Chapter 56

Among all his abilities, Luo Xiu was most proficient in speed.

Apart from martial artists of the innate realm and above, Luo Xiu was confident that in terms of speed, he was not inferior to any martial artist at the Qi Sea realm.

Therefore, the last young martial artist who was tracking him ultimately could not escape this deserted and dim alley.

His body pressed tightly against the cold wall, the young martial artist's back was drenched in cold sweat. His eyes were filled with terror because the sharp tip of a black war sword was less than half an inch away from his brow.

"You have already killed my two companions. If you want to live, answer my questions!" Luo Xiu's cold, emotionless voice echoed.

The young martial artist nodded frantically, too terrified to speak, fearing that any slow reaction would result in his death at the hands of this ruthless man.

"What is your name? Who ordered you to track me? How are my family members now? Who is the mastermind behind this?..."

Luo Xiu asked one question after another, listing everything he needed to know.

"I am an outer disciple of the Free and Easy Sect, my name is Huo Lin. The two who have already died were my senior brothers, all disciples of the outer sect overseer, Shen Gaojian..."

Huo Lin did not dare to hesitate, spilling out everything he knew.

"I have told you everything I know, please don't kill me..." Huo Lin begged incessantly.

Luo Xiu sheathed his Shadow Sword and said expressionlessly, "I said I wouldn't kill you, so I won't."

As Huo Lin let out a sigh of relief, Luo Xiu suddenly struck out with a palm, hitting his dantian and destroying his cultivation.

Huo Lin's eyes widened, and then he blacked out, falling into unconsciousness.

Having killed two and crippled one, there was no trace of mercy in Luo Xiu's eyes. These people had chosen to target him, and they had to bear the consequences and the price.

"Outer sect overseer Shen Gaojian?"

Luo Xiu frowned. According to the information he had obtained from Huo Lin, Shen Gaojian did not seem to have a good relationship with Zhang Luliang, so it was unlikely that he was acting on Zhang Luliang's orders.

Moreover, Luo Xiu learned that his parents and sister had been taken into custody and were currently imprisoned in the Martial Hall. The former head of the Qingyun Martial Hall had been removed, and Shen Gaojian was now temporarily in charge.

There was no doubt that this was a plot against Luo Xiu, affecting not only his family but also the head of the Qingyun Martial Hall.

"Shen Gaojian, an outer sect overseer, is at least a Seventh Rank Innate Realm expert. With my current strength, trying to rescue them from the Martial Hall would be like a sheep entering the mouth of a tiger."

Luo Xiu forced himself to remain calm to avoid making impulsive moves that could lead to irreversible consequences.

He was certain that the entire Qingyun City was now filled with spies. For the time being, the enemies might not know that he had arrived in Qingyun City through the teleportation array, but the disappearance of Huo Lin and the other two would lead them to deduce that he was already in the city.

Luo Xiu knew that even if he killed Huo Lin and destroyed all evidence, the time left for him was limited.

Taking out the hat he had used during his training on Mount Bifang from his storage ring, Luo Xiu did not head to the Qingyun Martial Hall but returned to the Hunter's Guild in the city.

The Hunter's Guild, the Array Master's Guild, the Blacksmith's Guild, and the Alchemist's Guild were four major forces that held a transcendent status in Yunlong County and even the entire Tianwu Kingdom.

Although the Free and Easy Sect appeared to be above the guilds, this was only because there were no real conflicts of interest between them.

In the outer sect of the Free and Easy Sect, Luo Xiu had heard that the branches of the four major guilds were spread throughout the world. In the Tianwu Kingdom, any city of significant size, and even in other countries outside the Tianwu Kingdom, had the presence of the four major guilds.

In Yunlong County, even the Free and Easy Sect's leader would treat the presidents of the four major guilds with respect.

Fighting and killing were prohibited in the Hunter's Guild, so Luo Xiu came here. As long as he did not step out of the guild hall, no one would dare to lay a hand on him.

...

Qingyun Martial Hall.

Shen Gaojian, one of the outer sect overseers of the Free and Easy Sect, was a towering figure with broad palms and a vicious scar on his left cheek.

Sitting in the seat of the Martial Hall's head, he looked at the two corpses and the unconscious Huo Lin with a grim expression.

"Lord, these three were found in a small alley in the city. Luo Xiu must have returned to Qingyun City."

A man in brocade clothing suddenly spoke. This man was the current head of the Zhang family, Zhang Shaohai.

"He must have used the Hunter's Guild's teleportation array to get here." Shen Gaojian nodded and looked at Zhang Shaohai, saying, "You should lead a team of Blue Armor Guards to wait near the Hunter's Guild. If Luo Xiu appears, kill him on sight!"

"Yes!" Zhang Shaohai responded and went to make the arrangements.

Shen Gaojian took a sip of tea and said, "Get some people to drag these three bodies out and bury them."

Several Blue Armor Guards entered the hall and found that one of them was not a corpse but unconscious.

However, these Blue Armor Guards did not dare to ask questions and carefully followed Shen Gaojian's orders.

A smile appeared on Shen Gaojian's lips. He enjoyed the feeling of others fearing him. This time, with the order from above, even the Qingyun Martial Hall's head, who was more powerful than him, had to hand over the authority.

...

Hunter's Guild.

Wearing the hat, Luo Xiu approached the counter.

The receptionist at the counter was still Jiang Shanshan, known as the most beautiful woman in the Qingyun City branch of the Hunter's Guild.

"Beautiful lady, I want to see Elder Zhuang Nantian," Luo Xiu said solemnly.

There were not many people he knew in Qingyun City. The Qingyun Martial Hall's head had been deposed and was missing. The only person he knew was Elder Zhuang Nantian, who was not only an elder of the Martial Hall but also an elder of the Hunter's Guild branch.

Jiang Shanshan was slightly taken aback but then smiled, "Sir, what is your relationship with Elder Zhuang? I need to know to pass the message."

"I am Elder Zhuang's junior. Just say that Luo Xiu requests an audience."

"Alright, please wait a moment." Jiang Shanshan smiled.

Wait... Luo Xiu? This name seems familiar.

Jiang Shanshan looked at the man with the hat, trying to recall where she had heard the name.

"Beautiful lady, is there a problem?" Luo Xiu asked, wearing the hat, Jiang Shanshan naturally could not recognize him.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I was being rude."

Jiang Shanshan came back to her senses and quickly called someone to handle the reception, then went to inform Elder Zhuang.

"There's a team of Blue Armor Guards outside. I wonder what these guys are doing at the Hunter's Guild."

"I heard that something happened at the Qingyun Martial Hall recently. Who knows what's going on."

"The Hunter's Guild prohibits fighting. Even the head of the Martial Hall wouldn't dare to cause trouble here."

"Hehe, don't underestimate us. Our branch president is said to be a Martial Dao Master!"

Luo Xiu overheard the conversation of a few hunters. The expression under his hat became serious. Clearly, Shen Gaojian already knew he had arrived in Qingyun City.

However, the presence of a Martial Dao Master in the Hunter's Guild was a surprise to Luo Xiu, highlighting the guild's immense power.

A moment later, Jiang Shanshan returned, "Elder Zhuang asked me to bring you to him. Please follow me."

Luo Xiu nodded and followed Jiang Shanshan to a room in the Hunter's Guild.

Pushing the door open, Luo Xiu saw two people in the room. One was Elder Zhuang Nantian, and the other was a surprise—Qingyun Martial Hall's head!

Jiang Shanshan, having completed her task, turned to leave, still wondering why Luo Xiu seemed familiar.

After a while, she suddenly remembered... Him? The young man she once said she would pursue?

In the room,

Luo Xiu took off his hat and bowed, "Greetings, Lord, Elder Zhuang."

Qingyun Martial Hall's head looked at Luo Xiu with a serious expression, "You're in deep trouble, kid!"

"Shen Gaojian arrived in Qingyun City three days ago, holding an order from the outer sect's head. He directly took the authority of the Martial Hall from me and then ordered the arrest of your parents and sister..."

"An order from the outer sect's head, Lu Feichen?" Luo Xiu's mind went blank at this.

"I find it strange too. With Lu Feichen's power, he could have dealt with you within the Free and Easy Sect. Why go through all this trouble?" Qingyun Martial Hall's head frowned.

Luo Xiu did not speak, his mind blank.

He had always suspected Zhang Luliang, but never imagined that the person targeting him would be Lu Feichen!

Recalling how Lu Feichen had given him a storage ring and asked him to stay away from Lu Mengyao, he had refused without hesitation.

The next day, he received a jade phoenix hairpin from his sister, Luo Xiuer.

Seeing Luo Xiu's silence, Qingyun Martial Hall's head and Elder Zhuang Nantian exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

Clearly, there was something they did not know.

Luo Xiu analyzed the situation and was almost certain that since Shen Gaojian held an order from Lu Feichen, the person targeting him must be Lu Feichen.

But what puzzled Luo Xiu was why Lu Feichen would do this. Was it just to keep him away from Lu Mengyao?

As for why Lu Feichen did not act within the Free and Easy Sect, it was likely to keep Lu Mengyao in the dark.

Seemingly a man of integrity, Luo Xiu never imagined that Lu Feichen would be so treacherous!

The immediate priority was to rescue his family!

Luo Xiu looked up at Qingyun Martial Hall's head and Elder Zhuang Nantian, "Please, seniors, help rescue my family."

Qingyun Martial Hall's head looked troubled and sighed, "Luo Xiu, you are a genius from our Qingyun Martial Hall, and I want to help you. But as a member of the Free and Easy Sect, if I help you, I will have no place in Yunlong County."

"If I were alone, it would be one thing, but I have a wife and children living in Yunlong County. I hope you can understand."

Luo Xiu was not surprised by Qingyun Martial Hall's head's response. After all, they were not related, and he had even caused him to lose his authority.

In fact, Qingyun Martial Hall's head not arresting him and claiming credit was already a favor.

Realizing this, Luo Xiu felt a cold sweat on his back. If Qingyun Martial Hall's head had wanted to arrest him, with his near-divine cultivation, Luo Xiu would have walked into a trap.

Thinking of this, Luo Xiu bowed deeply to Qingyun Martial Hall's head.

Qingyun Martial Hall's head sighed and said nothing.

Elder Zhuang Nantian spoke, "I am not a member of the Free and Easy Sect, just a nominal elder of the Qingyun Martial Hall. With my strength, I cannot help you."

Elder Zhuang Nantian shook his head