"Wait! Stop, stop at once!"
Seeing that Fang Qianyuan was about to strike back, Lin Shan snapped awake as though from a dream and hurriedly shouted to stop him.
"Valley Master, this is no way to treat a guest! You cannot arrest someone without first establishing right and wrong. Fellow Daoist Guang, please do not act rashly either. This must be a misunderstanding."
Fang Qianyuan withdrew to one side. Watching the Guards, who were bewildered by their companion's weapon being seized and dared not rashly advance again, he sneered. "A misunderstanding? I certainly do not think so."
Dongfang Zhi, however, waved his hand. "All of you, stand down."
The four Guards looked reluctant, particularly the one whose weapon had been taken, but they had no choice but to obey the Valley Master's command and retreat to one side.
After ordering them back, Dongfang Zhi adopted a gentler expression and looked at Fang Qianyuan, who stood on guard with the saber in hand. "Excellent skills, Fellow Daoist Guang."
Fang Qianyuan had already realized what was going on.
Dongfang Zhi's attempt to arrest him at the first disagreement had probably been intended to put him in his place. At its core, it was still a warning and a test, rather than a genuine attempt to stand up for Huang Youdui.
Otherwise, he would not have sent these four Guards. He would have summoned stronger elders from the valley, or even acted himself.
A small establishment like the Ten Thousand Poisons Valley had no rule against deploying Heaven Tier powerhouses lightly. If they could subdue an enemy easily without suffering losses, they naturally would not go to unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, Fang Qianyuan's perception was enough to tell him that even while Dongfang Zhi exerted pressure from the sidelines, he had not used his