The commotion outside the martial arts hall quickly reached the inner chambers, making Bai Ruoyue frown.

"Shen Shimei, go out and see what’s going on," she ordered.

Shen Yu, the sixth disciple, rushed out in a hurry, only to dash back in moments later, her face pale. "Bad news, Shijie! People from Tenglong Martial Arts Hall are here, demanding an explanation!"

"Smash!" Bai Ruoyue slapped the table, and it splintered into pieces under her strength.

"Tenglong Martial Arts Hall! How dare they? They robbed my junior brother’s spiritual herb and injured him. I haven’t gone after them yet, and now they dare to come here demanding an explanation?"

"Let’s go and teach them a lesson!" she declared, anger flaring.

But Zhang Yuntao stopped her. "Wait, Shijie," he said coolly. "Get the clothes my junior brother wore earlier and have him wear them again. Then, find a stretcher and carry him out."

"What's the meaning of this?" Bai Ruoyue asked, puzzled.

Zhang Yuntao sneered. "My junior brother is almost dead, and Tenglong Martial Arts Hall needs to pay for this! And let everyone see just how badly they hurt him. When Shifu returns, we’ll have him deal with Tenglong once and for all."

"Almost dead?" Bai Ruoyue paused for a moment, then her face lit up with realization. "Ah, yes! He’s almost dead!"

The other disciples exchanged looks, amused by Zhang Yuntao’s scheming. It seemed like he had a plan, and they were all on board with it.

Han, who had been covered in blood earlier, was made to look like he was near death. His physical condition and vital energy were carefully manipulated to create the perfect illusion of someone seriously wounded.

As they reached the entrance, a group from Tenglong Martial Arts Hall stood outside, looking intimidating. Bai Ruoyue took a closer look—among them was their hall master’s disciple, Long Yun.

"Long, you dare show your face here!" Zhang Yuntao stormed ahead, pointing at Han lying on the stretcher. "You robbed my junior brother of his spiritual herb and beat him into this state. Now you have the audacity to come here demanding an explanation?"

Long Yun glanced at Han on the stretcher, a frown forming on his face. This person didn’t look like the same Han that his disciple, Yang Xing, had described.

"Zhang Yuntao, stop twisting the truth," Long Yun retorted, pulling the injured Yang Xing forward. He then pointed at the Wang brothers. "The spiritual herb was an item with no owner. How can it be considered stolen?"

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"Instead, your junior brother didn’t follow martial ethics and attacked mercilessly! One of my apprentices was almost killed, and Yang Xing had his hand broken. He’s now a cripple in martial arts. You want an explanation for that?"

Bai Ruoyue was taken aback. Yang Xing and Wang Er seemed seriously injured. Could Han really be this strong?

Could it be that this was all part of a trick? She smirked, then shot back, "My junior brother found the spiritual herb at the bottom of Yunjiang, how is that a 'no-owner' item? Take a good look—his clothes are still wet!"

"And you, Yang Xing! You studied at Taibai Martial Arts Hall for a while, and now you have the nerve to act like this, shameless!" Bai Ruoyue’s words made Yang Xing’s face turn crimson with anger, but he couldn’t retort.

"Utter nonsense!" Long Yun yelled, waving his hand dismissively. "That spiritual herb was clearly discovered first by my disciple, Yang Xing! His wet clothes are still in Tenglong Martial Arts Hall!"

"What does a wet shirt prove?" Bai Ruoyue sneered. "You can easily wet a hundred shirts if you wanted to!"

Zhang Yuntao stepped forward, fuming. "Tenglong Martial Arts Hall is shameless! Three of you ganged up on my junior brother, beating him unconscious, and now you come here threatening us? Today, unless you give us a proper explanation, none of you are leaving!"

The air was thick with tension as the two sides faced off. Long Yun wanted to retaliate but knew better than to pick a fight in Taibai’s domain. When he saw how badly his disciples were injured, his anger flared, and he rushed over to confront them.

But then, Han’s iron staff was mentioned, and Long Yun immediately realized it was a valuable weapon. Greed stirred in him as he imagined claiming it for himself. However, upon seeing Han lying on the stretcher, he began to doubt the situation.

It was clear that if this matter went public, they would lose credibility, especially with the injuries not adding up to the claims.

"Does this mean you’re telling me that we were just beaten for nothing?" Long Yun snapped, feeling cornered.

Bai Ruoyue stared at him coldly. "Anyone who dares to rob the road or provoke us deserves to be dealt with. You want an explanation? Here’s one!"

"You’re not leaving until we get what’s owed to us!" Zhang Yuntao shouted, as the Taibai disciples subtly moved into position, surrounding Long Yun and his crew.

Long Yun was seething with frustration, but his instincts told him it was not the time to fight. His earlier cocky attitude quickly crumbled, and he wanted nothing more than to escape this confrontation.

As expected, Long Yun glanced one last time at Yang Xing and then at the Wang brothers before muttering through gritted teeth. "Let your fathers settle this!"

With one last angry glare, he stormed off, leaving the Taibai disciples victorious.

Han, still lying on the stretcher, silently observed the turn of events, grinning to himself.

"Shijie, they just left like that?" Han asked, feigning confusion.

"Of course, what else could they do?" Bai Ruoyue laughed. After teaching Long Yun a lesson, she was finally at ease.

"But Long Yun was publicly humiliated by you—his pride must be in tatters..." Han mused.

Bai Ruoyue threw a clean set of clothes at him and spoke firmly, "Taibai Martial Arts Hall is one of the three strongest halls in Black Cloud Town. My father is one of the strongest in the town, and I am the strongest among the younger generation."

"If we can’t handle something like this, then Taibai should disband right now." She paused, her gaze firm. "Junior brother, remember this: Taibai Martial Arts Hall is your permanent support. Behind you is one of the strongest forces in Black Cloud Town. No one can use their power to suppress you!"

Han fell silent, finally understanding the weight of his identity as a disciple of Taibai.

He smiled inwardly, realizing: "Tenglong Martial Arts Hall had better watch out. Taibai is the true powerhouse."