Marketplace Brawl

As soon as Lin Qi followed them out, she saw a group of cultivators dressed in white with black belts on their waists chasing someone on the road, shouting, "The Tianyi Sect is apprehending a fugitive, all unrelated individuals, quickly make way!"

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

Before she could blink, Senior Sister Yuan Xi's afterimage vanished into the air.

With the appearance of the Tianyi Sect's Law Enforcement Team, the marketplace instantly descended into chaos.

Lin Qi, hearing that there was a fugitive, became extremely worried about Senior Sister Yuan Xi and cautiously followed in the direction Senior Sister Yuan Xi had left.

As she chased, she realized something was wrong.

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

Could it be that the fugitive and that scholar ran to the same place?

Lin Qi's heart leaped, her worry for Senior Sister Yuan Xi's safety growing. She subconsciously wrapped Spiritual Energy around her feet and sped up.

When she reached the edge of the marketplace, she saw Senior Sister Yuan Xi with her hands forming hand seals, drawing Spiritual Energy from all directions.

A ferocious water dragon roared from her palm. The scholar hiding behind a stall scrambled to flee.

He was flying on his sword halfway up in the air when the water dragon impacted him.

He let out a scream and crashed heavily onto the ground.

At the same time, from a corner of the stall that had already collapsed, a black-clad figure wearing a terrifying mask emerged.

The cultivators from the Law Enforcement Team held their swords aloft and shouted, "The fugitive is there!"

Senior Sister Yuan Xi's eyes swept towards the fugitive in front of her. The long sword tied behind her back automatically unsheathed, spun in the air, leaving a white afterimage.

As she cast sorcery with her hands, the sword was enveloped by the afterimage. Its sharp, cold light transformed into a stream of light. With a hiss, it instantly shot in front of the fugitive.

The black-clad fugitive raised his hand to conjure a golden shield. His gaze was fixed on the Law Enforcement Team, as if he was contemplating an escape route.

Who knew that the sword's shadow's power would surge the moment it touched the golden shield? The seemingly sturdy golden shield didn't even last a second.

The black-clad fugitive, startled, quickly mobilized his Spiritual Energy and narrowly dodged the sword's shadow, a bloody gash appearing on his arm.

He finally began to take Senior Sister Yuan Xi, this young girl, seriously.

A golden rattle slipped from his sleeve into his palm.

As the rattle moved, its all-pervasive sound stimulated the eardrums of the cultivators in all directions. The members of the Law Enforcement Team were all frozen in place.

Some even began to bleed from their seven orifices, screaming in agony.

Yuan Xi subconsciously looked at Lin Qi, "Junior Sister, be careful!"

Her palm flickered, and she threw a white water sphere, instantly protecting Lin Qi.

The black-clad fugitive grinned and was about to retreat stealthily.

Suddenly, a chill appeared behind him.

He spun around abruptly and saw Yuan Xi hovering calmly in the air, her sword standing upright behind her.

"Who are you?! Don't court trouble!" he warned, feigning ferocity.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Xi's figure moved forward silently.

Her sword swept out, afterimages overlapping, cold water vapor coiling around it.

Her gentle, jade-like demeanor was instantly replaced by a chilling sharpness. The sword's edge was as fast as lightning.

The aura of Great Perfection Foundation Establishment radiated outwards, instantly widening the black-clad fugitive's eyes in shock.

The black-clad fugitive threw the golden rattle in his hand. The rattle instantly magnified countless times, and the sound of its striking also amplified, turning into an invisible attack that spread everywhere.

The sword's edge collided with the golden rattle. The crisp striking sound spread outwards in wave-like patterns.

Yuan Xi merely frowned. The hand holding the sword did not waver. She thrust forward, instantly leaving a crack on the golden rattle.

The crack expanded instantaneously, and the golden rattle exploded in an instant, shattering into pieces.

The powerful Spiritual Energy shockwave rebounded onto the black-clad fugitive. He let out a scream and was sent flying directly.

At the same time, a water chain coiled around Yuan Xi's sword, and in a flash, it bound the black-clad fugitive lying on the ground.

She sheathed her sword and immediately rushed towards Lin Qi's location.

"Junior Sister, are you alright?!"

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

Unfortunately, Yuan Xi was still worried. After sheathing her sword, she pulled Lin Qi and carefully examined her from head to toe, only breathing a sigh of relief when she confirmed Lin Qi had no injuries.

"It's all my fault for being too hasty, I almost got you hurt."

Lin Qi quickly said, "Senior Sister was thinking of me, how can you blame yourself?! Besides, it's because of Senior Sister's protection that I am safe and sound."

As the two were speaking, a young cultivator from the Law Enforcement Team stepped forward with his sword, cupped his fists, and said, "Thank you for your help, Senior Sister Yuan Xi!"

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

She looked at the bowing cultivator with slight surprise, "Junior Brother Chen, you were leading the Law Enforcement Team today? Why did you come to the marketplace to catch a fugitive?"

Chen Lin's face flushed with embarrassment. "That fugitive is skilled at hiding and using sound attacks. Our group chased him all the way from Law Enforcement Peak, and we almost lost him several times. If not for Senior Sister Yuan Xi's assistance, I fear he would have escaped again."

"It was nothing, really. I just happened to run into the thief while looking for my junior sister. Since you're here, you can take this scoundrel back to Law Enforcement Peak with you."

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

Chen Lin quickly signaled for his men to step forward and tie up the scholar.

Lin Qi noticed that the eyes of this Law Enforcement Peak disciple kept lingering on Senior Sister Yuan Xi, with an intensity that seemed a bit too eager... Could it be what she was thinking?

"Why are you still standing there blankly? Hurry up and take your money pouch back." Senior Sister Yuan Xi moved the pouch closer to Lin Qi.

Just as Lin Qi reached out to take it, a male voice suddenly appeared from nowhere, "Hold on!"

An elder with a gaunt face, leading a team in armor, chased after them from the marketplace.

Chen Lin and Senior Sister Yuan Xi bowed simultaneously, "Elder Lu."

Elder Lu let out a soft snort and waved his large hand, "Arrest all these people who are disturbing the order of the marketplace!"

What?!

Yuan Xi and Chen Lin looked up simultaneously, their eyes filled with unconcealed surprise.

Chen Lin subconsciously explained, "Elder Lu, we came to the marketplace on orders to pursue a fugitive..."

Elder Lu didn't want to hear his explanation, "You're acting on orders, and I'm acting according to the rules. Fighting is forbidden in the marketplace, you know that, right?!"

"You..." Chen Lin's face showed a hint of anger, but he didn't struggle. "Does Elder Lu know the consequences of disrupting Law Enforcement Peak's mission?!"

Elder Lu was fearless and sneered, "I'll await the presence of the Law Enforcement Peak Master in the marketplace!"

At the same time, the guards beside him prepared to tie up Yuan Xi and take her away.

Yuan Xi, shielding Lin Qi, said calmly, "Is Elder Lu also planning to await my master in the marketplace?"

Elder Lu's expression froze for a moment, but after his gaze swept over the scholar and the fugitive on the ground, he immediately straightened up. "What, are you trying to threaten me with your master, little one?"

"Even if True Monarch Qingyun herself came, she couldn't violate the rules of the marketplace!"

Senior Sister Yuan Xi smiled faintly and didn't resist, instead allowing the guards to approach. "Elder Lu is right."

"However, my junior sister did not participate in this fight. She merely encountered a thief innocently. Could you perhaps send someone to escort her back to Zonglei Peak?"