The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

Zhao Ming respectfully withdrew.

Yang Lianting was left alone in Chengde Hall again.

Yang Lianting frowned as he looked at the cassock in his hand, pondering something, his eyes shifting unpredictably.

After a while.

Yang Lianting walked towards the rear hall, passed through the long corridor, and arrived at a garden with scattered stone houses.

Yang Lianting walked straight towards one of the stone houses, pushed open one of the walls, and revealed an iron gate.

Yang Lianting took out the key from his pocket, opened the iron gate, and saw that there was a tunnel inside.

The tunnel was pitch black, with only a few oil lamps casting faint light on the side.

Yang Lianting walked into the tunnel for an unknown amount of time, when suddenly his eyes lit up and he found himself in another garden.

The place is filled with countless colorful flowers, the air is filled with their fragrance, the mountains are stacked up, white cranes and mandarin ducks play in the pond, and occasionally a few birds can be seen flying through the air, leaving behind their clear calls.

It's like a paradise on earth.

Upon arriving at the garden, Yang Lianting did not proceed further. After a moment's thought, he put the cassock into his bosom before continuing on his way.

Passing through flowerbeds and artificial hills, you arrive at the center of the garden, where pavilions and towers stand tall.

As soon as I stepped into the pavilion, I heard a voice coming from inside.

"Brother Lian, is that you?"

Chapter 262: Dongfang Bubai

"Yes, I need to talk to you about something."

Yang Lianting said something and continued walking into the pavilion.

Stepping inside, the room was filled with a profusion of flowers and an intensely fragrant scent of perfume, so strong it was almost suffocating.

But Yang Lianting seemed to have gotten used to the fragrance. When he entered the inner room, he saw a figure sitting quietly on the dressing table, dressed in pink clothes, holding an embroidery needle and embroidering something.

“The church has everything, so there’s no use for your embroidery.”

As Yang Lianting spoke, he sat down by the bedside, looking relaxed.

"This was embroidered for you."

Dongfang Bubai smiled and held up what he was holding. Only then did Yang Lianting see that it was the shape of a garment.

“I already have enough clothes. I haven’t even worn the ones you embroidered last time.”

Looking at the clothes in Dongfang Bubai's hand, Yang Lianting felt somewhat helpless.

The clothes he's wearing now were embroidered by Dongfang Bubai.

Dongfang Bubai chuckled softly and said, "How can those ordinary mortals outside compare to me?"

"Too."

Yang Lianting also laughed: "Not everyone has the opportunity to wear clothes embroidered by the world's best embroidery."

The two were having an unusually harmonious conversation, but Dongfang Bubai's next sentence made the atmosphere tense.

"I heard you're planning to make a move against Tong Baixiong recently?"

Yang Lianting's expression changed, but he remained silent.

"Hey."

Not hearing Yang Lianting's reply, Dongfang Bubai sighed.

"Back then, I was besieged by the Seven Tigers of Ludong and almost lost my life on the spot. If it weren't for Brother Tong saving me, I probably wouldn't be alive today."

Hearing Dongfang Bubai's words, Yang Lianting's expression changed several times before he finally said, "You want me to let him go?"

At this moment, Dongfang Bubai remained silent, only sighing again.

"Humph."

Yang Lianting sneered.

"I'll let him go, but he won't let me go."

“This old man is always going against me, saying that I have deceived you and want to usurp your position. He keeps asking to see you, but I naturally refuse. So he hates me to the bone. If I fall into his hands, I will definitely suffer a fate worse than death.”

Dongfang Bubai remained silent for a long time before saying, "I am indeed not suitable to see him in my current state, Brother Lian. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

At this point, Dongfang Bubai let out a long sigh.

"Actually, I don't really want to be the leader. I'm tired of this position. I've wanted to pass it on to you for a long time, but you know the situation within the sect..."

"I know."

Before Dongfang Bubai could finish speaking, Yang Lianting silently said something.

Dongfang Bubai had said this many times, and he had always known it.

The two returned to their previous silence.

"I heard that Yingying's side has started besieging Mount Hua?"

A moment later, Dongfang Bubai took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Ah."

Yang Lianting nodded.

"It seems he was enraged after being chased by a young man from the Huashan Sect."

"I didn't expect this girl to have gathered so many subordinates outside. It really surprises me. But they are all just small fry. Not long ago, the people I sent out to monitor her came back. Her subordinates were wiped out by the righteous side."

At this point, Yang Lianting sneered, "This girl quietly gathered so many subordinates, and now some are dead and others have fled. Years of hard work have vanished in an instant. It seems she was just fooling around."

Yang Lianting's tone was laced with contempt and disdain.

"Hey."

Dongfang Bubai sighed, "You've been deceived by her."

"what?"

Yang Lianting was taken aback.

"Actually, her power is not limited to this. The group that went to Mount Hua is just the tip of the iceberg. Her real purpose is not revenge, but to attract your attention. Obviously, she succeeded."

Dongfang Bubai said with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

Yang Lianting frowned.

Dongfang Bubai did not answer his question, but instead brought up another matter.

"Ren Woxing should have emerged from under West Lake by now."

Dongfang Bubai spoke casually, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Yang Lianting's eyes widened, and he instantly stood up, exclaiming in disbelief.

"You mean she went to rescue Ren Woxing?"

"Ah."

Dongfang Bubai nodded slightly.

"This girl has been very good at disguising herself all these years. She already knew that her father was imprisoned at the bottom of West Lake. Now she has made such a big move to rescue Ren Woxing."

Yang Lianting was both shocked and furious, and at the same time, he felt uneasy.

He looked at Dongfang Bubai and said directly, "Since you knew she was going to save Ren Woxing, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you stop her?"

Yang Lianting began to fidget.

Ren Woxing is not a peaceful person. After being imprisoned for so many years, he must be full of resentment towards Dongfang Bubai. Releasing him now is like letting a tiger return to the mountains.

Yang Lianting didn't understand why Dongfang Bubai was doing this.

Dongfang Bubai still had a smile on his face: "Because I see in Ren Woxing your hope of succeeding as the leader of the sect."

"what?"

Yang Lianting was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

Dongfang Bubai flicked his sleeves and said, "There are many people in the sect who are not convinced by you and are opposing you. These are the people on the surface, but there are many people who are dissatisfied with you in secret. It is difficult to find these people, so we need an opportunity."

Yang Lianting seemed to be deep in thought: "You mean..."

Dongfang Bubai smiled and said, "I've kept Ren Woxing under West Lake for over a decade. He must hate me to the core. This is always a problem."

"When I first took the position of leader, I wanted to get the formula and antidote for the Three Corpse Brain God Pill from Ren Woxing, but he was very cautious and kept the formula and antidote firmly in his hands, so I had no choice but to focus my attention on Yingying."

"It's just that Yingying is a very clever girl, even though she's young. I haven't been able to find an opportunity for her all these years. After I practiced the Sunflower Manual, I became less interested in this matter. However, this matter is very important to you. Without the Three Corpse Brain God Pill, it will be difficult for you to control those elders."

"After much thought, I realized that keeping Ren Woxing locked up and monitoring Ren Yingying wouldn't yield the formula and antidote for the Three Corpse Brain God Pill. So I decided to go along with that girl's wishes and let her release Ren Woxing to stir up the martial arts world and the Divine Cult as well."

“After Ren Woxing comes out, he will definitely try to kill me and take back the Divine Sect. At that time, he will be like a magnet, attracting those who are dissatisfied with you and me. You can take this opportunity to get rid of these people and also have a chance to get the formula and antidote for the Three Corpse Brain God Pill from Ren Woxing and his daughter.”

"After you eliminate them all, you will have great power in your hands. With the Three Corpse Brain God Pill in your possession, no one will oppose you when you become the leader again."

Yang Lianting was stunned by Dongfang Bubai's words.

He never expected that Dongfang Bubai would have this idea.

"But……"

Yang Lianting frowned.

"If you let Ren Yingying release her father, I'm afraid he'll become too powerful and cause trouble."

"Don't worry, they won't cause any trouble."

Dongfang Bubai smiled broadly.

"I will definitely make you the leader of the cult."