The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 271: Chapter 268: Deliberation

"Senior Brother Fa Ding."

"Senior Brother Fa Ding."

Cangsong Taoist and Monk Fatong bowed to the dignified, venerable old monk before them.

"Junior Brother Cangsong, Junior Brother Fatong, there is no need for such formalities with this old monk."

Cangsong Taoist slowly rose and looked at the old monk.

Monk Fa Ding held a very high position within the Buddhist faction of the Celestial Profound Sect. For him to come to Dingzhou personally showed just how much importance the sect placed on the region.

Previously, the Demon Sect had invaded the Five Continents of Xuan Yang.

The three teachings of Xuan Yang—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism—had each now chosen a continent.

The Buddhist faction had clearly chosen Dingzhou.

This made Cangsong Taoist’s position even more awkward.

He had already received a secret message from the Daoist branch, ordering him to leave Dingzhou and return to the Celestial Profound Sect.

The reason Cangsong Taoist hadn’t left yet was, of course, for the secrets of the Divine Mansion Sect.

Monk Fa Ding placed his palms together and recited, "Amitabha Buddha." He then said, "Junior Brothers, in three days, the five factions will meet in Fenggu to discuss matters. You must prepare well, so as not to tarnish the reputation of our Celestial Profound Sect."

"Yes!"

...

"A meeting?"

Yang Fangyu gazed at the gilt-lettered invitation delivered by a disciple of the Celestial Profound Sect.

In the main hall of the County Magistrate’s Office, the other experts of the Yang Family remained silent, quietly awaiting Yang Jiuyan’s decision.

Yang Jiuyan took the invitation from Yang Fangyu’s hand, glanced at it, and then closed it.

"We’re going. Of course, we’re going."

He made his decision without hesitation.

Besides the Yang Family, four other factions had placed their bets on Dingzhou. The Celestial Profound Sect, being the strongest power in the Northern Territory, was essentially the host. It was only reasonable for them to preside over the meeting.

The five factions truly needed to sit down and have a proper discussion.

Fenggu wasn’t far from Guiyuan, so Yang Jiuyan waited until the day of the appointment to lead his men to Fenggu County.

Yang Fangyu naturally accompanied Yang Jiuyan, along with several Elders from the Yang Family.

Yang Jiuyan had also asked if Bai Yuan and Li Huan were willing to go to Fenggu, but both had politely declined.

The reason for Li Huan’s refusal was unknown, but Bai Yuan’s was simple: a wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall.

He already had a grudge with the Celestial Profound Sect; going to Fenggu County might just make him a target.

’It’s better to just stay in Guiyuan City.’

...

「Fenggu County, County Magistrate’s Office.」

The main hall was now filled with people.

The Celestial Profound Sect didn’t act conceited; they sat in the secondary seats just like the other four factions, leaving the County Magistrate’s original position vacant.

Seeing that everyone was seated, an old man with a goatee was the first to speak. "Old monk, why on earth did you summon all of us here?"

This man was Qiu Yang, one of the five Incense Masters of the Cao Bang and a famous expert from the Jiangnan region.

Qiu Yang’s words were flippant, showing no respect for the Celestial Profound Sect.

The Cao Bang controlled the Ten Thousand Miles Canal, so they certainly had the capital to be arrogant.

Old Monk Fa Ding wasn’t angered. He placed his palms together. "Amitabha Buddha. Benefactor Qiu, I have gathered everyone here today in the hope that we can join forces to vanquish the demons and restore peace to Dingzhou."

As soon as he said this, everyone present wore an intriguing expression.

The whole world bustles with people pursuing profit. If it were merely about slaying demons, they would have come here years ago.

At this moment, a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a constant smile on his face spoke up, "How about we each claim a prefecture for ourselves? That way, there won’t be any conflicts."

This man was the Vice-President of the Jiangnan Commerce Association, Zhu Wanchong.

Don’t be fooled by his smiling face; he was the one who handled most of the Jiangnan Commerce Association’s underworld affairs. A true smiling tiger.

"Brother Zhu speaks sense."

Qiu Yang immediately agreed.

The Cao Bang’s influence was based in Jiangnan, and Qiu Yang was a prominent figure in the Jiangnan underworld. It was natural for him to have a good relationship with Zhu Wanchong.

The two had clearly discussed this beforehand.

"Hold on, everyone. The Demon Sect is powerful. None of our factions can face them alone. I believe we should first join forces to repel the Demon Sect, and only then discuss how to divide the spoils."

A dignified, square-jawed middle-aged man spoke slowly.

"You, with the surname Fang, that’s easy for you to say. Why don’t you tell us how we should divide things?"

Qiu Yang sneered at the middle-aged man.

This middle-aged man was none other than Fang Yan of the Fang Family from Lu State.

Seeing the beginnings of an argument, Old Monk Fa Ding spoke again. "Everyone, my Celestial Profound Sect has gathered intelligence. Kuaidong has already crossed the Great Wall."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell instantly silent.

Kuaidong’s reputation was so immense that it forced them to stop their infighting.

Seeing their reaction, Old Monk Fa Ding nodded in satisfaction. Only a ruthless character like Kuaidong could suppress this hall full of arrogant and untamable masters.

"Everyone, Kuaidong’s demonic nature is profound. None of us can be his match alone. This old monk proposes that we first unite the power of the five factions to capture Huaiyuan Prefecture and establish it as our stronghold in Dingzhou. We can discuss matters again after we have defeated that demon."

The hall fell silent again for a long time.

Finally, Fang Yan was the first to speak: "I agree."

Not long after Fang Yan finished, Yang Jiuyan, who had been silent all this time, also spoke: "Agreed."

Seeing that three of the five factions had now agreed, Qiu Yang and Zhu Wanchong exchanged a look and voiced their agreement one after the other.

Seeing that the goal of the meeting had been achieved, the smile on Old Monk Fa Ding’s face grew wider.

After everyone had discussed the details of attacking Huaiyuan Prefecture, Old Monk Fa Ding slowly rose to his feet.

"I have had a vegetarian meal prepared. Please, everyone, stay and dine with us."

The moment he heard it was vegetarian food, Qiu Yang was the first to lose interest. "It’s all fucking bland as shit. Whoever wants to eat it can eat it."

With that, he was the first to stand up, leading the disciples of the Cao Bang out.

The Jiangnan Commerce Association followed.

Compared to Qiu Yang, Zhu Wanchong’s attitude was much better. "Master Fa Ding, I will pass on the vegetarian meal. Farewell."

After them, the Yang Family and the Fang Family also departed.

Not a single one of them had any intention of eating the vegetarian meal.

Everyone had already agreed to launch a joint attack on Huaiyuan Prefecture in five days.

Before that, Yang Jiuyan needed to make preparations.

Following behind Yang Jiuyan, Yang Fangyu frowned and muttered under his breath.

"Why didn’t I see that stinky bull-nosed Daoist, Cangsong?"

...

Guiyuan City had now become a full-fledged military fortress.

Yang Jiuyan had brought a thousand Yang Family guards with him in one go. Adding the ones Bai Yuan’s group of three had brought earlier, the total number was now a full two thousand.

But this was still far fewer than Jianghu factions like the Cao Bang.

Most of the time, a great clan like the Yang Family could only recruit Jianghu Martial Masters under the guise of hiring household guards, otherwise, they would arouse the Court’s suspicion.

In comparison, Jianghu sects didn’t have so many scruples.

Take the Cao Bang, for instance. They claimed to have a hundred thousand members, a scale that was nearly on par with the former Northern Garrison Army.

Although Yang Jiuyan had left Guiyuan City with several of the Yang Family’s experts, the city’s defenses remained tight.

Bai Yuan sat cross-legged and alone on his bed.

He lived by himself in a residence that spanned a full ten mu.

Only the wealthy and noble great clans could afford such a large residence in Guiyuan City. It was, at the very least, on par with the Li Family of Qinghe.

Bai Yuan was currently refining the spirit energy in his body into a venomous liquid.

Only by preparing a sufficient amount of spirit venom could he avoid the awkward situation of running out during a fight.

"Enemy attack!"

Just then, a flurry of urgent footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door.

Bai Yuan’s eyes shot open.

His figure flickered, and in the next instant, he vanished from the room.

A short while later, his figure appeared atop the city wall.

"Brother Bai, you’re here."

When Bai Yuan walked onto the city wall, Li Huan was already there.

Besides Li Huan, several experts from the Yang Family were also present.

When those few saw Bai Yuan appear, they gave a slight nod. With the Yang Family now overseeing Guiyuan City, there was rarely a need for Bai Yuan or Li Huan to worry about most matters.

"What’s the situation?"

Bai Yuan glanced down at the soldiers below, who were fighting fiercely with demons.

"Nothing to worry about."

Li Huan smiled.

Guiyuan City had already repelled such attacks many times; they were long used to it.

Bai Yuan had no intention of making a move.

The demons below were all common fodder, not yet worthy of his attention.

Just as the group was observing the battle from the city wall, a colossal creature suddenly appeared in the nearby mountain forest.

It was a massive black bear, a full two zhang tall. Its cavernous, crimson maw revealed sharp, bone-white teeth, and fist-sized drops of saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth.

Upon seeing the giant Black Bear Demon appear, the expressions of the Yang Family Elders finally changed.

Before the Black Bear Demon, the city wall beneath their feet seemed as fragile as paper.

If the black bear were allowed to get close, the wall would surely be smashed to pieces.

Then the horde of demons would swarm into the city, and dealing with them would not be so easy.

"Don’t let it get near the wall!"

A Yang Family Elder made an instant judgment, leaping off the city wall and charging straight for the Bear Demon.

Soon, the Yang Family Elder was engaged in combat with the Bear Demon.

Although the Yang Elder used his agile movements to easily dodge the Bear Demon’s attacks, his sword strikes against the black bear’s body were like tickles, having little effect.

This was the advantage of having a large body.

In the army, they also favored muscular, bulky builds because they were durable, just like that big black bear.

The Bear Demon swatted with its two paws, shooing away the Yang Elder as if he were a fly, and charged toward the city wall without breaking its stride.

The faces of the Yang Family Elders instantly turned grim.

They realized that even if several of them attacked together, they wouldn’t be able to stop the Bear Demon.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Bai Yuan leaped off the city wall.

Li Huan couldn’t help but exclaim, "Brother Bai!"

Bai Yuan was as light as a swallow, landing silently on the ground.

Seeing Bai Yuan make his move, the Yang Family Elders all raised an eyebrow. They had long since heard of Bai Yuan from Yang Fangyu’s letters, in which Yang Fangyu had not spared a single word of praise.

They, too, wanted to see just what kind of strength this young man, so highly esteemed by Yang Fangyu, truly possessed.

In just a few breaths’ time, Bai Yuan arrived at the Bear Demon’s feet.

He suddenly grabbed the Bear Demon’s hairy brown leg, and the Manggu Zhuhe Technique within his body began to circulate wildly.

Before everyone’s horrified gazes, the Black Bear’s leg was abruptly turned into nothingness by Bai Yuan.

Having lost the support of one leg, the Black Bear Demon lost its balance, and its massive body crashed to the ground with a BOOM.

"What a powerful technique!"

Seeing this scene, the Yang Family Elders on the wall couldn’t help but praise him inwardly.

The Black Bear Demon’s fall kicked up a cloud of dust that lingered for a long time.

And within the dust, an old Daoist in a Daoist Robe shockingly appeared.