Chapter 400 - 223: Gathering of Prodigies

Chapter 400: Chapter 223: Gathering of Prodigies

Hearing Huie Jue’s bellow, Xie Yuan stood stunned for at least three full breaths.

’...What in the world is wrong with this monk?’

Xie Yuan’s face darkened, and he said in a low voice,

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?"

Huie Jue looked completely innocent.

"Didn’t Benefactor Xie ask me to shout?"

"When did I ask you to shout?"

Xie Yuan’s fists cracked as he clenched them.

"Didn’t you just say that no one would know? I assumed you were unhappy with the quiet victory, so I thought I’d help you spread your name a bit. The Jinling Grand Assembly is about to begin, and countless Martial Artists are coming here just to make a name for themselves. Surely you’re interested in that, Benefactor Xie? Ah, you are so remarkably strong, defeating me by half a move. I wholeheartedly admit my defeat, so naturally, people must be told of your feat."

Huie Jue gave Xie Yuan a puzzled look, as if Xie Yuan were the one being unreasonable. However, the corners of his mouth twitched, betraying his true intentions.

Xie Yuan was speechless. ’This damned bald-headed bastard... He’s clearly not taking his loss well. This is obviously his way of getting revenge!’

’Prajna Temple is the leading Zen sect in the world. How could they produce a successor with such a petty character? Isn’t he afraid of going to hell?’

He shot the "innocent" Huie Jue a fierce glare and spat on the ground.

"People are coming. You’re a sly one, I’ll give you that. I’ll let you go for today!"

Not to mention his status as a wanted man, he had just foiled the plans of the Yao and Qian families back at the Wu River. They had surely marked him for it. If his location were exposed now, the consequences would be dire.

With that, Xie Yuan spun around and executed a Body Technique, preparing to leave through the alley’s entrance and blend into the crowd.

But after taking only a few steps, he sensed a gust of wind behind him. He glanced back instinctively, then fell silent.

A moment later, Xie Yuan stopped in his tracks and said with a frown,

"Why are you following me?"

Huie Jue said with a smile,

"Benefactor Xie, after you won, didn’t you say you had a question for me? Since this place isn’t convenient, I have no choice but to follow you."

Xie Yuan frowned, not believing for a second that the monk was being so honest.

’If I let him tag along, this bald-headed monk will be like a powder keg by my side, ready to explode at any moment.’

Xie Yuan scoffed.

"Monk Huie Jue, so you’re a man of your word? Forget it. Let’s part ways here today. But we will meet again." ℯℯ𝑙.

Xie Yuan gave him one last meaningful look, then lightened his body and circulated what little Inner Strength he had left, accelerating once more.

But he had only taken two steps when he realized Huie Jue had accelerated right along with him, showing no sign of leaving. Xie Yuan’s expression darkened. He stopped abruptly and watched as the monk, unable to check his momentum, stumbled two steps past him before flailing to a halt. "Monk Huie Jue," he said sternly,

"It seems you’re determined to settle things with me today, one way or another?"

’I can already faintly sense people rushing over from another direction. If I keep getting tangled up with Huie Jue, I’ll never escape once the experts from the authorities and the great families surround this place!’

Seeing Xie Yuan raise his axe at the first sign of disagreement, even beginning to gather his power, Huie Jue was taken aback. He quickly waved his hands and said,

"Benefactor Xie, why such a fiery temper... Stop, stop, stop! I truly am willing to honor our bet. Let’s find a place to talk first."

With that, Huie Jue obediently took the lead and headed off, ducking into a smaller, adjacent alley.

Frowning, Xie Yuan kept his axe at the ready. He hesitated for only a second before following Huie Jue.

Not long after the two had left, a swift shadow shot into the alley entrance and came to a stop before the small temple, revealing the figure of Yao Qinglai, an elder in charge of the Yao family’s external affairs.

His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings before he glanced to the side and stepped into the temple. But the temple was small, occupied by only a single, ordinary-looking old monk. Yao Qinglai made a quick circuit and found nothing.

When he stepped out of the temple, several more Yao family experts had arrived in the alley. They were all at the Qi Blood Second or Third Transformation Realm. With them was a Chief Constable wearing a constable’s robes, a standard-issue long saber at his waist. He was the Chief Constable of Jinling Prefecture, and also a member of the Yao family.

The men exchanged glances and shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t found anything in the vicinity.

Yao Qinglai frowned and asked,

"That shout... was it really from Huie Jue, Master Zhiling’s disciple?"

The Chief Constable pondered for a moment, then said,

"The voice used the Buddhist Lion’s Roar technique. The Inner Strength was pure; it was an orthodox Buddhist art."

He didn’t confirm whether it was Huie Jue, as no one present could be certain.

The others nodded silently at his words. None of them had ever met Huie Jue. One frowned and said,

"Let’s assume for now that it was Monk Huie Jue from Prajna Temple. In that case... the Xie Yuan he mentioned... it has to be *that* Xie Yuan, right?"

The men exchanged another round of glances. They all knew exactly which Xie Yuan was being talked about.

It wasn’t the Xie Yuan known to them from the Hidden Dragon List, but the one from the incident at the Wu River.

These members of the Yao family were all quite powerful, and their positions in the family were not low—at least at the level of deacons.

Thus, they were well aware of the recent talk circulating among the Yao family: how Yao Zhizhang, a branch family member serving as the County Magistrate of Wu River, had been beheaded by Xie Yuan, who had then brazenly left a message behind.

The family’s Council of Elders had flown into a rage over the matter, mobilizing significant resources. They ordered all Yao family members abroad to be on the lookout for Xie Yuan of Yunzhou. Any sightings were to be reported immediately so that a capture party could be dispatched. The elders’ fury was so great that it scared many of the clan members into silence.

Those with better information had heard whispers that the death of Yao Zhizhang alone wouldn’t have provoked such a reaction. The more serious issue, it was said, was that all of the family’s operations in that region had been completely destroyed.

Although not all of them knew the specifics of the family’s business at the Wu River, they could imagine from the clan’s reaction that their dealings there were anything but simple—and this Xie Yuan had completely ruined them.