Regret Not Having Done So

[Comprehension: 21]

[Root Bone: 39]

[Cultivation: None]

[Techniques: Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Entry (72/100), Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist · Entry (119/150)]

[Skills: Mining lv.3 (283/400)]

[Remaining Lifespan: 57]

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 0]

After half a month of grueling training, the results were remarkable, and Xu Yang was very satisfied.

The points accumulated over these two weeks had raised his Root Bone to 39; in a few more days, he would reach 40.

By then, his Root Bone should enter the second-tier realm, putting him on the same level as Lu Ren.

Supported by the money obtained from the Tri-Union Gang, the progress of his Turtle-Snake Great Stance had also surged, and there would be no problem reaching the first barrier of the Martial Dao this month.

There had been no accidents in the past half-month; the Tri-Union Gang had not sent anyone to station at the hall, and those collecting the residence fees came directly from the main altar.

"Senior Brother Xu!"

At this moment, Qiu Wenjie walked over.

"Why aren't you practicing hard? Why are you coming to me? Your father entrusted me with supervising you." Xu Yang put away his Turtle-Snake Great Stance.

Qiu Wenjie pointed toward the main gate of Wei Yuan Hall and said, "Xue Fangsheng is back, but he is alone."

Xu Yang cast his gaze toward the gate and indeed saw Xue Fangsheng, but he did not see Zhang Yong and the others who had gone into the mountains with him to hunt exotic beasts.

Something happened! Xu Yang's heart sank.

If he didn't have the panel, he probably would have gone into the mountains to take risks with Zhang Yong and the others. He hadn't guessed wrong; there was something wrong with Xue Fangsheng.

But how did he dare to kill all seven of them?

"Why wouldn't he dare? None of you have any background. As long as the Huang Family doesn't step in, would your families dare to look for trouble with a Qi-Gathering martial artist? There are so many people in the outer courtyard; that is exactly why he singled you few out. It's a good thing you refused back then," Qiu Wenjie sneered.

Many people in the outer courtyard knew something was off about Xue Fangsheng, but few would offend a Qi-Gathering martial artist for the sake of a few unrelated nobodies.

"Senior Brother Xue, where are Luo Dehu and the others?"

Lu Ren strode over and blocked Xue Fangsheng's path; he, too, realized something had gone wrong.

"I'm not their father, why are you asking me?" Xue Fangsheng did not give Lu Ren any face.

Lu Ren was a genius, but he hadn't successfully gathered Qi yet. As long as he didn't succeed, there was always the possibility of failure. Even if Lu Ren could succeed, so what? From the moment he set his sights on Luo Dehu and the others, he had already accounted for Lu Ren. With the gains from this trip, he might not be unable to undergo marrow cleansing in the future.

"You..."

Lu Ren was momentarily speechless. "By doing this, aren't you afraid of Master holding you accountable?"

"Junior Brother Lu Ren, speak clearly—what have I done?" Xue Fangsheng sneered.

If no one knew what had happened, how could he be held accountable? Besides, if Lin Cheng cared about these trivial matters, would he even be doing this? He hadn't expected Lu Ren to be so naive after all this time, truly treating Lin Cheng as a master and thinking everyone was a loving brotherhood. Didn't he see Sun Tao standing not far away, yet doing nothing?

For a moment, Lu Ren could not say another word.

"What have you done? You beast, you used us as food for the exotic beasts! Did you really think we were all dead?"

Xue Fangsheng's expression shifted slightly. He turned back to see Luo Dehu walking into Wei Yuan Hall in rags, his face covered in bloody scratches from tree branches. Following closely behind were Zhang Yong, Zhang Hong, and Qian Jiaxing.

All four of them had varying degrees of injuries, though none were life-threatening—mostly just scrapes and bruises. Their eyes were filled with unadulterated fury toward Xue Fangsheng.

"You beast, you even waited outside the mountain for a day, wanting to silence us all! It's a good thing we hid."

Qian Jiaxing's eyes were bloodshot; he no longer possessed the high spirits he had when he returned last time.

Xue Fangsheng's expression remained unchanged; instead, he put on a look of profound grief. "Junior Brother Qian, you truly don't appreciate kindness. I was worried about you all, so I waited outside the mountain without food or drink for a whole day. Seeing that you are safe, I am relieved."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of Zhang Yong and the others seemed to spit fire. He had clearly tried to kill them to silence them, yet Xue Fangsheng twisted it into concern.

"Beast! You killed Tang Ruiyang and Yang Dacai! You aren't human!"

Even if he couldn't do anything to Xue Fangsheng, Luo Dehu had to speak the truth to ensure Xue Fangsheng's reputation was thoroughly ruined.

Yet, few people sympathized with them; who could they blame for their own lack of wits?

Did they really think they were the chosen ones, that pies would fall from the sky? Why would a Qi-Gathering martial artist bother with them if he didn't want something in return? Would he really be kind enough to help them make money?

"They were killed by exotic beasts, don't you dare pin that on me." Xue Fangsheng couldn't have cared less.

He had naturally considered the consequences before daring to do such things.

"Cut the crap. Hand over the money we're owed, or we'll all go to Master and confront you," Zhang Yong said coldly.

They would settle this grudge once they became martial artists themselves; for now, getting the money was what mattered.

"That's right, hand over the thirty percent we're entitled to."

Zhang Hong, Luo Dehu, and Qian Jiaxing chimed in one after another.

"What money are you talking about? That tiger was on our heels, I couldn't bring the goods out."

Xue Fangsheng had no intention of spitting out what he had already swallowed. He hadn't expected Zhang Yong and the others to turn on him so quickly; he had assumed they were all dead before he left, unaware that they had been hiding to avoid his ambush.

Zhang Hong shouted angrily, "Do you take us for fools? We saw you carrying that exotic beast off to sell it!"

Xue Fangsheng's eyes darkened; he hadn't realized these lackeys had been tailing him in secret.

Sun Tao walked over, his eyes full of warning. "Junior Brother Xue, don't bring mountain business into the martial arts hall. You know Master's temperament—if this reaches his ears, you'll be in trouble."

The implication was clear: if you're going to do something, do it cleanly. Since you failed to clean up your mess and brought it to the hall, you're causing Master trouble. Even if Master doesn't want to get involved, he will be forced to act for the sake of the hall's reputation.

Reluctantly, Xue Fangsheng took out the share of the money and handed it to Zhang Yong and the others. As for the three who had died, whether Zhang Yong and his group split their shares was none of his concern.

He glared viciously at Zhang Yong and the others for a moment before turning to leave.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Sun!"

Zhang Yong and the others bowed deeply to Sun Tao. Without Sun Tao stepping in, it wouldn't have been easy for them to get this money.

"Look after yourselves."

Sun Tao shook his head and turned to leave. He hadn't wanted to get involved, but since it happened at the martial arts hall, he had no choice but to intervene.

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Zhang Yong and his group behind.

"What do we do now?" Luo Dehu asked with a bitter smile.

They had the money, but judging by the look on Xue Fangsheng's face as he left, he definitely wouldn't let them go. It wouldn't take much effort for a Qi-Gathering martial artist to kill them.

"I regret being so blinded by greed. We should have listened to Xu Yang back then," Zhang Hong sighed.

Thinking back on it now, Xu Yang had seen things clearly. Even though they were still alive, Xue Fangsheng would surely strike the moment he had the chance.

"He's no saint either. If he knew Xue Fangsheng had such malicious intentions, why didn't he warn us?" Luo Dehu actually began to harbor resentment toward Xu Yang.