Feng Yu’s eyes were red-rimmed, probably from crying. Hearing this, he lunged forward, wanting to slap him, and shouted harshly, “Is it that you won’t listen to anyone except Xi Jue?! I’ve told you eight hundred times, you’ve already gone berserk! If you don’t recuperate, do you want to die?! Do you really have deep affection for that bastard Xi Jue and plan to follow him in death?!”
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others were unreadable.
Heng Yudu was stunned: “Where’s A-Jue? What happened? What divine punishment?”
Shouldn’t the divine punishment be on Wen Gubai?
A flash of crimson crossed Sheng Jiao’s pupils.
The calmer he said, “He’s not dead yet, I’m going to find him,” the more terrified the others became, holding him down tighter, fearing he might impulsively go berserk and kill himself.
Hearing Heng Yudu’s repeated questions, everyone remained silent, unsure how to begin.
Finally, Rang Chen, who had been observing coldly, spoke up: “Enough.”
Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly: “You knew his plan all along.”
Rang Chen said coldly: “Then can’t you see why he’s trying to escape by feigning death?”
Sheng Jiao was stunned.
The others exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily confused about what the two were talking about.
“He wants to escape the past, escape you, me, everything related to Tianyan,” Rang Chen said. “Tianyan destroyed him; he doesn’t want to be involved with us anymore, isn’t that right?”
Sheng Jiao shuddered, his eyes turning even more bloodshot.
“No…no.”
He’d rather believe that Xi Jianglan was acting out of twisted humor, wanting to escape by feigning death and watch everyone grieve and go mad for him, secretly gloating, than admit what Rang Chen said.
How could he…escape from him?
If Yan Jianglan were here, he would probably be enraged and fight Rang Chen to the death.
He wanted to escape the past, but he didn’t intend to escape his friends and dao companion along with him!
Rang Chen understood too much!
Sheng Jiao’s entire body almost flashed with a hint of the violent brutality before going berserk, but it vanished instantly before it could spread, and Sheng Jiao’s tall figure collapsed straight to the ground along with it.
Lezheng Jiu and Liu Changxing, who were still desperately holding him down, were startled, looking at the unconscious Sheng Jiao with bewildered expressions.
The surroundings were deathly silent.
After a long while, Liu Changxing finally stammered tremblingly, “…Which…which brave warrior brought down Sect Master Sheng?”
No brave warrior spoke.
The crowd exchanged glances, each seeing in the other’s eyes the cowardice of “It wasn’t me, how dare I?”
Finally, after scanning around for a while, several people finally spotted another person shimmering with golden light beside Sheng Jiao.
Fu Man was squatting there, poking Sheng Jiao’s head, holding a magical artifact glowing with spiritual force in his hand.
Suddenly under everyone’s gaze, Fu Man looked up blankly: “Huh? What’s wrong? Wasn’t he about to go berserk? It’s better to let him calm down, right? Did I do something wrong?”
Everyone: “…”
The five people simultaneously gave him a gesture of approval, saying in unison:
“Fu Buyin, well done.”
Fu Man: “?”
He definitely did something wrong.
Sheng Jiao was brought down by the mighty and audacious Fu Buyin. The others, knowing Yan Jianglan was not dead, all breathed a sigh of relief and guiltily escorted Sect Master Sheng back to the Xiezhi Sect, informing his two lackeys.
“Because Xi Jue dumped Sect Master Sheng again, Sect Master Sheng worried excessively and almost went berserk, vomited blood, and fainted. You must take good care of him.”
Juan Xunfang’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: “How could this be?!”
How could Sect Master possibly be seriously injured and faint just because that bastard Xi Jue escaped again?!
Are these people from Zhuxing Zhai lying to him?
Shang Yuan believed everything she heard, immediately covering her mouth with both hands, tears welling up in her eyes: “Wuu, Sect Master is truly deeply rooted in love with Xi Jianglan.”
Juan Xunfang: “…………”
Just die already.
Since then, Heng Yudu had been busy with the affairs of Tianyan Academy. Although he had asked someone to look for Yan Jianglan, Yu Tuishan had hidden him too tightly, and there was no news at all.
Now, hearing that Yu Tuishan was going to celebrate his younger brother’s birthday, Heng Yudu guessed that the “younger brother” might be Xi Jianglan, so he simply brought his students to Wuyin City for a trip.
The children from Lixiang Zhai, newly arrived at the northern border, stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the bustling, brightly lit Wuyin City.
“The recent news about the Evil Qi Road entering the world and being able to enter at will caused quite a stir. That guy is really audacious! Isn’t he afraid the Xiezhi Sect will arrest him?”
“I originally heard the northern border was impoverished and suffering, but I didn’t expect it to be so prosperous and lively! Oh, and there’s Nuo opera too!”
Qin Banban was also seeing Wuyin City so lively for the first time. Upon hearing the praise, she became delighted: “Yes, it’s my first time experiencing this too.”
A girl beside her asked curiously: “Banban, are you from Wuyin City?”
“Mm,” Qin Banban nodded. “At the entrance of Nowhere Lane there’s a pastry shop that belongs to my family.”
The children were all young ladies and masters from Central State families. Even upon hearing that Qin Banban’s family ran a shop, they didn’t demean her. Instead, they were very courteous and all made “wow” sounds expressing admiration.
However, one particularly snobbish child let out a cold laugh and mocked: “Looking at you all shabby and worn, I thought you were from some minor family in Central State. I didn’t expect you’re just a lowly commoner selling pastry scraps? I really overestimated you.”
Qin Banban’s brow furrowed.
The others also felt displeased, but this child was a branch descendant of the Sheng family, constantly boasting about having an uncle who was the Xiezhi Sect’s sect master. He was so arrogant he practically looked down on everyone with his nose. For a moment, they didn’t dare offend him.
Heng Yudu was being pushed forward by someone seemingly using a glazed sparrow to search for someone. Qin Banban glanced and saw the director wasn’t looking her way. She suddenly tilted her head and smiled at Sheng You.
Sheng You believed she had been rebuked and did not dare to provoke him, becoming even more smug: “How did someone like you, so lowly and base, obtain a heavenly-grade xiangwen? Could it be you stole Tianyan spiritual force from us in Central State? Tsk, when I return I’ll tell my uncle and have the Xiezhi Sect thoroughly investigate your background.”
Qin Banban smiled at him even more gently. Suddenly her eyes flashed with Tianyan spiritual force.
Sheng You, still rambling on, had his words cut short. The water in his oral cavity and entire throat was frozen stiff by “Three Watch Snow,” as if he’d swallowed an ice column. He desperately covered his throat, his lips trembling from the cold.
Qin Banban smiled at him cheerfully: “Since your mouth can’t speak human words, I’ll help you seal it shut. No need for gratitude or thanks.”
Sheng You painfully used weak spiritual force to melt the ice in his throat, but even so his throat was damaged. He strained to utter sounds as though crying blood, wailing: “I…I’ll kill you!”
Qin Banban’s cultivation level was the highest in all of Lixiang Zhai. Fearless, she feigned terror, patting her chest and said dismissively: “Ah, I’m so scared, terrified to death.”
Sheng You: “You!”
Just as the two were facing off, a cheerful voice came from nearby: “…The people of Central State families really are impressive.”
Several children turned their heads to look.
Yu Tuishan had already removed his skull mask and replaced it with a Nuo mask tilted on his face, revealing half of his handsome face. He sat on the railing beside the Long River, swinging his legs over it, seeming to have watched an entertaining show and laughing continuously.
Qin Banban was stunned.
Sheng You’s eyes turned crimson red as he glared at him. Not detecting any xiangwen aura from this person, he assumed he was just an ordinary human and hissed: “What are you looking at?! Get lost!”
Yu Tuishan found it amusing: “Yo, today really is a good day—there’s actually someone daring to scold me? You scolded quite well, give me a few more lines.”
Qin Banban was alone, carefree and unrestrained at Lixiang Zhai. Whoever dared to cross her would definitely be thoroughly dealt with using “Three Watch Snow.”
Sheng You had no way to deal with Qin Banban, but toward an ordinary person he was arrogant. He said coldly: “I carry a heavenly-grade Tianyan xiangwen. If you’re smart, you’ll…”
Before he could finish, Yu Tuishan suddenly burst out laughing.
Qin Banban blinked her eyes.
“A heavenly-grade xiangwen?” Yu Tuishan laughed until tears came out, nearly flipping straight off the railing into the Long River. He barely managed to stay seated and pointed his hand at Sheng You, saying with a teasing smile, “What’s so great about that?”
Sheng You had never been so belittled by anyone. He raged: “You!”
Yu Tuishan squinted his eyes, pointing his finger at the back of Sheng You’s neck, and said lazily: “I gave it to you. I can take it back anytime.”
No one understood what he meant by these words.
Heng Yudu, who was operating the glazed sparrow, finally noticed the commotion behind him. Upon turning his head and seeing Yu Tuishan’s face, he was immediately stunned.
Seemingly sensing what Yu Tuishan was about to do, Heng Yudu’s pupils suddenly constricted. The glazed sparrow immediately screeched over, attempting to stop him.
“Stop!”
Yu Tuishan pointed at Sheng You with one hand, while his other hand, not bothering to look, waved at Heng Yudu’s glazed sparrow. Tianyan spiritual force continuously poured out from his palm.
“Ahhhhh—!”
Sheng You suddenly let out a piercing scream, desperately covering the back of his neck as he staggered and knelt to the ground. His xiangwen, like gently flowing water, was being forcibly extracted by an invisible force, inching out from the back of his neck like a serpent.
The pain of having his xiangwen forcibly extracted was worse than death itself. Yet Sheng You was suspended by spiritual force, unable to lose consciousness, forced to endure the agony.
Very quickly, Yu Tuishan extracted the heavenly-grade xiangwen, letting that ball of Tianyan spiritual force coil around his long, slender five fingers like tree roots.
He glanced down at it, then suddenly made a disgusted “tsk” sound: “What kind of disgusting xiangwen is this?”
With that, his five fingers suddenly clenched together. That heavenly-grade xiangwen that countless people sought after was crushed straight to pieces by him, transforming into golden dust that silently fell from his fingertips.
Heng Yudu’s glazed sparrow was also directly destroyed by Yu Tuishan, vanishing silently from its place.
Yu Tuishan did things purely based on preference, never feeling there was anything wrong with destroying a child’s future over a few words. He cheerfully said to Heng Yudu: “I respectfully welcome Director Heng. You’ve come to attend my younger brother’s birthday ceremony, right? Welcome, welcome. If you get tired later, just go to the Evil Qi Road and someone will entertain you to rest.”
Heng Yudu’s brow furrowed tightly.
Although this person’s face resembled Xi Jianglan’s extremely closely, Heng Yudu couldn’t generate any favorable feelings toward him, only feeling wariness and rejection.
He could sense this person’s cultivation hadn’t reached Void Return realm, yet when engaging with him using Tianyan spiritual force, he possessed no possibility of winning.
It was truly as Lezheng Jiu had said—he could manipulate Tianyan spiritual force.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1