Chapter 028: [Unacceptable]

At the entrance of the martial arts school, on the small square, the atmosphere was electric. With the appearance of "Duan Feihong," the crowd erupted in cheers.

"He's here! Duan Feihong has arrived!"

"Duan Feihong is on stage, but where's Chen Xiaodao? Why hasn't Chen Xiaodao shown up yet?"

"Tsk tsk, is Chen Xiaodao scared?"

"Place your bets, last chance to bet!"

The shouts, laughter, and clamor blended together in a deafening uproar. The excitement peaked as Su Jingxing stepped onto the stage. Yet, oddly enough, even though it was already time, there was still no sign of Chen Xiaodao. Not only was Chen Xiaodao missing, but not a single member of the Xiaodao Society was present either.

Could it be that Chen Xiaodao was truly afraid?

"What’s going on?" Wu Shouhan frowned from the stands. "What’s Chen Xiaodao up to? Is he really so scared of Duan Feihong that he doesn’t even dare to show himself?"

Huang Boyi also frowned deeply, replying in a low voice, "Let me call and find out." Though Chen Xiaodao wasn’t under his direct command, the Xiaodao Society was a subordinate force of the Black Tiger Gang and paid tribute every month. If Chen Xiaodao truly backed down and refused to appear, the Black Tiger Gang would be implicated as well. The effect might be minor, but if their archrival, the Feiyun Sect, got wind of it, they would surely spread the news, causing the Black Tiger Gang to lose face.

Huang Boyi would not allow Chen Xiaodao to shrink back. Even if he was scared, he had to die on that stage! Without Chen Xiaodao, the Xiaodao Society could always elect a new leader.

The phone rang, but no one answered.

"What is Chen Xiaodao doing?" Huang Boyi’s frown deepened as he hung up and dialed another number.

Just then, the phones in the pockets of Wu Shouhan, Qi Zhaocheng, the long-bearded elder, and several others suddenly began to ring one after another. Before Huang Boyi could even finish dialing his second number, a call came in. The sudden turn of events made them all exchange glances before quickly answering their calls.

The next moment—

"What?!"

"Are you sure?"

"All dead? Not a single one survived?"

Huang Boyi, Wu Shouhan, and the long-bearded elder all shot to their feet as their expressions shifted rapidly. Qi Zhaocheng was even more direct: as he answered the phone, he leaped from the stands, stepping across the heads of the crowd as he sped outside. Huang Boyi hung up and followed, likewise stepping across people’s heads as he rushed away. The long-bearded elder, Wu Shouhan, and the others did the same.

This sudden change sent the onlookers into a frenzy.

"What happened? What’s going on?"

"No idea! Everything was fine, so why are all the bigwigs running away?"

"It looked like something changed after they got those calls."

The crowd was baffled, gathering together and discussing wildly. Wei Jiajia, who had just picked up the microphone to address the crowd, stood there in a daze, staring at the now-empty stands, at a loss for what to do.

"Sis, what’s going on?" Wei Jiaping, having just come out of the martial arts school, looked around in confusion.

"I… I don’t know," Wei Jiajia replied blankly. "It was one thing for Chen Xiaodao not to show, but why did Commander Qi and the others leave too?"

"Because Chen Xiaodao is dead."

Su Jingxing, also stepping over the crowd, strode up to the siblings and said in his deep voice, "If you want to know what happened, go to the Xiaodao Society headquarters."

"What?" Wei Jiajia was dumbfounded.

"What? Chen Xiaodao is dead? Is that for real?" Wei Jiaping exclaimed.

"You’ll know the truth when you get there," Su Jingxing replied with a frown. "Let’s set other matters aside for now. Do you have a car?"

"Yes, yes," Wei Jiaping quickly nodded and ran back into the school to fetch the keys.

Wei Jiajia remained standing in a daze, unable to process what she’d just heard.

Chen Xiaodao is dead?

Not sooner, not later, but right now?

She had gone so far as to take out the "Eight Steps Ascending Dragon" technique just to deal with him. And now, at the crucial moment, he was dead?

Chen Xiaodao’s death meant all her recent suffering, frustration, helplessness, humiliation, schemes, and tears were in vain, all for nothing!

She simply couldn’t accept it.

For a moment, Wei Jiajia was unable to come to terms with this sudden turn of events.

Su Jingxing watched her quietly, offering no comfort. Wei Jiajia, right now, needed no consolation. In truth, it wasn’t just Wei Jiajia; Su Jingxing himself was shaken by the news.

The onlookers around the stage hadn’t heard the contents of the calls that Huang Boyi, Wu Shouhan, and the others had received, but Su Jingxing had.

Every call delivered the same message.

The Xiaodao Society had been wiped out!

Everyone, including Chen Xiaodao, was dead at the society’s headquarters.

This was a major case.

A case that would rock the Western District!

No one knew who had done it.

Su Jingxing was genuinely curious and couldn’t help but glance at Wei Jiajia a few more times.

When Wei Jiaping pulled up in the car, the three of them got in and headed straight for the Xiaodao Society headquarters.

Once Wei Jiajia had somewhat composed herself, Su Jingxing asked, "Did you ask someone else for help?"

"What? What do you mean?" Wei Jiajia looked puzzled.

"Chen Xiaodao. The Xiaodao Society," Su Jingxing said simply, "Did you get another group involved?"

"What, you think I ordered the hit on the Xiaodao Society?"

Wei Jiajia finally understood, and with a wry smile, said, "If I had that kind of power, would I have bothered to use the 'Eight Steps Ascending Dragon'?"

"But the Xiaodao Society was wiped out," Wei Jiaping, driving, couldn’t help but interject.

"It really wasn’t me," Wei Jiajia said, clutching her head, her voice full of annoyance. "I didn’t contact anyone else. I don’t have that kind of ability or resources. Just this morning, I reached out to Chen Xiaodao to make sure he’d show up this afternoon. Who could have guessed…"

Wei Jiaping fell silent.

Su Jingxing also furrowed his brow and said nothing.

This morning, Chen Xiaodao had still been alive.

By the afternoon, he was dead.

Which meant that Chen Xiaodao and his men had likely been killed around noon.

A whole group slaughtered at their headquarters, and no one noticed until just now.

The killer was far from ordinary.

Su Jingxing fell into deep thought.

As silence reigned, Wei Jiaping sped the car down the road. In no time, they arrived at the Xiaodao Society headquarters—a five-story building.

Security forces had already cordoned off the main entrance and the streets on either side.

Wei Jiaping stopped the car at the intersection. The three of them got out and walked straight over.

Originally, Su Jingxing and the other two would have been stopped at the cordon, but just then Qi Zhaocheng emerged from the building. Spotting them, he immediately instructed the security officers to let them through.

"You’ve come at just the right time. Go inside—maybe you’ll find some clues," Qi Zhaocheng said calmly as he approached.

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and led the way.

"But… what clues could we possibly find?" Wei Jiaping muttered in confusion as they walked.

Su Jingxing heard but paid him no heed.

Wei Jiaping might not understand Qi Zhaocheng’s intentions, but Su Jingxing did.

Suspects.