29 (Xie Qingning, Alliance Leader)

By the pool, vast clouds of mist were smashed into a hazy spray.

Xiao Rong's white Daoist robe was already stained with great swathes of blood.

He had fallen to the ground, blood spilling across the grass and mud, staining them a pale red.

"Jiao Teng! Have you lost your mind!?"

Zhao Dacong's furious roar came from behind him, followed by the violent sounds of fists and feet colliding.

Xiao Rong turned his head back with great difficulty and disbelief, just in time to see Jiao Teng struggling under Zhao Dacong's frenzied assault, beset on all sides.

"Attack!" Several more people rushed out from the woods nearby.

The one leading them was none other than Chen Wuyou, whom he had long suspected! "Master, it has been a long time. I hope you have been well." Chen Wuyou smiled and clasped his fists toward Xiao Rong, then waved a hand.

The other two immediately joined the siege against Zhao Dacong.

Since they had already been exposed, he could not be bothered to hide any longer. The overall situation was decided now; everything had been fated.

Xiao Rong's face twisted viciously as he barely forced himself upright.

"So it was you. It really was you!!"

Chen Wuyou laughed.

"It was indeed your disciple. There was no helping it—who told you your daughter was so easy to fool? My father warned you before, but you would not listen. You insisted on siding with the Supervisor. Then there was nothing we could do."

"So... Jiao Teng and Zhang Rongfang were both people you arranged." Xiao Rong nodded and laughed miserably. "What a fine bitter flesh scheme. You sacrificed Zhang Rongfang, made me trust Jiao Teng even more, and this was the result."

Chen Wuyou could not help laughing again. He could not be bothered to explain either. Let the old man believe whatever he wanted.

Indecisive, afraid of offending this one and that one, capable only of yielding and doubting—no matter where they were, people like that were always the first to be dealt with.

"Wait. That Zhang Rongfang, the one who got two of my brothers killed before—he was your man too?"

At that moment, Huang Jude, the leader among the nearby mountain bandits, shouted with a sudden change in expression.

He kicked Xiao Qingying, sending her rolling twice across the ground.

"Chen brat, you're fucking playing tricks on me?"

Chen Wuyou frowned.

"Didn't we agree that we would settle this after my father took control of Qinghe Temple? And that man is not one of mine. He has ruined several of my plans too."

"Really!?" Huang Jude frowned.

"Of course. You can deal with him however you wish afterward," Chen Wuyou said flatly.

"Heh, fine!" Huang Jude nodded in satisfaction.

Hearing this, Xiao Rong froze.

How could he still fail to understand? He had mistaken everyone. He had regarded Jiao Teng, who harbored hidden malicious intentions, as the person he trusted most. It was Jiao Teng who had brought his beloved daughter to this miserable state.

All at once, he understood everything. He figured it all out.

From the very beginning, Jiao Teng had been acting in secret, working with Chen Wuyou to lay their trap.

Zhang Rongfang had disrupted them several times in the middle, causing their plans to come to nothing, so they had devised a way to drive Zhang Rongfang away.

They had even pinned the earlier incidents on Zhang Rongfang, using him as a foil to win his trust.

Now he had trusted their lies, misjudged Jiao Teng, and driven away Zhang Rongfang, the one who had truly protected his daughter. This was simply... simply... Xiao Rong's eyes reddened with blood. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. A suffocating rage crashed about within him, yet could never burst free.

Countless regrets, pain, grief, and heavy emotions gathered together.

Finally.

Pfft! He spat out another mouthful of blood, and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit rapidly withered.

"Father!!" Xiao Qingying tore the rag from her mouth and screamed in agony, tears blurring her vision and soaking her cheeks.

But at the very instant her scream rang out—

"Go!!" Xiao Rong suddenly lunged forward, smashing both fists at Jiao Teng with all his strength.

Bang! Jiao Teng was caught off guard and struck in the arm. Then Zhao Dacong's fist smashed into his left shoulder.

"Dacong, go!!" Xiao Rong shouted again, forcing himself through a burst of rapid attacks as he struck Jiao Teng like a madman.

For a moment, Jiao Teng was suppressed so thoroughly that he could barely breathe.

Xiao Rong was a Third-Rank Master after all. Though wounded and old, he could still erupt with strength when he fought for his life.

Seeing this, the other two mountain bandits assisting the attack unconsciously retreated several steps, avoiding a desperate clash with him.

This old man was already doomed. All they needed to do was stall for time, and they could kill him without suffering any losses. There was no need to fight him head-on now.

Their retreat happened to leave an opening for Zhao Dacong.

Tears streamed down her face, and her entire body trembled as she watched her Master's final desperate struggle.

"Go!!" Xiao Rong's voice rang out again.

Zhao Dacong's body jolted. She no longer hesitated and turned to run.

"Take her down." Chen Wuyou's expression did not change. More than ten people swiftly emerged from the surrounding woodland, closing in on Zhao Dacong from every direction.

"Get out of my way!!" Zhao Dacong drew herself tight, then violently pushed off with her feet and sprinted forward.

The two men directly ahead were frightened by her desperate momentum. They hurriedly raised their rusted sabers, trying to use the blade edges to stop her.

But Zhao Dacong did not care in the slightest. Her steps shifted, barely avoiding vital points as she crashed straight into them.

Bang! Bang!

The two mountain bandits were sent sprawling to either side, their arms and shoulders slightly dislocated.

But their obstruction still left two saber wounds on either side of Zhao Dacong's arms.

She let out a wild cry and charged forward with her head down. In the instant she was slowed by the obstruction, her back was cut twice more with two hissing slashes.

Blood instantly dyed her clothes red.

But she could not worry about any of that now. She had to return to Qinghe Temple for help as quickly as possible. Otherwise, her Master and Junior Sister...

At Qinghe Temple.

Zhang Rongfang carried a sack in one hand, his expression solemn as he watched a group of martial cultivator Daoists in short Daoist robes briskly emerge from the Mountain Gate together.

He had just gone to find Hong Da, but Hong Da had been unwilling to tell him the truth and was quite guarded against him.

Later, he happened to encounter Zhang Xintai and several other martial cultivator Daoists preparing to lead people down the mountain to rescue them. Hong Da had already told the Supervisor the truth beforehand.

Only then did Zhang Rongfang learn about this incident.

At the time, he had sensed that the situation might be going badly.

Others might not know, but he had experienced the previous mountain bandit incident. He understood that Chen Wuyou's group was very likely colluding with the mountain bandits.

Now Xiao Rong had gone down the mountain with only three people. This gave Zhang Rongfang a bad feeling.

He immediately wanted to go with Zhang Xintai and the other martial cultivators to rescue them at the foot of the mountain.

But Zhang Xintai refused, believing Zhang Rongfang was not strong enough. Even if he went, he would not be much help and might instead put himself in danger.

Zhang Rongfang could not explain openly, so he could only let Zhang Xintai's group descend the mountain.

Now, standing at the Mountain Gate, he watched Zhang Xintai, Qi Shan, and the others descend with grave expressions. An inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

"That Qi Shan... Something about what he did that night felt wrong."

Zhang Rongfang had mentioned it once to Zhang Xintai. He just did not know whether Zhang Xintai had taken it to heart.

After the group of martial cultivators, eight people in total, swiftly descended the mountain,

Zhang Rongfang quickly walked out through the Mountain Gate. Carrying the burlap sack, he said nothing as he too hurried down the mountain.

Both groups, one before and one after, were heading toward the address Hong Da had provided.

There are only so many martial cultivators on the mountain. If Qi Shan has a problem too, then the situation may truly be terrible.

As Zhang Rongfang calculated in his heart, he unconsciously used the newly learned Dragon Snake Movement Technique. Soundlessly, he followed behind the martial cultivator team.

Zhao Dacong was covered in blood as she raised an arm to block a Kaishan Saber chopping in from the side.

With a pfft, the blade cut deeply into her flesh before being stopped by bone.

She took the chance to ram forward.

Her shoulder struck the other man's breastbone with all her strength, producing a crisp crack.

The man collapsed on the spot and could not rise again.

Taking the opportunity, Zhao Dacong continued charging madly toward the dense forest in the distance.

Her vision had already blurred.

Her mouth was full of the taste of rust. Her body was covered in bloody wounds, and she herself had nearly turned dark red.

But in exchange, two mountain bandits had died in quick succession.

In just two brief exchanges, she had forcibly rammed two men to death.

This style of fighting wound for wound was terrifyingly lethal when one fought with one's life on the line.

The dozen or so mountain bandits no longer dared approach. They could only hurl stones and thick pieces of wood from a distance, trying to strike and block her.

Zhao Dacong fled ahead while more than ten people relentlessly pursued behind her.

"A bunch of trash!"

Among the mountain bandits, Sima Guangtu held a short bow and pursued Zhao Dacong along with the group.

But no matter how he yelled at them, the others did not dare go up and fight for their lives again.

Everyone could see that Zhao Dacong's wounds were severe. So long as they stalled for time, she would bleed to death.

That made them even less willing to clash with her head-on.

After all, they were mountain bandits, not a death squad. Most who were not afraid of death had already died during the early days of the uprising.

Those left here were mostly people better at protecting themselves.

By now, the pursuers and their prey had already covered more than a hundred meters.

Worried that delay might bring complications, Sima Guangtu finally could not hold back any longer. He slowly drew an arrow, nocked it on his short bow, and pulled the string as he ran.

He narrowed one eye and aimed at the staggering Zhao Dacong ahead.

Whoosh! A sharp sound split the air from behind, followed by a bang as fireworks exploded above the forest.

Sima Guangtu's hand jerked, and his bowstring veered. The arrow immediately shot out and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree beside Zhao Dacong.

His face darkened as he turned to look toward the direction from which the sound and fireworks had come.

Faint sounds of fists and feet clashing could still be heard from over there.

"Qinghe Temple has sent people. Heh, I knew Chen Wuyou, that brat, was unreliable."

But he was not worried. Xiao Rong was basically crippled now. Even if Qinghe Temple sent reinforcements, they would have to face the combined strength of the leaders and Chen Wuyou.

Besides, there were more than ten people lying in ambush outside that area. If they truly fought, unless Qinghe Temple came out in full force, however many they sent would only be food delivered to the table.

They might not be able to beat the officers, but could they really fail to kill these little bull-nosed Daoists?

With that, he ignored what was behind him and raised his bow again, nocking another arrow at Zhao Dacong's back.

"Second Leader, should we head back?" a mountain bandit minor leader beside him asked quietly.

"Head back for what? Our task isn't done. We haven't even killed the target. Wouldn't going back now be a waste of effort?" Sima Guangtu said coldly.

He was not that stupid. Going back to join the fight was far too dangerous. With the little skill he had, what if he got injured? Would that not be a loss? He was an artisan, not a warrior who knew only ferocity and fighting.

Was it not much easier to bully someone seriously wounded here than to go back?

Raising his bow, Sima Guangtu aimed at Zhao Dacong.

Whoosh! The arrow flew out and struck firmly into Zhao Dacong's right shoulder.

Zhao Dacong fell in response, her mind thrown into disorder by the sudden pain and impact as she stumbled to the ground.

A mountain bandit swiftly stepped forward, saber in hand, and chopped down at the back of Zhao Dacong's neck.

Swish! Suddenly, his vision blurred.

A hazy figure sprang from the grass at his side, like a giant gray python, sliding past him in a flash from behind.

In an instant, the saber fell and the man stopped.

The mountain bandit froze rigidly in place.

The Gray Shadow abruptly spun and darted behind a large tree, revealing only part of his face.

It was Zhang Rongfang, who had arrived just in time.

Drops of blood slowly dripped from the tips of his fingers.

Zhang Rongfang's face was cold as he shook off the blood and looked at Zhao Dacong, who had already fallen into a half-conscious state.

Had he not arrived in time, Senior Sister would likely have... Thud.

Only then did the mountain bandit topple backward, revealing his face.

His eyes had been pierced through, leaving two bloody holes. His throat had also been smashed inward and broken, collapsed into his neck.

In that brief instant, the man had been killed by a sneak attack, unable to make even a sound.