Chapter 572: Does the Senior Have a Disciple?

Minotaurs?You're still coveting my adorable little minotaurs?So, one giant python isn't enough to satisfy you, old geezer, is it?!

The Storyteller was so enraged he nearly stomped his feet. However, under the unnamed oppressive aura of the Second Elder, despite his profound unwillingness, he dared not show it.

"Heh, hehe...""Second Elder, w-what do you mean by that?" the Storyteller stammered with an awkward laugh, his hand unconsciously clutching his chest.

"What do you think?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt his body stop absorbing the fiendish aura, and immediately felt much better. Even the incessant "Under Attack" notifications that had been flooding his vision seemed to be slowing down.

"Fission, rebirth from a drop of blood, immortality..." Xu Xiaoshou said, ticking off each point on his fingers, a twisted smile slowly spreading across his face, his eyes gleaming with a strange fervor. "You know, if I use these as ingredients, I can refine a batch of peerless grand elixirs!"

"Impossible!" The Storyteller was livid, shouting, "You already took one of my snakes, and I haven't even pressed the issue, but now you want even more...!"

"Insatiable greed!""You are utterly insatiable!"

From a distance, the Red Attire onlookers were utterly aghast at the Storyteller, who was flailing his arms, stomping his feet, and gesturing effeminately.

"That utter freak..." Xin felt his eyes had been defiled. He felt he might need water from the River of Forgetfulness to cleanse his sight of what he had just witnessed.

Shouye's lips also twitched uncontrollably. He had fought the Storyteller before and knew that when the man truly acted up, it was a truly hair-raising spectacle. But the scene before him was simply unbearable!

"Damn it..." The sight gave Xu Xiaoshou immediate goosebumps, and he almost impulsively lunged forward with his sword. But he forcefully suppressed his discomfort, his eyes darkening as he squinted, staring silently at the man in the red dress.

"Uh..." For a moment, the Storyteller also felt he had been too presumptuous. The last time he had let his true nature show too much in front of this old devil, he had almost had all the hair on his body singed off. This time...

"No." The Storyteller curled his fingers, turned his head away, and pouted. "The oxen are not for you; give up. This is a gift I want to give to Big Brother."

"You already have your gift," Xu Xiaoshou said, unmoved.

"This is a second one!" The Storyteller retorted angrily, "Aren't I allowed to give a second gift?"

"You are." Xu Xiaoshou nodded slightly, then mused for a moment. "But what about me? You summoned me so hastily; aren't you going to offer a token of apology, or perhaps a gift?"

His gaze sharpened. The Storyteller suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.*Was this old devil about to settle scores? Are you crazy? All I did was summon you a little early; you didn't lose anything. One snake as compensation isn't enough? You still want my oxen?*

As if reading his thoughts, Xu Xiaoshou spoke blandly, "Gifts come in pairs. Hand it over. If you delay my experiment, I'll refine you directly. Do you believe I would?"

*"I! DON'T! BELIEVE!"* the Storyteller roared in his mind. Yet, on his face, he forced a stiff smile, then pulled a palm-sized spatial paper fragment from his robes.

"Here, here..."

Xu Xiaoshou remained silent, his smiling eyes narrowing until the dark circles under them seemed to deepen. "Do you want me to come over and take it?"

The Storyteller's face instantly went pale. *You damned old geezer! Didn't you say no one was allowed to move? I obediently did as you said, and now you're talking about rank and hierarchy with me? Are you sick?!*

*"Oh, right, he is sick."* The Storyteller suddenly realized. *If the Second Elder wasn't sick, how could he have acted this way for so many years, to the point where even Big Brother has to gently persuade him?*

He dared not hesitate. The Storyteller extended both hands, and a spatial vortex immediately appeared before him. Subsequently, another vortex opened before Xu Xiaoshou. The spatial paper fragment emerged from the vortex. Clearly, the Storyteller was being so cautious that he didn't even dare approach it himself.

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and shook his head, then deftly plucked the paper fragment with two fingers. Within the small spatial paper, tens of thousands of blood-like droplets floated like red duckweed, scattered throughout every corner.

"Is he dead...?" His "Perception" revealed no trace of life fluctuations within. Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank. If Xin Gugu were dead, what would be the meaning of his coming out this time? What was the difference between a friend he couldn't save and one whose death he witnessed with indifference?

"He's not dead yet." Seeing the Second Elder's gloomy expression, the Storyteller mistakenly thought the old devil was upset because the ghost beast medicinal ingredients had died, so he quickly explained.

Xu Xiaoshou looked up. The Storyteller immediately added, "This is also my Ancient Scroll Space. Outsiders might not detect it, but with the blessing of the 'Yin-Yang Life and Death' power, I can sustain a trace of his soul and spiritual intelligence. Whether he wakes up depends on his fortune... but for refining elixirs, it should be perfectly fine. He's not dead, hehe, truly not dead."

Xu Xiaoshou stared directly at the Storyteller for a long moment before flipping his hand and sending the spatial paper fragment into his Yuan Mansion.

In truth, if possible, he really wanted to ask the Storyteller to unleash the power within the spatial paper fragment. That way, once Xin Gugu entered his Yuan Mansion, he could bathe in the life aura of his Life Spirit Seal and absolutely wouldn't die. But that approach was too risky! Not to mention whether Elder Sang even recognized the Storyteller's power, let alone could unlock it. Just his own grand entrance... if he still needed others to help him, it would subtly undermine his prestige. To maintain his facade and his imposing aura, Xu Xiaoshou had no choice but to feign omniscience. Even though, at this moment, he couldn't even defeat one-tenth of the Storyteller.

"Very well." Xu Xiaoshou, who had no idea what to say next or how to make his exit, finally glanced around, gave a slight nod, and uttered those two bland words. "You have all given me ample time and respect. What I needed to do is now complete. As for the rest..." He looked at the Red Attire members, then at the Storyteller, and smiled. "Your affairs are yours to resolve. I still have a mission. Farewell."

He took a step forward. In his mind, he was about to silently chant the "Disappearance Technique."

Just then, a voice from behind called out, asking him to stay: "Senior, please wait."

With that single phrase, the entire area fell into a deathly silence. Everyone's eyes simultaneously darted towards the person who had spoken.

At this, even the Storyteller felt a wave of depression wash over him. *You Red Attire member, what are you shouting for?! This is a Saint Servant, do you understand?! Do you dare provoke him? It's easy to invite trouble but hard to send it away! He was finally about to slip away, so why would you make him stay?! Can you even defeat him? Are you keeping him here to continue grabbing gifts? "This crazy girl... I should have plucked out her eyeballs earlier!"* the Storyteller grumbled inwardly. *"She's infuriating me to death!"*

The Red Attire group, equally startled, turned their heads, their gazes instantly converging on Yu Zhiwen. Yu Zhiwen instantly felt an immense pressure. If she could help it, she wouldn't want to simultaneously endure the scrutiny of over ten Throne-level experts, let alone several Path-Severing realm powerhouses. But at this moment, she had no choice but to speak.

Xu Xiaoshou, of course, had also noticed Yu Zhiwen. From the very beginning, this girl had been frowning, as if her exquisite starry eyes had already discerned something. Now that she had spoken again, Xu Xiaoshou felt a prickle of unease in his heart.

But, should he ignore her? To be honest, if he ignored her, Xu Xiaoshou had no idea how he would exit the scene after using his "Disappearance Technique." The battlefield's stalemate had been directly broken by his sudden intrusion. At this point, without a valid reason, no one would dare to shatter the Storyteller's Ancient Scroll Space. Not even the Red Attire dared. Previously, he hadn't allowed the Red Attire to act because Xin Gugu's fate hadn't been settled. But now he wanted them to. Yet, they truly no longer dared! And as the Second Elder of the Saint Servants, who had just received two hefty gifts, Xu Xiaoshou had even less reason to undermine his own faction. Therefore, if he wanted to leave the Ancient Scroll Space... unless the Storyteller's brain had been pinched by a spatial rift and he himself detonated the Ancient Scroll Space... otherwise, there was only one opportunity left. A perfect opportunity for Yu Zhiwen to say a few more words, inexplicably enraging the Second Elder of the Saint Servants, causing him to erupt in anger and force the Red Attire to act, thereby shattering the Ancient Scroll Space! After all, it was perfectly normal for old man Sang to inexplicably lose his temper.

"Little girl..." Xu Xiaoshou stopped with a smile and casually glanced back. With a loud boom, the space around the Red Attire contingent instantly collapsed and became unstable. Yu Zhiwen, who was hidden within the protective barrier of the Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation, immediately groaned under this indiscriminate assault, and even blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."*That weak? Oh, right. He'd forgotten that, besides himself, Yu Zhiwen was probably the only remaining "Innate Expert" here.*

"Zhiwen!" Lan Ling quickly flew to Yu Zhiwen's side, supporting her with one hand and channeling gentle spiritual energy into her. She lowered her brow, not even having time to glare at the Second Elder of the Saint Servants for bullying the weak. Instead, she constantly signaled with her eyes, trying to understand Yu Zhiwen's reason for making the old man stay.

"It's fine; he held back." Yu Zhiwen felt the familiar oppressive force of this aura, as if seeing Xu Xiaoshou suppress the entire scene when the Primordial Dao Stone first emerged. Then she recalled the similarly familiar scorching heat from earlier... She sighed inwardly. She vaguely understood something.

"Forgive my boldness, Senior, but do you happen to have a disciple named Xu Xiaoshou?" Her gaze, however, remained fixed on the You Si Sword.

The moment these words were spoken, Xu Xiaoshou had yet to react. Both Shouye and the Storyteller simultaneously stiffened.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" The Storyteller raised an eyebrow. *That name... it can't be the female disciple I just saw, can it? How strange, it feels vaguely familiar.* After a brief thought, the Storyteller's pupils suddenly constricted. *He had heard that name before! When his outer avatar fought Shouye earlier, at the very end, the young man who had run out of the Ancient Scroll Space along with the sealed ghost beast... He's the Second Elder's disciple?*

At this, the Storyteller's gaze towards the old man in the straw hat began to take on a playful glint. *You old devil! You have such a handsome disciple, and you didn't tell me? I can't defeat you, so I can only let you torment me... Alright, you old devil, just you wait!*

"Xu Xiaoshou...""Heheheh." He suddenly covered his red lips, as if thinking of something amusing, and began to snicker to himself.

"Xu Xiaoshou?""No, it can't be...""Which Xu Xiaoshou?""That Xu Xiaoshou?!"

The internal communications within the Red Attire group instantly became a little chaotic. Lan Ling turned incredulously to look at Shouye, as if seeking confirmation.

"How would I know...?" Shouye was equally dumbfounded. *Xu Xiaoshou, the Second Elder of the Saint Servants' disciple?* Even though he had previously sensed this person's scorching power, which was similar to Xu Xiaoshou's... due to his ingrained assumptions, Shouye had never once considered this possibility. According to the confidential information gathered by the Red Attire, wasn't Xu Xiaoshou supposedly the secret disciple of Elder Sang, the suspected Vice Dean of the Heaven Sang Spirit Palace?

Wait! Elder Sang? Shouye was suddenly startled, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Elder Sang, it seemed, was also the Vice President of the Alchemist Association. Elder Sang also seemed to have been the first Dean of the Heaven Sang Spirit Palace, who once incinerated half of Cloud-Emerging Peak. Elder Sang... is the Second Elder of the Saint Servants?!

His heart suddenly clenched, and Shouye was utterly terrified. Even though he had never personally interacted with this supposed Vice Dean of the Heaven Sang Spirit Palace... he had heard countless legends about him. And now... suddenly... the emergence of Xu Xiaoshou had linked everything together?

"I understand!""I finally understand!"

At that moment, Shouye suddenly understood. Why a mere Heaven Sang County, and a small Heaven Sang Spirit Palace, could cultivate a peerless genius like Xu Xiaoshou. If the Saint Servants were secretly involved, nurturing him with all their might, then his current achievements were nothing; it was entirely possible for Xu Xiaoshou's strength to double! And why, when faced with his previous grand invitations, Xu Xiaoshou had always kept his distance... it all seemed to make perfect sense now.

"Red Attire... Saint Servants..." Shouye chuckled bitterly. "How could he not keep his distance?"

Lan Ling also realized something. A single glance between her and Shouye conveyed their mutual understanding. Earlier, when Shouye had placed Xu Xiaoshou on the Red Attire's blacklist, Lan Ling hadn't understood why. But now, all those seemingly unrelated events that had been relegated to the corners of her memory were suddenly linked together. No one could remain composed. Even Xin, who was usually slow-witted, realized something at this moment.

"Sister Zhiwen, is what you said true?" Yu Zhiwen didn't speak, her magnificent starry eyes fixed directly on the old man in the straw hat in the distance. *True?* To be honest, Yu Zhiwen herself didn't believe it. But if it were Xu Xiaoshou... anything was possible! In fact, at this very moment, a much larger suspicion had taken root in her heart. The Ember-Burn Primordial Seed, the Frost Calamity power, the unique sword intent from the Eighth Sword Immortal, and that vast aura... Even if they were master and disciple, inheriting from the same lineage, could they be this similar? Although the old man in the straw hat had never displayed any sword intent from beginning to end, it seemed as if the You Si Sword itself was struggling. But if *he* were Xu Xiaoshou... everything would also make sense.

"No! Impossible!" Yu Zhiwen was startled by her own conjecture. If the person before her truly was Xu Xiaoshou, that would be absolutely preposterous. Scolding the Storyteller, shaking the Red Attire with a single glance, effortlessly absorbing a ghost beast... Give Xu Xiaoshou ten times his courage, and he wouldn't dare court death like this! Although their time together hadn't been long, Yu Zhiwen knew. Xu Xiaoshou's instinct for self-preservation surpassed that of everyone present... combined!

"Disciple?" The "Second Elder of the Saint Servants" in the void tugged at the corner of his frightening mouth, smiling inexplicably. His expression, too, began to turn sinister and eerie.

"I do indeed have another disciple, but it's not the Xu Xiaoshou you speak of, little girl. His name is..." Xu Xiaoshou subconsciously wanted to bring up Zhou Tianshen to take the blame, but then he had a second thought. The Red Attire present might not know Zhou Tianshen, but Yu Zhiwen had met him. Zhang Xinxiong? No. Zhang Taiying was connected to the ghost beast, so the Red Attire must have thoroughly investigated the Zhang family's affairs. Pushing further back, who else could he bring up? Zhang Xinxiong... Right, wasn't that guy someone's cousin?

As Xu Xiaoshou made this association, a name finally surfaced in his mind—a name he had almost forgotten, one no one present could possibly know: his very first enemy from the Outer Court of the Heaven Sang Spirit Palace.

"Hmm..." Xu Xiaoshou clasped his hands behind his back, raised his chin, and declared, "His name is Wen Ming."