No. 2 Middle School

Zhao Zeyang and Bu Xiuwen had just arrived with reinforcements and met up with the martial arts teachers from No. 2 Middle School. Before they could make any preparations, they saw a group of cultists launch an attack.

The cultists were chasing a bald, heavyset man. Bu Xiuwen took one look and recognized him as the owner of the baozi shop.

He had never paid much attention before, but it turned out the bald man’s skills were not weak. The situation was critical, and any extra fighting strength was a boon. Thinking this, he quickly led his men forward to bring the bald boss into their formation.

"Boss, over here..."

Zhao Zeyang was suspicious.

"Xiuwen, what’s this man’s story? We don’t have many unaffiliated Martial Artists around here."

Bu Xiuwen replied casually, "He runs a breakfast shop over on East Street. Mr. Wang and I go there often. His baozi are great. I went to buy some this morning and saw his shop was closed. I figured the bald... uh, the boss was out on business... Didn’t expect him to run into these cultists."

Hearing this, Zhao Zeyang temporarily lowered his guard. He had met Wang Jie a few times; the man was steady and cautious. If he had vetted this person, there probably wasn’t a problem.

The bald boss scrambled head over heels into the crowd and hastily thanked them.

"Thank you, thank you! I’m so lucky I ran into you, or I’d be a goner today... By the way, what’s going on? How does someone dare to openly attack the county seat?"

Bu Xiuwen saw the blood seeping through the man’s clothes and his bruised, swollen face. He figured the man must have taken a beating before finding a chance to escape. Before he could answer, Ji Kai from logistics explained:

"They’re said to be a cult from the Illuminati. But don’t worry, everything is under control. Since you’re here, why not fight the enemy with us?"

Zhao Zeyang felt a natural aversion to the idea. Even if their own side was short on strength, rashly adding a stranger to their ranks felt wrong. However, although he was in the Inner Qi Realm, he was old and frail. Command authority remained with Bu Xiuwen, so he was unwilling to interfere too much.

Bu Xiuwen didn’t overthink it. In his mind, the bald boss made damn good baozi, which earned him a natural sense of goodwill. Without a second thought, he agreed to Ji Kai’s suggestion.

But they failed to notice the subtle exchange of glances between Ji Kai and the bald boss. The heavy rain concealed too much.

They had just finished their preparations. Ji Kai stood beside Bu Xiuwen, while the bald boss silently approached Zhao Zeyang. When Zhao Zeyang turned to look, he was met with the bald boss’s ingratiating smile.

Zhao Zeyang didn’t think much of it, assuming the man was just seeking a sense of security. After all, he was the only Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist present.

In the downpour, Miss Lanhua and the other cultists quietly paused, watching as the bald man successfully infiltrated the Martial Arts Administration Bureau’s team. Only then did they charge.

There were no words exchanged. Behind Bu Xiuwen and his men were several thousand students; their duty was clear. Behind the cultists was the threat of the Dust Sacrifice, coupled with their own thirst for slaughter and blood sacrifice. The two sides clashed in a chaotic melee.

Zhao Zeyang engaged their only Inner Qi Realm opponent. One was old and weak, the other unskilled in martial techniques; the two were evenly matched. Bu Xiuwen, however, was formidable. Wielding his long saber, he single-handedly tied up two third-realm cultists and still had strength to spare.

The Martial Arts Administration Bureau team was slightly weaker in terms of realm, but their martial techniques were at least up to standard, allowing them to hold the line.

Ji Kai and the bald man each engaged an enemy, but neither was fighting with their full strength. Ji Kai and a third-realm cultist were seen slowly closing in on Bu Xiuwen.

Meanwhile, the bald boss was also gradually approaching Zhao Zeyang.

Through the curtain of rain, Zhao Zeyang—not particularly strong to begin with—was struggling to cope and didn’t notice the bald boss drawing near at all. Unbeknownst to the others, Bu Xiuwen was also gradually moving closer to Zhao Zeyang.

BOOM...

The downpour was relentless, with incessant flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Bu Xiuwen was startled but had no time to ponder it. The potent Qi Blood in his body erupted from his feet, and in an instant, he broke away from the two cultists he was fighting. His long saber swung like a crescent moon, slashing toward the Inner Qi Realm cultist facing Zhao Zeyang.

Bu Xiuwen had held the upper hand throughout the fight and still had energy to spare. He believed they should first kill the opposing Inner Qi Martial Artist to free up Zhao Zeyang, which would resolve the crisis.

From the beginning of the battle, he had been deliberately yet subtly moving closer to Zhao Zeyang’s fight. He simply hadn’t noticed the movements of the bald boss and Ji Kai.

After hearing the whistle, the bald boss and another third-realm cultist both brandished their weapons and charged Zhao Zeyang. Only Ji Kai and his partner were still preparing to make their move, not expecting Bu Xiuwen to suddenly burst away from his own fight.

The rain poured down. Liu Yu, the only Inner Qi Realm attacker in the group targeting No. 2 Middle School, had already made a plan with the bald man. The three of them would now surround the old Inner Qi master, Zhao Zeyang. Victory was assured.

In the blink of an eye, the situation on the field changed drastically. Zhao Zeyang had been stabbed with two daggers and a sword, and blood gushed from his wounds. But the old man was exceptionally fierce; he clung desperately to the enemy Inner Qi master, Liu Yu, allowing Bu Xiuwen to seize the opportunity and behead him with a single slash.

He felt no joy. He only saw Zhao Zeyang looking at him in pain and terror.

’Terror? ...’

Bu Xiuwen whipped his head around to see four enemies chasing Ji Kai, charging right toward him.

He and Ji Kai were on good terms personally and he knew Ji Kai was only at the second realm; it must have been incredibly difficult for him to hold out against these people.

So he pulled Ji Kai behind him to protect him.

"Careful! You support me, and we can... urgh... you..."

Bu Xiuwen, his eyes bloodshot, turned his head to see Ji Kai stabbing a dagger into his lower back. The man retreated to a safe distance with a crazed smile on his face.

In that moment, a flood of thoughts rushed through Bu Xiuwen’s mind. Wang Jie had once told him there might be a traitor, but he had never taken it to heart. He never thought...