Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible-Chapter 233: This Is War!

No exchange of words or gestures was needed between Han Xuhan and Chen Yan. They didn’t even look at each other as the team of investigators went about their job.

Han Xuhan sat on a chair, relaxing under the sunlight, legs crossed, gaze unfocused. Chen Yan stood next to the confiscated crates and assisted the team in collecting evidence of embezzlement.

Even so, the two opponents were cerebrally aware of each other’s existence, like two chess players whose eyes were glued to the chessboard, where the pieces were moving in a fascinating clash.

Chen Yan had a firm grasp on Han Xuhan’s plans, and Han Xuhan could read his schemes like an open book. This feeling...

This faint excitement of scheming and being schemed against, then figuring out his opponent’s intentions by analyzing the cause and effect, and then planning his next counter...

It gave Han Xuhan a rush he hadn’t felt in a long time. In fact, the last time he had felt this, he was on Earth, running election campaigns for his party while facing competitors who had generational experience in that field.

About half an hour later, the news finally reached the Elder in charge of the affairs of the disciplinary commissions.

By the time he came over to rebuke the team for launching an investigation without informing him first, the news reached people who knew that Sect Master Xuan Zi himself had Han Xuhan’s back.

The investigators, alongside the Elder himself, were flabbergasted when an order bearing the highest authoritative seal of the sect arrived in front of them, carried over from the Sect Master’s mountain by a somber-faced messenger.

"...By his authority, this investigation commission is hereby quashed," the messenger concluded after reading out a long passage.

After a moment of stunned silence, the older disciples looked at the Elder for support, whose gaze had long shifted from the messenger to Han Xuhan.

It was evident that all of them were having a hard time believing it.

Who was this junior disciple?

What connections did he have in the sect?

Why was the Sect Master himself covering up his crimes?

"It’s a legitimate order," the Elder said after a sigh full of complex emotions. "Let him go."

The team members switched their focus to Chen Yan, the one who had orchestrated this secretive mission. But Chen Yan was the only person there who knew the truth.

He didn’t give them the support they were looking for either. His gaze mirrored their shock and indignation perfectly.

Feeling aggrieved, one of them raised her complaint.

"This... How can this be lawful? We have managed to collect clear evidence-"

"The Sect Master’s orders are also clear. He doesn’t care what evidence you’ve collected and how much of it is true. Disciple Han Xuhan has been given immunity from those accusations."

The Elder’s firm tone choked the remaining disciples from arguing back. They could tell that even he wasn’t pleased with the Sect Master’s biased decision. But if he still had to accept the order, what could they do?

At that moment. Han Xuhan finally stood up and spoke for the first time since he had been brought to the Temporary Detention Pavilion.

"Your group brought those heavy crates out of my house. So you must put them back in place. As for the inconveniences you’ve caused me with this meaningless drama, I’ll be a gracious junior and forfeit the apologies deserved. You’re welcome."

Turning towards Chen Yan, he added, "Senior Brother, why don’t you escort me back to my mountain? I’m not familiar with the path downhill and might get lost, I’m afraid."

Chen Yan stiffened, feeling the Elder’s dangerous glare falling on his back.

Before he could find an excuse to avoid it, the Elder said, "It’s a reasonable request, Disciple Yan. Don’t turn him down."

Sensing his brewing fury, Chen Yan could only salute the man and do as ordered. It was clear as day to everyone that the Elder was looking for ways to punish him for kicking a hornet’s nest.

The two opponents, done with this round’s game, walked down the mountain, side-by-side, contemplating how to inflict a deeper injury in the next round.

After a stretch of silence, Chen Yan finally decided to speak.

"At least 2500 spirit stones. That’s the value of the materials we found in your house.

If we take into consideration the gluttonous way you and your minions devour precious resources, we can estimate that you’ve spent about 1000 spirit stones’ worth in resources in the last month alone.

Adding that amount, it’s nearly 4000 spirit stones. How much of it was stolen from the stock entrusted to you for teleportation?"

Han Xuhan laughed. "Starting off an aggressive stance, I see. Then again, for you to establish the crime of stealing, there has to be an aggrieved party.

In this case, the parties involved haven’t raised any concerns, have they? They’re actually protecting me even when YOU raised concerns on their behalf. So where do you want to go with these accusations?"

Chen Yan snorted. "Does the Sect Master even know how you’re robbing him blind-"

"Are you questioning our Sect Master’s wisdom?!"

Han Xuhan put on a scandalized expression, patting himself on the chest as if he couldn’t believe Chen Yan’s impudence.

"Senior Brother, how presumptuous of you! Why don’t you pay a visit to his mountain and question his intelligence, then? I dare you!"

Chen Yan fell silent, unable to believe the audacity and shamelessness of his innocent-looking junior brother.

Visiting the Sect Master... Was that so easy?

And to interrogate him, knowing he has already endorsed the embezzlement?

Heh!

But he couldn’t think of a substantial comback to that without lifting the veil of pretense between the two of them.

He needed to maintain his current role as an innocent officer of the disciplinary committee, who had nothing to do with the mysterious person scheming against Han Xuhan.

A moment of break in character could lead to a trap set up in advance by Han Xuhan.

As if he could sense Chen Yan’s unwillingness to engage, Han Xuhan decided to start running his mouth in a teasing tone.

"Senior Brother, that plan of yours was quite impressive! I must applaud your bold thinking. Of all the moves I expected you to make, snitching was the one I assumed least likely to come true."

Chen Yan worded his response with the utmost caution. "Snitching? Don’t accuse innocent people, junior! I’m just performing my duty."

"Sure, sure, I guess you could put it that way. Reporting me back when you first found out about the resource transfer deal was indeed your duty. But you chose to delay it until now to test the waters and fish for opportunities..."

"You’re mistaking me for somebody else, it seems," Chen Yan said insistently.

"Back then, I had no proof and only ordered my juniors to keep an eye on you to verify my suspicions. I even met you a few times and put on an act just to sound you out.

Someone else must have gotten wind of it and reported your misdeeds to the committee. "

Han Xuhan was impressed once again. Senior Brother Chen Yan was so good at cleaning after himself!

With that simple explanation, he could probably avoid most accusations Han Xuhan might throw at him.

Even solid evidence like scene recordings, memory fragments, or mind-reading couldn’t easily pin him down as the mastermind behind the scenes.

"What good did reporting me do? As you can see, I will always have the Sect Master’s support. So if you want to rob me, you’d better dig up a grave for yourself first."

A part of him hoped that Chen Yan would be cowed by the threat and finally give up.

But there was another voice in his heart that sincerely hoped otherwise. It craved the sadistic pleasure awaiting his soul once Chen Yan took the deep plunge and fell into the trap prepared for him.

Perhaps there was a similar conflict inside Chen Yan’s head as well. And in the end, he chose to listen to the voice tinged with greed.

"Every time the sect gives you a stock of materials to teleport away, it makes you richer by hundreds of spirit stones. Not to mention, you already have thousands of spirit stones sitting in your hut anyway.

Even for the most resourceful senior disciples of the outer court, that’s a lot of money... money which is completely wasted on a cripple like you.

Such injustice surely wouldn’t go unnoticed. If heavens have eyes, you’ll surely face punishment. I’ll look forward to that day, junior brother."

Han Xuhan couldn’t be bothered to poke a hole in his reasoning. Chen Yan’s dogged focus on his wealth was nothing but a veiled declaration of war.

A faint, cruel smile rose at the corner of his mouth. Raising a hand, he pointed to a nearby mountain and said, "Isn’t that where you live, Senior Brother?"

Caught off guard, Chen Yan nodded instinctively. "Yes, did you not know?"

"I did. But I’ve been an impolite junior and never paid it a visit when you’ve been to my house so many times. I must make up for it today. Please, lead the way."

Noticing that unsettling smile on his face, Chen Yan was suddenly struck by a grim premonition.