Xu Xiaoshou’s accusation rather stunned both of them.
Faced with such a direct statement, they did not know how to give him an answer.
Xu Xiaoshou didn’t bother with Zhao Qingteng, for the man was far from his level and didn’t pose a threat to him.
He stared at Lan Xinzi and said, “The Zhang family… so you’re one of Zhang Xinxiong’s people, then?”
Lan Xinzi was rather intrigued—the look in her eyes suggested so. It hadn’t been that long since she had last seen Xu Xiaoshou.
And yet this kid dared to speak to her in such a manner now?
“Indeed,” she responded, nodding slowly, and asked, “Why? Do you want an autograph?”
“An autograph…?”
Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. He recalled the time when he wasn’t as powerful as he presently was. He had thought of defusing a tricky situation by giving out autographs and it almost got him killed.
Would I ever think of resorting to such a ploy, I wonder?
“Feng Kong and Shao Yi were both sent by Zhang Xinxiong, correct?” Xu Xiaoshou asked in no uncertain terms.
Zhao Qingteng knew something was wrong as soon as he asked that.
Is he trying to pick a fight with us here?
Regardless of how they answered the question, he did not see how the situation could be de-escalated.
Zhao Qingteng took a step back, smartly leaving the two of them to face off.
At the corner of his eye, he could see that there were already quite many people coming up and gathering around them.
The news that Lan Xinzi was looking for him had spread like wildfire. But as it was an affair concerning someone among the Inner Yard Thirty-three, none of the people dared to come too close.
But as soon as Xu Xiaoshou showed up, everyone suddenly surged forward, unable to just stand idly about and drawn by news of their local champion.
Xu Xiaoshou was now undoubtedly a big deal, and by sticking around him they would get the following day’s headlines on that very day itself—firsthand.
Everyone keenly awaited how Lan Xinzi would answer that question.
When the matter had been investigated before, the staff members from the Spiritual Law Division that were arrested had denied all accusations.
Yet at that moment, Lan Xinzi simply shook her head and looked like she feared nothing, even as she was being witnessed by many around them.
“Zhang Xinxiong did not send them. I was the one who sent them.”
“And you are someone I have long been determined to get rid of!”
While everyone knew the events would take such a turn, it still caused quite a commotion when everything was being made so clear in the open.
“You admit it, then! Hey, where are the law enforcers? Get someone to arrest her, quick!”
“We have seen none around now. The place is now in turmoil as we try to defend against invaders. There are few men-in-black to be found in the Inner Yard.”
“I pity He Yuxing though. He is presently being left out to dry in the Tribunal, I guess. Never thought Lan Xinzi would just expose herself up like that. Man, this is exciting!”
“Gosh, I’m so excited. Seems like there’ll be a show today, after all.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… Now I wonder what Xu Xiaoshou will do about it… Seems like the guy has never seen a day of peace ever since he joined the Inner Yard, don’t you agree?”
“He thought that he’s already damn powerful after getting into the Tianxuan Gate once, I guess. Hell, I’d say that he’ll be having quite a bad time this time around.”
“I don’t know how powerful Xu Xiaoshou has become, but Lan Xinzi is undoubtedly ready. She’s all riled up. Damn, I’m getting all excited over this now…”
“…”
Impressed, Passive Points +7.
Ridiculed, Passive Points +12.
Worried, Passive Points +3
“…”
The place was in quite a stir at the moment. More and more people came to the scene and the Information Bar kept refreshing.
Xu Xiaoshou saw that Zhao Qingteng already knew that things had taken a turn for the worse. He was backing away, getting behind the door, and was about to close it. Xu Xiaoshou went up to the door suddenly and shoved it open.
“Sorry but, you can’t leave just yet.”
Zhao Qingteng was stunned.
Cursed, Passive Points +1.
The crowd all burst out laughing. That was indeed something that they knew that XU Xiaoshou would pull after all. However, they were more curious about what the kid was trying to pull.
Was he trying to take on two who were at higher Innate Stage? One of them was a veteran 33, and someone who had just gotten into Origin Court Stage.
Was he nuts?
…
Xu Xiaoshou was far from going nuts. On the contrary, he was quite calm at the moment.
Given that he was out to settle scores, he figured he should just be thorough about it.
All those matters that he hadn’t been able to settle in a face-to-face manner were only because he hadn’t been powerful enough to do so.
At present, he already had Master Physique, and Jie was with him inside his robes.
After the dean’s promise, there was nothing he couldn’t bring out to the open at the moment.
He casually turned his eyes back to Lan Xinzi and said, “You’re honest. I’ll give you that. I like you.”
“Huh!” Lan Xinzi snorted.
“So, you already knew who I was back then?” She turned her eyes around and seemed to have realized something. “You were pretending all this while?”
Xu Xiaoshou nodded without hesitation. Given his current level of powers, there was no longer any need for him to put up any pretense.
“So, after you sent Feng Kong and Shao Yi, I assume you were the one who sent Zhao Shu too?” Xu Xiaoshou pressed on.
Zhao Qingteng straightened up. While he had speculated that was how it happened, he always wondered if he could get a straight answer from Lan Xinzi herself…
“Indeed,” Lan Xinzi responded, glaring at Zhao Qingteng and not denying it.
Crack!
Zhao Qingteng clenched his fists hard upon hearing what she said, then suddenly relaxed his hands.
Xu Xiaoshou sighed, thinking about how that could so easily have been him. He would be in Zhao Qingteng’s position without adequate powers.
The crowd was astonished by what they just heard, as there seemed to be something very wrong with Lan Xinzi that day.
“What the hell happened to her? Has someone just provoked her or something? Or is she just toying with them?”
“Hm, seems like it has something to do with what Zhao Qingteng said before, I guess. But, given that there were few people around and you all had not arrived, I dared not go too close to eavesdrop on them.”
“I did! It’s just like you put it. Zhao Qingteng was as brutal as he could be, so much so that he called her a serva…”
That person stopped when he saw Lan Xinzi tilting her head in his direction, glaring at him icily.
“I’m done for…”
“Stay alive, brother.”
…
Xu Xiaoshou could see that Lan Xinzi’s behavior was strangely off as well. She seemed far less composed than when he first met her and now appeared quite extreme in her manner.
However, it only worked in his favor, as she probably wouldn’t have told the truth had he confronted her at any other time.
He was still pondering about it when Lan Xinzi spoke again. She seemed to grin, but it came across as rather ominous.
“Truth to be told, Zhao Shu was but an accident. Yuan Tou was the one I sent instead, but that guy chickened out and didn’t make his move that night.”
“But, I guess you met him inside the Tianxuan Gate, correct? I’d say you had a hard time with him.”
Xu Xiaoshou eyed that pompous and rather sick-looking woman and answered deliberately, “I’m sorry but I never ran into him.”
That lost man had nothing to do with him.
Xu Xiaoshou remembered it very well.
“Yuan Tou…”
Lan Xinzi looked the other way and frowned slightly as she mumbled.
She noticed she had not seen him around lately.
She wondered if he was avoiding her because he had not finished his job yet.
Pfft!
Like any of that matters anymore. I don’t have any use for that chicken now; she thought.
She opened her hands, and the wounds caused when she dug her fingernails in before now gushed with blood. Yet her energy reserve raged, and it burned all the blood that flowed out.
Xu Xiaoshou looked away without making a sound.
This is one sick woman indeed.
“Why kill me? Is it all because of Wen Chong?” Xu Xiaoshou asked again, showing no signs of urgency.
“Haha, haha, haha…”
The shrill laughter made those within earshot cringe, and they felt their skins crawl. Lan Xinzi’s eyes drooped as soon as she laughed.
“Initially, it was indeed because of Wen Chong, but later…”
“I’ve yet to see anyone at Spiritual Cultivation Stage capable of killing assassins at Innate Stage before.”
“You’re an interesting specimen.”
She licked her bright red lips and delivered her next line telepathically. Her mesmerizing voice reverberated in Xu Xiaoshou’s mind.
“I’m killing you because I feel like killing you.”