Chen Wentian grunted as he sat down, letting his portly body spill onto the wide throne. With a long sigh as emphasis, he wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow and looked across the hall at his people. A motley crew of bandits, assassins, gangsters, and other unsavory people stood in loose rows.
Standing to his right next to the throne were three curiously dressed people. The first was a young woman in a bright dress, with way too much makeup, and enough jewelry to bankrupt an entire clan. Next was a female monk who was entirely unremarkable. Third was a strange warrior in clunky purple armor.
To his left, six people were wearing the same dark red dresses. They also wore identical straw hats and veils that hit their features entirely. Somehow, these six were even more strange and menacing than the three on the right.
"Cough... We can begin." He said, waving his hands.
This was the domain of his alter ego, Immortal Sword Bandit Lin Huzhong. He now ruled over the Black Mountain Stronghold, the five Black Mountain peaks that soared into the clouds, and the surrounding hills and valleys. This territory was located in the southwest portion of the central region.
The central region of the Martial Brilliance Continent was a strange place. It was a paradise for chaos, where the strong prayed on the weak. It was a land of riches and undiscovered treasures. One would assume that such a rich cultivation land should have been subjugated by the Immortal Association long ago. But perhaps, it was also by design.
For as long as anybody could remember, the Virtuous Order of Chunzhen and the Sororal Order of Endless Love have been at war. The middle of the Martial Brilliance Continent was one of the battlefields for this neverending war. The reason for things turning out like this was said to be lost to time. However, many people had theories. There were smart people everyone and some of them were able to see into certain truths.
The people standing in the hall came to attention, intently waiting for his instructions.
"Wang Landi, you start."
Wang Landi of the Red Sun Gang came forward and began to speak, reporting on the latest events and major considerations. Then another person spoke, Old Seventh of the Iron Lock Crew. After that was Xiao Mei of the Blood Hook Gang, Madam Red Willow of the Red Willow Tower… and then the people from the Diamond Triad, the Black Valley Company, and the Yellow Turban Gang. These were all his people now. Lastly, there was Black Mountain Stronghold which he had taken after killing its original owner, Immortal Black Mountain Liu Chang.
Eventually, the talking finally stopped and Chen Wentian turned to his right, his fat neck bulging as he did so, "Yimin, anything to add?"
Zhou Ziyun bowed, "Amitabha, master. I have recorded everything to memory."
"Good. First order of business, I want to introduce you all to my third disciple. I recently accepted her after roaming the central regions for a few months."
Chen Wentian waved his hand and the armored warrior took a step forward. The heavy dark-purple metal clanked ominously. Their face was hidden by an ornate helmet. The entire armor set was decorated in the form of a scaly dragon and emitted a foreboding aura. The only way anyone could tell this was a woman was because the immortal had said so.
"Everyone, this is Zhi Ruo. She is a person of few words. Don't offend her and she won't chop you into pieces." He laughed, which only served to frighten everyone in the room.
Inside the suit of armor, Wu Qianyu looked at Chen Wentian with an aggrieved expression. It was stuffy and hot. Her heart had so many complaints. She wanted to scold him. But she couldn't say anything at the moment. When he suggested everyone go to the continent to support Long Yifei's end-of-year examination, this was the last thing she had in mind. But then again, her other choice had been to don a ridiculous disguise like Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun.
She turned slightly to look at them and tried not to laugh. Lin Qingcheng was now Ren Jinjin, a glamorous woman covered in jewels and makeup. It made her seem superficial and fake, the complete opposite of her real self. Zhou Ziyun was now Yimin, a female monk wearing ordinary monk robes that were as plain as dirt. She didn't know which one was worse. Thinking about it, an armored warrior wasn't so bad.
"And," Chen Wentian said, waving to the row of six curious figures to his left, "These are also my disciples. They are all too beautiful for your mortal eyes so they must wear face veils so you bunch of horny dogs won't lose your heads lusting after them. Their names are also too beautiful for your common ears. Therefore, all of you will refer to them as First Great Beauty…"
He waved his hand to Li Yuechan who bowed slightly.
"Second Great Beauty."
Song Wushuang bowed.
"Third Great Beauty, Fourth Great Beauty, Fifth Great Beauty…"
Xu Lanyi, Su Xue, and Su Yue bowed in turn.
"And Sixth Great Beauty."
Behind her veil, Peng Lingxi rolled her eyes but bowed anyway. She didn't know Chen Wentian had this kind of habit of roleplaying as different people or that he would even rope all of them into the act. However, she couldn't find fault in being called a great beauty even if it was the sixth one. At least, it was better than wearing a heavy set of armor or being a nun.
"Cough… onto actual business," Chen Wentian said, "We will establish a special teleportation array for our Black Mountain Stronghold!"
"A special teleportation array, my lord?" Madam Red Willow asked, "Will it be to Thousand Sins City?"
That was the closest city, at least two days of flying for a Spirit Lord at full speed. It was the local nexus for the region. It was home to many bandit clans and sects. Many of the local lords used the city as their place of leisure. It was where the Red Sun Gang originally resided. It was also where Chen Wentian had moved Red Willow Tower to after taking over.
"No, we don't want to announce our presence to our neighbors. This will be a special teleportation array. It will cross several provinces and arrive at a secluded location. The exit point hasn't been determined yet. Nor has the teleportation array design. We'll have to obtain it somehow."
"Then... what do we have?" Lin Qingcheng asked.
"We? We have lots of money." Chen Wentian said.
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