The secret, highly profitable operation led by Lord Pig—the Spiritual Silk Black Market—was never destined for longevity. It was a masterpiece of capitalism built on a foundation of teenage desperation and poor impulse control.
With the disciplinary forces of Longshou Peak—under the command of the grim, humorless Cangsong—unleashed, the collapse was instant and spectacular. Qi Hao, the eldest disciple, and Lin Jingyu, the young prodigy, were ruthless in their efficiency.
They weren't seasoned detectives, but the evidence was overwhelming. Lord Pig had trafficked over 350 pieces of 'spiritual apparel,' a transaction volume that generated an astronomical amount of foot traffic and suspicious behavior.
During a "routine inspection" of the disciples' dormitories across the peaks, Qi Hao and his team quickly found dozens of small, highly fragrant silk bundles hidden beneath mattresses, tucked inside cultivation pouches, and even enshrined within small, makeshift altars. These were not the generic, rough textiles of the average sect disciple; these were luxurious, custom-made silks, often embroidered with a tiny, stylized pig logo—the subtle, unfortunate branding of the Lord Pig enterprise.
The confession of a single, terrified Junior Brother Wang under mild questioning was all it took. The entire scheme, which revolved around exchanging hard-earned spiritual herbs for "Cloud Catchers" that supposedly carried the "authentic aura" of Xiaozhu Peak beauties, was exposed in less time than it takes to meditate for a single breath. The trail of the scandal led directly to the chief distributor: Zeng Shushu, and, inevitably, straight up the golden chain to Lord Pig himself.
The Qingyun Sect now had a full-blown scandal on its hands: widespread theft of communal resources in exchange for illicit, specialized undergarments.
Tongtian Peak, the majestic peak soaring above the clouds, housed the Yuqing Palace, the spiritual heart of the Qingyun Sect.
Inside, the atmosphere was frigid.
"Master, what Lord Pig has done is nothing short of an intentional effort to destroy the moral integrity and spiritual discipline of our entire sect! It is a mockery of the Qingyun Rules and an open assault on decency!"
Cangsong, the Chief of Longshou Peak, thundered, his face pale with fury. His indignation was genuine, but his motives were mixed; he still smarted from his previous humiliation at the hands of the golden swine. "He must be severely punished, or our authority is meaningless!"
Sect Leader Daoxuan, the most powerful man in the righteous path, simply stroked his beard, his eyes heavy with complex thought.
Rules, Xiao Songzi? Rules are merely suggestions to those who can bench-press mountains and fly with thunder wings.
Daoxuan knew the truth: challenging Lord Pig on rules was like trying to argue with a thunder god about the placement of lightning. Lord Pig was immensely powerful, utterly lawless, and held a highly inconvenient ancestral seniority. If Daoxuan tried to enforce a penalty, he risked a spectacular, public defeat.
However, Daoxuan also recognized an opportunity. Cangsong had grown too proud, his Longshou Peak discipline having almost eclipsed the prestige of Tongtian Peak itself. He needed to be humbled.
Let Lord Pig do the work.
"Junior Brother Cangsong," Daoxuan said, his voice deep and measured, "this matter of the 'spiritual silk commerce' and the resulting chaos falls directly under your jurisdiction as Head of Punishment. I entrust the handling of Lord Pig entirely to your capable hands. Do what you deem necessary, but ensure the sect's dignity is maintained."
"Yes, Master! I shall attend to this immediately!" Cangsong felt a rush of vindication. Daoxuan has finally supported me! The Pig will learn his place today! He bowed crisply and swept out, plotting a confrontation that was sure to end in bloodshed—or, at the very least, a public shaming.
As Cangsong vanished, Daoxuan quietly called out.
"Yicai!"
"Master," Xiao Yicai, Daoxuan's disciplined eldest disciple and the senior brother of the younger generation, stepped forward respectfully.
"I have suddenly encountered a complex spiritual blockage. I shall be entering seclusion for the next few days. Unless the Immortal Execution Sword is literally being stolen, I am not to be disturbed." Daoxuan gave a subtle, knowing look and began to retreat toward his private meditation chambers.
Xiao Yicai sighed internally. He understood the calculus perfectly. Cangsong had backed Daoxuan into a corner: either punish Lord Pig and risk a power struggle, or ignore the rule-breaking and suffer a loss of prestige. Daoxuan chose the third path: seclusion.
Let the pig and the oak tree smash into each other. The Sect Leader will only emerge once the dust—and Cangsong's ego—have settled.
The immediate casualty of the exposure was Zeng Shushu.
Fenghui Peak's main hall was currently vibrating with the low, terrifying rumble of pure, unadulterated shame.
"Kneel down, you utterly despicable wretch!" Zeng Shuchang, the Head of Fenghui Peak and Zeng Shushu's master, was a man whose complexion had gone from his normal earthy tone to the color of wet slate.
"Not practicing! Not focusing on the Dao! Instead, you've dedicated your youth to trafficking forbidden undergarments and draining the spiritual coffers! You have brought total disgrace upon my peak and upon the name of Zeng!"
Zeng Shushu knelt, his head bowed low, genuinely ashamed—not of the trade, which was genius, but of the fact that he was caught. He was about to offer a brilliant, financially sound defense when a disciple's voice cut through his master's raging lecture.
"Master, the disciple Lin Jingyu from Longshou Peak requests an audience with Junior Brother Zeng."
Zeng Shuchang's body literally trembled with compounded fury. His apprentice was so infamous that the Head of Punishment's right-hand man was now here to collect him.
"Get out! Go and face your humiliation! I don't want to look at your morally bankrupt face anymore!" Zeng Shuchang roared, pointing to the door.
"Yes, Master," Zeng Shushu mumbled, quickly scrambling to his feet. He knew this day would come, but he hadn't expected the hammer to drop with such spectacular, righteous speed.
Meanwhile, back at the epicenter of the controversy, the atmosphere was far more relaxed.
Xiaozhu Peak.
"Lord Pig, tell me the truth. Did you sell my disciples' clothes?" Shuiyue asked, an utterly unfriendly look plastered across her beautiful face. Lord Pig was lying prone and comfortable upon her thighs, bathing in the warmth.
"Are you suffering from a shortage of clothes? No, you are not," Lord Pig stated, ever the master of deflection. "Lord Pig is the embodiment of Justice and Fiscal Wisdom! How could I possibly stoop to such a shameless thing as trafficking my own family's assets?"
He lifted his head, puffing out his chest. "Lord Pig is an Upright Businessman! I went to Jinxiufang in Yudu City! I bought wholesale! I simply earned my spiritual herbs by running away with hard work and the clever rebranding of a product!"
"Rebranding, is it?" Shuiyue sneered, reaching out and expertly pinching one of Lord Pig's surprisingly firm, chubby cheeks. "You worked hard to earn that money, but you sold it under the specific name of my Xiaozhu Peak disciples. Otherwise, you couldn't have commanded the price of one hundred elixirs per piece, now could you?"
She knew he hadn't actually sold their personal items; if he had, he wouldn't still be alive. But the use of their names—the spiritual identity theft—was an unforgivable offense that had caused immense, embarrassing scandal.
"Don't worry! The market is saturated now, and after this minor incident, no one will dare buy anymore! Lord Pig won't waste his time," he promised carelessly.
"Oh, you think simply stopping the sale is enough?"
Shuiyue's beautiful eyes suddenly sparkled with a cunning mischief. Lu Xueqi and Wen Min stepped forward, rubbing their hands together, their eyes gleaming with the intent of sweet, therapeutic revenge.
"What… what are you three planning? Lord Pig is not one to be handled casually!" Lord Pig shrank his neck, trying to escape.
"What do you think we're going to do, you little menace?" Shuiyue purred.
The air instantly filled with shrieks of comical distress.
"Ah! This is an indecent assault on a Grandmaster!"
"Woo woo, I want my Little Fatty! I want to go home!"
Lord Pig was pulled, squeezed, tossed, and cuddled with merciless enthusiasm. He was treated like a ball of golden, protesting fur, his round body subjected to a brutal but affectionate ravaging that maximized physical contact and, therefore, the experience gain.
"If you keep rubbing it, Lord Pig will become entirely too fluffy!" he declared weakly, sticking out his little pink tongue in exhaustion.
The blissful chaos was interrupted by an external knock.
"Master, Qi Hao, the eldest disciple of Longshou Peak, is at the perimeter. He states he is carrying an order from Uncle Cangsong to summon Master and Lord Pig to the Yuqing Palace!" a nervous female disciple reported from outside the door.
"No! Absolutely not!" Lord Pig instantly scrambled out of Shuiyue's arms, fully energized by the mix of terror and affection. "Xiao Songzi is becoming far too arrogant! He dares to summon Lord Pig? That would cause Lord Pig to lose face! I've had enough of that little rat's audacity!"
With a whoosh, Lord Pig launched himself through the window, his Wind-Thunder Sky Wings blurring. He had been looking for an excuse to teach the rigid stick-in-the-mud a lesson.
"Lord Pig!" Shuiyue, Lu Xueqi, and Wen Min cried out, quickly chasing after him, a mixture of amusement and concern on their faces.
Outside the protective boundaries of Xiaozhu Peak, Qi Hao stood rigid in his white uniform, looking every bit the perfectly restrained, talented disciple. He waited quietly with a few members of the Longshou Peak disciplinary team.
Beside him, Tian Ling'er, dressed in vibrant red, stood, looking slightly conflicted, yet still engaging him in polite conversation. The interaction held a subtle, budding romantic tension.
Swish!
Lord Pig's golden figure appeared in a flash, planting himself directly between Qi Hao and Tian Ling'er.
"Lord Pig!" Tian Ling'er's face instantly lit up. She forgot all about the rigid disciple and scooped Lord Pig into her arms, immediately rubbing his head.
"All rise for Lord Pig!"
Qi Hao and the Longshou Peak disciples immediately bowed. "We greet Lord Pig!"
"You wished to see Lord Pig?" Zhu Hao narrowed his big eyes, leaning his head back slightly and fixing Qi Hao with an intense, casual stare.
Suddenly, a pressure that was ancient, heavy, and vast—the spiritual equivalent of being crushed by a collapsing star—descended upon Qi Hao. It was the raw, unadulterated power of a true Grandmaster. Qi Hao's knees buckled involuntarily, and a suffocating sensation made him gasp for air.
"Lord Pig... my Master, Cangsong... has issued a formal summons, sanctioned by the Headmaster, to the Jade Purity Palace! I implore you, do not refuse!" Qi Hao gritted his teeth, forcing the words out, suppressing the immense humiliation and the pure, spiritual terror.
"If Xiao Xuanzi and Xiao Songzi wish to see Lord Pig, they should come themselves. Get lost."
Lord Pig lazily raised a tiny, golden paw and, with a puff of spiritual wind, flicked Qi Hao. The gesture was effortless, yet it struck Qi Hao with the force of a spiritual tidal wave.
A faint voice echoed in Qi Hao's ear as he sailed backward: "Lord Pig will not be summoned by subordinates."
"Lord Pig! You didn't kill Senior Brother Qi, did you?" Tian Ling'er asked, slightly worried. She had initially found the disciplined, handsome Qi Hao intriguing.
"Don't worry, he won't die. But if he can't even stand properly in front of Lord Pig, you're better off staying far away from that stiff silver spear wax head!" Zhu Hao clapped his paws dismissively.
Tian Ling'er looked at the crumpled figure of the handsome disciple, then back at the soft, warm pig in her arms. She nodded, her previous romantic notions instantly deflated by the pig's brutally honest assessment of Qi Hao's strength.
Just as Lord Pig finished dispensing his wisdom and Tian Ling'er was rubbing his belly, a figure materialized at the foot of Xiaozhu Peak.
It was Cangsong. He had come personally to ensure compliance.
BUMP!
He watched in frozen horror as a white-robed figure bounced off the ground, having been launched from the top of the peak.
Qi Hao scrambled to his feet, dizzy and covered in dust.
"Qi Hao! What in the Abyss happened to you?!" Cangsong roared.
"M-Master!" Qi Hao cried, utterly ashamed. "I failed. Lord Pig would not come. He merely... flicked me down the mountain. I have brought dishonor upon Longshou Peak! Please punish me!"
Cangsong saw red. The Pig had not only defied the formal summons, but he had physically assaulted his most capable disciple. This was no longer about rules; it was a matter of Qingyun Sect's absolute authority.
"This truly is too much!"
Cangsong screamed, his fury boiling over into his powerful spiritual aura. He waved his hand dismissively at his subordinates. "Move!"
His figure shot toward Xiaozhu Peak, consumed by righteous rage and the burning need for vengeance against the golden creature who had humiliated him twice. The stage was set for an epic, utterly ridiculous confrontation.