However, he knew better than to test the temper of the young man, Bob.
The disciples from the noble clans would never listen to someone they thought was beneath them.
Moreover, he knew that Bob had gotten into fights before regarding who should be prioritized to enter
the Lake of the Magical Fish. His disputes always led to more trouble. Bob had an infamous temper.
Today, he found it distasteful to wait for fifteen minutes for someone. That said a lot about him.
Bob pulled a long face, his lips twisting with disdain. Usually, he was the man who was waited upon,
even at odd hours of the day. How dare they ask him to wait for someone else for so long?
"Hasn't the disciple come out yet? Cao, you said he would come out at four p.m., didn't you? It's
already four now," Bob reminded him in an unpleasant tone.
Steward Cao straightened sheepishly, a reassuring smile on his face. "Please wait for a minute. Just
one more minute. He should come out soon."
Brusquely, Bob got up. "I won't wait for him any longer! The time is up. You should force him out now by
using the magic array plate."
"I- I..." steward Cao stammered, his mouth gaping, not knowing what to say. Bob left him in a fix. He
would undoubtedly offend Zen if he pushed him out through the magic array, but it would vex Bob if he
didn't listen to his command.
It wouldn't be too consequential if he offended Zen now, who was just an outer disciple at present. He
wouldn't pose a threat to Cao's position. But if he offended Bob, and Bob told his elders about the
incident, he could make Cao's life at Cloud Sect difficult.
Appearing to think for a moment, steward Cao came to a decision. Neither of his options was likable,
but he must choose the one that would bring him less harm. He would have to displease Zen today.
He opened the magic array plate, about to reach out to pull Zen out of the Lake of the Magical Fish.
But before he could do so, Roger, who was next to him, halted him in his action. "Steward Cao, you
don't need to be in such a rush."
Steward Cao widened his eyes. "But, but..." Roger's words made his head spin. Roger was always
friendly and courteous to him, but he was also a disciple from one of the top seven noble clans. If Cao
could not afford to offend the Pei clan, he could not afford to do the same with the Meng clan either.
Bob threw Roger a cold look. He had spotted the Meng boy as soon as he got here.
The two families were always at odds with each other. The elders always had control over their
tempers and they were cordial outwardly. They only expressed their displeasure and disagreements in
hushed whispers and backhanded wisecracks.
However, the tempers of the younger lot were not easy to restrain. There had been many brawls
between the young members of the families on several occasions in the Imperial Capital.
Bob had turned a blind eye to Roger when he saw him first.
He came here to train today, so he had no reason to argue with Roger. He had hoped that Roger would
stay quiet so neither of them would have cause to encroach on the precincts of the other.
But he hadn't expected Roger to provoke him by interrupting steward Cao when he was about to use
the magic array. Was Roger so eager to get into an argument with him?
Bob knew Roger's strength was far inferior to his. If a fight were to happen between them, Roger would
undoubtedly be at a disadvantage. An image of the arrogant faces of the Meng family members rose
up in his mind. It would do him good to teach Roger a lesson today, for the mere fact that he dared to
argue with him!
"Roger, you know it's time for me to train. I can't wait for the boy forever if he has no plans of coming
out," Bob said, his voice slightly shaking with anger.
Roger shook his head indifferently. "The disciple in the lake is my friend, and he has no intention of
taking up your time. He reserved two hours, but it seems that the time did not end up being enough for
him. Don't worry. I will pay for the extra hours on his behalf. I have enough points that can be docked."
Bob stilled, and the look he threw Roger was chilling. "Your points? You think you can pay for the extra
hours he uses? Cao, is this permissible?"
Steward Cao had an anxious look on his face. He glanced at Bob before speaking to Roger, "Roger, I
think I need to ask your friend to come out now. After all, the time he reserved is over."
"What? Can't I add more time on his behalf? I have plenty of points. You can take as many as you
want. Not just two hours, my points are enough to pay for twenty more! You can keep docking them
until Zen comes out of the lake," Roger said, his face hard.
He was always polite and kind, but when someone angered him, he could get quite overbearing.
Steward Cao was in an awful dilemma. He had no clue about what to do. He wanted to start the magic
array and pull Zen out, but looking at the expression on Roger's face, he dared not to do it. On the
other hand, it was not possible for him to dissuade Bob either. He knew all about Bob's terrible temper.
"They say that the Meng family members are good at assessing a situation and judging what to do, but
I don't think you are quite adept at it," sneered Bob, a look of hatred in his eyes as he stared at Roger.
Momentum slowly built up in his body as the words escaped him. He had reached the nature level
consummation, which was only one step away from the Illuminating Soul Realm.
Roger stood up the moment he heard what Bob said, his eyes too darkening with malice. "You dare to
fight me on the Cloud Sect grounds? Do you know the price you'll pay for that
transgression?"
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