"No matter who's who, none of you are getting away today."
The man who had brought the others to surround Yang Qing, Bu Er, and their companions cast Wood a cold, sidelong glance, then stepped back to block the doorway.
If they obtained that unusual bloodline, the benefits would be boundless.
Who didn't want to rise above the crowd? Who didn't want to contend for supremacy over the world?
Before, they had wanted to, but had lacked the means.
Now, they could not only dream of it, but act on it.
First, however, they had to take down the people before them.
Otherwise, the scheme they had planned would encounter plenty of setbacks.
Seeing Wood rush forward to shield Yang Qing, someone chuckled. "Wood, have you forgotten that you're a member of the Hidden Clan? You've actually joined forces with outsiders against your own clansmen?"
"Do you still remember that you belong to the Hidden Clan? What have generations of our people been searching for? Isn't it the chance to live openly beneath the sun?"
Wood's voice was somewhat low. "We of the Hidden Clan have been treated as freaks for so long that we've almost forgotten what a joy it is to be an ordinary person."
"If we follow these young masters out, the history of our Hidden Clan will be rewritten from this day forward. Have you really never considered that? Following the Great Elder leads to a dead end."
"Pah! Wood, if you want to be an outsider's lapdog, go right ahead. Why insist on dragging us along? Just what are you plotting?"
Before Wood could finish, someone spat at him.
Then all manner of filthy abuse came pouring toward Wood.
Wood stood motionless, his hands clenched into fists that still trembled faintly.
These were his own