Wu Jiahui wore a look of utter indifference, her voice icy as she spoke: "Oh? Forgotten my terms already?"
To appease Wu Jiahui's fury, Zhao Jingyou hurriedly corrected himself: "Yes, this subordinate obeys. I beg the Vice-Tower Master to spare my martial brothers."
Yan Linhao closed his eyes once more, his face a picture of pure helplessness. The rest of them, however, felt a sense of having narrowly escaped death, and they looked at Zhao Jingyou with immense gratitude.
Only Xue Xiaodong was beside himself with joy at watching Zhao Jingyou make a fool of himself. Right now, the guy wore such a gloating expression that even I couldn't bear to watch—I really wanted to go over and give him a massive slap across the face.
Noticing Xue Xiaodong's punchable expression, Wu Jiahui asked coldly: "You. What are you smiling at?"
Xue Xiaodong's face stiffened. It was as if he had been locked onto by a ferocious beast, and a cold sweat instantly poured down his back as he stammered: "Ms.—Ms. Wu, I—I wasn't smiling at anything, I was just a little happy."
Wu Jiahui let out a cold laugh. "Hmph, do you take me for an idiot, someone easy to trick?"
Frightened out of his wits, Xue Xiaodong's calves trembled, and he lowered his head, not daring to meet Wu Jiahui's gaze. Seeing that Xue Xiaodong offered no reply, Wu Jiahui felt profound disappointment. Of the group, this one was by far the most spineless.
"You, get up and give him a beating for me—beat him until even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. Otherwise, none of you are leaving here alive," Wu Jiahui said indifferently, as unconcerned as if she were dealing with a beast.
Xue Xiaodong retreated a few steps in terror. He knew that to keep the others alive, Zhao Jingyou wouldn't hesitate to kill him, let alone just beat him up. At the mere thought of that beating, Xue Xiaodong backed away frantically. The man in black behind him could no longer stand the sight of it, raised his foot, and kicked him flat onto the ground.
Before he could even react, Xue Xiaodong made a thoroughly intimate contact with the ground, feeling as though his internal organs were about to shatter. Since he had landed face down, his nose was bleeding again, leaving him in an utter mess.
No one helped him up. They had all witnessed his gloating expression just moments ago, and they held a deep resentment toward this Fifth Senior Brother. Still, because he was a senior brother, it wasn't easy for them to scold him. As for Yan Linhao, he remained just as he was, leaning against his Sixth Junior Brother Zhao Jingyou like a dead dog.
The other two took the initiative to support Yan Linhao. Without hesitation, Zhao Jingyou walked straight over to Xue Xiaodong. Sensing someone approaching, Xue Xiaodong was instantly startled; although he knew Zhao Jingyou wouldn't let him off, he hadn't expected him to be so direct. Jolted with fright, he scrambled up to dodge.
Zhao Jingyou wasn't going to give him the chance. Seizing the moment before Xue Xiaodong could stand firm, he grabbed his collar and slammed a vicious punch right into that dust-covered face.
Too slow to duck, Xue Xiaodong took Zhao Jingyou's punch square in the eye, instantly sporting a black eye. Before he could catch his breath, another slap came flying across, twisting his head sideways and sending a thin trickle of crimson blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Not daring to fight back, Xue Xiaodong could only glare fiercely at Zhao Jingyou.
Not daring to defy Wu Jiahui's orders, Zhao Jingyou let go of Xue Xiaodong's collar and threw another punch. With a dull thud, Xue Xiaodong once again made intimate contact with the ground, though this time face up. The back of his head struck the concrete floor with a heavy thud.
Xue Xiaodong let out a muffled groan, feeling his head spin instantly as everything in his vision doubled into overlapping shadows. Before he could even react, Zhao Jingyou straddled him, raining punch after punch down upon him. At first, Xue Xiaodong tried to threaten Zhao Jingyou, spewing all kinds of foul and unbearable curses.
Zhao Jingyou wasn't about to coddle him. If executing Wu Jiahui's order had felt like a helpless duty earlier, right now he was entirely settling personal scores, every single punch whistling through the air with ferocious force.
His expression unyielding, Zhao Jingyou didn't stop even when his hands grew numb. Nor did he dare to stop, fearing Wu Jiahui's displeasure. Thinking about it, it was quite ironic: at first, he had been worried about Wu Jiahui, but now he finally understood just how formidable this seemingly frail young girl truly was. Yet he didn't regret coming; had he not come, his First Senior Brother would certainly never have made it back alive.
As the beating dragged on, Xue Xiaodong's words were reduced to nothing more than pleas for mercy. Gone was his earlier gloating; he now felt profound remorse while hating Zhao Jingyou and Wu Jiahui to the core—especially Wu Jiahui, without whom he would never have been beaten into such a state.
"Stop hitting me, I was wrong, I'm begging you, don't..." Beaten until his face swelled up like a pig's head, Xue Xiaodong begged feebly for mercy.
Wu Jiahui nodded in satisfaction and waved her hand to signal that Zhao Jingyou could stop. Only then did Zhao Jingyou cease, lowering his head as he stood silently to one side.
"Well then, are you still arrogant now?" Wu Jiahui smiled.
"N—no, I wouldn't dare." Facing Wu Jiahui's demonic smile, he shrunk his neck in terror. Terrified that Wu Jiahui might tell Zhao Jingyou to beat him again, he could only offer a deeply aggrieved reply.
Wu Jiahui cast a satisfied glance at him and asked again: "You. Tell me, how did you find out our whereabouts?"
Xue Xiaodong shook his head with great difficulty and, enduring the excruciating pain, said: "I don't know, I really don't know."
Wu Jiahui said nothing more and believed him, but then she abruptly changed tack: "You, come over here. Since he doesn't know, give him another slap—consider it a reward for him."
Wu Jiahui's remark made me instantly lose control, and I burst out laughing. Good grief, this was the first time I had ever heard of someone being "rewarded" with a slap.
Wu Jiahui glanced at me without a word, and I tactfully wiped the smile off my face.
At her words, Zhao Jingyou obediently squatted down. Xue Xiaodong widened his bruised and swollen eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. Before he could even plead for mercy, Zhao Jingyou's blow arrived.
With a crisp *slap*, Xue Xiaodong was struck hard enough to send his teeth flying out of his mouth, and he passed out cold on the spot.
Wu Jiahui turned her gaze to the others and tossed out the question once more: "Which of you knows?"
The two men shook their heads like rattle-drums. Terrified of getting beaten, they hastily blurted out: "We don't know! We really don't know. How could ordinary disciples like us possibly know about something like this?"
Wu Jiahui asked again: "And you? Eminent monk?"
With his eyes closed, Yan Linhao replied without a moment's thought: "I don't know."
Fearing that Wu Jiahui would order him to beat his First Senior Brother again, Zhao Jingyou hurriedly explained: "Vice-Tower Master, my First Senior Brother truly doesn't know about this. My master simply told us to come here, and even gave us the license plate number, along with the time and location. My subordinates and martial brothers kept watch right at the Zhongxing Intersection, which is how we managed to tail you. However, I happened to overhear a conversation between my master and the others back at the temple earlier."
Wu Jiahui looked at Zhao Jingyou in surprise. "Oh? Then tell me, what is this all about?"
Yan Linhao opened his eyes once more and directly threatened Zhao Jingyou: "Zhao Jingyou, if you dare to speak, don't blame your senior brother for disregarding the bonds of our brotherhood."
Not wanting his First Senior Brother to suffer physical agony, Zhao Jingyou hurriedly blurted out what he had overheard: "It was a Tier 5 Fortune Teller. He was the one who told my master, and that's why my master sent us over."
Wu Jiahui glanced at Yan Linhao, then turned a direct threat toward Zhao Jingyou: "Hmph, pull a clever stunt like that again, and don't blame this young lady for taking action. Do you understand?"
"Yes, this subordinate understands." Zhao Jingyou let out a heavy sigh of relief. He had genuinely been terrified that Wu Jiahui would order him to fight. They were no match for Wu Jiahui; they couldn't run away, and they couldn't strike his First Senior Brother. Fortunately, Wu Jiahui chose to let Yan Linhao off.