Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Qin Tuo Makes a Move

Incredulous expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.

Daoist Chi Xu, in particular, was aghast, unable to believe the scene before him.

’How could something as hard as the Red Flame Meteorite Iron shatter into seven or eight pieces?’

Daoist Chi Xu immediately fixed a harsh glare on Qin Tuo and said through gritted teeth,

"You brat! I know what happened. You must have tampered with something! How else could the Red Flame Meteorite Iron have shattered?"

Daoist Chongxu, whose conviction had already begun to waver, now looked at Qin Tuo with deep suspicion, waiting for an explanation.

But Qin Tuo replied with perfect composure,

"Don’t be ridiculous. You saw me standing right here the entire time. How could I have tampered with anything?"

Daoist Chi Xu retorted, refusing to back down,

"If that’s the case, then how could the Red Flame Meteorite Iron possibly have shattered?"

Qin Tuo snorted, his tone dripping with mockery.

"The principle is so simple, yet you can’t even see it. It’s obvious your Red Flame Meteorite Iron couldn’t withstand the frigid energy of the Taiyin Body. That’s why this happened."

For a moment, Daoist Chi Xu’s expression was a mixture of anger and uncertainty.

Still, he refused to concede and snorted coldly.

"Brat, there’s no way you’re not involved in this. This incident happened the moment you arrived. You dare say it has nothing to do with you?"

Qin Tuo laughed. He hadn’t expected the supposedly great Daoist Chi Xu to be so utterly unreasonable.

"Are you blind? How could I have possibly played any tricks right in front of you all!"

Qin Tuo said coldly.

"Brat, you dare insult me?"

Daoist Chi Xu flew into a rage. As a highly respected Daoist, he was revered wherever he went.

No one had ever dared to insult him the way Qin Tuo just did!

Meanwhile, Daoist Chongxu grew anxious as he watched his daughter, Xiaoyuan. Her complexion was again becoming just as it was before—utterly devoid of color, a deathly white.

Yet, at this critical moment, Qin Tuo and Daoist Chi Xu were still arguing.

Daoist Chongxu couldn’t take it anymore and cried out.

"Will you two just stop arguing? Is there any point to this?"

The two of them immediately fell silent. Everyone knew Daoist Chongxu was at his wit’s end.

Daoist Chongxu took a slow breath and said to his senior martial brother, Daoist Chi Xu,

"Senior Brother, please don’t argue with Mr. Qin right now. Let’s see if he has a way to save her, all right?"

However, Daoist Chi Xu said with a sneer,

"Heh. If even I have no solution, what makes you think this brat can succeed? That’s ridiculous!"

Daoist Chongxu’s expression faltered. ’He had a point.’

He was suddenly overcome with despair and helplessness. Watching his daughter’s condition worsen, his heart burned with anxiety.

Qin Tuo, however, spoke in a slow, deliberate manner.

"What makes you so sure I can’t cure her?"

At these words, Daoist Chongxu’s eyes lit up.

Although deep down he doubted Qin Tuo could possibly be more skilled than Daoist Chi Xu, at this point, he had to clutch at any straw.

"Mr. Qin, I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I’m begging you, please help save my little girl!"

Beside him, Ouyang Tianqi and the others also began to plead.

"That’s right, Mr. Qin, please just do it as a good deed. The little girl is in such a pitiful state!"

Qin Tuo nodded slightly. He had already planned on stepping in to cure poor Xiaoyuan.

"Fine. I promise you I will cure her."

Hearing Qin Tuo’s words, a glimmer of hope immediately appeared on Daoist Chongxu’s face.

But Daoist Chi Xu, standing nearby, couldn’t swallow his pride and simply let out a cold snort.

"I’d like to see just how this brat plans to resolve the frigid energy inside Xiaoyuan!"

Qin Tuo paid no mind to his disdainful expression.

He simply waved his hand at the crowd and said,

"If you want me to treat her, all of you must leave. Manni, you can stay. I need you to help Xiaoyuan disrobe."

"What? She has to disrobe?"

Everyone was stunned, and Daoist Chongxu’s immediate instinct was to refuse.

"That’s not appropriate, Mr. Qin! My daughter is a young woman, after all..."

Qin Tuo shook his head and smiled.

"Daoist Chongxu, you don’t need to worry. The very reason I’m having Manni stay is to put your mind at ease."

Daoist Chongxu considered this for a moment, then nodded.

He was afraid his daughter might be taken advantage of, but he figured that with Chen Man Ni present, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Daoist Chi Xu, however, offered a cold threat.

"Brat, all of us are cooperating with you. If you fail to cure Xiaoyuan, you know what the consequences will be!"

With that, he shot Qin Tuo a cold glare, flicked his sleeve, and departed.

Everyone filed out and began to wait in silence.

After a moment’s thought, Daoist Chi Xu couldn’t help but snort coldly.

"If that brat fails to save Xiaoyuan, just watch how I’ll deal with him!"

He had clearly made up his mind. If Qin Tuo failed, he would not let the matter rest.

Ouyang Tianqi, standing to the side, just smiled and said,

"Daoist Chi Xu, you don’t know Mr. Qin. He possesses heaven-defying abilities and has all sorts of incredible methods at his disposal."

Daoist Chi Xu replied dismissively,

"Heh. You believe everything he tells you? What if he’s a fraud?"

However, Ouyang Tianqi gave a good-natured smile.

"Impossible. I’ve seen Mr. Qin use his methods with my own two eyes. How could he possibly deceive me?"

Daoist Chi Xu asked another question.

"What if the brat went to great lengths to set up an elaborate ruse, specifically to deceive you?"

Seeing how obstinately irrational Daoist Chi Xu was being, Chen Wenxiong, his daughter, Long Wu, and the others all shot him looks of disgust.

But Ouyang Tianqi didn’t get flustered. Instead, he calmly asked,

"Then may I ask you, Daoist Master, why did the Meteorite Iron shatter just now, exactly as Mr. Qin predicted?"

Daoist Chi Xu was suddenly at a loss for words.

Seeing him silenced by Ouyang Tianqi, several of the others gloated inwardly, finding it immensely satisfying.

But to everyone’s surprise, Daoist Chi Xu’s eyes darted about for a moment before he offered another excuse.

"The brat must have gotten incredibly lucky! It was a complete fluke, a blind squirrel finding a nut! Otherwise, how could he possibly have predicted the Meteorite Iron would shatter!"

Everyone was left speechless. No one had expected Daoist Chi Xu to be so shameless.

Yet, Daoist Chi Xu’s face didn’t turn red in the slightest. He simply refused to believe that someone so young could possess such heaven-defying abilities.

Inside, Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni were treating Xiaoyuan, while the crowd outside grew exceptionally bored as they waited.

Daoist Chongxu, in particular, paced back and forth, listening intently for any sound from within, his expression fraught with anxiety.

Just then, the main gate of the Daoist temple was suddenly kicked open with a heavy thud!

BAM!

"Who’s there?"

Daoist Chongxu’s brow furrowed as he glared toward the entrance.

He saw the portly Daoist Child stumbling backward into the room, clutching his chest, his face ashen.

A distinct trickle of blood stained the corner of his mouth.