As Zhou Ling finished speaking, the main hall instantly fell silent.
Wang Kui frowned slightly, a flicker of astonishment crossing his eyes.
He had known Shen Lie had lost to Yang Jing, but he had never expected Shen Lie's obsession with the matter to run so deep that he would resort to such ruthless measures.
Zhao Hu and the other two froze as well, exchanging glances.
Qi Yuanfang knitted her brows. "Senior Brother Shen had a fiery temper. Perhaps the wine went to his head, and that was why he said something like that..."
Wang Kui raised a hand and waved, signaling that Qi Yuanfang and the others need say no more. The hall immediately quieted, leaving only his somewhat heavy breathing.
His gaze returned to Zhou Ling, and he asked gravely, "Aside from winning and losing at the Parade Ground Trial, did Shen Lie and Yang Jing have any other conflicts or grudges?"
Zhou Ling thought back carefully for a moment, then shook her head. "Master, I haven't heard of any. As far as I know, they hardly had any dealings before that. Their only encounter was the arena match to decide first place at the Parade Ground Trial."
She paused, then added hesitantly, "Could it be... that Yang Jing's victory left Senior Brother Shen nursing a grudge? After all, the Parade Ground Trial meant a great deal to him. It's understandable that the loss would weigh on his mind..."
Halfway through, Zhou Ling herself realized how inappropriate that sounded. She lowered her head slightly, her voice growing softer.
Wasn't that implying Shen Lie was narrow-minded and a sore loser?
Yet aside from that, she truly could not think of any reason Shen Lie would target Yang Jing so fiercely.
With neither an old grudge nor a conflict of