Chapter 48: A Natural Alliance

“We’re not afraid of a heavy punishment for killing someone, so why would we be afraid of being laughed at? Our grudge has nothing to do with you. I advise you to meddle less.”

“Senior Brother, I’ll say it again. The one we follow is the Unsurpassed Purple Seed, Zhang Kuang. Being so nosy right now is not a smart move. The path of cultivation is long. It’s best to think before you act.”

The middle-aged man just smiled. “I, Pu Hanzhong, only know the rules of the Taichu Sect, which even the Sect Master must obey. I was not aware that a Purple Seed could be placed above the sect’s laws. Even if the Perfected Man himself were here, I would do the same.”

“Pu Hanzhong? We’ve never heard of you. Who is your master?”

“My master’s name is not something I can casually mention to you. I am from the Nature Hall, and my master is the Hall Master.”

At his words, the two Sixth-Leaf disciples exchanged a look, then broke into mocking laughter. “The legendary fifth hall of Taichu? The Nature Hall? Heh, a truly prestigious master and disciple. Now hurry up and get out of the way, lest Junior Brother Zhang becomes the Sect Master one day and really has your hall removed from the five great halls.”

“The Nature Hall dares to be so high-profile? Since when do you have the guts to meddle in others’ affairs? Why don’t you go back and improve your own disciples’ cultivation first?”

Listening to their conversation, Qin Haoxuan grew puzzled. He had only ever heard of the four great halls of the Taichu Sect, never a fifth.

But this person from the Nature Hall seemed much more righteous than the others. The very fact that he had stepped forward to help, while the other prisoners just watched coldly, spoke volumes.

When Pu Hanzhong had announced his affiliation, it wasn’t just the assassins who had laughed with contempt; even the other prisoners who kept their distance from him had a faint sneer on their faces, as if they held his origins in extreme disdain.

In truth, besides the four great halls, there was indeed a fifth. It was just that the master of the Nature Hall was incredibly weak—weaker, in fact, than the Legacy Disciples of the other four halls.

As a result, although the hall was not completely invisible within the sect, it was close.

Because of their overall weakness, they received the smallest and worst share of resources, creating a vicious cycle of decline. Over time, many had begun to forget they even existed.

The current Hall Master, Master Xuanji, was only in his position because of his seniority. His words carried less weight than even the Legacy Disciples of the other halls. His master, the previous Hall Master Xudao, had passed the position to him in a hurry a hundred years ago before leaving to seek a breakthrough, and had never returned.

Although the hall was weak, its disciples were united. Pu Hanzhong was one of their two strongest disciples, having reached the Tenth-Leaf stage. The other, a 70-year-old senior brother named Hua Shanxuan, had reached the Fifteenth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm. As for the Hall Master, Master Xuanji himself had not yet broken through to the Spirit Tree Realm.

After the two assassins had finished laughing, their faces turned serious. They looked at Pu Hanzhong with utter contempt. “Senior Brother Pu, if you’re smart, you’ll step aside. Neither you nor your Nature Hall can afford to offend a Purple Seed like Zhang Kuang. If you anger him, with your hall’s strength… heh heh… in a few years, when he comes into his power, he will surely uproot your entire hall. Not even your master will be able to stop him.”

Pu Hanzhong’s expression remained calm throughout. “The Nature Hall has its own fate, and the Taichu Sect has its own rules. Zhang Kuang is still young and has not yet seen the vastness of the world. When he truly comprehends the mysteries of long life, do you think he will still care about the things you now deem so important? Frogs in a well.”

His words made the two assassins hesitate. What did the high-ranking elders truly think? They had no idea. But their own thinking had already changed drastically since they had entered the sect. If Zhang Kuang’s cultivation really grew…

“The two of you, for the sake of currying favor with a Purple Seed, are corrupting his Dao Heart. If the Sect Master were to find out, who do you think he would punish? Have you forgotten that you yourselves are also weak seeds? Have you forgotten the sect’s rules, that we all originate from Taichu and are one family? For you to resort to murder… do you really think a Purple Seed can protect you?”

His words made their scalps tingle with fear, their earlier confidence vanishing without a trace. But they were already riding a tiger they couldn’t get off. To just admit defeat now? How could they face Li Jing? Li Jing might appear courteous, but his vicious scheme proved he was a hundred times more ruthless than Zhang Kuang.

“Senior Brother Pu… we also have our difficulties…” the two of them said in unison, their tones softening as they clasped their hands and bowed low, trying to find a solution, or at the very least, lower his guard so they could launch another sneak attack on Qin Haoxuan.

Their minds were so focused on Pu Hanzhong that they relaxed their guard against Qin Haoxuan. And in that moment, the silent Qin Haoxuan exploded into action.

He was incredibly fast. He had been storing up his energy for a long, long time, waiting for this very moment of laxity.

Unprepared for his violent charge, one of the assassins was hit squarely in the abdomen. The powerful impact sent him flying backward, the sound of his ribs cracking echoing in the cavern. A mouthful of hot blood sprayed from his throat.

In the same motion, Qin Haoxuan’s other fist, which he had pulled back, swung around and smashed into the other man’s face.

Crack! The sickening sound of breaking bone made everyone’s hair stand on end. The man’s nose was shattered, and blood poured down his face.

This was a skill Qin Haoxuan had perfected on Zhang Kuang and had been further honed with the “help” of many senior brothers. Now, this man was enjoying the full fruits of that training.

The next moment, just as he had with Gu Xiaoyun, Qin Haoxuan unleashed a flurry of punches, targeting his opponent’s vital points. Although they were cultivators, their bodies were not yet indestructible. As long as they didn’t have a chance to use their spiritual energy for protection, they were not much different from ordinary men.

The other assassin, who had been knocked to the ground, could only watch in a bloody daze as his companion was beaten. He was so stunned by Qin Haoxuan’s ferocity that by the time he came to his senses, it was already over. Qin Haoxuan clapped his hands and ducked behind Pu Hanzhong. The two assassins were now so injured they couldn’t even stand, let alone fight back.

Although they looked down on Pu Hanzhong’s origins, he was still a Tenth-Leaf disciple. They knew they couldn’t get past him to attack Qin Haoxuan. More importantly, they were now injured themselves. They would be lucky if he didn’t come looking for more trouble with them.

While one of them guarded against another attack, the other transferred spiritual energy into his partner, lest he freeze to death from the cavern’s cold.

Pu Hanzhong stared at Qin Haoxuan, dumbfounded. This boy, who had just completed the Rooting Stage, had fearlessly charged and seriously injured a Sixth-Leaf cultivator. Was he even human?

If either of them had reacted in time, a single spiritual technique could have killed him.

Any other person facing two such powerful opponents would have been paralyzed with fear. If someone had stepped in to protect them, they would have hidden behind their protector without daring to make a peep. But this kid was not afraid of death at all. He had taken the initiative to attack, and his blows were ruthless and precise.

“Young man, just sit here next to me. Don’t be so impulsive,” Pu Hanzhong said kindly, calling him over. Although it was self-defense, killing someone was still a serious matter. Qin Haoxuan was more than happy to find a powerful protector. In this Ice Cavern, a Tenth-Leaf expert was more than enough to keep him safe.

“Senior Brother Pu, I am Qin Haoxuan, a new disciple. Thank you for saving my life,” he said, looking at Pu Hanzhong’s kind face and giving a deep, sincere bow.

Pu Hanzhong smiled honestly. “It’s nothing. My master often taught us to be kind to others. It was just a chance encounter today. I suppose you and I have some fate between us.”