Chapter 376: Anomaly

The players muttered amongst themselves, but after all their discussion, not a single one had considered actually letting Su Huanli go.

So what if the token was real?

A forced marriage wasn’t the kind of plot they were willing to accept.

Besides, this was still a game at its core.

Playing through a plot in a game, only to have one of their own forced into marriage?

No way.

Wouldn’t that just prove their incompetence as players!

Su Huanli, however, was growing uneasy. The matter of the token allowed her to quickly deduce what was happening behind the scenes.

Jingque True Man had probably run into some trouble, which would explain why the Fierce Eagle Sect was being so aggressive.

Her figure flashed as she stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, she was about to offer to go with the Fierce Eagle Sect to see the situation for herself, lest she bring trouble upon the Feique Sect and the Longevity Sect.

But to her surprise, someone moved to stop her.

It was Fan Guzhou.

Su Huanli naturally recognized Fan Guzhou. He was one of the administrators, responsible for many affairs, including matters concerning the lifestyle players.

Fan Guzhou shook his head at her.

He sent a message to Chen Miaomiao: [I’ll handle this. You stay out of it.]

Chen Miaomiao was central to their Spirit Grass research; she couldn’t afford to be noticed by the Fierce Eagle Sect.

As one of the first players to enter the game, Fan Guzhou’s strength couldn’t compare to those monsters, but he was no slouch either.

He had now steadily reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

Looking at the few Fierce Eagle Sect disciples before him, he held his head high and said coolly, “Unless we see the Sect Master in person, we won’t believe you. You’re not taking anyone today.”

Dai Kai couldn’t believe the Feique Sect was being so stubborn, daring to act as if they hadn’t seen the token.

“Are you saying you intend to defy your Sect Master’s wishes?”

Fan Guzhou frowned. “We haven’t even seen our Sect Master. Besides, she just returned two days ago and told us there was no marriage agreement. Now some strange token appears out of nowhere. Do you take us for fools? Or is it that… your Fierce Eagle Sect…”

He narrowed his eyes, his voice suddenly rising. “Have you done something shady? Did something happen to our Sect Master? What is the Fierce Eagle Sect trying to do?!”

Upon hearing this, Dai Kai became a little flustered.

Still, he had some confidence to fall back on, so he said, “Don’t you go making baseless accusations! We are merely acting on your Sect Master’s wishes. Since you refuse to obey her command, very well. We’ll have your Sect Master come back and tell you herself.”

Dai Kai pointed at Fan Guzhou. “Making an enemy of the Fierce Eagle Sect will not end well for you.”

“Who do you think you’re scaring?” Fan Guzhou said. “Your Fierce Eagle Sect acts so unreasonably. Aren’t you afraid we’ll ask the Sea View Sect to come and uphold justice?”

“A joke! And just who are you?” To everyone’s surprise, Dai Kai wasn’t flustered at all. He even sneered. “I’d like to see you try and get them here. As for what happened today, I’ll report every last detail to your Sect Master!”

With that, Dai Kai and his men left.

Seeing this, a few players stealthily followed them.

Fan Guzhou, meanwhile, turned back and exchanged a look with Chen Miaomiao.

Chen Miaomiao sent a message to Fan Guzhou: [Something’s wrong. They aren’t afraid of the Sea View Sect. There’s a good chance they’ve already established a relationship with them, which is why they’re so brazen.]

The Sea View Sect might not necessarily interfere in the affairs of two small sects, but if they could turn a blind eye to this kind of baseless bullying…

…then that meant the Fierce Eagle Sect was truly up to something.

The players quickly formed a discussion group to talk about the issue.

Su Huanli, Shui Ping, and other players from the Feique Sect were unable to participate, but they were also very confused.

They didn’t understand why the Fierce Eagle Sect was so brazen, or why they were so insistent on forcing Su Huanli to marry into their sect.

Furthermore, with no word from Jingque True Man, and Dai Kai speaking with such righteous confidence, could something have truly happened to her?

The players had their think tanks, but they also had their hotheads.

They started asking questions directly in the Sect channel.

[Water Margin: In terms of strength, we’re definitely stronger than the Fierce Eagle Sect now, so why don’t we launch a preemptive strike?]

[Yang Meimei: Well said, but who’s going to take care of their Late-stage Golden Core Sect Master?]

[Jia Yu: Hey, we don’t have to fight them head-on. We can use some dirty tricks, you know.]

[Zhou Nvzi: I think your name is missing a few letters.]

[Han Tian: Shouldn’t we first figure out what the Fierce Eagle Sect is planning? But they’re definitely a menace. The root cause of the Spirit Fox Sect’s annihilation was never found. By the way, who started the rumor that the Fierce Eagle Sect was involved in that incident?]

The Spirit Fox Sect, the Fierce Eagle Sect.

No one could remember who had started the rumor about the Fierce Eagle Sect’s involvement in the Spirit Fox Sect’s destruction. Thinking about it now, the implications were terrifying.

And now, the Feique Sect.

If one were to force a connection between these three sects, the most obvious one would be that their names all contained animals.

And when you thought about it, hey, it was actually true.

The sects near the Feique Sect were the Taohua Sect, the Liuyun Sect, and the Netherworld Sect, and none of their names had animals in them.

The players could easily guess that there was some kind of conspiracy afoot.

“The Fierce Eagle Sect? Acting so arrogantly?”

Gong Xingsi’s men, including Yin Da, were all in Wang’an County, so they had a clear view of the Fierce Eagle Sect disciples causing trouble.

Although they were aware of the conflicts between the various sects, a few inquiries revealed that the Fierce Eagle Sect’s only powerhouse was a Late-stage Golden Core Sect Master. They didn’t even bat an eye.

After all, the four of them were all at the Late-stage Golden Core realm.

All of them were looking for the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Squabbles between such small sects were even less likely to pique their interest.

That didn’t stop them from enjoying the show, however, and they could tell at a glance that something was fishy.

“Young Master, how do you think the Feique Sect will handle this?”

Yin Da asked curiously as Gong Xingsi returned from his shift.

He was currently working part-time at Mao Yuzhu’s shop as a mascot. However, to prove he wasn’t completely useless, he also helped out by learning to make cakes. Sometimes, Mao Yuzhu would have him hold up a pastry for display, most commonly while making a “peace” sign and smiling at an empty spot in front of him.

Gong Xingsi didn’t understand the point of it, but he usually complied.

After all, ever since he started working there, business at Mao Yuzhu’s shop had indeed gotten much better.

Gong Xingsi may have lost his strength, but his mind was still sharp. Coupled with the fact that he’d heard a great deal about the Feique Sect’s history, he gave it some thought and asked, “It was said before that the Spirit Fox Sect’s destruction was also related to this Fierce Eagle Sect?”

“Just a rumor, can’t be sure if it’s true,” Yin San said with a pout. “But there’s no smoke without fire. Seeing the way this Fierce Eagle Sect operates, do you think they’re scheming something?”

Gong Xingsi then asked a different question: “Who is Su Huanli?”

“A disciple of the Feique Sect. She ran into some trouble before. It’s said she was beaten by other cultivators until her heart meridian was completely destroyed and her Dantian was mostly ruined…”

Gong Xingsi suddenly narrowed his eyes. “And she’s still alive?”

“Of course,” Yin Da said. “Otherwise, why would the Fierce Eagle Sect be proposing marriage? I’ve even seen her before. She’s at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment…”

Gong Xingsi suddenly interjected, “Her heart meridian and Dantian were both destroyed, yet she’s still alive and well?”

Yin Da was about to nod when he suddenly realized something, his eyes widening. “Right! An injury like that would require a Heart Firming Pill at the very least. The Feique Sect has Heart Firming Pills?”