Chapter 161 Accidental Manslaughter

The two of them walked side by side.

However, before they even stepped into the courtyard, a voice came from behind.

"Report!"

A flicker of displeasure crossed Jin Buhuan's face, and he made a gesture to wave the messenger away, but Xiao Yang stopped him.

"Brother Jin, since someone has come to give a report, it wouldn't hurt to listen."

"Then Brother Xiao, please wait a moment."

An apologetic look appeared on Jin Buhuan's face.

"Speak, what is the matter?" he asked, turning to the newcomer.

"Reporting to the City Lord, we found a suspicious person near the exit of the Assassin Alliance, and he claims his master is someone named Xiao Yang."

Hearing this, Jin Buhuan glanced at Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang was taken aback for a moment.

He had a lingering feeling that he had forgotten something important, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall what it was.

Eventually, he gave up trying to remember, but now, jolted by this reminder, it all came back to him.

"Damn it! Zhen Zhuang! I forgot all about Zhen Zhuang!"

When they entered the headquarters of the Assassin Alliance, Xiao Yang had left Zhen Zhuang outside.

He had originally intended to rendezvous with him afterward, but then the collapse happened.

Covered in dust and grime, he had managed to crawl out, and upon emerging, his mind was entirely consumed by the thought of going back to see Zhou Yan.

In the heat of that excitement, he had completely left Zhen Zhuang stranded right at the entrance of the Assassin Alliance.

"Brother Xiao, do you know him?"

"I do, I do. He's one of my subordinates," Xiao Yang replied hastily, nodding.

Jin Buhuan immediately gave a sweeping wave of his hand and issued an order on the spot.

"Bring that Zhen Zhuang here."

However, the guard revealed a troubled expression and said cautiously.

"We would like to, but that fellow is as stubborn as an ox. He insists that his young master told him to wait right there."

"Because of this, several of our brothers have already been beaten and injured by him."

Xiao Yang was stunned.

He had never expected Zhen Zhuang to be so obstinate; he had only spoken those words offhand at the time.

"Brother Jin, let me go and take a look."

He wanted to check on the situation himself.

At the very least, he needed to get Zhen Zhuang out of trouble first.

"I have nothing better to do. I'll walk with you and see how the cleanup operation is going over there anyway," Jin Buhuan said with a smile.

Xiao Yang nodded in agreement.

Without wasting any time, since Xiao Yang knew the way to the Assassin Alliance headquarters' entrance and exit, he took the lead and walked ahead.

"Order you to leave this place immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!" a Grandmaster-realm martial artist said coldly.

They had received strict orders to clear out the Assassin Alliance headquarters before the end of the day.

Yet now, an extra person was lingering here, leaving them unsure whether to proceed inside or hold their ground.

They had tried to make Zhen Zhuang leave, but the guy was utterly stubborn.

No matter how they tried to chase him away, he wouldn't budge.

"I am waiting here for my young master. I won't get in your way," Zhen Zhuang stated, his attitude unwavering.

This caused the leading Grandmaster to frown, his patience finally wearing thin.

They belonged to the City Lord's Mansion, representing absolute authority; how could they tolerate being provoked time and time again?

"Since you insist, don't blame us."

"Attack!"

With that, he exchanged a sharp glance with the men around him.

The other Grandmasters instantly understood and moved in unison, preparing to subdue Zhen Zhuang by force.

"You guys shouldn't force me. I just want to wait for my young master here," Zhen Zhuang said, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.

Yet it was precisely this momentary hesitation that slowed the speed of his punch by a fraction.

A fist loomed large in his vision.

Bang!

Zhen Zhuang was sent flying directly by the punch, slamming heavily against a wall.

The burly warrior who had landed the hit wore a smug smile.

"Someone, arrest this brat. With such paltry skills, he actually managed to waste so much of our time."

However, just as the burly man turned around, Zhen Zhuang stood up straight from the pile of rubble.

"Look, I told you, I just want to wait for my young master, and I harbor no malicious intent," Zhen Zhuang said with a hint of grievance.

At the same time, he reached out to rub his chest, which clearly ached from the heavy blow.

This sight left the burly warrior slightly startled.

A mocking sneer quickly returned to his face, however.

"It seems I underestimated you. You do have some tricks up your sleeve."

He assumed a combat stance, preparing to assault Zhen Zhuang once more.

This prompted Zhen Zhuang to knit his brows together.

A trace of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

"I have already warned you. If you dare to keep acting recklessly, don't blame me for losing my temper."

Simultaneously, a cold glint of irritation appeared in the eyes of the other Grandmasters.

"Hahaha! You? Not holding back?"

A burst of mocking laughter erupted from the group of Grandmasters.

It wasn't that they deliberately looked down on Zhen Zhuang, but rather that he looked far too young.

It was an unspoken rule in the martial world that a cultivator's strength grew with age.

Although Zhen Zhuang was somewhat lean, he was still just a youngster. Having been provoked repeatedly like this, he was already reaching his limit.

If it weren't for his reluctance to cause trouble, he would have beaten this bunch of asking-for-a-beating thugs long ago.

"Don't force me!" he finally growled through clenched teeth.

This only convinced the crowd of Grandmasters that the kid was entirely terrified and bluffing.

Not force him? They felt like pushing him further today just to see what would happen.

One of the Grandmasters slowly approached until he was standing right in front of Zhen Zhuang.

He rested a hand on Zhen Zhuang's shoulder and chuckled mockingly.

"And what if we do force you?"

Mid-sentence, he suddenly lashed out, landing a heavy punch straight into Zhen Zhuang's abdomen.

Zhen Zhuang instantly doubled over, vomiting a mouthful of yellowish fluid.

Though his physical defense was formidable, he was still made of flesh and blood. Taking a direct punch from a peer-level cultivator meant that while his internal organs might be intact, the searing pain was entirely real.

"Brat, clear out of here right now, or don't blame us for beating you senseless," the Grandmaster sneered with chilling contempt.

"You forced me. Don't blame me then."

At the sound of those abrupt words, Zhen Zhuang moved.

Though his speed wasn't blinding, it caught them completely off guard. He grabbed the man's wrist and jerked it downward with sudden, immense force.

"Ah!"

The Grandmaster let out a startled shriek as his entire body was hoisted into the air and hurled backward.

He smashed violently through a wall, collapsing a section of masonry before finally coming to a halt.

The remaining guards stared in utter shock, but quickly snapped back to their senses.

They rushed forward, surrounding Zhen Zhuang in a tight circle.

The middle-aged leader glared at him with icy malice.

"Brat, how dare you fight back? It looks like we'll have to take you in for questioning."

"You hit me first!" Zhen Zhuang roared stubbornly.

That only earned him a pair of rolling eyes.

"Hah! So what if we hit you? Even if we killed you, we'd simply report it as an accidental death during execution of duty!"

"I advise you not to resist and obediently come with us. Otherwise, don't blame us for being merciless."

As he spoke, the others drew their respective weapons.

The moment Zhen Zhuang dared to make another move, they would swarm him, subdue him by absolute force, and drag him back for a thorough torture session. Even if he were completely innocent, they would never let him walk out of the Northern Desert City prison alive.

"I'm not leaving. I'm staying right here to wait for my young master," Zhen Zhuang stubbornly insisted.

This drew a cold laugh from the group of Grandmasters, perfectly suiting their intentions.

If Zhen Zhuang had simply surrendered, things would have lost all their fun.

Aside from anything else, just the fact that Zhen Zhuang had injured their men meant they would never let him off easily.

"Why waste breath talking to this punk? Just cripple him and drag him back, then pin the identity of an Assassin Alliance spy on him. Case closed."

The others nodded in agreement.

A short-tempered Grandmaster raised his saber and slashed fiercely toward Zhen Zhuang.

Realizing the incoming attack was lethal, Zhen Zhuang dared not rely solely on his flesh to take the blow head-on, and hastily leaped aside to dodge.