Chapter 16: An Unequal Battle

At dusk, Su Tang finally gritted his teeth and slowly raised a white cloth on the flagpole, leaving things to fate. Although he disliked this feeling of lack of control, there was no other way.

Zhu’er and Ke’er had already been taken to the village by Shang Bin and the others. Only seven or eight servants remained in the Inner Castle. In fact, as Xue Jiu put it, Su Tang could have left as well, but he refused because he wanted to witness the battle between the strong with his own eyes.

Before long, the bald old man led a group of men and burst into Little Forest Castle with murderous intent. They did not look like good people at all, and they carried shining weapons, frightening the residents into closing their doors and windows.

After a moment, they arrived in front of the Inner Castle and swaggered straight inside.

“Something is wrong; it is too quiet,” the man with the gloomy face whispered.

“What is there to fear?” another man chuckled. “Even if you added up all the Practitioners within a hundred miles, they would still be no match for Old Fei.”

If Su Tang had been there, he would have felt very excited. This morning, Xue Jiu had said that no one within a thousand miles could catch his eye, yet Old Fei was only a talent of a hundred miles. Even if both sides were boasting, it was obvious who was superior.

The bald old man showed a smug smile and walked forward as if no one else existed, forcing Su Tang to use poison. This was simply to save as much effort as possible; it was naturally best to win without bloodshed, but if a fight was necessary, they did not fear risking their lives.

Su Tang’s figure appeared. He seemed very nervous, making several “follow me” gestures from a distance, then turned and sneaked forward along a small path.

“It looks like that kid succeeded?”

“Let’s go, follow him.”

After a few turns, the bald old man led the men into a large courtyard. They just happened to see Su Tang entering a room, after which he stumbled as if he had been tripped by something. Then, Su Tang steadied himself, bent over to pick up a leg from the ground, and struggled to drag the limp person to the side.

The bald old man and his subordinates looked at each other, and smiles appeared on their faces.

In reality, what Su Tang was dragging was a dummy made of straw, merely dressed in clothes.

According to Xue Jiu’s idea, nothing needed to be done except lure the people inside. But to Su Tang, doing nothing was an insult to his intelligence. Whether it was useful or not, he just wanted to play some little tricks; it was in his nature.

The bald old man had no further doubts. He strode to the door and stepped inside.

A black-robed old man around sixty years old sat on a side seat with his eyes closed, resting. There was also a girl of fourteen or fifteen who looked extremely beautiful and pure. She sat at a red mahogany table in the center, looking over indifferently. Su Tang leaned against the back window, still continuously making “follow me” gestures, but his earlier nervousness had vanished, replaced by a mocking expression.

The bald old man understood everything. His expression became solemn. His gaze swept over the black-robed old man and landed on the girl. Suddenly, he frowned, and his eyes looked dazed, as if he were trying hard to remember something.

The men who rushed in afterward could not remain as calm as the bald old man. Seeing the straw man on the ground and Su Tang’s punchable expression, the men immediately exploded.

“You little brat, you dare betray us?!”

“Bastard!!”

Some were even shouting at the black-robed old man, “If you know what’s good for you, hand over the Magic Orchid quickly, and we might give you a quick death!”

The black-robed old man slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were full of suspicion. He had thought an old rival was trying to take advantage of the situation, but now that they had met, he knew that was not the case at all. These fellows were all low-level characters, arrogant and presumptuous in their behavior, with no discipline or organization. They were simply a bunch of low-life bandits composed of fallen Martial Artists.

At that moment, the bald old man’s face gradually became distorted. He stretched out a trembling hand, pointing from a distance at the girl, and wailed in a voice that was almost heart-wrenching: “You… you are the Holy Seat…”

The girl frowned in displeasure, then raised her hand and struck forward from a distance.

The bald old man’s upper body and head turned into a spray of blood mist in an instant without any warning. By the back window, Su Tang had already quietly pushed the window open, ready to jump out at any time. Seeing this scene, he became completely stunned.

Su Tang could always clearly observe images that ordinary people could not see. In his vision, the bald old man’s body had been affected by an invisible, massive force and was twisting continuously, like a deformed balloon filled with water. Finally, unable to bear the pressure, thousands of wounds burst open simultaneously across his body, and flesh and blood were forced and sprayed out.

The men were equally stunned. In their hearts, the incredibly powerful Old Fei had been swatted to death like a fly, making them unable to believe their eyes. After a moment, they burst into screams and scrambled to escape through the door.

A giant over two meters tall appeared at the courtyard gate. As he stepped in, his forehead hit the stone bricks above the gate, causing sand and stone to fly.

The middle-aged man also appeared. He said with a smile, “How many times have you bumped your head here? To be honest… you are the most forgetful person I have ever met.”

“Kill them all,” the girl said slowly.

The middle-aged man and the giant became solemn, then pounced on the fleeing men like hungry tigers.

“Grand Exalted, should we leave a few survivors?” Xue Jiu asked hurriedly.

“There is no need.” The girl shook her head. “He sent these useless fellows here just to tell me that the matters in Tongtian City made him very angry, and he hopes I will make concessions in some areas. Otherwise, he does not mind becoming my enemy.”

“But…” Xue Jiu wanted to say more.

“It was just a small warning. If we take it seriously, it will only make him look down on us,” the girl said softly. “Besides, do you think anyone could track him down?”

By this time, Su Tang had already left the back window and stood obediently to one side. As the saying goes, one should adapt their speech to their audience. After the girl waved one palm and instantly killed Old Fei, he knew very well what attitude he should maintain. He felt waves of fear in his heart. Fortunately, he had not done anything overstepping or rude in the bamboo forest, otherwise, he would likely have ended up like Old Fei.

“Grand Exalted, only a few people know we came for the Magic Orchid. Could it be…” Xue Jiu hesitated.

“You mean a traitor?” The girl’s expression remained indifferent. “Forget it, I do not want to cause panic. Perhaps… letting us investigate a traitor on a large scale is also part of his calculation.”

To Su Tang, the conversation between the two was like a book from heaven; he understood nothing. At this moment, the girl’s gaze slowly turned toward him.