Bitter regret

[Comprehension: 21]

[Bone Root: 39]

[Cultivation: None]

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

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

[Remaining lifespan: 57]

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 0]

Half a month of diligent training had yielded impressive results. Xu Yang was very pleased.

The points he had accumulated over the past half month had already raised his bone root to 39. In a few more days, it would reach 40.

By then, his bone root should enter the second-grade range, putting him on the same level as Lu Ren.

With the money he had obtained from the Three Harmonies Gang supporting him, his progress in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance had also picked up. Reaching the First Martial Dao Gate this month would pose no problem.

Nothing unexpected had happened during the past half month, either. The Three Harmonies Gang had not sent anyone else to station themselves at the branch. Those collecting the residence fee came directly from headquarters.

"Senior Brother Xu!"

Just then, Qiu Wenjie walked over.

"Why are you over here instead of training properly? Your father specifically told me to keep an eye on you." Xu Yang came out of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance.

Qiu Wenjie pointed toward the entrance of the Mighty Far Hall. "Xue Fangsheng is back. He's alone."

Xu Yang looked toward the entrance and, sure enough, saw Xue Fangsheng. But Zhang Yong and the others who had gone into the mountains with him to hunt exotic beasts were nowhere to be seen.

Something went wrong! Xu Yang's heart sank.

Without his panel, he probably would have followed Zhang Yong and the others into the mountains to take his chances. His suspicions had been right: something was wrong with Xue Fangsheng.

But there had been seven of them. How had he dared kill them all?

"Why wouldn't he dare? None of you have any backing. As long as the Huang Family doesn't intervene, would your families dare make trouble for a Qi Gathering martial artist?

"There are so many people in the Outer Court. That's exactly why he singled out your little group. Good thing you turned him down back then."

Qiu Wenjie sneered.

Plenty of people in the Outer Court knew something was wrong with Xue Fangsheng. But few would offend a Qi Gathering martial artist for a handful of unrelated mud-legged peasants.

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

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

"I'm not their father. Why are you asking me?" Xue Fangsheng showed Lu Ren no courtesy.

Lu Ren was a genius, but he had yet to achieve Qi Gathering. Until the day he succeeded, failure remained a possibility.

And even if Lu Ren succeeded in Qi Gathering, so what? Xue Fangsheng had already taken Lu Ren into account when he first set his sights on Luo Dehu and the others.

With the gains from this trip, Marrow Cleansing might not be beyond his reach in the future.

"You..."

Lu Ren was momentarily at a loss for words. "Aren't you afraid Master will hold you accountable for this?"

"Be clear, Junior Brother Lu Ren. What exactly have I done?" Xue Fangsheng sneered.

They did not even know what had happened. How could they hold him accountable?

Besides, if Lin Cheng bothered with this sort of nonsense, would he have done it?

He had never expected Lu Ren to remain so naive after all this time, genuinely treating Lin Cheng as his master and imagining they were all loving fellow disciples.

Had he not noticed Sun Tao standing nearby without intervening?

For a moment, Lu Ren could no longer find anything to say.

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

Xue Fangsheng's expression shifted slightly. He turned to see Luo Dehu entering the Mighty Far Hall in tattered clothes, his face covered in bloody scratches from branches.

Then Zhang Yong, Zhang Hong, and Qian Jiaxing appeared behind him.

All four were injured to varying degrees, though none of their injuries were serious. They were mostly scrapes and the like.

Their eyes held nothing but unadulterated fury toward Xue Fangsheng.

"You beast! You even waited outside the mountains for a whole day, trying to silence us all. Luckily, we hid!"

Qian Jiaxing's eyes were bloodshot. The high spirits he had shown upon returning last time were nowhere to be seen.

Xue Fangsheng remained unruffled. Instead, he put on an expression of anguished disappointment. "Junior Brother Qian, you really don't recognize good intentions. I was worried something had happened to you, so I waited outside the mountains for an entire day without eating or drinking.

"Now that I see you're safe, I can rest easy."

At those words, Zhang Yong and the others looked ready to spit fire. He had clearly meant to murder them to keep them quiet, yet he had dressed it up as concern.

"You beast! You killed Tang Ruiyang and Yang Dacai! You're not human!"

Even if Luo Dehu could do nothing to Xue Fangsheng, he would expose what had happened and drag his reputation through the mud.

Yet hardly anyone sympathized with them. Whom could they blame for not having enough brains?

Did they really think they were heaven's chosen sons, that meat pies would fall from the sky? Would a Qi Gathering martial artist kindly help them make money without wanting something from them?

"They were killed by an exotic beast. Don't pin that on me." Xue Fangsheng did not care in the slightest.

Since he had dared to do these things, he had naturally considered the consequences.

"Enough nonsense. Hand over our share of the money, or we'll all go before Master and confront you." Zhang Yong spoke coldly.

They could settle today's grudge once they became martial artists. For now, getting the money mattered most.

"That's right. Give us our thirty percent."

Zhang Hong, Luo Dehu, and Qian Jiaxing all spoke up.

"What money? That tiger was hot on our heels. I didn't get the goods out."

Xue Fangsheng had no intention of spitting out what he had already swallowed. Nor had he expected Zhang Yong and the others to change so quickly. Knowing he would ambush and kill them outside, they had stubbornly stayed hidden. He had only left because he thought they were all dead.

Zhang Hong snapped, "Do you think we didn't see you carrying that exotic beast off to sell it?"

Xue Fangsheng's gaze darkened. He had not expected these lackeys to have been following him in secret all along.

Sun Tao walked over, a warning in his eyes. "Junior Brother Xue, don't bring matters from the mountains into the Martial Arts Hall. If this reaches Master, you know what his temper is like."

The meaning behind his words was clear: if you were going to do something, clean up after yourself. Now that he had failed to tie up the loose ends and the trouble had reached the Martial Arts Hall, he was creating problems for Master. Even if Master did not want to involve himself, he would have to intervene for the Hall's reputation.

Reluctantly, Xue Fangsheng took out their share of the money and handed it to Zhang Yong and the others. As for the two who had died, whether Zhang Yong's group gave them a share was none of his concern.

He glared viciously at Zhang Yong and the others for a while before leaving.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sun!"

Zhang Yong and the others bowed deeply to Sun Tao. Without his intervention, getting that money would not have been easy.

"Look after yourselves!"

Sun Tao shook his head, turned, and left.

He did not want to get involved in this affair, but since it had surfaced at the Martial Arts Hall, he had no choice but to intervene.

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Zhang Yong and the others.

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

They had gotten the money, but judging by Xue Fangsheng's expression before leaving, he certainly would not let them off. Killing them would take little effort for a Qi Gathering martial artist.

"I regret letting greed blind me. We should have listened to Xu Yang back then," Zhang Hong sighed.

Thinking it through carefully now, Xu Yang had been the one who saw things clearly. Although they were still alive, Xue Fangsheng would undoubtedly strike the moment he had a chance.

"He's no good either. If he knew Xue Fangsheng had evil intentions, why didn't he warn us?" Luo Dehu had actually come to resent Xu Yang.