I'm Already the Richest Man, Why Did My System Just Arrive?

Chapter 308: Chapter 182: Contention

Looking over at Dugu Xiang, the force of the first arrow volley had sent him flying. His sword tip quivered wildly as it scraped against the wall. His face was deathly pale, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. That soft *splat* from the darkness moments ago—it had been the sound of Dugu Xiang coughing up blood.

"Thank you!"

Xie Luohe was still wearing the same mask. Seemingly unconcerned about revealing her identity, she let out a soft laugh. After saying her thanks, she reached out, snatched the two *Four Seasons Map* scrolls from the long table, and then left the way she came, leaping onto the roof to make her escape.

"After her!"

The others in the room finally snapped to their senses. Channeling their power, they smashed through the ceiling in pursuit of Xie Luohe’s fleeing figure.

Only the injured Dugu Xiang, Zheng Xiu, Xiaotao, Zhang Da’er, and Cheng Xiao remained in the room. Everyone else had given chase.

Zhang Da’er, refusing to believe it, reached for the long table. When his hand met empty air, he said in astonishment, "They were really stolen?"

Dugu Xiang struggled up from the corner, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve and gave a bitter smile. "Quite a character, that Xie Luohe."

CRASH.

Another tremor shook the building. The main hall, unable to withstand the destructive force of so many masters, began to fall apart as shattered beams came crashing down. Zheng Xiu frowned. Shielding Xiaotao with one arm, he couldn’t help but wonder, ’Why would Xie Luohe make her move now?’

’Does she know where the real *Plum Blossoms in the Snow* is hidden?’

Xie Luohe’s brazen theft had plunged Hidden Sword Manor into chaos. Fires blazed everywhere, illuminating the entire estate in the dark of night. Once the other masters gave chase, every disciple in Hidden Sword Manor was roused, and the search for the "Assassin" began.

’This isn’t a place we can stay for long.’

’Now that Xie Luohe has made her move, Dugu Xiang is bound to get suspicious of me, especially after our... ambiguous interactions during the tournament.’ With this thought, Zheng Xiu covered Xiaotao’s small mouth, signaling for her to be quiet. His plan was to use the chaos as cover to get her out of the manor.

"Hmph! Brother Xiao, I’m afraid I can’t simply let you leave! My apologies!"

Inside the collapsing building, Dugu Xiang had already noticed Zheng Xiu trying to sneak away with Xiaotao. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his back, he swung his sword. A dazzling white light flashed from the blade, crossing the room in an instant to sever the main beam above the exit, blocking Zheng Xiu’s path.

Seeing his escape route cut off, Zheng Xiu remained calm and drew the Luohe Brush from his waist.

Throughout the chaos, Cheng Xiao had maintained his stoic, deathly pale expression. With his eyes shut tight, he simply stood there clutching his black scabbard, only shifting his upper body from time to time to dodge the falling bricks and beams, remaining completely unscathed.

The moment Zheng Xiu drew the Luohe Brush and Dugu Xiang blocked his path, Cheng Xiao moved. He took a single step toward Zheng Xiu, but turned to face Dugu Xiang and opened his eyes.

The air crackled with tension.

Zhang Da’er glanced from side to side, his eyes darting about as if he were trying to figure out an angle.

Dugu Xiang frowned. "So you two are working together?"

Cheng Xiao shook his head, his expression unchanging. "He has to pay for my saber."

Cheng Xiao’s matter-of-fact answer instantly defused most of the tension in the air. Dugu Xiang, who had been suppressing his rage, was visibly stunned. He had considered many possibilities, but he never would have guessed that Cheng Xiao was siding with Zheng Xiu simply to get compensation for his Broken Saber.

Torn between laughter and fury, Dugu Xiang felt another mouthful of blood rising in his throat. ’Some stupid saber? As if my Hidden Sword Manor can’t afford to replace it! If you really want one, my grand estate could forge you a hundred of them overnight!’

Zheng Xiu was even more surprised than Dugu Xiang that Cheng Xiao was siding with him for such a bizarre reason. He decided to hold off on using his "Drawing Prison" for now. Instead, he smiled at the conflicted Dugu Xiang. "Hero Dugu, why so angry? There are no outsiders here. I think it’s time we all stopped pretending."

Dugu Xiang said, "What do you mean by that?"

Zheng Xiu cut straight to the truth. "The *Plum Blossoms in the Snow*... is a fake."

Zhang Da’er: "A fake?!"

Cheng Xiao: "A fake?"

Xiaotao: "That’s right! My master said it was a fake!"

Another female voice drifted down from above. "It’s a fake."

Before the words had even faded, Xie Luohe, still disguised as Feng Bei, dropped down from a hole in the roof. She had come back.

Zheng Xiu was overjoyed. "You came back to save me?"

Xie Luohe winked at him. "Not entirely."

Seeing Xie Luohe’s return, Dugu Xiang had a sinking feeling about the fate of the others who had chased her. His face turned ashen.

"This is for you."

With a flick of her wrist, Xie Luohe tossed a scroll to Cheng Xiao.

Cheng Xiao unrolled it. To his surprise, it was his long-lost *Spring Pond Willow Swallow Map*.

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