Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Six: What the Heck, Eighteen Years Old?
Common folks.
A family of over ten people.
All of them were killed.
To be honest, among demon cultivators, this is pretty ruthless.
No wonder the cultivators of the Fierce Tiger Sect were so furious. Doing such things on someone else’s turf is really quite ungracious.
But still, this matter has nothing to do with Sang Zhe and the others.
The beauty in the portrait was tall and voluptuous, miles away from Hua Jianglian, the flat-chested little loli.
So Sang Zhe could only force a smile, “Fellow daoists, there’s been a misunderstanding. We just arrived yesterday; it definitely wasn’t us!”
The two muscular brothers shot Sang Zhe a glance.
“You look like you could be one of them. Let’s take you along.”
Sang Zhe: “?”
“Hey! That’s too much, I’m a man!”
“A delicate pretty boy like you counts as a man?”
One of the brothers suddenly struck a pose, his muscles bulging, veins popping.
With his hearty voice, there was a strange feeling that came along:
“Little brat, do you know?”
“This is what a real man looks like~” He flashed a bright white smile.
For some reason, Sang Zhe suddenly felt his backside tighten and a chill run down his spine.
…Why does it feel like these sect members are a bit off?
“Bro, don’t we look completely different from the people in the portrait?”
“I don’t care,” the muscular brother shook his head, “We’re only responsible for executing the sect’s orders. Your innocence will be determined once you reach the sect.”
“With a delicate body like yours, who knows if you’re a female dressed as a man? Unless you dare to strip right here for us to check?”
Sang Zhe looked at the brothers, and an icy shiver ran down his spine; he quickly covered his chest.
“What if we don’t want to go?” Shi Qingyan asked.
“Don’t want to go?”
The two brothers suddenly revealed friendly smiles like bananas, flexing their muscles.
“Then that means you want to play a van~ game with us?”
Sang Zhe looked at their tight pants and mostly bare muscular upper bodies and felt no desire to fight them.
Not that he couldn’t, but it just felt unpleasant thinking about it.
Whatever.
It’s just a misunderstanding; it’s fine to go with them for a bit.
And who knows, they might have news about the leader of the Fierce Tiger Sect.
“Alright then.”
Sang Zhe sighed, “We’ll go back with you.”
So Sang Zhe and Shi Qingyan followed the muscular brothers as they prepared to leave.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
Si Jingzhu looked astonished: “What about me?”
“You?”
The two brothers glanced at the mature, voluptuous beauty in the portrait.
Then looked at Si Jingzhu, who had a child-like figure.
“No need for you; you’re not the one we’re looking for.”
Si Jingzhu: “?”
“Hey! Are you looking down on me? I-I’m big too, okay!”
“Whose child is this?” The brother waved his hand impatiently, “Hurry back, and stop messing around.”
“You!”
Si Jingzhu’s face turned red with anger; she was just a step away from rolling up her sleeves and fighting.
“Enough, just wait outside for news.”
Sang Zhe gave her a sideways glance: “Someone needs to stay outside to help us. If anything happens, I’ll contact you with the communication device.”
After saying that, the four of them swaggered up Cloud Cow Mountain, leaving Si Jingzhu standing there in confusion, pitifully reaching out towards them.
“Wuwu…”
“Why did you leave me behind when you got caught…”
——
Cloud Cow Mountain.
Although it was located in the western region, with a dry and hot climate, barren and desolate.
From halfway up the mountain, Sang Zhe could still clearly feel waves of spiritual energy emanating from the earth, converging at the mountain top.
From a distance, he could see a majestic mountain gate with the words “Fierce Tiger Sect” written in bold strokes.
Of course, that wasn’t the most profound impression the Fierce Tiger Sect left on Sang Zhe.
What left the deepest impression were its disciples.
Every disciple in Fierce Tiger Sect was a muscle man.
From the frail elderly, yet robust and powerful with white mustaches, to the seven or eight-year-olds, all thick-armed and thick-legged.
Even the few female disciples were like a bunch of tough Barbies, comparable to Nezha from ten thousand cold jokes.
All around, it was a sea of mighty bodies that made Sang Zhe feel completely out of place.
To be honest.
Compared to them.
He really didn’t seem much like a man.
Even the female cultivators here looked more manly than he did.
Led by the two muscular brothers, Sang Zhe and Shi Qingyan walked past the hall square and arrived at the main hall of the Fierce Tiger Sect.
Inside, a robust man with horns like a bull, sitting on a tiger skin throne, looked so muscular it seemed like rock.
Just looking at his one arm felt like it could crush Sang Zhe’s skinny arms and legs.
Sang Zhe could only respectfully bow:
“I’m junior Sang Zhe, greeting the sect leader of Fierce Tiger Sect, Senior Ke Qinhux.”
The sect leader of Fierce Tiger Sect, Ke Qinhux, an eighth-stage body refiner in the Crossing Tribulation Stage.
Let alone Sang Zhe, even Master Yu Xia would have a hard time taking him down.
The tiger-eyed sect leader half-opened his eyes, a breath releasing mist like a dragon’s roar.
“You are the culprits behind the massacre of thirteen members of the Yu family at the foot of Cloud Cow Mountain?”
“Senior, this is all a misunderstanding.”
Sang Zhe awkwardly laughed: “I’ve only just arrived in West Spring City yesterday with my dao partner; there was no opportunity for this kind of grave crime.”
Dao partner…
Shi Qingyan’s beautiful eyes briefly flickered.
“A misunderstanding?”
Ke Qinhux didn’t listen to his explanation.
He gestured to a hunchbacked old man next to him, who immediately produced a blood-stained round orb.
“Drop your blood on it. If your case is unrelated to this, your innocence can be proven.”
Sang Zhe and Shi Qingyan had nothing to hide, so they confidently dripped their blood on it.
Sure enough, the orb showed no reaction, and the old man shook his head at the sect leader.
“Then it seems you two are not the culprits.”
As Sang Zhe was about to relax, he heard:
“However, that doesn’t completely clear you two of suspicion!”
“?”
“What if you two assisted that demoness in escaping?”
Ke Qinhux snorted coldly: “My Cloud Cow Mountain is remote; sometimes months pass without a single stranger cultivator passing through.”
“Yet you happen to pass by at this time? What a coincidence; how can that not raise suspicion?”
Really?
What can I say to that?
This is like asking me to prove I was born from my mom.
“Then what does the senior want to do?”
“You two will stay here for a few days.” Ke Qinhux nodded, “Once the real culprit is apprehended, you can naturally leave.”
Is that when monkeys reign?
With these clueless folks, they’d probably catch a man based on looks alone.
Sang Zhe estimated his chances of becoming the boss of a company were higher than theirs in finding the culprit.
“Senior, it’s not that we refuse to cooperate, but we have urgent matters to attend to, so we can’t stay long.”
“What?”
Ke Qinhux’s brows furrowed: “Are you not satisfied?”
Sang Zhe was a bit frustrated.
These dudes in the Fierce Tiger Sect are truly a bunch of muscle-heads who’ve lost their minds.
Trying to reason with them seems impossible.
If all else fails,
He could just go into mask mode and fight it out.
Perhaps it would be easier to communicate with these folks through fists.
Just as Sang Zhe was torn over whether to throw a punch, Shi Qingyan suddenly spoke up:
“May I ask, senior, if we could investigate the Yu family blood case ourselves to prove our innocence?”
Ke Qinhux squinted at her, and Sang Zhe was momentarily taken aback.
“I used to be an envoy of the Water Moon Sect and have handled many similar scenes. Entrusting the investigation to me might be faster than you all scurrying around like headless flies.”
“Besides, if we can find the real culprit, we can clear our names and leave sooner.”
“Isn’t that beneficial for both parties?” Shi Qingyan spoke calmly and respectfully.
Ke Qinhux seemed to ponder, whispering with the old man beside him before slowly saying:
“That is acceptable. However, our sect must send someone to accompany you throughout.”
“Just follow your orders, senior.” Shi Qingyan bowed gracefully.
Polite and assertive.
For the first time, Sang Zhe was thankful to have brought Senior Sister Shi along.
It might not have been easy to resolve this situation with anyone else.
…
After an exchange, they finally secured temporary freedom.
As soon as they exited the grand hall, Sang Zhe quietly approached Shi Qingyan:
“Senior Sister Shi, do you really have confidence in finding the real culprit?”
“Better than being stuck here.”
Shi Qingyan whispered: “From my experience as an envoy, it’s unlikely such a massacre would leave no traces behind.”
“Most likely there are crucial leads that these muscle-heads have overlooked.”
As they spoke, a soft, babyish voice suddenly rang out:
“Brother, sister, are you the ones investigating the Yu family blood case?”
Sang Zhe recognized the voice at once.
It sounded like a delicate and cute little girl.
He quickly turned around in surprise.
As a result, he faced a girl a head taller than him, her face sweet and adorable but her body muscular and robust.
“My name is Xiao Jiao, and the sect leader instructed me to follow you to investigate!” The girl blinked her innocent and cute eyelashes.
“…Y-You’re, uh, Xiao Jiao…”
Not little at all.
Not cute at all.
Felt like a single “squeak” could shatter my bones.
But the girl, while looking innocent, was undeniably at the peak of the Transformation Stage.
This kind of physical Enhancement Transformation was probably tough for Senior Sister Shi to handle.
“Let me take you to the crime scene!”
“Okay…” Sang Zhe gulped hard and couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, how old are you? Why are you calling us brother and sister?”
“Ugh~ So annoying~!”
Xiao Jiao shyly fidgeted her muscular body and tenderly said, “I’m always an adorable eighteen-year-old girl~!”
…What the heck, eighteen years old?
Can you not act cute?!
Do you have any idea that your muscular physique is terrifying when you’re trying to be cute?!
In a split second, Sang Zhe recalled all the happy moments of his life and forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit.
“What’s wrong, brother~? Are you captivated by my cuteness?”
“…No. Nothing. Let’s go.” Sang Zhe’s face turned pale.
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