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Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Turning Against Each Other, Beset with Internal and External Troubles!
Zhan Xincheng was completely deaf to Ouyang Song’s words; his daughter had been ruined by Ouyang Qingming, and he refused to believe that Ouyang Song was oblivious to his son’s deeds.
Zhan Liluo’s life was now effectively over—a result of the villainy of father and son.
He had already had Liluo sent home; the agony that Mistress Zhang and Liluo’s mother must have felt upon seeing her plight.
Zhan Xincheng sought revenge for his daughter, but he was also incensed by Ouyang Song’s deception.
His eyes bloodshot, he drew a soldier’s saber and hacked at Ouyang Song, who was protecting his son and took an inadvertent cut.
He glared venomously at Zhan Xincheng and kicked the latter’s injured leg, causing Zhan Xincheng to lose his balance and fall to one knee.
Ouyang Song then stepped viciously on Zhan Xincheng’s leg crease, breaking the bone; Zhan Xincheng let out a wail and stabbed towards Ouyang Song’s ankle.
In an instant, Ouyang Song’s left Achilles tendon snapped.
As the two men fought fiercely, Cui Hao arrived and ordered his soldiers: "Seize Ouyang Song and his son immediately!"
The soldiers quickly surrounded Ouyang Song and his son, but before the pair could resist,
the disciples of Heavenly Slaughter Sect surrounding them suddenly shouted, "Kill! Protect the Sect Master!"
Someone took the lead and fired arrows at the soldiers. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Suchs an arrow nearly struck Cui Hao, who bellowed: "Kill these traitors, all of them!"
Immediately, the disciples of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect clashed violently with the soldiers.
While fighting off Zhan Xincheng’s assault, Ouyang Song yelled: "Stop fighting, stop!"
However, his voice was drowned out by the din of battle, as all were consumed by a frenzy of killing.
The disciples of Heavenly Slaughter Sect, bloodthirsty and belligerent, influenced by their Sect Master’s ways, none was pure.
Should the Sect Master be taken to the Ministry of Justice and their secrets revealed, they would be as good as captured by the authorities.
So, if their Sect Master was taken today, their own deaths would not be far behind!
With merely a hundred of the Ministry’s men, and over a thousand of their own, what was there to fear?
In these troubled times, the worst-case scenario was to slaughter them all and turn to banditry!
"Qingming, father will cover you, flee quickly." Amidst the chaos, Ouyang Song hastily handed his son a key.
Ouyang Qingming took the key and swiftly made his escape, understanding his father’s intent; with life preserved, there would be fuel for future fires.
A man of the martial world could walk the earth incognito, starting anew if needed.
In the midst of the tumult, two figures quietly slipped inside the sect.
Dressed in the robe of a Heavenly Slaughter Sect elder, Zhan Lan silently slit the throat of a guard disciple, turning to Silver-faced Fox and saying, "Pleasure doing business with you!"
The Silver-faced Fox, dressed as a man, slit another disciple’s throat, blood trailing down his hand, and with a curved smile, replied, "What’s to thank for? With the lady’s generous offer, I’m only too glad to serve!"
This cooperation marked the second time Silver-faced Fox assisted Zhan Lan, following the handling of Zhang Cheng.
The Silver-faced Fox was an orphan, trafficked multiple times as a child and harbored deep hatred for those who preyed on women and children. Moreover, with the hefty sum of silver Zhan Lan offered, they formed a solid partnership.
A month prior, Silver-faced Fox had arrived at the Heavenly Slaughter Sect and was chosen by the Great Elder as an Inner Sect Disciple for his good looks.
The Great Elder’s unsavory intentions toward Silver-faced Fox were deftly thwarted by his wit.
Until the previous night, when Silver-faced Fox finally agreed to a secret rendezvous with the Great Elder, who stripped down in preparation for his indecency was drugged and fainted at the hands of Silver-faced Fox.
Upon entering the room, Ouyang Qingming spotted the birthmark, identifying the perpetrator who had violated him years ago as the Great Elder.
"Lady, you are truly divine; how did you know that Ouyang Qingming had been violated by that old wretch!" exclaimed Silver-faced Fox.
Zhan Lan sincerely responded, "I once told you I am a fortune teller, you didn’t believe."
Silver-faced Fox shrugged; in their cooperation, the lady had not only concealed her face but seemed to see through him utterly. Was it possible that there truly existed such a Divine Fortune Teller in the world?
Together, Zhan Lan and Silver-faced Fox infiltrated the inner residence of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect.
Since her resurrection, she had been planning the right moment to obliterate the second branch of Zhan Family and the Heavenly Slaughter Sect.
In this scheme, Zhan Lan merely gave a push; Ouyang Song and Zhan Xincheng quickly turned against each other.
The Heavenly Slaughter Sect, plagued by internal strife and external pressures, was like ants on a hot pot.
Firstly, Ouyang Qingming had always been in collusion with the Great Elder, only to discover today that he too was a victim of the Great Elder’s tyranny, culminating in internal discord.
Secondly, Zhan Xincheng hired assassins to deal with Zhan Lan, and the Ouyang Family, whom he had always regarded as friends, had grievously harmed his daughter, Zhan Liluo. Zhan Lan deliberately had someone inform Zhan Xincheng, leading to the discovery of Zhan Liluo and pitting the two families against each other, adding to the external troubles.
As for Zhan Lan’s abduction of Cui Ying, which drew Cui Hao into these troubled waters, she had other plans.
In the inner residence of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect, concubines and servants alike were fleeing with their belongings.
In the most luxurious room, Zhan Lan saw Ouyang Qingming packing up silver notes and preparing to flee.
Her sword pointed at his back, and Ouyang Qingming shuddered with fear.
Ouyang Qingming slowly turned around and saw a pair of beautiful eyes, immediately recognizing an exceedingly beautiful woman.
The woman wore a veil, and Ouyang Qingming coldly said, "What do you want?"
Zhan Lan curved her lips into a smile, glanced at the silver notes in Ouyang Qingming’s hands, and with a sword at his back, he was forced to hand them over to Zhan Lan.
Zhan Lan took the notes and saw a thick stack of them – it must be no less than five hundred thousand taels of silver.
Zhan Lan’s eyes lit up; indeed, this venture had been quite the harvest.
Ouyang Song was also deeply concerned about his son, letting him escape while he took the brunt of the attack himself.
Such profound father-son affection, but alas, they both had to die!
Ouyang Qingming felt Zhan Lan looked extremely familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before; such beautiful eyes were unforgettable.
His eyes widened as he roared, "You are Zhan Lan! You’re the one behind this; I should have killed you long ago!"
At this moment, Ouyang Qingming understood — perhaps Zhan Lan had found out about his intention to kill her in the ring and was retaliating deliberately.
Zhan Lan casually nodded and pocketed the silver notes, "Ouyang Qingming, who gave you such a terrible name?"
Ouyang Qingming gnashed his teeth and secretly took out the hidden weapon concealed in his sleeve, shooting it towards Zhan Lan.
Zhan Lan dodged swiftly, and with a forceful thrust of her sword, it pierced Ouyang Qingming’s chest, blood seeping red – a sword through the chest!
Zhan Lan twisted the sword blade in his chest, and Ouyang Qingming screamed in misery.
"Zhan... Lan!" Ouyang Qingming’s pupils shrank sharply as he convulsed and looked at Zhan Lan.
Only to hear Zhan Lan say indifferently, "Ouyang Qingming, such a fine name, but too bad, at Qingming Festival, no one will offer you paper money anymore!"
Ouyang Qingming spat out blood, staring fixedly at Zhan Lan, could it be that Zhan Lan intended to not only kill him but also his father?
Despite her young age, she was unexpectedly ruthless!
Zhan Lan pulled out her sword and horizontally slashed Ouyang Qingming’s neck, blood splattered, and he died violently on the spot.
She left the room expressionless, wielding her bloody sword.
The Silver-faced Fox threw the torch in her hand into the room.
The building, already doused in oil, burst into flames.
The fire raged like a dragon, instantly turning the Heavenly Slaughter Sect into a sea of fire.
Ouyang Song was fiercely suppressing Zhan Xincheng in combat, but upon seeing the inferno behind him, he was overcome with fury and suddenly coughed up blood.
By now, he understood everything; someone must be aiming to annihilate the Heavenly Slaughter Sect.
Otherwise, why would Zhan Xincheng and Cui Hao coincidentally appear at his sect?
Cui Hao, watching the fire from a distance and seeing soldiers falling one after another, was frantic.
Originally, he had only intended to take Ouyang Song and Ouyang Qingming away to avenge his daughter, but the current situation was beyond his control!
