Chapter 238: Zhao Xidong's Guess

"You're here?"

Ye Xiaotian pushed open the door of the thatched hut and stormed in, slamming it shut with a bang.

The hut shook like an earthquake, sending dust sprinkling down.

Xiao Qixiu quickly used his Ling Yuan to cover the delicacies on the table, protecting them from the dust.

Qiao Qianzhi, wearing an apron, carried a basin of braised goose to the table and sat down, teasingly scolding, "Take it easy, or you might bring the whole house down…"

He plucked a blade of grass from the large elbow in the center and turned to ask, "What about Sang Laotou?"

"He's not available."

Ye Xiaotian was so annoyed that he just downed his wine in silence.

"What's wrong?"

Both of them glanced over, clinked their cups with the dean in a gesture for him to calm down.

So what if they couldn't get him? With just the three of them, they could divide the food more evenly—who needs to be upset? They should be thrilled!

"Xu Xiaoshou killed Zhang Xin Xiong," Ye Xiaotian grumbled irritably.

"Gulp… Pfft!"

Halfway through swallowing their drinks, Qiao Qianzhi and Xiao Qixiu locked eyes and ended up spraying everything in their mouths right onto each other's faces.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Xiao Qixiu sniffed the alcohol and shot him a dirty look.

"Pah!"

"You sprayed me in the face too!" Qiao Qianzhi's eyes widened in an instant.

The two didn't dwell on that minor issue and turned together to Ye Xiaotian. "Are you serious?"

Xu Xiaoshou killed Zhang Xin Xiong?

That had to be backward!

"You heard right." Ye Xiaotian nodded seriously, poured drinks for the two of them, and then chugged straight from the jar.

Qiao Qianzhi couldn't help but grab a freshly baked goose leg and took a bite. "So, you got intercepted on the way, ran into Sang Laotou, and couldn't stop it?"

After the black-clothed messenger delivered the news, the two had gone their separate ways. Qiao Qianzhi ignored the minor matters, leaving Ye Xiaotian to head to the scene alone.

Little did they expect, it had turned into a big mess.

Xu Xiaoshou…

When had he gotten so strong?

Xiao Qixiu was equally surprised by the outcome, but he could understand it.

He thought back to that night when the kid had been so ruthless against the masked man…

This young man couldn't be judged by normal standards—he was growing way too fast!

Ye Xiaotian finished gulping down his wine and let out a satisfied burp. "It's not about getting intercepted—that's not what's making me mad. Zhang Xin Xiong dying is whatever, but mainly, it's that Sang Laotou…"

He stared fixedly at the other two and suddenly said, "Don't you think he's changed?"

Their jaws dropped immediately, and a strange look flashed in their eyes.

Ye Xiaotian saw something was off and realized these two had misunderstood. He snapped, "What are you thinking? I mean, ever since he came back from wandering the realms, it's like he's a completely different person!"

"Changed? I don't think so!" Qiao Qianzhi tore off a mouthful of meat, looked at Xiao Qixiu, and chewed. "Has he?"

"No big difference. He's the same as he was in Sheng Gong—just as annoying…"

Before Xiao Qixiu could finish, Ye Xiaotian cut him off. "His personality is the same, but his actions are different!"

The two were stunned and thought it over carefully, but still didn't notice anything wrong, so they both shook their heads.

"Am I overthinking it…"

Ye Xiaotian went from full of expectation to dejected. He hung his head and started drinking again.

Knock knock!

The door-knocking sound came, and Xiao Qixiu waved his hand to open it.

"Zhao Xidong?" Qiao Qianzhi was surprised.

"I called him," Xiao Qixiu explained.

After all, this place didn't usually get visits from these juniors unless something major was up.

Though shabby, it was the birthplace of Tian Sang Ling Gong.

Back in the day, the four who left Sheng Gong built this thatched hut here, determined to reopen Tian Men, which led to the creation of today's Tian Sang Ling Gong.

They could have renovated it, of course, but leaving it as is was a way to remember.

The other two nodded in understanding, though they were surprised by Xiao Qixiu's sudden move and didn't know what he was up to.

Zhao Xidong stepped in a bit awkwardly and sat down. It was only his second time here, and knowing the legends made him nervous.

Especially with what had happened today…

"Go ahead, the three people you wanted to see are all here," Xiao Qixiu said, looking at the young man beside him.

Zhao Xidong sat up straight. Now that he was actually here, thinking about his earlier speculation, he hesitated to speak.

"But say what's on your mind."

Ye Xiaotian spoke up, and Qiao Qianzhi was confused too, not understanding what this kid was getting at.

Not just them—Xiao Qixiu hadn't been told anything in advance and looked equally puzzled.

"Huh."

After a deep breath, Zhao Xidong said as if facing death, "Here's the thing—I want to ask you three seniors a question."

"What's the relationship between Sang Laotou and Xu Xiaoshou?"

The three froze at once. Just that?

"Master and disciple!" Xiao Qixiu replied calmly.

"Huh, then I get it…" Zhao Xidong showed an expression that said it was just as he thought, and he clenched his fists.

"I have a bold guess, and I hope after saying it, I can at least stay alive."

The three: "…"

"What is it? Speak," Ye Xiaotian said, almost thinking he meant he wanted to die.

Zhao Xidong steadied himself, built up for a while, and finally said, "I… it's just a guess…"

"Spit it out!" Xiao Qixiu's eyes turned dangerous in an instant.

"Is Sang Laotou connected to the 'Sheng Nu'?!"

Zhao Xidong practically squeezed the words out with his eyes shut and teeth gritted.

The room fell silent in an instant—the lack of response was terrifying.

Zhao Xidong peeked open one eye and saw the three big shots looking shocked, but surprisingly, none of them exploded in anger or started fighting.

Weren't they on good terms?

How could they tolerate this kind of doubt?

"It's just a guess…" Zhao Xidong said weakly. As soon as the question was out, he regretted it.

Why couldn't he just live quietly? Why did he always have to verify this and that?

If he couldn't verify anything, that'd be fine, but if he did…

The consequences would be unthinkable!

Ye Xiaotian tilted his head back for a swig of wine, not getting angry, just muttering, "Tell us your thoughts."

He was genuinely shocked.

Mainly because Zhao Xidong's question hit right on the heels of his own earlier doubts, making him think more deeply.

It wasn't just him who felt something was off with Sang Laotou?

But the other two hadn't noticed at all?

"Too close to the situation, maybe…"

Qiao Qianzhi and Xiao Qixiu exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Ye Xiaotian had just brought up Sang Laotou's strangeness, and now Zhao Xidong was asking about it—this…

The three turned to Zhao Xidong at the same time, putting immense pressure on him.

But the words were already out, so Zhao Xidong had to push through his discomfort and continue. "I heard Xiao Laoda say that in this second encirclement plan, Sang Laotou was a crucial part, right?"

Xiao Qixiu's pupils shrank as he thought of Sang Laotou's late arrival that day. "That's right."

"If I'm not mistaken…" Zhao Xidong's voice trembled, "That day, Sang Laotou wasn't protecting Su Qianqian the whole time; instead, he showed up halfway through?"

Xiao Qixiu's eyes narrowed. Spot on!

But if he remembered correctly, Zhao Xidong wasn't in charge of that area—how did he know so much?

"What are you trying to say?"

Zhao Xidong didn't answer directly but turned to Ye Xiaotian. "So, later, did Luo Leilei and the person who came to save him die?"

Ye Xiaotian was stunned for a moment. They had escaped, but the spatial turbulence…

Wait!

What Zhao Xidong meant—was Sang Laotou the one who went to save them?

"Impossible!" He shook his head instantly. Even if the timing matched, this was just one-sided speculation—what could it prove?

"Do you have any evidence?"

Zhao Xidong shook his head. What evidence did he have? Coming here was just to raise the alarm.

"Just a gut feeling!"