d come to being harvested. Merchants recalculated their safety measures for travel routes.

And in every conversation, the same themes emerged: the division between righteous and demonic cultivation and how easily that line could blur.

The cultivation world had long been split into two broad categories. Righteous sects claimed to follow the orthodox path that is cultivating through meditation, proper techniques and gradual advancement through understanding of the Dao. They presented themselves as Protectors of Order, Guardians of morality and Upholders of Civilization.

Demonic sects rejected these constraints. They pursued power through by any means necessary like blood sacrifices, soul refinement, forbidden techniques that consumed others to fuel personal advancement. And for that they were labeled as evil, hunted by righteous factions and driven into the shadows.

But the reality was murkier than the titles suggested.

Many righteous sects practiced methods that differed from demonic cultivation only in degree and presentation. Like Slavery was tolerated, exploitation of the weak was standard, Wars were fought for resources with casual disregard for mortal casualties.

And Demonic sects, for all their villainy, were sometimes more honest about their nature. They didn’t pretend benevolence while grinding faces into the dirt. They simply took what they wanted and made no apologies.

And Passion Sect being one of the Demonic Sect, occupied a particular position in the demonic hierarchy. It’s a Mid Tier power with several Nascent Soul elders, known for practices involving emotional manipulation and spiritual corruption. They had been relatively quiet in recent years, avoiding direct conflicts with righteous factions.

But if evidence suggested they had been secretly supporting forbidden practices in righteous sects, providing sacrificial techniques and consuming the results.

That would require serious investigation and depending on their response it could possibly lead to a war.

The righteous sects would have no choice but to act, even if it’s only to prove they weren’t involved with others in crime. The demonic sects in return would deny everything while quietly adjusting their own operations. And in the chaos, dozens of smaller sects would be caught in the crossfire.

Yu Liang understood that and none of this was truly his concern. The great sect conflicts, the righteous versus demonic eternal struggle or the political maneuvering of powerful figures that could crush him with a thought.

But he did ensured that independent cultivators which are his customers, his employees and people without sect protection or any backing would be slightly safer in the aftermath. The Crimson Fire Sect’s harvest operation was ended. Other organizations would be more cautious about similar schemes, at least temporarily.

That was enough.

He had a restaurant to run after all.

He knew some independent cultivators were no better than the sects themselves, but that didn’t matter. All he needed was time, and he had just gained more of it. For now, he was betting on a much bigger plan.

That evening, Yan Ruo reported the mission’s success. No one on their side had been injured, there were no witnesses either and the evidence had been planted exactly where Yu Liang wanted it to be.

Yan Ruo placed another report on his desk. "The news has spread farther than we expected."

Yu Liang glanced at it. "How far?"

"Several nearby sects have already sent people to investigate. The Crimson Fire Sect’s territory is becoming quite crowded."

Yu Liang gave a small nod. "Good."

Yan Ruo looked at him. "Good?"

"The more people digging around, the less likely anyone is to look in the right direction."

"And the Passion Sect connection?" She asked.

"It will keep the righteous sects busy for months investigating I guess.

His words cleared away the doubts Yan Ruo had been holding onto. She bowed to him before leaving the office.