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After comforting Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi found a reason to have Ning Rongrong return to Cultivate first, then left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with Bone Douluo.
Heaven Dou City, bulletin board.
"Brother Hao."
Tang Yuehua was in a private room of a restaurant next to the bulletin board, looking at Tang Hao's corpse on the city wall, and immediately burst into tears, her delicate body trembling, covering her mouth with one hand to prevent herself from making a sound.
On the street, Tai Tan's eyes were wide, veins bulging on his forehead, and his face was full of anger, "Slander, it's all slander, how could Master do such a thing!"
But he could only clench his jaw, not daring to speak loudly.
"Isn't this Tai Tan, the Clan Chief of the Strength Clan?"
"Weren't the four clans badly affected by Tang Hao back then?"
"No wonder he's so agitated, it looks like he's too happy."
"I don't think he looks happy, but rather angry?"
"…"
Upon hearing this, Tai Tan turned his head angrily, seeing only a sea of heads, unable to distinguish who was who.
"Clan Chief." A Disciple lowered his head and reminded him softly, feeling the unfriendly gazes from the people around him.
"Hmph." Tai Tan snorted coldly and turned to leave.
In the private room of the restaurant, Tang Yuehua's eyes flickered, she gritted her teeth, and also turned to leave.
Tang Hao's corpse was to be hung on the city wall for a day and a night, guarded by heavy troops. She could only retrieve Tang Hao's corpse after a day.
On the other side, Dugu Bo's courtyard.
Ning Fengzhi's knocking sound came from outside the house.
"Shi Quan, it's good to see you're alright." As soon as they met, Ning Fengzhi feigned a sigh of relief, while brilliant seven-colored light bloomed from his hand, seven spirit rings appeared, and the seventh, sixth, and fourth spirit rings lit up consecutively.
The peculiar light enveloped Shi Quan and the others, helping them recover, while also not forgetting to disparage Tang Hao, "I didn't expect the dignified Clear Sky Douluo to commit such a despicable act, it's truly shameful, no wonder he indulged his child to become an evil Spirit Master."
"It's just that Tang San is still missing." Dugu Bo said lightly.
Ning Fengzhi nodded, "This Tang San is indeed a hidden threat. Evil Spirit Masters grow extremely fast, and he also has twin spirits. If he is allowed to grow, he will inevitably become a hidden danger in the future."
Shi Quan, feigning a look of recovery from a serious illness, thanked him, "Uncle Ning, thank you for your treatment."
Ning Fengzhi smiled, "It's nothing, Shi Quan, what are your plans next?"
"What else can I do? I can only research and Cultivate well in the academy." Shi Quan shrugged helplessly, "If Uncle Ning is willing, you can help investigate Tang San's whereabouts and pay attention to the Clear Sky Sect's movements. Tang San knows his father died at our hands, and with his vengeful nature, he will definitely find a way to take revenge. At that time, to improve his strength, Tang San will likely become even more frantic."
"Also, the Clear Sky Sect. Although Tang Hao was expelled from the Clear Sky Sect, he is still the biological younger brother of Tang Xiao, the current Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect. If Tang Xiao knows about this, he might do something out of line."
"Don't worry, I'll send someone to investigate Tang San's whereabouts. As for the Clear Sky Sect, I speculate they won't dare to act rashly. On one hand, there's the existence of Spirit Hall, and on the other hand, if they dare to lay a hand on you, the Empire won't easily let them off."
Ning Fengzhi had originally wanted to discuss Martial Spirit evolution with Shi Quan, but Shi Quan was still recovering from his injuries and needed time to recuperate, so he didn't want to disturb him too much. After a brief chat, Ning Fengzhi also bid farewell and left.
At the same time.
Outside Moon Pavilion.
The crisp sound of horse hooves continuously echoed as Xue Qinghe personally led a large contingent of the Royal Knight Order to surround the entire Moon Pavilion.
"By imperial decree, inspect Moon Pavilion."
Xue Qinghe calmly uttered eight words, without explaining any reason.
"Did Moon Pavilion commit a crime?"
The nobles inside Moon Pavilion immediately erupted in an uproar.
"Damn it, Xue Ye's action is a warning to my Clear Sky Sect." Tang Yuehua, hearing this, could only be angry but dared not speak, and could only bow in acceptance of the order.
Xue Qinghe and his entourage had attracted a lot of attention along the way, and now seeing Moon Pavilion being inspected.
The people around immediately began to discuss.
"The owner of this Moon Pavilion, Tang Yuehua, is from the Clear Sky Sect."
"It seems she's also Tang Hao's younger sister."
"Although Tang Hao was expelled from the Clear Sky Sect, they must still be secretly connected, not to mention the sibling bond."
"Do you think this Moon Pavilion secretly harbored Tang San and Tang Hao?"
"Hard to say, otherwise why would it suddenly be inspected?"
"A place that harbors evil Spirit Masters like this, let alone inspection, should have been directly sealed off long ago."
The rumors in the city grew more and more intense, and for a time, the city was filled with outrage, especially among common Spirit Masters.
After all, Shi Quan's Spirit Master theory, especially the Zhou Tian Cultivation Method, was of immense help to them, almost a life-saving grace. How could they not be angry that Tang Hao infiltrated and murdered Shi Quan? Such a person deserved to die.
Tang Yuehua listened to the discussions outside from within Moon Pavilion, her chest rapidly rising and falling, her delicate body trembling slightly, her boundless rage nowhere to be vented.
She had managed Moon Pavilion her entire life, accumulating hard-won prestige, but now, due to one inspection, she was not only branded with the name of harboring evil Spirit Masters, but all her prestige was also ruined. Moon Pavilion's unshakable position in the Heaven Dou Empire's etiquette world would also crumble.
The inspection lasted for half a day.
Only then did Xue Qinghe lead the Royal Knight Order back to the roadside. The inspection yielded no results, and Xue Qinghe should have left directly as per usual.
However, before leaving, Xue Qinghe spoke again in front of everyone, "Dean Tang, Moon Pavilion only enrolls one hundred students each year, right?"
"That's right." Tang Yuehua nodded in response.
"If I'm not mistaken, when Moon Pavilion was teaching last year, an extra companion suddenly appeared by your side?" Xue Qinghe's gaze slowly fell on Tang Yuehua, "During this inspection, it was discovered that this person's origins are unknown. Dean Tang, could you please tell us?"
The companion Xue Qinghe referred to was Tang San, but he had used special methods to disguise himself, so no one had discovered his identity.
Tang Yuehua explained with an unchanging expression, "That person's name is Tang Yin, and he is from my Sect. It's just that he has no Spirit Master talent, so he came to study by my side."
"Is that so?" Xue Qinghe sneered, "Dean Tang, you'd better not let me find any evidence."
With that, Xue Qinghe then left with many Royal Knights.
And Xue Qinghe's words added fuel to the many rumors.
Tang Yuehua looked at Xue Qinghe's retreating back, took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, her thoughts racing.
"The Empire has already begun to suspect Moon Pavilion. Thankfully, Xiao San went to Slaughter City, so I don't have to worry about his safety for now."
"And the Sect, I must first send back the news of Brother Hao's demise. At this time, the Clear Sky Sect absolutely cannot lose its footing, otherwise, with pressure from both the Empire and Spirit Hall, the Clear Sky Sect definitely won't be able to bear it."
"As for Brother Hao's corpse…" Thinking of this, Tang Yuehua's tears welled up uncontrollably, she bit her lip, and turned to walk into the room.
With the current outrage among the masses, if she were to retrieve the corpse, not only would Moon Pavilion be definitively branded with the name of harboring evil Spirit Masters, but even the Sect would be affected.
But if she didn't retrieve the corpse, she couldn't imagine how the Empire would handle Tang Hao's body.
"Brother Hao, I'm sorry." Thinking of this, Tang Yuehua couldn't help but cover her face and weep bitterly.
The next day.
At the Heaven Dou City bulletin board city wall.
Tai Tan appeared grim-faced below the city wall, disregarding everyone's gazes, he stepped forward and removed Tang Hao's corpse from the city wall, placed it in a spirit tool, then turned and left.
"What does the Strength Clan want to do?" The people secretly watching from various major powers stared intently at Tai Tan's departing figure.
Tang San did not appear, and the Strength Clan retrieving Tang Hao's corpse at this time immediately became the focus of attention for many powers.
"The Strength Clan?" Shi Quan, upon hearing this news, finally remembered them. In the original work, the Strength Clan was utterly devoted to Tang Hao's Family.
Tang San's eventual establishment of the Tang Sect was inseparable from the help of the Strength Clan, as the original foundation of the Tang Sect was the four clans: Strength, Control, Agility, and Breaking.
"I wasn't going to bother you, but you want to come out and court death yourself." A sharp glint flashed in Shi Quan's eyes.
For the next few days, they stayed secluded in Dugu Bo's small courtyard.
The incident of Tang Hao's assassination also spread more and more widely.
Within the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Xiao received a message from Tang Yuehua.
"Brother Hao, how could this be?" Tang Xiao's pupils constricted as he glanced at the contents of the letter, his entire body stiffened, then swayed.
"Sect Master, what happened?" Seeing Tang Xiao's troubled expression, the Third Elder in the deliberation hall couldn't help but ask.
Tang Xiao tightened his grip on the letter, his face filled with grief, his voice somewhat hoarse, "Brother Hao… is dead…"
"How is that possible!?" The Elders below all changed their expressions.
Although most of the Elders disliked Tang Hao, they still had great confidence in Tang Hao's strength. Not to mention that Tang Hao carried two major Legacy Spirit Bones of the Sect, Tang Hao also possessed the Legacy of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes and the Great Sumeru Hammer. With such strength, how could he possibly fall?
"Elders, please see for yourselves." Tang Xiao also reread the contents of the letter with disbelief, and after confirming its accuracy, he could only cover his face, extending a trembling hand to push the letter forward.
The Grand Elder, who was at the forefront, frowned, and with a grasp of his hand, a powerful force immediately sucked the letter from Tang Xiao's hand into his own. The other Elders also gathered around to read it together.
"How could this Tang Hao be so foolish!" The Grand Elder roared with a tone of disappointment.
In the letter, according to Tang Yuehua's speculation, Tang Hao's decision to assassinate Shi Quan at this time might be related to the Nine Heart Begonia Family incident. Perhaps Tang Hao wanted to frame Shi Quan's death as retaliation from the Nine Heart Begonia Family.
At such a sensitive time, taking risks by infiltrating and assassinating, although feasible, entering enemy territory carried extremely high risks, which was undoubtedly a huge gamble.
It would have been fine if he could have retreated successfully, but he not only got himself killed at the academy but also brought great trouble to the entire Sect once again…