Chapter 27

Zhang Xu has been expelled from the Martial Arts Hall?!

This news struck every disciple's heart like a thunderbolt from the nine heavens.

Zhang Xu, who came from wealth, had superior bone structure, was always arrogant in the inner courtyard, and was regarded as a core disciple...

Had been personally announced by the Liu Liu Guan Zhu to be cast out of the sect! Permanently removed from the roster! And even to be carved onto the pillar of shame!

After a brief moment of shock and deathly silence, with a 'bang', a huge uproar and discussion erupted like a volcano.

"Hiss... Zhang Zhang Shixiong Zhang Xu has been permanently cast out of the sect..."

"Heavens! What exactly did Zhang Xu do? The Liu Liu Guan Zhu spoke so severely!"

"The Liu Liu Guan Zhu has great courage! Not even giving the Zhang family any face!"

"That is truly a total loss of reputation!"

Shock, horror, speculation, excitement, and awe—all kinds of emotions surged wildly in the crowd.

Everyone realized that this was by no means a simple punishment.

It was the most severe ruling by Liu Liu Guan Zhu Liu Qingshi, representing the Martial Arts Hall's attitude toward this matter, and it meant a complete falling out with the influential Zhang family.

Among the inner courtyard disciples, those who were on good terms with Zhang Xu had ugly expressions and shifty eyes.

While those who had long been dissatisfied with him could not hide their satisfaction.

The Martial Arts Hall's senior brother, Zhao Gang, stood at the very front of the disciples, his thick brows locked, his square face full of solemnity and deep thought.

He looked at his master's back on the stage, which was as solemn as a mountain, his heart rising and falling with waves:

"What kind of heinous crime did that bastard Zhang Xu commit? To actually lead Master to not hesitate to break completely with the Zhang family and use such thunderous means."

"Master has always valued affection and old ties; if it hadn't touched his reverse scale, he would never have done this..."

He faintly felt that behind this matter, there was likely a raging storm far beyond what was visible on the surface.

Liu Yiyi and Su Yan stood side by side in the front row of the female disciples, having long known the outcome.

Both had expressions as calm as water, as if the surrounding clamor had nothing to do with them.

However, the person with the most spectacular and ugliest expression in the whole venue, besides Zhang Xu's two lackeys who looked like they were mourning their parents and wanted to dig a hole to hide in, was Hu Tian, who stood slightly behind the crowd, his face turning from green to white.

"Ho... how could this be..."

Hu Tian felt as if he had been doused from head to toe with a bucket of ice water; he froze in place, his brain buzzing and blank.

He had only helped Zhang Xu bridge the connection last night, taking Liu Yiyi and Su Yan to the banquet.

How could Zhang Xu be expelled from the Martial Arts Hall today...

"Could it be… could it be that Zhang Zhang Shixiong Zhang Xu and the two senior sisters… talked… talked and it fell through? And a conflict arose?"

He swallowed hard, his throat dry and tight, trying to find a reasonable explanation for this earth-shattering change.

"But… even if it fell through and an argument broke out, it shouldn't have reached the point of being expelled from the sect and carved onto the pillar of shame! Just how big of a disaster must this have been?!"

A chill quietly climbed up his spine.

He suddenly remembered that when he stepped into the Martial Arts Hall this morning, he had faintly felt two cold gazes fall upon him, but at the time he thought it was an illusion.

At this moment, trembling with fear, he very subtly lifted his eyelids and cast a quick glance in the direction of Liu Yiyi and Su Yan.

He happened to meet the lingering gaze that Liu Yiyi had swept over unintentionally as she turned her eyes.

That gaze was as clear as ice, containing not a trace of warmth, and even carried a hint of imperceptible… disgust and killing intent?

Hu Tian's heart sank violently, as if falling into a ten-thousand-foot ice cellar.

"It's over… I have truly offended these two senior sisters to death!"

Panic, like countless cold vines, instantly tightened around his heart, making him almost unable to breathe.

Only then did he realize, belatedly, that the events of last night were likely not as simple as Zhang Xu had said.

"What am I going to do now."

Hu Tian's heart was in chaos.

Having offended Liu Yiyi and Su Yan, could he still stay in the Martial Arts Hall?

The night grew darker, and the time soon approached closing.

The first person to leave the Martial Arts Hall today was not an outer courtyard disciple, but Hu Tian.

He had spent the whole day in panic, and as soon as the hall closed, he couldn't wait to slip away.

Jiang Ye watched his back as he fled, his eyes narrowing slightly, not knowing what he was thinking.

The disciples left one after another, and the courtyard returned to silence.

Boom.

A soft sound.

After the last disciple stepped over the threshold, Jiang Ye slowly rose and slowly closed the two heavy black-lacquered gates.

Jiang Ye returned to the gatehouse as usual and changed into a set of old, inconspicuous gray-brown clothes.

He stood silently in the room, his intent sinking slightly, and the true intent of the Spirit Ape's thousand changes in his sea of consciousness flowed out like mercury.

Within his body, two hundred and six bones and countless tendons and fascia emitted a very slight, yet dense, pattering sound like raindrops.

A moment later, standing in the room was no longer the decrepit gatekeeping old man Jiang Ye, but an old man with a thin, tall build, a strange face, and ordinary clothes, who would be hard to identify if thrown into a crowd.

He walked to the blurry bronze mirror in the corner, examined the completely strange reflection in the mirror, and nodded slightly.

"Hmm, this appearance makes it convenient to act."

Confirming the disguise was correct, he reached into his bosom and touched the five thousand taels of silver notes hidden close to his body.

Then, without further delay, Jiang Ye left the Martial Arts Hall silently, like a spirit deer blending into the night.

Anxi County, east of the city.

Jiang Ye stopped in front of a shop.

The shop front was wide, with two imposing lanterns hanging under the eaves, illuminating the plaque with gold characters on a black background—Bao Yao Tang.

The three large characters were written with iron strokes and silver hooks, vigorous and powerful, revealing a foundation that could not be underestimated.

He had once heard Liu Qingshi mention casually that this Bao Yao Tang was the premier pharmacy in Anxi County, not only having a complete range of medicinal materials but also selling high-quality finished pills; its owner behind the scenes had great energy and even had connections in the prefecture city.

Jiang Ye stepped slowly into the pharmacy; the shop was brightly lit, with a wide layout, and rows of tall ebony medicine cabinets exuded a calm luster, while the air was filled with a complex fragrance of mixed medicinal materials that calmed the mind.

Behind the counter, several clerks were methodically handling medicinal materials or wiping utensils.

A middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a dark cyan silk shirt, with a fair face and sharp, lively eyes, saw a customer enter and immediately put down the account book in his hand, coming forward with a beaming smile.

His gaze swept over Jiang Ye; although he saw his plain clothing, the restrained, steady aura and straight back made his heart stir slightly, and his attitude became even more polite.

"Old sir, welcome to Bao Yao Tang. I am Cui Yang, the manager here. I wonder what you need? Whatever this hall has, I will certainly satisfy you."

Cui Yang bowed with cupped hands, his tone warm but not fawning.

Jiang Ye nodded slightly, getting straight to the point, his voice calm and waveless: "I want to buy Blood-Replenishing Pills."

"Blood-Replenishing Pills?" Cui Yang's smile remained unchanged, and he immediately replied: "Yes, yes, our hall's Blood-Replenishing Pills are made with solid ingredients and refined well, and their medicinal effect is a notch stronger than ordinary goods. It's just that the price..."

He paused slightly and extended two fingers: "It is now twenty-one taels of silver per bottle. How many do you need, old sir?"

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ye's brows furrowed slightly, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes, "Aren't Blood-Replenishing Pills twenty taels a bottle? Why has the price gone up? Don't try to cheat me, an old man who doesn't get out much, by raising the price on the spot!"

Having been in the Martial Arts Hall for so many years, he naturally knew the price of Blood-Replenishing Pills; they were basically twenty taels a bottle, and there was rarely any fluctuation.

"Oh my, old sir, you are truly wronging me!"

Cui Yang hurriedly cupped his hands, a bitter smile piling up on his face, his body leaning forward slightly, lowering his voice, and explaining with a bit of helplessness and caution:

"It is not that I want to raise the price; it is truly that… the situation is somewhat turbulent, and costs have soared. You must have heard, the neighboring Lushan County… is not peaceful, and they have closed the city due to internal strife!"

"With the city closed, the sources of many medicinal materials have been affected, and prices have skyrocketed."

"We are forced to raise the price of pills."

Hearing this, Jiang Ye's expression changed slightly.

Lushan County was right next door, not far from Anxi County.

To think there was internal strife and the city was closed...

Wouldn't it be only a matter of time before Anxi County was affected?

Thinking back to the increasing number of refugees in the city.

Jiang Ye had a premonition in his heart.

Great chaos is coming!