As the commanding officer of the Red Scale Army stationed at the foot of Xishan, Yuan Luoyu was the first to see Zhou Zhili and his party descending from the mountain.
"Did the Sixth Prince win?"
Yuan Luoyu's heart shook.
Zhou Zhili also noticed Yuan Luoyu and instructed, "Lead the Red Scale Army to clear the bodies at the mountaintop, collect all the seized items, and send them to Shushi Residence."
Clear the bodies?!
Yuan Luoyu speculated on a possibility, and his heart couldn't help but tremble.
At this moment, when the crowd saw Zhou Zhili and his group coming down from the mountain, the discussions in the vicinity also ceased.
People stopped talking and turned their gazes in unison.
"Your Highness, may I ask who emerged victorious in this tea gathering?"
Someone gathered the courage to ask.
Hearing this, Zhou Zhili paused and swept his gaze over the faces of the influential figures from the six counties of Gunzhou gathered there.
Then, in this silent atmosphere, the Sixth Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty smiled faintly and pointed to Mu Zhongting beside him, saying, "Let me introduce you. From today onwards, Mr. Mu Zhongting will be the new Governor of Gunzhou City."
A stone stirred a thousand waves.
The scene erupted, and everyone was in an uproar.
Who could still be unaware that the Sixth Prince emerged as the ultimate winner in this highly anticipated tea gathering?
Such a result completely exceeded the expectations of most people present, to the point where they showed disbelief on their faces.
But Zhou Zhili didn't explain further. After leaving those words behind, he hurriedly departed with Mu Zhongting and the others.
"I knew it! With Mr. Su's involvement, it's difficult for the Sixth Prince to lose!"
Yuan Luoxi exclaimed happily.
Yuan Wutong, on the other hand, felt his heart pounding. He noticed that as Zhou Zhili and his group left, Xiang Tianqiu and the others had yet to appear.
"Could it be that Mr. Su killed those guys?"
The thought made Yuan Wutong's head spin. If that were true, it would be a monumental blunder!
"Father, why hasn't Mr. Su appeared?"
Yuan Luoxi was puzzled.
Yuan Wutong took a deep breath and whispered, "Just wait a little longer. Your second brother has already gone to the mountaintop with his men. I believe the truth will be revealed soon."
"The truth will be revealed?"
Yuan Luoxi was taken aback. Was there another hidden situation atop the mountain?
"Why haven't the others appeared?"
At this moment, many people in the crowd also noticed something amiss. Xiang Tianqiu, Yu Baiting, and the other top figures of Gunzhou City hadn't descended from the mountain!
"This... Could it be that something happened to them?"
Someone swallowed hard with difficulty.
"Have you all forgotten that just now, the renowned Grandmaster Qin Changshan, who has reached the fifth level of the Martial Dao, made a move? It seems evident that Qin Changshan also lost; otherwise, how could the Sixth Prince have emerged victorious and left?" someone said, their eyes flickering. "Furthermore, the Green Scale Eagle that appeared on the mountaintop earlier is suspected to be the mount of Ning Sihua, the Master of the Tianyuan Academy. Does this mean that this mysterious palace master has also become involved in this conflict?"
"There's no need for wild speculations. Let's wait for the people from the Red Scale Army to come down from the mountain; then, we'll understand the situation," the crowd discussed, though they became even more perplexed despite knowing the outcome of the tea gathering.
"Miss, could it be that Ning Sihua intervened and defeated Qin Changshan, the Hermit of Longhu?" even Eagle Master couldn't fully comprehend the situation, and his brow furrowed.
"It's impossible," Hua Yan denied without hesitation. "When Qin Changshan made his move earlier, it triggered various extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth. Sword Qi filled the sky, and the clouds churned. However, all of that only ceased after the Green Scale Eagle arrived late. This indicates that Ning Sihua cannot be the one who defeated Qin Changshan."
"Then who could it be?" Eagle Master couldn't help but inquire further.
"Su Yi!" Hua Yan hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I observed it just now. When the Sixth Prince descended from the mountain, Su Yi and his maid were missing from his side. And everyone saw that the Green Scale Eagle carried two figures as it left, undoubtedly Su Yi and his maid."
Pausing for a moment, she continued, "This also means that none of the people around the Sixth Prince suffered any casualties. And among them, only the power possessed by Su Yi could potentially defeat a Grandmaster at the fifth level."
As she said this, a trace of melancholy appeared in her beautiful eyes. "It's just... if it's true that he defeated Qin Changshan, it would be too unbelievable..."
Eagle Master fell into silence as he understood the meaning behind Hua Yan's words.
Even he couldn't believe that a Qi Gathering stage youth could defeat a Grandmaster at the fifth level.
But unfortunately, this youth was the most likely candidate to achieve such a feat.
Who wouldn't feel melancholic in such a situation?
Amidst the discussions and doubts, Yuan Luoyu soon descended from the mountaintop with his entourage.
"Luoyu, what's the situation?" Yuan Wutong couldn't contain himself and was the first to ask.
"They... all died..." Yuan Luoyu whispered three words, his brows still displaying a lingering shock.
They all died?
The people present were initially stunned, followed by a chilling sensation creeping up their scalps as they fully realized the situation.
For a while, an eerie silence enveloped the scene.
Regardless of the shock, everyone shared a common understanding: Gunzhou City was about to descend into chaos!
...
On that day, news of the tea gathering at the peak of Xishan spread like a hurricane. Soon, the entire Gunzhou City was in an uproar!
Yuan Family.
In an exquisitely decorated and magnificent pavilion.
Yuan Shuangning and others were growing impatient.
The previous night, her father, Yuan Baiting, had gleefully told her that the guy named Su Yi would disappear from this world today.
This made Yuan Shuangning quite eager.
She wouldn't forget how despicable Su Yi's behavior was. Not only did he take advantage of her kindness, but he was also extremely arrogant.
"My father has been gone for almost two hours. He should be back by now, right?" Yuan Shuangning thought to herself.
Boom!
The doors of the pavilion were kicked open from the outside.
A tall figure of a young man rushed in with a group of followers.
"Yuan Xiao! What are you doing?" Yuan Shuangning was taken aback, but when she saw the person clearly, she became furious and rebuked him loudly.
Yuan Xiao, the son of the second elder of the clan, had always been submissive in front of her, like a mouse encountering a cat.
But now, Yuan Xiao had actually stormed in with people, kicking the door open!
Yuan Xiao audaciously scanned Yuan Shuangning with his eyes, then smiled and said, "Cousin, I'm here to tell you that our clan leader is dead. From today onwards, my father is the clan leader, and I... naturally become the deputy clan leader!"
"What? You're talking nonsense! How could my father possibly be dead?" Yuan Shuangning's face changed drastically, and she was about to rush out of the pavilion.
Slap!
A scorching slap landed on her face, causing her to stumble and sit down on the ground.
This pampered young girl had never experienced such humiliation before.
She was so enraged that she felt like she was going insane!
"You..." Yuan Shuangning was about to say something, but Yuan Xiao coldly interrupted, "Lock her up!"
"Yes!"
The followers immediately swarmed towards her.
In that instant, Yuan Shuangning felt on the verge of collapse. What on earth was happening? Could it be true... her father was really gone?
Without giving her a chance to think, the followers captured her, humiliating her by binding her hands and feet, and took her away.
On that day, with the news of Yuan Baiting's death spreading, turmoil engulfed the Yuan Family.
In their quest to seize the position of clan leader, a fierce and bloody conflict erupted among the influential figures of the Yuan Family.
Those affiliated with Yuan Baiting became like lambs to the slaughter.
Yuan Shuangning herself became a prisoner in the chaos.
When a powerful clan loses its leader, it inevitably leads to turmoil.
The larger the clan, the more severe the power struggles become.
Similar scenes played out in the Zhao Family, Bai Family, and Xue Family.
Tianyuan Academy.
The Cliff of Reflection.
A chilling wind howled, sharp as a blade.
Xiang Ming, disheveled and sitting in one of the caves, appeared withered, his eyes filled with frustration, anger, and hatred.
"Su Yi, when I get out of here, I will immediately seek my father's help. Unless I tear you to pieces, I won't be able to vent my hatred!" He gritted his teeth.
As the son of the governor and a prominent figure in Tianyuan Academy, he had never suffered such a huge loss before!
"Brother Xiang, something's wrong!" Suddenly, an anxious voice came from outside the cave.
It was a chubby teenager who rushed to the cave, sweating profusely, his face filled with panic.
"Calm down!" Xiang Ming frowned at the chubby teenager displeasingly. "How many times have I told you? Keep calm during major events. No matter how bad the news is, can it be worse than my current situation?"
While wiping the sweat off his face, the chubby teenager gasped for breath and said, "No, Brother Xiang, something really major has happened. I can't believe it myself, but all the fellow students in the academy are spreading..."
"What exactly happened?" Xiang Ming asked, his brow furrowed.
The chubby teenager stammered, "Brother Xiang, please don't be saddened or angered by what I'm about to say. This may not necessarily be true..."
Seeing him rambling on, Xiang Ming felt increasingly irritated and shouted, "What are you trying to say!?"
Startled, the chubby teenager blurted out, "Your father is dead!"
Xiang Ming was stunned and angrily exclaimed, "You... how dare you insult me?"
With a mournful face, the chubby teenager continued, "Brother Xiang, I'm not lying to you. Your father is really dead. They say your house was ransacked, and your father's concubines took the opportunity to flee, even the singers you kept were seized by others..."
Xiang Ming was on the verge of exploding, he stood up abruptly and roared, "Who spread these rumors? I will kill their entire family!"
The chubby teenager panicked and said, "Brother Xiang, the entire Tianyuan Academy knows about this. The influential figures are all discussing it. It's said that at the tea gathering on the peak of Xishan, your father's head was chopped off..."
"All those influential figures are discussing it..." Xiang Ming's mind was struck by lightning, he was dumbfounded, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably.
How could this happen?
With his father's power and influence, he was practically a hegemon in the Gunzhou region. How could he have met such a disaster?
"It's impossible, this is absolutely impossible—!!"
After a while, a wild howl erupted from the dark cave, spreading through the heavens and earth, filled with a sense of collapse and loss of control.