Chapter 1808 - Besieged
Wen Qi's team had two Origin Immortals, and Ye Linghan alone should never have been able to kill both of them. On top of that, the team also had other experts at the Spirit Immortal Realm and the Profound Immortal Realm.
If Ye Guhai had involved himself, a Divine Immortal could have wiped them all out effortlessly.
"It wasn't Ye Guhai," Wen Changxing said, shaking his head. They had planted informants inside the City Lord Mansion, and during this entire period, Ye Guhai had not taken a single step outside.
"Then who could've killed Elder Wen Qi and the others?"
Wen Qi and the others all had soul tablets in the clan, and the shattering of their tablets meant they were dead.
The entire hall fell silent, and no one dared to speak.
"Patriarch, our scouts just reported that Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan entered the Xiang Manor not long ago," a deacon reported as he hurried inside.
Ever since Liu Wuxie had returned to the Azure Flame Dao Hall, others had watched his every movement closely. But the Wen Clan was in Fourfold City, far from Eastern Emperor City, so the scouts could only send information back through a Communication Talisman.
"Mobilize our men there and keep investigating his next move," Wen Changxing ordered. He did not know why Liu Wuxie had gone to the Xiang Manor, so he had to tread carefully.
After all, the Xiang Manor held a lofty status, and its strength surpassed the Wen Clan's. Even Wen Changxing did not dare to barge into the Xiang Manor and seize someone by force.
The night passed peacefully inside the Xiang Manor, but Eastern Emperor City was far from calm.
When Liu Wuxie woke at daybreak, a commotion had already risen outside the Xiang Manor.
"Manor Lord Xiang, we heard Young Master Liu is staying at the Xiang Manor, so we took the liberty of coming here. Please forgive the intrusion. We only wish to ask Young Master Liu for guidance in alchemy."
Many young people had gathered outside the Xiang Manor. Some came from the various major clans, while others were alchemy students from the Azure Flame Dao Hall. Every one of them had come to seek Liu Wuxie's guidance in alchemy.
Xiang Zicheng frowned. Liu Wuxie staying in the Xiang Manor was not a secret, but the sudden arrival of so many people asking for guidance was far too deliberate to ignore.
"Everyone, Young Master Liu is a guest I personally invited here, and he is currently resting. It isn't convenient for him to receive visitors right now," Xiang Zicheng replied after a brief pause.
"Manor Lord Xiang, isn't that a bit unreasonable? We came all this way just to ask a few questions, and we'll leave once he clears our doubts. Are you refusing on his behalf, or is he afraid he doesn't live up to his reputation?" a discordant voice called from within the crowd.
The surrounding discussions grew louder, and some people even looked ready to force their way inside. "Exactly. What right does the Xiang Manor have to stop us from meeting Young Master Liu?" they pressed on.
The Xiang Manor did not fear them, but it could not simply use force against all of them. After all, these people came from various clans with deep backgrounds. Their sudden appearance here was clearly no coincidence.
"Assistant Liu, we're your admirers! Please come out and meet us!" a loud voice shouted, echoing through half of the Xiang Manor.
Liu Wuxie dressed himself and stepped out of the house. Ye Linghan happened to emerge from her courtyard as well. The two exchanged a glance and saw the solemn look in each other's eyes.
"I'll go out and see what's happening. You stay here," Ye Linghan said, planning to investigate first so Liu Wuxie would not walk into danger.
Liu Wuxie nodded and didn't stop her.
After considering that Shen Guang and the Eastern Emperor Pavilion would not dare openly barge into the Xiang Manor to kill someone, Liu Wuxie hesitated briefly before walking toward the main gate. These people had come for him, and he knew they would not leave if he refused to appear.
The moment Liu Wuxie stepped through the gate and saw hundreds of people gathered outside, he could not help drawing in a sharp breath.
"If you have questions, ask me. If I can answer, I will," Ye Linghan said as she stepped forward, releasing the pressure of her Origin Immortal Realm to silence the surrounding clamor.
"Mentor Ye, we came here to seek guidance in alchemy," a student from the Azure Flame Dao Hall said, stepping forward to address Ye Linghan.
"This is the Xiang Manor. If you have questions, wait until we return to the Azure Flame Dao Hall. There is an alchemy class there, and you can attend it then," Ye Linghan replied.
"I think he just doesn't dare come out. Maybe that reputation of his is nothing but hot air," someone shouted.
Waves of mockery surged through the crowd, most of them aimed at slandering Liu Wuxie.
If only one or two people had appeared, others might have dismissed it as a coincidence. But with so many arriving at once, it was obviously a carefully orchestrated scheme.
When Liu Wuxie activated Ghost Pupil, he could see everything happening outside, and he quickly spotted several familiar figures.
"Tell Liu Wuxie to come out! Does he plan to hide inside like a turtle for the rest of his life?!" someone cursed loudly.
Xiang Zicheng was naturally the most anxious person present. He had invited Liu Wuxie here to refine the Soul Healing Pill for him, yet trouble had arrived before the pill was even refined.
Just as Xiang Zicheng was about to lose his temper and drive everyone away, Liu Wuxie slowly walked out through the gate, and the crowd fell silent.
"Liu Wuxie, so you finally decided to show your face!" Several sharp voices mocked as countless gazes landed on him.
Still, Liu Wuxie remained calm and merely swept his gaze over the crowd before fixing it on one person.
Tian Zijin shifted uneasily. He thought he had concealed himself well, but with Ghost Pupil and the Divine Tribulation Pupil, Liu Wuxie could have found him even if he had hidden underground.
"Mentor Tian, why are you hiding? If you came all this way, shouldn't you show yourself?" Liu Wuxie called out, ignoring the surrounding noise as a bone-chilling aura spread from him and formed into an arrow that pierced through a large tree in the distance.
The instant Ye Linghan saw Tian Zijin, she understood everything, and anger flared in her eyes.
"Tian Zijin, did you set this whole thing up?" Ye Linghan asked first. Back when Liu Wuxie had come out of the alchemy chamber, Tian Zijin had tried to seize Liu Wuxie's alchemy techniques.
Aside from Tian Zijin, Ye Linghan also recognized several prominent elders from Eastern Emperor City's major clans. Alongside the Shen Clan were the Kang Clan, the Zhu Clan, and the Yue Clan, all among the city's most influential powers.
The three old men standing beside Tian Zijin came from various clans. The Shen Clan and the Zhu Clan, in particular, had clashed with Liu Wuxie before. From left to right, they came from the Yue Clan, the Zhu Clan, and the Kang Clan, though no one from the Shen Clan was present.
This further proved that today's incident was a ploy created by Tian Zijin and the others to stir trouble. Since the Shen Clan was hostile toward the Xiang Manor, they naturally did not send anyone over.
"Ye Linghan, watch your tone. We came today to visit Manor Lord Xiang, and this just happened to unfold in front of us," Elder Kang said sharply, cutting Ye Linghan off.
After speaking, the four of them walked through the crowd and stopped before Xiang Zicheng.
"Manor Lord Xiang, forgive us for coming without prior notice. I hope you won't take offense," Tian Zijin said, wearing an apologetic expression.
Since these people had already come to his doorstep, Xiang Zicheng could not openly lose his temper, no matter what their true purpose was. Moreover, he had no evidence proving that these four had orchestrated today's incident.
"I'm honored that the four of you are here to visit my humble residence. Why would I take offense?" Xiang Zicheng said politely, although he knew they had ulterior motives. After all, this was not the right time to tear away their pretense in public.
When Tian Zijin and the others turned to Liu Wuxie, curiosity, doubt, disdain, and many other emotions flickered in their eyes.
"Liu Wuxie, we heard your alchemy skills are extraordinary. Why don't you refine a cauldron in front of us?"
"Assistant Liu, may I ask you a few questions?"
"Assistant Liu, were you really the one who produced the seven-colored pill clouds? Can you show us again?"
"......"
Various voices surged from the surroundings, each one pressing down on Liu Wuxie.
"Assistant Liu, with everyone this eager, I'm sure you won't turn them down, will you?" Elder Kang asked as he stepped forward with a smile that carried no warmth.
More people continued gathering outside the Xiang Clan, escalating the situation. If Liu Wuxie refused, it would be the same as offending everyone present and would damage his reputation. But if he agreed, he would step straight into the trap Tian Zijin and the other three had laid for him.
No matter what Liu Wuxie chose, the odds were stacked against him.
Xiang Zicheng was also put in a difficult position. He could not suppress them by force, but if he allowed them to keep humiliating Liu Wuxie, he could forget about the Soul Healing Pill.
Ye Linghan turned to Liu Wuxie, worry visible in her eyes. Dealing with the lord was easy; the lackeys were the real problem. Tian Zijin was infamous for being petty, the kind of man who would stop at nothing once he set his mind on something.
As the crowd pressed forward, the Xiang Manor's guards formed a circle to keep them from coming any closer.
"That's enough! This is the Xiang Manor, not a place for you people to run wild!" Xiang Zicheng roared, releasing his aura and forcing everyone to retreat. The crowd even pushed some people to the ground.
A Profound Immortal stepped forward and said mockingly, "Impressive, Manor Lord Xiang. Injuring people for no reason now? Do you really think we're all pushovers?"
Some people actually took out Communication Talismans, saying, "The Xiang Manor is going too far. I'll inform my clan's upper echelons right now and ask them to reason with the Xiang Manor."
As the situation spiraled further out of control, it nearly reached the point where settling it peacefully became impossible.
Tian Zijin smiled without saying a word, clearly pleased to see Liu Wuxie cornered.
Xiang Zicheng was about to lose his temper again when Liu Wuxie stopped him. Not all problems could be resolved using force, and Liu Wuxie believed the Xiang Manor would guarantee his safety.
Liu Wuxie knew he had to resolve this problem himself, since these people had come for him. As he stepped forward, Xiang Zicheng quickly followed behind him to prevent anything unexpected from happening.
When Liu Wuxie swept his gaze outward, the Divine Tribulation Pupil captured every expression of those in the crowd.
Stepping forward, a True Immortal sneered. "Liu Wuxie, you finally decided to come out," he said.