Shen Qingqiu jumped from the bare wooden floor and, under the influence of his subconscious mind, patted his body. His clothes were still all there.
However, even though his clothes were actually intact, he didn't want to wear them any longer since he now felt as though they could be torn off at any time!
Shen Qingqiu decided to "borrow" someone else's clothes to wear. Who would have thought that just as he finished "borrowing" and jumped down from the eaves, he would find several people staring at him wide-eyed when he turned around?
The enemies he met on this narrow road1 were actually the same disciples he had seen last night when the festival was in full swing. He did not say a word. The man who was the leader of the other group immediately drew his weapon and shouted in a frenzy: "Shen Qingqiu, you really were in this city! Today, my sect's iron-fisted2disciples will enforce justice on behalf of heaven!"
It really was the standard script but why was there now a part about "enforcing justice on behalf of heaven?" Yesterday, weren't they talking about the reward from Huan Hua Palace? Was it fun to say one thing behind a person's back and another when they were face-to-face with each other?
By the way, what is this "iron-fisted" thing about? I've never heard of it!
Shen Qingqiu was too lazy to bother with them. He flung a few freshly made talismans that pasted themselves onto the cultivators' foreheads. Their limbs went stiff and none of them had the chance to block the talismans.
Shen Qingqiu was in a bad mood. After he finished sticking the talismans on those people, he slowly made a gesture as though he was tearing something.
The next moment, the disciples discovered that they had no control over their bodies and were moving by themselves.
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ "What are you doing?! Why are you tearing up my clothes?!"
"Aren't you tearing my clothes off, too?!"
"Senior apprentice brother! Sorry! But I can't control my hands!"
Shen Qingqiu changed into new, plain, and simple white clothes and didn't look back as he walked away.
After walking a few steps, Sheng Qingqiu saw that there were many people who had come to Huayue City, drawn by the search for the wanted man.
Even if a lot of the cultivators took off their uniforms and wore regular clothes, pretending to be ordinary people sitting at the roadside stalls, their manner was just too different from ordinary people. Shen Qingqiu felt that it would be impossible to go on like this. He smeared some yellow makeup on his face and carelessly pasted on a beard.3When everything was ready, he slowly walked back to the street.
Looking up at the sky, he saw that the clouds were thin and wispy. They seemed like they were gradually dispersing. If no unexpected mishap occurred, noon today would be the best time.
When Shen Qingqiu lowered his head, he saw a snow-white, slender figure flash past, his movements both fast and light. His face was extremely handsome.
Liu Qingge!
The hatchet man has arrived! Shen Qingqiu's eyes lit up. He was just about to catch up with that figure when, suddenly, he heard a lovely voice scolding someone from inside a wine shop: "What did you say with that filthy mouth of yours?!"
The voice was delicate and melodious. It sounded very familiar so Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but stop. His eyes were drawn towards the source. Suddenly, there came the sound of things crashing and the passers-by started watching the commotion.
At this time, another girl snorted and said: "Hmph, why shouldn't people say it? No wonder this piece of scum, Sheng Qingqiu, came out of Cang Qiong Mountain sect! All of you, especially the people from Qing Jing Peak, are naturally anxious to cover up your shame! Ha! Unfortunately, the whole world already knows what kind of person he is. You think you can cover it up?!"
Her voice was full of resentment. The girl who had spoken earlier immediately retorted, "Shizun is absolutely not the type of person who would do such a thing. Don't you dare slander him!"
Who else would speak so well of him now if not Ning Yingying?
Ming Fan's voice was also heard: "We're only being polite to you to give the Old Palace Master some face, so watch your mouth and speak politely, too!"
Although the most important thing for Shen Qingqiu right now was to find Liu Qingge, looking at the atmosphere here, things were not right. He paused for a while, afraid that the Qing Jing Peak disciples might suffer losses. He decided to stay for the time being in case things went sideways. It was better to wait and see.
The first floor of the wine shop was clearly divided into two factions.
On one side were the two leaders, Ming Fan and Ning Yingying, while behind them was a group of Qing Jing Peak disciples. Each and every one of them had an angry expression on their faces. On the other side was the Young Palace Mistress, standing in front of the others with her hands on her hips. The Huan Hua Palace disciples behind her had already drawn their weapons and the expressions on their faces were more resentful.
Two young girls, both with refined, delicate figures and each with a different type of beauty. Both stood gracefully, convinced of their own righteousness. Even though the air was full of crackling and burning sparks, this scene was also very eye-catching.
Luo Binghe, once again there's a fire in your backyard - no, the Qing Jing Peak disciples had come to this place and they clashed with the people from Huan Hua Palace. This situation truly embodied the saying "enemies meet on a narrow road."4
Shen Qingqiu ventured to imagine that if he were to leave now, Qing Jing Peak would definitely suffer a big loss. You know, this Young Palace Mistress is so arrogant that there is no one that she dared not fight, except for Luo Binghe! Brutally beating people up was nothing out of the ordinary for her!5
The Young Palace Mistress snorted. "Not that type of person? Then tell me! Why did he flee to escape his punishment? And he also… also … also did that sort of thing!" Her voice was heavy with hate as she gritted her teeth and her eyes grew red.
Ning Yingying retorted: "Shizun hasn't been convicted. What do you mean by 'fleeing to escape punishment'? It's not yet clear who did it. We Cang Qiong Mountain sect haven't blamed you Huan Hua Palace people for being overly credulous and suspicious. You insisted on locking up the Lord of Qing Jing Peak in your water prison. If that hadn't occurred then things wouldn't have gone this far!"
The reason for all the ****ing problems was actually not the protagonist but him?
Sheng Qingqiu's hands started sweating and a certain Shen's heart was humbled.
At the same time, the dark clouds in his heart also became even thicker.
Looking at these people's attitude, something must have happened at Huan Hua Palace after he left. Now the new grudge was added to all of the old grudges, and all of it was on his head.
The Young Place Mistress was furious —— indeed, Shen Qingqiu thought that her default state was one of great fury: "So you're saying that Huan Hua Palace is to blame for courting disaster?! Well, well! Cang Qiong Mountain sect is really amazing at throwing its weight around arrogantly. Instead of apologizing, you act wildly in front of the victim's family! With this type of moral integrity, unexpectedly you still dare to boast of being the number one cultivation sect in the world! How absurd!"
Ning Yingying's mouth twitched and she said: "Cang Qiong Mountain sect is widely recognized as the number one sect in the world. You admitted it yourself. But whether you admit it or not doesn't matter. Besides, who is the one who acted wildly first? We disciples of Qing Jing Peak were having a meal in this shop. You're inverting logic and reason since you were the ones who started shouting abuse at us as soon as you entered, saying that our entire Cang Qiong Mountain sect should be buried along with the dead——-who the hell can say something that outrageous? Huayue City isn't your Huan Hua Palace's backyard! Or do you think that the whole world is your territory?"
Shen Qingqiu was stunned to hear her speech, which was said in a lovely and clear voice. How could the words of the innocent, unaffected, silly Yingying unexpectedly be so cutting? Why was the Young Palace Mistress acting like a rabid dog just let out of its cage, ready to bite?
Ning Yingying added: "My Qing Jing Peak has always been known for its courtesy and Shizun has taught us well. One shouldn't argue with children with dirty mouths. That's why we have tolerated your behavior until now. Have you finished cursing? If you're done, then leave! Don't interfere with our mealtime. I don't feel like eating anymore after I've seen you." Then she picked up a cup of tea from the table and poured it on the other person's feet.
The Young Palace Mistress dodged but a few drops of tea splashed onto the edge of her skirt. She said, "You, you bitch!"
This time, Ming Fan quit eating. Throwing down his chopsticks, he laughed grimly and said: "Don't think that just because you're the Old Palace Master's daughter that we're afraid of you. Anyway, you're nothing but a spoiled daddy's girl and you're not even of the same generation. Bitch? I don't think anyone here is more of a bitch than you. Huan Hua Palace is losing face because of you!"
Shen Qingqiu was shocked.
In the past, Qing Jing Peak's disciples were always obedient and submissive in front of him. They didn't even dare to fart. When he told them to feed the chickens, they dared not walk the dog. When he told them to cook for him, they dared not boil porridge. But it turns out, they liked to run their mouths off when they went to play outside.
The Young Palace Mistress's face turned pale with anger. In addition, she had heard from Qin Wanyue that this soft-looking little witch in front of her had been fellow disciples with Luo Binghe for many years. The two of them were childhood playmates who became childhood sweethearts! Envy and hatred mingled together and the Young Palace Mistress suddenly raised her hand. A dark shadow like a poisonous snake slithered out of her sleeve.
****! It was a new whip!
Seeing that a fight was finally about to start, the customers who had been sitting inside the wine shop were quickly and efficiently hustled out. As they passed by Shen Qingqiu, he noticed that they all looked strangely calm. It seems as though the people of Huayue City were used to this sort of thing. In fact, with incomparable skill, the waiter even managed to finish totaling up everyone's bill.
The Young Palace Mistress, as the Old Palace Master's beloved daughter, had received a lot of hands-on martial arts training. Her weapon was also extraordinary so the whip's strikes were very fierce. As for Ning Yingying, she was the little junior apprentice sister that everyone at Qing Jing Peak doted on. She rarely encountered dangerous situations and had almost no actual combat experience. Her sword swung left and right but it was evident that soon she wouldn't be able to fend off the strikes. Ming Fan wanted to help but how could he enter the circle of the high-grade iron whip's dance? He could only watch the fight anxiously. When Shen Qingqiu saw how things were going, he picked up a green leaf from the flower bed at his feet and flung it out.
The soft green leaf, filled with spiritual power, collided with the high-grade iron whip. Unexpectedly, they all heard the ear-piercing sound of two hard objects striking each other. The Young Palace Mistress hadn't noticed anything strange but she felt the place between her thumb and forefinger had become numb. Her grip on the whip loosened and it flew off.
Ning Yingying was also confused. She was just about to swing her sword when she saw that the Young Palace Mistress no longer had a weapon to block her strike. Fearful that she might stab the Young Palace Mistress with her sword, Ning Yingying quickly withdrew her sword. The Young Palace Mistress, however, was very quick to react. After her weapon flew out of her grasp, she used the momentum of her arm to slap Ning Yingying.
With the loud sound of a hand hitting flesh, one side of Ning Yingying's face was slapped.
Damn!!!
Looking at the five fingerprints on Ning Yingying's face and how half of her face was swollen, one could clearly see how vicious her opponent's hand had been. Shen Qingqiu's heart was in pain.
I've never struck my disciple but you dare to beat her up?!
Ning Yingying's beautiful face was now asymmetrical - flat on one side and swollen on the other side. It looked quite ugly. The Young Palace Mistress's attitude was full of malicious pride as she rubbed her wrist, raised her chin, and laughed: "Since your Shizun hasn't taught you, then this Palace Master will teach you. The first thing you need to learn is that when people talk, they should observe proper behavior and speech."
Who the **** do you think you are to lecture my disciples in my place?!
Ming Fan drew his sword and shouted, "Bitch! That's going too far! Let's fight them!"
The other Qing Jing disciples had long been unable to endure the insults. Now that their little junior apprentice sister was beaten up, how could they bear it any longer?! The others shouted and unsheathed their swords. Their weapons were dazzlingly bright.
Shen Qingqiu thoughts raced as he tried to think of a way to take care of the Young Palace Mistress without causing bloodshed or revealing his whereabouts. Suddenly, he noticed that one of Huan Hua Palace's disciples was behaving strangely. His appearance was one hundred percent fishy.
Shen Qingqiu stared at the man for just two seconds before his heart started beating wildly, crying out that something was very wrong.
I'm afraid it won't be easy to get out of here.
At first glance, the disciple actually looked very ordinary. He was in the midst of a group of Huan Hua Palace disciples but he was cowering and refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
Shen Qingqiu noticed him because his face was one color, his neck was another color, and his left and right hands were also two different colors. In addition, in the midst of a situation where everyone was lively, he didn't draw his sword, shout, or look at anyone angrily. He just kept his head lowered among the crowd of Huan Hua Palace disciples as though he was a pickpocket waiting for an opportunity.
As far as Shen Qingqiu knew, there was only one kind of person who would behave like this.
Ming Fan was busily fighting people when he turned back and shouted: "Little junior apprentice sister! How are you doing?"
Ning Yingying was in a daze for some time, as though she had been beaten silly before she came to her senses. Her face turned red then white, both angry and tearful, as she fought using her sword. She had suffered an insult when she was being too softhearted. This time, she didn't show any mercy.
Outside, among the crowd of onlookers, Shen Qingqiu saw an old cat with its tail curled up in the air, lazily licking his fur and basking in the sun. He picked it up and threw it inside the wine shop. The old cat was frightened and yowled loudly as it fled between two groups of people. Shen Qingqiu kept his head low as he followed in its wake, sneaking into the field of battle.
When a person inexplicably entered the room, both sides were startled. Ning Yingying was afraid of injuring an innocent person and was slightly hesitant to continue. On the other hand, the Young Palace Mistress didn't hesitate at all. She retrieved her whip and started fighting. Shen Qingqiu chased the old cat around, shouting out a name that he had just given it. Ning Yingying didn't dare to make a move in the midst of this chaos. Strangely, she felt as though her elbow was being supported by something and her shoulders were being pushed. Her sword was moving with almost no input from her as it danced and flashed with a silvery light.
Suddenly, there was the loud sound a hand hitting flesh twice. The Young Palace Mistress covered her face, struck dumb and frozen in place.
These two sounds were louder and clearer than when she had slapped Ning Yingying earlier.
Just now everyone in both groups saw how Ning Yingying moved her arms, slapping the Young Palace Mistress with one hand then the other, in quick succession. At that moment, everyone stopped fighting as though by mutual agreement.
********
Reika's Notes:
唯唯诺诺 (wěi wěi nuò nuò) literally "to be a yes-man."
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