Chapter 30: No Grudge, No Hatred—Where Does the Malice Come From?

A foul wind rushed toward his face, carrying a nauseating stench—the smell of rotting meat mixed with decaying wood.

The fierce wind stirred up by Fang Guiqi scraped against his face, sharp as a knife cut.

Zhou You knew he was in a life-or-death crisis.

As Fang Guiqi's roommate, he would inevitably be implicated later; he had to prove his innocence in public.

Therefore, while other Apprentices could retreat and scramble to save their lives, he alone could not.

On the contrary, Zhou You had to risk his life to stop Fang Guiqi.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo."

Zhou You breathed heavily, having no time to think of anything else, as the strength in his whole body coiled into one.

Aowu—a wild wind whipped up from the flat ground, and mottled light and shadow resembling a tiger's silhouette rose from beneath his feet.

Zhou You leaped up from the ground, and amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he met Fang Guiqi head-on.

"Strength."

Lu Qiang was sprinting over, and his eyelids twitched twice at the sight.

How could he not see that the astonishing power erupting from this move of Zhou You's was clearly the successful cultivation of Strength.

He remembered this child—the one who liked to practice the Imperial Strike Hands and the Square-Circle Step—how had he succeeded so quietly?

No sooner said than done!

As Zhou You's fists collided with Fang Guiqi's body, he felt the hair all over his body stand on end, and the mountain-toppling, sea-draining force pressed down, making his joints creak.

The ferocious, twisted face was close at hand, and every breath was filled with a thick, fishy stench.

It was not only not a living person, but not even a living creature of flesh and blood.

"Black Tiger Steals the Heart."

Zhou You erupted with his peak state of 20 attribute points, and a punch gathering power, speed, and defense slammed into Fang Guiqi's chest.

The two figures entangled in mid-air separated instantly.

Fang Guiqi's plan to rush out of the crowd failed; he was beaten back to the center of the field by Zhou You's desperate strike and rolled on the ground several times.

And Zhou You?

As his fist hit Fang Guiqi, he felt a few drops of slippery, icy liquid splash onto his face, just like water spray kicked up when pebbles fall into a pool.

The coldness that followed immediately swept through his entire body, leaving him unable to move.

"Just the lowliest Void Phantom, yet you dare to sneak into my Jian Xiong Martial Hall. You are courting death."

Iron-gray patterns shimmered over Lu Qiang's body as he grabbed Fang Guiqi and tore him in two.

A gust of wind blew away the thick stench, the corpse fell to the ground like an ordinary object, and black liquid flowed wantonly.

Inside the Outer Courtyard, a deathly silence fell; no one dared to move, and no one dared to speak.

The Hall Master Wang Jianxiong coughed, breaking the stillness, and pointing at Zhou You, he asked, "This child risked his life to stop the Void Phantom; what is his name?"

"Replying to Master, his name is Zhou You; he is a youth from the city who recently joined the sect."

Lu Qiang paused while answering and explained, "Perhaps he just finished cultivating Strength and hasn't had time to apply for a promotion to full Disciple."

Suddenly, a young Disciple behind Wang Jianxiong spoke up.

"Master, I heard that Zhou You lived in the same room as the Void Phantom disguised as Fang Guiqi; he cannot be cleared of suspicion."

"It would be better to throw him into the backyard dungeon."

Hearing this, Zhou You's heart sank; the worst-case scenario had happened.

In the Jian Xiong Martial Hall, the Hall Master was supreme and held the power of life and death over Apprentices like them.

Once Wang Jianxiong grew suspicious and locked him in the dungeon, he feared he would never see the light of day again for the rest of his life.

His parents were honest, simple folk; how could they possibly save him?

"Master, I do not agree with Zhong Shaoying's view."

The one who raised the objection was a humble gentleman; Zhou You recognized him as the Senior Brother Shen who distributed four sets of clothing to every Apprentice.

At the same time, this Senior Brother Shen was also the young master of Zhou Laodie's trading firm.

"Zhou You joined the martial hall later; before him, there were other Apprentices in Fang Guiqi's room, and nothing unusual happened."

"Void Phantoms are cunning and hypocritical; they would never reveal their flaws when sneaking into the martial hall disguised, so even living in the same room, it would be impossible to discover them."

"I see that Zhou You is courageous and has cultivated Strength; he is a talent."

From the moment Senior Brother Shen spoke, Zhou You knew he had hope.

Sure enough...

Lu Qiang called for several Apprentices to leave the martial hall and head to various places to gather information, and after a while, reports came in one after another.

"Master, the family of Fang Guiqi's brother-in-law has been dead for a long time; the cause of death was having their internal organs and bone marrow hollowed out."

Hearing this, the crowd was in an uproar; it was too brutal—not only did it disguise its identity, but it didn't even spare the original owner's relatives.

Wang Jianxiong was noncommittal, "A typical trick of phantom creatures; nothing strange."

"Song Fugui, Liu Bing, and..."

Zhou You's heart stirred; these were all his former roommates, and they had actually been investigated too.

Lu Qiang explained that these people were currently fine, and their families were safe and sound.

"Zhou You's parents are alive and well, and there is nothing amiss."

Zhou You's heart stirred; they had even checked his home—this Big Senior Brother was truly meticulous.

According to the investigation results, Zhou You's suspicion was greatly reduced.

It was that Zhong Shaoying who raised an objection again, "Don't you find it suspicious, sir?"

"Fang Guiqi applied for a promotion to full Disciple, and then Zhou You exposed that he had cultivated Strength; this is too much of a coincidence."

"There must be a connection between the two."

Zhou You looked at Zhong Shaoying; he could be certain that before today, he had never seen this person.

Why did the other party have such great malice, targeting him at every turn?

Every word and sentence from Zhong Shaoying was a lethal accusation; once confirmed, Zhou You would surely be smashed to pieces.

At the critical moment, Senior Brother Shen spoke up, "Master, it is merely a coincidence."

"Zhou You has been initiated for over two months; it is normal to have cultivated force by this time."

"You personally said that the force disguised by a Void Phantom is different from that produced by a normal person."

Wang Jianxiong coughed twice, "Sijing is right."

So, Senior Brother Shen's full name was Shen Sijing.

He swept a glance at Zhou You, "I just checked; his force is pure and flawless, a skill only possessed upon entering the path of the Tiger Subduing Fist."

Finally, Lu Qiang stood out to speak a fair word.

"Master, the Void Phantom feared exposing its identity, so it always kept to itself in the Outer Courtyard and never grew close to anyone."

"This child Zhou You also practices diligently and has had no dealings with him; everyone saw it just now, he truly risked his life to block the Void Phantom."

Wang Jianxiong nodded, hammering out the final conclusion for the incident.

"Correct, all of you listen well: Fang Guiqi was a Void Phantom in disguise, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

"Practice with peace of mind as usual, and do not go out spreading rumors."

"Also..."

Wang Jianxiong looked at Zhou You, "He was just injured by the Void Phantom and may have lingering complications; bestow upon him half a Monarch Life-Exchange Pill."

"Master, he is merely an Apprentice, how is he worthy of enjoying a spiritual pill?"

It was Zhong Shaoying who spoke up to dissuade him.

Wang Jianxiong waved his hand, signaling him not to say any more.

"Respectfully send off Master."

Amidst the longing gazes of the group of Apprentices, Wang Jianxiong returned to the Inner Courtyard with his trusted Disciples.

"A few of you come over, help Zhou You back to his room."

Lu Qiang took a medicine bottle from his bosom, used his fingernail to split half a pill, and stuffed it into Zhou You's mouth.

"You have gained a blessing from misfortune; a grand stroke of luck has fallen upon your head."

"The Monarch Life-Exchange Pill is a privilege only Inner Court Disciples possess."

After entering his mouth, the pill turned into a torrent of heat, scouring his limbs and bones.

Zhou You's fingers, which had been numb and stiff, inadvertently twitched twice, and two thoughts emerged in his heart.

The first was that he had finally survived.

The second was, Zhong Shaoying, I am not finished with you!