Thanks to Alliance Leader Chen's Old Tune

In the dense forest, Xiao Qingying threw herself into Chen Wuyou's arms.

"Brother Wuyou! Why did you come so late!? So many people came just now. They seemed to be trying to catch us. Zhang Ke ran into them—I wonder how he is now?"

"It's all right, it's all right. I'm here." Chen Wuyou held Xiao Qingying and gently patted her back to comfort her.

His expression was mild, but his eyes were ice-cold.

"Why are you here? Where is Zhang Rongfang, the one who was with you?"

"Zhang Rongfang told me to hide in a Tree Hollow, and he ran back to get help. He also told me not to come out, said that even if you called me, I wasn't to come out." Xiao Qingying hurriedly explained.

"But Brother Wuyou would never hurt me. I heard Great Father's Message Tube just now. Father and the others must have already set out. If we head back now, we might still run into them!"

Chen Wuyou had not cared at first, but when he heard Zhang Rongfang's instruction to Xiao Qingying, his heart stirred. He suspected that little Daoist priest had likely begun to doubt him.

Then, hearing what came next, he immediately grew anxious.

"Which direction did Zhang Rongfang go?" he suddenly asked.

"That way." Xiao Qingying pointed in the direction where the Fireworks Message Tube had just sounded.

Chen Wuyou's heart tightened, and a flicker of irritation passed through his eyes.

At last, he knew who had set off the Message Tube. That damned little Daoist priest! Holding Xiao Qingying, Chen Wuyou made a gesture toward a direction in the dense forest, then pointed toward the way Zhang Rongfang had gone.

A figure flashed through the forest, and someone immediately gave chase.

On the other side, Zhang Rongfang watched the fireworks burst.

He withdrew his gaze and swiftly scanned his surroundings, looking for a place to hide.

The trees here grew densely, and the light was dim. There were many places suitable for concealment.

He quickly jumped down from the boulder. The increase in his Life Attribute had made his body much healthier, and his endurance was better than before.

If it had been in his Previous Life, after running this far, he would probably already have been gasping for breath.

The instant he landed—

A Masked Black-Clad Man charged out of the woods behind him.

The Black-Clad Man looked up and found himself staring wide-eyed at Zhang Rongfang.

"Run! Qinghe Temple's people will be here any moment!" Zhang Rongfang suddenly barked in a low voice, his face tense.

The masked man in black did not know Zhang Rongfang. He was still guessing and had been about to make a move, but upon hearing those words, he froze.

"How many are coming?" he asked instinctively.

"I don't know, but I heard a noise here just now and came to check it out. Someone set off a Message Tube! I was specifically assigned to relay messages here!" Zhang Rongfang said solemnly.

"Trouble!" The man in black cupped his fists, turned, and ran.

After only a few steps, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Chen Wuyou had never mentioned arranging anyone else. Something was off about this kid!

He had been tricked!

The man in black turned to look at Zhang Rongfang. Sure enough, the kid was already more than ten meters away, nearly swallowed by the shadows of the forest.

Humiliation and fury surged through him. At his age, he had actually been fooled by a green kid. If word got out, how could he ever stand tall in the Jianghu again!? Yet the sound of the Message Tube just now had been genuine. He took a few steps forward to pursue him, then immediately stopped and calculated the timing.

The Eyes behind his mask flickered uncertainly.

"Damn it! Don't let me run into you again, you brat!"

The man in black stopped chasing, turned around, and sprinted in the direction away from Qinghe Temple.

Before long, he vanished into the Vast Sea of Trees.

After running some distance, Zhang Rongfang looked back and saw that no one was chasing him. He stopped for the moment to catch his breath.

That burst of full-speed running had drained a great deal of his stamina as well.

After waiting in place for a short while, the Sound of Running Footsteps soon came from the woods in the direction of Qinghe Temple.

Two Figures ran out from the forest. One was Senior Sister Zhao Dacong, while the other was none other than Xiao Rong.

He had actually come in person.

The two stopped when they saw Zhang Rongfang.

"Rong Fang, where is Xiao Ying!?" Xiao Rong urgently asked.

"I hid Senior Sister in a Tree Hollow. I was afraid she would be found, so I came out first to draw the enemy away!" Zhang Rongfang blurted out.

At those words, Xiao Rong's expression softened slightly, though he remained exceedingly grave.

"Take me there!"

At once, Zhang Rongfang led the two of them swiftly toward where Xiao Qingying was hiding.

Before long, he returned to the Tree Hollow, only to find it empty inside. There was no one there.

"Where is she!?" The expression on Xiao Rong's face instantly turned icy.

"I told Senior Sister not to come out..." Zhang Rongfang replied instinctively. But seeing that something was wrong with Xiao Rong's expression, he quickly fell silent, while his heart sank.

If something had happened to Xiao Qingying, he certainly would not get off lightly.

No matter how good Xiao Rong's temper was, he would very likely take his anger out on him.

"There are footprints on the ground. They look like a woman's—they're most likely Junior Sister's!" Zhao Dacong quickly spoke up beside them.

"Go!"

Xiao Rong took the lead.

The two followed the footprints and rapidly tracked them down.

They were extremely fast, vanishing from the dense forest in only a few blinks of an eye.

Zhang Rongfang wanted to follow, but on second thought, it would be pointless. He could not catch up at all, so he remained where he was.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long.

Only a few minutes later, a loud shout came from the distant woods.

Zhang Rongfang's heart jumped. Hunched over, he slowly approached the direction of the sound, then used the cover of shrubs and grass to peer over there.

Very soon, he saw Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong locked in a fierce battle with two men in black in a dark patch of forest.

Another man in black lay on the ground.

Xiao Qingying stood off to one side, terror written across her face, tear tracks still lingering on her pretty cheeks. She had clearly been frightened out of her wits.

Seeing that she was unharmed, Zhang Rongfang let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Only then did he have the leisure to watch Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong fight.

Looking closely, he discovered that whenever these people struck the trees around them, every hit left a pit, every blow knocked off a chunk of bark.

Within seconds, one man in black was struck across the bridge of the nose. His eyes swam, and then a palm strike landed on his chest, knocking him to the ground, unable to rise again.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the other man in black turned and fled, disappearing into the woods in a few leaps.

Only then did Zhang Rongfang notice that every Black-Clad Man on the ground was Spitting Blood, their eyes unfocused. They were clearly on the verge of death.

What ruthless hands. His heart jolted, and his breathing quickened slightly.

In his Previous Life, he had only been an ordinary person. How could he ever have seen someone beaten to death alive?

Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Zhang Rongfang forcibly shifted his gaze to Master and the other.

Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong had already withdrawn their stances and were resting.

A sheen of sweat showed faintly on Xiao Rong's forehead, steam seeming to rise from his whole body. He had clearly expended a great deal.

Zhao Dacong, on the other hand, was unhurt and looked relaxed.

"Where is Chen Wuyou?" Xiao Rong asked solemnly.

"He was knocked unconscious. He's in the grass over there." Zhao Dacong pointed toward the bushes on the other side.

"He and Xiao Ying were attacked together. Good thing we arrived in time. Otherwise, the situation might have been extremely bad."

"Check and see where these people came from," Xiao Rong said, somewhat tiredly.

"Yes."

Zhang Rongfang also stepped out at this point and cupped his fists in salute toward the two.

"Master, Senior Sister."

"You came out with Xiao Ying this time. Did you find any clues?" Xiao Rong asked solemnly.

He had long since noticed Zhang Rongfang hiding in the grass, so he was not surprised.

"Reporting to Master, when our group reached a Woodland, Senior Brother Chen Wuyou left midway to catch a squirrel, leaving only the three of us.

"Also, this disciple found Senior Brother Chen's voice somewhat familiar. And this outing was also invited by Senior Brother Chen."

Zhang Rongfang stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.

"You suspect it was him?" Xiao Rong's gaze was calm.

Zhang Rongfang did not answer. He merely nodded.

Did that even need saying?

This Spring Outing had been arranged by Chen Wuyou. He had also been the first to run off after they came out. Added to the voice Zhang Rongfang had heard earlier, which sounded very much like Chen Wuyou's—

Those reasons together were enough.

"I understand." Xiao Rong nodded heavily. "Fortunately, nothing happened to Xiao Ying." A flicker of anger flashed through his eyes.

"Wait for now. When people from the temple arrive later, search this area thoroughly. I want to see who has such gall as to commit murder near our Qinghe Temple!?"

After that, Zhang Rongfang had nothing more to do. Soon, another Message Tube shot into the sky.

A dozen or so Martial Cultivation Disciples from Qinghe Temple arrived afterward. Under the leadership of a Middle-aged Daoist, they began searching in every direction.

Meanwhile, Zhang Rongfang returned to Qinghe Temple with Xiao Qingying and Chen Wuyou.

Once back inside the temple, Zhang Rongfang was exhausted to the extreme. He threw himself onto his bed and slept with his head covered.

It was not until the morning bell rang the next day that he was roused from his deep sleep.

In his Previous Life, he had only been an ordinary person. No matter how well prepared he was for this experience, if he truly encountered those Black-Clad Men, he likely would not last a single exchange before being knocked down by one punch.

From the way Xiao Rong and Zhao Dacong had fought those men in black, their palms and fists tore off chunks of bark with every strike.

If those blows landed on him, they would probably be like files and iron hammers, tearing off a piece of flesh with every hit.

But Master Xiao Rong was said to be a Third-Rank Master. Why had it been so difficult for him to fight those casually appearing Black-Clad Men? He even let one escape?

Zhang Rongfang was puzzled.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, there was a light knock on the door.

"Senior Brother Zhang, are you awake?" Sun Yuanfeng's voice came from outside.

Sun Yuanfeng was Xiao Rong's personal Attendant Disciple. Though he was a Servant Disciple, his coming meant Xiao Rong had business with him.

"Coming!" Zhang Rongfang quickly got up, knowing that there would likely be a conclusion to the attack this time.

After putting on his robes, he hurriedly drew water from the vat, washed his hands and face, then opened the door and followed Sun Yuanfeng toward the Small Pavilion where Xiao Rong lived.

Halfway there, Zhang Rongfang could not hold it in any longer and spoke.

"Junior Brother Sun, I have a question I'd like to ask."

Sun Yuanfeng smiled. "Go ahead, Senior Brother Zhang. So long as it's something I can speak of, this junior brother will certainly tell you all I know."

"Then I'll be direct." Zhang Rongfang did not hide it, asking outright about his doubts regarding the difference in strength between Martial Cultivator ranks.

"The strength and weakness between Martial Cultivator ranks?" Sun Yuanfeng smiled. "That, I really do know."

He often attended Xiao Rong, so he understood far more about Martial Cultivators than Zhang Rongfang did at present.

"Ranks only represent the greatest strength you once possessed, the glory you once had. But people grow weak, grow old, and fall ill. So it is perfectly normal for their displayed strength to differ.

"Besides, those with ranks usually represent people with abundant combat experience, but two fists cannot beat four hands, and fists fear the young and strong. Many ranked experts of the Jianghu decline in strength as they age.

"I once heard a Mage mention a great expert whom the Imperial Court had rated Eighth Grade. Because he was solitary by temperament and did not fit in with others, he had no children or disciples to rely on in his old age. Later, his strength declined severely, and at seventy, he was challenged and beaten to death alive by a Fifth Grade."