vstars Chapter 74 Exposed
Chapter 74 Exposed
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The next morning, when Bai Lian saw Wang Bao again asking to use his informants to infiltrate the rebel army, Wang Bao kept making excuses and wouldn't give a direct answer. Bai Lian's anger flared up, and she rebuked him: "Protector Wang, we are both from the main altar. Don't ruin the White Lotus Sect's opportunity to expand with the help of the rebels for your own selfish reasons!"
Wang Bao was not afraid of her and retorted, "You say I did it for my own selfish reasons, but didn't you infiltrate the rebel army to gain merit and advance your position in the headquarters?"
"Absurd! I, Bai Lian, have a clear conscience and can solemnly swear here that even if I achieve some merit, I will never use it to claim credit or reward from the main altar. Otherwise, I will withdraw from the Bai Lian Sect on my own. Do you, Protector Wang, dare to do that?"
Wang Bao was speechless for a moment. This Bai Lian was indeed stubborn, taking it upon herself to spread her doctrines. If she said she wouldn't seek credit, she really wouldn't. He wouldn't fall for her provocation; such a vow would ruin his future. Seeing this, his disciples rubbed their hands together, surrounded her, and stared at Bai Lian with unfriendly expressions.
Bai Lian glanced at them and said arrogantly, "What, speechless? Trying to resort to violence just because you outnumber them?"
Wang Bao knew that Bai Lian's martial arts were not weak, and he was no match for her. These disciples, who only knew how to talk, were even more vulnerable. Taking action was definitely not the best strategy. Besides, the Inner Law Hall Protector and the Holy Maiden of the Sect were both influential figures within the sect. If they were to fight each other, where would their dignity be? If word got back to the main altar, neither of them would fare well; they would likely both be dismissed from their posts. He had painstakingly climbed from a nobody in the martial arts world to his current position, and naturally, he was unwilling to perish together with her.
He thought for a moment and said, "Since the Holy Maiden has put it this way, I will also speak frankly. Whether you want the credit is your business, but I, Wang Bao, want it. Spreading my spies among the rebels is something I worked hard for. Why should I do the work for you?"
The other party simply admitted that he wanted to take all the credit, and Bai Lian had nothing to say. Besides saying that he was too selfish and did not consider the overall situation, could she force him to agree with her sword?
Seeing that the conversation had reached a stalemate and neither side could do anything about the other, Liu Ye stepped forward and said to Bai Lian, "Fairy, please let me try for now." Before Bai Lian could agree, he turned to Wang Bao and said with a grin, "I am just an unknown nobody, but I have some things I want to say to Protector Wang."
Wang Bao scolded, "Ignorant brat, I'm speaking to the Holy Maiden. Who do you think you are? You have no right to speak to me. Get out of here!"
Liu Ye wasn't angry and ignored his words, continuing, "Yesterday, Protector Wang displayed great supernatural powers, being able to retrieve objects from boiling oil and predict good and bad fortune. I admire him greatly. Last night, having nothing to do, I pondered these things carefully and gained some insights, which I'd like to share with Protector Wang."
Just as Wang Bao was about to send him away, Bai Lian, seemingly lost in thought, waved her hand to stop him, saying, "Let him finish what he has to say."
She had witnessed Liu Ye's assessment of the situation between the rebels and the government, and knew his capabilities. Perhaps he really had a way to subdue Wang Bao, so she decided to let him give it a try.
Seeing Bai Lian protecting the person beside her, Wang Bao snorted coldly and remained silent. He wanted to see what kind of nonsense this young man could come up with.
"Let's talk about retrieving something from a cauldron of boiling oil. Could you please bring out the cauldron so I can see it?"
The disciples on either side looked at Wang Bao, who raised his chin, gesturing for them to bring the oil cauldron. The disciples then brought out the oil cauldron used in yesterday's ritual.
"Please, fellow disciples, light the firewood and heat this pot of oil."
Several disciples hurriedly lit the firewood, and after a while, steam billowed from the oil pot, and the oil began to churn.
Liu Ye said, "Yesterday, Protector Wang displayed his supernatural powers, retrieving a copper coin from a pot with his bare hands. I was truly impressed. Fairy, with your skills, could you do that?"
Bai Lian glanced at the boiling oil and shook her head. "Although I have practiced martial arts since childhood, I cannot enter a pot of oil with my bare hands without getting hurt."
Wang Bao said smugly, "Although the Holy Maiden is highly skilled in martial arts, I, Wang Bao, also have my own abilities."
Liu Ye ignored Wang Bao's boasting, took out a silver ingot and threw it into the pot. He circled the pot a few times and muttered to himself, "How can I take out this silver ingot without damaging it?"
The disciples standing nearby mocked, "Kid, if you're so capable, why don't you try taking it with your bare hands!"
“Our master has supernatural powers protecting him, how can you, a mere mortal, compare?”
Liu Ye nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and stood by the pot: "You all want me to try, so I'll give it a try!"
Bai Lian was shocked and reached out to stop him, shouting, "Absolutely not!"
Wang Bao, who had been calm and composed, changed his expression drastically when he saw that the man was actually going to try it, and reached out to stop him: "Absolutely not!"
Ling Xi'er had been observing coldly, but when she saw him trying to imitate Wang Bao's method of retrieving things from a frying pan, she couldn't help but shout, "Absolutely not!"
The three women, each with their own thoughts, wanted to stop him, but Liu Ye moved quickly. Before they could finish speaking, his right hand was already in the oil, the oil reaching his elbow. Bai Lian and Ling Xi'er were too late to stop him and involuntarily closed their eyes, unable to bear witnessing the bloody scene that followed.
What they feared did not happen. Liu Ye fished the silver ingot out of the oil pot, and apart from being a little red, his palm was unharmed.
The disciples exclaimed in surprise, as he had accomplished such a difficult task with such ease.
Liu Ye wiped the oil and water off his hands, handed the silver to Wang Bao, and asked jokingly, "Protector Wang, is this the kind of supernatural power? It seems like I can do it too."
Bai Lian couldn't believe her eyes. She grabbed his hand and examined it carefully, turning it over and over. Apart from being slightly red from the burn, there was indeed no injury. She stared into Liu Ye's eyes and saw only disdain and mockery. Turning to look at Wang Bao, whose face was now ashen, extremely unsightly.
Liu Ye didn't stop there and continued, "It seems that retrieving something from a frying pan isn't too difficult. As for predicting good or bad fortune, I do have a clumsy method. Compared to Protector Wang's supernatural powers, it's naturally a low-level trick. I would appreciate Protector Wang's judgment."
Bai Lian released Liu Ye's hand, a thought vaguely emerging in her mind: the key to this trip probably lies with him.
Ling Xi'er was about to rush over to stop Liu Ye from doing something foolish, but it was too late. Seeing that he was unharmed and continuing to provoke Wang Bao, she stopped and watched his every move with a smile on her lips.
Wang Bao's face was grim, and he remained silent, his mind in turmoil. Only his most trusted disciple knew the secret of retrieving objects from boiling oil. How did this kid know it? Hearing him talk about predicting good and bad fortune, he felt a sense of foreboding, fearing that this trick might be exposed. He wanted to stop him from continuing, but with Bai Lian standing in front of him, he dared not make a move.