Chapter 421: Exposed
With that, another male elder concurred, "Indeed, Elder Ouyang's handling of this matter was truly improper! I believe we need to reconsider how we deal with this young man!"
"Reconsider?" the first elder raged. "What the hell is there to reconsider?"
"It doesn't matter who was right or wrong! This boy killed a member of our Blood Sect, and that is a capital offense! Whatever we decide, I say we throw him in the dungeon first!"
At his words, the other two male elders exchanged a look with him before speaking up in agreement.
"Exactly! He killed a disciple of our Blood Sect. This can't be handled so lightly. He must be thrown into the dungeon!"
"The words came from his mouth, but what if he's just spouting nonsense? He must be sent to the dungeon first!"
These elders were on good terms with Elder Ouyang. After a quick exchange of glances, they knew exactly what to do. At the end of the day, Zhao Dong was a nobody. If he could be used as a tool to curry favor with Elder Ouyang, they were more than willing.
On the other side of the hall, however, Third Elder Mu Yu and another male elder wore expressions as dark as thunder. The elders of the Blood Sect were not a monolith. Elder Ouyang and his followers were the hardliners, acting with utter arrogance, and they comprised the most powerful faction in the Blood Sect. In contrast, Mu Yu and her compatriot were more low-key and reasonable. They belonged to the weaker, more moderate faction and frequently clashed with Ouyang Hong's group.
"How audacious! If word of this gets out, won't people say our Blood Sect is completely unreasonable?" Mu Yu exclaimed, rising to her feet in frustration, ready to say more.
But the male elder pulled her back down. "Junior Sister, don't be rash!" he urged, frowning. "They have a point. The boy did kill someone, and it would be inappropriate not to send him to the dungeon."
"But!" Mu Yu tried to protest.
The male elder whispered, "We don't have a final verdict on this matter yet. Sending him to the dungeon, for now, is also a way to keep him alive."
Hearing this, Mu Yu sighed heavily and slumped back into her seat, still pouting with anger.
Seeing that Mu Yu's faction offered no further objections, the first elder sneered and waved his hand. "Men! Throw this boy into the dungeon and await judgment!"
At the command, several black-clad disciples rushed forward.
A struggle raged within Zhao Dong. If I'm thrown into the dungeon, it's all over! My chances of survival are next to none!
And so, just as the black-clad disciples closed in, Zhao Dong suddenly erupted. He threw a punch and lunged toward Xu Yafei.
"You're asking to die!"
A disciple's expression hardened. He deflected Zhao Dong's attack with one hand and sent him flying with a single kick. Zhao Dong was already a broken man, and these disciples were the elite of the Blood Sect. How could he possibly be their match?
Seeing Zhao Dong dare to resist, the old elder roared, "Beat him! Beat him senseless! How dare he raise a hand in our presence! What unbelievable audacity! Beat him to death!"
Hearing the order, the disciples immediately swarmed Zhao Dong, pummeling him with a storm of fists and feet. He was beaten until he was on the brink of death, yet his bloodthirsty eyes remained fixed on the elder at the head of the hall.
"Still defiant?!" the elder said menacingly.
"I... refuse to submit!" Zhao Dong roared with every last ounce of his strength.
"Beat him! Keep beating him!" the elder shrieked in a rage.
The disciples attacked again. Soon, Zhao Dong was drenched in his own blood, his flesh so torn that the white of his bones was visible.
Even so, he didn't make a sound. His crimson eyes remained locked on the old elder.
Seeing this, Mu Yu and the others couldn't bear to watch, their eyes flashing with fury. Xu Yafei's expression remained vacant, but silent tears streamed down her cheeks.
Pain! My heart aches! For some reason, a piercing anguish bloomed in her chest.
Finally, she cried out and rushed toward Zhao Dong, trying to protect him. But several disciples immediately pinned her to the ground.
"Don't... don't worry about me... protect yourself... just protect yourself..." Watching them hold Xu Yafei down, Zhao Dong's heart felt as if it were being torn to shreds, and tears flowed freely.
SPURT! A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. At last, his body could take no more. He passed out.
"Pah! A hard bone, is he? I live for breaking hard bones!" the old elder spat. He waved a dismissive hand. "Throw him in the dungeon, and remember to 'serve' him well!"
"Yes, sir!" the black-clad disciples nodded, then dragged Zhao Dong's limp body out of the great hall.
They had barely left when a disheveled Ouyang Hong rushed in. Without waiting for anyone to speak, he strode straight to Xu Yafei and slapped her viciously across the face.
"You bitch! I gave you food and shelter, yet you dared to run away with that boy?" Ouyang Hong's eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted like a vicious phantom's.
It was a heavy blow. Xu Yafei's cheek swelled and turned red as she trembled on the floor, tears of humiliation and terror pouring from her eyes.
Seeing this, Ouyang Hong ignored her and turned to shout angrily, "That boy couldn't have entered the Blood Sect so easily! Someone must have led him in! Find them! Drag that person out for me!"
Several elders immediately stepped forward to console him, then ordered disciples to begin an investigation.
Just then, Mu Yu stood up. "Elder Ouyang! I heard Zhao Dong say he trespassed on our mountain because you abducted Xu Yafei. Is that true?"
"Nonsense!" Ouyang Hong sneered. "Xu Yafei was gravely injured that day. If I hadn't saved her, she'd be a corpse by now! Zhao Dong willingly handed her over to me. How could you call it an abduction?" His gaze turned cold. "Elder Mu, as a member of our Blood Sect, you're actually defending that boy! Could it be that his infiltration has something to do with you?"
"Ouyang Hong! Don't you dare slander me!" Mu Yu shot back, her anxiety flaring.
The male elder quickly held her back and offered Ouyang Hong an apologetic smile. "Elder Ouyang, please don't be angry. Elder Mu is very straightforward and certainly meant no offense."
Inside, the male elder's heart was grim. Though he despised Ouyang Hong's actions, the man was too powerful. Unless they had ironclad proof that would force the Sect Master to intervene, a direct confrontation would only end in their own defeat.
Mu Yu wasn't a fool. Once she calmed down, she gave a cold snort and fell silent. Elder Ouyang's mind wasn't on these internal squabbles anyway, so he didn't press the matter with her.
「Half an hour later.」
A black-clad disciple hurried into the great hall.
"Did you find anything?" Ouyang Hong demanded.
The disciple began to hem and haw, his gaze shifting nervously toward Mu Yu. His face was pale.
Mu Yu's heart sank. Could it be one of my disciples?
Ouyang Hong's and the other elders' fierce gazes instantly fixed on her.
"Heh, Elder Mu, it seems this person really is connected to you," Ouyang Hong mocked.
Mu Yu's expression darkened, but she said nothing.
"Speak!" Ouyang Hong barked. "Who was it?"
The disciple answered awkwardly, "Reporting to Elder Ouyang, only one disciple returned from outside the sect today. According to the guards at the gate, she did indeed bring a stranger in with her..."
"Who was it?"
"The Third Elder's disciple... Qing Yu..."