Fang Xiao's eyes narrowed as she thought back to Zhang Jin leaving the private room where Xie Chong and the others were seated. Her expression darkened as she stared at Zhang Jin.
"Tell me, did you instigate them to cause trouble for Young Master Lü?" she demanded.
Zhang Jin hesitated, wanting to deny it, but instinctively lowered his gaze.
Seeing his reaction, Fang Xiao's anger flared. "You fool!"
Zhang Jin, feeling unjustly treated, retorted, "Miss, so what if he's a direct disciple of the Lingxiao Sect? His strength is nothing special. There's no need to act so submissive towards him."
"Miss, your status is no less than his. Besides, the two young masters from the Guiyuan Pavilion said it was their personal grudge and that it wouldn't implicate our restaurant."
"You blind fool!" Fang Xiao almost lost her temper entirely. "Stay here. I'll deal with you later."
Without another word, she hurried out of the restaurant, chasing in the direction Lü Shaoqing had left.
Fang Xiao hadn't known Lü Shaoqing for long, but with her years of experience navigating the complex social circles outside, she had a sharp eye for judging people. She knew Lü Shaoqing wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Fang Xiao believed Lü Shaoqing was shameless, cunning, and completely unbothered by the opinions of others. Today, although it appeared that Zhang Zheng and Wu Tianzong from the Guiyuan Pavilion were the ones causing trouble, it was obvious to her that Zhang Jin had been stirring things up from behind the scenes.
Lü Shaoqing had seen through it all, turning Zhang Jin's actions into a joke with a single remark. Fang Xiao, as the owner behind the scenes, was forced to intervene personally, paying a steep price to defuse the situation while managing to turn a potential crisis into an opportunity by building a connection with Ji Yan.
Everything seemed to have resolved perfectly—except for her own frustration. But just as Fang Xiao was ready to move on, Zhang Jin, still defiant, continued to create problems.
As she ran along the path, cursing Zhang Jin in her heart, she couldn't help but feel a pang of helplessness. Zhang Jin had been assigned to her by her father. When he stirred up trouble, it was her responsibility to clean up the mess.
With her cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Stage's seventh level, Fang Xiao was quite capable herself. She sprinted at full speed through the night, the moonlight casting her shadow as she flew past trees and rocks. Soon, she spotted a figure moving swiftly ahead—Zhang Zheng.
It was clear he was pursuing Lü Shaoqing, and she quickened her pace to intercept him. But before she could call out, a shadowy figure leapt out from the woods, attacking Zhang Zheng.
Zhang Zheng shouted, "Who goes there?"
The two immediately engaged in a fierce battle.
Fang Xiao's heart skipped a beat. Did Lü Shaoqing discover Zhang Zheng and decide to fight him?
Carefully concealing her presence, she crept closer, only to realize that Zhang Zheng's opponent was a masked man. Her eyes widened, and she swiftly activated a concealment talisman, sticking it onto her arm. Her aura vanished as she blended into the darkness, watching closely.
After observing for a while, she noted that the masked man's strength was formidable. His spiritual energy fluctuations were unmistakably at the Core Formation Stage, while Zhang Zheng, being only at the Foundation Establishment level, struggled to hold his ground.
The masked man's attacks were merciless, aiming to take Zhang Zheng's life. Zhang Zheng's defensive talismans and artifacts shattered one by one under the relentless assault, his face paling with fear. Desperation filled his eyes.
"Who are you? What grudge do you have with me?" Zhang Zheng cried out.
The masked man remained silent, but his eyes flashed coldly as he chanted, "Die."
His hands formed complex seals, releasing an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy that bore down on Zhang Zheng like a tidal wave.
Zhang Zheng's last defensive talisman shattered under the onslaught, and he was sent flying into a tree, coughing up blood before falling unconscious.
The masked man approached Zhang Zheng's limp body, a cold smile creeping across his face. "Killing you and framing Lü Shaoqing should cause some trouble for Ji Yan."
Just as he was about to strike the final blow, a voice echoed through the trees.
"I'd like to see who's trying to frame me."
"Who's there?" both the masked man and the hidden Fang Xiao were startled.
Lü Shaoqing emerged from the shadows, his expression calm but his eyes sharp.
The masked man's eyes widened in shock. "Lü Shaoqing?"
Lü Shaoqing smirked. "Oh, so you know me. And who might you be?"
The masked man sneered. "You, a useless nobody, are walking right into death's arms."
He wasted no time, forming another set of seals and unleashing a torrent of spiritual energy. The wind howled as it surged forward, trees bending and creaking under the pressure.
Blades of wind materialized, each sharp enough to cut through steel, and they hurtled toward Lü Shaoqing.
"Die!" the masked man roared, and the air was filled with a tempest of slicing wind blades.
Lü Shaoqing remained unfazed. A sword appeared in his hand, its blade reflecting the moonlight. The masked man's face twisted into a sneer. "You think you can stop me with a mere sword?"
But Lü Shaoqing simply lifted the blade and gave it a light flick. Suddenly, a small crimson bird appeared at the tip of his sword, perched proudly as it preened its fiery feathers. It turned its eyes, gleaming like embers, toward the masked man and let out a piercing cry.
A surge of sword energy erupted, slicing through the darkness and shattering the incoming wind blades. The bird flew head-on into the barrage of attacks, and each blade disintegrated upon contact.
"What? Sword intent?" the masked man's voice trembled with disbelief.
Hidden in the shadows, Fang Xiao's eyes widened. Sword intent?
The masked man's expression grew panicked. He hastily retreated, summoning multiple layers of defensive talismans and barriers. "Impossible..."
"How could you, of all people, manifest sword intent like Ji Yan? You're supposed to be just a worthless coward!" The masked man's disbelief was palpable as he faced Lü Shaoqing's attack.
Despite his Core Formation Stage cultivation, he felt utterly powerless in the face of the fiery bird—a manifestation of Lü Shaoqing's sword intent. The bird swooped down, and the man's defensive barriers crumbled like paper.
"Boom!"
The bird enveloped the masked man in a storm of sword energy.
"Ahhhh!" the masked man screamed as the sword energy tore into him, ripping through his defenses and engulfing his body in a whirlwind of cutting force. The masked man's figure was lost amidst the seething torrent of energy.