The sight of Xi Yunqing brought joy to both Du Rong and Tong Nuonuo, who quickly came over. Chen Xiao, both surprised and relieved, hurriedly said, "You didn't come back earlier, and we were worried something might have happened, so we temporarily changed locations to lay low."
Xi Yunqing had only spoken one sentence, but in the brief pause that followed, Chen Xiao managed to recount everything they had experienced since their separation. When he finished, Xi Yunqing responded, "I made my way to the Middle Heaven Realm of the Heng River. Over there, I issued an emergency mission request at the Zhishi Hall. City Lord Han has already received word and should be on his way back."
Though the group was happy to be reunited, doubts lingered in their hearts. Tong Nuonuo voiced his confusion, "I don't know much about City Lord Han, but is he really the type to hate evil so much that he'd abandon his heir's situation just to rush back and deal with something like this?"
Xi Yunqing shook his head solemnly. "Not quite. This situation is no longer just about Immortal Master Li covering up a high-risk mission and causing the deaths of multiple participants. It escalated far beyond a simple dispute among cultivators."
Chen Xiao's expression also turned grim. "So things really are more complicated than we thought."
Xi Yunqing glanced at him, prompting Chen Xiao to elaborate, "From the moment those people set up an ambush at the docks last night, I felt something was off. Even if Immortal Master Li has connections backing him, they wouldn't dare silence someone like Martial Master Wu in such a high-profile place, one incident there would alert all of Hanshan City. Unless… they had nothing to fear."
The docks were too deceiving a location. Wu Qing must have assumed they chose it as a launch point to escape by ship and thus let his guard down.
Xi Yunqing nodded without hesitation. "It's a good thing you were alert and didn't fall into the trap. Duel spells are strictly forbidden in Hanshan City, and any ambush would bring the city guards immediately. Killing Wu Qing was only the beginning. A great upheaval is coming to Hanshan City."
The trio was stunned.
Du Rong quickly asked, "Immortal Master Xi, what's really going on?"
Xi Yunqing answered swiftly, "There's a bigger player behind all this, and their ambitions run deep. Immortal Master Li and his group were just a small faction from the Upper Heaven Realm, mainly composed of beast tamers. They specialize in capturing young vicious beasts for resale. After many successful deals, they aimed for a major operation here in Hanshan City. They posted a mission anonymously and concealed the actual danger level. Of course, that kind of setup required an insider's cooperation. At first, they just bribed a manager with a large sum. But that manager couldn't keep his mouth shut, and word eventually reached the Zhong family's ears through someone at Zhishi Hall."
The Zhong family was also an established clan in Hanshan City. Although they had risen to prominence later than the Han clan and their patriarch wasn't as powerful as Han Yuanchun, they were luckier, producing many talented descendants. In contrast, the Han family had few children in this generation. The tragic death of Han Yuanzhi's only son only fueled the Zhong clan's ambitions, and they began making serious moves to seize power.
Immortal Master Li's group had only wanted the beast cubs and planned to ditch the other cultivators once they got them. But they hadn't expected the Zhong family to be the mantis stalking the cicada, with a sparrow lying in wait behind. The Zhong family ambushed the pursuing beast, captured it, and then used the information to blackmail Li's group, forcing them to clean up the mess and take the fall. Once they were no longer useful, they were eliminated.
"Serves them right!" Du Rong said, feeling satisfied.
But Chen Xiao asked, "So the surviving cultivators who tried to report what happened to Zhishi Hall... weren't killed by Li's group, but by the Zhong family?"
Xi Yunqing nodded. "Yes. Or to be more precise, they were likely captured and interrogated first. Once the Zhong family got the details, they silenced them."
Tong Nuonuo was shocked by the truth. He said with admiration, "To uncover all this in such a short time, Immortal Master Xi... you're truly amazing."
Xi Yunqing shook his head. "This wasn't all my doing. When I approached the Han family that day, I came under the name of my sect and quickly met with the Han family's steward. Once I learned that the City Lord was away from Hanshan City, that there was a malicious faction within the Zhishi Hall, and that a ferocious beast had been hidden somewhere in the city, I knew chaos was on the horizon. Fortunately, the steward was a capable collateral member of the Han family, and he had the authority to mobilize some forces."
With the steward's full cooperation, Xi Yunqing was able to piece things together swiftly. The steward had then asked him to go to the Middle Heaven Territory of Genhe to inform the City Lord, while he remained in Hanshan City to oversee preparations. Xi Yunqing agreed, but before leaving, he had instructed the steward to send someone to inform Chen Xiao. However, when he returned, he found their courtyard completely deserted, his heart sank.
"The messenger sent by the steward was killed not long after leaving the Han estate," Xi Yunqing continued grimly. "Clearly, our investigation alarmed the enemy. Fortunately, they were only trying to intercept the messenger and didn't track him here, otherwise, I'd have returned to find nothing but corpses."
"Looks like the Zhong family has been pushed into a corner," Chen Xiao said coldly. "If last night's ambush had succeeded in wiping us all out, they might have bought themselves a little more time. But now that plan has failed, they'll likely strike at any moment."
A flicker of alertness flashed across Xi Yunqing's face. He turned sharply and positioned himself in front of the other three. Tong Nuonuo gripped Chen Xiao's arm tightly and yanked him back. As Chen Xiao fell against him, the courtyard was instantly thrown into chaos.
The attackers were vassals of the Zhong family, one at the Nascent Soul stage and two at the Golden Core stage. The Nascent Soul cultivator lunged straight for Xi Yunqing, while the two Golden Core cultivators, seeing only a Foundation Establishment and two ordinary cultivators left, dismissed them as no threat. Only one of them moved in to deal with the rest.
As Chen Xiao crashed into Tong Nuonuo, he already had his weapon, always carried on him, clutched in his hand. The day of intensive training yesterday had clearly paid off. In less than a second, he had the handle gripped, activated the device, spun around, and unleashed a flurry of metallic spiritual energy needles directly at the attacking Golden Core cultivator.
At the same time, he shouted, "Nuonuo! Wait for the moment, throw the bomb!"
Tong Nuonuo's round face was tense with focus. In his hand, he was already holding a small purple orb, poised to strike. The rain of spirit needles forced the Golden Core cultivator to pause and brace himself. Chen Xiao seized the chance to roll aside. Tong Nuonuo took the cue, hurled the orb with perfect timing, and then flung himself over Du Rong.
A deafening explosion erupted, drowning out the screams of the Golden Core cultivator.
It was as if the opening salvo of a full-scale battle had been fired. In the distance, from the direction of the lakeside commercial district, came a savage, bone-chilling beast's roar, its resonance piercing the very air.
"Raaaawr—!"
The blast left Chen Xiao's ears ringing and his chest tight. His limbs were weak as he peered through a collapsed gap in the courtyard wall, his voice barely audible as he muttered, "It's begun."
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