The Master's Mask Unveiled Again-Chapter 1002 - 1001: Searching for the Leader

Jing Heng was overjoyed, even the humiliation he had been suppressing in his heart dissipated quite a bit.

He carefully cradled the baby in his arms, whistling as he teased the little infant, "Good son, say ’Daddy.’"

Hong Junhua laughed scoldingly beside him, "My grandson has just been born; he doesn’t know how to talk yet!"

The nanny nearby hesitated, unsure how to speak up. While the matriarch and Sect Master were busy debating which vigorous name to give the child, she finally mustered her courage: "Matriarch, Sect Master, this child is a daughter."

A daughter?

Jing Heng’s hands holding the baby loosened for a moment. The nanny quickly took the baby into her arms: "Yes, a daughter. Her eyes are big and bright; she’ll surely grow up to be a beautiful girl."

The taut string in Jing Heng’s heart suddenly snapped. The child he had hoped for and carefully taken care of for over seven months—a son in his mind—how did it become a daughter overnight?

Was this karma? Was this divine retribution?

Why was it so hard for him to have a son!

Upon hearing this, Hong Junhua rushed forward, yanked open the baby’s little swaddling blanket, and collapsed to the floor in tears after seeing clearly: "How could this be, how could this be!"

What they yearned for, the more they hoped, the less it came. And the arrival of this girl felt like a colossal joke, mocking the Jing Family at every turn.

Jing Heng and Hong Junhua no longer had the heart to tease the child. They didn’t even spare her a glance.

Hong Junhua raised her head to look at her son, placing all the blame on Sui Yuan: "It’s all that Sui Yuan’s fault! If it weren’t for her, our family wouldn’t be so unlucky!"

Jing Heng was also seething with rage, clenching his fists tightly: "Mom, don’t worry. I won’t let those three off!"

His voice carried such force that it aggravated the internal injuries he had sustained the previous day, causing Jing Heng to burst into a fit of violent coughing.

The nanny quickly carried the baby away, only hoping that this child could live a peaceful life.

——

Jing Heng evaded Jing Pei’s surveillance and climbed through the window into Shui Yanmeng’s room.

Sui Yuan and Jing Che were outside discussing treatment plans, leaving only Shui Yanmeng in the room.

Seeing Jing Heng enter, the middle-aged woman showed little surprise. Struggling to sit up, it seemed as though she had been waiting for him for a long time.

Without a hint of concern, Jing Heng opened with his reproach: "Is this how you raise children? Look at what they’ve done to my Chixia Sect! Every single one of them is so vengeful—it’s all because of your negligence as a mother!"

Shui Yanmeng, numb to his accusations, asked back: "And what do you plan to do about it?"

"Make them all kneel and apologize to me!"

"You’re still so arrogant." Shui Yanmeng shook her head. "If you’re capable, beat them yourself."

Beat them?

How was that possible!

"Fine, no apologies needed. You know what I want. Give me the complete list of the Mercenary Alliance members, and I’ll spare Sui Yuan and Jing Che."

Such words—how laughable! A father threatening the mother, saying that if she met his conditions, he’d spare their children.

Shui Yanmeng thought to herself, there couldn’t possibly be a man more despicable than Jing Heng.

How had she been so blind back then, choosing him out of all the men who had pursued her?

Closing her eyes, Shui Yanmeng said, "I don’t have any so-called list. Stop wasting your energy."

"Wasting my energy? The previous leader of Chixia Sect was your old lover, wasn’t he? Am I wasting my energy? Just wait—I’m taking down the Mercenary Alliance too this time! None of you will have it easy!"

After hurling his threat, Jing Heng climbed back out through the window. Watching his retreating back, Shui Yanmeng sighed: "The more you desire something, the less you’ll get it. Jing Heng, karma will find you."

——

The chaos that erupted at Chixia Sect last night wasn’t widely known among Qing University’s students, but for the ever-watchful Mercenary Alliance, it was like a gift from the heavens.

Du Xiaofu made a swift decision and led a group of mercenaries up the mountain.

Word was that the day before, a master had defeated everyone in the Chixia Sect, including the Sect Master, who was now gravely injured. If they didn’t take this opportunity to rescue their former leader, when would they?

This time, their ascent up the mountain was rapid. Soon, more than twenty people gathered on the spacious square in front of the main building.

Du Xiaofu tightened his own bandages. The previous afternoon, he had sparred with Mo Fan and hadn’t come out unscathed, injuring his arm.

Luckily, it wasn’t too serious. He could tough it out.

One of his subordinates stepped forward, clasping his fists as he asked, "Second Leader, should we start searching now?"

Du Xiaofu raised a hand: "No rush. I’m waiting for news from our former leader, Tao Yuanpeng."

The subordinate obeyed but then ventured another question: "Second Leader, can you describe what the Leader looks like, so we can recognize him when we search?"

Second Leader Du Xiaofu took a deep breath. Wasn’t he also waiting for Tao Yuanpeng’s news? Only he and the old-timers knew what the Leader looked like.

The newer members had only ever heard of the Leader’s legendary exploits.

Drawing from his memory, Du Xiaofu described, "Slim, very good-looking, with short hair."

He had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the Leader once and was fortunate enough to receive a few pieces of guidance from him.

Just those few pointers had helped him break through his bottlenecks, significantly improving his skills.

That was why Du Xiaofu had always respected the Leader deeply.

This personal mission spoke volumes about his sincerity.

——

When Mo Fan learned that Du Xiaofu had brought people up the mountain, his first instinct wasn’t to engage but to seek out Jing Heng.

After all, Jing Heng was the Sect Master of Chixia Sect, and such matters still required his input.

However, Jing Heng was in no state to deal with those people. He sent Mo Fan off to handle it for the time being, while he turned his attention to what he deemed more urgent matters.

Typing furiously on his laptop, Xi Mei weakly asked, "Husband, what are you working on?"

"I’m sending a plea for help to the Presidential Residence. Lu Mian’s actions have severely endangered the safety of Chixia Sect. The Presidential Residence won’t sit idly by!"

Xi Mei, feeling as though they now had a powerful ally, nodded firmly. "Husband, we must eliminate them this time! It was their curse that caused our son to leave us!"

"Alright, let’s not dwell on that. Next time, we’ll definitely have a son."

Xi Mei obediently nodded in agreement.

After sending the plea for help, Jing Heng turned to the internet, manipulating public opinion. He painted Chixia Sect as a helpless victim, wringing out every ounce of pity he could muster.

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