The courtyard was utterly silent. Aside from the whistling wind and the rustling of leaves, there was no other sound.
Everyone looked at each other. Then, as if by some unspoken agreement, they moved with perfect synchrony, gathering around either Zhou Fan or Qingmu.
Li Xing and Li Yue quickly moved to Zhou Fan's side. Their young faces remained devoid of emotion as they held their daggers horizontally before them, ready to charge at a moment's notice.
Zhou Huang, on the other hand, was completely shocked. Her village was nearby, so she knew all too well how powerful Qingmu was. The reason she had charged in alone had nothing to do with Li Mei's death. She had received a call from home telling her that Qingmu had slaughtered everyone in her village—including her parents and their former Clan Leader—all to harvest their blood as nutrients to activate an altar. That was why, consumed by rage, she had ignored the vast difference in their strength and attacked.
