Chapter 229: Words at the Valley Gate

If not for him, how could she have been driven away by her master back then?

Since fate had arranged it this way, she might as well settle both old grudges and new scores together.

“So it’s the Fifth Prince after all,” Tang Youyou sneered. “When did you suddenly take an interest in affairs of the martial world? I already said that this is the business of our Flying Opera Group. It has nothing to do with outsiders. You’d better step aside.”

Once she dealt with matters here, the next one to be dealt with would be him.

The corner of Yue Mingxuan’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Who said I have nothing to do with Flying Opera Group?”

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and took out a command token.

Engraved clearly upon it were the words: ’Flying Opera Group’ Leader’s personal doctor.’

This token had been sent to him by his Bai Huayue not long after he was kidnapped to Piaoxiang Courtyard last time.

The token was still here, yet his sister’s fate was unknown.

At that thought, the chill in Yue Mingxuan’s gaze deepened as he looked at Tang Youyou.

For her to step forward at such a moment, if someone claimed she had nothing to do with his sister’s abduction, he would not believe it no matter what.

“What’s wrong?” he said coolly. “When you see someone who stands in for your leader, you don’t even salute?”

Tang Youyou was unwilling, but the token Yue Mingxuan produced was undeniably genuine.

Left with no choice, she gave a perfunctory and careless salute.

Yue Mingxuan put the token away and continued, “Since the group leader is absent, it naturally falls to me to take full responsibility for matters within the group. If you have grievances, you can speak to me directly. Why force your way out of the Piaoxiang Courtyard? If outsiders were to see this, they might think Flying Opera Group is deliberately imprisoning you and needlessly tarnishing the group’s reputation.”

He seized the initiative and setting the tone at once.

That way, if things later descended into chaos with everyone shouting over one another, he would not lose the chance to reason.

Tang Youyou clapped her hands lightly.

“Impressive eloquence, Fifth Prince. Since you are indeed a doctor of Flying Opera Group, it’s only natural that you may participate in group affairs. But as for acting with full authority in the group leader’s stead, don’t say it’s you. Even Gang Leader Tang standing over there doesn’t have the qualification to make such a claim.”

Hearing this, Yue Mingxuan frowned slightly.

Tang Youyou’s words were not without merit.

Although he was a doctor treated with the rites of the group leader, when it came to actual authority, he might not even rank above the heads of the Four Pavilions.

“At the very least,” Yue Mingxuan said steadily, “I am qualified to know this, Tang Youyou, bringing so many people to force their way out of Piaoxiang Courtyard like this… are you planning to rebel against Flying Opera Group?”

Tang Youyou cast a contemptuous glance at Yue Mingxuan and said coldly, “You are nothing more than a small doctor within the group. What right do you have to question the Piaoxiang Courtyard’s executive?”

Yue Mingxuan stepped forward two paces and met her gaze directly, his voice ringing clear and steady as he spoke. “Although I, Yue Mingxuan, have not joined Flying Opera Group for very long, I know this much: Flying Opera Group has always placed the sisters above all else. Especially the group leader, she set aside her own lifelong happiness for the sake of everyone within the group. I don’t know who has been whispering poisonous words into people’s ears, stirring them to want to leave Piaoxiang Courtyard, but I do remember that within our group, the sisters of Piaoxiang Courtyard have always been granted freedom of entry and exit.”

As he said this, he glanced apologetically toward Tang Lubao.

Speaking of the group leader’s disappearance without consulting him first, he did not know whether it was right or wrong but at this point, the arrow was already nocked and loosed.

There was no turning back.

“Now that the group leader has gone missing, it is even more important for everyone to stand united,” Yue Mingxuan continued. “We must not give petty villains an opportunity to exploit the situation. Piaoxiang Courtyard is a safe place for people who don’t have any place to stay, without the protection of a Flying Opera Group, the danger is far greater.”

His words stirred a wave of unrest among the crowd. Quite a few faces showed hesitation and some people even began to quietly retreat step by step.

Seeing the crowd so easily swayed by Yue Mingxuan, Tang Youyou hurriedly raised her voice. “Don’t believe his nonsense! No one knows how long the group leader has been missing, or whether she’s alive or dead. As for protection, Piaoxiang Courtyard’s main gate mechanisms have already been destroyed. The entire courtyard is like a slab of fat laid out in the open, anyone can come and take a bite. If we don’t start finding a way out for ourselves now, then when powerful enemies arrive, we’ll have no choice but to sit and wait for death!”

Both sides clung firmly to their own arguments and before long the situation reached a stalemate.

More people chose to watch and wait.

In no time, the number of people gathered at the courtyard entrance continued to grow.

At that moment, Tang Youyou leaned toward Qiuyue beside her and whispered something.

Shortly after, a man dressed in black stepped forward and shouted sternly, “Bai Huayue as group leader lacked both virtue and ability. She failed to properly investigate Xiaoyin’s rebellion within the group, which led to Piaoxiang Courtyard’s mechanisms being destroyed and the group’s supreme treasure being taken. When Flying Opera Group was founded, our predecessors left behind a final decree: as long as that treasure remained, Piaoxiang Courtyard would enjoy a hundred years of peace. And yet, not even twenty years have passed before it was taken away.”

His voice grew sharper with each word.

“All day long, she only knew how to entangle herself with Tang Lubao did she ever devote even a fraction of her heart to Flying Opera Group? What’s more, there are rumors that for her own selfish desires, she intended to merge the entire Flying Opera Group into the Midnight Blades as her dowry. A group leader like that, what use is our loyalty to her?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep