Chapter 169: The Wait

"You want us to say that to them!?"

Amira, Jiff's sister, could not help but cover her mouth as her face turned red. The shock from hearing Viel's words truly petrified her.

"Are… are you sure about this, Viel?"

"Yes"

Tilly's face, as well, was flushed red as she looked at Viel with a complicated expression plastering her face.

"O...okay then", Tilly nodded as she stood up straight and let out a huge breath, "Let's do this!"

"Are we really doing it!?", Amari tugged Tilly's clothes, "What if they don't believe us!? We will look like per--"

"Trust in Viel, Mari", before Amari could finish her words, Tilly grabbed her hand and looked at her straight in the eye, "He is a genius who broke through the Earthen Core realm in just a single breath!"

"R...really!?"

Tilly nodded, her face filled with satisfaction, "Any man who can do that is surely a genius!"

And with those words, Amari was finally convinced as she too, put up a resolute expression on her face. "Let's go spread some fake rumors!", she raised her hand before running to a nearby drifter.

Tilly nodded her head as she did the same, whispering to the ears of the drifters that were near her. Viel held a satisfied expression on his face as she saw Amari and Tilly doing his bidding. Maybe he would have asked Tilly to come with him from the start if he knew how convenient it was to have subordinates.

He didn't even have to do anything, he just sat in the corner as he watched the two go from drifter to drifter.

It took almost an hour, but finally, all the ears in the villa have been captured and fed. And slowly, the young drifters gathered up, talking to each other, their voices grunting and dissatisfied.

This welling dissatisfaction in their voice slowly crept onto their faces. And soon, one of the young drifters approached one of the walls and started shouting.

"What did you say about my mother, you weak outer core disciples!?"

His shout was loud enough to reverberate throughout the villa, "Are you afraid to say those things to my face!?"

"You dare call my mother fat!?", another young drifter joined him beside the wall, shouting his lungs out as he looked above.

"You cowards!"

"My father is not gay, he is just curious!"

"Cowards! The outer core disciples are filled with cowards!"

"Come fight us if you can!"

It spread like wildfire. Not even a minute had passed and almost all of the drifters were standing beside the wall and howling like agitated monkeys. Some of them are even ramming the door, their faces filled with rage.

And their angered voices truly did not go unnoticed. As soon as an outer core disciple, that was just casually walking around the sect, heard their words, his leisurely expression quickly died down.

"What was that!?", he shouted as he looked in the direction from where the voices were coming from, "You dare challenge a core disciple of the sect!?"

"You think just because you reached the Earthen Core realm you could fight us!?", another outer core disciple joined in.

"Of course! We can even kill you with a single finger!", a drifter quickly replied from the villa, "You are only tough because you're protected by your masters!"

"You dare!?"

The wildfire has spread outside the villa and onto the minds of the outer core disciples. A number of them soon gathered outside the villa of the drifters, clearly pissed off by being talked down upon by lowly drifters.

And soon, their rage consumed them as the outer core disciples barged inside the villa.

What happened next, was chaos. Even the trained outer core disciples were brawling. Their years of training and discipline, gone like the wind.

Viel could not help but laugh as he walked calmly through the mayhem. Tilly and Amira were also walking behind him, their eyes deep and their grin filled with nothing but satisfaction.

'All according to plan', the three of them thought.

***

Aluel has been walking back and forth across the building, not able to calm down as he fidgeted his fingers.

It has been a few hours since Tilly and Viel were taken outside. He could not help but wonder if they were successful with their plan, whatever it is.

Were they safe?

Did they make it to the others?

And instantly, his questions were answered by the opening of the door.

The first one that appeared through the door was Viel. It almost looked as if the sunlight completely illuminated his back as he slowly walked inside.

And as the blinding light behind him slowly dimmed, an army was revealed. An army that was bruised and beaten, and yet their faces were filled with nothing but pride.

"You dare to disobey the rules!?", a nagging voice followed them from behind, "You will not leave this place and you will have nothing to eat until you repent in your wrongdoings!", the voice shouted once more before the doors completely closed.

"Haha!", one of the bruised drifters could not help but laugh as soon as the Heaven Bamboo sect disciple left, "Did you see how we put them in their place!?"

"We showed them who the true bosses are!", another drifter said as his nose began to bleed.

"If we weren't outnumbered, then we would ha--"

"Everyone, please listen up!"

Before the drifters from the villa could gloat some more, Tilly clapped her hands and shouted, garnering the attention of all the drifters.

"The truth is…"

As soon as the drifters gathered around her, she started telling them about Viel and his plan to rescue them.

"What!?"

"You expect us to believe that!?"

The drifters from the villa started clamoring as they all looked at Viel.

"It's true, everyone", Amari said as she stepped forward, "He knows my brother, and they are currently waiting outside to rescue us"

"And you believe him!?", one of the drifters shouted, "You think a little boy like this is capable of something like that!?"

"Oi, you!", the drifter angrily approached Viel, "Who are you to--"

But before he could even take 2 steps, Viel's eyes suddenly glowed red. This made the young drifter immediately step back, "...W… What are you doing!?", he stuttered as sweat started to form on his face.

Viel, however, only turned his head upwards, completely ignoring the young drifter's presence.

Everyone in the building could not help but cover their eyes as a blinding light filled the entire building, with the walls as if they were painted red.

The drifters all looked at each other in confusion as soon as the bright light dissipated.

"...Viel?", Tilly could not help but look at Viel in awe, "What… was that for?"

Viel let out a deep sigh as he turned his head towards Tilly, "The last phase of the plan", he said as the persisting smoke from the red beam still fumed from his eyes, his hair slightly slowly turning back to its original golden gleam.

His stature was completely different than it was before. He was as if a giant

The other drifters, who were previously filled with confusion and distress, could only look at Viel with their eyes wide open. Their jaws were also slightly moving, as if they wanted to say something, but did not know what.

So instead, they all just remained looking at him, not knowing that they were already forming a circle, with Viel in the center.

They remained like this, in silence, with only their awed breaths to speak for them.

The silence, however, was short-lived.

"What was that red light!?"

An old man suddenly barged inside the building and started shouting ceaselessly. "I am sure it came from here, does anyone know anything about it!?"

The only response he got, however, was the complicated stare of a hundred children.

Seeing the drifters' blatant disregard towards him, he could not help but scowl, "Why aren't you runts saying anything!?", he once again shouted.

He then grabbed the nearest drifter to him by the neck. "Did you see-- Agh!"

But before the old man could do anything else, he felt a splitting pain in his wrist.

"L...let go of me, you drifter brat!", he screamed as he stared at the golden-haired kid that suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"I don't think so", Viel sighed as he looked at the old man, "All of us are staying here"

"What?", the old man could not help but furrow his eyebrows in confusion. All of them… are staying here?

"Wha--"

"The Royal Princess! The Royal Princess is here!"

But before he could say anything, loud shouts started echoing from outside the building.

"The… Princess?", the old man's confusion reached its peak. But after a few seconds, his eyes widened in agitation as he finally realized what the boy meant by his words.

If all of them stayed here, then the Princess would surely discover that they were keeping drifters illegally inside the sect.

No, if this golden-haired boy is actually involved in this, then that would mean... that the Princess already knows that they were here! He must warn everyone!

But alas, he could not even pull his hand away from the boy.

"Y--"

"Go to sleep, old man"

Before the old man could even say anything, Viel slammed his fist straight to his jaw, completely knocking him out cold.

Viel then nonchalantly dropped the old man to the floor, casually sitting on him as he stared towards the door.

"...And now we wait"