***
At this moment, the sun was sinking in the west, and the blue-gray flagstones of Flagflower Road were veiled in a layer of golden haze.
It was dinnertime, and the waiters at the various eateries had begun calling out their wares once more.
In the past, even the hawking had been listless and feeble. Now, however, things were slightly different. That Little Shopkeeper Wu had opened an inn in the middle of the road—the… er, the Inn with the Very Long Name? It had attracted quite a few wandering cultivators. Summer had not yet ended, and all the wandering cultivators in the area liked to come here for a bowl of Sprite to soothe the dryness caused by their alchemical fires.
Naturally, more people had begun frequenting Flagflower Road, and the businesses at the other eateries had improved along with them.
Especially the Wei family’s savory crepes beside the inn.
At this moment, the inn was bustling with noise.
All nine tables were occupied, yet there was no one at the counter. As it turned out, Little Shopkeeper Wu had gone out with Wenren Ying, and no one knew when they would return.
Still, the inn did not descend into chaos simply because its proprietor was absent. The regulars calmly helped themselves to the buffet while keeping an eye on one another to make sure everyone paid the proper amount.
“Hey! You’re two coppers short! Don’t try to cheat people!”
“How am I two coppers short? Are you blind? Come count them yourself!”
“Who are you calling blind?!”
“All right, all right, sit down, both of you. Don’t make such a racket in the inn. What kind of behavior is that?”
“Meow~ Meow~~”
Wuyun was contentedly patrolling the main hall… and taking the opportunity to show off her body. Her method of showing off involved stretching herself out until she became a long, sinuous—
Lu Datong asked curiously, “Has Wuyun gotten bigger?”
Wuyun continued to meow demurely. “Meow~ Meow~~”
Of course Wuyun had gotten bigger!
One had to understand that Chu Yingfeng’s comprehension and manipulation of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth were on a completely different level from those of ordinary cultivators. Wuyun had been absorbing his spiritual energy for the past two days, and her cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Wuyun bounced and leaped around the inn. She no longer looked like a long-haired lion cat so much as a jerboa, hopping one jump at a time upstairs to find Chu Yingfeng.
Just then, a scattering of cold light suddenly tore through the setting sun and evening clouds!
The sound of something ripping through the air approached from afar. It was so sharp, so oppressive, that the person standing high above on those specks of cold light looked down upon everything in the shabby street as though he were gazing at ants he could crush beneath his hand.
Sword flight!
Ordinarily, the only place one could see people flying back and forth on swords was around Flying Peak, where the disciples of the Grotto Heaven resided. In theory, sword flight was forbidden over Meishan City… so what sort of person would dare disregard the rules so completely?
The answer went without saying.
The merchants and pedestrians along Flagflower Road had never witnessed such a scene. Those quick to realize that something was wrong had already slammed their doors shut, hoping to avoid trouble.
She Wenjie and his entourage had arrived in a fury!
One of the lackeys beside She Wenjie spotted the plaque covered in tiny writing and immediately pointed at it.
“Senior Brother, it’s here!”
She Wenjie’s gloomy eyes, filled with malice, fixed coldly upon Wu Guanyue’s inn.
Everyone inside the inn had naturally already sensed the aggressive wave of spiritual energy approaching. They were all martial artists—how could they fail to understand what it meant? One after another, they gripped their weapons.
Lu Datong strode out of the inn and glared furiously at She Wenjie, who stood high above them.
She Wenjie looked down at him coldly but said nothing.
The man beside him spoke in his place. “Where’s that bitch Wu Guanyue? Tell her to get out here!”
They had actually come looking for Little Shopkeeper Wu!
The disciples of the Grotto Heaven hovering in the air all wore white jade crowns and rosy-cloud robes. They were clearly wealthy and influential, and not people one could afford to provoke. What in the world had Little Shopkeeper Wu done to offend such a group?!
Lu Datong roared, “She Wenjie! Have you no shame?! You tried to commit murder in broad daylight and were stopped, yet you still dare come here looking for trouble? Is this how the Meishan She family does things?!”
The Meishan She family!
Sun Deng, standing beside Lu Datong, was stunned.
This man was actually She Wenjie! In Meishan City, even those who had never seen him knew of this notorious young master. He had bullied men and ravished women, and the outrageous things he had done could fill an entire basket. But who could blame him? He was a member of the Meishan She family.
Sure enough, even after Lu Datong cursed him to his face, She Wenjie showed not the slightest trace of shame or embarrassment. The man beside him even smirked smugly.
“Now you know who you’ve offended, don’t you? Since you do, hurry up and get lost. Are you waiting for your grandpa here to break your legs?”
The wandering cultivators holding weapons all went pale. This was someone they truly could not afford to offend. If they lost and were beaten to death, no one would care. But if they won… the She family stood behind him!
Some had already begun retreating silently. Only a handful remained standing defiantly before the inn, blades in hand.
“Lu Datong, what benefits did Wu Guanyue give you to make you risk your life for her?”
“Haha, benefits? What else could there be! Lu Datong, don’t worry. Whatever she gave us, we’re sure having more fun than you ever did.”
“Hey, Lu! Have you ever seen a woman stripped naked and thrown into a pack of Huodou? This time, we’ll broaden your horizons!”
Lu Datong let out an angry roar, and his Eight-Slash twin blades flashed into action!
The blades burned like raging flames as they swept straight toward She Wenjie, who stood at the front!
She Wenjie’s eyes were full of contempt. He merely flicked his sleeve—
The blade edge slashed across the sleeve embroidered with auspicious clouds, producing a strange clang like metal striking stone. Sparks flew from the blade, yet it failed to leave even the slightest mark on the young tyrant.
The garment was naturally no ordinary clothing. It was a Black Silkworm Immortal Garment woven from snow-mountain black silkworm silk, impervious to blades and spears!
Lu Datong had never seen such a magical treasure before. Only after bringing his blade down did he realize that something was wrong. He immediately tried to pull back and defend himself, but She Wenjie’s other sleeve had already swept toward him—
Bang!
That was the sound of Lu Datong crashing heavily onto the ground.
The sleeve had struck him squarely in the chest, as though a thousand-jun hammer had smashed into him. The pain was so intense that he spat out a mouthful of blood!
Wuyun: “!!!”
Every hair on Wuyun’s body stood on end!
Her tail rose high into the air, all four paws drawing tight, while she repeatedly hissed through her bared teeth—
By then, She Wenjie had already ordered coldly, “Cut off his arm!”
Lu Datong lay on the ground, one hand clutching his chest and the other bracing against the floor. Gritting his teeth, he glared at She Wenjie.
One of the young masters beside She Wenjie answered with a cheerful smile. “As you command, Senior Brother.”
A line of cold light appeared in his hand. It was a dagger so sharp it could sever a strand of hair the instant it touched the blade.
The dagger’s chill gleam drew closer to Lu Datong.
She Wenjie suddenly drawled, “Wait. I’ll do it.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the dagger was already in his hand.
A crazed gleam, a mixture of bloodlust and excitement, flashed through She Wenjie’s eyes.
His hand rose high into the air!
Just then, a blast of wind suddenly shot out from inside the inn!
The gust carried astral energy, striking like a heavy punch.
It came too quickly for She Wenjie to dodge. He could only desperately raise his Black Silkworm Garment—
“Ahhhhhhhhhh—!”
Yet the blast of wind pierced straight through the Black Silkworm Garment and pinned his hand firmly to the ground!
She Wenjie’s agonized scream pierced the heavens!
And just then, a black-clad swordsman slowly—very slowly—walked out of the inn.
The setting sun illuminated his face, yet his features were as cold as the snow on a distant mountain.
“Who dares cause trouble?”
His voice carried a strange hoarseness, like a rusty blade being drawn from its sheath.
Only then did everyone see that the object pinning She Wenjie in place was nothing more than an ordinary chopstick.
Wu Guanyue was in the teahouse at that very moment, staring at Silver-Tongued Wu, the storyteller, with their eyes locked.
Silver-Tongued Wu: “Oh my, Little Shopkeeper Wu, you’re here again! Have you got ten taels of silver today?”
Wu Guanyue’s reply rang out loud and clear: “No!”
Silver-Tongued Wu: “…………”
If you’re broke, why are you so proud of it?!
Wu Guanyue: “But I have Chu Yingfeng!”
Chu Yingfeng was her living signboard. As long as she could get that name out there, and supplement it with “a cultivation method recommended by even Chu Yingfeng,” then no matter how tortured everyone felt, they would first wonder whether their own cultivation level was too low instead of criticizing Cat Mario!
Wu Guanyue: Plan successful.jpg
That was why she had come to find Silver-Tongued Wu with absolute confidence.
Sure enough, the moment she said this, Silver-Tongued Wu sucked in a sharp breath and exclaimed, “Oh my! This is incredible! Absolutely incredible, Little Shopkeeper Wu!”
Wu Guanyue nodded with great restraint. “Mm-hmm! Mm-hmm! Exactly!”
Silver-Tongued Wu: “…………”
Silver-Tongued Wu suddenly glanced left and right, then leaned close and lowered his voice. “Little Shopkeeper Wu, do you know…”
Wu Guanyue: “Hmm? Know what?”
Silver-Tongued Wu: “…that I’m the Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sect?”
Wu Guanyue: “…………”
Wu Guanyue: =.=
Silver-Tongued Wu really couldn’t help wanting to laugh.
Oh, this Little Shopkeeper Wu! How was she still going on about it?
She actually claimed that Chu Yingfeng was staying at her place. He had to give her credit for having the nerve to make that up!
Chu Yingfeng was an outstanding disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect! In terms of seniority, he was of the same generation as the Verdant Cloud Adept! Someone like that lived in a completely different world from them. Why would he refuse to stay in Verdant Cloud Grotto-Heaven and run off to that godforsaken inn of hers to play some ridiculous game? She couldn’t even lie properly.
“All right, all right, enough fooling around, Little Shopkeeper Wu! Without ten taels of silver, there’s nothing to discuss!”
Silver-Tongued Wu laughed heartily, still finding time to tease Wu Guanyue. “Though, I have to say, you’re quite talented at making up stories. If you have any good ones—true or false—I’ll pay you for them!”
The Little Shopkeeper’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Really? How much will you pay?”
Silver-Tongued Wu: “…………”
Silver-Tongued Wu: “………………”
How could this woman not understand when someone was being sarcastic?!
He couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “All right, Little Shopkeeper Wu. If Chu Yingfeng is staying at your place, then I’ll say Dao Lord Tongxuan is sleeping on the kang in my house… Now go on, go on. I don’t have time to argue with you. I’ve got another story to tell soon…”
As he spoke, he leisurely took a sip of tea.
But who could have expected someone to suddenly rush into the teahouse, shouting excitedly, “Extra! Extra! The She family’s little tyrant got beaten up! Right outside the inn on Qihua Road, west of the city! The one who beat him was the immortal master Chu Yingfeng of the Profound Heaven Sect!”
Silver-Tongued Wu: “Pffft—!”
A mouthful of tea sprayed right out of him!
Wait a second?! Qihua Road?!
There was only one inn on Qihua Road—the one belonging to this Little Shopkeeper Wu…
Its name was far too long to bother remembering.
The Little Shopkeeper suddenly sprang to her feet and shouted in alarm, “What?! Chu Yingfeng and She Wenjie are fighting over a room at my inn?! Stop! Don’t fight over me—hahahahaha!”
Hey, you couldn’t even stop yourself from laughing, could you?!
