Zhang Xiaohua keenly caught the worry in Zhang Xiaohu's eyes. Smiling, he said to He Tianshu, "Such a simple little trick, and that black, burly fellow couldn't even see through it. He must have chanted sutras all day until his brain went bad."
After saying that, he laughed. He Tianshu joined in, saying, "Perhaps, maybe, possibly. Hahaha."
Zhang Xiaohu also chuckled softly. Presumably, his laughter was fundamentally different from He Tianshu's.
The three chatted idly for a while longer. As night gradually fell, Zhang Xiaohua abruptly changed the subject, silver gleaming in his eyes. "Captain He, tell me—since I won back some face for your Misty Sect, even if I earned no great merit, I at least put in a tiny bit of hard work, right? Do you think Great Gang Leader Ou will give me some reward?"
"A reward?" He Tianshu froze. "That... I truly never considered it. I've heard that competitors advancing with external invitation cards only receive a ranking; there's no talk of rewards. After all, you aren't a Misty Sect disciple. How could you be rewarded? The other disciples are all rewarded with cultivation methods."
Zhang Xiaohua's face fell. "Had I known, I would have jumped off the arena myself long ago. I worked myself half to death, yet got no benefit at all—and I still had to worry about being silenced!"
"Silenced?" He Tianshu blanked, then asked in astonishment, "By who?"
Zhang Xiaohua answered irritably, "Great Forest Temple, of course. That old monk Chang Geng, of course. Who else?"
"You, you..." He Tianshu pointed at Zhang Xiaohua in exasperation, as though iron had failed to become steel. "What are you even thinking? Who told you that?"
Zhang Xiaohua argued with perfect conviction, "That's how martial arts novels always write it. Whenever you block someone's path