Chapter 145: Jia the Hater, Fuming with Rage

Seeing the noble matron grow angry, Elder He hastily cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Elder Ji, please don't be rash. Hear Elder He out first."

"They've already openly threatened to raze our Hall of Martial Kings to the ground. What else is there to say?"

"Come on, Old Dog Jia, let me see just how much capability you really have to dare act so rampantly here in my Hall of Martial Kings!"

The noble matron was truly incensed.

At the same time, Elder Wan stepped briskly to her side, his overwhelming aura bursting forth and surging toward Elder He and his two companions like a crushing wave! His gaze, too, was as sharp and piercing as that of a hunting hawk!

A fierce battle was on the verge of erupting!

The four of them possessed auras so formidable that every corner of the Hall of Martial Kings could clearly sense them. Qin Feiyang and his two companions were no exception.

The fatty remarked, "Looks like a fight is about to break out."

Shi Zheng leaped down from the terrace, landing beside the three of them, and stared at the fatty. "Are you happy that they're fighting?"

The fatty waved his hands frantically and said, "No, no, absolutely not."

Shi Zheng frowned. "What on earth did you despicable scoundrels do to make the Hall of Medicinal Kings this furious?"

"We didn't do anything! I'm baffled myself!" the fatty feigned absolute innocence.

*Boom!!*

Suddenly, two earth-shattering explosions resounded.

High up in the sky, Elder Wan, the noble matron, Elder He, and Jia Hei simultaneously lunged at one another, and an earth-shaking battle immediately unfolded before everyone's eyes!

As for Elder Jing, he was still being hoisted by the scruff of his neck by Jia Hei. Consequently, Jia Hei had suffered a severe setback at the noble matron's hands right from the start.

"Jiang Haotian, what should we do?" Lu Hong asked, burning with anxiety. She had never expected that this matter would trigger a war between Battle Emperors!

Qin Feiyang gazed up at the four figures, remaining silent. No one knew what he was thinking.

Elder He, too, grew increasingly anxious. If this continued, lives would surely be lost. How could this Jia Hei be so completely devoid of patience? It had been like this last time when he demanded that Jiang Haotian hand over the Netherworld Demonic Flame, and now it was happening again. If not for that remark about "razing the Hall of Martial Kings to the ground," wouldn't all of this have been avoided?

*Boom!*

He traded a palm strike with Elder Wan, and both men retreated three paces.

Elder Wan sneered, "Not bad at all. Your strength has improved quite a bit over the years."

Elder He sighed, "Old Wan, we didn't come here to target your Hall of Martial Kings..."

"Save the nonsense!" Elder Wan snapped coldly, closing the distance instantly and hurling a punch straight at Elder He's face.

"Old Man Wan, can't you just let me finish speaking?" Elder He asked, feeling both helpless and exasperated.

However, Elder Wan simply refused to listen!

The two of them clashed once more, their battle-qi soaring like a rainbow, illuminating the surrounding heavens and earth.

"Elder Wan, Elder Ji, please halt your hands for a moment."

Right at that moment, Qin Feiyang's voice echoed up into the high sky. This matter could not be allowed to escalate. The larger the commotion, the more detrimental it would be to him, the fatty, and Lu Hong. And the root of the problem lay within the Hall of Martial Kings. If the Hall of Martial Kings engaged in a fierce conflict with the Hall of Medicinal Kings on his behalf, then one day, when the truth came to light, the Hall of Medicinal Kings would inevitably exploit the situation. They might even broadcast to the entire world that the Hall of Martial Kings had been pulling the strings from behind the scenes. By then, the Hall of Martial Kings would find itself in an extremely awkward predicament. To extricate itself from such a dilemma, the Hall of Martial Kings would be forced to make a choice, and their only choice would be to abandon him!

"Huh?"

The noble matron and Elder Wan furrowed their brows slightly, exchanged glances, and simultaneously retreated in a flash.

Elder He and his companion also ceased their attacks, lowering their gazes to look down toward the source of the voice.

"What?"

"They're still roasting bear paws?"

"Are they celebrating?"

Jia Hei was thrown into a rage once again. These little beasts were blatantly and utterly showing contempt for him and for the Hall of Medicinal Kings!

Elder He possessed quick eyes and nimble hands; he grabbed Jia Hei and barked, "From this moment on, you are not allowed to utter another word, nor are you to pull any more reckless stunts!"

Jia Hei fumed, "Didn't you see that they were the ones who provoked us first?"

Elder He said in a deep voice, "Regardless of the circumstances, this is the Hall of Martial Kings. If you don't want to ignite a war between the two halls, keep your mouth shut and behave!"

"Hmph!" Jia Hei snorted coldly and said no more, though the murderous intent in his eyes grew even denser.

Qin Feiyang swept his gaze over the two men and said indifferently, "Elder He, Elder Jia, I don't know why you're both so furious, but since you've come looking for me, come down here and speak!"

As for Elder Jing, he deliberately chose to ignore him.

"Very well, let's confront each other face to face!" Elder He nodded. Like a dazzling shooting star, he dove down from the heights and, in the blink of an eye, landed right opposite Qin Feiyang and the others.

Shi Zheng immediately stepped forward, shielding Qin Feiyang behind him.

*Whoosh!!*

The noble matron, Elder Wan, and Jia Hei—still dragging Elder Jing—also descended one after another.

"Greetings, esteemed elders," the fatty and Lu Hong bowed in salute. However, they did not step forward, choosing instead to remain right beside Qin Feiyang. Both of them knew full well that the moment they got close to Elder He's group, they would undoubtedly be captured and left with no way to sprout wings and fly away.

"You scoundrels still have the nerve to stand there and talk to us? Kneel down at once!" Elder Jing bellowed.

"What for?" The fatty wore a look of utter perplexity.

"Insolent wretch!" Elder Jing flew into a rage, taking a step toward the two of them.

At that moment, however, Elder He frowned and commanded, "Stay where you are and don't move."

Elder Jing was taken aback and hurriedly protested, "Elder, they—"

"Enough, I know what I'm doing," Elder He interrupted him impatiently. He turned his gaze to the fatty and Lu Hong and asked, "Let me ask you both: ever since you entered the Hall of Medicinal Kings, how have I treated you?"

The fatty replied, "Very well indeed!"

Elder He asked in a grim tone, "Then why did you steal the medicinal herbs from the herb garden?"

"Medicinal herbs?"

"What medicinal herbs did we steal?"

The fatty looked completely baffled. Seeing that Lu Hong had not yet recovered her composure, he hastily tugged at her sleeve. Because the two of them were standing shoulder to shoulder, no one noticed this subtle gesture. Lu Hong instantly mirrored his look of bewilderment.

Upon seeing their expressions, Elder Jing felt smoke practically pouring out of the top of his head. He roared, "Are you still going to play dumb? If you didn't sack the herb garden, then who did?"

"The herb garden of the Hall of Medicinal Kings was ransacked?"

Elder Wan and the noble matron exchanged glances, their eyes filled with sheer disbelief.

Meanwhile, the fatty put on a show of extreme panic, exclaiming, "How could my junior sister and I ever ransack the herb garden? Elder Jing, you can't just throw around accusations like that! After all, this is a capital offense!"

"What?"

"I'm throwing around accusations?"

Elder Jing was so infuriated that his spirit felt as though it were leaving his body.

The fatty chuckled inwardly, turned his head to look at Elder He and the others, and said respectfully, "Elders, my junior sister and I came to the Hall of Martial Kings precisely to persuade Jiang Haotian to return to the Hall of Medicinal Kings."

Lu Hong nodded in agreement. "Elder Jing can vouch for this point, as he was the one who personally escorted us here. But as for any missing medicinal herbs, we truly know nothing about it. We humbly request that the elders investigate this thoroughly."

Elder He, however, remained tight-lipped, fixing a piercing stare on the fatty and Lu Hong as if trying to see right through them.

"The evidence is ironclad, yet you still dare to quibble! Quick, confess—did you give those medicinal herbs to Jiang Haotian?" Elder Jing could no longer contain his fury. If this weren't the Hall of Martial Kings, and if Elder Wan and the noble matron weren't present, he probably would have struck them down with a lethal blow on the spot!

"What is the meaning of this?" Qin Feiyang's eyebrows arched slightly as he said calmly, "Elder Jing of the Hall of Medicinal Kings, is it? Even though your cultivation is stronger than mine, that doesn't give you the right to make baseless accusations."

"You still dare claim my accusations are baseless?" Elder Jing laughed out of sheer anger. His gaze suddenly turned razor-sharp, akin to a pair of gleaming blades. "I see you lot are all cut from the same cloth—a bunch of ungrateful beasts!"

"Don't put on such a righteous front," Qin Feiyang retorted, his tone dripping with unmasked sarcasm. "It is true that Luo Xiong and the others from the Medicinal Hall were kind to me. But your Hall of Medicinal Kings is nothing more than a joke. Don't make a spectacle of yourselves here." After mocking them without restraint, he added, "I can't be bothered to waste words with you. Since you claim the evidence is ironclad, bring it out and show everyone!"

"I..." Elder Jing wanted to retort, but found himself entirely at a loss for words.

"What? You can't produce it?" Qin Feiyang's lips curled into a slight smile as he turned to the fatty. "Fatty, who is the big shot in charge of guarding the herb garden?"

The fatty answered, "It's Elder Jing himself."

Qin Feiyang chuckled lightly. "Elder Jing, you neglected your own duties and lost the medicinal herbs, yet you should have the courage to take responsibility instead of acting like a useless good-for-nothing whose only skill is shifting the blame."

"You little beast, I'm going to kill you!"

Driven completely insane with rage and having lost all reason, Elder Jing lunged straight toward Qin Feiyang.

"Get lost!" the noble matron snapped coldly. With a swift kick, she sent Elder Jing flying. With a heavy *thud*, he plunged straight into the lake behind them, turning into a comical, water-soaked duck.

Jia Hei clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles popped incessantly.

The noble matron smiled with utter disdain. "If the two of you don't keep that dog of yours on a tighter leash, don't blame me for being discourteous."

Elder Jing swam ashore in a wretched state and scurried behind Jia Hei, glaring fixedly at Qin Feiyang. If looks could kill, Qin Feiyang would have died a thousand times over.

At that moment, Elder He—who had been silently watching the fatty and Lu Hong all this time without uttering a word—finally opened his mouth. "If the two of you didn't do it, why were you panicking so much?"

"Of course we panicked," the fatty replied with an aggrieved expression. "That's an herb garden we're talking about! A matter this huge... anyone framed for it would panic!"

His words were entirely logical and left no room for anyone to refute.

Elder He then commanded, "Hand over your mustard bags."

The fatty pulled a bitter face and protested, "Elder, your disciple truly didn't steal the herbs. Why won't you believe us? I suspect they might have been stolen by Xue Yang."

"Utter nonsense!" Elder Jing snorted coldly.

The fatty argued, "Elder Jing, I'm not talking nonsense. Xue Yang has been going around trying to borrow spirit stones these days, but a massive sum like 1.2 million? Who would be willing to lend that to him? So it's very likely that he..."

He prepared to fabricate a wild tale to disrupt Elder He's judgment.

However, Elder He didn't believe him in the least. Before the fatty could finish, the old man's face darkened, and he barked, "Did you not hear me? Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Fine, I'll give it to you!"

The fatty retrieved his mustard bag and tossed it over. Lu Hong followed suit and threw hers as well.

Elder He inspected them carefully, a frown gradually forming on his brow. Earlier, seeing the fatty ramble on so evasively, he had assumed the fatty was suffering a guilty conscience. But upon checking now, there were indeed no massive quantities of medicinal herbs in either of their mustard bags.

After tossing the mustard bags back to the fatty and Lu Hong, Elder He turned his gaze to Qin Feiyang, making it abundantly clear that he intended to inspect Qin Feiyang's mustard bag as well.