A girl's voice was naturally crisp and penetrating, and since it was early morning and this was the area where the elders resided, there was no surrounding noise to speak of. When Zhong Miaoke shouted like that, it truly carried for miles, allowing every nearby disciple of Ancient Cloud Island to hear it clearly.
The two senior brothers blocking her path heard these words, and their faces instantly drained of color. Their knees went weak, and they nearly collapsed to the ground.
The other disciples of Ancient Cloud Island who were walking or cultivating nearby, after a moment of stunned silence, immediately broke into a hurried run. Zhong Miaoke's shout seemed like a killing technique of catastrophic proportions, and everyone fled for their lives.
It's over, it's over! Elder Han's peacocks are dead! Those were Elder Han's treasures! Although those peacocks were merely mortal beasts, they had been saved and raised by Elder Han's late wife back in the day. Elder Han Zhao was a sentimental man, and after his wife passed away, he placed all his longing onto those few peacocks, visiting them every few days. He treated the peacocks more dearly than his own son.
But now... they were all dead!
Every disciple of Ancient Cloud Island who heard those words could imagine the towering fury Elder Han would unleash. When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. If they didn't run now, they might get caught up in Elder Han's wrath.
"Little... little lass, do you know what you're saying?" the senior brother blocking Zhong Miaoke's path asked in terror, his words jumbled. He wanted to run too, but he simply lacked the courage.
"Who is speaking nonsense?" A furious roar came from Elder Han Zhao's residence. The next instant, the figure of an old man with completely white hair and beard shot out from within like lightning, landing before Zhong Miaoke and the two Ancient Cloud Island disciples. It was indeed Elder Han Zhao.
Looking closely, his eyes were bloodshot, he was wearing only his nightclothes, and he was barefoot. Clearly, he hadn't even had time to change his clothes or put on his shoes before rushing out. The overwhelming pressure of the Shenyou Realm descended abruptly, causing Zhong Miaoke and the two disciples to shiver involuntarily.
Elder Han Zhao's eyes were filled with killing intent. His gaze swept over and locked onto Zhong Miaoke. He bellowed, "What happened to this old man's peacocks?"
Zhong Miaoke was terrified half to death. Not daring to answer, she lowered her head, held out the letter with both hands in a respectful manner, and offered it up.
Elder Han Zhao looked suspiciously at this female disciple tasked with looking after his peacocks. He reached out and took the letter, took a deep breath to suppress the fury in his heart, and casually pulled out a yellowed page from within, giving it a glance.
The next moment, Elder Han Zhao's eyes shot wide open, like sparrows with nowhere to hide in the dead of winter, his entire body trembling ceaselessly. A rattling sound came from his throat, as if he had swallowed a bone that was now stuck. He gasped for a good while but couldn't form a coherent sentence.
The two male disciples, seeing this reaction, felt a chill run through their bodies, thinking to themselves, "It's over, it's over!" It seemed the death of the peacocks dealt an immense blow to Elder Han. Even someone as powerful as the Shenyou Realm was struggling to bear it.
"Elder Han..." Zhong Miaoke called out weakly.
Elder Han Zhao snapped out of his daze, hastily stuffed the yellowed page back into the letter, and stamped his foot in frustration. He scolded Zhong Miaoke, "Such a catastrophic event, why didn't you report it sooner?!"
The two male disciples' hearts skipped a beat. They quietly took a few steps back, afraid of being implicated, while also looking at Zhong Miaoke with a mix of pity and sympathy.
Zhong Miaoke replied aggrievedly, "I only discovered it this morning and came to report it immediately. These two senior brothers wouldn't let me in, so I had to shout out like that!"
"Elder, it had nothing to do with us..." The two male disciples' knees buckled, and they quickly knelt to beg for mercy.
Elder Han Zhao completely ignored them. His figure flickered, and he vanished.
Zhong Miaoke and the other two were left stunned.
Before they could even catch their breath, Elder Han Zhao returned. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept over Zhong Miaoke, and he asked in a low voice, "Does anyone else besides you know about this?"
Zhong Miaoke quickly shook her head.
"Good job. You come with me!" Elder Han Zhao grabbed Zhong Miaoke's arm, and they vanished again.
After waiting a long while, the two disciples kneeling on the ground finally dared to slowly stand up. They exchanged glances, both feeling bewildered and speechless.
Was the Elder... confused with rage? All the peacocks were dead, yet he praised that junior sister for doing a good job? Shouldn't he have severely punished her?
Moreover, with that shout from the junior sister, the entire Ancient Cloud Island probably knew by now. How could no outsiders know?
At the residence of the Ancient Cloud Island Master, Zhong Miaoke knelt in the main hall. The surroundings were silent, with not a soul in sight.
After bringing her here, Elder Han Zhao had left without another word, but Zhong Miaoke discovered that all the elders and protectors on the island had hurriedly gathered in this hall.
A group of elderly men, some in their seventies or eighties, were huddled together, discussing who knew what.
After waiting for a full half-day, the group finally walked out with grave expressions, departing one after another in great haste. In the end, only Elder Han Zhao and the Ancient Cloud Island Master, Gu Feng, remained.
The two approached Zhong Miaoke together. Gu Feng said kindly, "Rise."
"This disciple does not dare!" Zhong Miaoke kept her head lowered.
Gu Feng chuckled softly and casually tossed an object, letting it land before Zhong Miaoke. He said, "Take this token, go to the Pill Hall and get whatever pills you need for yourself, then enter the Spirit Gathering Cave for closed-door cultivation."