Enemies Never Fail to Meet

"Sect Leader Jun, you can't talk nonsense. You can't just pretend to be a righteous hero either!"

"Sect Leader Jun, quite a few people have pretended to be righteous heroes these past few days. Without exception, they were all exposed and thrown into prison. Some even lost their heads."

"Sect Leader Jun, heed Li's advice and go back. Don't go to the City Lord's Mansion again."

Tap.

Jun Changxiao stopped and said in a deep voice, "Patriarch Li, I'll repeat myself one more time. I was the one who wiped out Black Wind Stockade!"

Patriarch Li said, "Setting aside the Great Chieftain of Black Wind Stockade's strength, that stockade alone was easy to defend and hard to attack. How could Sect Leader Jun possibly have fought his way in?"

"I..."

Jun Changxiao fell silent.

No matter how much he explained, Patriarch Li would not be convinced. Why waste his breath?

Patriarch Li said, "Sect Leader Jun, if you want to claim the thousand taels of gold, you must produce proof that you destroyed Black Wind Stockade. Otherwise, rashly going to the City Lord's Mansion will be very unfavorable for you."

He was sincerely trying to persuade him.

Moreover, he had received word that, because people had repeatedly come pretending to be righteous heroes lately, the City Lord was in a foul mood. If Sect Leader Jun went over, things would surely bode ill rather than well.

"That's right."

"How could I prove that I was the one who destroyed it?"

Jun Changxiao began to think.

After a while, his eyes gradually lit up. "Patriarch Li, I'll produce evidence."

"What evidence?"

"Don't ask. Just lead the way."

Seeing how confident he was, Patriarch Li hesitated a little. Could it be that he really destroyed Black Wind Stockade? Impossible, impossible. That's far too unbelievable!

The City Lord's Mansion stood at the eastern end of Qingyang City's largest main street. It was an imposing residence, with two stone lion beasts crouching on each side outside its gates.

"Sect Leader Jun, we should still go back." Patriarch Li led Jun Changxiao over while continuing to persuade him tirelessly.

Jun Changxiao could not be bothered with him and strode toward the gates of the City Lord's Mansion.

"Stop."

A saber-bearing guard raised his hand and shouted, "Who goes there?"

Standing with his hands behind his back, Jun Changxiao said, "Please report to the City Lord that the Iron Bone Unyielding Sect's sect leader has come to visit."

Hearing this from afar, Patriarch Li heaved a sigh of relief. Sect Leader Jun didn't say he came to claim the reward. So he was joking earlier.

Exactly.

As the leader of a sect, insisting on pretending to have done something he had not done was not merely deception—it was beneath his status.

"You're the Iron Bone Sect's sect leader?" A faintly mocking smile appeared on the saber-bearing guard's lips. "The City Lord has decreed that sects below Eighth-rate will not be received unless they have been summoned."

Jun Changxiao frowned slightly.

Even a gate guard was so arrogantly contemptuous. This world truly was cruel.

Whoosh!

He unfolded the notice he had torn down and said calmly, "Tell the City Lord that Jun is here to claim the reward."

Patriarch Li said in astonishment, "When did Sect Leader Jun tear down the notice?"

He had not seen it, and neither had the martial artists at the crossroads. Only after Jun Changxiao had been gone for a while did they realize that the notice was gone!

The saber-bearing guard said in disbelief, "You wiped out Black Wind Stockade?"

"Cut the nonsense."

Jun Changxiao said calmly, "Hurry up and report it."

The saber-bearing guard sneered. "Kid, you'd better think this through. Once I report this, prison awaits you."

"No need for your concern," Jun Changxiao said flatly.

The saber-bearing guard shook his head. "It would be understandable if any Tom, Dick, or Harry came pretending, but for the dignified leader of a sect to do something like this... you must be possessed."

As he spoke, he entered the residence.

After a long while, he came back out. "Go in."

Jun Changxiao stepped forward. As he brushed past him, he whispered, "Do you know what a watchdog is? It's one that looks down on people through a pair of dog eyes."

"You..." The saber-bearing guard glared furiously.

Jun Changxiao flicked his sleeve and left. "Wouldn't it be better to properly guard the gate? Why insist on being a watchdog?"

"That damned fellow." The saber-bearing guard was ablaze with fury, but then he sneered. "He's about to eat prison food, yet he still has the mood to mock me."

Jun Changxiao entered the residence.

The Outer Court of the City Lord's Mansion was much larger than the Iron Bone Sect. The stone slabs beneath his feet were laid in neat rows, clearly made from high-grade stone.

Ahead lay a Training Ground, while Guest Rooms rose on both sides in tier upon tier, resplendent in gold and jade.

Jun Changxiao rubbed his nose and muttered, "Once I have money, I'll definitely expand the sect until it's even more imposing than the City Lord's Mansion."

"Ambitious."

A middle-aged man emerged from the main hall ahead.

He wore brocade robes and carried himself with an imposing air, emanating the aura of someone long accustomed to a position of authority.

On the way over, Jun Changxiao had learned the City Lord's distinguishing features from Patriarch Li. He cupped his hands and said, "Iron Bone Unyielding Sect Leader Jun Changxiao greets City Lord Xie."

"Haha."

City Lord Xie laughed heartily. "I heard a little about the Hundred Sects Recruitment a month ago. Unfortunately, I was in seclusion at the time and failed to invite Sect Leader Jun here for a chat. What a pity."

Though he spoke amiably, he placed pressure on Jun Changxiao. How strong is he?

The system said, "Stronger than the Cangshan Sect Elder."

A Martial Grandmaster?

Jun Changxiao thought, No wonder the pressure is so intense.

"Sect Leader Jun."

City Lord Xie turned aside and smiled. "Please come in."

Jun Changxiao entered the main hall. Before he had even found his footing, he felt two cold, piercing gazes lock onto him.

Looking over, he saw two similar-looking middle-aged men seated in chairs to the left and right.

"Sect Leader Jun."

From the seat of honor, City Lord Xie introduced them. "These two are elders of the Spirit Spring Sect. The one on the right is Wei Yi'ai, and the one on the left is Wei Yile."

Damn.

Jun Changxiao muttered inwardly, then cupped his hands with a smile. "So they're the two elders of the Spirit Spring Sect. A pleasure, a pleasure."

"Hmph."

Wei Yile and Wei Yi'ai snorted coldly.

Their fourth brother had had one arm chopped off by this kid. Naturally, they would not show him a pleasant face.

Jun Changxiao did not care. He found himself a seat and sat down, lightly tapping his fingers on the armrest. Enemies never fail to meet.

Wei Yile and Wei Yi'ai hated him, while Sect Leader Jun also hated the Spirit Spring Sect. After all, they had secretly instigated Black Wind Stockade's abduction of his disciples.

"Sect Leader Jun."

City Lord Xie smiled. "I heard from the guard that you came to claim the reward?"

"Correct."

Jun Changxiao took out the notice.

"Hmph."

Wei Yi'ai said flatly, "With Sect Leader Jun's little bit of ability, claiming that you could destroy Black Wind Stockade—isn't that a fool's dream?"

"In my opinion, Sect Leader Jun must be short of money, which is why he came to swindle the reward." Wei Yile smiled, every inch the smiling tiger.

Picking a fight with me?

Just as Jun Changxiao was about to return the favor in kind, City Lord Xie asked, "Sect Leader Jun, how can you prove that Black Wind Stockade was destroyed by you?"

Jun Changxiao said, "To be honest with City Lord Xie, I went up the mountain alone and wiped out the chieftains of Black Wind Stockade along with more than two hundred bandits. There were no witnesses."

City Lord Xie's expression darkened.

Every martial artist who came to claim the reward used this same line. He had investigated every one of them afterward, and all had turned out to be impostors.

"With no witnesses, there's no way to prove it."

Wei Yi'ai cupped his hands and said, "City Lord Xie, in Wei's opinion, he has come for no other reason than to swindle the reward."

Wei Yile echoed him, "For the dignified leader of a sect to do something so despised by those of the martial world truly disgraces our Hundred Sect Alliance."

"Two idiots," Jun Changxiao muttered.

Bang!

Wei Yi'ai and Wei Yile slammed their palms onto the armrests in fury. "Kid, say that again if you have the guts!"

Jun Changxiao ignored them and smiled. "City Lord Xie, although I cannot produce witnesses, I can produce an item as proof."

"What item?" City Lord Xie asked.

Jun Changxiao snapped his fingers. A heavy longsword suddenly stood upright before him, its blade engraved with a lifelike azure dragon.

City Lord Xie said in astonishment, "Zhou Tianba's Azure Dragon Scythe Blade!"