Hidden Moth-Chapter 593 - 342: A Sword Strikes the Final Note

Hu Weidong had been in the United States for many years, and being an immigrant from Eastern Country, faced invisible barriers in many fields of entrepreneurship. Immigrants from Eastern Country most often ventured into sectors like catering, intermediary services, foreign trade, and new IT technologies.

But Hu Weidong carved out a new path, pioneering a new track — the education and training industry.

The education and training sector in Eastern Country embodies the most typical features of redundancy, having undergone significant policy adjustments in recent years and falling into a low point, but simultaneously, it saw new opportunities for development in the United States across the ocean.

The education and training institution founded by Hu Weidong, named "Yuanheng Education" in Eastern Country language, initially focused mainly on supplementing foundational courses for children from Eastern Country. Gradually, the clientele expanded to other ethnic groups, and the services extended from primary and secondary schools to universities.

Do university students need education and training services? Of course they do! Yuanheng Education not only provides tutoring services but also project and thesis guidance, often implying ghostwriting assignments and papers.

As the business expanded and Hu Weidong's cultivation and position in the Xiao Alliance improved, his education and training institution successively launched off-campus social practice, public welfare activities, and special skills training services.

The clientele was no longer limited to students but also included providing consulting services on courseware and lesson plans to teachers at schools, assisting them in better completing their teaching tasks, and hiring many teachers and students as part-time staff.

Yuanheng Education established several branch institutions and moved its headquarters next to the University of California. After Hu Weidong entered the Supreme Council of the Xiao Alliance, there was even a plan to provide recommendation letter services for key clients.

The Hengzhu Country foreign student who caused the program bug was named Balahan, with a surname literally translated as "shearing wool." This is no joke; his surname translates as shearing wool.

Balahan was initially a client of the education and training institution, having taken courses at Yuanheng Education. After understanding the market, he applied to become a part-time employee there.

At the beginning of the year, someone discovered this guy was not honest and often did things that betrayed the company.

Balahan collected client information through Yuanheng Education's platform. For instance, if a client was willing to pay a thousand US dollars for a paper, he would impersonate customer service and contact the client privately to take the job.

He would then find someone, perhaps an acquaintance from Hengzhu Country, outsource the paper to them for a hundred US dollars, and pocket the nine hundred dollar difference, bypassing Yuanheng Education entirely.

As for service quality, it was certainly not guaranteed; Balahan only cared about pocketing money, and clients often thought it was Yuanheng Education that was messing around.

Hu Weidong, being the big boss of Yuanheng Education, naturally would not bother with such trivial matters daily but learned about this situation during a briefing from the business supervisor and paid special attention to it.

Under the watchful eyes of a high-tier cultivator, all of Balahan's little tricks were exposed.

Not only did Balahan profit dishonestly and earn price differences, but he also did other side jobs during part-time hours, freeloading Yuanheng Education's office and equipment, including using office computers, printers, and printer paper, even toilet paper in the restroom—this was all standard practice.

Being able to study for a graduate degree at the University of California positioned him among Hengzhu Country's elite, but his conduct was better left unsaid.

The side job Balahan took involved outsourcing a program for a software company back in Hengzhu Country. Hu Weidong was surprised to discover that the program's task package notes looked very familiar, as it was the content from the Xiao Alliance's developed information management system.

While Hu Weidong did not handle this project personally, he was involved in the preliminary discussions of the project. Being knowledgeable in the field, he noticed some hidden defects in the program written by Balahan.

He privately had some cooperative aspects with the Hall of Sect Rules of the Magic Sect, driven by personal beliefs. He promised to find a way to deliver the latest announcements of the Hall of Sect Rules to every member of the Xiao Alliance, cleverly achieving his goal.

But from the perspective of the Hall of Sect Rules, did he accomplish the task or not?

Hu Weidong had long anticipated such a situation would arise; even if it hadn't, he had other methods. It was just that the other methods ultimately were not needed, and he accomplished the task in the easiest way possible.

As for Balahan, he was, of course, immediately dismissed by Yuanheng Education.

However, Yuanheng Education did not pursue any other responsibilities, instead erasing Balahan's records as a part-time employee. This is understandable, as for an education and training institution, such a person and incident amounted to a scandal, better left as though it never happened.

...

The meeting of the Elders finally concluded, though not perfectly, the matters discussed reached a resolution, with an unexpected interlude being the removal of Johnson's status as an Elder.

After Arthur announced the adjournment, people got up and started walking out, naturally forming small circles, secretly discussing, likely focusing on the nomination of new elders.

Upon exiting the assembly hall, many people's attitudes towards Hu Weidong had already changed, at least becoming more amicable and respectful than when he first arrived, nodding in greeting and making room for him to walk ahead.

Hu Weidong temporarily had no small circle in the Supreme Council, and unconsciously walked at the forefront once outside.

Outside the meeting hall was a long corridor, with a right-angled turn leading to the castle's main hall. Just moments ago, Hu Weidong had knocked Johnson onto the corridor, and now the former Elder was nowhere in sight, perhaps having already left in shame.

Just as he reached the corner, an arrow shot from the direction of the castle's main hall!

The attacker was Johnson; a dog doesn't bark when it's about to bite. He restrained his Divine Qi, making no noise, and suddenly launched an artifact attack as Hu Weidong appeared at the corner of the corridor.

Except for Elder Mei Lin, who was in charge of "security checks" under the special circumstances of the Demon Realm, Elders were not allowed to carry any Magical Artifacts during the Supreme Council. Even if they had their personal treasures, they had to store them in the castle hall beforehand.

Though the castle was entirely secure, storing one's personal artifacts, especially their Lifebound Treasures, was ultimately not too reassuring, so everyone was used to not bringing artifacts here.

Johnson, however, was an exception; he brought the Fusang Bow today.

Fusang Bow is a passed-down treasure of the Xiao Alliance, deemed a Quasi-Divine Artifact, and its original origins have become unknown. Johnson only managed to obtain it upon becoming an Elder, and he loved to carry it everywhere, feeling quite pleased with himself.

At the instant the conference hall doors opened, Johnson received the news and learned about the developments. That he was not only humiliated and beaten but stripped of his Elder status was intolerable!

Thinking that without his Elder status, he likely wouldn't hold the Fusang Bow anymore, why not let it serve its final purpose? 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Rumors about Hu Weidong mocking his Tier Five Cultivation being too flimsy, leaving him no room to struggle, made him determined to demonstrate to the other Elders his actual ability to counterattack!

Furious, Johnson acted, unleashing Fusang Bow in a full-on attack—a lethal move that, if not able to immediately kill Hu Weidong, should at least severely injure him.

As for the consequences, Johnson decided to not think about them for now. When denied, his foremost desire was to prove himself. If he could injure Tier Six Alchemist Hu Weidong badly, perhaps there could be a turnaround.

To ensure the ambush's success, Johnson was not careless, quietly guarding one end of the corridor, turning the Fusang Bow in his hand, and conjuring a hemispherical shield to thoroughly block the corridor in front of him.

When the shield appeared, an arrow light shot out simultaneously, demonstrating equal attack and defense capability.

With Fusang Bow aimed and unable to dodge, Hu Weidong had no choice but to face it head-on, especially since he wasn't carrying any artifacts, putting him in a passive position. He could retreat towards the conference hall doors, but other Elders were behind him.

The Elders, not lacking in cultivation, had all responded by this point, casting protective spells. Only Hu Weidong himself seemed nonchalant, as if totally unaware of what was happening.

The mana-concentrated arrow didn't hit Hu Weidong, dissipating invisibly as it shot forth, as did the shield Johnson had conjured... A golden light flew into Hu Weidong's sleeve, while Johnson fell lifelessly to the ground.

Clearly, Hu Weidong had not been caught off guard but had been prepared.

Perhaps not yet accustomed to attending Elder meetings, Hu Weidong also brought his artifact this time—an Eastern Country artifact known as "Triple Lake Reflecting Moon's Divergent Shadow".

The name is flashy, but it's simply an ordinary sword commonly used by Alchemy Sect cultivators, which he refined from a Magical Treasure Embryo given by his master after breaking through to High-tier Cultivation, previously stored in the castle hall's lockers.

The lockers here are sealed with spirit-restraining talismans; unless forced open with brute strength, even a master's Divine Sense can't probe inside. It's meant to protect privacy, and nobody here would forcibly open someone else's locker.

But today, Hu Weidong did just that, breaking open his locker and utilizing the Artifact Control Technique to retrieve his sword unexpectedly, with Johnson unfortunately blocking its path.

Johnson had assumed a stance he considered both offensive and defensive, but his shield only defended against Hu Weidong from the front—the sword came from behind.

With no resistance, the sword light passed through him, extinguishing all his life force.

In terms of practical application and power, Hu Weidong's sword couldn't compare to the Fusang Bow at all; its quality was at least two levels lower. Triple Lake Reflecting Moon's Divergent Shadow was merely an ordinary Magical Artifact, while Fusang Bow was considered a Quasi-Divine Artifact.

However, regardless of item's quality, its prowess lies in its user.

Magical Combat isn't melee fighting. Regarding childhood experience in wielding knives and fighting, Johnson's experience would surpass Hu Weidong's easily. But when it comes to spontaneous magical combat, even when ambushing, there was no room for struggle.

Everyone present was stunned, the staff in the hall mainly shocked that Johnson would do such a thing, while the Elders behind Hu Weidong were startled that he had killed Johnson.

Hu Weidong could've injured or knocked out Johnson, rendering him incapable of resistance; yet Hu Weidong unexpectedly killed him without hesitating.

After today's events, it seems necessary to thoroughly re-evaluate this Elder's temperament and ways.

The only unaffected one seemed to be Hu Weidong. He didn't even pause, as if merely retrieving his sword; he stepped over Johnson's body and conveniently took the Fusang Bow.

Upon entering the hall, he finally turned around and declared loudly: "Assassinating an Elder within the organization's core premises, truly deserved death! How did such a spy infiltrate? The Supreme Council, especially Elder Malada, must thoroughly investigate!"

**