***
The She family's little tyrant had been beaten!
The one who beat him was Chu Yingfeng of the Xuantian Sect!
As the sun set that day, the news spread like wildfire. Apart from the Wu family's teahouse, countless teahouses and taverns were buzzing with the same topic.
Everyone knew that She Wenjie was a tyrant in Meishan City. To speak of nothing else, there was the son of the Zhao family, who ran the Yue Lai Inn. His entering the Verdant Cloud Paradise should have been a joyous occasion, yet She Wenjie had taken a liking to him and treated him like a dog every few days.
The Yue Lai Inn welcomed travelers from all walks of life. Even if Boss Zhao made a fortune every day, before a true immortal sect or aristocratic clan, he was less than an ant.
How could anyone not hate someone like She Wenjie?!
Who would have thought that after doing so many wicked deeds, She Wenjie would finally bring disaster upon himself? He had actually run into Chu Yingfeng of the Xuantian Sect!
As the saying went, those who did too much evil were bound to perish by their own hands!
It would be even better if that bastard were beaten to death!
The usually obscure Qihua Road had suddenly become the center of attention throughout the city.
And at that very moment, on Qihua Road—
The entire street was deathly silent.
The sword trembled lightly with She Wenjie's breathing, giving off a series of low hums.
Chu Yingfeng stood opposite him, his pitch-black eyes devoid of emotion as he looked at him.
He held the sword in his hand. Blood slid down the blade, drop by drop seeping into the cracks between the bluestone paving.
Naturally, it was She Wenjie's blood.
His Black Silkworm Robe had been slashed into tatters. The immortal garment, woven from Snow Mountain Black Silkworm silk, was reduced to nothing more than a scrap of cloth before this man.
And She Wenjie himself… beneath that thin, razor-sharp sword, had been utterly powerless to resist!
It hurt… it hurt so much…
Every inch of his body was in agony. He wished he could simply pass out and be done with it!
She Wenjie was cruel by nature. Normally, the more miserably others screamed, the more delighted he felt… But now he had become just as wretched and bloodied as those people.
Who knew how many were watching his battered, blood-soaked appearance from a distance? Who knew how many were applauding inwardly, wishing he would be chopped into mincemeat right then and there?
When had She Wenjie ever encountered such a thing?
When had She Wenjie ever been reduced to such a sorry state?
Not long ago, he had wanted to chop off Lu Datong's arm… But Chu Yingfeng had pierced his palm with a single chopstick. At that moment, She Wenjie had screamed with enough force to tear his heart apart. Aside from fear, he had felt furious that his privilege had been challenged!
That fury had burned in his chest, leaving him not even the slightest hesitation before he immediately shouted the proudest support he had always relied upon—
“How dare you touch me?! Do you know who I am?!”
The pampered young masters behind him, who had been frightened senseless, were jolted back to their senses by that shout and began yelling at the top of their lungs.
“Who are you?! How dare you cause trouble in Meishan!”
“Do you really think you can afford to provoke the She clan of Meishan?! Kneel down and beg for mercy!”
The black-clad young man's expression did not change in the slightest. Even after hearing the name “the She clan of Meishan,” his muscles remained relaxed.
He said succinctly, “I am Chu Yingfeng.”
Everyone's expressions changed.
Chu Yingfeng!
Chu Yingfeng, disciple of the Xuantian Sect!
Why was he here?!
As a distinguished guest of the Verdant Cloud Paradise, shouldn't he have been staying properly on Flying Peak? What was he doing at this godforsaken little inn?
Yet this utterly absurd thing had happened. And they… not only had they come charging in menacingly, they had even crashed headfirst into the muzzle of a gun and been beaten like dogs by Chu Yingfeng!
She Wenjie's complexion shifted again and again, changing more dramatically than the pools of Five-Color Lake. Anger, shock, fear… So many emotions had converged on his face at once that he looked almost comical.
His elder brother had warned him not to cause trouble at a time like this!
She Wenjie's legs had gone weak. He had almost collapsed onto the ground.
But with so many eyes watching, he simply could not swallow his pride or admit defeat!
So what if he was Chu Yingfeng! He was only the son of a servant and a kitchen maid! His cultivation had improved after entering the Xuantian Sect, but did he really think he could take on a clan that had stood for ten thousand years all by himself?!
He bolstered his courage with these thoughts, stubbornly forcing himself to remain standing. His eyes fixed on Chu Yingfeng with venomous hatred.
These were his true feelings, but he would never dare voice them aloud, afraid of enraging the other man.
Chu Yingfeng regarded him thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, “Did you come looking for the innkeeper?”
He remembered that the innkeeper's name was Wu Guanyue.
She was the person who had invented Cat Mario, and she possessed an exceptionally refined sense of fun. Chu Yingfeng did not dislike her.
On the contrary, he was somewhat curious about her…
Besides, the She clan of Meishan was indeed a formidable opponent for Wu Guanyue to deal with.
Since Chu Yingfeng had already intervened, there was no reason to stop halfway. He had decided to take responsibility for the matter and settle this trouble for Wu Guanyue.
The first step in settling the trouble was to ask what, exactly, had caused the grudge between them.
The large crowd of onlookers standing in the distance all turned their eyes toward She Wenjie.
She Wenjie: “…”
She Wenjie could hardly get a single word out!
What was he supposed to say? What could he say?! That he had come to cause trouble for Wu Guanyue because she had shoved a handful of shit into his hand, and he had held a grudge ever since?!
To be honest, She Wenjie had already blocked that humiliating memory from his mind… Naturally, no one dared mention it in front of him, so everyone had tacitly agreed to pretend it had never happened…
Chu Yingfeng said coldly, “If you don't speak, I'll drag you to Verdant Cloud Adept and have him investigate.”
She Wenjie: “…”
She Wenjie's expression twisted beyond recognition…!
Behind him, the pampered young masters all lowered their gazes, each silently praying that Chu Yingfeng wouldn't remember they were there.
In any case, having seniority had its advantages. Chu Yingfeng was about the same age as them, yet he was Verdant Cloud Adept's junior brother. If he truly pursued the matter to the bitter end—even going to Verdant Cloud Adept—then before half a day had passed, the entire city would know that She Wenjie had been given a handful of… ahem, fertilizer, by Wu Guanyue.
And for the next several hundred years of She Wenjie's glorious life, he would forever and ever be associated with… fertilizer. They would never be separated again.
If She Wenjie could endure such humiliation, he wouldn't be She Wenjie!
He looked exactly like a goose caught by the throat. His mouth was open, yet not a single word could come out!
“Don't fight because of me!!! Don't fight because of me!!!”
With a thunderous roar and clouds of dust, Little Shopkeeper Wu came sprinting over!
With a series of tragic cries, Little Shopkeeper Wu urged them to stop!
The onlookers, like a flock of foolish, vacant-eyed chahas, all turned their heads toward the source of the noise.
Two glossy black braids bounced as the young shopkeeper finally came to a halt. Her round eyes were filled with worry and earnest pleading.
Looking over the scene of the brawl in the inn, she suddenly let out a long, heavy sigh and declared righteously, “She Wenjie! I know you want to play Cat Mario so badly you could die! But a pheasant can never be matched with a phoenix! Your cultivation and character are both terrible. Listen to me—go home. Go home, child!”
What… what…?
Wu Guanyue had suddenly burst onto the scene and rattled off a whole string of incomprehensible words. Of the few things She Wenjie could make out, it seemed she had said that his cultivation was terrible and that he wasn’t good enough to stay at her place and play Cat Mario…
What even was Cat Mario?!
She Wenjie: “……”
What the hell?!
Her guest rooms?! This place was worse than the kennel at his own home! Why would he ever come stay here?!
Yet, to his surprise, Chu Yingfeng seemed to agree wholeheartedly with her and nodded.
“Hmm… This level of cultivation… this temperament… indeed, he’s not quite good enough.”
She Wenjie: “??!”
She Wenjie was so furious he nearly spat blood!
What did you say?! What did you say?! What the hell are you two talking about?!
He practically wanted to leap up and start cursing them out!
Just as he was about to explode, Little Shopkeeper Wu suddenly let out an exceedingly dangerous “Hmm~?”
She bent forward, and her twin ponytails dangled in front of her, swaying gently. Her eyes were wide and round, making her look both pure and lively.
The pure and lively Little Shopkeeper Wu asked doubtfully, “Why are you looking at me like that? Isn’t that the reason? Oh~ I know! Is it because that day I…”
“I’m not good enough for your Cat Mario!!!”
She Wenjie shouted, cutting her off.
Little Shopkeeper Wu still looked suspicious. “Is that so? Senior Brother She is so distinguished and precious… Surely you still look down on our shabby little establishment?”
She Wenjie shouted even louder than before, “I’m not good enough for your Cat Mario! I was wrong from start to finish for fighting so fiercely just to snatch your Cat Mario!!!”
Little Shopkeeper Wu: (*^▽^*)
Little Shopkeeper Wu suddenly smiled, her expression sweet yet helpless. “Oh my… was that really necessary… was it really necessary! Ah, but I suppose I can only blame my Cat Mario for being so astonishingly effective at improving one’s cultivation…”
As she spoke, her gaze darted about before locking precisely onto Wenren Ying, who had just arrived.
Wu Guanyue: Oω<!
Wenren Ying: “……”
Wenren Ying: “…………”
To be honest, he really didn’t want to understand so quickly. Sometimes, knowing too much was the source of all a person’s troubles.
Wenren Ying lowered his bamboo hat with one hand and reluctantly picked up the conversation.
“So where can one play such an amazing Cat Mario?”
“Remember, Flagflower Road! Remember the Name-Is-Too-Long Inn run by Little Shopkeeper Wu! Game rooms are five taels of silver per night! Unlimited Cat Mario! We have five rooms in total—first come, first served! First come, first served!”
Little Shopkeeper Wu shouted at the top of her lungs.
“This Cat Mario is actually that miraculous!”
“Isn’t this much better than some Red Pheasant Boshan censers and silk-thread bed curtains?”
“My cultivation hasn’t advanced in ages… Can playing Cat Mario really work?”
“Whatever! I’ll reserve a room first!”
“I’ll book ten days!”
“I’ll rent by the month!”
“I’ll stay here permanently!”
Little Shopkeeper Wu flashed her trademark sweet smile.
She Wenjie: “……”
She Wenjie: “………………”
At long last, She Wenjie finally understood what Cat Mario was…
