Alleyway Battle

"Qiao Tiequan is the Patrol Leader. You can defeat him?" Yi Xiaofeng asked teasingly.

This guy really knew how to brag.

Even if you had been undefeated in boxing for ten years in reality, there was no way you could directly beat a cultivator to death!

Xu Lang pulled a Golden Cricket from his belt and said with a smile, "I picked this up by the roadside. Press its tail, and a poisoned needle pops out. The needle shoots from its mouth. I tested it before—one contestant got hit by it and died in less than three seconds."

Yi Xiaofeng was speechless.

He had tested it on a contestant?

The viewers were amused as well:

"Xu Lang is quite the character!"

"Yi Xiaofeng: Heh, I have two."

"Why are these golden things all over the streets? They're actually hidden weapons."

"This might be some kind of clue. Everyone, get your imaginations going."

"If I'm not mistaken, all the citizens in Zhuo Ye Fortress were killed by the Bei Wei Royal Family, which is why hidden weapons were left everywhere."

Yi Xiaofeng asked with an ambiguous smile, "You wouldn't shoot me, would you?"

His gaze remained fixed on the Golden Cricket in Xu Lang's hand.

He wanted to see how many needles were left inside.

A line of text appeared before his eyes:

There were originally seven poisoned needles. Only one remains.

Nice!

Just one!

Xu Lang smiled. "Don't worry. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have taken it out. Wouldn't it be better to use it without anyone noticing?"

"Fine. Then let's kill the Patrol Leader first and throw Zhuo Ye Fortress into chaos," Yi Xiaofeng decided.

Xu Lang nodded.

The two immediately set off.

When Qin Qinxue saw them leaving, she hurried after them.

"Where are you going?" Qin Qinxue came to Yi Xiaofeng's side and asked.

Xu Lang glanced at her, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He knew Qin Qinxue.

She had taken first place in the previous episode. How could he have overlooked her?

Still, he had always found Qin Qinxue difficult to read.

When he had watched the show before, he had never expected Qin Qinxue to be an Evil Cultivator—and still take first place!

His approach this time had partly been modeled after Qin Qinxue's.

"Should we bring her along?" Yi Xiaofeng turned to Xu Lang and asked with a smile.

Having another person to take the fall would be good too.

If something went wrong, they could shoulder it together!

Xu Lang hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is she like you? Do you really trust her?"

Qin Qinxue answered first. "We're the same. If I'm not mistaken, you're going to kill... right? Bring me along. I also want to follow you and uncover the truth about Zhuo Ye Fortress."

Yi Xiaofeng and Xu Lang were secretly startled.

This woman was too smart!

Could her hearing be superhuman?

"Since that's the case, come with us. But when the time comes, you'll need to do your part. You can't be dead weight," Xu Lang said seriously.

Qin Qinxue replied, "Don't worry. I started learning Taekwondo in middle school and studied yoga in college. My mobility, flexibility, and reaction speed won't hold you back. I might even be able to give you some ideas."

And so, the three formed an action team.

Killing Qiao Tiequan would not be easy.

He was always surrounded by a group of guard soldiers. They had to lure him away first.

"I'm a woman. When the time comes, I can lure Qiao Tiequan away while you kill him. Are you confident?" Qin Qinxue asked in a low voice.

Yi Xiaofeng frowned. "No. Even if we kill him that way, we'll still be suspected."

They could not simply rush into killing Qiao Tiequan.

There was still plenty of time, so there was no need to hurry.

"That's right. We can investigate first. I don't know if you've noticed, but all the citizens left in Zhuo Ye Fortress are women. There's definitely something wrong here," Xu Lang added.

The three spoke quietly as they walked.

News of their cooperation quickly shot up the trending charts.

Yi Xiaofeng and Qin Qinxue were already popular contestants. Since the second episode began, Xu Lang's performance had also been outstanding. The Show Team kept revealing details of his past, and his popularity had soared.

The three joining forces to kill someone naturally caused a sensation.

Yi Xiaofeng had been looking for an opportunity. He wanted to see what exactly the thing he had picked up in the rainstorm was.

Several times, he pulled open his clothes and glanced into his chest.

He confirmed that it was an iron plate with writing on it.

This was something extraordinary.

It probably contained important information. It might even be a secret manual!

Ahead, Qin Qinxue and Xu Lang stood before an elderly woman, asking her about Zhuo Ye Fortress's past.

Yi Xiaofeng suddenly felt that he was being watched again.

He turned his head and saw a figure standing on the eaves behind him.

It was the Straw Cape Man from before, the one with human heads tied around his waist and a blade in hand.

No!

Bai Hongxiao!

Yi Xiaofeng narrowed his eyes, his heart tightening.

He had taken the Pure Yang Pill from Bai Hongxiao before, and Bai Hongxiao hated the demonic path. Meeting again was probably not a good thing.

The Straw Cape Man raised a hand and made a throat-slitting gesture, then turned and leaped away.

Yi Xiaofeng frowned. Was that a threat?

No.

If Bai Hongxiao wanted to kill him, it would be far too easy!

Could this person not be Bai Hongxiao? Or did that gesture mean something else?

"Let's go."

Xu Lang's voice brought Yi Xiaofeng back to his senses.

The three bid farewell to the elderly woman and went to find another citizen.

"This is too strange. These women are like they've been possessed," Xu Lang muttered.

Qin Qinxue was also deep in thought.

Each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts, the three entered the next street.

Ahead was a winding stone staircase, resembling a misty-rain scene from an ancient northwestern town, full of rustic charm.

A burst of hurried footsteps came from below the stairs, making all three look up in alarm.

Four men in black came charging at them with sabers in hand, moving incredibly fast.

Yi Xiaofeng immediately drew the Azure Nose Sword. Xu Lang and Qin Qinxue also drew their weapons and prepared to fight.

The fastest black-clad man leaped up and brought his saber down at Yi Xiaofeng.

Yi Xiaofeng quickly dodged. As the man landed, he swung his sword at once, slashing for the man's throat.

The man raised his arm and knocked Yi Xiaofeng's arm aside.

Yi Xiaofeng retreated with the motion, but the man did not let up. At the same time, another man in black came to assist in attacking Yi Xiaofeng.

Xu Lang and Qin Qinxue were each entangled by one man in black.

"Who are you? Why are you trying to kill us?"

Xu Lang dodged as he urgently demanded an answer.

His reactions were extremely quick, and he nimbly avoided every strike from the black-clad man.

"You investigated things you shouldn't have investigated. You must die!" one of the men in black said in a low voice.

The seven of them battled in the narrow alley, and the fight became chaotic.

Yi Xiaofeng, besieged by two opponents, was in the most miserable state. Fortunately, he promptly mobilized the spiritual energy within him, and his agility instantly improved.

Yi Xiaofeng began fighting with the sword forms of the Pure Yang Five Swords Technique.

He had combat experience already. Compared with City Lord Tang, these two men in black were much weaker.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

Yi Xiaofeng's sword grew faster and faster, his movements increasingly fluid as he began to force the two black-clad men back.

As they dodged, Xu Lang and Qin Qinxue kept widening the distance between themselves and Yi Xiaofeng.

Whoosh!

A figure descended from the sky and landed beside Yi Xiaofeng.

It was the Straw Cape Man!

The Straw Cape Man raised his blade, and its light flashed.

Splurt! Splurt!

The two black-clad men still held their saber-swinging poses as their heads flew into the air.

Yi Xiaofeng froze.

Before he could react, the Straw Cape Man grabbed his shoulder and soared away.

Xu Lang and Qin Qinxue widened their eyes.

The two black-clad men fighting them were terrified and turned to flee.

In midair.

Yi Xiaofeng could not move. Even though only his shoulder was being held, he felt as though he were burdened with shackles.

He turned to look at the Straw Cape Man. Up close...

Those brows and eyes...

Who else could it be but Bai Hongxiao?

"Senior, what happened last time was actually..." Yi Xiaofeng said, forcing himself to speak.

"I won't kill you. You were in danger. I was saving you."

The Straw Cape Man answered in a hoarse voice.