Chapter 157: Chapter 155: The Fiend The expressions of Chen Muju and others became somewhat awkward. Yet Xu Qing acted as if nothing had happened and suddenly slapped his forehead: "Oh, look at my memory, getting old, wait a moment!" He quickly walked over and said something to two older guards. The two of them immediately jogged out and brought back a large teapot and several cups, diligently pouring water for everyone. "These cups are filthy, didn’t they wash them?" Qian Ruiqin criticized again. Chen Muju pretended not to hear, sipped lightly from his cup, and asked, "Senior Brother Xu, have you ever seen the face of that wicked culprit?" Upon hearing this, Xu Qing’s face involuntarily showed a look of fear: "None of us have ever seen it here. No matter how formidable he is, he has to show his figure at least once, right? But not even a shadow has been seen." Everyone looked at each other upon hearing this. "Could it really be the Heavy Sword Sect’s doing?" Zhan Weida wondered aloud. Companions like Ding Minghai and Li Chunwen silently nodded. It was no wonder they suspected the Heavy Sword Sect. The Extreme Fist Sect and the Heavy Sword Sect have been old enemies with feuds spanning over a hundred years. Not long ago, the Heavy Sword Sect attacked the Extreme Fist Sect directly because their genius disciple, Qi Bao, was killed. Later, unable to achieve revenge, they disgracefully resorted to ambushing ordinary disciples of the Extreme Fist Sect. Even someone like Zhou Yang, who had a promising future, had both legs broken, losing all potential. After hearing this, Chen Muju was somewhat noncommittal and said, "Senior Brother Xu, could you take us over there to see?" Although Xu Qing was a bit afraid, he thought that with so many inner disciples around, the villain wouldn’t dare be too arrogant, would he? The group walked into the orchard, the fresh aroma of fruit wafting over, refreshing their spirits. In sight were apple trees, each difficult to embrace. The trees weren’t very tall, only about a zhang in height, with densely packed red fruits on the branches, making one’s mouth water. Zhan Weida lightly leaped up, picking two apples the size of adult men’s fists. Handing one to Lou Yi. He wiped the dust off the other and took a big ’crunchy’ bite. "Not bad, sweet!" "And yet you don’t find it dirty." Qian Ruiqin pursed her lips, unimpressed. But the others followed suit, picking apples to eat, praising them one after the other. Seeing everyone’s reaction, Qian Ruiqin felt a bit regretful but couldn’t bring herself to pick one herself. She could only glare menacingly at the honest Li Chunwen beside her, leaving him bewildered. Lou Yi ate as well but shook his head inwardly. To him, the apples tasted just average. Perhaps his taste had become spoiled in a previous life. Having once tasted Aksu’s ice sugar apples, he was now immune to the world’s apples. The disciples ate as they walked, soon reaching the place where the orchard workers had disappeared. Here, it was obvious that the fruits on the trees were much fewer, only less than a third remaining. On the ground was a conspicuous pool of blood, apart from that, nothing else. Chen Muju squatted down, carefully inspecting, occasionally pinching the soil with his fingers. But after looking for a long time, he reluctantly shook his head and stood up. "Not a trace to be seen, the villain is highly likely a master." The others also focused their attention, searching around, but found nothing. "We’ll have to come at night," Zhan Weida suggested. "The villain likes to commit crimes at night, appearing and disappearing without a trace!" Xu Qing’s face paled slightly, "You all, be careful..." "Alright, alright." Qian Ruiqin said irritably, "Who’s here that’s not a Breaking Through Martial Artist? You don’t need to worry about us. If he were truly powerful, he wouldn’t be hiding so much." Chastised by a much younger female disciple like this, Xu Qing’s expression changed slightly. But being an old hand, he quickly regained his composure, smiling and saying, "I’m old, I get a bit naggy, don’t mind me." "Senior Brother Xu, don’t worry, with so many of us, how can we not handle him?" Zhan Weida laughed. As he said this, he glanced at Lou Yi. Others might not know Lou Yi’s strength, but how could Zhan Weida be unaware? Even Full Cycle isn’t Lou Yi’s match. Unless the villain is a Martial Artist, otherwise, he’s sure to face one-way fate! Hearing Qian Ruiqin and Zhan Weida say so, everyone felt much more relaxed. Only Xu Qing remained trembling, a worried look in his eyes. ... At night, the moon hung high. The disciples of the Extreme Fist Sect entered the orchard again, this time without bringing along Xu Qing and the other orchard workers. ’Whoosh!’ ’Whoosh!’ The wind was strong, rustling the branches and leaves in the forest, blending with the pitch-black night, adding a chilling sensation. They reached the spot from daytime, waited quietly, but found nothing. "Spread out, pair up, and if you notice anything unusual, don’t handle it alone, call everyone over," Chen Muju, as the leader, ordered. He teamed with Ding Minghai, Li Chunwen with Qian Ruiqin, and naturally, Zhan Weida was with Lou Yi. "Ah Yi, what do you think it might be?" Zhan Weida idly asked, chewing on a straw. Lou Yi didn’t respond, focusing his attention, closely watching the surroundings. The senses of a Martial Artist far surpass those of ordinary people; seeing in the dark was no problem, not to mention, his perception was much stronger than most Martial Artists. Unfortunately, after walking for a while, they encountered nothing suspicious. On the other side, Qian Ruiqin and Li Chunwen were walking together. "This thing is too heavy; help me carry it." She rudely unhooked the water pouch at her waist, tossing it to Li Chunwen. Li Chunwen, with a simple look, accepted silently. "I must say, Chen Muju is too cowardly. There’re already few of us, and yet he divided us into three teams. We might as well have spread out entirely to search. I don’t know why he was chosen as the leader, I’m close to reaching Minor Circulation..." Qian Ruiqin kept muttering. Li Chunwen listened silently, not saying a word. Suddenly, he pointed ahead: "Senior Sister Qian, the apples on these trees seem fewer than during the day." "How do you know?" Qian Ruiqin wondered, scanning around, unable to notice any difference. "I’ve always had a good memory." Li Chunwen scratched his head with a naive smile. "Really?" Qian Ruiqin’s eyes lit up, "Then let’s search around these few trees, maybe we’ll find some clues." "Should we notify the others?" Li Chunwen hesitated. "You’re such a fool. If we solve this on our own, the credit is ours alone. If you call the others, all the credit will go to Chen Muju, the leader." Qian Ruiqin scolded him with some disappointment. "Oh." Li Chunwen felt something was off but didn’t dare argue against her. They didn’t notice. The shadow beneath Qian Ruiqin suddenly grew darker, as black as ink, seemingly wriggling slightly. When Li Chunwen turned his head. ’Poof!’ A figure quietly fell to the ground. "Wait, why is it so quiet?" Lou Yi suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing. "What noise?" Zhan Weida pondered, then his expression changed, "The other two teams haven’t made any sound for a while." They hurried toward the direction Chen Muju and Ding Minghai had gone. "Not good!" Ahead, two figures lay quietly on the ground. One was Chen Muju, his face purplish, eyes closed, with bloodstains beneath his neck. The other figure belonged to Ding Minghai but was unrecognizable. Because his face was covered by an uneven patch of blackness, and a terrifying munching sound was coming from there. ...