I Say You People Are Despicable

At a mountainside stood a thatched shelter, a resting place for travelers passing by. An old man stayed here year-round, brewing tea to sell to thirsty passersby.

Xiang Tian sat inside and ordered a pot of tea. Beside him sat the Changning Immortal King. Today, the Immortal King had assumed the appearance of an ordinary man. Xiang Tian was not at all surprised that he had managed to find him.

Pouring the Immortal King a cup of tea, Xiang Tian looked somewhat helpless.

Changning found this rather amusing and teased, "Well? Jade Pool has announced it to the whole world, telling you to hurry back and marry Ning Rong. Yet you're still leisurely drinking tea here?"

Xiang Tian grew irritated at those words and snorted coldly. "Marry Ning Rong? Does everyone at Jade Pool have something wrong with their heads? I admit I was in the wrong first, but they can't make me throw away the rest of my life over this, can they?"

The Changning Immortal King smiled, feeling that Xiang Tian had a point. He recalled the rumors that had recently spread like wildfire—rumors that Xiang Tian had secretly slept with the Jade Pool Holy Maiden at the academy. It was a heavy hammer blow to the Immortal Academy's reputation.

Today was still manageable. Just two days ago, when Xiang Tian had first heard the news, he had been so furious he nearly exploded. He had wanted to immediately summon people to tear Jade Pool apart and ask who had given them the nerve to do such a thing. But considering how important Jade Pool was to the Nine Heavens, touching it would throw the entire Heavenly Realm into upheaval, so the matter had been dropped.

Still, now the whole world was spreading word that he was a heartless scumbag. When Xiang Tian thought about it carefully, his reputation was not all that different from the Changning Immortal King's in his younger days.

After all, everyone knew perfectly well about the twists and turns in the relationship between the Changning Immortal King and the Queen Mother of the West.

Looking at Xiang Tian, the Changning Immortal King suddenly asked, "You don't plan to return to the academy?"

Xiang Tian shook his head. "There's no need to go back. I want to wander around for a while. I'm just afraid that if I return, the Queen Mother of the West will come charging at you and demand that you hand me over."

Seeing Xiang Tian's deliberately solemn act and the expression of someone barely holding back his laughter, the Changning Immortal King was left speechless. He knew this brat was up to no good.

At the thought of Qu Ying, even now, his heart still trembled. You simply could not imagine what that woman had once done to him!

Back then, he had been young and hot-blooded, devoted wholeheartedly to the Dao. After he had rejected Qu Ying time and again, that woman had drugged him! Drugged him!

Even now, the Changning Immortal King was still terrified whenever he recalled it. If Qu Ying's family had not once done him a favor, he would have wanted nothing more than to slap that woman to death!

Afterward, Qu Ying had continued clinging to him relentlessly, repeatedly looking for opportunities. The pain of clearly wanting to strike back, yet being unable to do so because of all sorts of reasons—the stifled frustration of it all—he understood it well.

At that thought, the Immortal King could no longer remain calm. Even now, remembering it made him furious. His gaze turned resolute as he looked at Xiang Tian. "Don't worry. If Qu Ying makes another move against you, I'll personally intervene."

Seeing the Immortal King make such a solemn promise, Xiang Tian suddenly grew curious. Just what had the Queen Mother of the West done to torment the Immortal King in the past for him to harbor such deep resentment?

Realizing he had lost his composure, the Immortal King hurriedly took a sip of tea and regained his tranquil expression. "Since you're unwilling to return, it's good to go out and look around. I heard that a secret realm will soon appear at Wu Mountain in the west. You can go take a look and seek out some fortuitous opportunities while you're at it. Oh, no—for you, it'll just be a simple matter of picking up those opportunities."

Xiang Tian: ...

Immortal King, are you scared? The moment you heard the Queen Mother of the West's name, you decided you couldn't play anymore?

Sensing Xiang Tian's suspicious gaze, the Changning Immortal King looked elsewhere and casually chatted for a few more sentences before leaving on the excuse that he had important matters to attend to.

Wu Mountain was considered a fairly famous mountain range, renowned for being shrouded in dark clouds year-round and drenched in endless rain. As for the mysteries within it, great powers disdained to study them, while lesser cultivators could not uncover anything even if they tried.

By the time Xiang Tian arrived at the foot of Wu Mountain, quite a few people had already gathered there. Tents had been set up and bonfires lit. Fine rain fell from the sky. Knowing that he was now something of a celebrity, Xiang Tian deliberately put on a silver mask and walked beneath a red oil-paper umbrella.

His arrival drew many gazes, but they soon lost interest.

At a time like this, everyone had come for the secret treasures and fortuitous opportunities. Hiding one's identity and appearance was perfectly normal.

He found an unoccupied spot beneath a tree. The endless drizzle made people feel restless, especially when he saw everyone glancing here and there, as if wary of someone, yet also like shifty-eyed thieves waiting for an opportunity to make their move.

Since what the eye did not see could not trouble the heart, Xiang Tian leaned against the roots of the tree, closed his eyes, and began to rest.

In a place where fish and dragons mingled together, he looked utterly out of place.

Very quickly, someone else noticed him. Several burly men dressed like mercenaries were drinking and boasting to one another.

"Let's make a bet. Do you think that guy's asleep?"

"I've been watching him for a while. He hasn't moved at all—he's probably asleep. Sleeping in a place like this, he's got some real nerve."

"Not necessarily. It's so noisy here. It'd be strange if he could sleep."

The men talked over one another, voicing their opinions.

"Hey, Scarface, aren't you bold? Take that guy's mask off, and I'll give you one hundred Sky Crystals. How about it?"

Scarface curled his lip. "One hundred? Not doing it. At least two hundred!"

"Deal!"

People like them could never stay idle. The word "honest" simply did not apply to them.

Scarface grinned and rose to his feet, then crept toward Xiang Tian on tiptoe.

Everyone stopped talking, wanting to see what crooked scheme this reckless mercenary had in mind.

Quietly reaching out, Scarface planned to take off Xiang Tian's mask while he slept and easily pocket two hundred Sky Crystals.

But Xiang Tian being asleep was merely what he thought.

Xiang Tian suddenly grabbed his wrist. He made no other move, only spoke a few words.

"Are all mercenaries like this? Always looking for thrills when there's nothing to do?"

"If you think your lives are too long, wait until the secret realm opens before you go looking for death."

"Or do you think I'm alone and easy to bully?"

After saying that, Xiang Tian gave a fierce pull. Scarface immediately let out a pig-slaughtering scream. His entire arm drooped limply at his side—without breaking the flesh, Xiang Tian had actually torn the bone apart.

"Scarface!"

The remaining mercenaries cried out. Their eyes widened as they hurriedly grabbed the tools they used to make a living from beside them.

Their swords and sabers were mottled with bloodstains that had long fused into the metal through the passage of time, making them especially chilling to behold in their hands.

Xiang Tian half-sat up and looked at them. "What, I called you cheap, and you don't accept it?"

"Accept my granny's leg!"

The burly man who had proposed the wager earlier raised his broadsword, about to slash at him.

But the very next second, their legs went weak, and they dropped to their knees.

Because the absolute suppression radiating from Xiang Tian's realm left them no choice but to submit.

This was a freaking Spirit Transformation cultivator!

The few of them were scared witless. Then came Xiang Tian's question, carrying little emotion.

"I said you're cheap. Do you refuse to accept it?"