Chapter 155 - Another Plot
It was early in the morning, and before Yin Xu and Teng Yu could step out, Prefect Yu's residence had already sent soone. He hadn't even changed out of his official attire and was walking hurriedly.
“Your Highness …” These martial artists are truly too outrageous!” After Yu Xuezhong bowed, he began to complain anxiously.
“Lord Yu, don't be in such a rush. Sit down and let's chat.” Teng Yu had tea and snacks brought for Yu Xuezhong, guessing that he probably hadn't eaten breakfast when he ca over at this hour.
“Sigh …” Yu Xuezhong sat down, sighed, and said, “This morning at Yin hour, a group of martial artists rang the gong outside the yan. I thought sothing significant had happened, but they actually wanted
to send people to help them find soone!”
Yin Xu spoke up from the side: “When soone is reported missing, it's the authorities' duty to help find them.”
Yu Xuezhong wiped the sweat off his forehead and said helplessly: “Seventh Young Master, you may not know, but these people are usually extrely arrogant, refusing to cooperate with the officials. They can assault and kill people whenever they wish, and it's fine if we can't capture them, but now that they've co to us, why can't we assist them?”
“Exactly, what is Lord Yu worried about?” “If you don't want to help, then refuse.” Why did Yu Xuezhong look like he was on the verge of tears?
“It's not that simple.” Yu Xuezhong laughed bitterly: “At first, I also refused them, but who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, they would capture my wife and children, threatening to kill them if I didn't help!”
“Pah!” Teng Yu smashed the teacup beside him with a slap, his face darkening. “How dare they? Send my private ssage to Cheng Yi, and tell him to mobilize troops. These martial artists have gone mad, daring to kidnap an official's family.”
Teng Yu imdiately had soone bring a brush and ink, wrote a succinct letter, sealed it as his private ssage, and called for a guard to deliver it to Cheng Yi.
Yu Xuezhong secretly heaved a sigh of relief. He had co to Teng Yu hoping for his help to rescue his family, as he lacked the authority to command the city's troops.
“But won't this bring trouble to Your Highness?” Yu Xuezhong worried that if this matter reached the capital, Teng Yu might be attacked by his opponents.
Therefore, Yu Xuezhong had kept his distance from the people of the Du Si in Hui State. Although he might seek their help, it was definitely not as fast as an order from the Third Prince.
“This is nothing. Does Cheng Yi dare ignore such an issue? Is there anyone in the Imperial Court who would say it's inappropriate to send troops?” Teng Yu waved his hand, having his people quickly deliver the letter to the Du Si, then inviting Yu Xuezhong to join him for breakfast.
How could Yu Xuezhong possibly eat? With his wife and children's fates unknown, the thought made him extrely agitated. So, he gulped down two mouthfuls of porridge and put it down.
Seeing this, Teng Yu told him to go back and wait for further news, as it would take so ti for help to arrive from the capital.
Fortunately, Cheng Yi wasn't aligned with the Yun Family, so he probably wouldn't complicate matters for them. However, it would be better if it was soone from the Yun Family.
After they left, Yin Xu sat opposite Teng Yu, supporting his head with his hands, and said, “Your reaction just now was a bit extre!”
Teng Yu stuffed a soup dumpling into his mouth and replied indifferently, “I'm just concerned about my subordinates!”
“Is that so?” Yin Xu chewed on the delicious soup dumpling with a suspicious look on his face. “I keep having the feeling that you have another plan!”
Teng Yu smiled at him, “Just wait and see. Didn't you suspect that the old man from the Evil Sect has fled to Hui State? With an army, it will be easy to scour every inch of Hui State.”
Yin Xu thought that it was indeed true that Teng Yu was concerned about his subordinates, but it was rare for him to be so enthusiastic about helping others.
After Zuo Shaotang finished breakfast, he changed into a new set of clothes.
He paced around the room, occasionally glancing into the courtyard, prompting Xiao Feng to throw a chair at him.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Zuo Shaotang dodged the chair and asked.
“I should be asking you that. Why are you pacing around? It's annoying!”
Zuo Shaotang rolled his eyes and walked to the door again. He first looked at the sky and muttered, “It's already past morning, could they still be asleep?”
He turned around and asked Xiao Feng, “Hey, do you think they were just acting on impulse?”
“How should I know? Isn't that better? You don't have to betray the Sect Leader!”
“Why just ? It should be both of us!” Zuo Shaotang walked over and sat down beside him, smiling, “Do you think you can escape responsibility? But I really hope they can go, win or lose, it won't be bad for us!”
Xiao Feng glanced at him and then ignored him.
“I'm serious!” Zuo Shaotang moved his chair closer, lowering his voice, “Have you noticed, there have been frequent disappearances in the martial arts world, and many in our sect have also gone missing.”
It had been a long ti since Xiao Feng returned to headquarters. Hearing this, he frowned, “Sothing happened? Are you suspicious…?”
Zuo Shaotang nodded, “Outsiders say those people were sent on missions by the Sect Leader, but you know, for the past few years, the Sect Leader has ignored almost everything. It doesn't make sense for him to send people out just to bypass us, and I've secretly sent people to investigate, but we found no trace of them.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
“The last ti I saw the Sect Leader was three months ago. At that ti, he seed a bit off, like he had gone berserk. I'm worried that if this continues, it might be our turn soday!”
“He won't! Unless he's truly gone mad!” Xiao Feng said resolutely.
“Yeah, unless he's crazy! But what if he is?”
Xiao Feng's expression turned serious. Of course, the Evil Sect's Sect Leader wasn't a kind person. He and Zuo Shaotang had been adopted and trained in martial arts since childhood. Due to their exceptional talent, they quickly rose to beco the Sect Leader's focal points.
After that, one of them joined the assassin's guild while the other beca a butler of the Evil Sect. They went through a lot of trouble to achieve the position of Protector, and he always rembered how the previous Left and Right Protectors died.
“So, do you want the Third Prince and Huo Tian to go and confront the Sect Leader? Are you hoping they kill him?”
Zuo Shaotang placed his hand on Xiao Feng's and bowed his head, “I don't know who will win. No matter who it is, it won't harm us, nor will it make our situation worse.”
Xiao Feng was startled and quickly withdrew his hand from his back as if it had been burned.
Zuo Shaotang coughed dryly, “I don't believe you're entirely indifferent. Since you're so active in following and investigating them, you must be curious about what they're up to, right? Or have you taken a liking to one of them?”
Xiao Feng glared at him and retorted, “Are you kidding? Why I'm following them is none of your concern!”
Zuo Shaotang shrugged, “Suit yourself.”
The two of them exchanged silent looks. Zuo Shaotang was still uneasy about the recent events, and his smile had vanished.
When noon ca and the servants delivered the food, Zuo Shaotang grabbed the attendant serving the al and asked, “Where is your master?”
The attendant rely left the al and turned to leave without answering.
Zuo Shaotang quickly pulled him back and slipped a piece of jade into his hand. “How about passing a ssage for
and asking when the two Masters are leaving?”
The attendant hesitated but eventually pocketed the jade and said, “The two Masters have gone out.”
Zuo Shaotang's mouth twitched as he grabbed the attendant's collar, retrieved the jade pendant, and pushed him out the door.
His fluid and natural movents left the attendant fuming. “What the hell was that?”
The servants in this mansion were all hired from a local temporary station. So didn't even know the true identities of the two lords, so they naturally lacked proper decorum.
Xiao Feng couldn't stand Zuo Shaotang's shalessness, so he turned away.
Zuo Shaotang, no longer in the mood to play, lay on the bed and sighed.
Yin Xu and Teng Yu had indeed gone out. They had just received news of a suspected Evil Sect Master appearing and brazenly entering the Martial Union's gathering area.
By the ti they arrived, the whorehouse being used as a temporary stronghold was in chaos, with nurous corpses strewn about. The manner of their deaths was horrifying.
The two of them exchanged glances but did not rush in. Instead, they went to a nearby teahouse, found a window seat on the second floor, and observed from there.
The commotion had scared away all the teahouse custors. Even the owner and waiters were hiding in a private room, trembling in fear.
Seeing their seats weren't high enough, Teng Yu pulled Yin Xu and leaped onto the roof. They sat there, watching the battle unfold.
From their vantage point, they saw that the once exquisite courtyard was now in ruins, with destroyed flowers, grass, and trees, and a foul stench in the air.
In the courtyard, two figures were fighting fiercely. Their movents were so fast that it was hard to see clearly, but Teng Yu and Yin Xu recognized one as the Clan Master of the Martial Union, Qing Xiaoyan.
“This Martial Technique is impressive. Fortunately, we didn't face him directly yesterday; otherwise, we both would've been injured.”
Teng Yu nodded, acknowledging that holding the position of Martial Union Master required significant skill, but he alone wasn't a match for the Evil Sect Master.
“Did you see it clearly?”
“It's useless even if you did. We don't know him.”
“If I had known earlier, I would've brought Zuo Shaotang along.” Yin Xu scrutinized the opponent's appearance but could only discern an old man with grizzled hair and ragged clothes, who didn't resemble the Sect Leader.
“Could you be mistaken?” Yin Xu wondered.
“No, I've never heard of anyone in the martial arts world who would be so passively beaten by Qing Xiaoyan, especially under such intense attack. And just look at his moves; they don't seem orthodox.”
Yin Xu understood the Devilish Exercise better than Teng Yu. The old man used peculiar thods, with fast and ruthless moves, but lacked the power behind them, indicating he wasn't fully unleashing his potential.
In a blink, the situation drastically changed. Several more Sect Leaders joined the siege, further wrecking the dilapidated courtyard.
“That old man is about to lose…” Yin Xu observed in shock as the Evil Sect Master was pushed back, failing unexpectedly.
But then the old man grabbed a young disciple, ripped out his heart, and devoured it in front of everyone.
Teng Yu and Yin Xu felt their scalps tingle with horror, now convinced of the old man's identity.
“So, the Evil Sect is truly deranged,” Teng Yu sighed, looking at the two captives, unsure if they would et a similar fate.
Though Yin Xu was disgusted, he wasn't surprised. In the past, Demonic Cultivators would do anything for power.
The elders of the Martial Union were equally shocked. One of the Sect Leaders roared in fury, “Demon, prepare to die!”
His voice was loud, filled with rage and hatred.
Yin Xu guessed the person who just died must have been the Sect Leader's cherished disciple or sothing similar.
Just as he finished guessing, he saw the old man discard the corpse, stomp his feet, and rush into another group of young disciples, grabbing one and fleeing over the wall.
“Junior apprentice-brother…”
“Cheng'er…”
Qing Xiaoyan was appalled and imdiately gave chase, shouting, “Demon, I will never let you go!”
Very quickly, the courtyard was half-empty, with only a few resting disciples left. Teng Yu and Yin Xu, seeing that Yu Xuezhong had already arrived, joined the pursuit of the Evil Sect Master.
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