Fu Nanhua came back to his senses and swept his gaze around, not even overlooking the rooftops of the alley. Finding nothing unusual, he swiftly drew a deep breath. He neither stepped forward nor retreated. Again, he instinctively reached for the ancestral jade pendant, only to grasp at empty air. He hurriedly recited a fragmentary Daoist incantation under his breath. It was not a Magical Power, merely a method to calm his mind and gather his qi. If his state of mind was a small boat adrift on a lake, then this incantation was its anchor.
He turned sideways with his back to a wall and sidestepped to the fork between the two alleys. Every muscle in his body tensed as he assumed a defensive stance, not daring to relax in the slightest. He stared fixedly down that alley. Within his sight, the straw-sandaled youth stood beside Cai Jinjian's blood-soaked body. The youth's torso was slightly bent, maintaining a subtle offensive posture as he stared just as fiercely at Fu Nanhua. The two faced each other like tiger and wolf—one seeking answers, the other survival, each with a different purpose. The youth who had appeared out of nowhere should have had only Cai Jinjian as his target. As for Fu Nanhua's arrival, the posture the boy from the shabby alley had assumed on instinct conveyed more of a meaning: if you do not offend me, I will not offend you.
Fu Nanhua asked a thoroughly unnecessary question. "You killed her?"
The youth remained silent, still gripping the murder weapon in his hand. It was a shard of broken porcelain, slightly smaller than his palm. The portion protruding beyond his fist was extremely sharp. Blood streamed all over his hand; it was unclear whether it belonged to Cai Jinjian or had come from the porcelain piercing his palm. It dripped onto the alley ground. Once Fu Nanhua had confirmed there was no one else nearby, he found the situation both absurd and deeply relieving. At last, he turned his gaze to Cai Jinjian's delicate body. Even in such a wretched state, her natural beauty and graceful curves had not diminished. Her full chest rose and fell faintly as crimson blood continuously poured from her neck and mouth. The last of her life was about to be extinguished, yet the robust physique repeatedly tempered by qi meant that the pain she endured would be heavier and more prolonged than that of an ordinary person.
A faint smile appeared on Fu Nanhua's face, though beneath it lay a cruel chill. "Why did you kill her? You and this elder sister had neither grievance nor enmity. Was it just because she made a joke with you in Mud Bottle Alley that you wanted to kill her? Since when had this town become so lawless? Do you know that murder must be repaid with one's life, and debts with money? It is the same everywhere."
The youth was like a mute, saying nothing. Fu Nanhua did not care what the youth thought. He began to move forward slowly, his steps firm.
He knew Cai Jinjian was as good as dead. This was not Cloud Mist Mountain, an Immortal's cave dwelling wreathed in spiritual qi. This place was a heavenly prison where magical arts were forbidden. Unless a Land Immortal of heaven-reaching cultivation, or a Golden Arhat, was willing to trade away most of his cultivation for her life, there might be a chance to suppress her soul and bring her back from the dead. Unfortunately, Cai Jinjian absolutely did not possess such overwhelming fortune. The Sage in this town bore a heavy responsibility and looked down upon All Living Beings. He would never favor one over another, only follow the course of events.
On the road of cultivation, there were those who inexplicably died young upon the broad sunlit road, and those who died fighting for a sliver of opportunity upon a single-plank bridge. Though such cases were not overly common, they were certainly not rare.
If attaining the Dao and eternal life meant proceeding in perfect order every step of the way, advancing with every precaution, suffering neither disaster nor misfortune, enjoying every benefit without bearing any risk, then the carefree Immortals in the eyes of common folk would seem far too cheap.
Thus, Fu Nanhua had even made the worst preparations for a life-and-death struggle on this trip to the town. But to personally witness a temporary ally who had been traveling beside him get slaughtered in the blink of an eye beneath a Sage's very gaze—this was a first in the history of the young city lord of Old Dragon City. There had been no dazzling exchange of Magic Treasures, no earth-shattering handiwork of immortal families. Yet she had simply been killed by the lowliest country mud-leg? Beyond his shock, Fu Nanhua simply could not accept such an absurd reality. If not for this town, a petty figure like the straw-sandaled youth, whose life was as cheap as wild grass, would find even catching a distant glimpse of Cai Jinjian from Cloud Mist Mountain an unreachable, extravagant dream.
Fu Nanhua's expression turned solemn. He said in a low voice, "Though I was too late to save Fairy Cai, and cannot kill you to avenge her, I witnessed your crime with my own eyes. If I do nothing, then once word gets out, Old Dragon City's golden signboard will be smashed. Therefore, by both feeling and reason, I ought to teach you a lesson. As for how Cloud Mist Mountain will deal with this afterward, and how they will seek justice for Fairy Cai, that is your concern."
These grandiose words from Old Dragon City's Young Master were meant for the Sage of this place, mere courtesies to ensure he did not look too ugly afterward and incur that Sage's displeasure. Perhaps someday, they could also be said to those old patriarchs of Cloud Mist Mountain. Fu Nanhua wanted nothing more than a display of having done all that humanity and righteousness demanded. Otherwise, since he had long harbored the intent to kill Cai Jinjian, he truly wanted to properly thank the youth before him. Through a mistaken stroke and reckless action, the boy had saved him an enormous amount of trouble. He was truly a lucky general under his command.
As Fu Nanhua advanced, he said, "Judging from the way you killed her just now, the instantaneous explosive force of that stinking sack of flesh of yours is no less than that of an ordinary strong young man. That is actually quite rare. If today's disturbance had never happened, and you had the chance to join the army, if you dared to kill and dared to fight, and encountered some fortunate opportunity—earning the favor of some great Military Strategist or battlefield general from an Aristocratic Clan, who then gave you a body-forging cultivation manual—you might slowly temper your body. In twenty or thirty years, brat, you might not fail to carve out a new world for yourself."
As Fu Nanhua walked forward, the youth began to retreat slowly, facing the young lord of Old Dragon City in his high crown and wide sleeves.
Tall and slender, Fu Nanhua walked through the alley like jade tree in the wind, carrying an innate air of wealth and graceful nobility.
Fu Nanhua extended one hand, palm down, letting it hang by his waist. Smiling, he said, "What a pity. Your fate is not very good. Otherwise, according to what I said, you would have had a chance to reach this height... which is impossible."
Amused by his own joke, Fu Nanhua's smile deepened. As he took another step forward, that foot suddenly hovered half a foot above the ground. "My apologies. This high is correct."
It was difficult for Fu Nanhua not to be happy.
After entering the town, he had first made a transaction with Song Jixin, the Mud Bottle Alley Youth, and the profits had far exceeded his expectations.
Then Cai Jinjian, who was highly likely to be an obstacle on his Great Dao, had died suddenly before his eyes. Not only could he keep both hands clean of blood, he could also gain the two bags of Golden Essence copper coins on her person for nothing. He might even uncover one or two secret treasures from Cloud Mist Mountain. Even if they were not Mountain Suppressing Treasures, they certainly would not be poor items. He did not believe Cai Jinjian had been completely without protective talismans. Take him, Fu Nanhua, for example. Aside from the Old Dragon Spreads Rain Pendant, which was merely an Illusion Technique, he carried two other small items of exquisite quality and extremely high rank, treasures that nearly counted among Old Dragon City's most closely guarded reserves.
Thus, among the wild cultivators who walked the Heterodox Path, a popular saying had long circulated: those who collect corpses for others are sure to be rewarded.
As Fu Nanhua passed Cai Jinjian's corpse, he did not even glance at her.
Instead, the faint scent of blood left his entire body in a state of inexplicable excitement.
One advanced while the other retreated, and they remained more than ten paces apart.
Fu Nanhua only needed to ensure that the youth could not flee the alley. Once the boy escaped, trying to catch a youth born and raised here would be like fishing for a needle in the sea. Moreover, the still-warm beauty's corpse behind him was a warning from the cart ahead. Once the youth was given enough chance to catch his breath, a "surprise" might come crashing down onto Fu Nanhua's own head.
Fu Nanhua appeared to be a cat toying with a mouse, but in truth, he was adjusting his body's rhythm. After all, ever since he had formally embarked upon cultivation at the age of nine, he had never had an opportunity to decide victory or defeat solely through close-quarters combat.
Naturally, he did not need to fight the youth to the death. That would cost him more than it gained him. Along with Cai Jinjian, this youth was another opportunity within easy reach. But he absolutely had to ensure that this unexpected youth lay obediently in bed for the near future, without the slightest chance to stir up any trouble.
Fu Nanhua suddenly asked with a smile, "By the way, what was your name again?"
The youth, whose hands continued to stream blood, answered a different question. His dark face was filled with the resilience of country wild grass. "You and she might both be unaware, but my eyesight is very good. So when she talked to me in Mud Bottle Alley, the way you looked at her was exactly the same as the way you are looking at me now."
Fu Nanhua froze for a moment. This time, he truly looked at the youth in a new light. Smacking his lips, he laughed. "Interesting. Truly interesting."
Though Fu Nanhua's words and manner seemed light as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze, he had in fact been watching the youth's left hand all along. It was still dripping blood.
That meant the youth had not relaxed his grip even once. An ordinary person would likely have long been unable to withstand that bone-piercing pain.
Only now did Fu Nanhua feel that his earlier offhand remark—what a pity—had truly struck the mark.
Feeling the time was about right, Fu Nanhua asked the final question that interested him. "You killed her so decisively. Someone must have tipped you off. I am not curious about his identity. What I cannot understand is this: how did a child raised here cross that hurdle in his heart so quickly, killing someone so... with such peace of mind? Do you understand what I mean? Even I, after killing someone for the first time, began to tremble all over once that rush of excitement faded. I had to recite a calming incantation for a long time before I felt better. But you are so calm, as if it were no different from eating or drinking. That is not reasonable..."
The youth, who had been expressionless all along, suddenly revealed a look of horror and panic. His eyes stared straight past Fu Nanhua, as if that dead, tall woman had come back to life.
Ever cautious, Fu Nanhua instinctively turned his head. When his neck had only turned halfway, his heart jolted violently.
When he turned back, because of their disparity in height, the youth had vanished from the spot directly in front of and below Fu Nanhua's line of sight!
At the critical moment of a hair's breadth.
It turned out.
After making that expression, the straw-sandaled youth had burst into a sprint without hesitation in that instant. After three steps, his left foot suddenly exerted force, launching his entire body high into the air. At last, his right foot struck the wall at one side of the alley. After a fierce rebounding turn, the youth raised his left hand high toward the high-crowned man.
The youth was truly like a Snake-Catching Eagle.