"Peak Master Duan was always part of Yuan Shuchun's group."
Jun Xie rephrased his words.
Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips but didn't say anything.
After a moment, he gave him a nod and said, "We will discuss this later; the first thing we need to do is get out of here."
Jun Xie thought for a moment and said, "Alright then. Let's resume the journey first. We have plenty of time to discuss along the way."
Ye Tian Yun saw him go into the adjacent room, and after a few moments, Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, and he too went inside his own room to take a bath.
'Damn, I had this bad feeling about Peak Master Duan and Yuan Shuchun.'
Ye Tian Yun couldn't help but feel a headache.
Even though he had guessed something like this, there was a small part of his conscience that made him not believe this.
Because this was just too far-fetched.
'With Peak Master Duan and Grand Elder Xuan on her side, Yuan Shuchun already controls almost the whole Gracious Sword Sect.'
'No wonder Sect Leader Su lost his life in the end. There's literally no one on his side right now.'
However, this wasn't the main problem that Ye Tian Yun was facing right now.
'I am so close, yet I can't get the Token.'
With the presence of Peak Master Duan, it was going to be hard for him to do anything crazy.
Earlier, when they had started the journey, nine disciples were part of the entourage.
Now, only five are alive.
Ye Tian Yun was sure that three of them didn't have any Tokens, which included himself, Jun Xie, and Yuan Shuchun.
The remaining two disciples are - Xiao Ming and Kai Yang.
Ye Tian Yun knows about Xiao Ming having the Token Of Fate. However, he did not know the other guy, Kai Yang.
'There was not a single Kai Yang ever mentioned in the reports. This guy is most probably just a random kid out here and is destined to lose his life.'
'But still… I can't take risks. I need to wait for him to die, or I need to kill him myself.'
'Should I go along the plan which I had thought earlier? But that will be hard too… we're only five of us; this means the Devil Sect people won't even take us seriously. They might just send a random hobo and end up losing a good opportunity.'
'Not to mention the fact that Peak Master Duan too will be in the vicinity. What should I do in this situation?'
Ye Tian Yun couldn't think of a good solution right away. The only thing he could do right now was to wait for the right time and strike as hard as possible.
'Oh wait, I can do one thing… since all I need to do is separate Kai Yang from the group… I can simply take him with me ahead.'
Ye Tian Yun thought of a few ways to convince Kai Yang and the other disciples so both of them could headfirst.
'I could simply propose a lookout strategy….'
'And as long as I am at a good distance from the group, I can simply kill Kai Yang.'
'If this guy does have the token, it will come out. If not, well, he will die for a fair cause.'
…
After about ten or so minutes, Ye tian Yun came out of the room and headed downstairs.
He still kept his disguise of Shu Xian and went to the table.
The first thing that caught his attention was the atmosphere between Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun.
'They are getting too close… well, this works best for me.'
In the reports about Xiao Ming, he had never seen a single mention of his love life with Yuan Shuchun.
'The report clearly stated that both of these two were like ice and fire.'
Then how could they fall in love this time? Maybe they were in love, but this relationship didn't work out very well…
Ye Tian Yun inwardly shrugged and took a seat on the table.
Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun were a bit startled by him.
'They didn't even notice me? What kind of cultivators are they? Cultivators in love…'
Everyone remained silent at the table for some time until Yuan Shuchun asked.
"SHu Xian, there's something I want to hear from you."
Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned, he had a slight guess about what Yuan Shuchun was talking about, but he chose to play ignorant once again.
"Yes, Senior Sister?"
Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh while saying, "I know everything about what happened in the banquet."
"Oookayyyy…" Ye Tian Yun slowly nodded his head.
Yuan Shuchun gave him a slight frown and added, "I know everything, Shu Xian. ANd I am ready to forgive you and give you another chance. But you will first have to accept your mistake."
Ye Tian Yun made an irritated expression, "What are you talking about, senior Sister? In fact, what is going on? I feel like we all are playing a guessing game. And now, it's getting annoying."
Yuan Shuchun raised her left eyebrow, "You really want to act ignorant about this?"
Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don't know what is going on; how would I act ignorant about it."
Before Yuan Shuchun could reply, Xiao Ming slammed his fist on it.
*bang*
The tavern was suddenly silenced as the three of them became the center of attention.
"Accept your mistake, Shu Xian. Senior Sister is still giving a good chance to repent. If you keep up this facade, it will only bring more trouble for you."
Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and leaned forward.
Ignoring Xiao Ming's blabbering, he slowly whispered at Yuan SHuchun, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes, and she too leaned forward.
"Shu Xian, it was you who brought the assassin inside the banquet hall. Yu arranged the assassination, but unfortunately for you, Jun Xie saw through the illusion and was able to save me in the last moment."
Yuan Shuchun's voice grew heavier after every word.
Ye Tian Yun didn't make any change in his expression.
He already knew about all this. He knew Shu Xian was the one to arrange the assassination; he knew it since day one.
That small incident was also why Shu Xian would late lose his life, and Yuan Shuchun would lose trust in many of her close allies.
'Though I am sure this didn't have any effect on her relationship with Xiao Ming.'
"What?" After a few moments, Ye Tian Yun gave a surprised reaction.
"Senior Sister, are you sure about what you have just said?"
Yuan Shuchun shook her head. "SHu Xian, you should stop this act. I know you did it, and I am sure about it. You also know you did it, and trust me, if I wanted to kill you, I would have already done so."
Then she stared at his index finger before adding, "Trust me, you wouldn't even have known what hit you if I wanted you dead."
Ye Tian Yun narrowed his head and removed his thumb from the spatial ring.
"I am surprised you noticed." He smiled.
He had to commend Yuan Shuchun upon noticing his moment. It would have even taken an instant, and Ye Tian Yun would have already slashed at both of them at once.
The only thing that had kept him here was the fact that Peak Master Duan was just with a few steps of range and was ready to pounce on him.
'Not yet.' Ye Tian Yun inwardly let out a sigh and calmed himself. This was not the time for him to start a fight.
'Time will come, just not yet.'
Yuan Shuchun, on the other hand, let out a smile, "I am surprised you dared to think of killing me. Again."
Ye Tian Yun seemingly relaxed and leaned back on his chair.
"Senior Sister, there are few things that you too are not aware of. I wish I could explain it to you, but that will only make me seem more guilty. Therefore, I will ask you what you want to hear - what do you want from me?" He said with a calm voice.
Yuan Shuchun glanced to the side for once and then looked back at him.
"Shu Xian, you have been pretty close to me. And I have even given you almost everything I could. Yet you betrayed me. What I want to know is the reason. As long as the reasoning behind your actions is satisfactory, you will walk out of this tavern alive."
Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "I do have a few things to say. But before I speak, let me inform you one thing - what I will say isn't to make you feel any pity or anything else."
"Now, listen here, my reasoning was pretty simple - I did what seemed right. I had no other choice."
Yuan Shuchun asked, "Why did killing me seem like the only plausible solution for you? And what was the problem for which you needed such a solution."
Ye Tian Yun crossed his hands, "Senior Sister, there are things that I can't tell and are very hard to put into words. However, let me give you one last assurance, you will understand my circumstances after this mission is over."
"What do you mean?" She asked, a cloud of confusion looming over her expression.
Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Well, the guy who told you about all this was the one who asked me to arrange everything. There are many of his people spread throughout the sect. But I want to tell you the reason why he told you the truth."
"He wanted to get you caught so you can't blackmail him." Xiao Ming interrupted, "That's the reason. And both of us know it."
Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Both of you are thinking exactly what the enemy wants you to think. They didn't want to stop me from blackmailing you. Instead, they wanted to stop me from getting any ally against them."
"Now tell me," Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and continued, "In the whole sect, who could be my biggest ally?"
Yuan Shuchun persud her lips, "Me."
"Exactly," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "They wanted to cut me off from getting you as an ally. What we're facing right now is something far more powerful and dangerous than what both of you could have ever imagined."
Xiao Ming rolled his eyes, "Stop with your bullshit; you are trying to distract us from the main topic. And the disciples who leaked the information was an Outer Court disciple, and you're saying he had connections all over the sect? Who are you kidding?"
It was hard for Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming to believe anything Ye Tian Yun said, not only because Shu Xian had already betrayed them and was at fault, but also because it was hard for them to believe him.
Outer Court disciples wouldn't even know anyone within the sect; how could it be easy for them to have connections all over the sect.
It might be possible, but it would take years, and no one stays in the Outer Court for long.
Ye Tian Yun, however, was unfazed by their denial.
He still had another card in his hand, and he was sure that Yuan SHuchun would definitely believe his words, while Xiao Ming would remain clueless about what had actually happened.
Leaning forward, Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, and looking in the eyes of Yuan Shuchun, he whispered, "Senior Sister, don't forget about the sleeper cells."
As soon as Yuan Shuchun heard those words, alarm bells went off in her head.
"How do you know about them!?"
...
A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know through comments.
p.s. publishing two chapters at once to keep the flow.. third one is on the way.