Handing the clothes to Du Yanruo, the man in white said with a light smile, "I do not have any women's clothing, so Miss, please make do with these."
Du Yanruo nodded and looked at him.
The man in white gave an "Oh" and said, "I shall step out!"
He turned and left.
Just as Du Yanruo had waited for him, the man in white waited for half an hour as well. Hearing movement behind him, he looked back and could not help but freeze.
Du Yanruo had always possessed an elegant beauty untouched by the mundane world. Even dressed in men's clothing, she carried a distinct charm.
Though she looked like that, she was in truth rather at odds with the meaning of those four words.
Yet at first glance, that was indeed the impression she gave.
The man in white cultivated in a sect and had neither senior sisters nor junior sisters. He spent every day mingling with men, and this was his first time descending the mountain. Having never spent time around a young woman, he could not help but blush.
That look of wanting to stare but not daring to, pursing his lips and lowering his head, was exceptionally charming.
Even Du Yanruo was taken aback by the sight.
He looked like he would be very easy to fool.
With all the grace of a proper young lady from a distinguished family, she curtsied and said, "Thank you, sir, for saving me just now."
The man in white hurriedly returned the salute. "I merely happened to pass by and lent a hand. Miss, there is no need to thank me."
Du Yanruo covered her face and wept softly. In grief, she said, "Why did you save me, sir? To have died at the hands of Monsters would have been a release..."
The man in white flustered. "Why would you say such a thing, Miss? One's body, hair, and skin are gifts from one's parents. How can you so lightly cast away your own life?"
Du Yanruo continued to sob. "My Household is gone. My closest kin have met with calamity, yet I lack the ability to save them. I have nowhere to go as well. What meaning is there in living?"
The man in white said solemnly, "Miss, tell me exactly what happened. If there is anything I can do, I certainly will not shirk it."
Pretending to hesitate greatly, Du Yanruo only began to speak after the man in white repeatedly urged her on. With plenty of embellishment, she described how Jiang Wang had relied on the Marquis Manor's power to humiliate her, how he had found every conceivable excuse to make things difficult for the Du Family. In short, she painted Jiang Wang as the worst villain among villains.
Sure enough, the man in white flew into a rage.
Though he could see that Du Yanruo was already at the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment stage, she had yet to become a true cultivator. The Marquis Manor's influence must have been immense. If even she could be bullied so badly, ordinary people likely lived in a sea of misery and fire.
"Do not cry, Miss. Since I, Xie Wuxing, have stumbled upon such a matter, I must intervene. There is no one in all of Kutan whom I dare not offend. A tyrant like Jiang Wang—I shall cut him down with one stroke of my sword!"
Du Yanruo had only been testing him, deliberately making Jiang Wang sound formidable in her words. Yet seeing that the man in white did not fear him in the slightest and even made such a bold declaration, she felt a small measure of joy in her heart, whether his words were true or not.
Even if the man in white was no match for Jiang Wang, it would still be a good thing if there were a chance to rescue her father and younger brother.
At once, she feigned weakness and swayed as though she were about to collapse, conveniently falling into the man in white's embrace.
Hun City, Pinglan Street.
It was already the hour of the ox.
The bustle of the temple fair was gradually fading.
Many of the stallholders had packed up and gone home as well.
Looking at Xiaoyu's rosy cheeks, Jiang Wang smiled. "Looks like you had a wonderful time. Go back and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, I'll have Sun Qingya teach you martial arts."
The White-robed Cultivator said in a low voice, "Mr. Jiang, I spotted several cultivators at the temple fair just now. Before long, the true immortality seekers may all be arriving in Hun City."
Jiang Wang had the Old Butler take Xiaoyu back to the manor first, then looked at the White-robed Cultivator in puzzlement. "There are real and fake immortality seekers?"
The Green-robed Cultivator standing nearby answered, "Whether it is us, or people like Su Lingyi and Miss Shu, we are only the first group sent to scout the way. The true experts dispatched to seek immortals are figures on Cai Tanggu's level, and that person from the Qingxuan Bureau. The immortality seekers coming to Hun City from now on will certainly not be beneath them in cultivation—perhaps they will be even stronger."
The White-robed Cultivator added, "What is more, both Fish Abyss Academy and the Qingxuan Bureau have sent people. Presumably, Sword Pavilion will not be too late either."
He exchanged a glance with the Green-robed Cultivator.
At first, they had suspected that Mr. Jiang was a disciple of Sword Pavilion. But now that they guessed Mr. Jiang was actually an immortal, he was very likely unrelated to Sword Pavilion.
"Let them come." Jiang Wang was not particularly interested. If he truly went around provoking people everywhere, he might be besieged by the masses. True hunters often appeared as prey.
But Jiang Wang truly had not expected the "prey" to arrive so quickly.
Just as he turned to return to the manor, a voice rang out. "May I ask, brother, do you know how to get to Jiang Wang's home?"
Turning around again, he saw a man in white standing before him, politely cupping his hands in greeting.
The expressions of the Green-robed and White-robed Cultivators stiffened. They could not discern the cultivation of the man in white before them!
At this hour, Pinglan Street was nearly deserted. Only the various erected platforms and the lanterns hanging throughout the city remained.
Standing on Qixia Street, Jiang Wang looked at the man in white, whose body was half across the boundary into Pinglan Street, and asked, "Why are you looking for Jiang Wang?"
The man in white recalled Du Yanruo's warning. She feared Jiang Wang deeply, and if he spoke plainly, ordinary people might be so frightened that they would instead alert Jiang Wang.
Yet he could understand that as well. How could ordinary people afford to offend a tyrant like Jiang? To protect their own safety, it was only natural for them to make some mistaken choices.
With that in mind, he smiled and said, "I have long admired the Young Marquis. Having just arrived in Hun City, I wished to pay him a visit. I hope brother can point me in the right direction."
The man in white had naturally recognized the Green-robed and White-robed Cultivators as cultivators at first glance.
At first, he thought they too were immortality seekers. But seeing them accompany Jiang Wang while Jiang Wang himself looked frail enough to be blown over by the wind, perhaps some great clan in Hun City had connections with a sect, which was why cultivators escorted and protected him.
Besides, with Du Yanruo, who was at the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment stage, as precedent, the influence of Tyrant Jiang must have been beyond imagination.
Since he was Hun City's tyrant, it was entirely understandable that even the Garrison Headquarters could do nothing to him and ordinary cultivators were suppressed by his power.
This was the problem of differing perspectives.
In small places, cultivators were difficult to encounter. But where the man in white came from, cultivators were everywhere.
He did not find it unusual for an ordinary person to have cultivators guarding them.
Not everyone in this world possessed the aptitude to cultivate. Even if one was the headmaster of a great sect, if his descendants lacked aptitude, they still had status. It was perfectly normal for disciples of the sect to protect them with all their strength, even treating them with utmost respect.
Even if Jiang Wang's circumstances were different, perhaps he simply wanted to see more of the world. So-called immortality seekers were not necessarily all cultivators. It was reasonable enough for certain young masters of deep backgrounds, who had never set foot on the path of cultivation, to follow along in search of immortals.
It was only that the man in white looked down on young masters who behaved in such a way.
He had, in fact, come up with more than one reasonable explanation.
What he had failed to consider thoroughly was that the excuse he had devised for seeking Jiang Wang was exceedingly unreasonable.
Let alone people from outside Hun City having long admired Jiang Wang, even among Hun City natives, more than half likely knew only of Jiang Wang without ever having laid eyes on him. What he was most famous for was his good looks, and even then, only young women would admire him.
If even men admired him, then there was a serious problem.
For a moment, Jiang Wang shuddered from head to toe.
When he looked at the man in white again, his gaze was full of vigilance.
Naturally, the man in white did not understand this, but he soon felt relieved.
The people of Hun City all loathed Tyrant Jiang to the bone; they merely dared to be angry but dared not speak.
Having said that he admired Jiang Wang, it was easy for people to misunderstand him as birds of a feather with Tyrant Jiang. Their guarded response was perfectly normal.
So long as he eliminated Jiang Wang, he believed all these misunderstandings would be cleared away.
For now, he could only bear it and could not reveal the truth.
This was what it meant to hide one's merit and fame deep away.
A surge of emotion welled up within him at once; his sense of justice was bursting at the seams.
Even his back straightened further.
Jiang Wang thought, Could it be that you are showing off the strength of your waist?
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
In great panic, he pointed in a certain direction. "Jiang Wang is at the Half-Day Leisure Inn. Hurry and go find him!"
The man in white asked in confusion, "Is he not the Young Marquis? Why would he be in an inn?"
Jiang Wang said with a straight face, "Then I do not know. I only saw him heading there while visiting the temple fair."
The man in white said gratefully, "Thank you, brother. I shall take my leave."
Jiang Wang waved hard. Only after watching the man in white disappear from sight did he finally let out a long breath.
The Green-robed Cultivator asked, "Mr. Jiang, is there something wrong with that man?"
Jiang Wang wiped away his sweat. "More than something wrong. He is wrong beyond words. I nearly faced a calamity of flowers withering and petals falling."
How could the Green-robed Cultivator have known that in that fleeting instant, Jiang Wang and the man in white had each thought of so many things?
Half-Day Leisure Inn.
Shu Ni and Ning Shisi had returned early from the temple fair.
They were discussing tomorrow's arrangements for seeking immortals in their room.
Suddenly, they heard someone speaking outside, and Jiang Wang's name came up. Ning Shisi pushed open the door and stepped out, only to see a man in white standing in the hall downstairs.
As it was so late, everyone in the inn had already gone to sleep. The inn clerk was slumped over the counter, half asleep and half awake, having been roused by the man in white's shout before he could react.
And when the man in white saw that only Ning Shisi had emerged after he called Jiang Wang's name, understanding dawned in his heart.
When Shu Ni came out of the room right behind him, the man in white felt that he had already guessed why the dignified Young Marquis was staying at an inn.
Though an inn was certainly not the best setting, a tyrant like Jiang Wang could do anything, and it would be reasonable.
Moreover, Shu Ni did not look willing in the slightest. She was likely being threatened by Tyrant Jiang. The man in white was exceedingly glad that he had arrived in time.
He directly drew his sword and pointed it at Ning Shisi upstairs. In a deep voice, he said, "What a tyrant, preying upon the people of the countryside! Since I have caught you red-handed in such evil deeds, consider your luck poor. Today, I shall surely take your life!"
Shu Ni stared blankly at the man in white downstairs, then looked at the equally stunned Ning Shisi. "What evil deed did you do? Someone actually came looking for you over it. Who would have thought you had such ability?"
Before her words had even faded, the man in white said again, "Do not be afraid, Miss. I came to save you!"
Shu Ni's expression became even more vacant.
Who are you?
Why are you saving me?
What happened to me?
Upon hearing Jiang Wang's name, she had been brimming with anger. Yet Jiang Wang was nowhere to be seen, so why had some fool suddenly appeared?
Ning Shisi asked in confusion, "Brother, might there be some misunderstanding?"
The man in white said coldly, "The facts are laid bare before us. What misunderstanding could there be? Tyrants like you deserve to be slain by all. Give me your life!"
Chilling sword intent instantly filled the entire inn.
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