After soothing Shen Wan, Ghost Ann emerged from the trading venue, his body turning ethereal within the space of a few steps as he leaped up into midair.
Due to the situation on Shen Wan's side, he had been forced to withdraw temporarily, but now the good show on the other side had already begun.
Fortunately, the entire market area wasn't very large, and he arrived almost in a single bound.
Fast as his arrival was, the conclusion over there had been even faster. Inside Xu Bo's shop, everything was now a shambles, and Xu Bo's living quarters were completely collapsed, leaving only four walls of ruined debris and settling dust, yet no further sound remained.
Ghost Ann swept his gaze across the scene, taking in the entire situation at a glance.
Huo Lian sat slumped on the ground while Xu Bo stood shielding him. Both looked somewhat disheveled, and the latter was even injured, though fortunately his life was out of danger. Outside the house, however, a man lay on the ground like a dead dog, and the red-skinned gourd Yu Ci had just handed over rested right beside this person, tilted to one side.
Ghost Ann had long since confirmed that man's identity; it was none other than the Black Heaven Cult member who had kept his eyes fixed on the original owner of the red-skinned gourd during the trading session.
A bit further away stood two others, the rightful principals of today's events, facing each other across the open space without any overt hostility. Ghost Ann's arrival had been executed with the utmost stealth, yet those two still detected it. Unperturbed, he manifested openly:
"True Person Lei, Sage Wisdom Walker, what is the meaning of this?"
The gazes of the two confronting figures landed on him together.