Chapter 146 Troublesome Old Man

A team of logistics personnel rushed onto the field. Without a word, they administered a detoxification pill, then tossed the unconscious Zhu Rong onto a stretcher and quickly carried him away.

The Earth Lord did not immediately return to the audience seats. He remained in place, looked towards the Taiyi Gate's area, puffed on his cigar, and shouted, "Are you kidding me, dumbasses? Yesterday, you gave reminders from off-stage, and today you're filing reports. If Taiyi Gate can't afford to lose, then don't participate in the arena matches. Everyone should just do their own thing like last year."

The old Chao man waved his hand dismissively. "Go to hell!"

No one expected that he would suddenly start a flame war in this kind of situation, mocking Taiyi Gate in front of the elders.

The scene was briefly silent for a few seconds, then a clamor rose up like dust.

The official Lingjing Xingzhe members of the Five Elements Alliance were already dissatisfied with what happened this morning. Now, seeing the second-ranked Earth Lord taking the lead, they immediately joined in the uproar.

"If they didn't have ulterior motives, they would have privately contacted the higher-ups of our Five Elements Alliance to give feedback. Instead, they posted a thread to make a scene and even filed a report. They just want to mess with Yuanshi Tianzun. If you can't afford to lose, then just say so. These Night Watchers, they're all so arrogant, but they still lost, *hetui*! We haven't even investigated the off-stage reminder incident yet, and they have the gall to bite back when cornered. Serves them right, our Yuanshi Tianzun didn't do anything wrong. They're probably just jealous of Yuanshi Tianzun. Who told your Elder Sun to be so muddle-headed..."

"Hey, what are you doing covering my mouth? Curse all you want, but don't drag the elders into it. He's sitting right across from us. Are you looking for death?"

The noise was quickly suppressed. The Armored Swordsman shouted, "Silence!"

The Lingjing Xingzhe members in the entire venue were choked by an invisible force, collectively losing their voices, and the scene was silent.

The Night Watchers of Taiyi Gate wore sullen expressions, and even the Sages looked displeased.

Actually, there was nothing wrong with reporting Yuanshi Tianzun. So what if they were jealous? So what if they were envious? So what if they were settling personal grudges? Which reporter in the world doesn't report for those reasons?

Could it be for the sake of being a partner of justice?

Yuanshi Tianzun should be reported for manipulating infant spirits as servants.

It was just that Yuanshi Tianzun didn't have any flaws, and also that the Night Watchers of Taiyi Gate were few in number and couldn't win in a war of words, so they endured it in aggrieved silence.

When the silence ended after a dozen seconds, Sun Miaomiao, who had a pair of bright, dark eyes, quietly got up, sat next to Yuan Ting, and whispered, "Who reported Yuanshi Tianzun?"

Yuan Ting quickly shook his head. "I don't know, I don't know. I promised someone I wouldn't say."

Sun Miaomiao said "Oh" and got up to leave.

"Hey, don't go!" Yuan Ting quickly grabbed her, revealing a look of fierce resistance, but finally yielded to the will of his heart, lowering his voice. "It's the Maoshan Sect's superior. I'm only telling you, you must never spread it."

Sun Miaomiao revealed a "just as I thought" expression. She had suspected it for a long time, but wasn't sure. Now that she had Yuan Ting's endorsement, it was almost certainly true.

*Taiyi Gate has a gossip vending machine like Yuan Ting. How nice. He answers every question and it doesn't even cost money.*

Sun Miaomiao patted the back of Yuan Ting's hand, her round face full of solemnity. "I won't say it. I'll protect you."

Not far away, Zhang Yuanqing, with a face full of surprise, looked at the bright and beautiful mature woman and said in a low voice, "What's up with this old man? His personality doesn't seem like an Earth Monster, but more like a Fire Master. So impulsive?"

In his impression, Earth Monsters were all honest, steadfast, and reliable.

The queen also lowered her voice and whispered to him, "The Earth Monster was a rocker when he was young, but he was also very good at fighting. He liked to wave his guitar and fight people in the streets. He probably couldn't stand Taiyi Gate reporting you, so he stood up for you. With that temper, it's a waste for him not to be a Fire Master."

Zhang Yuanqing chuckled.

"Every profession has some strange exceptions." The queen touched the large silver ring on her earlobe, smiling charmingly.

At this time, Guo Hezu and "Loves Handsome Brothers" entered the arena. The two tacitly stopped talking and looked towards the arena.

Guo Hezu was a young man with short hair, a straight figure, wearing camouflage military pants, and a rattan armor on his upper body. His whole temperament was like a well-trained special forces soldier, or an old soldier who had fought on the battlefield for a hundred battles.

And "Loves Handsome Brothers" was a young woman in the prime of her life, wearing denim shorts, a thin short-sleeved shirt with lace trim, and a black tank top that was vaguely visible.

A light and bright dress, a hot figure.

Her facial features were not bad, after all, in this day and age, as long as the foundation is okay, after makeup and Korean semi-permanent makeup, anyone can become a beautiful woman.

This battle was fought without any suspense. Guo Hezu defeated "Loves Handsome Brothers", who was a Wood Sprite, with an overwhelming advantage. In theory, Wood Sprites, who are good at climbing and have great strength, are second only to Fire Masters in close combat. But she was completely defeated, and the battle was over in two minutes.

The female Wood Sprite barely struggled before being shot in the shoulder by Guo Hezu, and she conceded with a sad face.

"Very strong," Zhang Yuanqing stared at Guo Hezu in the arena, and the battle scenes flashed quickly in his mind.

After the battle started, Guo Hezu first used a pistol to compress "Loves Handsome Brothers"'s movement space, and then launched a close-quarters attack with a short knife, forcing the female Wood Sprite to retreat with a dense and violent offensive, trying to create distance.

But this happened to be exactly what Guo Hezu wanted, and he took away his opponent with one shot. The process was very simple. There were no reversals, no amazing skills, but in those short two minutes, Zhang Yuanqing watched with trepidation.

The first step was to use pistol bullets to suppress the Wood Sprite's movement space. It should be known that Wood Sprites have a skill called Climber, which is known for its flexibility and balance, and they can walk on walls dozens of meters high as if they were on flat ground.

It was outrageous to suppress a Wood Sprite with a single-shot pistol.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't understand it at first, but he only realized the clues when it came to the second step of close combat. Normal Insight can predict the enemy's trajectory and attacks. When the enemy throws a punch, the Scout can predict that punch in advance.

Predicting the enemy's next move is the core essence of Insight. But this guy Guo Hezu can predict two steps, no, at least two steps. One bullet was fired, turning "Loves Handsome Brothers" into a headless fly, wanting to go left and wanting to go right, but also feeling that no matter whether she goes left or right, she will be attacked.

That's why he can rely on a single-shot pistol to suppress the agile Wood Sprite. And in terms of close combat, Guo Hezu is very strong. This strength is not about how superb his fighting skills are, but that he can always attack the enemy's vital points in the simplest and fastest way.

His fists and feet revealed a sense of iron and blood, pursuing the highest efficiency in killing the enemy at the smallest cost.

He and Guan Ya, who honed her fighting skills, were on two different paths.

"Sister Guan Ya, who is stronger between you and him? Um, I mean in terms of fighting." Zhang Yuanqing asked quickly.

"You don't have to emphasize that, are you looking down on me?" Guan Ya was both annoyed and amused, pursing her lips. "If it's a martial arts competition, I have a 60-40 chance of winning against him, but if it's a life-and-death battle, it's 40-60. I'm talking about fighting alone."

*There's a reason why he's in the top ten.* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly.

In his heart, Guan Ya was the ceiling of the fighting world. To this day, he felt that his fighting skills had reached a certain level, but he had no chance of winning against the old driver.

Guan Ya said, "However, this guy is a player who specializes in a certain ability and is relatively easily restrained! Guo Hezu is a member of the White Tiger Mercenaries. Do you know his nickname? What? In the White Tiger Mercenaries, he is called Little Qingyang."

"I hope that in the future, there will also be a talented Night Watcher who is called Little Yuanshi, or Little Tianzun."

At four o'clock in the morning, the goose-yellow lights of the street stretched Zhang Yuanqing's shadow. The brightly lit cafe across the street from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau had its doors open. Zhang Yuanqing, wearing a mask and a baseball cap, walked into the cafe with his hands in his pockets.

His gaze swept under the brim of his cap, looking towards the slender and graceful Palace Master Zhisha behind the counter, who was brewing coffee.

She was still wearing the gorgeous Song Dynasty-style long dress, as red as fire. The difference was that the palace master was wearing a half-face mask today, revealing her lips.

"Take a seat first, the coffee will be ready in a moment," she said, looking down.

*Is this learning from the last time when I couldn't drink coffee and changed masks?* Zhang Yuanqing casually picked a place to sit down and silently watched her brew coffee.

Under the soft light, her hair shimmered with a beautiful luster, and the quality of her hair was so amazing that one couldn't help but want to touch it to experience the feel.

Her lips were standard cherry lips, delicate and cute, and the red color shone with a jelly-like texture, attracting men to kiss them. Her cheek lines were smooth, a very standard oval face.

*Just like I thought, the palace master is indeed a great beauty.* Zhang Yuanqing sincerely sighed.

Zhang Yuanqing had seen many high-quality women. Based on his own observations, he divided beauties into three categories.

The first category: "Oh, Miss Sister looks pretty good."

The second category: "This Miss Sister makes me want to fall in love and get close to her."

The third category: "You are the object of all my wet dreams."

Palace Master Zhisha, who had half of her face revealed, easily reached the second category.

While he was lost in thought, Palace Master Zhisha walked over with two cups of coffee, her long skirt trailing on the ground.

She put down the coffee, propped her elbows on the table, supported her chin with her palms, like a playful little girlfriend, gazing tenderly at her boyfriend with her soft eyes, and smiling sweetly, "You finally thought of contacting me? You haven't looked for me in a long time. Do you have a new love?"

Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of coffee, his face serious, and said, "Elder Gou asked me to pass on a message."

Palace Master Zhisha pinched a small spoon with her small hand, gently bent it, squinted her eyes, and smiled. "I'll give you a chance to reorganize your words."

Zhang Yuanqing said seriously, "A day apart feels like three autumns. I miss the palace master very much. It just so happened that Elder Gou asked me to bring you a message, so I couldn't wait to ask the palace master out for coffee."

Palace Master Zhisha held her chest with her small hand, laughing heartily, laughing so hard that she was shaking. "You're so interesting, so interesting, hahaha... I was wrong, I actually thought a crazy person was very beautiful and suitable for dating. I'm still too young."

Zhang Yuanqing forced himself to keep smiling. "As long as the palace master is happy."

After she finished laughing, she picked up the small spoon from Zhang Yuanqing's cup of coffee and gently stirred the coffee in her own cup, and said, "What did that old dog ask you to bring?"

Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. He was most afraid of her continuing to make trouble out of nothing. He said sternly, "In the next three days, the arena competition is proceeding in an orderly manner. After five days of battles, the list of the top sixteen has finally been released."

Except for the Maoshan Taoist losing to Yuanshi Tianzun in the first round of the competition and regrettably being eliminated, the list of the top sixteen was basically the same as the list of the top twenty that the scholars had made. It can be seen that the level of these scholars is still very high.

On the morning of the sixth day, Zhang Yuanqing opened the forum on time to view the final list.

Today, they were competing for the top eight, and the venue was no longer the arena, but was randomly selected from the Five Elements Alliance and Taiyi Gate gang dungeons.

The level of excitement was far from comparable to the arena.

After logging into the forum, the red-labeled pinned post was "#Top Sixteen Battle List#: Changjiang Polang vs. Earth Lord; Jiang Jingwei vs. Zhao Chenghuang; Sun Miaomiao vs. Golden Armor; Human-Ghost Love vs. Vocalist; Guo Hezu vs. Yuanshi Tianzun; Eternal God King vs. Qing Songzi; Woman is a Tiger vs. Yuan Ting; Illegal Nickname vs. White Tiger Forever. ps: Typos will be corrected later."

"Elder Gou said that before the Chu family was destroyed, Dark Night Rose had no leader. He wants to hear your opinion." The smile in Palace Master Zhisha's eyes slowly faded away. Her eyes became calm, and her aura became serious. When she wasn't crazy, she exuded an unspeakable nobility.

《Sword Coming》

"Elder Gou thinks that the leader of Dark Night Rose is related to my Chu family, or even someone from my Chu family?" she asked, pondering.

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Maybe, what does the palace master think? I was too young at the time, just starting to remember things. I only have a vague impression of that turmoil. It was also because I was too young that I survived the disaster and escaped to Songhai with my clansmen..."

Her gaze narrowed slightly, and she pondered silently. Zhang Yuanqing thought that the eyebrows under the mask must be tightly furrowed.

"Did your clansmen ever mention this? If Dark Night Rose is someone from the Chu family, then this person must have a grudge against the Chu family. Your clansmen should be aware of this," he said.

The palace master shook her head, seemingly unwilling to talk more about it, and said perfunctorily, "Don't ask. Tell Elder Gou that if there is any progress in this matter, I hope he can inform me. This palace master will definitely reward him handsomely."

It could be seen that she was very fixated on the Chu family's extermination case back then.

*Unfortunately, I can't help with this level of event,* Zhang Yuanqing thought with regret.

"You performed well in the arena competition. It's no problem to enter the top three, but winning the championship is a bit difficult," Palace Master Zhisha said, sipping the bitter coffee and commenting on the arena competition.

Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

The reason why foundation is called foundation is because it relies on accumulation over time. He was a strong player in the top ten, but he didn't have much confidence when facing enemies in the top three.

"But even so, I still have expectations for you. You are a player who will unleash your potential in adversity. The more setbacks you experience, the more courageous you become. Yuanshi Tianzun, I have high hopes for you." Her voice was as gentle as a mother's whisper, like a lover's confession. Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of emotion in his heart, inexplicably generating a feeling of "I am full of power" and "I really want to marry this woman home."

In the next second, Palace Master Zhisha giggled charmingly. "You actually believed it? You're so funny."

*I almost forgot that this is a Musician. The Musician's mouth is a lying ghost.* Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched, and he silently got up. "If there's nothing else, I'll leave."

"She doesn't know?" Elder Gou frowned after listening to Fu Qingyang's phone call. "I understand."

He was currently in charge of matters related to Dark Night Rose. A secret organization that extended its reach to the executive level and to the Lingjing aristocratic families was like a poisonous snake hidden in the bedroom to the Five Elements Alliance. If they were not careful, they would be bitten.

The priority and importance of investigating Dark Night Rose was self-evident. "Then we can only take Yuanshi Tianzun to see the Magic Eye."