Jiang Changyu growled. No one knew where his enmity towards Shang Xia came from.
Ji Sheng saw how his subordinate ignored his order, but he didn’t push it. He sneered angrily, but he continued to watch the show from the side.
Shang Quan wasn’t going to let Shang Xia be insulted. He retorted, “Jiang Changyu, Shang Xia left on Yuan Zilu’s order! He didn’t run away from the battle. There are witnesses to this! Are you ignoring the rules set by the Tongyou Institution? Do you want to take a trip to the Contribution Division for spreading rumors about a fellow disciple?”
Jiang Changyu’s expression changed slightly, but he snorted in contempt the next moment. “Humph, you can’t talk your way out of it and you’re using your authority to suppress me… Hahaha, I can’t challenge your massive Shang Clan! Left based on orders? Is there anyone in the Tongyou Peak who doesn’t know that Yuan Zilu is someone from your Shang Clan? Of course he’ll send Shang Xia away before the dangerous battle.”
“That is complete bullshit! Yuan Zilu sent him away because he captured a live Mutated Rain Swallow! It concerns…” Shang Quan roared angrily.
“Oh really? Where’s the Rain Swallow now?” Jiang Changyu interrupted him. A sinister smile formed on his face. It seemed as though his plot had succeeded.
“You…” Shang Quan pointed at Jiang Changyu angrily, but he failed to say a word.
Shang Quan finally understood that he had fallen for Jiang Changyu’s trap.
Of course Jiang Changyu knew that Shang Xia left on Yuan Zilu’s order! So what?! It was true that he left before the battle.
Even if he had a reason to leave, he couldn’t avoid being the target of malicious rumors.
Moreover, Shang Xia returned without the Mutated Rain Swallow. That was what the higher ups of the Tongyou Peak wanted, and there was no sign of it! Jiang Changyu was precisely using the point to shame Shang Xia.
“Yuan Zilu is a member of your Protection Division.” Shang Xia’s voice rang in their ears and he stared directly at Jiang Changyu. “Are you prepared to back your words up that Yuan Zilu is part of my Shang Clan and ordered me to leave because of our relationship?”
Jiang Changyu was stumped by the simple question. He seemed to have forgotten a serious point and the haughty expression that was forming on his face froze.
Indeed… Yuan Zilu was an expert of the Protection Division. He was extremely capable and his position in the institution was no weaker than many instructors. How could someone who had no ability or backing gain such a position in the Protection Division?
If Jiang Changyu’s accusations were to spread, the first person to deal with him wouldn’t come from the Shang Clan! It would be Yuan Zilu himself!
Deputy Patriarch Ji Wenlong might be in charge of the Protection Division, but he wasn’t the only one who had the ability to influence things there!
Jiang Changyu was a mere vice captain of a patrol squad! Even with the slight connection to the Ji Family because of their captain, the Ji Family wouldn’t bother offending a deacon of Yuan Zilu’s level for him!
Ji Sheng realized that he had no choice but to step in now that things had gotten so serious. “Hey, this brat is busy sprouting nonsense. He doesn’t think his words through. Little Brother Xia, please don’t lower yourself to his level.”
“Oh? Uncle Ji finally plans to step in now that your subordinate fucked up…” Shang Xia might have said it jokingly, but his words firmly stabbed into Ji Sheng’s heart.
He suppressed his rage and smiled mirthlessly.
Shang Xia didn’t bother with his response. Instead, he turned to Jiang Changyu, “Not to worry, my Shang Clan will definitely invite Yuan Zilu to make things clear to the Contribution Division. I’ll prove that you were wrong in your accusations.”
The Contribution Division not only evaluated the merits one brought to the faction. They were also used to mete out punishment.to those who made mistakes.
There was no way Shang Xia would let Jiang Changyu off so easily after the animosity the other party showed.
Jiang Changyu’s expression started to flicker uneasily as he glanced at Ji Sheng.
Noticing Shang Quan’s gaze on him, Ji Sheng decided to close his eyes to ignore Jiang Changyu’s silent cry for help.
“As for your accusation where I left my fellow disciples to die… You’ll find that you’re wrong.” Shang Xia waved his hand in the air and several heads popped up from the rocks behind him.
Turning around, a brilliant smile bloomed on Shang Xia’s face. He turned to look at Jiang Changyu and his expression turned serious again. “There were only three who lost their lives.”
Several figures started to make their way over and the members of the patrol squad realized that they were the people they were looking for!
“They’re still alive! Hahaha! They’re alright!” Shang Quan chuckled and patted Shang Xia’s shoulders again. “Did you save them yourself?”
Shang Xia snickered, “That’s right. I ran into some luck and found their hiding spot. After killing the cultivators of the Wind Swallow Race taking them hostage, I brought them out.”
Ji Sheng, who was pretending to be deaf and blind just a moment ago, failed to hide the shock he felt.
One had to know that practically every single patrol squad was sent out to look for the hostages the Wind Swallow Race took.
The cultivators of the Wind Swallow Race used their secret movement art and fled the moment they ran into the patrol squads. Even though they managed to kill a few members of the Wind Swallow Race, they were unable to find the hiding spot.
After some time, the patrol squads started to slacken off. After all, quite some time had passed and the disciples were nowhere to be found. According to their estimates, the disciples should have already been brought out of the battlefield between the two worlds.
The experts on the Tongyou Peak knew the motive of the Wind Swallow Race.
With more than a dozen of their outer division disciples captured by the members of the Wind Swallow Race, the Tongyou Peak would be beaten to a passive state.
However, the ‘hostages’ taken by the Azure Spiritual World reappeared right in front of them!
How else were they supposed to react?
It was especially so for Shang Quan and Ji Sheng. They knew everything that was happening on the Tongyou Peak, and they knew that the reappearance of the outer disciples would solve a lot of problems!
In front of such a sensitive issue, not even Ji Sheng dared to be careless. He no longer bothered with Jiang Changyu and he hurried his other subordinates, “Quick, light the Cloud Piercing Rainbow Arrow! Get the other patrol squads over to assist us!”
The three members immediately ran off to light the signal.
Shang Quan roared with laughter, “Great… This is great! Little brat, you did a great service this time!”
Shang Xia chuckled in amusement, “Uncle Quan is exaggerating… I merely got lucky. After running into them, I took a gamble and killed those guarding them! It’s nothing much!”
At this point, Jiang Changyu’s expression turned completely pale.
He wanted to beg Ji Sheng for help, but the man was ignoring him completely.
Even though whatever he said earlier was slander, he knew that Shang Xia wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of it without anything to back him up. Now, Shang Xia saved nearly all the outer disciples alone! It was a task that all the patrol squads couldn’t complete! None of the accusations against him would work any longer!
All of a sudden, Shang Xia turned to Jiang Changyu and said in a serious tone, “Looks like you were wrong!”
Shang Xia might seem serious, but in Jiang Changyu’s eyes, the mockery was evident.
He knew that whatever Shang Xia said wasn’t only an explanation to him. It was a warning to tell him that their grudge wasn’t over.
After all, his repeated attempts to discredit Shang Xia had already infuriated the other party. Shang Xia’s continued ‘explanations’ only served to deepen the grudge between them.
Jiang Changyu wasn’t planning on taking the beating passively. He tried one last trick. Raising his voice, he asked, ‘So what? You lost the Mutated Rain Swallow!”
Jiang Changyu looked at Ji Sheng who had a cold gaze in his eyes before turning to Shang Quan. “Do you not know what state the Tongyou Peak is in right now? The Mutated Rain Swallow might be the key to all of this! He had to go along and lose it! Hahaha…”
“Huh? Mutated Rain Swallow? Senior Brother Jiang, wasn’t it flying in the air above your guys? Why would you say that Chief Shang lost it?” Huang Zihua who just arrived asked.
Jiang Changyu’s smile froze on his face.
Whistling lightly, Shang Xia looked at Jiang Changyu with a sarcastic smile on his face.
Ji Sheng suddenly remembered the bird that was flying in the air above him when he laid on the ground, and he raised his head only to be greeted by a blur flashing past his eyes. It landed on Shang Xia’s shoulder and it looked at the strangers that surrounded him.
Jiang Changyu opened his mouth but failed to utter a word. He stared at the little bird resting on Shang Xia’s shoulder.
“Is this the Mutated Rain Swallow?” Shang Quan widened his eyes and asked.
“You… You managed to subdue it?!” Ji Sheng gasped.
That was the only explanation for the scene he was seeing. If Shang Xia hadn’t tamed the bird, he wouldn’t have released it from its cage!
Shang Quan seemed to have thought of something, but his surprise was quickly replaced by rambunctious laughter.
Shang Xia turned to look at Jiang Changyu who had an ashen expression on his face and sighed. “Looks like you’re wrong again!”