Chapter 93: The Young Master Did Not Return All Night

“What do we do with him?” Liang Jingtang asked, pointing to Xu Shixiong’s corpse as Xia Daoming put away the box.

“Bury him. Act as if nothing happened!” Xia Daoming replied without hesitation.

“What if the Xu family investigates?” Liang Jingtang asked.

“If the Xu family investigates, they’ll go after the Three Alliance Houses—why would they come after our five master-disciple pair? That would be overestimating us!” Xia Daoming said.

“That’s right! How dense of me! We’re just fifth- or sixth-rank Martial Masters!” Liang Jingtang slapped his forehead.

“Heh, now I finally understand why my younger brother has been hiding his true cultivation level! This is perfect—kill someone, and someone else takes the blame. I’ll master the Art of Concealing My Form too.” Yuchi Xiao said with admiration.

“Why would you master it? If we truly take over Licheng, Daoming will stay behind the scenes directing affairs, while we must stand in his place alongside the Ji family to intimidate all factions and govern Licheng.”

“Besides, you’re only at the sixth-rank realm—what’s the point of concealing your form? Who are you hiding from? Only someone like Daoming needs the Art of Concealing His Form, do you understand?” Liang Jingtang snapped.

Yuchi Xiao lowered his head in silence, swallowing a bitter tear.

Xia Daoming patted Yuchi Xiao’s shoulder sympathetically, then crouched again to search Xu Shixiong’s body.

Unfortunately, he found not even a single silver coin.

“Looks like the Xu family never carries cash—they prefer valuable items!” Xia Daoming said, lifting Xu Shixiong’s corpse to carry it out.

“Younger brother, what are you doing? Let your elder brother handle this—put it down, put it down!” Jiao Yongbao hurried forward, groveling.

“You’re the elder brother, I’m the younger brother—and besides, I killed him, so I should bury him.” Xia Daoming said.

“What elder brother, younger brother? You’re even teaching in the Master’s place! Besides, if you hadn’t killed him last night, we’d be the ones dead!” Jiao Yongbao said.

Xia Daoming was about to offer more polite refusal when Liang Jingtang spoke: “Enough, Daoming. Though you joined later and are technically the junior, you’re truly the one in charge.”

“Don’t just say them—they’re right. Even I must follow your arrangements. In matters like this, don’t be courteous to them.”

“Exactly, exactly!” Jiao Yongbao nodded vigorously, snatched the corpse, and trotted to the front courtyard, grabbed a hoe, dug a hole, and buried the body there.

After burying the corpse, the old mansion fell silent again.

Everyone returned to their rooms and resumed resting, as if nothing had happened.

But in truth, apart from Xia Daoming, who remained calm and merely took out the box to repeatedly examine the fruit, wondering whether to eat it, the others were deeply shaken that night.

Especially Yuchi Xiao and Jiao Yongbao, who had witnessed Xia Daoming kill an eighth-rank for the first time—each time they closed their eyes, they saw the terrifying image of Xia Daoming’s fist crushing Xu Shixiong’s chest, their hearts trembling, blood boiling, unable to calm down.

Damn it, my younger brother (disciple) is too awesome—I can’t fall behind!

While Xia Daoming lay down to sleep, Liang Jingtang and his four disciples stayed awake all night, sitting in meditation.

The next morning.

As Xia Daoming opened his door, he saw Yuchi Xiao and Jiao Yongbao standing before him, beaming with excitement.

“Huh? Elder Brother Yuchi, Elder Brother Jiao—you’ve broken through!” Xia Daoming glanced at them and froze.

“Heh, yes! Last night’s shock pushed me to train all night—I absorbed the second Phoenix Cry Pill’s power and burst through the barrier! I’m now a seventh-rank Great Martial Master—it feels like a dream!” Yuchi Xiao exclaimed, thrilled.

“Same here. Without you, younger brother, I’d still be a fourth-rank Martial Master, never daring to dream of fifth-rank Great Martial Master—now I’ve reached sixth-rank. After some time, when I take the three-hundred-year Phoenix Cry Pill, I might even reach seventh-rank!” Jiao Yongbao was equally excited.

“Heh, congratulations to both of you!” Xia Daoming smiled and bowed, showing no excessive surprise.

Their breakthroughs were within his expectations—just a matter of days earlier or later.

Besides, it’s just sixth- and seventh-rank—nothing compared to a Grandmaster!

“By the way, where are Master and Zhuo Elder Brother?” Xia Daoming looked past them and asked.

“Master and Zhuo Elder Brother had already risen, but seeing our breakthroughs, they went back to their rooms!” Yuchi Xiao replied, feeling a sense of vindication.

Last night, his master had still said he was only sixth-rank!

Now he was seventh-rank—equal to his master!

The Xu family’s back courtyard.

The Xu family’s Patriarch faced Mount Yuncui, slowly practicing his qi and fists.

As he moved, a black-winged tiger appeared over a zhang ahead of him, leaping and darting, stirring the air into turbulent gusts like a hurricane, with faint tiger roars echoing within the wind—awe-inspiring.

Nearby, beneath a lush tree, a bright and lovely young woman stood respectfully, watching the Xu Patriarch with reverence.

“Roar!”

A tiger’s roar echoed through the courtyard.

“Rustle-rustle!”

Branches swayed, leaves fell in a shower.

The black-winged tiger vanished.

“Grandpa is incredible!” The young woman hurried forward with a towel, gently wiping Xu Zhiyuan’s sweat.

Xu Zhiyuan let her wipe him, his gaze sharp as a blade fixed on the courtyard entrance.

A beautiful fifth-rank female Martial Master rushed in.

“Why the haste? What’s wrong?” Xu Zhiyuan frowned slightly, recognizing the girl as Xu Shixiong’s personal attendant.

“Grandfather, the Young Master stayed out all night!” The girl knelt on one knee, speaking carefully.

“Stayed out all night? Did he tell you where he went?” Xu Zhiyuan frowned.

“No, the Young Master has been going out at night lately, always alone, never telling me his destination. But he always returned by the fourth watch—this is the first time he stayed out all night. I’m worried something might have…” The girl’s face showed faint concern.

“No need to worry. With your Young Master’s current strength, only I could stop him. Perhaps he was delayed by something else—stay calm. Go now.” Xu Zhiyuan waved his hand.

“Yes! Your servant takes leave!” The girl finally relaxed and withdrew.

After she left, Xu Zhiyuan put the matter out of his mind.

He knew his grandson had been killing frequently lately to prepare for consuming the fruit—his spiritual state and cultivation were nearly ripe for it.

In Licheng, no eighth-rank Great Martial Master could match him.

Only a coordinated ambush by four or five eighth-rank Great Martial Masters could hold him.

But Xu Shixiong killed randomly—no one, not even himself, knew his next target.

The Three Alliance Houses could never precisely mobilize four or five eighth-rank Great Martial Masters to ambush him.

PS: Whether we make it to Sanjiang depends on these two days—friends, please keep reading today and tomorrow, don’t save it up. Thank you so much. Another chapter will come around noon.