Shock! Gu Yunzheng Became the Fall Guy!

Zhao Leyue's expression was one of utter excitement.

He grabbed Gu Yunzheng by the collar and clutched it tightly, refusing to let go.

As he roared at Gu Yunzheng, he turned his head and shouted into Rank 77 Courtyard.

"Li Qin..."

"Wang Wei..."

"Get out here, He Tingfeng's cousin is here to pay He Tingfeng's debts!"

In less than half a minute, six or seven people came charging out.

Every one of them looked like a wolf or tiger, their faces full of displeasure.

"Where is he?"

"Where's that dog He Tingfeng's cousin?"

"Ha, so it's this guy? Come on, pay up. Your cousin He Tingfeng, that dog, owes me eight hundred taels!"

"And me! He Tingfeng owes me seven hundred taels. Here's the promissory note..."

"Hehe, I have one too. Mine is for one thousand taels..."

Good heavens!

In that brief moment, seven or eight promissory notes were shoved right into Gu Yunzheng's face. Added together, they amounted to no less than five thousand taels of silver in debt!

Gu Yunzheng was stunned on the spot, so anxious he was nearly in tears.

Five thousand taels was no small sum. Even though his family was fairly well-off and had given him plenty of silver before he came so that he could fare better in the Celestial Martial Sect, he had only brought three thousand taels with him.

Even if he handed over all three thousand taels, it would not be enough to repay the debt.

Besides, why should he repay He Tingfeng's debts?

Even if He Tingfeng was his blood cousin, one thing was one thing and another was another. Debts He Tingfeng borrowed should be repaid by He Tingfeng himself.

Moreover, he had only come to confirm Li Yun's whereabouts with He Tingfeng.

"N-No, I didn't come to repay He Tingfeng's debts. You've got it wrong!"

"What do you mean, got it wrong?"

"How is it wrong?"

"That dog of a cousin of yours borrowed money from us and promised to repay it three days ago. But where is he now?"

"That little bastard has been missing for days. He must have run off."

"If he ran off, who are we supposed to collect from if not his cousin?"

"Even if this matter were blown sky-high and taken to the Punishment Hall, we'd still be in the right!"

Zhao Leyue held Gu Yunzheng fast, slapping his face with loud smacks as he viciously threatened, "It would've been one thing if you hadn't come today, but since you did, you have to pay up. Otherwise, don't even think about leaving today."

"Brothers, drag this guy inside and search him!"

Several Outer Sect Disciples from Rank 77 Courtyard seized Gu Yunzheng without another word and dragged him into the courtyard, all the way into a room, where they immediately searched him.

They found every last one of the three thousand taels in silver notes that Gu Yunzheng had kept on him.

Gu Yunzheng cried out in shock.

"You can't do this!"

"I don't owe you money. He Tingfeng owes you money, not me. Give it back, or I'll report you to the Punishment Hall..."

Smack!

"You still want to report us? Then go ahead and report us!"

"You owe money and refuse to pay, yet you think you're in the right?"

"Brothers, beat him!"

The disciples of Rank 77 Courtyard did not hesitate. They shoved Gu Yunzheng to the ground and gave him a savage beating.

They beat Gu Yunzheng until he howled miserably, his nose bruised and his face swollen like a pig's head.

Only then did they throw him out of Rank 77 Courtyard and threaten him again: if He Tingfeng did not return to repay his debt, they would come after Gu Yunzheng for the rest of it.

Gu Yunzheng was so furious he nearly collapsed on the spot.

In a rage, he prepared to go to the Punishment Hall and accuse those Rank 77 Courtyard disciples. But halfway there, he suddenly came to his senses.

Those Rank 77 Courtyard disciples had all said that He Tingfeng had been missing for several days.

In their eyes, He Tingfeng had fled because of his debts.

But in Gu Yunzheng's eyes, that could not be right.

If He Tingfeng had truly planned to run away, how could he have failed to ask Gu Yunzheng for the money to deal with Li Yun?

He had promised a full thousand taels. That was no small amount.

Gu Yunzheng knew He Tingfeng's character. He could not possibly abandon a thousand taels and flee.

So something must have gone wrong!

Then he remembered that Li Yun had likewise disappeared for several days. Yet after Xu Qing and Zhang Chu had shown a burst of urgency, they said Li Yun had returned to his hometown, and there had been no further movement after that.

That made him break out in a cold sweat.

Could it be that He Tingfeng and Xu Youwu had failed to deal with Li Yun and instead gotten themselves buried in the process?

If that was the case, then if he went to the Punishment Hall to lodge a complaint, would he not be setting himself on fire?

At that thought—

Gu Yunzheng was so enraged he nearly vomited blood.

"What kind of senior disciples are you after more than two years in the sect? You're just trash! The two of you couldn't even handle a newcomer who'd only been here for a month... and you even made me repay your debts!"

"Repaying the debt would be one thing, but I even got beaten up..."

Using a roadside pool of water as a mirror, Gu Yunzheng took a quick look at his face. It was covered in bruises, and not a trace of his former handsome looks remained.

He hated them to the bone and did not even dare return to Rank 95 Academy.

He could only sit beside the pool and sulk, racking his brains for a solution.

Just then—

Two more Outer Sect Disciples from Rank 77 Courtyard suddenly caught up to him. The instant they saw him, their faces lit up, and without a word, they hauled him up.

They dragged him straight toward a small hill near Rank 77 Courtyard.

Gu Yunzheng was terrified out of his wits. Thinking they meant to harm him, he cried out in fright again and again.

Only after they reached a certain spot atop the hill—

did the two men throw Gu Yunzheng to the ground.

Several people were already waiting there, each with a cold expression and a look of contempt.

The leader was a blue-clad youth.

Everyone else was standing. Only he sat atop a huge boulder, idly playing with a dagger whose cold edge flashed brightly.

When he saw Gu Yunzheng arrive, the Blue-clad Youth merely swept him a glance before a playful expression appeared on his face.

"You are Gu Yunzheng, He Tingfeng's cousin?"

"Y-Yes... Who are you?"

Gu Yunzheng was utterly panicked. He could tell that this Blue-clad Youth was no ordinary person. The Rank 77 Courtyard disciples who had just beaten him stood beside the Blue-clad Youth with their heads lowered, each more meek and obedient than the last, without a trace of their previous arrogance.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wu Yuekong, the chief of Rank 77 Courtyard!"

"I heard you came specially to repay your cousin He Tingfeng's debts and handed over three thousand taels in one go. Yo, that's quite the generous gesture. What about mine?"

Wu Yuekong snapped his fingers. Someone behind him sneered and handed two promissory notes to Gu Yunzheng.

"Take a look. That dog He Tingfeng owes our Young Master Wu three thousand taels of silver. When do you plan to repay that for him too?"

Pfft!

Gu Yunzheng merely glanced at the promissory notes before he could no longer hold it in. He spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

Then he toppled headfirst to the ground.

He fainted outright.

At the instant he lost consciousness, he had already cursed that damned bastard He Tingfeng a thousand times over in his heart.

"You fucking beast..."

"Just how many debts do you owe outside? Why the hell do I have to repay all of them for you..."

But fainting was useless.

Wu Yuekong merely waved a hand. Someone nearby fetched a ladle of water and, without another word, dumped it over Gu Yunzheng's face, splashing him awake...