“No good, Hu Zi and the others are in trouble!”
With a single glance, Ye Qiu could tell that the towering demonic qi was coming from Hu Zi.
There was no time to waste.
Ye Qiu grabbed Yun Xi’s hand and charged straight out.
Soon they reached the forest. To Ye Qiu’s surprise, the ones making things difficult for Hu Zi were none other than the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect.
At the scene, two factions had clearly formed.
Long-Browed Daoist, Hu Zi, Mo Tianji, and Lin Da-niao stood on one side; the Qingyun Sword Sect disciples stood on the other. Tension crackled in the air; one wrong word and blades would be drawn.
“What’s going on?” Yun Xi asked, bewildered.
From afar, they heard the Qingyun disciples shouting, “Kid, even if our cultivation is inferior, we are not afraid of you!”
“Demons are the sworn enemies of all! We righteous human cultivators must slay demons and eliminate evil!”
“Today, even if it costs us our lives, we will kill you and uphold the righteous path!”
“Hmph. A bunch of trash like you think you can kill me? Overestimating yourselves.” Hu Zi snorted coldly, raising his dragon-marked spear and unleashing a terrifying killing intent.
Though young, his towering frame and extraordinary aura made him look awe-inspiring, like a teenage demon king!
“Everyone, please listen to this poor daoist for a moment.”
Having consumed many spirit medicines, Long-Browed Daoist’s body had mostly recovered. Seated atop his fire lion, he tried to reason with the Qingyun disciples.
“I’m sure you all know that Hu Zi is that little brat’s disciple, and that little brat is the closest friend of your Holy Maiden.”
“With the little brat not here right now, you want to kill his disciple? That’s hardly proper, is it?”
“Never mind whether you can actually defeat Hu Zi. Even if you won and killed him, how would you explain yourselves to the little brat when he returns?”
“And how would you face Fairy Yun Xi?”
“If Fairy Yun Xi learned that you killed the little brat’s disciple, how could she continue to be with him?”
“If the little brat found out you killed his disciple, would he slaughter you all to avenge his disciple, or let you go?”
“If he lets you go, how could he face his disciple’s spirit in the afterlife? If he kills you, how could he face Fairy Yun Xi?”
“By doing this, you are clearly trying to put the little brat and Fairy Yun Xi in an impossible position!”
This…
The Qingyun disciples exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.
Long-Browed Daoist pressed his advantage. “My friends, you come from a famous righteous sect. Surely you understand the principle of repaying kindness with kindness?”
“When Wuhua attacked earlier, at the critical moment, Hu Zi lent us tremendous help.”
“Think about it: if Wuhua had won, what fate would have awaited all of us?”
“So, Hu Zi is the benefactor of every single person here.”
“I don’t ask you to thank him. Just not killing him should be acceptable, yes? If you attack your own benefactor, wouldn’t that make you ungrateful wolves?”
Hu Zi grew impatient and snapped at Long-Browed Daoist, “Why waste words on them?”
“If you want to kill me, come at me.”
“A bunch of trash. I could wipe you all out in minutes.”
These words instantly enraged the Qingyun disciples.
“Insolence!”
“Kid, you are far too arrogant!”
“A demon dares to spout such nonsense before our Qingyun Sword Sect? You deserve death!”
“…”
All the disciples began shouting in fury.
Hu Zi swept his gaze over them and sneered contemptuously, “Come at me together. I’ll send you all on your way.”
The Qingyun disciples nearly exploded with anger.
“Damn it, this brat is too arrogant!”
“Demons truly know no bounds!”
“Attack! Kill him!”
With that, the group prepared to charge.
“Hold it!” Long-Browed Daoist bellowed, then sent a private transmission to Hu Zi: “Say less.”
“They may be trash, but they are still Qingyun Sword Sect disciples, and the little brat is courting Yun Xi. If you kill them, how is the little brat supposed to face Yun Xi afterward?”
“Stop talking. Leave this to me.”
Turning back to the disciples, Long-Browed Daoist said aloud, “Everyone, Hu Zi is young and brash and speaks without thinking. If he has offended you, this poor daoist apologises on his behalf.”
“Could you, for my sake, spare Hu Zi this once?”
One disciple replied, “Daoist, it’s not that we refuse to give you face, but human cultivators and demons cannot coexist under the same sky. He cannot be allowed to live.”
Immediately, the others chimed in.
“Exactly. Any human cultivator who sees a demon must kill it.”
“Daoist, this matter has nothing to do with you. Step aside.”
“We are going to kill him.”
“Charge…”
Long-Browed Daoist was speechless. Why were these people so stubbornly determined to kill a demon?
Cannot coexist? Hu Zi hadn’t murdered their parents or stolen their wives. What kind of irreconcilable hatred was this?
Utterly unreasonable.
“Fine. Since kind words fall on deaf ears, Hu Zi, you may—” Before Long-Browed Daoist could finish, a sharp feminine shout cut him off.
“Stop!”
Hearing Yun Xi’s voice, Long-Browed Daoist’s face lit up. “Since Fairy Yun Xi is here, let her handle this matter!”
Yun Xi stepped forward with a frosty expression, Ye Qiu at her side.
She was about to reprimand the Qingyun disciples when, unexpectedly, Hu Zi suddenly rushed to her, dropped to his knees with a thud, and kowtowed three resounding times.
“Master’s wife, please accept your disciple’s respects!”
Yun Xi’s pretty face instantly flushed crimson. “Child, don’t talk nonsense! Your master and I haven’t…”
“Isn’t it only a matter of time?” Hu Zi replied. “Master’s wife is as beautiful as a flower, Master is handsome and dashing. You two are a match made in heaven.”
Ye Qiu stared in shock, thinking: Hu Zi used to be so wooden. When did he learn to talk like this?
Something strange was afoot.
Ye Qiu glanced up and saw Long-Browed Daoist wink at him. Instantly he understood. It was that old fox who had taught Hu Zi what to say.
Yun Xi’s blush deepened. Though embarrassed, Hu Zi’s words were sweet as honey to her ears. She quickly helped him up. “Silly child, no need to be so formal with me. Get up.”
“Don’t worry. With me here, no one will dare bully you.”
With that, Yun Xi walked over to the Qingyun disciples, her face cold as ice. “You dare bully Changsheng’s disciple? Do you have any respect for me at all?”
“You keep saying you want to kill demons, do you?”
“Fine. I am his master’s wife now. Go ahead and kill me too!”
Every single Qingyun disciple lowered their head, not daring to breathe loudly.
They knew their Holy Maiden’s temper all too well. She was truly angry.
And when the Holy Maiden was angry, the consequences were severe.
“Hmph. All of you, return to the sect and face the wall in seclusion for three years. Otherwise, you will be expelled from the Qingyun Sword Sect!”
