Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 150: Xin Aotian's Secret from the Past

After brutally beating Sun Wu, Wang Calabash, Wang Bodhisattva, and Sun Dalu to vent their anger, Di Huaijie and several other experts, including Xuan Huaiwei and Xue Huaiwei, who were prepared to take action against Shangguan Jingyi and the women of the Du family, respectfully entered the room.

Xin Zhuo helped Murong Xiu up and gestured for everyone to sit wherever they pleased. He pointed to the bug blood on the ground and asked Tang Shize, "Do you know what this is?"

Tang Shize carefully examined it and covered his nose, looking at Murong Xiu and the others. "Whose is it?"

"Mine!"

Murong Xiu looked terrified and kept his distance from the bug blood.

Tang Shize was surprised. "Isn't this Huang Jiugai's bug? He loves using these strange bugs to scare children. How did you get one?"

Murong Xiu looked puzzled for a moment and then furrowed his brow. "It's been over ten years. One time, Huang Jiugai hid outside my house, and when he saw me coming out, he sneakily put a bug behind my neck and ran away. I was still young at the time and cried in fear, but I couldn't find the bug on me. My great-grandfather was still alive back then. He was a fifth-rank expert and used Wood-attribute True Qi to rub my body for half a month. It seems like the bug didn't die and is still inside my body."

Tang Shize scratched his head, feeling a bit itchy himself, and shook his head. "He didn't put a bug on me!"

He then cupped his fist towards Xin Zhuo and said, "I can confirm that this kind of bug belongs to Huang Jiugai. I once stepped on one and the blood smell on the ground is exactly the same, with a sour and corrosive stench! Oh, I just remembered..."

He looked at Xin Zhuo's expression. "Your grandfather, Xin Aotian, also had this kind of bug!"

Cui Ying'er, who had been listening silently, suddenly looked at Xin Zhuo. "Boss, I also remembered. The old boss had a sudden change in temperament for a few years and kept clamoring to go back and seek revenge. One day, he had many of these bugs on him, and the way he looked at us was strange. Later, he would go out every few days to find someone to spar with!"

"That's right!"

Bai Jianxi and Huang Dagui nodded. "We also remember. It's true. But it's said that the old boss did it to test whether his martial arts had improved. This explanation is quite strange."

Inside the room, Di Huaijie, who had been silent while staring at the bug blood, suddenly changed his expression. "Is this something from the Northern Cang Kingdom? It seems..."

Xin Zhuo looked at him. "What does it seem like?"

Di Huaijie thought for a long time and shook his head. "I can't remember clearly. Twenty years ago, when I was still in the early stage of Blood Qi, my martial realm progress was slow, so I went on a journey. I first went to the Dongyi Kingdom and almost got killed by those barbarians. Then I went to the Northern Cang Kingdom and made some friends. I happened to encounter a witch doctor, equivalent to the Gu practitioners that our Great Zhou people despise. That witch doctor seemed to have these bugs. My Northern Cang friends were terrified when they saw them, but I forgot what the bugs were."

Xin Zhuo fell into deep thought.

He had indeed guessed some things right. His grandfather must not have been an irredeemable villain; he must have engaged in some shady dealings with Tang Wuwu and Huang Jiugai and ended up being taken advantage of due to his lack of intelligence.

Therefore, Tang Wuwu and Huang Jiugai must have some secrets unknown to others.

In the dilapidated hall, the candlelight flickered, and silence filled the air. Xin Zhuo didn't speak, and no one dared to speak in his presence. They didn't even bother to think about the questions.

Xin Zhuo, whose cunning mind couldn't come up with an answer, was certain that they couldn't either.

After a while, Xin Zhuo walked out of the room to confirm his thoughts.

Everyone followed him outside.

Looking at the practitioners sitting on the ground, Xin Zhuo waved his hand. "Anyone who has a grudge against Xin Aotian, step forward and tell your story!"

Zhao Lao, Xing Chi, Ke Qing'e, Feng Sanniang, Ling Furen, Ke Zhiyi, and others exchanged glances, their faces slightly changed. They walked out trembling.

Was Xin Aotian going to kill them to silence them?

Xue Huaiwei hesitated for a moment and also walked out.

Xin Zhuo sat on a bamboo stool. "Speak up. What grudge do you have against Xin Aotian?"

"The grudge of wiping out my family! It's irreconcilable. Even if the leader kills me, I will still speak up."

Zhao Lao Ye was determined and his eyes turned red as he said, "Xin Ao Tian not only robbed my family's property, but also... took advantage of and ruined my daughter. She disappeared without a trace. My daughter was beautiful and talented, ranked sixth at the age of fifteen. Can you believe it? This... is something I can't bring myself to say."

"Next!" Xin Zhuo remained unfazed.

Feng San Niang gritted her teeth and stepped forward, "My little brother was also ranked sixth at the age of seventeen. He was killed by Xin Ao Tian, leaving behind only a pool of blood."

Madam Ling, holding her daughter Ling Xi, with red eyes, also stepped forward, "My husband too, covered in blood, let out a few screams, and his body disappeared. Only my daughter and I were left alone and helpless. My husband was already ranked sixth at the time. If he were still alive, he might have even reached the level of reversing the Five Elements. There would be no need for us to suffer like this."

Ke Zhi Yi also said, "My older brother, ranked sixth at the age of eighteen, was also killed by Xin Ao Tian. Only his ears were left behind... Master, I do have a grudge against Xin Ao Tian. If you want to kill or torture him, I will follow your lead!"

Xue Huai Wei hesitated for a moment and said, "I have a junior sister who was also violated by Xin... the old master. She disappeared without a trace!"

Dozens of others followed, each sharing their grievances. However, they all had one thing in common: regardless of what they initially said about Xin Ao Tian killing and setting fires, it was actually an exaggeration. The real reason was that their loved ones were killed by Xin Ao Tian and their bodies were not left behind.

"Nonsense!" Huang Da Gui angrily exclaimed, "The old master couldn't possibly be so evil. He only robs corrupt officials and doesn't harm ordinary people. He is a kind-hearted person."

Xin Zhuo had already stood up and returned to the meeting hall. He sat in a chair, watching the flickering candlelight.

His grandfather, Xin Ao Tian, had average talent and a kind nature, but his temperament suddenly changed after encountering Huang Jiu Gai. In just a few years, he broke through to the sixth rank, which was very strange.

Also, his own body, along with Cui Ying Er and Han Qi Niang, had average talent. But if they were to learn martial arts from a secret manual, they could probably reach the seventh or eighth rank in this lifetime.

Even Huang Da Gui and the others, with their poor talent, could probably reach the ninth rank if they were taught with dedication.

Unfortunately, his grandfather was so stingy that he refused to teach them anything.

In addition, the disappearances of those people did not necessarily mean they were truly dead.

So...

Could it be that the people in Duan Yang Tower were using insects to enhance their martial arts through some kind of Yin cultivation?

His grandfather, blinded by hatred, was deceived by Huang Jiu Gai and became their thug, helping them capture highly talented individuals to host the insects?

This was highly possible!

Thinking of this, he looked at the people who had followed him, "What is the true strength of Duan Yang Tower, Shen Qiang Villa, and Yi Men Du Family?"

Xue Huai Wei and Tang Shi Ze exchanged a glance and honestly replied, "Shen Qiang Villa has one fifth rank, four secondary fifth ranks, and seven sixth ranks."

"Du Family has one fifth rank, five secondary fifth ranks, and eight sixth ranks!"

"Duan Yang Tower has two fifth ranks, six secondary fifth ranks, and eleven sixth ranks!"

"Impossible!"

Di Huai Jie's pupils contracted, "Although Duan Yang Tower, Du Family, and Shen Qiang Villa are top forces within an 800-mile radius, this place is barren. Where did so many experts who have reversed the Five Elements come from? When did reversing the Five Elements become so worthless? And why are there so many sixth rank experts?"

"This is absolutely unreasonable!" the ancient old man also said, "Reversing the Five Elements is extremely difficult. Many people spend their entire lives without being able to achieve it. The ten of us here are basically all the practitioners who have reversed the Five Elements within a 500-mile radius. But these three families have a total of nineteen? Who are they trying to fool? If this continues, will there be several Half-step Great Masters from these three families in the future? This is too absurd! I absolutely don't believe it!"

Xue Huai Wei smiled bitterly, "This is true. It has all happened in recent years! My master even promised me that if I can break through to the sixth rank this year, he will help me reverse the Five Elements. That's why I risked my life last year to go to Dong Yi and search for the holy medicine. Otherwise, with my talent, it would be difficult for me to achieve it before the age of fifty!"

The crowd fell into silence, then all turned to look at Xin Zhuo.

After pondering for a long time, Xin Zhuo said, "Since they are all hiding in Duan Yang Tower, let's not provoke them for now. Let's first destroy the ancestral tombs of the three families and play a game of besieging the city and rescuing the trapped.