Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

Zhuang Pu's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, his face ashen and his whole body trembling.

First, there was a strict order from the manor owner that no secrets of the manor should be revealed, under penalty of execution of the entire family.

If a martial arts master of the Transformation Realm were to pose a death threat at close range, without a reasonable explanation, he would likely die on the spot.

He was torn between his inner thoughts and his own conscience, struggling endlessly.

After a few breaths of stalemate, he finally couldn't withstand Chu Hong's extreme pressure. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy.

"Young hero, spare our lives! Young hero, spare our lives! It was the master of the manor who ordered us to strictly forbid him from revealing the location of the second master of the manor."

"That residence was only designated as a restricted area last night. I didn't mean to deceive you."

Chu Hong's expression shifted slightly, and he said calmly:

"So, Su Changli is currently at that residence and hasn't gone to the prefectural city at all?"

"Yes, I would never dare to deceive you, young hero!" The servant was terrified and said in a trembling voice, "Please, young hero, please don't say that I revealed this information, otherwise... otherwise my whole family will suffer."

He is now forced to reveal the information.

But his survival instinct still spurred him to muster the courage to ask for forgiveness.

Chu Hong nodded, withdrawing his imposing aura:

"Don't worry, we won't tell, but Master Su is so shrewd, how long he can keep it a secret is up to you."

The servants, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to their feet and fled without looking back, not daring to linger.

He needed to hurry back and send his family away before the manor owner discovered it.

The four of them stood in the courtyard, and the atmosphere became quiet for a moment.

Qingqing glanced in the direction of the 'forbidden area,' took a deep breath, and asked in a low voice:

"Should we just barge in and arrest Su Changli?"

Xiao Yi shook his head slightly: "The place is heavily guarded. If we force our way in, it would be like tearing off the mask of civility in public. Unless we can immediately find obvious clues, we won't be able to explain ourselves even if we are in the right."

"Qingqing, let's not rush things. It would be best if we figured out the true strength of the manor first, and then act when the opportunity arises," Chu Hong suggested.

Although the servants led them on a tour of the manor, they did not provide detailed information about the manor's martial artists, leaving the group completely clueless about them.

Under such circumstances, any action taken would be irrational.

"Okay!" Qingqing pursed her lips and uttered a single word.

Wang Xiaofang, standing to the side, kept her head down, her eyes shifting with uncertainty as she pondered how to inform Su Changchuan.

Although she had missions within the sect, the Sword Manor was also related to the sect's plans, so she couldn't let the other side succeed so easily.

To her dismay, Qingqing kept a close eye on her, giving her no chance to report anything.

-----------------

For the rest of the day, the group summoned another servant to tour the manor and subtly inquire about its details, thus gaining a basic understanding of the Sword Manor's situation.

Currently, there are eight martial arts masters of the Transformation Realm remaining in the manor.

Apart from the manor lord Su Changchuan, who ranked twentieth on the list of people, the other seven people were all ordinary-level cultivators.

Even Su Changli was the same.

After a brief discussion, Chu Hong and his two companions realized that all three of them were experts in the Transformation Realm, especially Xiao Yi and Qingqing, who were also ranked among the top experts on the Human Ranking. Chu Hong's strength was also considerable.

They are strong enough to withstand the machinations of the mountain villa, and even if Wang Xiaofang betrays them, they can protect themselves.

The group immediately agreed to rest for the time being and then secretly sneak into the forbidden area at dawn to gather evidence and expose the other party's lies.

Of course, this was only information that Wang Xiaofang was informed of; the actual time they agreed on was an hour earlier.

Night quickly enveloped the entire mountain villa.

The cold moonlight shone down, filtering through the newly green branches and leaving dappled shadows on the ground.

The villa seemed to become extra vigilant as night fell.

Night patrols moved back and forth, while hidden sentries kept a close watch on both sides, but any unusual movement would awaken the sleeping giant lion.

Chu Hong and the others rested in their respective rooms.

They weren't worried about their own safety.

After all, they bear the name of the Seven Star Palace. If something happens at the Sword Manor, the consequences will be beyond what the Sword Manor can bear.

Therefore, not only could they not kill Chu Hong and the other two, they also had to protect them from harm.

At midnight, all was quiet.

"Squeak~"

A very soft creaking of a wooden door, mingled with the chirping of insects, broke the stillness of the night.

Strictly speaking, the sound wasn't actually that loud.

However, in this mansion, where everyone is a martial artist, even the slightest unusual sound will be exceptionally clear.

Chu Hong suddenly jumped up, quietly went to the window, tore a hole in the window paper, and looked out.

A slender figure, using the shadows of the houses, nimbly scaled the courtyard wall and headed straight for the residence of the manor lord, Su Changchuan.

It was Wang Xiaofang.

Chu Hong understood immediately; Wang Xiaofang and Su Changchuan were indeed in cahoots.

Her departure now is probably to warn Su Changchuan in advance, in order to deal with their surprise investigation.

Chu Hong pondered for a moment, then prepared to follow and investigate Wang Xiaofang's true identity.

But at that moment, another lithe figure darted out, landing on its toes without making a sound.

She stood in the courtyard for a few breaths, and after seeing that there was no movement in either of the two rooms, she quickly headed towards the "forbidden area".

Chu Hong recognized the figure at a glance; it was Qingqing.

He was slightly taken aback, not expecting Qingqing to have started taking action so early.

How come it's completely different from what they agreed upon?

Just as he was about to push the door open, he saw Xiao Yi already outside, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a long sword slung across his waist.

"Junior Brother Chu, you're awake too?"

Chu Hong nodded, slightly puzzled, and said:

"Senior Brother Xiao, what exactly is the reason for this?"

Xiao Yi shook his head helplessly, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and said:

"You don't know, that's the kind of person my senior sister is. If she's angry, she can't hold back at all and will immediately vent her anger."

"It's already a miracle that we've been able to endure this long."

"Let's go too, let's see what Su Changli is hiding and doing."

Chu Hong smiled helplessly: "Looks like I'm the only one still foolishly waiting for the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) to arrive..."

Without further hesitation, the two also lowered their profiles and, under the cover of night, followed closely behind.

Qingqing moved swiftly and was very familiar with the visible and hidden sentries along the way. She made no mistakes and soon arrived outside the "forbidden area".

She looked at the large tree outside the "forbidden area" that was sprouting new buds, and her eyes suddenly became unfocused.

In the blink of an eye, flames rose up.

She took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.

At that moment, faint, intermittent screams of a woman could be heard from within the "forbidden area," mixed with the unrestrained and arrogant laughter of a man, a sight too gruesome to behold.

Qingqing's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of needles, and her blood and qi surged throughout her body.

Her mind involuntarily began to conjure up images of Cui Xiaomei's death, and a surge of anger rose within her.

She stopped hiding and suddenly accelerated.

"Halt! Who dares to trespass on this forbidden area?!"

The guards at the entrance, sensing the commotion, drew their swords and rushed forward, demanding answers in a stern voice.

But Qingqing's eyes were as cold as ice, and with a flash of her blade, she cut the two of them down to the ground.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Two lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Murder! Murder! Someone has trespassed on restricted ground!"

At the same time, the guards within the "forbidden area" immediately shouted, and martial artists from all directions quickly began to assemble.

However, this place was merely a decoy forbidden area, and there were no stronger cultivators guarding it.

Qingqing was like a wolf among sheep; in just two rounds, she had cut through the guards and broken through the gate of the mansion.

She kicked the heavy wooden door hard, and it shattered with a crash.

"Su Changli, come out and face your death!"

Qingqing stood in the courtyard, wanting to take another action, but the scene before her made her blood almost freeze.

In the middle of the courtyard, two hairy men were wantonly bullying a young woman.

The woman was completely naked, her skin torn and bleeding, covered in wounds, and she was in a daze.

In the corner of the courtyard, three wax figures stand quietly.

One of the wax figures is dressed in the standard uniform of the Seven Star Palace, with a Seven Star Palace disciple's waist tag hanging from its waist, the name on the tag clearly visible.

It was the missing fellow disciple they had been searching for.

Qingqing's eyes widened in fury, and the grief and anger in her chest erupted completely as she shouted angrily:

"Su Changli, who harmed my Seven Star Palace disciples, deserves to die!"