In the teahouse of South City Alley.
Jiang Wang remained impassive, quietly drinking his tea.
The old man in coarse linen clothes had merely swept his gaze around upon entering, then found a seat and sat down like any ordinary tea drinker.
Miss Shu toyed with the long spear laid across the table and said with a light laugh, "He is a martial artist, and his cultivation is quite high. Fierce Evil Energy radiates from his entire body. He is absolutely no good man."
Jiang Wang raised a brow and tested the waters. "Can you beat him, Miss?"
Miss Shu spread her hands. "To be honest, he could beat ten of me with one hand."
Jiang Wang: "..."
For the moment, it seemed that none of the people who had come to Hun City in search of Immortal Traces were particularly formidable.
He began to suspect that he might have been a little too cautious.
Could it be that the truly important figures simply did not care about immortals at all?
Otherwise, why would they only send a bunch of useless fools?
Yet when he considered that Su Lingyi might be the direct disciple of the grand Sacrificial Wine Master of Fish Abyss Academy, and that the Miss Shu before him might also possess an extraordinary identity, perhaps they had come purely to earn merit?
But seeking immortals was itself a vague and ethereal matter. There had to be merit to earn in the first place.
Otherwise, they were here to gild themselves, merely going through the motions.
After all, Xunyang Marquis Manor also possessed books recording matters related to immortals. Jiang Wang knew that searching for immortals was the greatest undertaking of the Sui Kingdom.
Whether immortals could be found or not, as long as one searched, there would always be some merit to claim.
Unless the imperial court had gradually lost its enthusiasm for immortals, it must have had an even greater plan. It was difficult to guarantee that among the immortal seekers arriving in Hun City later, there would not be great figures above the Cave Nether Realm.
Jiang Wang felt that it was never wrong to be more cautious.
He looked at the long spear laid across the table, smiled faintly, and said, "If you want my help, it is actually very simple."
Miss Shu blinked. "You finally admit it? Go on, what do you want?"
Jiang Wang glanced at the old man not far away and lowered his voice. "You may not be able to defeat him, but as long as you help hold him off for a moment, I will agree to everything you ask."
He thought that as long as he could take the opportunity to flee back to Qixia Street, then would not everything be up to him? A promise was a promise, but whether he actually did anything was another price altogether.
Miss Shu hesitated greatly.
What she had said earlier was the truth.
The old man in coarse linen clothes had a fierce and forceful martial aura. He had presumably entered at least the Fourth Realm, the sort of existence who could seize an opening and punch a cultivator to death outright.
But then she thought that if she merely had to intercept him for a moment, it should not be too much of a problem.
How could she have known how treacherous the world was?
She believed that if she helped him, Jiang Wang would surely keep his promise.
Someone so good-looking could not be all that bad.
She directly grabbed the long spear from the table and said seriously, "It is a deal!"
Watching Miss Shu assume a stance like a child about to fight, then march fiercely toward the old man, Jiang Wang secretly sighed. What a sin. I will have the Black Flame Army come save you in time, but I definitely will not do what I promised you.
He immediately tugged at Xiaoyu's sleeve, and master and servant ran out of the teahouse without the slightest hesitation.
The old man, who had been watching Jiang Wang out of the corner of his eye all along, abruptly rose to his feet.
But Miss Shu had already blocked his path.
Just as she was about to say something to stall for time, she suddenly realized a problem.
The people from the Garrison Headquarters had said that Jiang Wang had once fought Cai Tanggu of Fish Abyss Academy and had even destroyed half of Qixia Street. By rights, he ought to be very formidable. Why had he asked her to help stop someone?
Although Miss Shu did not know who Cai Tanggu was, Fish Abyss Academy in the Divine Capital had cultivators at the peak of the Cave Nether Realm by the handful. She felt that Fish Abyss Academy in Kutan should not be much weaker.
She turned around, intending to question Jiang Wang.
Only to discover that there was not even a shadow of him left by the window.
While Miss Shu stood there stunned, the old man in coarse linen clothes strode straight past her and chased outside the teahouse.
"Stop!" Miss Shu still intercepted the old man at once.
The old man furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, "That man abandoned you here, which means he does not care whether you live or die. If you have any sense, obediently move aside. Otherwise, this old man does not mind crushing a flower with ruthless hands."
He looked outside the teahouse, where Jiang Wang had long since vanished without a trace.
Thinking that he had failed to restrain the leakage of his aura and had allowed Jiang Wang to notice the problem directly, he feared complications if he delayed any longer.
He tried to step around Miss Shu again.
But Miss Shu truly was someone who kept her promises.
She stepped back, holding her long spear horizontally before herself, as an inexplicable aura spread through the teahouse.
The surrounding tea drinkers had fled to hide by the counter from the very beginning. They often listened to storytellers recounting tales of the martial world, and the scene before them was exactly like something from one of those stories.
They were afraid, yet they were also eager with anticipation.
Although strange incidents had kept occurring in Hun City lately, the people still lived peaceful lives. It was only when murders occurred that they had panicked for a time.
They had never seen much of the world. When something happened, their first instinct was to watch the excitement.
As the saying went, outsiders watched the excitement, while insiders watched the way of things.
Since Miss Shu was targeting only the old man, the tea drinkers merely felt the temperature plummet. They had no idea how grave the situation truly was.
But the old man saw clearly that the little girl before him was actually a cultivator.
His thoughts spun rapidly. He clenched his fist and struck without hesitation.
Though he had killed cultivators more than once, if a cultivator deliberately stalled for time, they would be extremely troublesome. To break free as soon as possible, he could only seize the initiative.
It was only a single punch.
The force of the fist directly blasted apart the teahouse doors.
Even the bluestone pavement outside in South City Alley was thrown into the air.
Although Miss Shu had her long spear blocking before her, the old man's punch was simply too powerful. The spear shook violently; had its material not been special, it would likely have already snapped.
With a muffled Bang!
Miss Shu was sent flying out of the teahouse and crashed into the rouge shop across the street.
The refined young ladies selecting rouge and cosmetics inside screamed in unison.
When Miss Shu emerged from the rouge shop, the old man had already disappeared.
Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she recalled Old Xu mentioning the location of Xunyang Marquis Manor and immediately darted toward Qixia Street.
Beyond South City Alley lay Pinglan East Street.
Qixia Street was not far away now.
Xiaoyu carried Jiang Wang on her back. From a certain angle, her figure could not be seen at all.
Yet Xiaoyu seemed to bear no burden whatsoever, running at incredible speed.
Very soon, she had crossed more than half of Pinglan East Street.
"Young Master, why did you not just fight him? Why did we have to run?"
Xiaoyu thought her young master was extremely formidable. She had to obey his orders, but she simply did not understand.
Jiang Wang clung tightly around Xiaoyu and turned to look behind them.
The old man in coarse linen clothes covered several yards with each step. He would likely catch them in moments.
Though he had used someone else, Jiang Wang was somewhat worried now. That Miss Shu had not gotten herself killed, had she?
"This young master merely used the chance to shake off that young lady."
It seemed they could not escape after all. Jiang Wang patted Xiaoyu's shoulder, signaling for her to put him down.
Xiaoyu handed the Long Night Saber to Jiang Wang, then obediently retreated to the side, eagerly waiting to see her young master's imposing display.
Jiang Wang's mouth twitched.
He had already decided that, no matter what, he could never leave Qixia Street again.
"Wait!" Jiang Wang took a deep breath and raised a hand to stop the approaching old man. "Have you heard of how I defeated Cai Tanggu of Fish Abyss Academy with three punches and two kicks?"
The old man froze, then slightly shook his head.
Immediately afterward, he threw a punch.
"Old man, you have no martial virtue!"
Compared to that Jianli wearing a veiled hat, this man was clearly far more qualified. He truly did not waste a single word before going straight for the kill.
Jiang Wang panicked and raised his saber before his chest.
Crack.
Blood splashed across Pinglan Street.
The Long Night Saber was completely unharmed.
But Jiang Wang's ribs had broken.
It was the first time in his life that he had experienced such pain.
His whole body flew dozens of yards away.
Had the Long Night Saber not blocked most of the force, that punch would already have taken his life.
Even so.
Jiang Wang found it difficult to breathe. If he did not receive treatment in time, he would ascend to heaven in broad daylight.
Trembling, he raised an arm, his voice low and hoarse. "Save... save me."
Xiaoyu stood frozen in shock.
This was not the scene she had imagined.
The residents of Pinglan Street were also stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Someone dropped the Chinese cabbage in their hand.
Someone silently stuffed the jade from their stall into their clothes.
A shop assistant helping sell wine outside a tavern stood with his mouth agape, spilling wine all over the ground.
A beggar took the chance to stuff a steaming bun into his mouth, grabbed several more, and ran away like the wind.
In that brief time, many things happened on Pinglan Street.
Once they recovered their senses, they began shouting. Shop owners shut their doors outright, while pedestrians turned and ran toward home, only to stop again at a safe distance and crane their necks to watch.
Some righteous-minded residents immediately reported the matter to the Garrison Headquarters.
Miss Shu caught up to Pinglan Street.
Seeing Jiang Wang lying motionless on the ground as though he had already been beaten to death, she was greatly surprised.
Had he not supposedly defeated Cai Tanggu before?
Could the people from the Garrison Headquarters have lied to her?
The old man truly acted decisively.
He drew a short blade and, to save time, directly threw it from where he stood.
Xiaoyu had no time at all to save him.
But Miss Shu unleashed her Flying Sword.
Using Yellow Court Qi as a guide, she forcibly drew in the Qi of heaven and earth around her, driving the Flying Sword's speed to its limit.
Yet she was still one step too slow.
Just as the short blade was about to strike Jiang Wang.
A hand reached out.
It was the Old Butler, limping as he stepped before Jiang Wang.
He caught the short blade directly in one hand.
The old man's expression tightened. Knowing he had missed his best opportunity, he leaped onto the rooftops without the slightest hesitation, then vanished after several twists and bounds.
The Old Butler did not pursue him. At that moment, he was more concerned for his young master's safety.
Turning around, he carefully lifted Jiang Wang into his arms and instantly vanished from Pinglan Street.
Just as he returned to the gates of the marquis manor, Jiang Wang suddenly opened his eyes in his arms and struggled to get his feet onto the ground.
"Young Master, are you badly hurt?"
The Old Butler was extremely anxious.
Jiang Wang wore a strange expression.
Though he could not see it, he knew clearly that his broken ribs had miraculously healed.
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