Marketplace Brawl

Lin Qi had just followed them out when she saw a group of cultivators in white robes with black belts around their waists chasing someone down the street, shouting, "The Tianyi Sect is apprehending a fugitive! All uninvolved parties, clear out at once!"

Lin Qi spotted Yuan Xi amid the crowd and only had time to shout, "Senior Sister, be careful!"

Then she could only watch helplessly as Senior Sister Yuan Xi's afterimage vanished into the air.

With the Tianyi Sect's Law Enforcement Team appearing, the Marketplace descended into chaos in an instant.

Hearing that there was a fugitive about, Lin Qi was especially worried about Senior Sister Yuan Xi. She cautiously followed in the direction Senior Sister Yuan Xi had gone.

But as she chased after her, she realized something was wrong.

Why was the Law Enforcement Team running in this direction too?!

Could the fugitive and that scholar have fled toward the same place?

Lin Qi's heart jolted. Growing even more concerned for Senior Sister Yuan Xi's safety, she instinctively wrapped spiritual energy around her feet and sped after her.

By the time she reached the edge of the Marketplace, she saw Senior Sister Yuan Xi forming hand seals with both hands, drawing in spiritual energy from all directions.

A fierce-faced water dragon roared from her palm, sending the scholar, who had been hiding behind a stall, fleeing in panic.

He flew into the air on his sword, only to be struck by the water dragon.

With a scream, he crashed viciously onto the ground.

At the same time, another man in black wearing a terrifying mask crawled out from the corner of a mostly collapsed stall.

The Law Enforcement Team cultivators pointed their swords and shouted, "The fugitive is there!"

Senior Sister Yuan Xi's gaze swept over the fugitive before her. The longsword strapped to her back automatically flew from its sheath, spun once through the air, and left behind a white afterimage.

As she cast her technique with both hands, the longsword was shrouded in afterimages. Its sharp cold gleam turned into a streak of light, let out a piercing cry, and shot toward the fugitive in an instant.

The black-clad fugitive raised a hand and formed a golden shield, his gaze fixed on the Law Enforcement Team as though he were calculating how to escape.

Who would have thought that the sword shadow's power would surge the moment it touched the golden shield? The seemingly sturdy shield did not last even a second.

Frightened, the black-clad fugitive hurriedly mobilized his spiritual energy and narrowly dodged the sword shadow, but his arm was slashed open with a bloody wound.

Only then did he finally take Yuan Xi, this young girl, seriously.

A golden rattle slipped from his sleeve into his palm.

As the rattle shook, its all-pervasive sound pierced the eardrums of cultivators in every direction, freezing every member of the Law Enforcement Team in place.

Some even bled from all seven orifices, their screams rising one after another.

Yuan Xi instinctively looked toward Lin Qi. "Junior Sister, be careful!"

With a flick of her palm, she threw out a white water sphere that instantly protected Lin Qi.

The black-clad fugitive grinned, about to silently seize the chance to retreat.

A chill suddenly rose behind him.

He whipped around and saw Yuan Xi calmly suspended in midair, her longsword standing behind her back.

"Who are you?! Don't go looking for trouble!" he warned viciously.

The moment his words fell, Yuan Xi's figure silently moved forward.

Her longsword swept out, afterimages layering over one another as icy water vapor coiled around it.

Her gentle, jade-like bearing was instantly replaced by cold, razor-sharp menace, and her blade flashed like lightning.

The aura of Great Perfection Foundation Establishment spread out, making the black-clad fugitive's eyes widen in shock.

The black-clad fugitive tossed out the golden bell in his hand. It instantly expanded countless times over, and the sound of its ringing amplified with it, becoming invisible attacks that filled the surrounding area.

The sword blade crashed against the golden bell, and the crisp chime spread outward in rippling waves.

Yuan Xi merely frowned. Her sword hand did not tremble in the slightest as she thrust forward, instantly leaving a crack on the golden bell.

The crack expanded in an instant, and the golden bell exploded at once, shattering into fragments.

The violent spiritual energy backlash struck the black-clad fugitive. He screamed and was sent flying.

At the same time, a water chain spiraled from Yuan Xi's sword, binding the black-clad fugitive lying on the ground in the blink of an eye.

She put away her sword and immediately hurried toward Lin Qi.

"Junior Sister, are you all right?!"

"Thanks to Senior Sister's timely help, I'm fine."

Still, Yuan Xi was not at ease. After putting away her sword, she pulled Lin Qi over and carefully examined her from head to toe. Only after confirming that Lin Qi had no wounds did she let out a breath.

"It was all because I was too hasty. I nearly got you hurt."

Lin Qi hurriedly said, "Senior Sister only acted out of concern for me. How could I blame you?! Besides, with Senior Sister protecting me, I was able to come through unharmed."

As the two spoke, a young cultivator from the Law Enforcement Team stepped forward with his sword and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Sister Yuan Xi, for lending us your aid!"

Senior Sister Yuan Xi put away the worry on her face and shielded Lin Qi behind her.

She looked at the cultivator paying his respects, slightly surprised. "Junior Brother Chen, you were leading the Law Enforcement Team today? Why did you come to the Marketplace to catch a fugitive?"

Chen Lin looked embarrassed. "That fugitive is skilled at hiding and Sound Attack. Our group chased him all the way from Law Enforcement Peak and nearly lost him several times. If not for Senior Sister Yuan Xi's help, he would likely have escaped again."

"It was merely a small effort, not worth mentioning. I happened to run into him while catching a thief for my junior sister. Since you are here, take this thief back to Law Enforcement Peak with you as well."

As she spoke, Senior Sister Yuan Xi stepped forward and pulled Lin Qi's money pouch from the scholar's waist.

Chen Lin quickly had someone step forward to bind the scholar.

Lin Qi noticed that this Law Enforcement Peak disciple's gaze had been following Senior Sister Yuan Xi the entire time, a little too fervently... Could it be what she thought?

"Why are you still standing there foolishly? Hurry and take your money pouch back." Senior Sister Yuan Xi held the pouch out toward Lin Qi.

Just as Lin Qi was about to reach out and take it, a male voice suddenly rang out from nowhere. "Hold it!"

A gaunt-faced elder led a group clad in armor as they chased into the Marketplace.

Chen Lin and Senior Sister Yuan Xi saluted at the same time. "Elder Lu."

Elder Lu gave a cold snort and swept out his hand. "Arrest every last one of these people who disrupted order in the Marketplace!"

What?!

Yuan Xi and Chen Lin looked up at the same time, unable to hide the surprise in their eyes.

Chen Lin instinctively explained, "Elder Lu, we only came to the Marketplace because we were ordered to pursue and capture a fugitive..."

Elder Lu had no intention of listening. "You were carrying out orders, and I am acting according to the rules. Fighting is forbidden in the Marketplace. Don't tell me you didn't know that?!"

"You..." Anger showed on Chen Lin's face, but he did not resist. "Elder Lu, do you know the consequences of interfering with Law Enforcement Peak's execution of its duties?!"

Elder Lu was utterly fearless and sneered. "I shall await Law Enforcement Peak's master here in the Marketplace!"

At the same time, the guards beside him prepared to bind Yuan Xi and take her away as well.

Protecting Lin Qi, Yuan Xi said unhurriedly, "Elder Lu, are you also prepared to await my master here in the Marketplace?"

The expression on Elder Lu's face froze, but after his gaze swept over the scholar and fugitive on the ground, he immediately straightened his back. "What, you little brat think you can threaten me with your master?"

"Even if True Monarch Qingyun came in person, she could not violate the Marketplace's rules!"

Senior Sister Yuan Xi smiled faintly. Rather than resisting, she allowed the guards to step forward. "Elder Lu is right."

"However, my junior sister did not participate in this fight. She merely encountered a thief through no fault of her own. Could you send someone to escort her back to Zonglei Peak?"