"I challenged Lin Dongfang," Bing Wushuang said, his expression unchanged.

"Lin Dongfang? Why would you go challenge him? Didn't I already tell you all not to provoke Wei Zhao?" The spectacle doctor nearly jumped out of his skin. Lan Xiaoru had impressed it upon him, with a thousand warnings and ten thousand cautions, that Wei Zhao was absolutely not to be provoked—that was a hard order from above. And now Bing Wushuang had gone and challenged Lin Dongfang. Was the man trying to land him in trouble?

"I didn't provoke Wei Zhao. I only challenged Lin Dongfang," Bing Wushuang said, shaking his head.

"Lin Dongfang and Wei Zhao are one and the same. Can't you even see that?" The spectacle doctor was furious. He appreciated Bing Wushuang, and he was willing to give him plenty of latitude to act on his own—but this had crossed a red line. It even threatened his own career and his own life. He had every reason to be alarmed and angry.

Bing Wushuang met this with silence. The spectacle doctor fumed for a good long while before saying at last, "Fine, fine, fine. I know you hate Lin Dongfang down to the bone. After all, you were the one who fell at his hands. Now that your strength has grown, it's understandable that you couldn't hold the thought back. But this is a hard order from above—if something goes wrong, even I won't be able to protect you! Tell me, how did it turn out?"

Lin Dongfang's strength was a mystery as well—in some ways even more unfathomable than Wei Zhao's. If this opportunity could be used to sound out Lin Dongfang's true strength, that would be no bad thing. Of course, the precondition was not truly provoking Wei Zhao, since the higher-ups were still counting on their side to curry favor with Wei Zhao, and perhaps even to win him over.

"It never happened." Bing Wushuang was no fool, of course. Having chosen to throw in his lot with Wei Zhao, he couldn't very well just casually reveal Lin Dongfang's strength—and besides, he genuinely did not know Lin Dongfang's specific strength. He only knew it was unfathomable, and that he himself was no match.

"Why not?" the spectacle doctor said, frowning.

"He wouldn't take up the challenge, and Wei Zhao was standing right there beside him. There was nothing I could do." Bing Wushuang deflected the whole matter cleanly. He wasn't worried in the least about the spectacle doctor sending people to investigate—even if they did, they wouldn't find anything, because he had never truly fought either Wei Zhao or Lin Dongfang. It had been a mere testing of the waters, without much commotion, and no one else knew a thing about it.

"Is that so? Then let it go. I still have every confidence in you. But remember—it must not happen again. Understood?" the spectacle doctor said, feigning a tone of solicitude.

"Yes," Bing Wushuang said with a nod.

"Also, you need to put more effort into winning over the disciples of the Primordial Alliance. Progress has been far too slow, not at all satisfactory..." The spectacle doctor was barely halfway through when he saw Xue Jianming approaching and could not help but start. I didn't summon this one, did I?

"Chief, this subordinate has a matter I'd like to report in private. Would you permit it?" Xue Jianming said, glancing at Bing Wushuang as though he had more to say but thought better of it.

"Well then..." The spectacle doctor paused a moment, then nodded. "Fine. There's nothing else to discuss anyway. Bing Wushuang, you may go back first."

Only after Bing Wushuang had gone far off did Xue Jianming say, "Chief, it seems Bing Wushuang paid a visit to the Northern Island Cangwu Sect earlier. That wasn't by your instruction, was it?"

"No. But I've already questioned him about it," the spectacle doctor said, glancing at him.

"It seems Canlong and Jing Yueming also each made a trip to the Northern Island Cangwu Sect, one after the other. Were you aware of that as well?" Xue Jianming asked.

"They went too? Did Qin Yuanming tell you?" Only now did the spectacle doctor feel a shock of alarm. Bing Wushuang alone would have been nothing—after all, his explanation was perfectly sound, and there was nothing much to suspect. But now so many people had gone to the Northern Island Cangwu Sect, and all within the same span of time. That was cause for vigilance.

"You misunderstand, Chief. Qin Yuanming may be an insider I developed, but I, Xue Jianming, am at least somebody in the Primordial Alliance. Now that my strength has been restored, and every sect and faction has familiar faces, it's no difficult thing to learn a bit of gossip," Xue Jianming said, deliberately showing off.

"Really? Then why didn't you show it before? If your connections are so wide, why, in all this time, did you develop only one Qin Yuanming?" the spectacle doctor said, frowning.

"Ah, you misunderstand, Chief. One thing is one thing, another is another. Wide as my connections may be, I can exchange greetings with people and pass along word, but I'm hardly close to any of them. How would I dare develop them recklessly? If one of them proved unreliable and something went wrong, wouldn't that ruin everything?" Xue Jianming explained.

"That's true enough. Then what about Bing Wushuang's connections?" the spectacle doctor asked. Compared with Xue Jianming, he clearly appreciated Bing Wushuang more—and that was plain for all to see.

Xue Jianming's expression froze. He had not come here specifically just to tattle. His main purpose was himself. His current strength was far inferior to Bing Wushuang's, but he was not content to remain forever beneath the man. Yet if the spectacle doctor kept developing things the way he was now, Xue Jianming might never in his life overtake Bing Wushuang.

"Heh, there are things you don't know, Chief. Bing Wushuang may be stronger than I am, but in the little world of the Primordial Alliance, strength alone won't get you far. You have to look at background, at connections. Not many of those sect disciples in the Primordial Alliance will buy what he's selling, because there's nothing in it for them. At most they keep a respectful distance. But I'm different." Xue Jianming smiled smugly.

"How are you different?" the spectacle doctor asked in surprise.

"The reason is simple. My old man is the vice sect master of the Snow Sword Sect, and one step further up and he'll be the sect's top man. You may know that the Snow Sword Sect is one of the ten minor sects and clans of the Primordial Alliance. Its influence is no small thing. Naturally, they'll buy what I'm selling," Xue Jianming boasted.

"That's true enough." The spectacle doctor nodded. He knew Xue Jianming's background well, of course. He had never thought much of it before, but now, hearing it, his eyes suddenly lit up. In that case, this boy Xue Jianming's value was not one bit less than Bing Wushuang's—and judged strictly from the overall picture, it was in fact far above Bing Wushuang's!

Though he could not see the spectacle doctor's expression, Xue Jianming sensed the shift in his attitude and was overjoyed. So his trip today had not been in vain after all. He hurried to declare, "Chief, my old man has always done exactly as I say. In the future, if our Center truly expands into the little world of the Primordial Alliance, I can help win people over—do my bit for the Center."

"Very good. I'm gratified that you have that in mind," the spectacle doctor said approvingly. "But we mustn't be hasty. We have to proceed step by step. First, let's settle the business on this island!" (To be continued.)