Zou Shuming was a man of his word. Sure enough, on the mountain path afterward, he obediently followed behind Zhang Xiaohua. Well, even if he had wanted to overtake him, he could not have.
Thus, amid the tense anticipation of Venerable Lei and the dozen or so Pill Department and Herb Department disciples, Zhang Xiaohua ran ahead and Zou Shuming followed behind, the two racing one after the other to the mountaintop. Seeing Zou Shuming lag behind, all the disciples shouted loudly, "Rise up! Rise up!"
Unfortunately, Zou Shuming's expression turned strange when he heard those cheers of encouragement. Zhang Xiaohua, on the other hand, seemed to have boiling blood surging through him. He pushed off with his feet and raced swiftly to the finish!
When Zhang Xiaohua arrived first, the cries of "Rise up!" immediately stopped. Even when Zhang Xiaohua spread his arms in a gesture toward the crowd, no one paid him any heed. By then, Zou Shuming had also arrived. He cupped his hands and bowed to everyone in a circle, saying, "Junior Brothers, I am truly sorry. I have failed your expectations. In this contest of lightness skill, I truly lost to Junior Brother Ren. Please bear witness for this."
Everyone's faces darkened. One disciple standing near Venerable Lei muttered softly, "Great Vajra's lightness skill is the best on Tianmu Peak. Could it be that he reached some agreement with Ren Xiaoyao halfway up the mountain? Was the benefit we offered Great Vajra too little?"
Though his voice was low, it could still be heard clearly on the silent mountain peak. Several people's eyes lit up, clearly sharing the same suspicion. Venerable Lei also nodded slightly and looked toward Zou Shuming. Zou Shuming gave a bitter smile and declared loudly, "I, Zou, swear here that I