Chapter 498: Slaughter

The fair-skinned man held a whip and lashed it against the people present.

Everyone dared to be angry but dared not speak, yet in the end, no one made a sound.

After everyone except Lin Chao had received a lash, Zhuge Qingxia wore her signature smile: "If you provoke me next time, it won't be so easy to get away."

After Zhuge Qingxia finished speaking, she left, and even gave Lin Chao a wink.

Seeing this, the gazes of everyone present toward Lin Chao became different.

In the middle of the night, Lin Chao and the others received notification from the Qingxu Sect that the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang had indeed arrived at the Qingxu Sect.

However, what puzzled the people of the Qingxu Sect was that Zhu Xiang had not done anything major.

Some speculated that Zhu Xiang was coming more often to lower people's vigilance, and then succeed in one go.

Regarding these things, Lin Chao did not care much; what he found puzzling was Zhuge Qingxia's attitude toward him, which was intriguing.

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon.

"What is the reason for this?"

Because he is handsome?

Lin Chao would not believe such a low-level reason.

Over the next few days, Lin Chao, as usual, guarded Zhuge Qingxia's safety on time together with Wang Zhi and the fair-skinned man and others.

The attitudes of the fair-skinned man, Wang Zhi, and the burly woman toward Lin Chao were not as enthusiastic as before.

This situation was within Lin Chao's expectations.

The only thing that surprised Lin Chao was that during these days, Zhuge Qingxia had also become more enthusiastic toward him.

Several times, even though it was not the squad Lin Chao belonged to that was guarding Zhuge Qingxia, Zhuge Qingxia picked Lin Chao out and had him join the guarding squad as well.

Lin Chao, who originally guarded once every three days, ended up guarding about every two days.

However, the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang never came again, and Zhuge Qingxia's safety had always been fine.

Lin Chao and the others guarding Zhuge Qingxia never relaxed their vigilance.

After all, the conditions offered by the Fifth Elder Zhuge Liu were too generous.

Whether it was silver or the quota, they were all very much in need.

Half a month passed in a flash.

Zhuge Qingxia had a smile in her eyes: "Xia Yang, tomorrow I am going out for an outing with Junior Brother Hua Wuxing, you come along too."

Tomorrow was not the day for the squad Lin Chao belonged to to guard.

But since Zhuge Qingxia proposed that Lin Chao join, Lin Chao could not refuse.

Moreover, such proposals had become customary for the official disciples present; after all, a few days ago, Zhuge Qingxia had already made an exception for Lin Chao to guard her.

Their gazes toward Lin Chao were somewhat envious.

Lin Chao's gaze, however, fluctuated slightly.

He thought of many things.

Could it be that because he offended Hua Wuxing, Zhuge Qingxia was doing this to lower his vigilance and then hand him over to Hua Wuxing to deal with tomorrow?

He guessed this, but then felt it was not right.

Back in his room, Lin Chao increasingly felt that tomorrow's outing might not be simple and that accidents would occur.

He thought for a moment and prepared a small bag of Lime Powder and a small bottle of chili water, just in case.

With these two things, plus Lin Chao's powerful combat skills.

He felt that as long as he did not encounter a siege by many people or a Martial Arts expert, he could retreat unscathed.

"Still too weak," Lin Chao sighed.

Although he had the talent of Natural Point Addition, he was still a long way from having true self-preservation ability.

"This world is very vast."

Lin Chao recalled the enrollment standards of the Academy.

To step into the Golden Core realm before the age of twenty.

This was extremely terrifying.

He was currently only at Foundation Establishment, and the Golden Core was still a long way off.

"Work hard to cultivate, step into the Golden Core, and see the geniuses of this world," Lin Chao thought to himself.

The next day at dawn, a faint light squeezed out from the clouds on the horizon, and the entire Qingxu Sect became lively.

Lin Chao stood with four official disciples, following behind Zhuge Qingxia.

These four official disciples were clearly keeping a distance from Lin Chao.

Lin Chao did not care about these things.

A quarter of an hour later, the group arrived in front of a stream.

Zhuge Qingxia was dressed in green, looking exceptionally moving.

"Junior Brother Hua, you have finally come." Zhuge Qingxia stood up and looked toward the northeast.

From the northeast, a young man arrived.

He had a tall and straight figure, a cold temperament, and a faint sense of detachment in his eyes.

He swept a glance at Lin Chao and the others, his gaze devoid of any emotional color.

Only when it landed on Zhuge Qingxia did it carry a hint of tenderness.

"Since Senior Sister invited me, how could I, Hua, not come?"

Zhuge Qingxia smiled, stepped forward to take Hua Wuxing's arm, and the two chatted and laughed.

Lin Chao and the others followed behind, keeping a certain distance.

Lin Chao was also looking around, searching for the figure of the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang.

For some reason, he had a premonition that the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang would appear this time.

Time slipped away in the snap of a finger; it was already past noon.

Hua Wuxing showed off his skills, caught a rabbit, and was sweetly roasting and eating it with Zhuge Qingxia.

Lin Chao took out a hard, dry biscuit, put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and occasionally took a sip of water from his waterskin.

After all, the biscuit was dry and hard, and the taste was very poor.

The other four people sat in a circle, excluding Lin Chao.

These words fell into Lin Chao's ears, but Lin Chao did not care.

The group was eating their dry rations quickly.

At this moment, Zhuge Qingxia's gaze turned toward Lin Chao, and she shouted toward him while holding a large piece of meat in her hand.

"Xia Yang, you've been rushing about all day, you must be tired; eat some meat to nourish your body."

Zhuge Qingxia threw the meat to Lin Chao.

Lin Chao hurriedly said, "Many thanks, Senior Sister."

The other four were eating, and seeing this scene, they whispered something to each other.

"Green-haired turtle."

"Soft-rice eater."

Lin Chao heard these words but did not take them to heart.

If there is a grudge, settle the grudge; how can verbal attacks compare to physical ones?

He held the rabbit meat in his hand without eating it, lost in thought.

Only then did Hua Wuxing glance at Lin Chao and say softly, "He is Xia Yang?"

"Senior Brother Hua, I heard he offended you, so I specifically brought him here," Zhuge Qingxia said with tender affection on her face. "Does Senior Brother want me to call him over and teach him a lesson?"

Hearing this, Hua Wuxing shook his head and said, "Many thanks for your kind intentions, Senior Sister, but why should such a trivial matter trouble you?

Once I leave the Qingxu Sect, I will handle it myself."

Lin Chao had ruined Hua Wuxing's affairs, and given Hua Wuxing's temperament, he had to retaliate.

However, he was plotting for a spot at the Academy, so he had to be careful in every move he made.

There was really no need to retaliate against a formal disciple at this time.

"Junior Brother, I know what you are worried about.

Rest assured, Senior Sister will do it in her own name; it will not implicate you," Zhuge Qingxia said, a hint of coldness emerging in her eyes.

"Xia Yang, come here," Zhuge Qingxia shouted loudly.

Lin Chao was slightly stunned, then quickly hurried over.

"Senior Sister, what is it?"

"Did you eat the rabbit meat?" Zhuge Qingxia sat there without looking up at Lin Chao.

"I did," Lin Chao replied.

Zhuge Qingxia suddenly stood up, holding a thin twig in her hand.

Slap!

The twig lashed against Lin Chao's body.

Lin Chao did not dodge and remained motionless.

"So you are the one who ruined Junior Brother Hua Wuxing's good deed?" Zhuge Qingxia looked at Lin Chao with a sneer in her eyes.

"I did not," Lin Chao's gaze was very calm.

"You did not?" Seeing Lin Chao's expression, Zhuge Qingxia was even more furious. She hated this kind of look. She picked up the twig, prepared to lash Lin Chao again, but ultimately put it down. "I want to eat fish; go down and catch a few, and be quick about it. Don't keep Junior Brother Hua waiting."

"As you command."

After Lin Chao finished speaking, he went to the river to catch fish.

In fact, he had been in a state of watching a show the entire time.

Seeing Lin Chao enter the icy river water to catch fish, the four formal disciples who had scolded Lin Chao earlier were even more smug.

"Is this Xia Yang getting his retribution?"

"He doesn't even look in a mirror; would Senior Sister Zhuge Qingxia really take a fancy to him?"

"He's just a pretty boy with poor talent; does he really think Senior Sister Qingxia likes him?"

These four gloated.

The burly man who had previously called Lin Chao a green-haired turtle stood up at this time and walked toward the forest behind them, intending to relieve himself.

Lin Chao stood in the river, the early spring water biting and cold.

Staying in the river for too long would make one sick.

As Lin Chao caught fish, he occasionally heard Zhuge Qingxia's mocking voice from the bank: "Why has it been so long and you still haven't caught any fish? What a piece of trash."

As Zhuge Qingxia spoke, she even threw stones into the river.

The river water splashed, soaking Lin Chao's clothes and hair.

Zhuge Qingxia and Hua Wuxing chatted and laughed: "Junior Brother, he won't be getting on shore today. With his thin, weak frame, he will definitely fall deathly ill."

Hua Wuxing nodded in satisfaction.

In truth, he was not satisfied with this level of punishment.

Suddenly, Hua Wuxing frowned; he sensed a dangerous aura.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

From within the woods, several cold arrows suddenly flew out, shooting toward the group.

The burly man who had previously gone into the woods to relieve himself was struck by an arrow in the throat.

He clutched his neck and roared madly, but unfortunately, his windpipe had been pierced, and he could only emit a wheezing sound.

In the end, his massive body fell to the ground.

The remaining three people saw this scene, their expressions shaken.

"Flower... Flower Bandit?"

Just then, a man with a ferocious expression walked out from the woods.

The remaining three disciples stood guard in front of Zhuge Qingxia, their faces wearing grave expressions.

The Flower Bandit held a crossbow and looked at the group: "Zhuge Qingxia, let's see where you can run this time?"

He held a bow and arrow, facing five people alone, without any sign of fear.

Hua Wuxing's expression was extremely ugly.

"Where did you get that crossbow?"

Crossbows are contraband; ordinary people cannot obtain them at all.

If the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang were alone, they believed that if they joined forces, the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang would be nothing.

However, Zhu Xiang had a crossbow, so they were in danger.

The Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang could shoot them to death one arrow at a time.

The Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang drew the bow.

Swish!

Another disciple was shot dead.

With such a great killing weapon as a crossbow, and being a Seventh Grade martial artist, the Qingxu Sect had no way to deal with him, except for those few powerful martial artists and the Sect Master.

This kind of crossbow was not homemade by civilians, but a controlled item of the imperial court, with immense power.

"Don't resist anymore, you all must die."

Zhu Xiang held the crossbow and fired continuously.

Soon, those four pitiful disciples were all shot dead.

And Lin Chao, because he was in the river, was spared.

"Zhuge Qingxia, look, the people protecting you are all dead.

I said I would pluck you within a month, so I will pluck you." Zhu Xiang looked at Zhuge Qingxia, his eyes full of greed.

At this moment, Lin Chao had already climbed ashore; he was soaking wet, and his face was somewhat pale.

Zhuge Qingxia looked terrified as she looked at Hua Wuxing: "Junior Brother, what should we do?"

Hua Wuxing was also feeling restless inside, and immensely terrified.

He looked at the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang and gritted his teeth: "Zhu Xiang, I will give you three hundred taels of silver, let today's matter end here, how about that?"

The Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang laughed loudly: "As expected of a seed of the Academy, you certainly have plenty of money."

When Hua Wuxing heard this, his expression changed abruptly: "How do you know I obtained a spot at the Academy?"

He, Hua Wuxing, was considered a person of status in the Qingxu Sect.

But how would Zhu Xiang, this flower-plucking thief, know him, or know that he was an Academy seed?

A sinister premonition suddenly arose in his heart.

Puchi!

A dagger pierced into Hua Wuxing's waist from behind.

Zhuge Qingxia shed her previous fear, a sinister smile on her face: "Junior Brother, walk slowly."

It was indeed she who had stabbed Hua Wuxing.

"Why... why?" Hua Wuxing could not understand it at all.

"Who told you to steal my spot at the Academy?" Zhuge Qingxia had a fierce expression on her face; she pulled out the dagger in her hand and thrust it back in, stabbing Hua Wuxing twice.

Hua Wuxing's body then fell to the ground, dead as could be.

Zhuge Qingxia glanced behind her, and when she saw Lin Chao sleeping on the ground, her gaze was calm.

That rabbit meat had long since been drugged by her.

It was only natural that Lin Chao was now in a deep sleep.

The Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang walked up to Zhuge Qingxia, a burning expression on his face: "Your heart is truly cruel."

As he spoke, he prepared to tear apart Zhuge Qingxia's goose-yellow long dress.

"Don't tear it, you will ruin my purity." Zhuge Qingxia refused, while untying her own long dress.

A burning light flashed in Zhu Xiang's eyes; such an environment seemed to stimulate him even more.

However, he looked at the sleeping Lin Chao, a flash of killing intent in his eyes: "He..."

"He has already been drugged, he cannot be killed now." Zhuge Qingxia wrapped her legs around him, her fingernails scratching the skin on Zhu Xiang's back, leaving several bloody marks.

Zhu Xiang felt the pain, but felt even more stimulated: "You woman are quite wild."

"There's even wilder, isn't there?" A charming expression appeared in Zhuge Qingxia's eyes.

She kept observing Zhu Xiang's reactions, continuing her rapid movements.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhuge Qingxia suddenly smiled: "Zhu Xiang, it's your lucky day."

She pushed Zhu Xiang away with force.

And at this moment, Zhu Xiang's state was extremely wrong, as if he had been poisoned; he could not move at all.

"When did you poison me?"

"Guess?"

"Why?" Zhu Xiang widened his eyes.

Zhuge Qingxia looked at the unconscious Lin Chao, then spoke slowly.

"The disciple Xia Yang held a grudge against Hua Wuxing and harbored resentment.

Thus, Xia Yang colluded with the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang.

He helped the Flower Bandit leak Zhuge Qingxia's whereabouts.

The Flower Bandit helped him Slay Hua Wuxing.

This outcome... isn't it better?"

Zhuge Qingxia looked at the corpses present, a look of triumph appearing in her eyes.

"A bunch of stupid, stinking men; by employing just a few methods, they were played in the palm of my hand."

As for the previous threats made by the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang, that was also part of Zhuge Qingxia's scheme.

She had long since colluded with the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang.

If she hadn't provided the whereabouts of some of her close female friends, it would have been impossible for the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang to pluck flowers so easily.

(End of this chapter)