Chapter 3879: Polite Disrespect

Little Bull’s sleeves had almost entirely disappeared. Large tears covered the chest and waist. His trousers had several holes and dust covered every visible inch of skin. Meanwhile, his hair resembled a bird’s nest after crashing through multiple shelves and stone walls.

Small fragments of broken rock still remained lodged between the tangled strands.

High Elder Shatter Peak immediately released a strand of perception and his senses gently swept across Little Bull.

He carefully examined every injury and several moments later... He found none. The boy looked utterly miserable. But physically... He remained almost perfectly healthy.

High Elder Shatter Peak knew enough about Little Bull’s physique that this result did not surprise him. Though it certainly failed to lessen his anger and his gaze slowly returned toward the other man.

"How dare you attack a junior, Taegong!"

SMACK!

High Elder Shatter Peak released the wrist he had been holding. Then he casually slapped the back of Taegong’s hand aside. The motion looked almost careless but it made Taegong step backwards.

His expression changed slightly and he quietly rubbed the back of his hand. Lin Mu noticed him flexing his fingers several times showing that the simple slap had actually hurt him.

Taegong stared directly at the Elder.

"I merely performed my duty." His voice remained cold. "I was protecting the vault from an intruder."

High Elder Shatter Peak took one heavy step forward. "From what angle does Little Bull resemble an intruder?"

He pointed directly toward Lin Mu. "He’s wearing the robes of our Wild Peak."

Taegong answered immediately. "That means nothing."

His gaze remained fixed upon Little Bull. "There was no official record authorizing entry. The vault formation reported an unidentified access. As such I came to investigate."

He pointed toward Lin Mu. "I found him wandering inside."

Lin Mu quietly listened. ’So that’s why he appeared.’

Apparently the treasury monitored every authorized entry. Since Little Bull had somehow entered without possessing proper credentials, the formations themselves had reported the abnormality.

That part made sense.

Everything afterward... Lin Mu still struggled to understand.

High Elder Shatter Peak folded his arms. "So you decided to kill him?"

Taegong’s expression remained unchanged. "I decided to eliminate a potential infiltrator."

"He explained himself."

"He lied."

"He showed his disciple token."

"It proved nothing."

"He wore Wild Peak robes."

"Those can be stolen."

"He told you how he entered."

"An obvious fabrication."

Lin Mu blinked several times.

Little Bull slowly raised one hand. "I really climbed a tree."

Neither man paid attention to him.

High Elder Shatter Peak snorted. "You truly believed someone infiltrated the Wild Peak treasury by climbing a tree?"

Taegong immediately answered. "More believable than believing the vault voluntarily opened for a newly recruited disciple."

Lin Mu quietly admitted something. ’...He does have a point.’

The explanation really did sound absurd. Unfortunately... It also happened to be true.

The argument between the two continued while Lin Mu watched silently. The atmosphere felt strange. Neither side showed much respect toward the other and High Elder Shatter Peak addressed the man simply as Taegong.

No title or honorific was used.

Just his given name. Taegong likewise displayed remarkably little deference while speaking to one of the Peak’s High Elders. His words remained polite enough to avoid outright disrespect while his tone carried obvious confidence.

Lin Mu quickly reached a conclusion. ’They’re roughly equal in rank.’

Perhaps not equal in cultivation but certainly equal enough in authority that neither felt pressured by the other. Taegong’s cultivation also appeared considerably weaker than High Elder Shatter Peak’s.

Even during their brief exchange, Lin Mu sensed that the High Elder remained completely relaxed.

Taegong, meanwhile, maintained subtle vigilance.

’Is he an Elder too?’ Lin Mu searched through everything he had learned since joining the Wild Peak.

He had met Peak Head Mountain Roar, High Elder Shatter Peak, High Elder Palm Saber, several ordinary Elders, and many senior disciples. Everyone seemed to know about Little Bull already.

But Taegong clearly did not and that realization puzzled Lin Mu. If Taegong truly belonged to the Wild Peak, news about Little Bull should have reached him days ago. Especially after the recruitment assessment.

Little Bull had become famous throughout the Peak and Peak Head Mountain Roar had personally accepted him. The senior disciples practically treated him like everyone’s shared junior brother.

For someone entirely unaware of his existence... Either Taegong had remained isolated from recent events. Or... He did not spend much time on the Wild Peak at all.

Lin Mu quietly filed away the observation.

Whatever Taegong’s actual position was, it clearly involved guarding the treasury. And judging from the man’s willingness to immediately resort to lethal force, it was a position he took very seriously.

The atmosphere inside the treasury became increasingly heavy.

Little Bull remained seated on the ground, still looking thoroughly miserable with his robes hanging in strips and dust covering his face. He quietly brushed a pebble out of his hair while watching the two older cultivators face one another.

Neither moved and neither lowered their guard. The silence itself seemed ready to erupt.

High Elder Shatter Peak finally folded his thick arms across his chest.

"So..." he said, his deep voice carrying through the cavern. "Have you finished trying to kill my disciple?"

Taegong’s face remained expressionless. "I have yet to determine whether he is your disciple."

High Elder Shatter Peak let out a dry laugh. "I accepted him myself."

"So you claim."

The large elder’s brows twitched. "You were sleeping in this mountain when the recruitment happened."

"I was performing my assigned duty."

"You were hiding in your treasury."

"I was guarding my treasury."

"You’ve called it yours again."

"It falls under my authority."

"It belongs to the Wild Peak."

"It belongs to the sect."

"It belongs to the Peak."

"The Peak belongs to the sect."

"It also belongs to the Peak."

Taegong remained silent for a second before answering. "I see your debating skills remain as crude as your fists."

High Elder Shatter Peak grinned. "And your personality remains as pleasant as spoiled meat."

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