Chapter 4058 — The Black-Robed Man Returns
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Indeed, since it had already been made public anyway, Nan Tianxiong simply decided to stop hiding it: he would openly set up an altar for the rites in the Chongtian Pavilion plaza and, before a countless crowd, offer Yu Jiang as a living sacrifice to the Third Elder, Nan Tianyong!
To Nan Tianxiong, though doing so might invite criticism, it was nonetheless the perfect way to wash away the shame Yu Jiang had brought upon his family.
The news spread like wildfire. By noon the next day, a dense crowd of hundreds, even a thousand, had gathered in the Chongtian Pavilion plaza—not only disciples of Chongtian Pavilion, but disciples of the other two pavilions as well, who had come at the news to watch the spectacle.
Yet, before the eyes of the crowd, the brothers Nan Tianxiong and Nan Tianguan suddenly stood everyone up. There was no help for it: Yu Jiang had vanished!
Staring at the empty basement, Nan Tianxiong was so furious that his three souls nearly leapt from his body—yet at the same time, even he found it incredible.
From yesterday until now, he had never taken a single step out of the room above, and this fully enclosed basement had only one exit: the one beneath his own feet. The surrounding area was shrouded in strict protective formations; escape by any other route was simply impossible.
And yet this very impossibility had occurred right under his nose. Yu Jiang, who should have been waiting with closed eyes for death, had evaporated from the world without the slightest warning.
Had he not known his elder brother's character so well, Nan Tianguan might even have suspected that the leader had softened for a moment and secretly let Yu Jiang go. But that was impossible.
Where the death of the Third Elder, Nan Tianyong, was concerned, Nan Tianxiong could only wish Yu Jiang to suffer a few more cuts and die more miserably; there was absolutely no chance he would simply spare the man's life.
After a long while, Nan Tianxiong finally forced out a single sentence: "It seems some expert has stepped in and spirited him away."
"What?" Nan Tianguan was startled. "Brother, you were standing guard here yourself—who else could slip past your eyes and ears and rescue Yu Jiang from the basement? That seems hardly possible."
"I think so too, but there is always a higher mountain beyond the highest, and a heaven beyond the heavens. The facts are right here before us—what more can you say?" Nan Tianxiong said helplessly.
Now Nan Tianguan was speechless as well. In his eyes, Nan Tianxiong, a fine cultivator at the Golden Core stage, was already exceedingly powerful—but within the Sandie Pavilion, there were still plenty whose strength far surpassed Nan Tianxiong's.
What neither of them could fathom was this: over the past few months, that brat Yu Jiang had been currying favor and playing the good boy before the two of them. When on earth had he become entangled with a figure of such power?
Yu Jiang's disappearance immediately set off another mighty uproar. Not only did it leave the brothers Nan Tianxiong and Nan Tianguan utterly disgraced, but more importantly, this was already the second case of someone fleeing in fear of punishment and vanishing after Xu Lingchong—and the interval between the two was less than a month.
In the underground secret chamber, Yu Jiang slowly opened his eyes. By the faint, dim light he surveyed his surroundings, then suddenly gave a violent start and pleaded, "Uncle-Master, I beg you, spare this insignificant life of mine! It was indeed my fault for harboring wicked thoughts then—I deserve death, I am worse than a pig or a dog—but I am still of use to you! Only spare me this once, and for this life—no, the next life, and the one after that—I will serve you as an ox and a horse..."
Halfway through his words, the black-cloaked figure shrouded in shadow cut him off: "Save your breath. I am not Nan Tianxiong. You need not fear; I will not kill you, nor will I hand you over to Nan Tianxiong."