Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 362: Chapter 273: Spreading Rumors After the Sudden Downpour

At Song Mingyue’s words, Han Jiang had a sudden realization. His expression turned grim as he warily scanned his surroundings. Then he said to Ling Xiao, "Brother Xiao, I feel we hit it off, so let me offer you a word of advice. Don’t speak so recklessly. Be careful... Sigh!"

Ling Xiao glanced back. The trading convention had already started today, so there was almost no one else strolling about. He smiled and said, "Brother Han, surely you don’t have some secret you can’t speak of? There are no outsiders here. Go on, tell us. At least satisfy our curiosity! I kept feeling something was off last night, you know!"

"Sigh... Say no more. Come on, let’s find a spot, and I’ll tell you everything!"

In truth, Han Jiang was finding it unbearable to keep it all in. He wasn’t the type who could keep things to himself. If what he’d witnessed last night hadn’t been so terrifying—so unbelievable that no one would take his word for it—he would have broadcast it to the world by now.

The three of them walked deeper in until they came to a delicate little stone bridge. Beside it was a row of long wooden benches under a set of awnings for shade. Judging by how new they looked, they must have been recently installed, clearly in preparation for the grand event.

Even though he knew the Qin Family had ill intentions, Ling Xiao couldn’t help but feel a little impressed. The Qin Family truly had the bearing of a great family, to have considered even such minor details so thoroughly.

"Last night, around midnight, Brother Zhou and I were having a great conversation. We weren’t asleep at all!" The moment he sat down, Han Jiang began to speak in a hushed, eager voice.

Ling Xiao’s gaze swept over the area. Behind them was a thicket of bushes with a small stream flowing through it. The bushes were lush and vibrant, a pleasant expanse of green. And just beyond them, Ling Xiao could make out the indistinct shapes of several pairs of figures.

’They’re probably young couples who’ve slipped away,’ Ling Xiao thought, ’taking this rare chance to be alone and confess their feelings.’ Upon hearing the sound of their conversation, the figures over there clearly froze.

Ling Xiao smiled to himself. ’Just when I was wondering how to spread this rumor,’ he thought. ’This opportunity is a godsend! Thank you, The Three Pristine Ones!’

"That’s right. This grand event is also a good opportunity for minor sects and families like us to make friends!" Ling Xiao said with a light chuckle. He then heard a barely audible, disdainful scoff come from the bushes.

Ling Xiao smirked to himself. ’It seems the people over there are from third-rate families and sects at the very least. The more powerful their families, the better!’

"You’re telling me! Brother Zhou is so young, yet he already has the strength of a First Rank Demon Sword Master. His future is limitless! Hmph, if you ask me, a lot of the bigger families and sects are nothing special, yet they insist on this nonsense about first-, second-, and third-rate. Who decided that having more people makes you a high-tier family? What’s the damn use if they’re all just a bunch of useless idiots!"

Han Jiang was full of grievances on this topic.

"Right," Ling Xiao said, "but Brother Han, why don’t you tell us what exactly happened last night!" He was afraid the man would get lost in his complaints and forget the main point. If the people in the bushes got bored and left, he’d lose this golden opportunity!

"Oh, right. Last night, the rain was coming down harder and harder, but neither of us was sleepy, so we started chatting about that Tier Nine Magical Beast. Heh, a Tier Seven Magical Beast already possesses the power of a Sword Emperor, and a mature one is even stronger! If a Tier Seven is that powerful, what about a Tier Eight? And what about a Tier Nine?"

Han Jiang snorted, then suddenly lowered his voice. "So, we were both saying that the Qin Family might not have released that news with the best intentions! For years, all the major hidden families and sects have seemed friendly enough on the surface, but who knows how much darkness and scheming goes on behind their backs?"

Song Mingyue couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Ling Xiao, however, noticed that the couples behind them hadn’t left. It seemed they were also interested in Han Jiang’s topic.

Han Jiang continued, "I don’t know which bastard added the word ’hidden’ to the names of families and sects, or which bored fool decided to rank them all, but it’s undeniable that unranked factions like ours want to become third-rate, third-rate ones want to be second-rate, and first-rate ones want to be ’super’... So, I get the feeling the Qin Family’s ambitions are huge!"

He patted the fine wooden bench he was sitting on and sneered. "To make such detailed arrangements for a single event... I bet those from the third-rate families and above are getting much better treatment than us! Because we weren’t even part of the original plan! So, it’s only natural that there’d be some ’problems’ with our reception!"

Ling Xiao couldn’t help but glance at Han Jiang in surprise. He’d originally thought the man was just frivolous and arrogant, all bluster and empty talk. He hadn’t expected him to be so clear and logical when analyzing a situation... even if he was prone to going off on tangents.

Han Jiang seemed to quite enjoy Ling Xiao’s undisguised look of surprise. He felt Ling Xiao was a very genuine person! In reality, many arrogant people are not necessarily unaware of their own flaws or what others think of them; they simply disdain to change. Otherwise, how could they live up to the word ’arrogant’? Someone who can’t read the meaning in another’s gaze isn’t arrogant, they’re just a fool.

"So, we both suspected the Qin Family had released the news about the Tier Nine Magical Beast for some nefarious purpose. But the allure of a Tier Nine Magical Beast is just too great! If the one thing a Martial Artist wants most is to cultivate a Divine Sword Skill, then the best things for improving one’s strength are the Crystal Cores and blood from a High-Tier Magical Beast. And a Tier Nine Magical Beast... it’s no exaggeration to say its entire body is a priceless treasure! We were happily discussing how we’d get the most value out of the Magical Beast if we managed to get it, when suddenly, an earth-shattering pressure washed over us. Seriously, Brother Xiao, don’t you laugh, but I have never been so terrified in my entire life. I was completely paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. My mouth was wide open, I was screaming with all my might, but not a single sound came out! And then... I watched, helpless, as Brother Zhou—also completely paralyzed—flew right out of the window, which had opened all by itself! Damn it, it was like I’d seen a ghost!"

After saying it all in one breath, Han Jiang couldn’t help but stand up and walk into the sunlight, yet Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue still saw his body give a violent shiver.

Ling Xiao clearly sensed that, dozens of feet away, the people on the other side of the thicket had held their breath as Han Jiang uttered his final sentence.

’If that’s true, it’s absolutely shocking! To be talking about a Tier Nine Magical Beast, only to watch your companion disappear right before your eyes, completely powerless to resist... He couldn’t even speak, let alone help.’

’Besides a Tier Nine Magical Beast... who else could possibly possess that kind of power?’

Ling Xiao suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with indignation. "If it really was the Tier Nine Magical Beast, then why has it coexisted peacefully with the Qin Family for all these years? And yet, as soon as we arrive, this happens? On top of that, they’re the ones who released the news about hunting the Tier Nine Magical Beast in the first place. What are the Qin Family’s true intentions? I’m telling you, there’s a massive conspiracy behind all this!"

After he finished speaking, Ling Xiao sensed the people behind the bushes quietly leaving, one after another. A cold smirk touched the corners of his lips.

Han Jiang, however, had grown pale. He cupped his fists toward Ling Xiao and said, "Brother Xiao, you... you’re too bold. You can’t just say things like that. Sigh, I think I’ll be going now!"

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