Chapter 419: 393 Protector

Protector Wu?!

Although Jingzhe Villa is the master of the Five Poisons Society, it stands above the Five Poisons Society organization with a detached posture and does not have many personnel of its own; the strongest people here, besides the Manor Master, are the eight Protectors under his direct command.

These eight people are all powerful Loose Practitioners. Although they are not yet Martial Venerables who have condensed the Heavenly Gang, they are enough to dominate a region in the pugilistic world, and their strength is even greater than that of leaders of branch halls like Black Widow and her group.

Among these eight Protectors, Tang Zhao saw four when he first went up the mountain; now one is dead and three remain, while four others have been guarding various directions of the villa, hidden and not appearing. It is said that these four hidden Protectors are even stronger than the other three, excluding Mi Hufa.

Now, one of these "hidden" Protectors, Protector Wu, lies in the dark, dense forest, dead in a way too horrible to look at.

Of course, this "too horrible to look at" might have been caused by Meng Huazhou's thunder blast.

Seeing that the one who died was his own man, Meng Huazhou's hair stood on end; his long sword left its scabbard, and a bright, incomparable Sword Light exploded and rose upward. This was a Sword Art called "Sword Light Flicker," which erupts with powerful brightness and is used specifically for illumination.

The Sword Light was like a giant lamp, burning long and unceasingly, illuminating the surroundings clearly.

The forest was covered in severed limbs and scorch marks, all traces left by the Spring Thunder just now; apart from that, only under the tree struck by lightning could one faintly see sprayed bloodstains.

Other than that, there was no one else.

Even in the wind blowing against their faces, there were no other scents or sounds.

Meng Huazhou listened carefully, but could not hear any other noise; knowing the wilderness was empty, he panted and said, "Who is it? Who killed the Protector?"

From the few clues available, everyone had a guess: this Protector should have been killed long ago, and what Tang Zhao saw just now was merely a corpse. Meng Huazhou had acted ruthlessly and quickly, sending a bolt of Thunder Light without a word, which had blown his corpse to pieces.

Of course, it could not be ruled out that the Protector was not yet dead at that time, but was merely controlled, and only died after Meng Huazhou acted. That would mean Meng Huazhou killed him with his own hands; naturally, he would not admit it, and others would not remind him of this possibility.

As for asking who killed him, that could not be asked either. But clearly—there was an outside enemy invasion!

Just tonight!

Black Widow's heart also felt a secret chill, but she immediately pondered: if there is an outsider invasion, wouldn't the water be even muddier? We can just fish in troubled waters. It seems Jingzhe Villa is not an iron bucket either; people can still sneak up the mountain without anyone noticing.

Even Xu Siyao was thinking that if there were an opportunity to take advantage of, he might be able to escape.

Just as Meng Huazhou was suspicious and everyone had their own ulterior motives, they saw firelight shine outside the forest.

Meng Huazhou shouted, "Who?"

The person opposite called out, "Is that the Young Villa Master?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Meng Huazhou set his heart at ease and said, "Is that Brother Li? Come over." This was his own man arriving.

They saw a team of five black-clad Disciples running over holding Torches. The leader was a young man in his twenties, followed by villa servants. Before they could even salute upon approaching, they saw the cruel scene here and could not help but be horrified, saying, "This, this is..."

Although Meng Huazhou called the other party "Brother," he really did not treat him as a brother; he did not answer, but instead asked, "Why did you come?"

That Brother Li trembled and said, "We... we were patrolling at night when we heard the sound of thunder here, as if the earth were moving, and we were startled. Immediately after, the Sword Light rose up, and the whole villa saw it. The Protector urged us to come and see what was going on..."

Meng Huazhou suddenly said, "Wait—which Protector?"

Brother Li said, "Protector Wu, of course. He is the one on duty tonight."

Meng Huazhou felt a chill and said, "How could he... when did he tell you to come?"

Brother Li said, "Just now, outside. He let us come first, and he is waiting behind..."

Meng Huazhou gritted his teeth and said, "Protector Wu, is this the Protector Wu you are talking about—"

As he spoke, he lifted the head in his hand and shoved it directly in front of Brother Li's face.

Brother Li stared, let out a miserable shriek, retreated repeatedly, and yelled, "There's a ghost! There's a ghost! Ah—Evil spirit, begone!"

Meng Huazhou ignored this useless thing and said word by word, "There is an intruder! The intruder killed Protector Wu and impersonated him to sneak into the villa. Chase him for me!"

The villa servants answered, instinctively turning around, but then hesitated. Firstly, they did not know where to chase, and secondly, they vaguely felt that chasing would be like going to their deaths.

That was someone who killed Protector Wu without a sound; if they went to chase, wouldn't they be sheep entering a tiger's mouth?

At this time, Black Widow stepped forward and advised, "Young Villa Master, never mind the rest, it is urgent to go and guard the old Manor Master first!"

Meng Huazhou suddenly realized and said, "Right, follow me—" He kicked the distraught Brother Li and said, "Go call the other Protectors; everyone gather at the Thunder Court."

That Brother Li scrambled up in a panic and almost fell again; Tang Zhao supported him from the side.

Meng Huazhou's heart was pounding, and he was no longer playing games with Black Widow and the others as before; he ran toward the center of the villa like a gust of wind. A crowd of people followed behind him in a swarm.

At this time, more and more people were alarmed. From Protectors down to Disciples, everyone in Jingzhe Villa was startled at first upon seeing this team, but then felt relieved when they saw Meng Huazhou, and all approached to greet him.

Meng Huazhou shouted for them to join the ranks. Before long, the team had gathered nearly a hundred people. The team moved forward with a roar in the dark night, and many people in the team held Torches, looking like a dragon of fire.

Not long after, the crowd arrived outside the Thunder Court in the very center.

The Thunder Court was a separate courtyard with walls a zhang high and strict guards; it was the fortress in the middle of the villa.

When Meng Huazhou arrived at the gate, he saw the guards were all present and breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, the gate opened and a burly man came out with two large blades tucked into his waist; it was none other than the "Double Blade Taisui" Huang Protector, who was also guarding the villa.

Seeing such a grand display, with Meng Huazhou standing in the middle like stars surrounding the moon, looking aggressive, Huang Protector was shocked, and a thought flashed through his mind: Did the Young Master bring people to force the palace?

This was not him letting his imagination run wild; one must know that the Manor Master and his son had long had conflicts. Huang Protector had seen the two of them arguing and making a scene, nearly resorting to blades and swords. Meng Huazhou had run away from home, not caring at all for his father who was bedridden, while Meng Tiansheng had deliberately advanced the insect fight to sabotage Meng Huazhou's plans.

This Young Master Meng Huazhou was an impulsive and rebellious person; could it be that he thought about it and grew angrier, so he brought people to force his father to abdicate before dawn?

Thinking of this, Huang Protector became somewhat guarded and said, "Young Villa Master, what are you doing bringing so many people here?"

His change in expression was seen by Meng Huazhou, who immediately became suspicious.

One must know that Protector Wu had just been killed and replaced by an outsider, and the person who replaced him was still at large. Who knew if this person was also an impostor? Otherwise, why would he be so guarded against him, the dignified Young Villa Master?

Meng Huazhou said, "Huang Protector, are you Huang Protector?"

Huang Protector was stunned and said, "What?"

Meng Huazhou could not distinguish the truth for a moment, so he shouted, "Move aside, I want to see my father!"

Seeing him so urgent, Huang Protector became even more suspicious—after all, if the rule of Jingzhe Villa was for the son to succeed the father, Meng Huazhou would be the logical heir, and he would not be so conflicted; he could even go with the flow, let the father and son settle their affairs, and curry favor with the new Manor Master. But the problem was that Meng Huazhou was not.

Meng Huazhou was not the heir, nor was he his future new boss; he was only loyal to the old Manor Master and had no obligations to the Young Villa Master. Therefore, the Protector's expression became more serious, and he said, "Please, Young Villa Master, calm down. The old Manor Master has just fallen asleep; out of filial piety, you shouldn't disturb him at this time, right?"

Meng Huazhou was furious and wanted to slash down with his sword, but he did not want to repeat the reckless tragedy. He suddenly reached out to grab the Huang Protector's face and said, "Let me see who you are!"

His original intention was to tear at the skin to see if Huang Protector was disguised, but Huang Protector thought he was launching a sudden attack and reached out to block, shouting, "Young Villa Master, do not ruin yourself!"

The two of them started fighting in full view of everyone. Although they restrained themselves from using weapons, the more they restrained themselves, the uglier the fight became.

Black Widow watched coldly, finding it interesting and itching to intervene, but she knew her strength was insufficient, so she shifted her gaze, wanting to see if Tang Zhao had any plans to do something in the chaos.

Looking this way, she did not find Tang Zhao's figure. She was startled and hurriedly looked back, only to see Tang Zhao's figure on the periphery of the crowd. Tang Zhao was watching this farce with a calm expression, calm to an excessive degree, his arms crossed, with no intention of intervening at all.

Black Widow had no choice but to watch coldly from the sidelines for the moment, suddenly thinking to herself: "What is he doing running to the perimeter? When did he go over there? Could it be that he intends to sneak away while no one is paying attention to do something? Is he going to kill the old man just as he said? Wouldn't it be too risky with so many people around?"

However, the two were too far apart, and it was not convenient for Black Widow to Ask, but she had always trusted Tang Zhao, thinking that Tang Zhao must have a good idea.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard the main gate creak open, and a Disciple came out, saying: "Young Villa Master, the old Manor Master invites you inside."

Huang Protector was startled, but Meng Huazhou breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Father, is it still safe?"

The Disciple said in a low voice: "The old Manor Master is naturally safe."

Meng Huazhou nodded, and just as he was about to call out to the others, the Disciple added: "Young Villa Master, please go in alone."

Meng Huazhou's footsteps paused, Black Widow's eyes flashed, and she stepped forward at the right moment, saying: "Young Villa Master, be careful."

Although Meng Huazhou knew in his heart that Black Widow was no good either, and that her words were clearly filled with provocation and ill intent, this sentence truly struck a chord with him, and he could not help but hesitate.

He turned his head to Ask the Disciple, saying: "How many people are still inside serving?"

The Disciple replied: "There are about ten people."

Meng Huazhou said: "Tell them all to come out and wait outside. Not a single person is allowed to remain inside. I will go in to see my father alone; we, father and son, will meet one-on-one."

The Disciple suddenly could not help but chuckle, then quickly restrained himself, bowed, and said: "Young Villa Master, the Manor Master gave the exact same instruction just now. Aside from you, not a single person is allowed to be in the courtyard."

After he finished speaking, he opened the gate, and a dozen or so people filed out one after another, including manor guards and maidservants; everyone who usually served the old Manor Master was there, and they were all driven out, standing by with their hands at their sides. Through the gate, one could see that the courtyard was empty, truly without a single person left.

The people outside looked at each other in dismay, all of them baffled. Meng Huazhou pondered for a moment and finally said: "Fine, this is indeed the old man's style. I will go in alone and see what he has to say."