Chapter 629 - 629: Too Late to Rescue
After Huangfu Ziyu, the Right Protector of the Killing Gate chased after her like a shadow. However, he was still a step too slow; as he saw Huangfu Ziyu leap into the cliff, he immediately rushed forward. With a flick of his left hand, a long rope flew out, wrapping around a large tree in the distance. He himself also plunged into the cliff, pursuing Huangfu Ziyu.
The Right Protector's skills were indeed extraordinary. This series of moves was executed as fluidly as drifting clouds and flowing water, dazzling Xu Cunxiao and Xu Cunzhi to the extent that they were left in a daze, deeply impressed by his strength. Nevertheless, he was ultimately a step behind. As he reached out with his right hand to grab Huangfu Ziyu, he fell short by half a meter. It was this half-meter distance that forced him to watch helplessly as Huangfu Ziyu disappeared into the dark abyss below.
The Right Protector stood petrified, watching as the silhouette of Huangfu Ziyu gradually vanished. For a moment, he seemed to forget what he should do next, hanging in mid-air without ascending or descending, silently staring at the dark abyss.
"Right Protector? Right Protector?" At the edge of the cliff, Xu Cunxiao called out twice. Only then did the Right Protector snap back to reality. He gripped the rope with his right hand and pulled hard, shooting up like a cannonball and standing at the edge of the cliff. However, his expression was still somewhat distracted.
Seeing the Right Protector in such a state, Xu Cunxiao and Xu Cunzhi were somewhat surprised. Xu Cunxiao tentatively said in a low voice, "Right Protector, Huangfu Ziyu wasn't of significant help to our plan; you really didn't need to save her like that!"
The Right Protector seemed to be provoked, his eyes flashing sharply as he suddenly looked towards Xu Cunxiao. Even someone as adept as Xu Cunxiao couldn't help but change his expression and took half a step back, warily watching the Right Protector, fearing that he might strike at any moment.
Xu Cunzhi also hurried over, watching the Right Protector with apprehension. He knew the man's strength; if it came to a hard fight, they would probably be at a disadvantage.
The Right Protector stared at Xu Cunxiao for a long while until his gaze gradually softened and lost the hostility he had shown before. Xu Cunxiao finally let out a sigh of relief, but he felt even more puzzled, unsure what the Right Protector was implying. However, he did not dare to provoke the man before him with any more careless words.
The Right Protector clenched his teeth and said solemnly, "In three days, the members of the Xihang Shen Family will enter Shenchuan City. However, the Killing Gate Seven Hidden haven't gathered yet. The people you were sent to find, did you find them?"
"We found them." Xu Cunxiao handed a piece of paper to the Right Protector and said, "The Netherworld Scholar is still the same, flirting around everywhere. However, I showed him a picture of Huangfu Ziyu a while ago, and he has probably already headed to Dongzhou!"
As he said this, Xu Cunxiao secretly watched the Right Protector's reaction. The Right Protector obviously frowned, showing his concern for the matter of Huangfu Ziyu.
Xu Cunxiao did not say much, simply continuing, "The Netherworld Taoist is still deceiving people everywhere. For many years, he has dared not set foot in the Southern Six Provinces. However, this time he must have received news from the Ghost-faced Judge and has already started heading this way; he doesn't need our concern. Black Asura doesn't bother with these affairs. He is always accepting assassination requests and will be in Eastern Province in a few days, preparing to assassinate someone. Pig King has hidden away in the countryside, setting up a pig farm and seemingly doesn't want to get involved anymore. Except for the Netherworld Taoist, the other individuals might require you, Right Protector, to personally invite them to come!"
The Right Protector took the paper from Xu Cunxiao's hand and said solemnly, "Leave these people to me. Make sure there are no mistakes in your arrangements. This time, we must cause a major loss to the Xihang Shen Family."
"Rest assured!" Xu Cunxiao laughed loudly, "The Xihang Shen Family has dominated the Southern Six Provinces for many years. They're not the same family that was once overseen by the Southern Fist King. The people of the Southern Six Provinces have been overly respectful to them for years; they've become so arrogant that they've forgotten their true strength. Moreover, the Killing Gate was once pushed into a corner by them, and they've never taken us seriously. This time, they've only sent five experts over. How could they be a match for the Killing Gate? Their defeat is certain!"
"That's good!" said the Right Protector as he pocketed the paper. Just as he was about to speak, he saw two figures running up the mountain in the distance— it was Tianfu and White Wolf.
The two of them had chased to this side of the mountain, hoping to meet with Huangfu Ziyu. However, upon their arrival, they didn't find her at all. After questioning the subordinates of Xu Cunxiao, they learned that Ye Qing had already escaped up the mountain. Immediately, they climbed up and upon reaching the peak, where they saw the three men but neither Huangfu Ziyu nor Ye Qing, they couldn't help but feel an ominous premonition stir within them.
Tianfu and White Wolf hurriedly ran up, looking around in all directions, but saw no one laying on the ground. Both were even more astonished. Especially Tianfu, as he looked at the three men on this side, his gaze finally settled on Xu Cunxiao and he demanded in a stern voice, "Xu Cunxiao, have you seen our young miss?"
"It's you!" Xu Cunxiao responded with a faint smile, seemingly having known Tianfu for many years, "So many years have passed, and yet, you're still so loyal to the Huangfu Household. It seems you're truly destined to be a servant for life!"
Tianfu's brows furrowed deeply as he said sternly, "The master saved my life. My life has long belonged to the Huangfu Household. I am not like some people, lacking in hierarchy, ungrateful, who even conspire with strangers against their own masters. Hmph, someone who's been hiding in Western Province his whole life, afraid to come out, what's the difference between that and a dog?"
Xu Cunzhi was enraged and ready to strike, but Xu Cunxiao held him back and watched Tianfu with a cold smile, saying, "We're not born to be servants, our lives are in our own hands. If you choose to degrade yourself, I can't say much. However, even if you want to continue being a servant now, I reckon there's no chance left for you!"
"What do you mean?" Tianfu's brows furrowed even tighter, clearly very flustered.
Xu Cunxiao waved his hand dismissively, smiling, "Your young miss has already fallen into this cliff. From now on, the Huangfu Household will be forever erased!"
"What!?" Tianfu's complexion changed drastically, and White Wolf ran straight to the edge of the cliff, looking down. Below was an abyss of darkness, bottomless, and nothing could be seen.
"You actually threw my young lady into the cliff!" Tianfu roared in rage, "My Huangfu Household has always minded its own business with you; why would you do this to my young lady!"
"This has nothing to do with me. Your young lady jumped in herself, who knows what happened!" Xu Cunxiao sneered, "But seeing how anxious she was about Ye Qing, who knows if there was something private between them. Ah, women are women after all, they can never hold up under serious pressure. Thinking one person can hold up a family, she's just not up to it!"
Hearing Xu Cunxiao's words, Tianfu grew even angrier and charged at Xu Cunxiao, yelling, "Xu Cunxiao, how could my young lady jump down herself; she must have been pushed by you. Xu Cunxiao, I'm going to fight you to the death!"
"Court death!" Xu Cunxiao sneered, clenched his fists, and was about to pounce towards Tianfu. At this moment, the Right Protector who had been standing by suddenly rushed out, grabbed Tianfu's wrist, and lifted him up. Tianfu tried to struggle, but the Right Protector raised his hand and tapped him on the back of the head, causing Tianfu to faint immediately.
On the other side, White Wolf had already charged up to Xu Cunzhi and the two started fighting. However, White Wolf was clearly no match for Xu Cunzhi and was at a disadvantage throughout.
After knocking out Tianfu, the Right Protector turned and rushed towards White Wolf. Just as Xu Cunzhi's fist was about to hit White Wolf's chest, the Right Protector grabbed White Wolf's clothes and pulled him away, causing Xu Cunzhi's punch to miss.
"Right Protector, what are you doing?" Xu Cunzhi asked in surprise.
The Right Protector ignored him, simply knocked out the fiercely struggling White Wolf, and then threw him beside Tianfu. Both of Huangfu Ziyu's personal servants knocked out, without a shred of resistance in front of the Right Protector.
"Right Protector, why not just kill the two of them?" Xu Cunxiao said solemnly, clearly dissatisfied with the Right Protector's actions.
"I have my uses for these two!" the Right Protector spoke gravely.
Xu Cunzhi shouted, "What use could they possibly have? Keeping these two will only mess up our plans!"
"Are you trying to teach me how to handle my business?" The Right Protector looked at Xu Cunzhi coldly, and a sharp glint in his eyes caused Xu Cunzhi's complexion to shift slightly, silencing him before he dared to say another word.
Xu Cunxiao quickly stepped in front of Xu Cunzhi and said, "Right Protector, our plan is what matters most. Huangfu Ziyu is dead, and these two see us as their enemies. Keeping them will only mess up our plans. You don't want our years of planning to go to waste, do you?"
"I know exactly what to do!" the Right Protector snapped, "Huangfu Ziyu had managed so many resources in Eastern Province for so many years. Without these two, how could I make use of Huangfu Ziyu's resources? Wouldn't that be wasteful?"
Xu Cunxiao and Xu Cunzhi exchanged glances, and they both quieted down a bit.
Xu Cunxiao said, "Right Protector, if you want to use Huangfu Ziyu's resources, we won't oppose. But, we still hope you'll be careful. We've planned and prepared for so many years, we shouldn't let two servants ruin it, that would be most inappropriate!"
"I don't need you to tell me what to do. Just take care of your own affairs!" The Right Protector replied coldly, turned, and walked over to Tianfu and White Wolf. Grabbing one in each hand, he ran down the mountain, his figure like a wisp of black smoke, moving extremely fast.
Meanwhile, Xu Cunxiao and Xu Cunzhi watched the Right Protector leave in the distance, both spitting in unison.
"Damn it, what a piece of work!" Xu Cunzhi cursed, "He's meddling too much; even if Huangfu Ziyu is dead, it doesn't affect the plan, what does he care about this for?"
"Who knows?" Xu Cunxiao shrugged, "Maybe he also took a fancy to Huangfu Ziyu!"