Whoosh!
With a crack of thunder, Zhuo Fan made his entrance before Chu Qingcheng.
They all whipped their heads towards him, their eyes glinting. Their entire morale rested on whether or not Zhuo Fan could bring back the stolen Brimming Sacred Pill.
Jitteriness rose as all eyes took in his prideful stance, keeping them in suspense.
And the audience beyond the wood National Elemental Stone was no different.
This was the first contact between Zhuo Fan and Huangpu Qingtian, the strongest duo in this battle. Losing it would plunge their morale to rock bottom and the only sensible choice would be going home.
But it didn’t stop there. Their vassals’ trust in the three houses would splinter, weakening their image in the populace’s eye. It was the worst outcome as it affected their growth, especially now when an all out war with the Regent Estate’s faction was just around the corner.
A trickle of sweat fell down Grandmother, Long Yifey and Xie Xiaofeng’s cheeks as the tension spiked.
Zhuo Fan took a deep breath before grinning. He juggled the two storage rings and snickered, “Now which ring holds the Brimming Sacred Pill, you reckon?”
The words still hadn’t sunk in, from their momentary daze. But the next reaction was explosive. Everyone cheered.
Zhuo Fan obviously got the pill!
Everyone was moved at that point.
Thinking back a few days ago, Huangpu Qingtian’s overpowering might had plunged them into despair. How were they supposed to even face such a monster?
But Zhuo Fan came back victorious, recovering the pill from the clutches of that monster. Such a feat worked wonders for their battered hearts from fear and shame, surging in them the will to fight.
Even the ever composed Grandmother showed a rare trace of joy on her features. She turned to her two allies and burst out laughing.
Dugu Zhantian eased a breath, nodding at the figure beyond the National Elemental Stone, “The kid is a loose cannon, but he always comes through when it counts. If it were a war, the act of recovering the pill would instill our army greater morale than any won skirmish could ever do.”
Fang Qiubai smiled thinly. This only confirmed he made the right choice when he braved in picking him to face Huangpu Qingtian. He was the only one of the younger generation who could achieve it.
But then Fang Qiubai caught onto something and brought it to Dugu Zhantian’s attention, “Old Marshal, what is that?”
Dugu Zhantian squinted and cursed inside. [That punk isn’t a pushover in the least. He even dares to go against my orders!]
In a remote corner, among the three allied houses’ group, Liu Yizhen was seen on and off, cheering.
Esoteric Debate only allowed those below the age of thirty to participate, the old geezer was clearly out of the question. Dugu Zhantian, himself, even stated he was going to cut down with impunity, any and all cheaters. But wasn’t that guy a man of the Luo clan?
“Uh, Sir Fang, my eyes must’ve failed me. I can’t see anything amiss.” Dugu Zhantian played the fool.
Fang Qiubai laughed. In any case, both of their priorities were skewed in Luo clan’s favor. But who’d have thought the old marshal, the one immovable and strict man, would cover for Luo clan!
[Since when did a friggin’ Radiant Stage expert’s eyesight go bad?]
He must really like that fifth godson of his to be this biased. He’d never do this otherwise, not with how righteous the man was.
That was for the best, since it was all for His Majesty’s sake. In protecting Luo clan, one had to be flexible and ignore ‘minor’ hiccups.
Fang Qiubai was worried this would’ve ruffled Dugu Zhantian’s feathers.
“Ha-ha-ha, it’s fine. I just saw an interesting spiritual beast that caught my attention. But since Marshal’s eyesight is poor, nevermind.”
Fang Qiubai rubbed his beard. Dugu Zhantian blushed, knowing fully well he was teased, so he chose to turn a blind eye.
Plus, he vowed this would be the first and last time he’d ever cross his own word.
Zhuge Changfeng kept a close eye on Zhuo Fan as a smile played on his lips. Then he gave a long look at Huangpu Tianyuan before chuckling, “Ha-ha-ha, Estate Lord Huangpu, it seems in this skirmish, the young master came out at the bottom!”
“Victory and defeat are common in war!”
It was the steward, Unwonted Contriver Leng who deigned a response to Zhuge Changfeng’s provocation.
The way it came at no surprise to the Regent Estate, he seemed to have foreseen a long time ago that Huangpu Qingtian would lose.
Zhuge Changfeng squinted, “Oh? Sir Leng was expecting this, I see. I take it you’ve taken ample preparation as well.”
“Ha-ha-ha, you’re too kind. I made a fool of myself before Prime Minister with my coarse skills. They are merely useful in dealing with pests.” Leng Wuchang’s eyes shined.
Zhuge Changfeng nodded, returning to watch the National Elemental Stone, the cheering bunch therein, and sighed, “These kids are quick to celebrate. It won’t matter if this trifling victory has gotten to the heads of the weak ones, but Steward Zhuo, if even you are taken in by it, I’d be dreadfully disappointed…”
Zhuge Changfeng watched him hailed by the crowd as a hero…
The man in question took the Brimming Sacred Pill’s vial from the ring and showed it off to all, “See here? I’ve returned triumphant!”
“We see!”
They all shouted in joy and respect.
With a wicked grin, Zhuo Fan stashed it into his own ring, weirding out the crowd.
The 8th grade pill was a treasure in and of itself that not even the seven houses had one. The least he could do was popping the cork to let them catch a glimpse of it.
Zhuo Fan merely coughed and changed the subject, “Alright, the show is over, break it up. We need to find the other pills and keys. Our goal is to win this Esoteric Debate!”
Ugh!
They all looked at him with dark faces.
“Zhuo Fan, are you planning on hogging the pill?” Xie Tianyang’s face twitched.
Zhuo Fan put on a pained look as he cursed, “Xie Tianyang, is this how my brother, going through thick and thin, should act? Don’t you trust me? Am I one to just hog it to myself? Am I that selfish?”
“Yes!”
The crowd had spoken. Xie Tianyang said coldly, “It’s because of the endless troubles we’ve passed. I know exactly just who you are! Zip it and hand it over. Nothing is safe in your hands, especially that 8th grade pill.”
The others joined in, but only as a joke. With Zhuo Fan as the strongest there, no place was safer than with him.
Zhuo Fan feigned anger, “Since you don’t trust me, then I’ll eat it right in front of you. Besides, I got it back with my own efforts. Try to take it from me if you want it!”
“Tch!”
They all flicked their hands. Xie Tianyang even went a step further, “See that? I know this friggin’ guy’s character better than I know myself. If hustling is a bust, he just switches to daylight robbery. Not to mention anything that ends up in his hands will never see the light of day!”
The others cracked up. Xue Ningxiang was bursting with joy, not caring at all of the value of that bauble.
The mood made them seem like one big happy family, laughing their troubles away. They seemed to have returned to the peaceful and safe days of Allbeast Mountain Range a while back.
This was all thanks to Zhuo Fan. He instilled courage in their hearts while also dispelling the thick dread Huangpu Qingtian cast over them.
It just came to them that even the almighty Huangpu Qingtian wasn’t infallible. At the very least, Zhuo Fan was there to give them a fighting chance.
Once the cheerfulness passed, the three houses’ head disciples began discussing serious matters.
Xie Tianshang began, “Brother Zhuo, you are the strongest here and also brought the Brimming Sacred Pill back. That makes it yours. The stronger you are, the greater our chances!”
The rest nodded.
They were all quite keen on having it for themselves, but with it being Zhuo Fan’s spoil, it belonged to him by right. Moreover, a boosted Zhuo Fan would give them an edge in getting the other pills out there. This was the best outcome for their alliance.
Zhuo Fan shook his head though, “I can’t, brother Xie. Did you really think Huangpu Qingtian waited ten days for me with the 8th grade pill instead of eating it? Just so I could steal it?”
Xie Tianshang frowned.
Zhuo Fan smiled, “Because he won’t dare!”
“What?” came their shocked response while Zhuo Fan explained, “It takes a long time to absorb it completely. If an enemy comes in that time, the slightest distraction would render it wasted, if not incur a heavy wound. So before a clear outcome has come from our conflicts, neither side would be willing to eat it.”
The sudden realization made them look at Zhuo Fan in a new light.
Thanks to his reminder, they could now curb the irresistible lure of the Brimming Sacred Pill the moment they found it. They were grateful for having avoided death if an enemy found them in such a vulnerable moment.
They were clearly overthinking things though. Why would Huangpu Qingtian get rid of such delicious bait and help Zhuo Fan instead?
Not to mention, Huangpu Qingtian was sure to drop by the instant any of them found one, and appropriated it. They’d never get the chance to even swallow it!
These thoughts left Zhuo Fan sighing, [The sooner I send them home the better…]