Chapter 444: Waiting and waiting... The family head is gone?

“Eighteen?”

Although he already roughly knew the number, when Mu Zixi said “eighteen,” Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t help but smile.

“Eighteen White Cave slots…”

“Doesn’t that mean I’ve hit the jackpot?”

Xu Xiaoshou counted on his fingers. If he wasn’t mistaken, it seemed that Tianxiang Spiritual Palace only had ten White Cave slots in total! Tonight’s harvest, without him even realizing it, was nearly double that amount. What was more important was that all of this was achieved after he had already completed his primary goal: “killing Zhang Taiying.”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt a great accomplishment and a sense of relief.

“Regarding the White Cave slots, how do we get them? Are they just verbally noted?”

Ignoring the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xu Xiaoshou looked directly at Fu Yinhong on the ruined platform.

“Of course not.”

Fu Yinhong rolled her eyes. How could the esteemed City Lord’s Mansion use such a superficial method? With a wave of her hand, an injured attendant brought over a jade tray covered with a yellowish-green cloth.

“This is a ‘Linglong Stone.’ It contains a special array and is the only thing that can sense the White Cave’s spiritual arrays and the ‘sensing stones’ within the Red Clothes. Everyone knows the dangers of the White Cave. With a Linglong Stone, if you encounter danger, shattering it will activate the engraved spiritual array, allowing for direct teleportation and escape.”

“Can you leave the White Cave with this?” Xu Xiaoshou asked.

“No.” Fu Yinhong swept her beautiful eyes over him. “This item can only be used for long-distance instant teleportation, but there’s a chance your destination might still be fraught with danger upon arrival.”

Xu Xiaoshou’s expression froze. Is it that terrifying?

The onlookers were also somewhat frightened. After all, not everyone had prior information about the dangers of the White Cave. Most of them, at this moment, were much like Xu Xiaoshou, completely ignorant.

“So, it seems this White Cave might truly be dangerous? You even need this Linglong Stone to escape imminent death?”

“More than ‘a little’! I heard that the ‘White Skeletons’ in there can kill a Throne with a single bone staff!”

“Are you serious?”

“I don’t know, just hearsay, rumors. Haha, haha, don’t hit me!”

The audience below began to buzz with discussions. As it concerned everyone’s safety, they spontaneously exchanged partial information. Of course, the information held by these relatively smaller factions was inherently limited. Those who truly knew the secrets would never reveal them in such a public setting.

Fu Yinhong gestured for silence before continuing. “The Linglong Stone only offers one chance. Once inside the White Cave, to exit, you must wait for the Red Clothes to open the boundary again. Miss this opportunity, and you’ll have to wait again.”

“‘Opening the boundary… opening an extradimensional space?’ Xu Xiaoshou murmured, then asked, ‘Generally, if you go into the White Cave, how long do you have to stay?’”

Fu Yinhong replied, “As little as a few weeks, as much as one or two months, sometimes more.”

Xu Xiaoshou nodded, indicating he understood. Evidently, even the Red Clothes required a significant amount of energy to forcibly open a large extradimensional space like the White Cave.

Fu Yinhong lifted the cover, revealing shimmering, translucent green jade stones inside. Her slender jade fingers picked up one, and the glow of spiritual energy created a shimmering outline.

“The Linglong Stone is not just a chance for a desperate escape from the White Cave; as the sole means of entry, it holds even greater significance.” Fu Yinhong’s beautiful eyes swept over the crowd again, and her red lips parted slightly. “As you all know, the Red Clothes of the Holy Divine Palace are responsible for matters concerning ghost beasts on the continent. And the White Cave, as a large extradimensional space where ghost beasts have been born, harbors extremely terrifying dangers. But at the same time, for such a magnificent miniature world, such a massive treasure trove, can only so few people truly enter each time it opens?”

Fu Yinhong paused, and the crowd was stunned, not understanding what she meant.

Xu Xiaoshou, however, seemed to have realized something. After all, he had met Xing Gugu and Jiao Tangtang.

“Smuggling?” With that single word, he revealed the mystery.

Fu Yinhong’s pretty face stiffened. Anyone trying to create suspense is always extremely annoyed by someone who breaks it instantly.

Curses received, Passive Point, 1.

“Well said!” With an emotionless compliment, Fu Yinhong began to speak indifferently, having lost interest. “Every time a dimensional space opens, besides those who enter through official channels, there are also those with ill intentions. These individuals can smuggle themselves in right under the Red Clothes’ noses, so their strength is considerable. If you enter the White Cave, a larger part of your danger actually comes not from the dimensional space itself, but from these people.”

“Why?” Someone in the audience couldn’t help but speak up. “After all, if they’re smuggling, shouldn’t they act discreetly? If they’re loudly killing people, wouldn’t that just attract the Red Clothes more easily? Isn’t that just asking for death?”

Fu Yinhong clearly understood their thoughts and gently shook her head. “As I said earlier, the Linglong Stone is the sole proof of entry into the White Cave. This statement has a deeper meaning. Within the Red Clothes, they possess ‘sensing stones,’ which allow them to detect every Linglong Stone specially developed by the Red Clothes. In other words…” Lightly tossing a Linglong Stone upwards, Fu Yinhong smiled and said, “Only with this can you prove you are not a smuggler!”

The crowd below suddenly understood. But immediately, another voice emerged in panic. “What if, within the White Cave, due to danger, this Linglong Stone is shattered?”

Fu Yinhong still smiled as she looked at the person: “The Red Clothes only recognize the Linglong Stone, not the person.”

“Hiss.” The scene instantly fell into shock.

“Doesn’t this mean that even if you enter the White Cave with a Linglong Stone, if it’s lost, you’ll still be considered a smuggler?”

“This is too…”

“Unfair?” Fu Yinhong suppressed the clamor in the hall. “Truthfully, these potentially controversial matters should have been explained by Shouye. But that old man had already left. So, she had to play the bad guy herself.”

“There is no fairness in this world. Within your family factions, rules are set for you, which creates so-called fairness. Outside, especially in large extradimensional spaces like the White Cave, fairness?” Fu Yinhong sneered. “If you want fairness, then don’t go in. Give your chance to someone else!”

Silence fell over the hall. Xu Xiaoshou, however, felt nothing at all towards such remarks. Was it cruel? Not really! Which of the concepts instilled in him by Old Man Sang wasn’t ten or more times more exaggerated than this? This, Xu Xiaoshou didn’t even think could be elevated to the level of fairness.

“You mean, if those smugglers can seize the Linglong Stones from us, they will become legitimate entrants?”

“And our identities will be reversed?”

Xu Xiaoshou found this quite interesting. At his words, everyone suddenly felt a chill and turned to look at Fu Yinhong, awaiting a negative answer.

“Yes. Otherwise, why do you think they want to kill you?” Fu Yinhong mercilessly shattered everyone’s illusions.

Everyone collectively erupted. “This isn’t even a trial; it’s a death wish!”

“This opening of the White Cave, or rather, it’s not meant for the younger generation’s training at all. I think even an old Grandmaster at the peak of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm like me would be facing life or death if I went in.”

“Grandmaster? Heh, do you really think those who can smuggle themselves in right under the Red Clothes’ noses are mere Grandmasters?”

“I’m afraid that when the time comes, one group will enter, and another group will emerge.”

“But this… this is too terrifying! Do the Red Clothes truly not care about this? Do they just let these smugglers act so freely?”

“Who knows? Perhaps their scope of responsibility doesn’t include these things!”

Everyone sighed repeatedly when a faint voice suddenly echoed from one side: “You’re thinking too optimistically. Perhaps the ones holding the Linglong Stones now are one group, but by the time they enter, it will have changed to another.”

Everyone was struck speechless on the spot. What kind of person was this? They were already battered and unable to come to terms with the situation, and then this critical hit came; wasn’t this deliberately sickening?

They turned around. Xu Xiaoshou?

Everyone: “…”

Curses received, Passive Point, 1211.Resentment received, Passive Point, 569.

Xu Xiaoshou felt the panic in the crowd and, quite amused, began to smile. “How interesting!”

“Red Clothes, smugglers, legitimate entrants…”

“And ghost beasts, and the Four Swords…”

“Who will be the cannon fodder?”

Just hearing this introduction, he felt the White Cave’s dangers were somewhat excessive. But under such extreme circumstances, why would the Red Clothes still release these slots, under the guise of training, sending many young people to their deaths in the White Cave for nothing?

“That is a question.” Others should have also understood, or already known, the inherent flaws of the White Cave. But driven by profit, truly few could remain clear-headed. Just the mention of the “Four Swords” alone had summoned ancient sword cultivators from far and wide…

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the Nine Swordsmen, calculating internally. While a strong sense of crisis would naturally cause anxiety, he was just such a person: afraid of danger, yet simultaneously possessing an adventurous spirit. Regarding the White Cave, since he was destined to be sent in by Old Sang, he definitely had to learn to protect himself. Those hidden dangers were indeed dangerous individuals. But having successfully killed Zhang Taiying and discovered A-Jie’s new combat strength, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt that perhaps everything wasn’t so terrifying after all. With just himself and Xing Gugu, perhaps they could traverse the entire White Cave. Plus A-Jie…

“It’s possible. Theoretically speaking, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Most importantly, in previous battles, whether against Tianxuan Sect or killing Zhang Taiying, he always had to act stealthily to avoid being seen causing destruction. But if it’s the White Cave… Ghost beasts appearing is normal. Adding a raging giant wouldn’t be excessive. And A-Jie, with his exploding combat power, would also be perfectly reasonable! That’s the White Cave; there are no rules. Slaughter is constant.”

Xu Xiaoshou felt he could finally relax and have some fun. But then he suddenly thought, what if all of this was still within the expectations of the Red Clothes, Old Sang, and other higher-ups?

“Must not be careless, must not be careless.”

“Caution must still be paramount in everything.”

As a pawn, Xu Xiaoshou deeply understood the path of a pawn that Old Sang had spoken of at the time. He had kept various trump cards hidden until now, with many still unexposed. Even Xu Xiaoshou himself only had a vague idea of the destructive power when his trump cards were combined. But this wasn’t enough! Just Shouye alone would probably be enough to give him a tough time. Not to mention, the White Cave was also a place where many Red Clothes members could be buried.

After stabilizing his mindset, Xu Xiaoshou no longer dwelled on the intricacies of the situation. Things will sort themselves out. Let fate decide.

“Oh, right.” He stared at the Linglong Stone in Fu Yinhong’s hand and said, “So, if what you say is true, then receiving eighteen Linglong Stones does make me feel a bit more comfortable. But for those who only have one, wouldn’t they just be going in to die?”

As someone who had received the lion’s share, Xu Xiaoshou felt it was necessary to speak up for his comrades. But at his words, everyone glared at him angrily.

“What does that mean? Is Xu Xiaoshou mocking us again?”

“Eighteen is amazing, alright! Even though we only have one, but…”

“It actually does seem quite amazing.”

They wanted to retort, but realized they couldn’t. They could only glare daggers at the obnoxious fellow.

Attention received, Passive Point, 895.Curses received, Passive Point, 686.Envy received, Passive Point, 942.

“Indeed, I forgot to mention something.” Fu Yinhong remembered something and slapped her forehead: “The Linglong Stone has one last function: it can communicate with the surrounding Red Clothes at any time. Once you encounter danger, theoretically, if it’s not a certain death situation, you can use the Linglong Stone to summon the Red Clothes to help you out of trouble. Of course, this is not without a price. Half of your current gains in the White Cave must be given to the Red Clothes.”

“Current gains.” Presumably, this refers to any treasures encountered while facing danger.

But… half?

Half a second ago, Xu Xiaoshou had thought the Red Clothes had some conscience. He never expected that what they called “rescue” was, in essence, still an outrageous demand? Isn’t this just using the guise of “help” to make these legitimate entrants into the White Cave assist the sparsely numerous Red Clothes in finding treasures?

Everyone else also began to grumble and curse. A small number of factions who knew the inside story had actually long since dismissed these minor details. If they could truly enter the White Cave, if they could truly find treasures, if they could truly survive… half. It was worth at least ten years of struggle for major family factions outside! Sometimes, in terms of long-term impact, it was far more than that.

“Stop talking, just hand out the Linglong Stones!” Xu Xiaoshou, however, felt that if he listened any longer, the Red Clothes would probably become a symbol of evil in his mind. He would never, ever hand over half. Hmm, because if he could truly be beaten to death, perhaps summoning the Red Clothes would be useless anyway?

Fu Yinhong nodded indifferently. Attendants then began carrying trays, one by one, towards the leaders of the various factions who had obtained White Cave slots. When the armored guard carrying a large tray approached, even Xu Xiaoshou’s heart couldn’t help but stir.

“Eighteen pieces, please count them.”

The gaze of the surrounding crowd could practically not leave the large tray. Since when could the number of White Cave slots be expressed with a casual “please count them”? This Xu Xiaoshou, truly…

Envy received, Passive Point, 666.Admiration received, Passive Point, 232.

Xu Xiaoshou accepted the tray of Linglong Stones with a smile, then casually picked one up and looked at Mu Zixi beside him. “For you.”

Curses received, Passive Point, 899.

How annoying… Everyone’s eyes went wide. The Linglong Stones, so desperately sought after, Xu Xiaoshou could just give away so easily. This was truly irritating. But! Sigh, after all, she was his junior sister; it was understandable. Who told them not to have such a powerful senior brother? Right!

Mu Zixi, holding her twin pigtails, was also overjoyed. The preciousness of the Linglong Stone was evident from Fu Yinhong’s earlier explanation. But… Xu Xiaoshou still had such a large tray of them…

“Just one?” At this question, everyone simultaneously swayed. Listen, is that something a human would say?

Envy received, Passive Point, 1212.

Xu Xiaoshou paused. Looking at the Linglong Stones on others’ trays, he also felt his own tray had so many he didn’t quite know what to do with them. “You’re right, one is a bit few. Here, have another.” He picked up another Linglong Stone and handed over the gem, which glowed with spiritual energy.

Mu Zixi’s eyes curved into crescents from smiling. She held one in each small hand, absolutely cherishing them. “Just two?” she asked again.

Everyone’s bodies stiffened.

“What do you need so many for? When it’s time to die, you’ll still die, won’t you?” Xu Xiaoshou didn’t indulge his junior sister this time. “Having two is already good enough. Do you have that many hands? Be careful someone snatches them!”

The little girl immediately pouted, but seeing that everyone else still had empty hands, her anger subsided. “That’s right, I have two, others have none.” Hehe.

“No, I can’t watch this anymore. This senior and junior pair are too infuriating.” The onlookers declared they couldn’t stand to watch any longer. One was carrying a large tray, using Linglong Stones to blind everyone. The other, with a stone in each hand, had even started fiddling with them. This was simply too much!

“If you want to share Linglong Stones, you can do it in private! What are you showing off for here? Truly naive, you don’t even understand the principle of ‘wealth should not be revealed.’”

Some were indignant, while others spoke up in confusion. “Reveal? Does this even need revealing?”

“Doesn’t everyone already know? Eighteen.”

“Even if they really didn’t know, what difference would it make now that it’s revealed? Do you dare to snatch them?”

“That’s Xu Xiaoshou!”

At this, everyone fell silent. Indeed! That was Xu Xiaoshou. Everyone had a rough idea why he could obtain eighteen Linglong Stones. Go snatch them from him? Although they didn’t know if Xu Xiaoshou could withstand the attacks of a Throne, seeing the direction he came from just now, he was with Shouye! Plus the several Thrones behind that guy. To say the previous explosion had nothing to do with him… Impossible!

“Disperse, disperse.” The crowd forcibly held back tears, gritting their teeth and turning away in pain, no longer looking at the sparkling tray of large gems.

Curses received, Passive Point, 1056.Envy received, Passive Point, 588.

“Where’s the family head?” The Zhang family faction formed a small circle. As one of Tianxiang County’s four great powers, they could bring quite a few people into the City Lord’s Mansion, five in total. But now, having lost the leadership of the Throne leader Zhang Taiying, even though they had obtained their five Linglong Stones, the four old Grandmasters were still somewhat disoriented.

“Why has the family head been out for so long and still hasn’t returned?”

“Look at the time, the Linglong Stones have all been distributed, and the banquet is almost over!”

“That’s true, but the explosion just now…” The few of them hesitated. “That aura of a boundary, if I’m not mistaken, was the family head’s, right?”

“It seems so…”

“But how could the family head dare to act within the City Lord’s Mansion? Could it be some other secret plan?”

“Wasn’t he supposed to be presenting a gift?”

The four discussed, then fell silent again collectively. Finally, someone glanced at his old companions and spoke. “Things have come to this; there’s no need to hold back. Among you, at least one must know about the family head’s other plans. Speak up.”

The few of them exchanged bewildered glances, none recalling any secret plans of their own.

“What time is it, and you’re still not speaking?” The old Grandmaster who spoke first grew angry: “Not speaking means this was an accidental incident? Could it be that the family head was assassinated in the City Lord’s Mansion and died instantly?”

The few of them shook their heads. “Impossible.”

“But we can’t reach him via jade slip either…”

Amidst their continued bewilderment, they suddenly noticed among the many wild figures present, one particularly wild, large figure walking onto the ruined platform. He actually placed a hand directly on Fu Yinhong’s shoulder.

Everyone: ???

“Who is this person?”

“Is he tired of living? He dares to touch the little princess?”

“My goodness, this guy must have been driven mad by the explosion. How dare he make such a move…”

“Wait, that face?”

Fu Zhi tossed his hair. After his chicken-shred-like clothes rustled, he softly said, “I am Fu Zhi.”

The entire hall fell into dead silence.

“Old City Lord Fu?” Everyone was stunned.

Fu Zhi knew his current appearance didn’t quite match that of a City Lord, but if everyone else was a “little savage,” then it was understandable for him, as the City Lord, to transform into a “big savage.”

“The banquet’s battle is about to conclude. Originally, everyone should have sat down for a few rounds of drinks, but there’s been a slight ‘unforeseen incident’ tonight, so this part of the program will be canceled!”

Everyone’s mouths twitched simultaneously. They spontaneously glanced at Xu Xiaoshou.

Awe received, Passive Point, 1111.

Slight “unforeseen incident.” As expected of Old City Lord Fu, his resolve was truly firm! At this moment, seeing Fu Yinhong’s complete lack of resistance, everyone understood: this was indeed the old City Lord who had been missing for years.

Fu Zhi continued, “Before we part ways, I have an important announcement to make.”

Everyone waited eagerly. The Zhang family’s small group was no different. Just then, they saw Fu Zhi’s gaze sweep over them, his cold eyes fixed directly on the four. Their hearts sank. The four from the Zhang family vaguely sensed something amiss.

Fu Zhi said gravely, “Zhang Taiying, the head of the Zhang family, was found colluding with ghost beasts within the City Lord’s Mansion and has now been killed. Tonight’s situation arose entirely from this. You all know the consequences of colluding with ghost beasts on the continent. Simply put, besides the Red Clothes’ subsequent pursuit…” Fu Zhi raised his eyes, looking at the moon nearing the horizon. “After tonight, there will be no more Zhang family in Tianxiang City!”

Thump! Thump!

The sound of several people falling to the ground came directly. The Zhang family’s small group collectively collapsed, each face showing disbelief.

“This is impossible…”

“The family head, how could the family head die?”

The only old Grandmaster who knew a little about Zhang Taiying’s motives suddenly looked at Xu Xiaoshou: “He wasn’t, he wasn’t going to kill…” Wasn’t he going to kill Xu Xiaoshou? How could he die? The old Grandmaster felt his already shattered world completely crumble at this moment.

Fu Zhi narrowed his eyes, thinking, “So that’s how it is.” Xu Xiaoshou truly was innocent!

Stared at, Passive Point, 1.

Xu Xiaoshou, however, smiled indifferently. “Kill me?” He pointed at himself: “If you want to kill me, you can come and try.”