Xuan Kang stopped in his tracks, his expression showing displeasure.

"Xuanyuan, you're not still going to argue with me about your mother, are you?"

"Everyone knows that your mother was bewitched by evil forces and committed a grave mistake. Moreover, the Hall of Affairs has already intervened in the investigation. Even if I am the leader of the Spirit Alliance, I cannot interfere in the internal affairs of the Heavenly Crane Sect."

“But you are a witness.” Xuan Yuanzhao’s jaw tightened as he looked up at Xuan Kang. “It was you who transferred Mother to the Hall of Deacons.”

"Are you blaming me now?" Xuan Kang raised his voice. "Or are you criticizing me!"

Even crouching in the corner, Lin Zhenzhen could feel Xuan Kang's unrestrained and fierce spiritual power. It seemed that Xuan Yuanzhao had been punished in this way many times since he was a child.

Growing up in such a suffocating, high-pressure environment, it's no wonder he developed that awkward and unlikable personality.

"The students dared not complain, much less blame; I just wanted to know the truth."

Xuan Kang hadn't expected Xuan Yuanzhao to be so persistent today, but with so many people around, he couldn't appear too domineering.

He had no choice but to lower his head and agree to accompany Xuan Yuanzhao to the Hall of Affairs later.

More and more people gathered in the courtyard, and the banquet soon began.

As the main character of the banquet, Xuan Kang naturally had to move around the table.

Xuanyuan Zhao sat in the innermost position, his back ramrod straight, his hands resting on his knees, his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

Lin Zhenzhen crouched in the flower bushes, closely watching his every move.

"Eat up, eat up! If you don't eat, the flowers will wilt."

Xuanyuan Zhao seemed to hear Lin Zhenzhen's call, raised his eyes, and looked in her direction.

A commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.

Dozens of people dressed as servants fell backward to the ground, their cries of agony filling the air.

Xuan Kang put down his wine cup and hurriedly stepped forward to check: "What happened?"

A drunken man dressed in tattered clothes staggered forward.

His hair was gray, and his limbs, exposed outside the fabric, were thin and dark. Lin Zhenzhen recognized him immediately—wasn't this the old man who had tried to extort money from her before?

Oh right, the old man living in my sea of ​​consciousness seemed to have said that this was his junior apprentice. After all this trouble, it turns out we're all old acquaintances.

The man seemed to be half asleep, and gave a big yawn.

He then rubbed his eyelids and said lazily, "So there's some great news today, why didn't you tell me? Chen Kang, you're so heartless."

"How did this beggar manage to get in here, and who is Chen Kang?"

Xuan Kang's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to kick the man out, another person stood up.

"So you are Cheng Tao, the deputy general under General Xingluo Guohuan. Please take a seat."

The one who spoke was the most senior elder of the Spirit Alliance. Since he had already extended the invitation, Xuan Kang couldn't say anything more.

He turned his back and gave Cheng Tao a warning look, telling him not to talk nonsense.

Unfortunately, the other person didn't even glance at him, plopped down on the stool, pulled off the chicken leg, and began to wolf it down.

"Oh my, I haven't had meat in so long, it smells so good."

The elder of the Spirit Alliance sighed with deep emotion.

"Things have changed so much. General Huan's entire family was loyal and brave, yet they couldn't escape such a tragic end as the extermination of their entire family. Deputy General Cheng, don't dwell on the past. Find another way out as soon as possible."

Xuan Kang quickly lowered his voice: "Elder Zhuang, walls have ears, be careful what you say."

Cheng Tao, who was engrossed in eating, suddenly threw down his bowl and chopsticks, laughing and scolding, "Thank you for your concern, Elder Zhuang. I'm a bit stubborn and inflexible. I can't learn to bow and scrape, so this is how I'll be for the rest of my life."

He raised his head and looked at Xuan Kang with resentment: "Chen Kang, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it down. I don't care what others say."

“But you can’t do that. General Huan saved your life, General Huan gave you your name, and General Huan used his spiritual power to revive your sun spirit root that you are so proud of now.”

Tears welled in Cheng Tao's eyes as he roared, "Do you dare to tell me in front of everyone where you were the night the Huan family had that accident?"

His words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the others.

"Is the Chen Kang he's talking about the leader of the Xuan Kang Alliance?"

"I had heard before that Alliance Leader Xuan was once a retainer of the Huan Clan, but I had never heard him mention it himself. I thought it was just a rumor. I never expected that someone who had received favors from him would act like this..."

Noticing the increasingly complicated looks he was getting from those around him, Hyun Kang couldn't care less about maintaining his composure.

He stood up abruptly, slammed his hand on the table, and shouted, "Cheng Tao, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you out!"

"Hahaha, as expected of the new leader of the Spirit Alliance, what a magnificent sight!" Cheng Tao laughed so hard he almost fell over, clutching his stomach. "I heard that your current skill level is at the Great Dao, enough to kill a Horned Weasel Emperor Beast."

Xuan Kang looked terrified and immediately raised his hand to cover the other person's mouth.

But he was still a step too late.

Cheng Tao scoffed and cut to the chase: "Was your left ear injured by the Horned Weasel Emperor Beast?"

Yes, the left ear!

A flash of inspiration struck Lin Zhenzhen, and she suddenly grasped the key point: Xuan Kang, just like in reality, had lost his left ear.

In the previous illusion, although she only caught a fleeting glimpse, she was certain that Xuan Kang's left ear was intact and uninjured.

But the battle with the demon beast had already ended, so who could have injured Xuan Kang?

A hypothesis gradually took shape in Lin Zhenzhen's mind.

Neither a demonic beast nor the unconscious Xuanyuan Zhao, there was only one person left on the scene who might still be capable of fighting.

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