Chapter 446: Ancient Zither in Hand, True Colors Revealed, Fangbo

Just as Cai Mengya turned her head to look deep into the White Phoenix Forest, Xia Hong had already grown suspicious. Although he was dealing with that Beast King-level Snow Luan, he had kept a watchful eye on the depths of the forest the entire time.

Therefore, the moment he sensed two Manifestation-level auras moving in the depths, he reacted almost instantly: he had been set up by Cai Mengya.

The true purpose of this woman coming to the White Phoenix Forest was whatever those two Manifestation-level experts in the depths were dealing with. As for him, in her scheme, his main task was to distract this flock of Snow Luans.

Of course, the most important part was that strongest Beast King-level Snow Luan.

If the previous points were still somewhat speculative, the moment he saw Lu Xinghai and Meng Zizhou, Xia Hong's heart was certain.

Lu Xinghai and Meng Zizhou were the two young silver-armored generals holding blades and swords before him; their identities were by no means simple.

First, their background: besides the main family of the Cai Qiu Fangbo, there were six other noble families, among which were the Lu and Meng clans.

Second, their strength and talent: both possessed Manifestation-level strength and were under sixty years old. Never mind Cai Qiu, even across the entire Four Fiefdoms, they were absolutely top-tier geniuses.

Third was their status: Qinghua City had a total army of ten thousand, commanded separately by the City Lord and the Four Commanders. The Four Commanders included these two, Lu and Meng.

Coincidentally, a month ago at the City Lord's banquet, it was these two who had vied with him for favor over Cai Mengya, and eventually led the others in using a goading tactic to force him to agree to accompany Cai Mengya to the White Phoenix Forest.

"This group and Cai Mengya teamed up to put on a play. All that vying for favor earlier was just an act for me to see. The goal was to guide me here to help them attract that Beast King-level Snow Luan..."

From the moment Xia Hong saw the two of them, he understood everything in an instant.

He did not show much surprise on his face. The goading tactic used by Lu, Meng, and the others was not clever; he had seen through it long ago. Going along with it was merely to maintain his persona as a young master from a powerful noble fiefdom.

What he hadn't expected was that this group's scheme had started so early.

It had started back when they were vying for favor...

It was just a pity that the play had flopped now!

"Playing mind games with me?"

The giant rabbit was struck by the Shattering Divine Light, its body freezing in place. Then, like a shattered porcelain vase, it cracked and fell away, leaving only five tails of different colors standing firmly behind it.

In less than three or four breaths, the giant rabbit's body completely fell away and dissipated, and the five tails slowly straightened and contracted, finally erupting with a burst of intense light.

After the intense light dissipated, the giant rabbit's body had completely vanished. In its place remained only a five-stringed ancient zither about two meters long. The five strings attached to it were gold, cyan, blue, red, and yellow, corresponding exactly to the giant rabbit's five tails.

"Move!"

Seeing the ancient zither, Lu Xinghai moved immediately.

Meng Zizhou, hearing this, was naturally unwilling to fall behind.

Both of them ignored Xia Hong in the sky above and reached out directly to snatch the zither.

Crack...

A streak of sword light slashed down directly from above. Lu and Meng had actually sensed it, but they clearly did not understand Xia Hong's strength. After their brows furrowed slightly, they chose to continue their attack.

When the sword light fell, the flesh on their right hands was instantly sliced open, and their cracked bones emitted a simultaneous 'crack'. The overwhelming force caused their bodies to collapse directly in front of the zither, and only then did a trace of terror and shock appear on their faces.

"Daring to snatch things from this Young Master, who lent you the dog guts to do so?"

Xia Hong's body descended suddenly, standing three or four meters above their heads. While asking in a deep voice, he raised the Star-Shattering Sword in his hand and slowly rested it on their necks, the killing intent in his eyes undisguised.

Having likely never experienced such a scene, the two were stunned with fear.

"Brother Hong, Brothers Lu and Meng are both here to help Mengya catch rabbit fur, what are you doing?"

Cai Mengya, arriving late, frowned slightly at the scene before her, but quickly put on an ignorant, innocent look as if she knew nothing.

Xia Hong turned his head to look at Cai Mengya, his expression half-smiling, watching until her expression became somewhat awkward before shifting his gaze to the black-clad old man behind her. After just one glance, he immediately looked away in disdain.

"Since they are here to help you, this Young Master will spare their dog lives!"

Xia Hong responded with a cold laugh. Without exposing Cai Mengya, he put away the Star-Shattering Sword and picked up the five-colored ancient zither from the ground.

Seeing Xia Hong pick up the zither, Cai Mengya's pupils suddenly showed a flash of urgency. She hurried forward two steps, using a voice as sweet and seductive as bone-melting marrow, and pleaded coquettishly to Xia Hong: "Brother Hong, the rabbit-fur beast can no longer be found. Won't you let this ancient zither go to Mengya, please?"

Xia Hong looked back at Cai Mengya, a look of disbelief on his face.

It had reached this point, and she was still acting? Was his playboy persona established too firmly? Or was this woman truly too naive?

In an instant, Xia Hong didn't even have the desire to be angry.

"Hahaha..."

He suddenly laughed a few times, then raised the ancient zither in his hand, looking at Cai Mengya and asking with a teasing tone: "Do you really want it?"

How could Cai Mengya not hear the teasing in Xia Hong's tone? Her originally foxy, charming little expression suddenly stiffened.

"Young Master Hong, my Young Lady once publicly stated that whoever could help her catch the Five-Colored Magic Sound Rabbit would have the qualifications to marry her. Young Master Hong is a descendant of a powerful outer fiefdom, and the Young Lady is also a descendant of the Cai Qiu Fangbo. If you could form a bond today because of this Magic Sound Rabbit, it might well become a beautiful story in the future!"

The black-clad old man behind Cai Mengya finally couldn't stand it anymore. He stood out, cupped his hands, and spoke to Xia Hong, believing himself to be full of good intentions.

After he finished speaking, Cai Mengya also appropriately revealed a shyness unique to a young woman, truly having a bit of that maidenly bashfulness of having her secret exposed.

"Your name is... Bai Jiangyuan, a retainer of the Cai clan. That night at the City Lord's banquet, City Lord Cai seemed to have introduced you to me. I remember correctly, right?"

The black-clad old man, Bai Jiangyuan, immediately nodded with cupped hands. Perhaps because Xia Hong's tone was too calm, it gave him some wrong ideas, and a smile even appeared on his face.

However, the next second, Xia Hong's tone took a sharp turn:

"What kind of thing are you? Daring to recklessly discuss this Young Master's marriage? With this Young Master's strength, status, and position, in your Cai Qiu Fiefdom, who can I not marry, who dares not let me marry? Giving me a qualification to marry you, you really dare to think!"

Xia Hong asked that last sentence while turning his head directly toward Cai Mengya.

Hearing this, the bashful expression on Cai Mengya's face stopped abruptly. She looked up at Xia Hong, her face instantly flushing red. Having never been spoken to like this before, the shame and anger in her heart climbed to the peak. She actually turned her head directly and screamed an order at Bai Jiangyuan beside her: "Kill him, kill him, kill him for this Young Lady! I want him dead, I want him dead..."

True colors revealed, and that's it? ===== CHAPTER 447 =====