Chapter Ninety-Nine: Arrogant and Overbearing

The black-clad man hesitated slightly. It did seem that way; after all, the matter was indeed inseparable from them. And worse things had already happened.

That brief hesitation gave the answer away. Yue Lingjun suppressed the rage in his chest and demanded, "I do not know how my younger sister offended the Hall of Asura to deserve such treatment."

"The Hall of Asura has no intention of offending the Yue family. This was purely an accident. We will safely bring your young lady back; please do not interfere," the black-clad man said.

"Brother Yue, why waste words with them?" Qiao Zhi idly twirled the jade fan in his hand, his narrow peach-blossom eyes glancing contemptuously at the four men in black. "The Hall of Asura clearly does not want us meddling, but what can be done? We must meddle in this. The culprit is the one they want, but that same person is also the target of a joint death warrant issued by the Yue family, the Yuwen family, the Zhou family, the Hidden Sect, and the imperial house. Or do you think that just one faction of the Hall of Asura can stand against five families joined together?"

Every word Qiao Zhi spoke only made the black-clad man feel more helpless. This Sixth Prince was plainly using his power to bully others. Still, it did buy them time.

"This is our duty. How about this: let us each rely on our own skills, and whoever finds that person first takes him. As for Miss Yue, we will also ensure her safety. What do you all think?"

"Not good at all!" Qiao Zhi gave the man no chance to speak, continuing with arrogant insolence. "This king advises you to withdraw. As for the debt owed for forcing Sister Yue'er off the cliff, once I find her, this king will settle accounts with the Hall of Asura properly."

The four masked men in black were the nineteen, fifty-four, forty-seven, and sixty-nine. They had only meant to stall for time, but Qiao Zhi's words were impossible not to resent. "Your Highness, please show some respect."

"Respect? Then you must first possess something worthy of my respect. You drove a frail woman off a precipice—sorry, but there is truly nothing there worth my respect. I do not think I am the one at fault. Brother Yuwen, tell me, am I not right?"

"Yes." After Yuwen Lingxi coldly uttered that single word, he said no more.

That one word sent an involuntary chill through Nineteen. Compared with the young master’s ruthlessness, the Second Young Master, while playing his role, had always been cold and sparing with words. But once he voiced approval, things would truly become a second young master's style indeed.

And ever since the Second Young Master learned what they had done to the young master, he had never once made life easy for them. Nineteen could not help wondering whether, this time, the Second Young Master would use the chance to teach them a lesson.

A bitterness like gall filled Nineteen's heart.

Yet Fifty-Four on the side still had no grasp of the situation and blurted out angrily, "Why waste so many words with them? The Hall of Asura has never needed to explain its actions."

Nineteen had wanted to say a few more polite words, but then he caught the Ten looming behind Yuwen Lingxi giving him the slightest nod. His gaze sharpened, and he shouted, "Well said! Brothers, attack!"

He was the first to charge into the crowd with his sword, and the other three followed close behind.

Meng Chuchen pulled Yaoyao behind him. Yue Lingjun, Qiao Zhi, and Yuwen Lingxi all stepped back in unison, and the others around them surged forward as well.

The two sides clashed. The Yue side had the advantage in numbers, usually three against one, but the decades of killing experience possessed by Fifty-Four and the others were not to be underestimated. Their moves were vicious and cunning, each strike deadly. For a time, the fight became so tangled that neither side could gain the upper hand.

Yaoyao hid behind Meng Chuchen, peeking out with a little head and wide eyes at the four black-clad men being besieged. Just now, when Qiao Zhi had provoked them, she had kept silent because of her promise to Meng Chuchen, and it had made her itch with impatience. "Senior Brother Chuchen, how can so many people take so long to deal with only four? Why don't you go yourself and just finish them off?"

She had not lowered her voice on purpose, and though the scene was somewhat chaotic, most of those fighting still heard her.

Those words reached the ears of the two shadow guards, carrying an unmistakable implication of their own incompetence, while the rest of them probably did not feel any better at being looked down on by a little girl. In an instant, everyone seemed injected with blood-boosting fire, and their techniques became even sharper.

Nineteen and the others immediately felt some pressure. Fortunately, with the deliberate approach between Nineteen and the Tenth, the two had already exchanged over a hundred moves, and the item had been silently passed along. Nineteen no longer delayed and shouted, "Withdraw!"

After hearing this, Forty-Seven, Sixty-Nine, and Fifty-Four used the earlier plan to launch concealed weapons, seized the opportunity, and fled without the slightest reluctance.

"Do not pursue them!" Yue Lingjun stopped Qingfeng and the others, who were about to give chase.

Yaoyao grew anxious and ran out from behind Meng Chuchen, staring worriedly in the direction the black-clad men had disappeared. Stamping her feet, she cried, "Why not chase them, Brother Jun? If you catch them, you can find Sister Yue'er! Hurry and go after them!"

"Yaoyao!"

Yaoyao stiffened. She lowered her eyes in slow motion, then reluctantly returned to Meng Chuchen's side. Her pair of limpid eyes silently accused him.

Meng Chuchen ignored her completely and, together with Yue Lingjun, fixed his gaze on Yuwen Lingxi. "What you said just now—was it true?"

Yuwen Lingxi nodded expressionlessly, then took a pair of silk gloves from his robe, put them on, bent down, and picked up one of the hidden weapons lying nearby. "The hidden weapons are poisoned."

"What poison?" Qiao Zhi had an almost blind trust in Yuwen Lingxi's medical skill.

"Unknown," came the reply. Even if he knew, it would not be possible to cure it on the spot. "Anyone wounded in the fight must immediately seal their acupoints."

His voice was not loud, but loud enough for everyone to hear. Those who had taken part in the fighting hurried to examine themselves, and any scratch, no matter how small, was dealt with at once according to Yuwen Lingxi's instructions.

"Let's find a place to rest. I need to determine the nature of the poison." The gravity in Yuwen Lingxi's brow forced the others to take the matter seriously.

They soon found a sheltered place suitable for resting, and, unsurprisingly, it was one of the locations calculated by Forty-Two and Forty-Three.

Things went very smoothly. Firewood was gathered and the fire lit, and among the branches were some that Thirteen had tampered with.

Yuwen Lingxi symbolically studied the hidden weapons for a while, then examined the wounds on the injured. Having made his decision, he instructed Muxi to take out several antidote pills for the wounded to swallow. Not long after, the blackened, swollen wounds gradually returned to normal.

"Wow, you're amazing! You're almost as good as Aunt Lan." Yaoyao's eyes sparkled as she leaned toward Yuwen Lingxi with a grin. "Do you have any especially powerful medicine on you? Can you give me some?"

Meng Chuchen's face darkened. Without another word, he pulled Yaoyao back and apologized to Yuwen Lingxi. "Brother Yuwen, please do not mind her."

Then, changing his expression at once, he scolded Yaoyao, "Be honest."

Yuwen Lingxi had long noticed the difference between Yaoyao and Meng Chuchen, and his heart was already secretly overjoyed. He had not expected the Sect Master of the Hidden Sect to be entangled with such a living treasure. The moment this Yaoyao had moved a little closer to him, he had already begun to lose his composure. There was hope.

Yet his expression remained unchanged. He took a porcelain vial from his robe and handed it to Meng Chuchen. "Jade Skin Pills."

Meng Chuchen knew he had seen through his intent just now, but he did not think much of it and accepted them openly before passing them to the already eager Yaoyao.

As the name suggested, Jade Skin Pills were naturally a beauty-preserving and complexion-nourishing medicine. Yaoyao knew this much. Though she felt a trace of regret, the love of beauty was human nature. Soon she swept the dissatisfaction from her heart, eagerly poured out one pill, and tossed it into her mouth.

Before she even had time to chew, the pill melted into a fresh, icy coolness and vanished. Yaoyao's eyes brimmed with delight, and she cherished the jade bottle in her hands all the more.

Qiao Zhi looked at Yaoyao enviously, then turned to Yuwen Lingxi with an expectant face. "Lingxi, no matter what, we've known each other for years. Why are you always so stingy with me?"

"You are already dazzling enough. Using Jade Skin Pills on you would be a waste, unless you truly want people to mistake you for a woman." Yuwen Lingxi could not help saying a few more words. Qiao Zhi was simply too deserving of mockery.

But Qiao Zhi seemed not to hear the sarcasm at all and instead flatteringly said, "Brother Yuwen, you misunderstand me. What use would I have for Jade Skin Pills looking this masculine? If you have any wound medicine or anything else, share some with me. Blood Ginseng Pills would of course be best of all..."