Chapter 164

Fan Xiaoxiao stood there dumbfounded, never expecting that the person who came would be Xiahou. But when she saw the anxious-looking waiter at the tea stall not far away, she realized that he had gone to find someone to help him.

The square-faced man who had been knocked away clutched his chest, staring fiercely in their direction.

"Xiahou! You actually protected the thieves! They cut off my thirteenth junior brother's hand!"

"Senior Brother Xia...they...they attacked me without even trying to persuade me! You can't let them fool you!"

The dark-faced disciple on the ground leaned against his fellow disciple, his face deathly pale, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes. Although the bleeding from his severed hand had stopped, his blood-soaked appearance was still gruesome.

Bai Chaoyan frowned, finding it hard to bear the person's twisted facts.

"You clearly attacked first; we were just defending ourselves! I think it's you who are trying to deceive us!"

The square-faced man sneered and got up from the ground.

"Stop spouting nonsense! What evidence do you have that we attacked first? It's a fact that you cut off my thirteenth junior brother's hand! Yet you all appear to be unharmed! It's obvious who's right and who's wrong!"

After hearing this, Gu Chongtai sneered inwardly. This was the so-called righteous path; he should have just killed this man to make things better. Xiahou seemed to see through his thoughts, giving Gu Chongtai a cold, warning look.

But before he could speak, Fan Xiaoxiao behind him let out a cold laugh.

"That's because his hands were not behaving properly."

The square-faced man raised his eyebrows and suddenly turned to look at Fan Xiaoxiao, who was speaking.

"What did you say!?"

"Heh, I'll say it."

Fan Xiaoxiao chuckled and stepped out from behind Xiahou.

"Some people are dishonest and end up like this because they have no choice but to suffer the consequences."

After saying that, she glanced meaningfully at the square-faced man's hand. This man had just touched Bai Chaoyan inappropriately, and now he was pretending to be a righteous person, which was disgusting to look at.

Xiahou noticed her gaze. This junior brother of hers already had a somewhat unpleasant reputation within the sect. Combined with what this young lady was saying, and the beautiful woman disguised as a man beside her, he could more or less guess what had happened here.

But guessing is one thing, and determining guilt and punishment on the spot is another. So Xiahou's eyes became scrutinizing, and he asked the man in a cold voice.

"Is what she said true, Junior Brother Guo?"

The square-faced man could tell that Xiahou already doubted his words. He gritted his teeth inwardly, thinking to himself that this damned Xiahou's return was really ill-timed. If it were any of his fellow disciples who came today, that would be fine, but why did it have to be this guy?

"Look, he can't even speak anymore, how could what I say be false?" Seeing that the man didn't respond, Fan Xiaoxiao continued to speak sarcastically.

The square-faced man glared at her with a gloomy look in his eyes, then his lips curled down slightly, and he began to plead his innocence to Xiahou with drooping eyebrows.

"Senior Brother Xia, don't listen to that vixen's nonsense! You know how skilled Thirteen is, how could he possibly lay a hand on someone! He's not a man of his word."

These words amused Fan Xiaoxiao. Xiahou looked at her, somewhat puzzled as to why she was laughing: "What are you laughing at?"

"What are you laughing at? You're laughing at him for saying the wrong thing. I'm asking you, who cut off your so-called thirteenth junior brother's hand?"

Everyone was puzzled as to why Fan Xiaoxiao was asking this question. The square-faced man instinctively felt that Fan Xiaoxiao was setting a trap for him. His eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment's thought, he pointed at Gu Zhongtai and said, "Of course it's this little beast! Didn't you see he was still holding a dagger? It was that dagger that cut off our thirteenth junior brother's hand!"

"Since you said he cut off your thirteenth junior brother's hand, why did you come at me just now? Is this the style of your so-called righteous sects?!"

Fan Xiaoxiao spoke her last sentence quite loudly, and the diners who hadn't yet dispersed, seeing that someone seemed to be in charge, secretly gathered around to watch the commotion.

Those who witnessed the whole thing nodded repeatedly when they heard Fan Xiaoxiao's words, whispering among themselves: "That's right, this young lady was just vomiting on the side, and this guy went straight for her. It's obviously bullying."

"That's right, that's right."

The square-faced man's expression darkened as he heard the crowd's discussion. He had attacked Fan Xiaoxiao with the intention of killing her instantly, but Xiahou had unexpectedly appeared, leaving him in an awkward position. However, since he had already spoken, there was no reason for him to take it back.

"Since you're in cahoots with him, and he cut off my junior brother's hand, I'll cut off one of your hands to repay him! What's wrong with that?!"

"Heh, I didn't know Tianshan liked to attack people who didn't know any martial arts at all! Besides, didn't you say that Thirteen also knew martial arts? The person you pointed at just now didn't have any internal energy either. Even so, how could he capture your junior brother alive, cut off his hand, and still be unharmed? Just now, it was clearly your junior brother who made the move; we were just acting in self-defense! Does that mean only Tianshan can bully others here and not allow others to defend themselves?!"

Fan Xiaoxiao's words were clear and concise, drawing cheers from many. These men from Tianshan usually liked to come here and act arrogantly. In the past, everyone was wary of them because of their powerful backgrounds. But after Fan Xiaoxiao started speaking, everyone felt they could finally vent all the pent-up oppression they had suffered!

The square-faced man hadn't expected to be at a disadvantage. His face changed drastically, as if a dye shop had been opened. He forced himself to stay calm and took a few steps forward, pointing at Fan Xiaoxiao, feeling his fingers trembling with anger.

"You! You! Nonsense! That man wielded the dagger so quickly, how could he not have any internal energy!"

Gu Zhongtai's brows twitched slightly; he hadn't expected Fan Xiaoxiao to have such a plan. After figuring it out, he extended his hand towards Xiahou with a hint of sarcasm: "You can test me; I truly have no internal energy right now."

Xiahou frowned. He hadn't expected Gu Chongtai to actually let him test his internal strength. What he hadn't expected even more was that after he reached out to check, the man really didn't have any signs of internal strength at all!

"...She's telling the truth. Junior Brother Guo, is there anything else you want to say?"

Harming the people near Tianshan is a serious crime in Tianshan, punishable by expulsion from the sect. The square-faced man finally showed a hint of panic, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I... Senior Brother Xia, we are both from Tianshan! Don't you trust your fellow disciples and instead trust a few outsiders?"

"Who says everyone here is an outsider?!"

Bai Chaoyan stepped forward with a cold expression, took out a jade pendant from her bosom, and held it up in front of everyone.

"Celestial Jade Pendant, I am also a person of Tianshan!"

(End of this chapter)