Chapter 402: Framing
As they walked, everyone couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration along the way.
"Wow, Master Jin, you’re incredible! If you hadn’t seen through those three tigers just now, I’m afraid we would have been scared to death!"
A servant of the Xue Family couldn’t help but praise him, a fawning smile on his face.
The others all chimed in, one after another.
"That’s right! Master Jin is truly worthy of being the Sect Leader of Xingyi Fist. Few can compare to such keen insight!"
"Haha! With Master Jin here to hold down the fort, our Xue Family will definitely be able to secure this mine."
The members of the Xue Family relentlessly flattered him, trying to curry favor with Jin Hongtao.
Jin Hongtao, meanwhile, simply gave a slight nod, maintaining the mysterious air of a detached master.
Even Xue Chengdong offered Jin Hongtao a few words of high praise, which instantly made the group of disciples behind him feel proud.
Amidst the crowd, only Xue Qingqing placed her trust more firmly in Qin Tuo.
She knew that if it hadn’t been for Qin Tuo, Jin Hongtao alone might not have been able to handle those three tigers.
So, Xue Qingqing had figured it out: the only way to stay safe was to stick close to Qin Tuo.
Unconsciously, Xue Qingqing moved even closer to Qin Tuo, a detail that few people noticed.
Meanwhile, the Zheng Family, having used a malicious Illusion Technique to interfere, were the first to reach the summit.
But at this moment, Zheng Guoping’s expression turned somewhat grim.
He knew he had to find the entrance to the mine quickly, or things could get complicated.
Thinking of this, Zheng Guoping said loudly:
"Master Huang, we’re counting on you. Please find the entrance to the mine!"
He had paid a great price to hire Master Huang specifically to help the Zheng Family find the mine at this critical moment.
Master Huang could also feel that the Spiritual Qi here was exceptionally abundant, which delighted him.
’I could cultivate here later,’ he even thought. ’My speed would be much faster than in the outside world.’
"Master Huang, if you please!"
Zheng Guoping wore a smile, but his tone was tinged with impatience.
So, Master Huang said no more. He took out a mystical Compass, placed it on the ground, and after aligning it, began to recite an incantation.
After a moment, the Compass began to emit a hazy glow in front of everyone, faintly pointing in one direction.
Master Huang’s face lit up with joy, and he blurted out:
"Mr. Zheng, the entrance to the mine is just a short distance to the northwest!"
As he spoke, the members of the Zheng Family could no longer contain the joy on their faces.
Zheng Guoping was especially ecstatic and burst into laughter.
"Excellent! Master Huang, you’ve worked hard!"
Without another word, Zheng Guoping prepared to lead his men over to be the first to enter the mine.
He knew that as long as he and his men occupied the mine first, even if the other two families made it to the summit, they would be no match for the Zheng Family.
However, just as Zheng Guoping was about to make his move, Xue Chengdong emerged from the jungle with all of his people.
The members of the Xue Family, though they looked shaken, were completely unscathed.
Zheng Guoping noticed the Xue Family’s arrival, and after a closer look, his face filled with astonishment.
He couldn’t believe that Master Huang’s Illusion Technique had failed to affect the Xue Family. ’What happened?’
Zheng Guoping stood frozen, unable to stop himself from asking a question.
"Xue Chengdong, your Xue Family actually made it here?"
The moment Xue Chengdong saw Zheng Guoping, a cold sneer appeared on his face.
He wasn’t a fool; he had already guessed that Zheng Guoping was likely behind the recent trouble.
Thus, Xue Chengdong snorted coldly.
"What’s the matter? Surprised to see the Xue Family arrive?"
Zheng Guoping didn’t bother to hide it, retorting irritably:
"Your Xue Family must have stepped in dog shit to get this lucky. Otherwise, you’d all be dead in the Mist Forest by now!"
Xue Chengdong stepped forward and said with a sneer:
"Zheng Guoping, did you really think your petty little tricks could fool me? I just never thought you’d stoop to such despicable measures just to hog the mine for yourself. It’s truly shameful!"
Zheng Guoping, however, began to play dumb.
He shook his head and said with feigned confusion:
"What are you talking about, Xue Chengdong? I don’t understand a word you’re saying."
The members of the Xue Family instantly erupted in furious curses, shocked that Zheng Guoping could be so shameless as to not admit what he’d done.
Seeing the Xue Family so agitated only made Zheng Guoping feel even more smug.
He laughed and said:
"Xue Chengdong, did the miasma in the Mist Forest poison your brains? I’m starting to think everyone in the Xue Family is an idiot!"
The Zheng Family experts at his side joined in, mocking them one by one, making the Xue Family members turn pale with rage.
Jin Hongtao remained silent, his gaze fixed warily on Master Huang in the distance.
Jin Hongtao could keenly sense that Master Huang’s aura was formidable. It seemed he had just used some kind of mystical art, and a mysterious current of air was still swirling around him, putting Jin Hongtao on high alert.
Just then, the members of the Wu Family also emerged.
But when everyone saw the state of the Wu Family, they were all shocked!
They looked as if they had suffered heavy losses, appearing utterly wretched and battered.
The once high-spirited Wu Family experts were now beating their chests and stamping their feet in despair.
Furthermore, a single glance revealed that less than half of the Wu Family members were present; the others had clearly died in the Mist Forest.
Patriarch Wu, Wu Taiqi, his face contorted with rage, ground his teeth and demanded fiercely:
"Which family used such a treacherous scheme? Do you dare to show yourselves?"
Wu Taiqi was on the verge of madness. He never imagined that more than half of the Wu Family experts he had painstakingly cultivated would be lost on the way up the mountain.
And the worst part was that this wasn’t a natural disaster—it was man-made!
Therefore, Wu Taiqi resolved to find the mastermind behind this, even if it cost him his life, just to vent this unbearable anger.
Seeing Wu Taiqi’s miserable state, Zheng Guoping’s eyes shifted, and he immediately shouted:
"Brother Wu, I know who harmed your Wu Family! Do you want to hear the truth?"
Hearing this, Wu Taiqi’s eyes shot wide in a fierce glare as he asked:
"Is that so? Brother Zheng, who was it?"
Meanwhile, Xue Chengdong’s eyelid began to twitch; he had a bad feeling about this.
Zheng Guoping looked at Xue Chengdong nearby and said with a cold laugh:
"Is there even a need to ask? It was the Xue Family’s handiwork, of course. After all, this is their usual style!"