Chapter 83: Werewolf Without Traitors

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Werewolf Without Traitors

The Upper Three Sects.

The Dao Sect.

The Sect Leader and numerous Elders were gathered in the Law Enforcement Hall.

On a nearby table sat three exquisite wristwatches.

Kneeling before them were three ordinary men.

"Immortal Master, I’ve truly told you everything! The Immortal who came to recruit me into the alliance told me so himself. He said he was from the Third Elder’s faction within the Dao Sect. He said the Third Elder holds the rank of Senior Lecturer in the Wenda Alliance, a position of great prestige. He promised that as long as I contributed to the Wenda Alliance, the younger generation of my family could freely enter the Sect to cultivate..."

A pot-bellied, lavishly dressed merchant was kowtowing profusely, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Otherwise, how would I even know the Third Elder’s name?"

"..." The scholar-like, middle-aged man shot the merchant a vicious glare. "I only have myself to blame for getting drunk and accidentally revealing my affiliation with the Wenda Alliance. But I won’t say anything else.

The Wenda Alliance’s work benefits all of humanity. And now, because of me, I have brought disaster upon it. Even in death, I could not atone for this. You can kill me, but don’t even think about learning the identities of any other Wenda Alliance members from me."

"Immortal Master, I... I’m also from the Third Elder’s faction," the last man, who was dressed in an official’s robes, said with a woeful expression. "I only know that the Sixth Prince is a member of the Wenda Alliance. He said he could help me get a promotion if I joined..."

...

"Third Elder, what do you have to say?" the Sect Leader asked, looking at the Third Elder coolly.

It was a classic case of being blamed for something completely out of the blue.

The Third Elder was completely dumbfounded. He glared at the merchant and said, "Sect Leader, my breakthrough to the Harmonization Realm is imminent! I’ve been in seclusion within the Sect for ten years. How could I possibly have joined some Wenda Alliance? I’ve never even heard of this damned Wenda Alliance..."

The scholar shot the Third Elder a look of admiration. ’As expected of a Senior Lecturer of the Wenda Alliance,’ he thought. ’Such flawless acting, such a calm and composed demeanor...’

The merchant, terrified by the Third Elder’s glare, turned deathly pale. He looked pleadingly up at the Sect Leader on the dais and said, "Immortal Master, one of the Wenda Alliance’s vows is that we must not reveal its existence to outsiders.

The Third Elder holds a high and powerful position and has enjoyed many benefits from the Wenda Alliance. If he were to admit it, his reputation would be ruined, so of course he’ll deny it. But now that I’ve been forced to expose the Alliance, they will surely never forgive me.

Immortal Master, I truly just joined the Wenda Alliance. I haven’t done anything for them, nor have I enjoyed any of its benefits! Please, Immortal Master, save me! I have elders to care for and children to raise! I don’t want to die..."

"What nonsense are you spouting? What ’many benefits’ have I supposedly enjoyed from the Wenda Alliance?!" The Third Elder was furious. He shot to his feet, and the immense pressure of his Void Refinement Realm cultivation bore down on the portly merchant.

THUMP! The portly merchant was crushed to the ground.

"Third Elder, what do you think you’re doing?" The Law Enforcement Hall Elder waved his hand lightly, dissipating the Third Elder’s pressure.

"He’s trying to kill me! He’s trying to silence me!" The merchant’s face was ashen, and he trembled like a leaf in the wind. He didn’t dare look at the Third Elder. "Elder, save me!"

"You..." The Third Elder trembled with rage. He looked at the Law Enforcement Hall Elder standing protectively in front of the merchant, raised his hand, then lowered it. Finally, he took a deep breath. "Sect Leader, please see the truth. I know nothing of any Wenda Alliance, nor am I some Senior Lecturer."

"Third Elder, calm yourself. Why don’t we let him tell us everything about this Wenda Alliance and allow the Elders to be the judge? What do you say?" the Sect Leader said coolly, glancing at the Third Elder.

"Fine." The Third Elder glared at the merchant. "Speak. If you dare utter a single lie, no one will be able to save you."

"That day, two Immortal Masters suddenly appeared in my room. They said I was qualified to join the Wenda Alliance..." The merchant glanced timidly at the Third Elder, wiped the sweat from his brow, and stammered his way through the story of his recruitment.

"...The man said the Wenda Alliance has a five-thousand-year history. They’ve orchestrated the changing of eras, secretly instigating events like the Late Tang Chaos and the Eight Kings’ Rebellion.

They also secretly promoted the rise of Confucianism. The great Confucian scholar Cai Zhangming, who proposed the theory of the Unity of Heaven and Man, was a member of the Wenda Alliance.

The man said that I was a skilled businessman, and that if I compiled my life’s knowledge of commerce into a book, it could be incorporated into the Wenda Alliance’s study of economics for future generations to explore. He said my name would be remembered for ages.

He also promised me many things, including using the Wenda Alliance’s influence to make my Han Family into a thousand-year-old noble house. I was possessed, and in a moment of weakness, I agreed to join..."

Hmph!

The scholar snorted coldly. "Pathetic."

"Oh, so you’re not pathetic? And yet you still got drunk, screwed up, and exposed your own identity," the merchant retorted, flying into a rage out of shame.

It was as if all the life had been drained from the scholar in an instant. He collapsed onto the floor, muttering to himself, "He’s right. What right do I, who leaked a Celestial Secret, have to laugh at anyone else? My love for the cup was my downfall... my downfall!"

The Sect Leader ignored the scholar and turned to the official. "Your turn."

"Immortal Master, my situation was much the same as his," the official said, dejected, knowing he couldn’t escape his fate. "But I joined to pursue the study of politics.

As long as I compiled my own experiences in governance, I would be allowed to study the Wenda Alliance’s many classics on statecraft, such as *National Wealth*, *Diplomacy*, *Marginal Politics*, and so on..."

He was halfway through speaking when the scholar suddenly straightened his back and interrupted him.

He stood up and gave the Sect Leader a deep bow. "Immortal Master, the Wenda Alliance studies the principles of all things, the ways of society, and seeks to comprehend the origin of the world.

The Wenda Alliance has existed for thousands of years without interfering with the world of cultivation. I implore you, Immortal Master, do not make things difficult for these seekers of knowledge. For the world, they are beneficial, not harmful..."

...

There were vivid details, sworn oaths, concrete examples, and even inherited tokens...