28 (Xie Shangxian Qitian Alliance Master)

Hiss.

Zhang Rongfang's relaxed legs, along with his waist and back, suddenly began to burn.

Countless warm currents surged and churned through his body.

His head began to spin, and scenes of himself repeatedly practicing the Dragon Snake Movement surfaced in his mind.

As those memories replayed over and over, Zhang Rongfang's legs gradually swelled, becoming sturdy and powerful.

Even his leg bones were subtly lengthened, making him at least three centimeters taller overall.

His muscles were continuously torn apart and rebuilt, growing stronger time and again from their former ordinary state.

This continued for several minutes before slowly coming to an end.

Huff. Beneath the candlelight, Zhang Rongfang rose from his chair and moved his legs.

He could now feel that the strength in his waist and legs had increased by a great deal. Moreover, the footwork and mind method of the Dragon Snake Movement Technique had become incomparably familiar in his heart.

With a thought, Zhang Rongfang suddenly darted forward.

Hiss. As he moved in a crouch, his body stayed close to the ground. His steps were dense and nimble, faintly producing the subtle sound of a snake slithering.

The sound was not loud, far quieter than an ordinary person's footsteps.

If he were in the mountains and forests, it would easily be concealed by the wind and rustling leaves.

For a time, in the limited space of the room, Zhang Rongfang ran back and forth five or six times in mere seconds.

When he abruptly stopped, his face was not red and his breathing was not labored. The shift between movement and stillness was incredibly swift.

"Excellent technique!"

Unable to help himself, Zhang Rongfang praised it. He felt that although this Dragon Snake Movement Technique had not raised his overall strength, it had greatly improved the power of his legs and his mobility.

Furthermore, now that he had mastered the technique, his speed was truly far greater than before.

With this speed increase, if I charge in to attack together with the Yue Type Talisman, the power will rise by quite a bit again.

Zhang Rongfang was satisfied.

The facts proved that choosing inferior techniques that were easy to learn, then piling them up until he mastered them, was indeed the right path.

At the very least, it could raise his actual combat ability in an extremely short time.

His Attribute Points were used up, his technique had been improved, and Zhang Rongfang was satisfied. He washed his face and feet, then went straight to bed.

Bang! Xiao Rong's face was livid as he slammed a palm into the armrest of his chair, shattering it into several pieces that scattered across the ground.

He stared at the Letter Paper on the tea table before him, at the writing upon it, his chest heaving violently.

Jiao Teng, Zhao Dacong, and Hong Da stood to one side, their faces equally filled with anger.

"Jiao Teng! Is this how you watched over your junior sister?! Now she's gone, what use is there in you coming back alone?!"

Zhao Dacong's features twisted as she glared at Jiao Teng and berated him furiously.

"Disciple... is guilty! I only went to the latrine for a moment... How could I have known..."

Jiao Teng looked ashamed. With a thump, he dropped to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed to Xiao Rong.

"Stop arguing. The only good news is that the other side has another objective. They probably will not do anything to Junior Sister. We must ransom her back as soon as possible," Hong Da said solemnly.

"The letter stated that only Master is to go down the mountain to the appointed place." He continued, "But we can follow secretly from behind and be ready to provide support at any time."

"To seize someone from within Qinghe Temple... Where is Chen Wuyou?!" Xiao Rong suddenly demanded.

"I looked for him. He truly is not in his room," Jiao Teng said solemnly. "Junior Sister was inside the Dao Palace. If she had been forcibly abducted in front of so many Daoists, she would definitely have had the chance to cry out. But she did not. Clearly, the only person who could make her cooperate like that would be someone she knew and trusted most."

"Chen Wuyou!!!" Zhao Dacong ground her teeth in rage. "I knew it was him!"

"What about Zhang Rongfang? Is that possible?" Xiao Rong took a deep breath and asked.

"Impossible! Junior Sister Xiao Ying never trusted Junior Brother Rongfang! Master, even now you still refuse to believe that Junior Brother Rongfang was wronged!?" Zhao Dacong raised her voice in retort, her expression ugly.

"Pack your things. We go down the mountain together tomorrow!" Xiao Rong did not answer. "Hong Da, do not come. Inform the Supervisor of everything exactly as it happened. He will know what to do."

"Yes, Master!" Hong Da clasped his fist and answered solemnly.

"Dacong, Jiao Teng, the two of you come with me. Mind the noise and do not let anyone discover our trail. Find them first—rescuing her is what matters!" Xiao Rong ordered.

"For this rescue, quality matters more than quantity. Bring your Message Tubes. Once Xiao Ying is safely rescued, fire them immediately, so the Supervisor's side can bring people to encircle and suppress them."

"Yes!"

The group answered together.

Yet although Jiao Teng echoed them, a strange glint faintly flashed through his eyes.

The following day.

The backyard of Zhang Xuan Pavilion.

Zhang Xuan was absent. Zhang Xintai and Zhang Rongfang were exchanging blows in the courtyard, fists and palms meeting as they carefully broke down each other's moves.

Zhang Xintai kept one hand behind his back and dealt with him using only one hand, his expression still calm.

As a Second Grade, whether in strength, speed, or explosive force, he was a cut above Zhang Rongfang.

After all, Zhang Rongfang was still only at the Tendon Forging level. His physical qualities in every aspect had yet to be developed to the point of Entering the Ranks.

Before long, Zhang Xintai exerted force with one hand, swept aside Zhang Rongfang's moves, and took a step back.

"Enough. We have broken down enough moves. Rest for a while first."

"Alright." Zhang Rongfang nodded.

"Oh, Rongfang, I saw Xiao Rong and several of his disciples going down the mountain early this morning. Judging by their expressions, something must have happened. Do you know anything?" Zhang Xintai asked curiously.

"Down the mountain?" Zhang Rongfang shook his head. "I came back with you, Senior Brother, and I have not left my room since. What could I know?"

"I also heard..." Before Zhang Xintai could finish, someone called out from outside the door.

"Is Senior Brother Zhang Xintai here? The Supervisor summons you on urgent business. Please gather at Profound Heart Hall."

The voice was clear and steady. After speaking, its owner swiftly departed.

"So urgent? It seems there is an emergency. I will take my leave first. We can talk later," Zhang Xintai said to Zhang Rongfang after hearing this.

Without wasting time, he quickly left the backyard through the rear gate and headed toward Profound Heart Hall.

Zhang Rongfang remained where he was, recalling what Senior Brother Zhang Xintai had said. For some reason, he connected it with the scene from last night, when he had encountered Qi Shan transporting those crates.

"Could something really have happened?"

Standing there, he practiced the Vitality Talisman Bewildering Smoke Step again. Unfortunately, his mind was unsettled. Worried about Senior Sister Zhao Dacong, he could not concentrate, and the results were poor.

He did not force himself. Leaving the pavilion, he returned to his own room.

The moment he took out his key and opened the door, Zhang Rongfang spotted a note on his table.

"Hmm??"

He glanced around the note, then his gaze landed on the slightly wide crack in the window.

It should have been slipped in through the window gap.

Walking over, Zhang Rongfang carefully used a rag to pick up and unfold the note without touching it directly.

A single line was written on it: Be sure to beware of Chen Wuyou and son.

The handwriting was crooked and uneven, as though it had been written with great difficulty.

Zhang Rongfang recognized it at once. It had been written by Senior Sister Zhao Dacong.

When Zhao Dacong was young, her family favored sons over daughters, and she had never had the opportunity to attend school and learn to write. Only after arriving at Qinghe Temple had she begun learning little by little.

In everyday life, she often asked Zhang Rongfang questions about writing characters.

That was why Zhang Rongfang could recognize that this had been written by Senior Sister Zhao Dacong.

He pinched the note between his fingers.

Why would Senior Sister send me a note at a time like this? She should have known long ago that I have always suspected Chen Wuyou...

The handwriting truly is Senior Sister's, unless someone is skilled at imitating handwriting.

Then why send me this note now?

He could not figure it out no matter how hard he thought. In the end, he simply gripped the note and headed out to find Zhao Dacong directly.

It was still morning, and he was on rotation today, so he did not need to attend the morning lessons.

He made his way through the alleyway to the Disciple Room where Zhao Dacong lived.

The room was locked, empty inside, with no one there.

Zhang Rongfang swiftly went to the Martial Arts Daoist Temple, a place where Zhao Dacong often practiced martial arts.

There was no one there either.

Nor was anyone at that secluded training ground on the Back Mountain.

By this point, Zhang Rongfang vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Returning to the Disciple Room, he quickly stopped several passing Servant Disciples to ask.

"Senior Sister Zhao? I saw her go down the mountain with Mingguang Dharma Master early this morning," one Servant Disciple said in surprise.

"Early this morning?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"Yes. Several of Mingguang Dharma Master's other disciples went with them as well. Senior Brother Jiao Teng went too," the Servant Disciple answered.

"Do you know where they went?"

"I do not. But you can ask Senior Brother Hong Da or Senior Sister Chen Hui. They stayed on the mountain. I just delivered them fresh shoes to change into."

"Thank you!"

Zhang Rongfang clasped his fist, turned, and hurried away.

He did not care what happened to Xiao Rong. He had helped several times to repay the favor he had once owed, and by the time he had been expelled from the sect, that debt had already been repaid.

But Senior Sister Zhao Dacong had taken good care of him. Since she had inexplicably sent him a note this time, something was very likely about to happen.

Otherwise, why had she not come to tell him in person, instead using a note—a method so unfamiliar to her?

The greatest possibility was that she had not had time to tell him in person, or it had been inconvenient for her to come find him.

Combined with their action of going down the mountain early this morning...

It was very likely that something had happened to Xiao Rong, so he had brought Senior Sister Zhao Dacong and the others down the mountain.

The matter was likely urgent. Without pausing, Zhang Rongfang immediately headed for Hong Da's room.

Thirteen li from Qinghe Temple, beside a pool of water.

A fine little waterfall dropped straight down from above, crashing into the emerald-green pool below and splashing up sheets of misty spray.

A group dressed in white-and-blue Daoist Robes hurried through the woodland and arrived beside the pool.

"This is the place." The old Daoist leading them wore gray gloves on both Hands, close-fitting Cowhide Boots on his feet, and long, thin cloth bands tied around both arms.

His gaze was sharp, and a trace of anxiety lay hidden in his expression.

This man was Xiao Rong, the Merit Transfer Master who had just come down the mountain.

Behind him stood his two disciples, Jiao Teng and Zhao Dacong.

The three searched the area for a long time, yet found no trace of anyone else.

In the end, with no other choice, they could only come here first as agreed.

"Someone is coming!" Jiao Teng suddenly warned, pointing toward the woodland on the other side of the pool.

Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong hurriedly looked over. Sure enough, they saw several lean, masked men carrying a motley assortment of weapons as they escorted a familiar figure slowly out of the woods.

The three focused their eyes and saw that the figure was Xiao Rong's daughter, Xiao Qingying, whom they had been searching for.

Xiao Qingying's clothes were still relatively intact, but a rag had been stuffed into her mouth, leaving her only able to make muffled sounds.

"Xiao Ying! You..." Xiao Rong was immediately agitated and stepped forward.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain explode in his back.

Bang!!

A tremendous force struck viciously into the center of his back from behind.

Xiao Rong was sent stumbling forward on the spot, his chest tightening.

Pfft.

He opened his mouth and vomited a large mouthful of blood.