Chapter 74: Hidden Arrow

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Hidden Arrow

Bursting out of the tavern, Yi Xiaoyao greedily gulped in the fresh air. Away from the young woman’s scent, the scorching fire in his body was no longer as savage.

’Why am I like this? Could it be that my Cultivation went awry?’

Even now, Yi Xiaoyao didn’t understand the truth of the matter. He was still full of apology for Ye Ping.

Gusts of strong wind blew against his face, and the burning heat throughout his body subsided a little, but it was still incredibly hard to bear.

Finally, with a SPLASH, Yi Xiaoyao leaped into a lake, diving deep to the bottom like a carp.

Letting the ice-cold lake water shock his searing body, Yi Xiaoyao began to circulate his Spiritual Power at the bottom of the lake, forcing out the feverish fire within.

When Yi Xiaoyao saw pink bubbles being expelled from his body, his expression suddenly turned strange.

’This is... the power of a drug!’

At that moment, Yi Xiaoyao discovered that the pink mist inside the bubbles was some kind of drug that disturbed the Heart Spirit. Recalling how Ye Ping hadn’t resisted at all when he was barely conscious and had almost violated her, he understood everything.

’So she drugged me while I was in the middle of my Cultivation!’

Yi Xiaoyao was furious. Although he had mistaken Shopkeeper Ye’s actions for Ye Ping’s, the fact remained that he had been drugged.

If not for the strength of his soul, the deed would have already been done, and he would have been forced to take responsibility for Ye Ping.

Yi Xiaoyao was utterly disgusted by such a scheme, even though he could sense Ye Ping’s feelings for him.

Having expelled most of the drug’s power from his body, Yi Xiaoyao surfaced, his gaze calm.

He wouldn’t go back, and he certainly wouldn’t apologize, because he was not the one at fault.

Yi Xiaoyao took out the Storage Pouch that Lin Jie had given him earlier. From it, he pulled out an Eagle Whistle and blew a high-pitched note.

A moment later, the Black Eagle circled down from the sky and carried Yi Xiaoyao back toward the Seven Kills Star Hall.

...

Above Earth Star City, Yi Xiaoyao was on the Black Eagle’s back, purging the last of the drug’s power from his body. They were not far from the Seven Kills Star Hall now.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Three sharp whooshes tore through the air, moving so fast that even the incredibly agile Black Eagle couldn’t evade them.

SCREEE! 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Immediately after, the Black Eagle let out a sharp cry of pain, its body shaking violently.

Yi Xiaoyao was nearly thrown from the Black Eagle’s back, but thankfully, the eagle forced itself to stabilize its flight and suddenly accelerated into the Seven Kills Star Hall’s territory.

Watching the Black Eagle beneath him tremble more and more violently, Yi Xiaoyao’s brows furrowed, and his expression darkened.

Those were three incredibly powerful arrows shot from below. All of them had hit the Black Eagle’s body, and one had even pierced through its massive wing.

Fortunately, the Black Eagle was exceptionally intelligent. Even injured, it held on long enough to carry Yi Xiaoyao into the Seven Kills Star Hall. Otherwise, Yi Xiaoyao would have been in grave danger.

’Who in the world is trying to ambush and kill me right outside the Seven Kills Star Hall!’

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze was ice-cold. The first person that came to mind was Cultivator Duan. Who else would set up an ambush near the Seven Kills Star Hall?

With a mournful cry, the Black Eagle could finally hold on no longer and plummeted from the heights of the Seven Kills Star Hall.

Yi Xiaoyao leaped off as it fell and rushed to check the Black Eagle’s injuries. This eagle shared a deep bond with Lin Jie; it absolutely could not be allowed to die.

It was unclear if Lin Jie shared some kind of connection with the Black Eagle, but before Yi Xiaoyao could even go fetch him, Lin Jie had already hurried over.

When Lin Jie saw the Black Eagle with three arrows in its body, he erupted in fury.

"Yi Xiaoyao, who did this!"

Yi Xiaoyao apologetically explained what had just happened and shared his thoughts.

"Elder Linjie, I don’t know who did it, but it happened right near the Seven Kills Star Hall. I believe the archer is someone from the Seven Kills Star Hall, and they were targeting me."

Rage blazed in Lin Jie’s eyes. He saw the Black Eagle as family. How could he tolerate someone harming his family?

He immediately fed the Black Eagle a Healing Elixir, then began to examine the arrows piercing its body. His eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed within them.

"These three arrows were fired by three different people, all at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. I know who it was!" Lin Jie said.

"Who?"

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze sharpened.

「Half an hour later, at the Law Enforcement Hall.」

Lin Jie stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression ugly. Yi Xiaoyao stood behind him. On the main seat, the Law Enforcement Elder was carefully examining the three arrows in his hands.

A moment later, a Law Enforcement Disciple hurried in and whispered a few words in the Law Enforcement Elder’s ear.

"Elder, they have been brought here."

"Bring them in," the Law Enforcement Elder ordered.

Then, the Law Enforcement Team led three young men with strikingly similar faces into the hall.

Each of the three young men carried a Strong Bow on his back, and they all looked rather impatient. The moment they stepped into the Law Enforcement Hall, they shouted:

"The three of us haven’t broken any Hall rules! On what grounds were we brought here?"

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze narrowed when he saw the three men. The fletching on the arrows in the quivers on their backs was identical to that of the three arrows in the Law Enforcement Elder’s hands.

At this moment, the Law Enforcement Elder held up the arrows and asked, "Yang Brothers, do you recognize these three arrows?"

The Yang Brothers’ expressions changed. They glanced at each other and said, "Those are indeed our arrows. We wonder why you have them, Elder?"

"Hmph! Still putting on an act! The three of you dared to injure my mount? You’re courting death!" Lin Jie roared furiously.

Only then did the three brothers feign surprise and exclaim, "So, the black-feathered beast we shot earlier was actually Elder Linjie’s mount?"

Seeing that Lin Jie was about to attack in a fit of rage, one of the three brothers quickly stepped forward with an appeasing smile.

"Elder Linjie, how can you blame us for this? The three of us simply didn’t recognize it as your mount. If we had known, how would we have dared to anger you?"

The Law Enforcement Elder walked to Lin Jie’s side, held him back, and then shouted at the Yang Brothers:

"Elder Linjie has been at the Seven Kills Star Hall for so many years that any veteran disciple would recognize his mount. You three have been here for three years, yet you claim you didn’t recognize it. That explanation doesn’t fly with me! For this, you will each be fined eight thousand Star Points!"

Hearing this, the Yang Brothers’ faces all turned ugly.

"Law Enforcement Elder, forgive us, but we cannot accept your punishment. All feathered beasts look the same. Are we supposed to first identify if it’s Elder Linjie’s mount every time we go hunting?"

"Exactly! It’s just a beast. Even if it is an elder’s mount, it’s not protected by the Seven Kills Star Hall. There’s no rule in the Hall’s regulations that forbids hunting an elder’s mount."

Before the third brother could speak, Lin Jie’s fury erupted. Dense Spiritual Power surged in his palm as he raised his hand and struck at the three brothers.

With a wave of his palm, all three of them spat blood and were sent flying backward, only to be steadied by a flick of a sleeve from someone who had suddenly appeared outside the hall.

When Yi Xiaoyao saw this person, the chill on his face intensified. He gritted his teeth and growled the newcomer’s name.

"Cultivator Duan!"

...