Chapter 27: Chapter 27: What a Clichéd Drama

At the skinny man’s words, the sturdy man nodded blankly, then let out a furious roar.

His already burly body instantly grew even taller, his muscles bulging and tightening until he looked like a small giant.

After his transformation, the sturdy man took aim at Jiang Xu’s courtyard gate, gathered strength in his legs, and prepared to charge straight ahead in the next second!

SWISH—!

PFFT—!

"Ah!"

After a faint sound of something tearing through the air, the sound of flesh being pierced and the sturdy man’s pained scream immediately followed!

"An ambush!"

After letting out a shriek, the skinny man instantly released a small shield and held it in front of him.

But it was useless.

SWISH—!

Another bloody hole burst open on the sturdy man’s other leg!

The skinny man panicked and hurriedly moved the shield to cover the sturdy man.

SWISH—!

This time, it was the skinny man’s arm!

"Who is it!"

Enduring the piercing pain, the skinny man was both furious and terrified. He used his Spiritual Eye Technique to frantically scan his surroundings.

But it was as if the attacker didn’t exist; no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find a single clue.

"Run!"

The skinny man pulled two Elixirs from his robes. He swallowed one and fed the other to the sturdy man.

Then, huddling under the small shield, the two of them fled in a panic.

...

The attacker was, of course, Jiang Xu.

He was completely bewildered himself.

The other party was clearly after him, yet without saying a word, they had started trying to tear down his house.

Having been interrupted while Zong Ziqi was clearing up his questions, Jiang Xu was already feeling angry.

On top of that, they had barged in recklessly from the start, even damaging his beloved bamboo grove, which only added fuel to his fire.

And then, they had started trying to wreck his home without another word.

Jiang Xu simply couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t tolerate it!

He attacked directly, and a few blasts of his Small Cotton Needle Technique sent them fleeing with their tails between their legs.

They didn’t even catch a glimpse of Jiang Xu’s shadow.

But after he’d vented his anger, the men had already run off.

’Who the hell were they? I shouldn’t have been so ruthless. I didn’t even get a chance to ask.’

Jiang Xu felt a bit of regret. Not only had he revealed some of his strength, but he also hadn’t managed to find out their objective.

’I absolutely can’t be this impulsive next time!’

Although Jiang Xu hadn’t been able to figure out the exact reason they had come, he could guess a thing or two from the name they had announced at the beginning.

’The Tiger and Wolf Association? I’ve heard there are some small factions in the Outer Sect, but I have no idea what people from the Tiger and Wolf Association would want with me.’

...

"Who was it?"

The skinny man gritted his teeth, stumbling away with the sturdy man in tow.

He didn’t think the attacker was Jiang Xu.

Because he trusted his intel.

Judging by the ambusher’s abilities, even a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage cultivator would find it tricky to handle.

Jiang Xu definitely didn’t possess such a powerful and strange ability.

If he did, he would have made it to the Outer Sect long ago.

As for hiding his strength... the thought had never even crossed his mind.

No one would be that stupid.

At the very least, you’d hide your strength after reaching the Outer Sect. Who would hide their strength for five years as a servant?

As a Servant Disciple, not only was your status lowly and the labor arduous, but the amount of Spirit Stones you could obtain each year was pitifully small.

In the Sect, the strong ruled.

Drastically slowing down your cultivation speed just to hide your strength—no one with a brain would do something like that.

Just as the skinny man was fleeing in panic with the sturdy man, he abruptly spotted Zong Ziqi standing not far away, staring at the two of them curiously.

"Zong... Zong Ziqi!!!"

In that instant, it was as if the skinny man’s brain had been struck by lightning. A series of clues instantly connected!

’How is he here? Ah! So that’s it! So that’s how it is!’

The thoughts in the skinny man’s mind exploded and scattered in all directions.

’So it was Zong Ziqi who attacked! Only an Inner Sect Disciple like him would have such skill!’

But then the skinny man remembered the rumors that Zong Ziqi had lost all his cultivation, and a flicker of doubt appeared.

As for Zong Ziqi, he was just curious about what was happening and had come over to see the commotion.

Seeing the skinny man look his way, he gave a polite smile and mouthed the word ’hello.’

"Holy crap!"

The skinny man’s face went white in an instant.

He saw Zong Ziqi give him a sinister smile and mouth the words ’get lost.’

This scared him out of his wits, and he immediately slapped a Light Body Talisman on himself that he had been reluctant to use just moments before.

’I actually provoked someone from the Inner Sect! It’s over for me! I was just trying to extort a newly-ascended Outer Disciple and get it over with!’

The skinny man lamented inwardly as he continued his escape.

’The Top Ten Inner Disciples are really something else. He’s this powerful even after losing his cultivation... His Elder master must have left him some powerful Magical Artifact or something... But why did I have to provoke such a terrifying person?’

The skinny man reviewed his every move, believing he hadn’t done anything to attract Zong Ziqi’s hostility.

Except... for targeting Jiang Xu.

’Could it be... that Zong Ziqi hasn’t lost heart after coming to the Outer Sect? Is he recruiting followers and expanding his influence, plotting to return to the Inner Sect?!’

The skinny man vaguely felt he had stumbled upon a whiff of conspiracy and couldn’t help but shiver.

’It’s over, it’s over! I’m not going to be silenced, am I?’

...

Zong Ziqi saw that after he smiled at the man, the man fled even faster, as if he had just seen a monster. Zong Ziqi couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.

’I’m not that ugly, am I...? Why did he have such a big reaction?’

After the two troublemakers had left, Jiang Xu came out and walked over to Zong Ziqi’s side, asking:

"Fellow Daoist Zong, do you know what the Tiger and Wolf Association is?"

"The Tiger and Wolf Association?" Zong Ziqi thought for a moment before answering honestly, "I’ve always been in the Inner Sect, so I don’t know."

"Oh, I see," Jiang Xu said, disappointed.

"However, from what I know, there are many small groups formed by disciples in both the Inner and Outer Sects. These groups help each other out and share resources, gradually forming various factions. Perhaps the Tiger and Wolf Association is one such entity."

"But I haven’t provoked them. I just entered the Outer Sect."

Jiang Xu was a little frustrated.

"Factions also need Spirit Stones to operate. The larger ones are usually composed of several Inner Sect Disciples and dozens of Outer Disciples. They have their own stable sources of income to earn Spirit Stones.

The smaller groups are typically just a few Outer Disciples. Perhaps at first, they banded together to avoid being bullied by other disciples. But as their numbers grow, so does their strength.

Once they have the strength to stand above others, human greed and desire will eventually overcome their reason, and they will degenerate into the very people they once despised."

’So it was the classic tale of the dragonslayer becoming the dragon.’

At this point, Jiang Xu finally understood why those two had come.

It was for the twenty Spirit Stones in his pocket.

Sigh~

’Why is everyone after these twenty Spirit Stones?’

’This won’t do. I have to spend them quickly!’