Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 302: Chapter 172: Friend

’Cao Rong also needs to be dealt with,’ Xu Yang thought.

However, Cao Rong was currently taking turns with him to garrison the Divine Weapon Pavilion, so he had no opportunity to kill him. As for whether Cao Rong would reveal what happened with Xiao Hua, he wasn’t worried.

Xiao Hua had come to ambush and kill him, and he had killed Xiao Hua in return. At worst, his true cultivation would be exposed. The chances of the Sect coming after him were virtually nonexistent. Besides, under those circumstances, he would have killed Xiao Hua even if the Sect Leader of the Purple Sun Sect had been standing right there.

After a quick wash, he left his courtyard and went to the dining hall. Once he finished eating, he met up with Zhou Zhichao and the other two.

"Where’s Gao Peng? Why hasn’t he shown up?"

After waiting a while longer and seeing no sign of Gao Peng, the group grew impatient. They decided not to wait any longer and left the Sect’s gates, heading for Cyan Yang City.

...

Divine Weapon Pavilion, Third Floor.

Cao Rong sat in utter boredom. He knew Xu Yang wouldn’t be coming to relieve him today. Barring any surprises, Xiao Hua should have finished him off last night.

’What a hassle. I’ll have to garrison this place for a few extra days. I hope Steward Xiao can arrange for a replacement soon.’

It was incredibly dull; no one would come up to the third floor for weeks on end.

Footsteps sounded from downstairs, heading up.

’Why are there two sets of footsteps?’

Cao Rong was certain he hadn’t misheard. There were two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. Logically, it should have only been Zhou Zhichao. Why was there an extra person?

’Could Xiao Hua have acted that quickly and already found someone to replace Xu Yang?’

"Brother Cao, I’m not late, am I?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Cao Rong looked up, and his pupils contracted.

’Xu Yang. It was Xu Yang. He wasn’t dead.’

’Did Xiao Hua not make a move? Did he let Xu Yang escape with his life?’

Cao Rong forced a smile. "Not at all. I’ll leave the place to you, Brother Xu."

After clasping his hands in a salute, he got up and headed downstairs, intending to find Gao Peng and ask what was going on.

But when he got to the back door, he saw that Gao Peng hadn’t arrived yet.

He had no choice but to go to the front door, where he found Li Yi and Xu Jun. "Where’s Gao Peng? Why isn’t he here yet?"

Of course, Xu Jun and Li Yi had no idea why Gao Peng hadn’t shown up, so they couldn’t give him an answer.

Cao Rong still hadn’t realized something was amiss. He strolled back toward the Purple Sun Sect, thinking he might run into Gao Peng on the way and get a clear answer as to why Xu Yang wasn’t dead.

But he reached the Purple Sun Sect without ever running into Gao Peng.

’Did that oaf oversleep? Or did he sense a breakthrough to Gang Qi Great Success and get held up?’

’Oversleeping was unlikely. It had to be a breakthrough. Otherwise, Gao Peng wouldn’t dare skip his garrison duty at the Divine Weapon Pavilion.’

At this thought, Cao Rong’s heart leaped with joy. If Gao Peng broke through, his Sharp Wind Hall would have another expert at Gang Qi Great Success.

"What? Gao Peng didn’t come back at all last night?"

But when he rushed to Gao Peng’s residence to ask, the answer he received was that Gao Peng hadn’t returned to the Purple Sun Sect at all the previous night.

Cao Rong’s heart clenched. He hurried to the Task Hall, intending to find Xiao Hua and demand an explanation. But what he saw instead was several other Stewards in the Task Hall, overwhelmed with work, cursing out Xiao Hua for not showing up.

’Something’s happened to Xiao Hua, too.’

Cao Rong’s heart sank, and a chill ran down his spine.

Gao Peng hadn’t returned, Xiao Hua hadn’t shown up, yet Xu Yang was perfectly fine. Something had definitely gone wrong.

Clinging to one last sliver of hope, Cao Rong ran directly to Xiao Hua’s residence, only to learn that he had gone out the previous evening and never returned.

’Xiao Hua and Gao Peng are both dead!’

Cao Rong felt a cold chill shoot up his spine. Xiao Hua, a master at Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, had gone to kill Xu Yang. Why was Xiao Hua the one who ended up dead?

’Was it an accident, or did Xu Yang actually kill Xiao Hua?’

’If it was the former, that would be one thing. But if it was the latter...’

Cao Rong’s heart shuddered. He didn’t dare to think any further. If it was the latter... that was too terrifying to contemplate.

The first possibility was minuscule. It was impossible that someone else had killed Xiao Hua just as he was about to make his move on Xu Yang. Things like that didn’t happen by coincidence.

Therefore, even if Xu Yang hadn’t killed Xiao Hua himself, he was definitely involved.

’I can’t tell anyone about this!’

If he told, he had no idea if Xu Yang would get in trouble, but he, as Xiao Hua’s accomplice, would likely be executed on the spot.

If Xu Yang really had killed Xiao Hua, then with such terrifying talent, the Sect wouldn’t just refrain from punishing him—they would promote him.

And even if Xu Yang wasn’t the one who killed Xiao Hua, but had a powerful backer who did, he had still conspired to harm one of the Ten Heroes. Even if the Sect didn’t execute him, he would still have to face Xu Yang’s revenge.

Most importantly, if he made the baseless accusation that Xu Yang had killed Xiao Hua, people would probably just think he was an idiot.

Hoping against hope, Cao Rong waited an entire day. Neither Xiao Hua nor Gao Peng appeared. It was now almost certain that both of them were dead. It was just that, aside from him, no one else seemed to have noticed yet.

’The good thing is, everyone else who knew I helped Xiao Hua with the ambush was killed by Xu Yang. I should be safe.’

That evening, he forced himself to go up to the third floor. His eyes darted about, not daring to meet Xu Yang’s gaze.

"Brother Cao, you look a little pale," Xu Yang said, his face a mask of concern. "Were you ambushed on your way here?"

Cao Rong’s heart skipped a beat. "No, I just had a small mishap during my training today."

Xu Yang smiled. "How could you be so careless? A mishap in training can be fatal. Brother Cao should be more careful in the future. Sometimes, when you’re too eager for quick success, you can lose your life over it."

’He knows. He knows I took part in Xiao Hua’s ambush.’

Cao Rong’s pupils contracted violently. He instantly recognized the threat hidden in Xu Yang’s words.

"Xu Yang, Xiao Hua threatened me! I didn’t do anything. How about we let this matter go? I will take this secret to my grave and never tell a third soul.

"If you’re not satisfied, I can compensate you. All I ask is that we wipe the slate clean," Cao Rong whispered.