Bai Qi, He Delan, Chun Hua, and Bai Ze, cloaked and hooded, approached the [Shimmering Earth] courtyard. It was rare for a sect's property to be sealed shut, but they found the gates closed, with no signs of anyone around.
{Should I?} Confirming and receiving a positive reply, Bai Ze knocked on the gate. But after not obtaining any response, she again confirmed with Bai Qi and punched at the gate, breaking the rune-reinforced wood into pieces.
*CRASH*
This manner of entrance did attract the courtyard's occupants' attention, as several auras expanded and an anger-filled shout, "Who dares?!" resounded.
In answer, Bai Ze expanded her own aura, crashing and then pushing back the [Shimmering Earth] members' auras.
"I have come for my sister. In the name of the [Feathered Snake], man-beast king of the [Steel Fang], release her!" Acting on the play-like script that He Delan and Bai Qi had agreed upon, Bai Ze roared, throwing back the cloak's hood and revealing her face.
There was a reason for the bully-like conduct and speech. After all, Bai Ze had come as a [Steel Fang] member, and they were never known as polite or diplomatic beings, especially when a member of their race or power was involved. And as Bai Qi thought, it only took some of it to draw out the ones in charge.
___
Zan Xi, a high elder of the [Shimmering Earth], did not enjoy being holed in [Heibei], but the sect's goals merited the inconveniences. A sect member for over thirty years, originally Zan Xi had been a rogue cultivator herself, so she did not like making the unaffiliated cultivators' lives harder, but again, the sect's plan merited it.
And while no one of the gathered rabble and troublemakers in the mansion would dare even to breathe loudly in her presence, she had closed herself in a room, intending to meditate until the vice-master Lai Luoyan returned. After all, there was a personage she preferred to avoid entirely, as while a mere Warrior Lord, Wan Dong was too special and too infatuated with his specialness to not show off his influence by lording over a high elder.
"Huh?" Her eyes opened as she sensed a disturbance at the courtyard's entrance. Then as an aura she could not recognize spread, Zan Xi rose up and decided to investigate.
Zan Xi wasn't even sure that the situation would require her to act, but regretfully, she could not allow any disturbance to happen. The reason was the same person that had made her seclude herself.
And a disturbance could happen. After all, without her, there was only a single, 3rd level Warrior King present, Dai Lao. The latter being not better than the worst of the worst gathered in [Heibei] for the task and a man with more vices than combat prowess.
Thus, considering that the new arrival aura felt, if not stronger, at least at the same level of strength as a peak 3rd level Warrior King, it was better to go.
___
Bai Qi and He Delan acted on the assumption that most of the [Shimmering Earth] cultivators would-be troublemakers and ruffians, and an aura stronger than theirs would be enough to scare them into shock.
As for the elders, a couple of which should be present, their strength would not be enough to counter a 4th level Saint Beast, Bai Ze, and a 7th level Warrior King, He Delan.
The lack of stronger cultivators and the mention of the [Steel Fang], known for always repaying grudges in blood. Or the common knowledge of how beastmen acted with impunity even before the two regions allied.
All of the factors meant that the negotiation for the release should go without a hitch. Now, it was time to see if they were right.
The first part went flawlessly. As soon as the few Warrior Lords that had spread their auras felt Bai Ze's strength, they retreated, not even showing themselves before who could be considered invaders.
{Now it's time for an elder to appear. No matter what they say, continue in the same manner.} And indeed, Bai Qi's had only transmitted as a 3rd level Warrior King aura surged, and its owner approached through the air, landing right before Bai Ze.
___
Dai Lao was a simple elder of the [Shimmering Earth] sect. Supposedly in [Heibei] to manage the sect's property and keep the disciples under control, his actual orders had been to organize incidents, and he enjoyed it greatly. After all, when and where a mere elder would have the chance to rob, loot, and command, his impunity guaranteed by the sect's orders?
The arrival of the vice-head and a high elder had lessened his influence and gains, but for the last couple of days, he had again the only one to receive the benefits. When he felt a disturbance, he was getting drunk, as he always did when not busy with the immoral tasks he so much enjoyed. And that, coupled with a bad mood, clouded his judgment enough to attack Bai Ze directly, without even asking anything.
Not that he was wrong, as she was indeed invading the courtyard, but what kind of local power elder would have even thought about ignoring the fact that the opponent was a Beastman?!
___
*Swoosh*
A qi-infused punch, aimed at Bai Ze's face, flew forward.
*Grip*
But a breath before it even touched the aura cover of the [White Tiger] beast girl, the latter's claw caught Dai Lao's wrist.
"Not even going to ask why I, Bai Ze from the [Steel Fang], have arrived?!" She roared, applying all of her strength behind the grip.
"Yuo bitch!" Slurred speech, reddened face, and an absolute lack of understanding of what was happening.
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It was rare for a cultivator to get to such a state, and even if they did, not one would allow themselves to make an appearance. After all, what if not one's face a cultivator had to protect? Especially if the cultivator wasn't a rogue one but represented a power. But, as Bai Qi thought immediately, it seemed that some didn't even care about that.
{Don't kill him, only subdue him. I feel a stronger and hopefully more reasonable cultivator is approaching.} He Delan's senses were spread to the maximum she could conceal. And as all were concentrated on the central mansion of the courtyard, she was the first to sense how a peak 5th level Warrior King had just released its aura.
"GrraaRRR!" With a growl that turned into a roar, Bai Ze turned around herself, pulling the drunk middle-aged, pig-faced man and then, releasing her grip, sent him flying into the air.
*Swoosh*
Jumping up, Bai Ze gathered some of her aura around her claws and,
*Slash*
Slashed at the airborne, yet to respond, [Shimmering Earth] elder.
*CRASH* *Step*
A body heavily crashed against the ground, and Bai Ze lightly landed next to it. {I dulled my aura claws, so at most, he's bruised.} She reported, without hiding her discontent.
He Delan was right about the stronger cultivator, as a woman that appeared young but felt in her late hundred arrived. The new arrival's aura wasn't expanded, and she did not look as if she itched for a fight, even after when glancing at the battered Dai Lao. In truth, she had felt what happened even before leaving the main mansion. Still, she deliberately showed that she did look at him now, to show that she did not intend to fight, at least currently.
The female elder that arrived was an average-looking woman with slightly pale skin and brown hair. Her face wasn't one of a beauty, but she looked comely and mild, something reflected in her voice as she spoke up, "My name is Zan Xi, a high elder of the [Shimmering Earth] sect. Who are you, and why are you intruding on our courtyard?"
With someone who did try to dialogue, even Bai Ze considered that she should speak unpretentiously. So after introducing herself as a [Steel Fang] cultivator, she explained, "My sister and one of our pack-leader friends came by [Heibei] but met some trouble and went missing. I have come to search for them and traced them here, to your courtyard. Thus, to avoid invoking the rules of our race against your sect before knowing everything, I have come. Mainly to learn about what happened and to ask for their release. Still, I am ready to rescue them, if necessary."
"I'm appalled to hear that, but you are mistaken. My sect has not met or interacted with any members of your race. It is impossible for one to be here." Zan Xi spoke up calmly, as she had done before.
Strangely, neither Bai Ze, He Delan, nor Bai Qi felt deceit behind the woman's words, but that was impossible! After all, both Bai Ze and Bai Qi felt Bai Rui's presence nearly. As for He Delan, she did not believe that Bai Qi could be mistaken.
But feeling deceit or not, thinking that the elder may be in the dark or not, it did not change the situation. Bai Ze's aura flared as she angrily roared, "You even dare to lie to me?! I came to reason, but it seems that my pack--leader, Huo Laohu, will need to hear about this. My sister is here, and I know she was taken away by a cultivator, an 8th level Warrior King of your sect!"
"You invaded the grounds of my sect, assaulted me, and now accuse the high elder of lying?! There is no damned sisters of yours here!" Unnoticed by everyone, Dai Lao had recovered conciusness, and he jumped up while shouting.
"Calm down, elder Dai. We should all calm down and discuss it. I can assure you thought I did not hear about any beastmen, so there is no way for one to be here." When the white-furred tiger-like beast female mentioned the cultivation of vice-head Lai, Zan Xi inwardly grew worried.
After all, if he did something like that, when he returned, there was a possibility that no courtyard, heavens even no town, existed. After all, the [Steel Fang] had always been known for the excessive methods of repayment they favored.
"So, you will not release them, right?" Bai Ze asked with an unexpectedly soft growl.
"I am sure they aren't here. The sect wasn't involved, I assure you. Still, we will do the utmost to help and find your sister and her companion." Choosing to bend to avoid an incident, Zan Xi muttered in the calmest and most welcoming tone possible.
As a high elder, she was perfectly aware of the relative strengths between a single power and even one of the [Steel Fang] warpacks. Thus, she was sure that the situation would end with their protectors [Sea Forest Palace] being the first to send the entire [Shimmering Earth] sect to the beastmen on a silver plate.
"And no Warrior Lord with powedered face and gaudy robes is here either, right?" Suddenly one of the two cloaked figures that stood behind the beastwoman asked.
After hearing that description, it took all of Zan Xi's control to avoid paling, shivering, cursing, or doing all of that at the same time. Regretfully, even a slight hint of her inner turmoil was enough validation to Bai Qi's words, and she did fail to hide it entirely...