This sudden, dramatic change plunged the surroundings into a deathly silence.
Time seemed to freeze.
The four outer sect disciples gaped, their jaws nearly dropping to their chests, their minds a complete blank.
When had they ever witnessed such ruthless methods?
Only Lu Zhaoyuan reacted with extreme speed!
The moment Weng Gui had tried to drag him down, Lu Zhaoyuan's face had changed drastically, knowing that today's matter would definitely not end well!
Things had reached this point; there was no room for turning back!
Without a second thought, Lu Zhaoyuan fished out a slender bamboo tube from his robes and pointed it toward the sky!
Whoosh! Bang!
A cloud of yellow smoke burst in midair, lingering without dispersing.
This was the signal he had previously agreed upon with the Six Cangwu Demons to call for backup if the plot was exposed!
But in that brief moment, when Lu Zhaoyuan looked back, he witnessed Shen Xiuhan driving his claw straight into the crown of Weng Gui's head...
This boy's strength is actually this terrifying?!
Lu Zhaoyuan felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight up his spine, a tempest raging in his heart.
Weng Gui had been in the Anjin Rank for many years, and his cultivation had long reached the peak of the mid stage, only a single step away from the Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank!
How could such a notoriously fierce old demon not even last a single exchange against Shen Xiuhan?
No... I must make a decision immediately!
Lu Zhaoyuan's breathing was heavy as he turned his gaze toward Song Rou.
Only then did he realize that Song Rou was also staring blankly at him, her gentle, almond-shaped eyes filled with disbelief.
Weng Gui's furious shout from earlier still echoed in her ears, each word like a heavy hammer slamming into her heart.
Her rosy lips trembled, and she finally spoke: “Senior Brother, you...”
Looking at Song Rou's miserable face, a trace of hesitation flashed through Lu Zhaoyuan's eyes, but it was quickly crushed by cold resolve.
Swish!
He suddenly lunged forward, his movement as swift as a ghost, his right hand flattening into a hand-blade!
Taking advantage of Song Rou's complete lack of defense, and right under her incredulous gaze, he ruthlessly struck her chest with his palm!
Pfft!
Song Rou's face instantly turned as pale as paper. Her cherry lips parted, and she spat out a large mouthful of bright red blood.
Her entire body flew backward for several dozen feet, crashing heavily into the weeds beside the wooden walkway.
Immediately after, Lu Zhaoyuan kicked hard against the gravel ground and shot toward the shore at explosive speed!
Junior Sister Rou... forgive me!
If you follow me, there will only be death. Only by doing this will you have a chance to survive...
Shen Xiuhan landed as gracefully as a giant roc, his face as calm as a deep well.
With a slight shudder of the force in his right hand, the ice shards and blood scabs clinging to his fingertips fell away, leaving his fingers clean and slender once more.
“Cough, cough...”
The weak sound of coughing up blood reached his ears.
Shen Xiuhan turned his gaze and saw Song Rou struggling to prop herself up from the weeds.
Her emerald-green silk dress was covered in dirt and grass, and a patch of blood had spread across the front of her collar.
With one hand supporting herself on the ground and the other clutching her chest, Song Rou seemed entirely oblivious to the pain, only raising her tearful eyes to look in the direction where Lu Zhaoyuan had vanished.
Right at that moment!
The whistling sound of robes cutting through the air echoed from not far away.
In the blink of an eye!
A goose-yellow figure flew over like a swift swan.
Duan Hongling!
Startled by the cloud of yellow smoke in the sky, she had gathered her qi and leaped from the center of the island without the slightest hesitation.
Swish!
Duan Hongling came to a halt. As she landed, a fierce gust of wind kicked up, sending dust flying over the walkway. Her beautiful eyes were filled with hostility as she quickly scanned her surroundings and demanded coldly:
“What happened?!”
Shaken by her shout, the outer sect disciples finally snapped out of their shock.
They hurriedly and stutteringly gave a brief account of what had just transpired.
The more Duan Hongling listened, the darker her face became.
Without a word, she leaped onto the carriage and kicked open the lid of the topmost wooden crate.
The lid flew open, and a blast of cold air rushed over her.
Several Precious Fish, wrapped in ice blocks, lay quietly inside the crate, their scales shimmering with a fresh luster.
Duan Hongling's expression grew even more gloomy. She reached out and flipped open the crates underneath.
Without exception, they were all Precious Fish. A rough count revealed no fewer than twenty of them!
Duan Hongling's beautiful face was as dark as water. She slowly turned around, her cold gaze sweeping over Song Rou like a blade. Gritting her teeth, she spoke one word at a time:
“Lu Zhaoyuan colluded with outsiders to steal the Precious Fish of our sect. Were you aware of this?!”
With a miserable expression, Song Rou slowly shook her head.
“Hmph. Whether you knew or not is not for you to decide.”
There was not a shred of pity in Duan Hongling's eyes.
She was the overseer of the Precious Fish pond. Since the Precious Fish had been stolen, she would bear the brunt of the blame.
If the Law Enforcement Hall investigated this, she, as the overseer, would not be able to escape responsibility.
At this thought, the anger in her heart blazed even hotter!
Right at this moment, another two sounds of rushing wind approached.
Hu Rong and Xi Huai had also been alerted by the yellow smoke and rushed over.
When the two landed and saw the complete mess on the ground, both were startled.
Duan Hongling suppressed her anger, took a deep breath, and gave orders decisively:
“Lu Zhaoyuan has colluded with thieves and defected from the sect!”
“Hu Rong, Xi Huai, keep a close eye on Song Rou. Do not let her escape.”
“Once the Law Enforcement Hall arrives, hand her over for interrogation. If anything goes wrong, none of us will escape blame!”
Hearing this, Hu Rong and Xi Huai's faces changed drastically.
They exchanged a glance. Though shocked, they reacted incredibly quickly, clasping their fists simultaneously:
“Understood!”
Duan Hongling turned back to the outer sect disciples and said coldly:
“You guys, head to the south shore immediately, take a boat back to the sect to report this, and request the sect elders and the Law Enforcement Hall to come handle this immediately!”
“Understood, Overseer!”
The outer sect disciples felt as if they had been granted a grand pardon and dashed toward the south shore as fast as their legs could carry them.
Duan Hongling handed down her series of commands in an orderly and completely efficient manner.
Once everyone had left to carry out their orders, Duan Hongling leaped down from the carriage.
Her gaze swept over the corpse on the ground.
Five bloody holes were arranged on the crown of the head like plum blossoms. The edges of the wounds were frozen with a ring of frosty white ice, causing the facial muscles to twist hideously, making it completely impossible to recognize the original face.
Duan Hongling's heart shuddered. She raised her eyes to look at Shen Xiuhan, without a single shred of disdain in her gaze:
“Junior Brother Shen, are you willing to pursue Lu Zhaoyuan with me?”
Lu Zhaoyuan had already opened four Anjin acupoints. Even if he hadn't trained in any movement techniques, his traveling speed wouldn't be slow.
Duan Hongling knew very well that after so much time had passed, there was almost zero chance of catching up to him.
But as the overseer of the Precious Fish pond, such a major incident of fish theft and sect defection had occurred on her turf. If she didn't even make an attempt to pursue him, how could she account for it to the Law Enforcement Hall?
She had to pursue him! Even if she couldn't catch him, she had to try!
Shen Xiuhan quietly glanced toward the eastern shore.
Within his field of vision.
Several faint golden light spots hovered in the distance, flickering slightly and remaining completely motionless.
Shen Xiuhan withdrew his gaze and said with an unwavering expression:
“Alright!”
Hearing this, joy flashed across Duan Hongling's face:
“Let's go!”
The two shot forward simultaneously, dashing toward the eastern shore.
...
The eastern shore.
A sand-carrying boat was moored in the rocky bay.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was as heavy and oppressive as an impending storm.
The leader of the Six Cangwu Demons, Ding Hong, had a sharp light flashing in his triangular eyes. His breathing was as heavy as a bull's as he stared coldly at the person in front of him:
“You're saying... the plot was exposed, Old Fourth was slaughtered, and you didn't even bring the Precious Fish out?”
Beside him stood the other four demons: Pang Wei, Xiong Laosan, Hu Jiu, and Chen Hongyuan.
In an instant!
Five gazes locked onto Lu Zhaoyuan simultaneously!
Cold sweat drenched Lu Zhaoyuan's forehead, but he still forced himself to remain calm, speaking at a rapid-fire pace:
“Precisely!”
“Boss Ding, I know you don't trust me, but the most urgent matter right now is to leave this place first. Once we are out of danger, I will definitely give you an explanation!”
“An explanation?”
Ding Hong sneered and slowly stood up, looking down on Lu Zhaoyuan from above:
“I don't need any of your bullshit explanations!”
“Right now, you will immediately turn back and bring both the Precious Fish and Old Fourth's corpse back to me.”
He paused, his lips curling into a cruel arc:
“Do that, and I shall spare your life.”
As soon as the words left his mouth!
A peerlessly overbearing aura erupted from his body!
Anjin force surged like a tide, sweeping through the entire cabin. Lu Zhaoyuan's face changed drastically, and he involuntarily took half a step back.
His pupils shrank rapidly, and he blurted out in shock: “Y-You... You have already reached the Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank?!”
“Heh!”
Ding Hong licked his lips, sizing him up with an amused gaze as if looking at a clown:
“Speaking of which, I have to thank you for the Precious Fish you've been offering up lately. Without those treasures, I really don't know how many years I would have had to struggle to break through this barrier.”
Hearing this, a tempest raged in Lu Zhaoyuan's heart!
He looked at Ding Hong's smug gaze and the unabashed mockery in the eyes of the others, understanding everything in an instant.
So that's how it is...
They never planned to keep this business going for long...
They knew very well that this scheme would be discovered sooner or later. With the methods of the Star-Plucking Sect, they would never let them off. So, they decided to go all the way before the plot was exposed, making a massive haul and destroying all evidence along the way...
That's why Weng Gui's attitude changed so drastically... He was here to take everything and leave nothing behind from the very beginning!
At this thought, Lu Zhaoyuan's heart sank to the very bottom, his back completely drenched in cold sweat.
From beginning to end, he had been nothing but a pawn.
A pawn that could be discarded at any moment once its usefulness was exhausted!
Just as he was at a loss for what to do.
Outside the boat!
The sound of two sets of robes cutting through the air approached from the distance!
Immediately after, a cold, ice-like shout penetrated the cabin walls and exploded over the lake:
“Lu Zhaoyuan! Get out here and meet your death immediately!”
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