CH 46

No one liked being tied up, especially Ning Huaishan with his impatient and easily-angered temperament…  

And even more especially when he was tied up with the person he liked the least, Yi Wusheng.

He’d been holding himself in till now, but upon being dragged into the inn he was ready to curse somebody out. However, the moment he said “F…”, he was faced with the Tianxiu Immortal’s ice-cold visage.  

“……”

Ning Huaishan chickened out. He pursed his lips, and swallowed back the curse word he wanted to say. Instead, he yelled at Yi Wusheng, “For what do you keep squeezing towards me?”

Yi Wusheng was essentially being used as a punching bag here, and couldn’t strike back at him lest he lowered himself to his level: “I didn’t mean to, there truly are rather a lot of people.”

There were indeed a lot of people.

This inn’s scope wasn’t large to begin with—three floors counting the attic. Its most spacious place was the main hall of the first floor, where they were currently tied up together.  

Yi Wusheng made a rough sweep and discovered that the main hall had a sum total of four long pillars, each of which had several people tied to them. Based on their outfit, they were all Feng Sect disciples. Each of them also had a talisman stuck to their foreheads, which looked both comical and humiliating—

The younger ones were each more flushed, though it was unclear whether out of anxiety or anger.

The somewhat older ones simply just closed their eyes so as not to see anyone, each one’s face longer than a horse’s. 

And that wasn’t even counting this new wave of people who’d been tied up here…  

Meanwhile, the perpetrator, the Tianxiu Immortal, stood embracing his sword, all broad shoulders and narrow waist leaning against the counter, that stream of sword aura that’d tied everyone up still twined about his hand. 

His fingers didn’t move, yet the sword aura kept raveling and unraveling around his fingers. Were it another’s fingers, they’d appear somewhat careless. With him, however, on top of his cold, hard figure, it conveyed an ineffable sense of oppression.  

Those shouting Feng Sect people restrained their voices upon entering the main hall. Under this oppression, they were rendered silent. 

Even Yi Wusheng had rarely encountered such bullying. For a time, he gaped tongue-tied, muttering quietly: “This… This really…” 

Even Yi Wusheng had rarely encountered such bullying. For a time, he gaped tongue-tied, muttering quietly: “This… This really…” Ning Huaishan was pretty quick to the chase, and muttered back: “This really doesn’t seem like something an immortal would do.”

Thinking it over, Yi Wusheng said: “Is it… Zhaoye City’s way of doing things?” 

Ning Huaishan: “Hell no! There wouldn’t be talismans stuck to their heads if it were Zhaoye City’s way. There might not even be any heads still attached!”  

“……”

True… Yi Wusheng thought.

Ning Huaishan let out a hum of curiosity and began craning his neck to probe around. He felt that his City Lord was most likely present.  

He didn’t know his place in the least; the nearby Feng Sect people, on the other hand, were about to go crazy inside… 

Going crazy from anger.

Surveying the entire scene, the ropes tying up the Feng Sect disciples were the Feng Sect’s own spirit-binding ropes. The talismans stuck to the Feng Sects disciples’ foreheads were the Feng Sect’s own mouth-sealing talismans. 

They really were humiliated in every way they could be humiliated!

That woman named Feng Shulan rubbed her long, slender fingers strategically together. Her soundless move nudged the man in the lead. 

The man’s brows were knit, staring unwaveringly at the nearby Xiao Fuxuan; he didn’t look like he’d noticed anything. But, tied behind him, his fingers lightly tapped the floor in response.  

That was the Feng Sect’s secret means of voice transmission.

The man tapped composedly, but his complexion was ashen. 

Using the secret method, he asked: “How did so many disciples get caught here?!”

Feng Shulan used the same secret method to reply: “Elder Huiming, I’d already told you…” 

Although she was naturally beautiful, when she was overly worried, her face would show a trace of weariness. Especially when interrogated by the man, even the arc of her smiling lips would bend downward. 

Feng Huiming’s jaw moved slightly. Wiping the blood away with the back of his hand, he said: ‘When you passed on the words, I was attending to a guest, and was unable to divide my attention.”

Feng Shulan: “Was it really a guest? I’ve been wanting to ask, Elder, you seem to be injured?”

Feng Huiming: “It’s nothing, old injuries. You say yours.”  

Feng Shulan could tell he didn’t want to talk about it. Pursing her dark red lips, she no longer asked anything more. Rather, she related the things that had happened before: “Originally, there was only a little trouble over here in Falling Flower Mountain Market. In the past, we’d usually just have a few junior disciples go over to take a look and clean up.” 

Who knew that the junior disciples would leave without coming back. 

Not long after, the Feng Sect disciple hall received a distress talisman, which enclosed some rather unrestrained calligraphy— 

[Your junior disciples have been kidnapped, send help.]

Any way you looked at it, Feng Sect was a renowned cultivation sect; what hadn’t they seen? But upon seeing that style of calligraphy, they were still dumbstruck for a time.  

This matter of junior disciples being trapped couldn’t be said to be small, but nor could it be said to be large. The disciple hall had considerable experience dealing with this sort of thing, and promptly dispatched seven or eight more senior disciples to search for them.  

Only for the same thing to happen again.

The disciple hall received another distress talisman with the same unrestrained calligraphy—

[These ones are also tied up. Don’t send any more little kids, bring a slightly more capable leader]

As the disciple hall’s leader, Feng Shulan could be considered one of the primary capable leaders.  

But in recent days she’d come down with an illness, and none of the disciples were willing to disturb her. Moreover, subjected to this taunting, they willfully dispatched four gilded elite disciples to search for them at once.  

All the gilded disciples were the elite of the elite, the cream of the crops, among the younger disciples. You wouldn’t want to face even just one of them, let alone four!  

In the end, all four were caught at the entrance.  

When the third distress talisman was sent to the Feng Sect, the disciple hall didn’t even dare to hand it over. Same handwriting as before, the distress talisman read—

[You guys really have too many disciples, huh?]

Before handing it over to Feng Shulan, the disciple hall sent a reply talisman asking— 

[Who on earth is wreaking havoc?]

They originally figured this wouldn’t yield a reply message; who knew they’d actually get a response. This time the calligraphy on the talisman was different, forceful as a blade, with only three characters— 

[Xiao Fuxuan]

Let alone the disciple hall, even Feng Shulan, upon receiving it, was struck dumb as a wooden chicken.  

Even unto this moment, when Feng Shulan had been yanked into the inn by the golden sword aura, she still didn’t understand at all: “Doesn’t this Tianxiu Immortal only act on Heavenly decrees and cross paths with the most fierce, evil devils? Why would he be giving a mortal realm cultivation sect such as ours such a hard time? It doesn’t make sense…” 

Feng Huiming had a rough idea based on her account, his face getting all the more unsightly.  

Feng Shulan stared at him for a while, then used the secret method to ask: “Elder Huiming, I usually just lead the disciples and disregard other things, and moreover had no other interests in affairs with other sects. But… if there’s really something a little more gatekept, I trouble you to just inform me. I’d prefer not to die without even knowing why.” 

Feng Huiming: “What are you talking about, we’re not going to die here.” 

After a moment’s silence, he slightly changed his tone to console her: “We’re a proper righteous cultivation sect, what grudge could we have against an immortal? Don’t overthink. From what I’ve heard, this Tianxiu Immortal is different from the various immortals of Lingtai. Let alone not looking down with lofty compassion, anything he can use his sword to settle, he’ll be disinclined to waste words on. I’m thinking… he’s actually more like the mortal realm’s military men. Think about those people’s character, whenever they act, it’ll indeed be difficult for people to know whether they’re an enemy or friend. But Immortal Capital will ultimately be on our sect’s side. Don’t panic.”  

As he spoke, he earnestly relaxed his face. At first glance, it seemed he was already certain it was a misunderstanding. 

Feng Shulan had some doubts about his words, but there was one statement she felt was correct—Immortal Capital was ultimately on the same side as the cultivation sects. No matter what, Xiao Fuxuan was an ascended immortal. 

As an ascended immortal, even if his conduct was stone-cold terrifying, he’d have his limits.  

And thinking on the bright side, the innkeeper and bellboy hadn’t been tied up! 

Thinking this to herself, Feng Shulan looked over at the innkeeper and bellboy behind the counter—at which point she discovered that those two were trembling in their sleeves. 

Feng Shulan: “…”

She looked for a moment, then had a sudden, slightly ominous premonition.  

This premonition swiftly gained another layer— 

She noticed that two of those who’d been tied up weren’t Feng Sect disciples. At first, she thought they’d been accidentally pulled in. Later on, smelling them out, she detected something fishy. 

One of them was clearly a devil, while the other had no vital human aura.

Just as she noticed this much, she saw the Tianxiu Immortal moving his sword.  

A shining stream of sword aura sliced through the air, headed straight for those two!  

Whether Feng Shulan or Feng Huiming, both were utterly tranquil and unperturbed at that moment. Having discovered a devil in the crowd, if it could be beaten, then just chopping its head off was pretty much standard. 

But the next moment, they were dumbstruck.  

Because as that sword aura of Xiao Fuxuan’s wedged into the crowd, it just barely missed that obvious devil’s body. With a clanging sound, golden light spilled forth, and the binds on the devil’s body loosened. Totally unharmed, he stood up… 

The hall-full of Feng Sect disciples: “?”  

Immediately after, another clang rang out. Besides the devil, the binds on that person without any vital human aura also loosened, and he stood up as well… 

Most terrifying was, as that devil wearing a teenager’s face jumped up, he didn’t make for the door, but passed through the crowd to walk toward Tianxiu. As he walked, he asked: “Mister, is my City Lord also in the inn?”

And Xiao Fuxuan, who was purported to covet his words like gold, actually answered him, lifting his chin to say: ‘Upstairs.”  

Feng Shulan was dumbfounded. 

The Feng family disciples were at a complete loss at this occurrence. Whether or not they had mouth-sealing talismans stuck to them, they looked over at Feng Shulan and Feng Huiming in succession. In turmoil, the identity of their backbone was evident. 

Feng Shulan still hadn’t recovered when she saw the Tianxiu Immortal raising his eyelids and looking over at her end.  

A gust of wind abruptly swept over.

Feng Shulan turned her head to avoid it, but on again opening her eyes, she saw that the junior disciples who’d been tied up beside her had all been swept out to the walls. The spacious hall was instantaneously opened wide, only leaving her and Feng Huiming…  

Unable to budge, alone and helpless. 

And Xiao Fuxuan, who’d originally been behind the counter, was already standing right before them.  

Lifting his sword tip, he said coldly: “The leader finally arrived?” 

At that moment, Feng Shulan felt an overwhelming, mighty pressure. Her throat tightened, unable to speak, and she turned her head to look at Feng Huiming. 

At that moment, Feng Shulan felt an overwhelming, mighty pressure. Her throat tightened, unable to speak, and she turned her head to look at Feng Huiming. Whenever Feng Sect’s sect leader was in an inconvenient situation, it was always this Elder Feng Huiming who acted as the one in charge. 

But Feng Huiming’s face was sallow, his lips white. He raised his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan, lips opening and closing a few times until they finally found words: “I don’t know… don’t know what business… Tianxiu has with my sect?”  

“You tell me.” Holding his sword hilt, Xiao Fuxuan squatted halfway down. His apathetic gaze swept the inn. The meaning was written bright and clear on his face—we’re already here in this inn, what business do you think I have?  

When he wasn’t squatting, he gave off a patronizing sense of oppression. Squatting, the mighty pressure was actually not mitigated, but increased, because those eyes of his were much closer. And when those half-lidded eyes looked at you— 

Feng Huiming was stared at for a beat, and his entire being was petrified, utterly rigid as a mountain boulder.  

He averted his eyes to the side, attempting to stall, but discovered that it would have been better not to stall.

Because he glanced at another person, who was coming down from the inn’s second floor. 

That person was draped in a heavy cloak. Glancing over from afar, he said: “The leader finally couldn’t sit still anymore?” 

No lamps lit the staircase and it was a bit dim, rendering it difficult to make out the facial features of the one descending. It wasn’t until that person stepped closer that Feng Huiming saw his appearance…  

The instant he saw clearly, Feng Huiming nearly collapsed into the ground.  

He didn’t at all conceal his falling apart; it was visible right on his face, that even Wu Xingxue was surprised. 

He exchanged a glance with Xiao Fuxuan, mouthing in some bewilderment: Am I that scary? 

Holding the handwarmer, he stooped to look at Feng Huiming, fully concealing his confusion. Remaining composed, he seized the opportunity to make a threat: “Well, we drew you here for no other reason than to ask, what relation has your Feng Sect with the sealed area behind this inn?”  

As a result, he watched as Feng Huiming pointed his injured hand towards him, and, looking at him with a “why don’t you just kill me” expression, said: “An hour or two ago, you just asked me the exact same question!!!”  

What the hell is wrong with you?!!

Feng Huiming thought to himself.