The huge doors and the towering walls had been ripped apart by the force of the blade. The barriers hadn't managed to stop the attack at all. Zhang Xinxiong turned around. He could see exactly what was going on outside the house.
A dozen Inner Yard disciples with nothing better to do had gathered in the distance and formed a circle around the house. They were squatting or perched on their bums on stools, nibbling on nuts or spitting out seeds as they snacked on fruits…
They were clearly bored out of their minds. Nevertheless, these were just ordinary Inner Yard disciples, hardly the Inner Yard Thirty-Three. They weren't the ones who had openly issued the challenge.
His eyes fell on a young woman in a red dress who was slowly making her way toward them. He tore his gaze from her slender, shapely legs and stepped forward. His voice was soft as he asked, "Rao Yinyin?"
Lan Xinzi curled her fingers into fists. This man never usually spoke to her in such a gentle manner.
Rao Yinyin smiled sweetly, then shook her head slightly. She reached her hand behind her and pulled.
A young girl in white appeared. She barely reached Rao Yinyin's chest.
She scrunched her adorable nose and stabbed her huge white sword into the ground. The blade was enveloped in a threatening [Sword Will] that showed no signs of receding.
Zhang Xinxiong's face darkened. "Su Qianqian, are you crazy? What are you doing?"
"Killing someone!"
Zhao Xidong tripped over thin air. He stepped forward and grabbed the girl.
"Young lady, please don't cause a scene. I'm standing right here. Can't you at least wait for me to be gone before you do anything?"
She was putting him in a terrible spot.
She couldn't simply do whatever she wanted just because she was Boss Xiao's favorite disciple!
Did Boss Xiao know that she was on a rampage?
This just wasn't turning out to be his day. He couldn't voice his protests, though. Some things were meant to be kept private, destined to languish in the recesses of his mind.
Su Qianqian's eyes lit up when her gaze landed on Zhao Xidong.
"Brother Xidong, help me guard the backdoor! Make sure he doesn't escape!"
Zhao Xidong's face darkened. He thundered. "Stop fooling around!"
The smile on Su Qianqian's face dimmed. She pulled a dark red token out. "Elder Xiao has issued his orders. Zhang Xinxiong has committed a grievous crime, for which he is to be executed!"
Silence descended upon them all.
Smash!
One of the disciples, who'd been munching on nuts, fell off his stool.
"I can't believe it. Su Qianqian stole the token so that she could kill someone."
"Why are you so sure she stole it?"
"You must be new here. Su Qianqian's done plenty of such things."
Zhou Tianshen scratched his head. A huge golden sword was hanging off his back. He hadn't expected to be seen through that quickly.
He'd been passing by when he'd discovered a commotion and had been instinctively drawn towards it.
"Honestly, what's going on? I know the Inner Yard doesn't forbid fights to the death, but don't you have to hold your fights in the Ring of Life and Death?" asked Zhou Tianshen.
"I knew it. You're new to the place…"
The disciple picked his stool up, grabbed Zhou Tianshan, and put some distance between them and the house. He whispered in a hushed tone, "Haven't you heard of what happened yesterday?"
"What happened?" Zhou Tianshen asked stupidly. He'd had a restful, dreamless sleep in his new quarters in the Inner Yard. He had absolutely no clue what had happened.
He had been distracted by the incredibly rich and nourishing spiritual energies all around him. With the powerful soundproofing array activated, he could sleep through an earthquake.
"Are you an idiot? That happens to all newbies, I guess. They sleep like the dead."
"What happened?"
"I heard that the upper echelons of the Inner Yard set up an ambush at Goose Lake to catch a masked man. They failed, though."
Zhou Tianshen was shocked. "Is Zhang Xinxiong the masked man?"
There was a momentary silence.
"No, you idiot!"
The other disciple nearly swallowed the entire fruit, seed and all. He rolled his eyes. "While they were busy trying to catch the guy, Feng Kong and his sidekick went to the Outer Yard to kill someone!"
"Kong Feng? An Inner Yard disciple?" Zhou Tianshen was utterly bewildered. "Is he stupid? Even if he killed his victim successfully, he'd still have the Spiritual Law Division hot on his tail. He won't escape capture."
"He failed to make it into the Inner Yard Thirty-Three, so he wanted to make a quick buck before leaving the Spirit Palace for good," the other disciple scoffed. "I've seen plenty like him over the years."
Zhou Tianshen carefully considered this. He'd heard that the audition for the Inner Yard Thirty-Three had ended before the Outer Yard's Windcloud Competition.
But he'd only found out about this after entering the Inner Yard.
"What's that got to do with what's going on now?" Zhou Tianshen was baffled.
He stared at the scene unfolding before him. Everyone had known from the moment Su Qianqian pulled out that token that she'd stolen it. But no one had dared to do anything about it without considering the potential consequences.
"Heh! It's got everything to do with it!" The eyes of the disciple lit up. That was the look of a gossip.
"I heard that Zhang Xinxiong was the one who sent Feng Kong to kill the Outer Yard disciple. I also heard that their target shares a secret relationship with Su Qianqian."
"Look, she's come knocking at his door!"
"The Inner Yard seems to be rife with politics," Zhou Tianshen thought to himself. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the person whom Zhang Xinxiong wanted dead.
"Is she seeking vengeance, then?" he asked.
"Vengeance?" The other disciple shook his head. There was a hint of awe in his eyes. "Not at all. Feng Kong and his sidekick ended up being killed by their target…"
Zhou Tianshen was dumbstruck. An Outer Yard disciple had somehow managed to kill an Inner Yard disciple?
"That's impossible! Who killed them?"
"What's his name again…" The other disciple's eyes glazed over as he tried to recall the name. Then, he said tentatively, "I heard Su Qianqian call him…"
"Brother Little Beast?"
For his ineptitude as a gossip, he received a look of scorn from another disciple next to him nibbling on melon seeds. "It's Xu Xiaoshou!" the latter said snidely.
"Xu Xiaoshou…" Zhou Tianshen pursed his lips. Why did that name sound so familiar?
Hold on a minute.
"Xu Xiaoshou?" His eyes widened suddenly. "Which Xu Xiaoshou?"
"You just arrived from the Outer Yard, right? You should know him. He's the champion of the Windcloud Competition."
Zhou Tianshen fell from his stool. He was stupefied.
Was it truly him?
That guy…
How was this possible?
Shock and disbelief coursed through him.
Zhou Tianshen had put on his best behavior after entering the Inner Yard and had taken every care not to cause offense to anyone important in the Inner Yard.
Xu Xiaoshou, on the other hand, who was still stuck in the Outer Yard, had managed to kill two disciples.
This…
He truly deserved his title as the champion!
Zhou Tianshen grew excited. He had dogged the footsteps of the champion and gotten his hands on the scroll. He had benefited greatly from that.
Even though he had now entered the Inner Yard, it appeared that he had to continue dogging the footsteps of this champion!
He was confident that he would be rewarded with more pleasant surprises!
His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he eyed the scene before him and the stalemate that had arisen because of the appearance of a token.
Kill him!
His name was Zhang Xinxiong, wasn't it? He had the guts to mess with the man who was his lighthouse and beacon. He must die!
Everyone's eyes fell on Zhao Xidong. The smart ones knew that he was the one who would decide whether a fight broke out or not.
Zhao Xidong's jaw clenched. He decided that he couldn't let Su Qianqian do whatever she wanted. Otherwise, he would have to make another trip to the Tribunal.
"Su Qianqian, put your weapon away. This matter isn't as simple as you think it is."
He pointed at He Yuxing. "He's the mastermind behind everything."
Su Qianqian eyed He Yuxing suspiciously. Why would he get himself involved?
Was he trying to play the hero and shoulder the blame for Zhang Xinxiong?
That couldn't be right. He Yuxing and Zhang Xinxiong didn't get along. Besides, he wasn't acquainted with the Wen family at all. Only the Zhang family would attempt to avenge Wen Chong's death.
"Sister Rao?" She stared at the young woman in the red dress with a look of mild puzzlement on her face.
Rao Yinyin patted her on the head indulgently. "It's really simple, isn't it? There're other people in this house too."
Su Qianqian froze momentarily. Her eyes fell on Lan Xinzi…
Then, they turned toward Zhang Xinxiong and He Yuxing before realization struck her.
"I see!"
The young woman's lovely face was flushed with fury. She tugged her huge white sword out of the ground. "So, there's three of you. Well, none of you will be going anywhere!"
Thud!
Zhao Xidong collapsed onto the ground.