HIDDEN EVIL [XIAO SHUXIANG THE SERIES]

HIDDEN EVIL [XIAO SHUXIANG THE SERIES]
411 - Upper Cultivation Realm (3)

Xiao Shuxiang followed the Alchemist Zhou Yan and Lan Guan Zhi to a field that was still within the territory of the Butterfly Sect. He dragged the cultivators of the Upper Cultivation Realm and noticed how Alchemist Zhou Yan used a hand seal.


?!


Ancient carvings formed on the ground and then surrounded the bodies of Alchemists Zhou Yan, Lan Guan Zhi, Xiao Shuxiang and their captive cultivators. It didn't take long until the ancient carvings gave off light and enveloped their bodies. Next, Zhou Yan and the others were no longer visible.


They all arrived at the nearby forest that was in the territory of the Thousand Sword Palace. Xiao Shuxiang followed Zhou Yan's footsteps while pulling the rope that bound his captive cultivators. He asked, "Older? Is this the right place? You didn't get us rough, did you?"


Zhou Yan stared for a moment at Xiao Shuxiang before mockingly saying, "Don't equate me with you. I can't possibly choose the wrong place like the public bath or the Central Sun Emperor's private room."


Xiao Shuxiang flinched. The alchemist Zhou Yan was clearly insinuating him. He remembered once taking a few troupes to an unexpected place like a public bath, let alone he accidentally arrived at Li Qian Xie's room and made a rowdy there.


Xiao Shuxiang gently massaged his head. He did not need to ask who and how Alchemist Zhou Yan knew this. There are a lot of mouths that love to spread everything about him.


Lan Guan Zhi himself did not pay attention to what the Alchemists Zhou Yan and Xiao Shuxiang were talking about, he was in his own immortality. From the very beginning of setting foot into this place, his vision felt a bit strange.


There was a flash of visible memory, but it was not his. He seemed to be shown by the events that occurred in this forest before they arrived. And even though those memories were piling on each other, he still recognized the people in this vision of his.


Lan Guan Zhi saw four men running from the direction of the Thousand Swords Palace, they were none other than Jian Yang, Li Huanshou, Liu Wei Lin, and Wang Zhao. Either the four ran away from what, but they looked worried.


No one was aware, not even the cultivator that Xiao Shuxiang had dragged along. The alchemist Zhou Yan also did not notice the change in the color of Lan Guan Zhi's eyes. They just kept walking and started to feel an uneasy premonition when they saw the gate of the Thousand Sword Palace.


Xiao Shuxuang frowned, on the other hand the cultivators who were his captives looked surprised instead of playing. The gate of the Thousand Sword Palace was already destroyed, barely recognizable. They had no idea what was happening, but it was certain that this incident existed when they were all in the Lower Cultivation Realm.


"Shizun..!"


Xiao Shuxiang heard the cry of one of his captives and then snorted, "Here you just remembered your Shizun? Where have you been all this time, huh?"


"Shuxiang..."


"Chairman Three, these guys are so upsetting." Xiao Shuxiang defended himself by saying, "They went after something based on mere rumors and left their own sect. Now look at the conditions of your dwelling place,"


"................"


"There's no need to bow your head and feel sorry, it's too late." Xiao Shuxiang walked back and this time it was Alchemist Zhou Yan who followed him from behind.


Judging from above, the Thousand Sword Palace had only sustained damage in some parts. It was also due to the surprise attack from the Elder of the Dragon Lotus Pavilion, Bai Zhou Tian. It was fortunate that the damage done came from a single strike and this meant that Elder Chen Duan Shan was not up to a fight with Elder Bai Zhou Tian.


Xiao Shuxiang and the others arrived at the gate of the Thousand Sword Palace, he saw some disciples were repairing the damage. One of them was Li Huanshou.


?


"Young Master Xiao?" Li Huanshou frowned. He had long enough noticed the young man walking over and was finally convinced that the person he saw was indeed Xiao Shuxiang.


"That's Young Master Xiao and Young Master Lan..!" a Thousand Sword Palace disciple exclaimed and caught the attention of his comrades. Elder Chen Duan Shan who was currently among his students also seemed to turn his head when he heard the sound of the exclamation.


"Young Master Xiao..!" Li Huanshou hurried over to Xiao Shuxiang. There was a feeling of relief in his heart when he saw this young man, let alone knowing that Xiao Shuxiang had not come alone-but with Lan Guan Zhi.


"Li Huanshou, what is going on here-" Xiao Shuxiang was just about to ask when Li Huanshou suddenly hugged him. The actions of this young man were shocking even to Xiao Shuxiang.


"He-Hey, Dude? What's wrong with you?" Xiao Shuxiang did not know how to react, he looked at Lan Guan Zhi and the friend seemed to know nothing.


"Young Master Xiao..."


"Calm down, guys, let's talk about it. What the hell is going on?" Xiao Shuxiang gently rubbed Li Huanshou's back and then held onto her arm.


Li Huanshou slowly let go of his embrace. He looked at Xiao Shuxiang and softly said, I thought I would never see Young Master Xiao again. Why did you leave without saying anything. This place..."


"It's my fault, I'm sorry." Xiao Shuxiang softly said. He patted the young man's arm before him and could tell just how heavy things Li Huanshou was going through from his facial expression.


"Mr Xiao, actually..." Li Huanshou took a breath and explained, "The leader of the Dragon Lotus Pavilion came here to capture Liu Wei Lin. But Great Elder Chen blocked him and this mess ensued,"


"Dragon Lotus Pavilion?"


"Well..." Xiao Shuxiang began to understand what Li Huanshou was trying to say. He was just about to speak when Elder Chen Duan Shan came and opened his voice.


The Great Elder of the Thousand Sword Palace said, "Bai Zhou Tian is the leader of the Dragon Lotus Pavilion. He knew that Liu Wei Lin was the leader of the Ghost Valley Sect and was aiming for his life. The damage you saw in this place was because Bai Zhou Tian thought we were siding with the enemy,"


Chen Duan Shan sighed softly. He nodded as Lan Guan Zhi saluted him. His gaze was then directed at the white-clothed man with a thick veil standing beside Lan Guan Zhi.


"................." Chen Duan Shan's forehead shriveled. He watched the figure before him carefully and felt familiar. He seemed to recognize this man.


"You... Is it possible that Zhou Yan?"


"This is indeed me," Zhou Yan opened his voice in a calm tone. His answer made Chen Duan Shan startled so in disbelief at what he saw.


!?


Xiao Shuxiang gasped as he saw the smile on Chen Duan Shan's face. The man even hugged Alchemist Zhou Yan as if these two were like a couple of friends who had not seen each other for a long time.


"Why did you just come here?" Chen Duan Shan held onto Zhou Yan's arm and again noticed the appearance of the man in front of him. He said, "You should have visited more often."


"I wanted it to be, too, but there was a lot of work to do and now I have students to teach."


"really? I'm surprised you've now accepted a student. I was very much against being someone's teacher,"


"I myself don't know how it could be like this, everything just happened.."


Xiao Shuxiang watched Alchemist Zhou Yan and Elder Chen Duan Shan in turn. From the conversation he heard, these two people seemed to have known each other for a long time.


Elder Chen Duan Shan was indeed close to Alchemist Zhou Yan, the man before him was his good friend and an outstanding figure. He had many memories with this person and their relationship was very good. It was just that there was some time where Alchemist Zhou Yan had started to rarely visit.


Elder Chen Duan Shan saw Xiao Shuxiang astonished, he was about to open his voice when it came to his realization that there were some youths who were all dressed in black and in a condition of bound bodies. He gasped when he recognized these young men who were some of his sect disciples.


"Shuxiang, here..."


"Chairman Chen, I know your confusion." Xiao Shuxiang without hesitation said, "They came to the Lower Cultivation Realm and messed up the city as well as looking for trouble with my sect. To be honest, I'd rather skin them alive and hang them under the sun. But Elder Three and A-Yuan prevented me. Now your students I brought here so you could punish them yourself,"


"wait. Actually what made you guys go to the Lower Cultivation Realm?" Elder Chen Duan Shan was inexhaustible, as well as Li Huanshou and the other disciples of the Thousand Sword Palace.


"................"


Seeing the captives bow their heads and without speaking made Xiao Shuxiang again raise his voice. He said, "What else can they do, Elder. They're these... Hearing the strange news about me possessing the Sun Killer Book. Of greed... They don't even care about the rules or the good name of your sect. They're doing a mess that's costing a lot of people."


As Xiao Shuxiang was discussing about the Sun Killing Book, a boisterous voice suddenly sounded. It felt as if they were so shocked by the thing they had just heard.


Elder Chen Duan Shan looked at his disciples who were still in a bound body condition. He watched carefully these mischievous disciples and then exhaled. He said, "They will be punished according to the rules and for what my disciples did... I'm sorry for you,"


"Elder Chen, it's not the elder who should apologize. I didn't bring them here to listen to your apologies, Elder."


Xiao Shuxiang turned towards Lan Guan Zhi and again said, "There is something I want to investigate with A-Yuan. So if the Elders don't mind, we're saying goodbye now."


"Li Huanshou," Xiao Shuxiang asked, "Do you know where Wang Zhao is now?"


!


Li Huanshou flinched. He looked at Chen Duan Shan for a moment before explaining the situation to Xiao Shuxiang. His voice was soft as he said, "Because the Leader of the Dragon Lotus Pavilion came here to target Liu Wei Lin... Me and Jian Yang and Wang Zhao accompanied Liu Wei Lin to escape. It's just that on the way, Jian Yang and I were asked to come back here. At present... Wang Zhao was with Liu Wei Lin and I think they went back to the Cloud Sea Sect,"


Xiao Shuxiang was about to speak when his right arm was grabbed by Lan Guan Zhi. He gasped and looked at his best friend with an expression of astonishment.


"sorry. Excuse me for a second, Elder." Lan Guan Zhi said without a tone and directly pulled Xiao Shuxiang away. The alchemist Zhou Yan and Elder Chen Duan Shen along with the disciples of the Thousand Swords Palace who saw the incident seemed to blink. They did not know what Lan Guan Zhi wanted to discuss with his good friend.


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