The Oriole

"Old Zhao, once your big brother here succeeds in changing blood tonight, we brothers will go kill Yang Xiao and dig out that treasure map..."

Zhang Long lowered his voice.

A treasure map?

This!

The moment he heard that, Yang Xiao instantly shuddered, and all the killing intent in his eyes vanished.

That remote little courtyard of his in the east district actually had a treasure map?

If Zhang Long had not looked so serious, nothing like he was joking, Yang Xiao truly would not have believed it.

"Speaking of it, you could say we brothers were cursed with bad luck. We finally ran into a fat sheep, got quite a lot of gold, and even got that treasure map. We had just been about to leave, but then we ran into night-patrol soldiers. We could only hide the gold and the treasure map in a nearby remote little courtyard."

"After we left at dawn, we were just getting ready to go to that house after nightfall and retrieve our things. Who would've thought that house was actually bought by Yang Xiao's father in his early years, and that very night, Yang Xiao also moved in..."

Completely unaware that the Zhao Hu before him was actually Yang Xiao in disguise, Zhang Long could not help sighing gloomily as he spoke.

"No wonder Zhao Hu followed me ahead of time and planned to kill me to feel satisfied. So that was it..."

Yang Xiao came to a sudden realization, and could not help sneering inwardly.

In truth, Yang Xiao and Zhang Long had no conflict. Zhang Long had even taken good care of Yang Xiao at Vermilion Bird Tower these past few days, his attitude warm and enthusiastic.

Thinking about it carefully now, it really was—painting a tiger's stripes and skin was easy, painting its bones was hard; you could know a man's face, but not his heart!

"Big Brother, there are many soldiers at night. If we go to Yang Xiao's home after nightfall and get discovered by soldiers, then..."

Without letting anything show, Yang Xiao probed.

"Old Zhao, what's with you today?"

"Did you forget that the Shadowless Skill your elder brother cultivates can hide my body within the darkness? As long as I stay completely still, ordinary people can't detect me at all."

"Once your elder brother succeeds in a single blood change, after activating the Shadowless Skill, I'll even be able to move slowly in the darkness. Even if I run into a two-blood expert, as long as I'm not cursed with rotten luck, I won't be noticed."

Zhang Long furrowed his brow, and as he looked at Yang Xiao, a few traces of suspicion appeared in his gaze.

"Ah, Big Brother, look at this memory of mine. I really did forget."

Yang Xiao slapped his forehead. "Mainly, the Great Sage Teacher was so wise and mighty today that his venerable figure is still in this little brother's mind even now, so much so that..."

So that was how it was?

Although Zhang Long still had some doubts in his heart, he did not think too deeply about it and nodded slightly.

"The Great Sage Teacher is a grandmaster. Naturally, he is formidable, far beyond what the likes of us can imagine."

"However, worthy brother, you need not belittle yourself. Your aptitude and roots are both lower-middle; though you cannot compare to me, your big brother, you are still several times stronger than that trash Yang Xiao."

"As long as you cultivate diligently, and with your big brother's support, within three years, you will be able to reach the pinnacle of Iron Skin. Perhaps you may even be fortunate enough to enter the Sacred Pool again and behold the heavenly countenance of the Great Sage Teacher."

Fine!

Open his mouth and it was kill Yang Xiao; close his mouth and it was Yang Xiao the trash?

Yang Xiao was smoldering inside, but on the surface, he wore a sycophantic smile. "Many thanks for your support, Big Brother. Then this little brother will wish Big Brother success in changing blood in advance."

Mm!

Zhang Long nodded, then led Yang Xiao onward until they reached the side courtyard of the cloth shop.

Although it was already night, in the side courtyard there were still quite a few youths with yellow scarves wrapped around their heads, each gripping a broadsword and hacking away as they trained.

Every one of them was bare-chested, all brimming with vigor, without the slightest trace of sleepiness.

"Senior Brother Zhang."

"Senior Brother Zhao."

Seeing Zhang Long and Zhao Hu arrive, many youths paused their training and greeted them with smiling faces.

Clearly, even in the Peace Sect's capital branch, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu had considerable prestige. Among the ordinary disciples, they were "big figures."

Yang Xiao was somewhat surprised by this, but after thinking it over carefully, he did not find it strange.

After all, to ordinary people, changing blood once was far out of reach, a pure extravagant hope.

Cowhide, this most basic realm of martial arts, was already an "expert" in ordinary people's eyes.

The Bronze Skin realm, even among all these youths in the side courtyard, could be called a "strong one."

As for Zhang Long and Zhao Hu, both were Iron Skin, so naturally they had the capital to "laugh proudly over the crowd of heroes."

This point could be glimpsed from Zhang Long's arrogant eyes, the way he paid no attention to the youths at all, walking past with his head held high and aloof.

Yang Xiao was happy with this and also put on an aloof appearance, walking shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Long in arrogance.

"Tonight, I have gained some martial insights and plan to enter seclusion for the night. If I have not come out, no one is to disturb me, no matter who it is!"

"If I remain in seclusion for several days without emerging, none of you need panic either. Have you all remembered?"

After walking a few more steps, Zhang Long suddenly stopped and looked coldly toward the youths.

"Yes!"

The youths hurriedly saluted, envy in every pair of eyes.

"Senior Brother Zhang's aptitude and bones are both first-rate. It hasn't been long since his last seclusion, yet who would've thought Senior Brother Zhang would begin another one so soon?"

"Isn't that obvious? Senior Brother Zhang is a martial genius the helmsman has his eye on. Once his blood exchange succeeds, our capital branch will definitely have another hall master!"

"From the look of it, Senior Brother Zhang is probably only a month or two away from his first blood exchange."

After activating the Spirit Cicada Transformation and following Zhang Long into the distance, Yang Xiao listened to the whispers behind them and could not help feeling a little depressed.

Yang Xiao's comprehension was maxed out, but his aptitude and bones were inferior. If not for relying on the Qi-Observing Stealing Technique and all sorts of fortuitous encounters, he simply could not compare to a heaven-favored prodigy like Zhang Long.

This really was—comparing people to people could anger a man to death!

"Old Zhao, regarding my blood exchange tonight, aside from you, only the helmsman knows."

"I won't hide it from you either. For the sake of ensuring my successful blood exchange this time, my Zhang Family exhausted manpower, wealth, and resources, and secretly recruited three First Blood experts in Qingzhou who had undergone blood exchange for many years."

"After spending three full years like this, and after five family retainers died tragic deaths, only then, by a twist of fate, did they hunt a Tiger-Wolf for me to use in today's blood exchange."

After walking a while longer, Zhang Long brought Zhao Hu to the side courtyard's Martial Arts Hall. Once he had shut the door, he lowered his voice and spoke.

His words sounded solemn, but in truth, they were mixed with bragging.

Hearing it, Yang Xiao's eyelids twitched, and he could not help crying out in surprise:

"Big Brother, you mean to say that you plan to use a Tiger-Wolf with complete qi and blood for your blood exchange?"

A Tiger-Wolf!

That was a Tiger-Wolf!

One had to know, a freshly slaughtered Tiger Chicken with flesh and blood intact cost a full three thousand taels of silver!

And Yang Xiao, as an ordinary waiter of Vermilion Bird Tower, had a monthly salary that surpassed the vast majority of ordinary people in the inner city, but it was still a mere twenty taels.

As for a "Tiger-Wolf" ultimately born by raising a fierce tiger and a wild wolf with special secret methods, that required at least twenty thousand taels of silver, and even then, it was priceless on the market and extremely rare.

As for wild Tiger-Wolves captured out in the wilderness, those were even rarer. Every single one was worth an extraordinary sum, and even if famous sects and great clans caught one, they would never possibly take it out for sale, but would keep it for their own younger generation.

The Zhang Family under Zhang Long was nothing more than a powerful clan from a county within Qingzhou, yet they had actually smashed the pot and sold the iron, throwing everything in, to obtain a wild Tiger-Wolf for Zhang Long?

This really was—an unexpected delight!

"Worthy Brother, the Tiger-Wolf's qi and blood are too vigorous. Later, you stay in the outer room. When I call for you, bring the jade box into the inner room!"

"Otherwise, if you rashly approach the Tiger-Wolf, with your cultivation, you may very well be shocked to death by the Tiger-Wolf's aura. Remember this. Remember it well!"

Zhang Long gave a few more instructions, then walked to the corner of the wall and groped around for a while before suddenly pressing a mechanism.

At once, the wall behind the Martial Arts Hall cracked like a tortoise shell, revealing a narrow, pitch-black passage.

"In our capital branch, aside from the helmsman and me, only you, Worthy Brother, know about this secret passage."

"Inside is the branch's true Martial Arts Hall. Not only is it safe, it's also soundproof. No matter what happens inside, the outside world cannot know, and not the slightest scent will leak out."

Zhang Long said this somewhat smugly, then took the lead and walked into the passage.

"Song Que, that bastard, is cunning too. On one hand, he vigorously cultivates Zhang Long, yet on the other, he secretly nurtures Boss Zhao to keep him in check. And Zhao the Second and Zhang Long have a good relationship too..."

Yang Xiao only felt that this noble circle was truly chaotic.

But no matter how these fiends schemed, they absolutely would never imagine it.

In the end, the one who would sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, then reap the fisherman's profit, would be him, this utterly ordinary waiter of Vermilion Bird Tower.

Whoosh~

The moment the two entered the passage, the wall instantly closed together. Even if someone came, they would be unable to see any clue at all.

Following Zhang Long all the way forward, only after a full half an incense stick did Yang Xiao finally stop.

A bronze stone door instantly appeared before Yang Xiao's eyes.

"This is..."

With just one glance at the bronze stone door, Yang Xiao's eyelids immediately twitched, and stormy seas surged in his heart...