Chapter 130

Chapter 130: The Shameless Shadow Pavilion
Wang Qian’s cold words seemed squeezed out from between his teeth, every syllable carrying a chilling gloom: “You two had better have something important to tell me, or be ready to suffer my anger.”

His latest pill furnace had just exploded. He was already in an extremely foul mood, and now someone without any sense had come to disturb him. It just happened to give him a perfect target to vent on.

Tian Han and Guo Ming En were secretly crying inside.

They had not wanted to bother Wang Qian either, but things had already gotten out of control, and there was no way to keep hiding it.

Tian Han braced himself and said: “Junior Brother Wang Qian, the Shadow Pavilion just sent someone over with a message…”

“The Shadow Pavilion?”

Wang Qian had been busy with alchemy these days. He froze for a moment before remembering that he had posted a Kill Order at the Shadow Pavilion.

His eyes lit up: “Yu Zhao is dead? How did she die? Did they bring her body back?”

Tian Han said awkwardly: “Yu Zhao is not dead.”

“Not dead?” Wang Qian’s expression changed. He lifted his chin and looked at him arrogantly: “If she isn’t dead, what are you coming to me for? Are you trying to claim credit?”

Tian Han forced himself to keep talking: “The Shadow Pavilion said no assassin is willing to take the assassination bounty on Yu Zhao, so the Shadow Pavilion has decided to take the notice down. They also don’t plan to return the reward.”

Wang Qian exploded in rage: “They did not even complete the mission, so what right does the Shadow Pavilion have to keep the reward!”

“Because… because…”

Tian Han did not know if it was nerves or fear, but his words came out halting and broken.

Wang Qian pointed at Guo Ming En: “You say it!”

Guo Ming En’s face was full of bitterness as he said: “Yu Zhao killed all the assassins the Shadow Pavilion sent after her. The Shadow Pavilion suffered heavy losses, so they decided to keep the reward as compensation.”

For a moment, Wang Qian did not know whether he should be more shocked by Yu Zhao’s combat strength, or by how shameless the Shadow Pavilion was.

“Say that again. Who killed who?”

“Yu Zhao killed all the assassins.”

“She is only at late Foundation Establishment. How did she do that!”

“She has reached Core Formation.”

“Even if she is at Core Formation, that still should not…”

Only then did Wang Qian belatedly remember Yu Zhao’s master, the man known as the number one person in the entire Cultivation World, Master Qing Yan.

As his personal disciple, even if Yu Zhao did not completely surpass the master, she would at least not shame his name.

It was like someone dumped a bucket of cold water over Wang Qian’s head. His whole body went cold.

Even the assassins of the Shadow Pavilion no longer dared to accept the bounty to hunt Yu Zhao. Clearly, they had been scared out of their wits by her.

If Yu Zhao ever learned that he was the one who had posted the bounty notice at the Shadow Pavilion, would he still have any good days left?

[No, that is not right.]

Yu Zhao very likely already knew. Back then he had been too angry. Right after his conflict with Yu Zhao, he had immediately sent Tian Han to the Shadow Pavilion. He had not thought about the consequences at all.

As long as Yu Zhao was not stupid, it would not be hard for her to connect this back to him.

The more Wang Qian thought about it, the more afraid he became. A drop of cold sweat slid down from his temple.

“Junior Brother Wang Qian, this matter is known only to the heavens, the earth, and the three of us. As long as we refuse to admit it no matter what, no matter how forceful Yu Zhao is, she would not dare come make trouble at Greenwood Sect.”

Seeing Wang Qian in a panic, Guo Ming En secretly looked down on him, but on the surface he still spoke softly to comfort him.

Right now, the only person he and Tian Han could rely on was Wang Qian. If Wang Qian lost his nerve and messed things up, it would be no good for them either.

“But what about the Shadow Pavilion’s side…” Wang Qian was still worried.

“The Shadow Pavilion even more so would not dare tell Yu Zhao. Unless they want to offend Greenwood Sect and Five Elements Dao Sect at the same time,” Tian Han said firmly.

Guo Ming En also nodded hard beside him.

Wang Qian’s expression finally eased. “Since that is the case, then we will pretend this never happened. From now on, no one is allowed to bring it up. Especially in front of Mu Ye, we must keep our mouths shut.”

“Of course.” Guo Ming En smiled obsequiously. “Junior Brother Wang Qian, Senior Brother Tian and I have always been on your side. The position of Young Sect Master is yours and no one else’s.”

Tian Han said: “That is right. After Junior Brother Wang Qian becomes Young Sect Master, you must remember to look after me and Junior Brother Guo more in the future.”

“Hahaha, that is easy to say, easy to say.”

Now that they shared a secret, Wang Qian suddenly felt both of them much more pleasing to the eye.

Once he became Young Sect Master, he would naturally need his own people under his command. Guo Ming En and Tian Han had only average talent, but they could still barely serve as errand runners at the front lines.

Each of the three had their own plans in mind, but the mood between them seemed quite harmonious.

…

Black Armor City.

After Yu Zhao and Ji Han Zhou entered the city, their first impression was how quiet it was.

On both sides of the wide street, shops lined up shoulder to shoulder. Cultivators walked back and forth in the street. It clearly should have been a lively scene, yet it was deathly silent. The feeling was very strange.

When Ji Han Zhou spoke, he could not help lowering his voice too: “Senior Sister Yu, is it because Black Armor City is close to Marsh Forest, so the people here do not like to talk?”

Yu Zhao shook her head: “I do not know either. Let us find an inn to stay at first, then ask around.”

“Alright.”

Neither Yu Zhao nor Ji Han Zhou was picky. They were planning to just pick any inn, when they suddenly saw a crowd of cultivators gathered around the entrance of an inn up ahead.

The two of them looked at each other and immediately squeezed forward.

“Sigh, this is already the fourth case this month, right?”

“More than that. There were also three people who went into Marsh Forest and never came back. Counting them, there are at least seven.”

“How strange. I have stayed at this inn before and nothing ever happened. Why are such bizarre things happening now? If more people die, who will still dare stay here?”

“Who would dare stay? Anyone who does must think their life is too long!”

“…”

People outside the inn whispered to each other in low voices. Inside, the shopkeeper was arguing with the City Guard of Black Armor City. Someone had died in his inn, so of course he had to give them an explanation.

Under the fierce “attack” of spirit stones, he finally managed to send the City Guard away along with the corpse. The shopkeeper then sat down on the threshold and let out a long sigh.

He had no idea which vicious cultivator had placed a cruel curse on his inn. Customers who stayed there had been dying one after another, and every single death was strange.

One had suffered qi deviation while cultivating and died with blood flowing from all seven orifices. One who raised gu had been bitten to death by his own gu worms. There was even a very unlucky one who died of fright. In his dream at night, he scared himself to death with his own imagination. Who would believe this if he told them?

Yet that was exactly what had happened.

A few days ago, there had still been some gutsy customers who did not believe in evil and came to stay. But after another customer died unexpectedly today, they had all run away.

Now, besides the inn’s own people, the only living creature left was the dog in the back courtyard.

Sigh!

Which immortal had he offended!

Yu Zhao and Ji Han Zhou listened from within the crowd for a while and finally understood what had happened.

They were curious about the cause, but neither of them planned to use their own lives to test it, until Yu Zhao heard someone in the crowd sigh.

“Luckily Immortal Maiden Ye left early. She did not get hit by the curse.”

“Immortal Maiden Ye?”

Yu Zhao’s eyes moved. Her sharp gaze went to the one who had spoken.

In the Cultivation World, it was not rare to have people with the same name, much less the same family name.

But Yu Zhao’s instinct told her that the “Immortal Maiden Ye” in that person’s mouth was Ye Cong Xin.

When she parted ways with Lan Zi Yu, she had already sensed, a bit farther away, the auras of Su Ming and Ye Cong Xin.

Based on their route, there was a high chance they had also stopped in Black Armor City.

Yu Zhao walked up to the speaker and said in an admiring tone: “Fellow Daoist, the Immortal Maiden Ye you mentioned, is she Fellow Daoist Ye, Ye Cong Xin?”

“You know Immortal Maiden Ye too!”

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