Jin Feng pressed himself against the wall and went in, "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, nor do I know what's gotten into them to start fighting amongst themselves," Xiao Man said innocently, still managing to stuff a handful of sunflower seeds into Jin Feng and patting the spot next to her, "Senior Brother Jin Feng, this is a rare good show, hurry and sit down to watch."
Jin Feng glanced at the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall who were fighting fiercely, then at Xiao Man, who was beaming with excitement as she watched the spectacle. After a moment of silence, he imitated Xiao Man, sat on the steps, cracked sunflower seeds, and watched the show!
"Is that about enough? It won't end well if someone gets killed," Jin Feng reminded Xiao Man while cracking seeds.
"What's there to fear? I'm not the one hitting them, it's the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall. Speaking of which, they really pack a punch. They don't seem to exert much force, but one blow sends a piercing pain. Listen to those screams, they could stop a child's crying at night," Xiao Man tutted twice. "The Grand Elder manages the Martial Arts Hall and the Hall of Punishments simultaneously. The disciples he trains are indeed different, they know how to hit hard."
Jin Feng detected sarcasm in her words but did not refute. The Grand Elder, relying on his authority, had bullied many, especially those who were not aligned with the Second Young Master. They had often been suppressed by the Grand Elder. Today, seeing Jin Quan being beaten by his own men, he had to admit, it did vent some of his anger.
"The Grand Elder won't let this go."
"What does that have to do with me?" Xiao Man finished the last sunflower seed in her hand, spat out the shell, and clapped her hands. "The show is almost over, let's go."
"Just like that?" Jin Feng looked at the still furiously fighting individuals in disbelief. If they continued like this, someone might die!
"The Grand Elder, upholding justice, ordered the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall to privately punish Jin Quan. Who knew the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall were too heavy-handed and severely injured Jin Quan. It has nothing to do with anyone else," Xiao Man lied with a straight face.
Jin Feng was dumbfounded and after a long while, said, "You're truly shameless."
"Those who abuse their power and set up private courts are the shameless ones," Xiao Man snorted. "I have much more dignity than they do!"
Jin Feng was so choked by Xiao Man's words that he didn't know how to retort. He could only follow Xiao Man outside, "Are you really not going to do anything?"
"Senior Brother Jin Feng, if you were the one being beaten today, would anyone care?" Xiao Man asked with deep meaning in her eyes.
Jin Feng fell silent for a moment, then walked past Xiao Man and left first. If he were the one being beaten today, no one would care. Even if he were beaten to death, it would be his own fault, because their branch of the family did not support Jin Yao. They had grown accustomed to being ostracized and suppressed over the years.
As the two walked away, the screams behind them gradually faded. Jin Feng's expression was complex as he silently headed towards his own courtyard, while Xiao Man went in the direction of the Alchemy Hall.
Upon returning to the Alchemy Hall, she saw that among the disciples, some were animated, some were bruised and swollen, and more than a dozen were carried back. She immediately understood: those who hadn't poisoned anyone and appeared too nervous must have been discovered by their opponents and beaten into pigs before they could even administer the poison!
Xiao Man covered her forehead with her hand, "Forget it, it's inevitable to fail the first time. Next time, we'll strive to do better. First, tend to the wounds of our injured senior brothers, especially those injured by the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall. The people from the Martial Arts Hall are skilled in dirty tricks; if you're not careful, you won't even know how you died."
"Yes." The disciples of the Alchemy Hall, clearly adopting a leading posture under Xiao Man, began bandaging and administering medicine to the injured disciples.
"Junior Brother, everything is handled. What do we do next?"
"Next, I'll teach you some defensive techniques for combat."
"Junior Brother, what kind of defensive techniques?" everyone gathered around, asking curiously.
"Naturally, it's that no one outside of our Alchemy Hall disciples can step foot into our Alchemy Hall!"
Xiao Man led the disciples of the Alchemy Hall in planting flowers around the hall, keeping themselves extremely busy. Meanwhile, chaos erupted outside. Some disciples were poisoned and fell into a coma, while others were engaged in fights, ending up bruised and swollen. Whenever someone was injured, they naturally looked to the Alchemy Hall. However, today, their people had come and gone countless times, but not a single disciple from the Alchemy Hall appeared.
"What's going on? Why haven't the people from the Alchemy Hall arrived yet?"
Everyone looked at each other, shrugging responsibility and not daring to speak.
"Speak!"
"Our disciples beat up the disciples of the Alchemy Hall, and the Alchemy Hall disciples got angry and refused to come treat us," a disciple said hesitantly.
"Where is the Third Elder?"
"I heard the Third Elder is not here."
"Very good, very good. The Third Elder is not here, and the disciples of the Alchemy Hall are going to turn the place upside down? Who is in charge of the Alchemy Hall now? Jing Song or Chen Ke?"
"Replying to the Fifth Elder, neither."
"Neither?" The Fifth Elder's expression was one of great confusion. "Then who is the person in charge?"
"It's Jin Xu."
"Jin Xu?" The Fifth Elder immediately became enraged, slamming his hand on the table. "You scoundrel, are you trying to trifle with me? Jin Xu is only fourteen years old, how can he be in charge of the Alchemy Hall's affairs?"
"Fifth Elder, that is indeed the case. We went, and Jin Xu came out to meet us, refusing us entry. Moreover, he told us not to approach within ten meters of the Alchemy Hall, or we'd face the consequences!"
"Very good, very good, I want to see what this scoundrel Jin Xu intends to do!" The Fifth Elder stood up and headed towards the Alchemy Hall. In the past, the Alchemy Hall was always orderly. Today, they not only publicly beat Jin Quan but also disgraced the Grand Elder. He wanted to see if the Alchemy Hall was planning to rebel!
When the Fifth Elder arrived with his men outside the Alchemy Hall, the hall was eerily quiet. The disciples who usually guarded the entrance were nowhere to be seen, and the main gate of the Alchemy Hall was tightly shut.
"Hmph, do you think you can get away with it by simply closing the doors?" The Fifth Elder signaled his disciples to knock. "Today, I want to see what the Alchemy Hall is up to!"
Two disciples immediately stepped forward, preparing to knock on the door. However, before they could reach the main entrance of the Alchemy Hall, they suddenly fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
Seeing this, the Fifth Elder's eyes almost bulged out of his sockets. He couldn't fathom what had happened and looked around at the people present, who all shook their heads.
"Go again."
The disciples behind him looked at each other, none daring to step forward. They used to think the disciples of the Alchemy Hall were the easiest to bully, but now, how had the Alchemy Hall disciples become so strange, and how had the Alchemy Hall itself become so uncanny!
"Go and knock!" the Fifth Elder shouted in exasperation.
A young disciple was pushed forward, stumbling precariously. He glanced back at the Fifth Elder, steeled his resolve, and walked forward with his eyes closed. After a few steps, just like the two before him, he collapsed onto the ground.