"Your Highness, are you referring to Senior Brother Zhao, Zhao Bin, the Personal Disciple of Elder Yuechi of Kongyuan Mountain?"
Chen Yan said slowly.
"Exactly!"
Cloud King replied.
"I know Senior Brother Zhao. He's always looked after me."
Chen Yan said.
"I see."
Cloud King nodded.
"Six years ago, Immortal Master Zhao visited my residence. At the time, I was gravely ill and on the verge of death. It was a pill from Immortal Master Zhao that saved my life.
"By the time I recovered, Immortal Master Zhao had already left Taiyun City. I've always wanted to repay him, but never found the chance. Now I've met Immortal Master Chen instead. This is truly wonderful."
So that was the reason.
Cloud King continued asking, "May I ask what your relationship is with Immortal Master Zhao, Immortal Master Chen?"
"Elder Yuechi is my martial uncle, so Senior Brother Zhao and I see each other often."
Chen Yan replied.
Cloud King's pupils contracted slightly. He knew, of course, that Elder Yuechi was the Personal Disciple of Yun Yichen, the current Sect Master of Empty Mountain Sect. If Yuechi was this young man's martial uncle, then that meant...
"May I ask who your master is, Immortal Master Chen?"
"Lin Qifeng."
"Elder Lin?"
Cloud King smiled.
"Seeing you dressed in the robes of Kongyuan Mountain, I presume Elder Lin has already been promoted and returned to Kongyuan Mountain. That's wonderful, truly wonderful!"
Although Qin Ming, the Cloud King, was a mere mortal, he was still the ruler of Taiyun City.
Taiyun City was also the secular city closest to Empty Mountain Sect, so Cloud King knew quite a bit about the sect, especially its Outer Court.
After all, the sect's dealings with the Mortal Dynasty depended entirely on Empty Mountain Sect's Outer Court. The Outer Court even stationed an Outer Court steward in Taiyun City.
As for Zhao Bin saving Cloud King, that had simply been a chance encounter when Zhao Bin passed through Taiyun City.
"Promoted? He was dismissed!"
Before Chen Yan could answer, Qian Xun, standing behind him, spoke up first.
His cheeks were still faintly red and somewhat swollen.
"Qian Xun," Lu Li said slowly, "show some respect to your fellow sect elder."
Qian Xun had just called Lin Qifeng by his full name. Lin Qifeng was a Personal Disciple of Sect Master Yun Yichen, as well as a Qi Sea Realm cultivator. Both his status and strength far surpassed Qian Xun's by several ranks.
"Senior Lu, what's there to respect about a bastard who cheated in the Outer Court Grand Competition as an auxiliary disciple and even got a sect prodigy killed?"
As he spoke, Qian Xun's eyes flashed with cruelty and scorn.
"A piece of trash like that should've died on the Back Cliff of Kongyuan Mountain!"
"Qian Xun, don't you dare make a scene in the prince's residence!" Zheng Fei finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up to stop him.
"You insignificant Outer Court ant! What gives you the right to raise your voice at me?"
As he spoke, Qian Xun stepped forward and even straightened his collar, making the wave pattern on his chest stand out more.
Lu Li's expression began to turn cold.
Even when Lu Li had killed Chen Yan with Kongshan Finger in a past Reincarnation, his expression hadn't been this cold.
"Immortal Master, are you a disciple of Yuanhua Mountain?" Cloud King asked with an unchanged expression, smiling toward Qian Xun.
"I am."
Qian Xun lifted his chin, pride shining in his eyes.
"May I ask which elder you study under?"
Cloud King continued.
Qian Xun paused, then answered, "I don't have a master yet."
"How strange. Why don't you have a master even now?"
"..."
Qian Xun didn't answer at once. He only parted his lips.
"It's not that he doesn't want to take a master. It's that nobody wants him," Zheng Fei murmured from the side.
"Pfft!"
Li Xiuxiu laughed too.
Qian Xun's face turned scarlet, even redder than it had been when Chen Yan slapped him.
Cloud King merely watched with a smile, pretending he knew nothing about what was going on.
In truth, he'd been the one fanning the flames.
"You may all leave for now. I'll discuss the rest with His Highness and the County Princess."
Lu Li said calmly.
"Yes."
Chen Yan answered first.
"Manager Yang, take the Immortal Masters to rest. Have the residence's finest tea and pastries prepared for them," Cloud King instructed.
"Yes."
Manager Yang replied.
Chen Yan, Zheng Fei, Li Xiuxiu, and Qian Xun left the hall with Manager Yang.
Along the way, Qian Xun's expression was so dark it seemed water might drip from it. No one knew what he was thinking.
Manager Yang led them to a courtyard and left. Only then did Qian Xun suddenly step in front of Zheng Fei, who had just sat down near a stone platform.
"Get up," Qian Xun said, glaring at Zheng Fei.
"What for?" Zheng Fei frowned, looking at him with clear displeasure.
"A spar."
"Why should I spar with you? Go cool your head somewhere else!" Zheng Fei sneered.
After being mocked again, Qian Xun finally snapped. He raised a palm and struck toward Zheng Fei's face.
Zheng Fei hurriedly dodged to the side, rolled twice across the ground, then got back to his feet.
Boom!
The stone platform where Zheng Fei had just been was crushed into powder in an instant.
"Are you crazy?"
Cold sweat ran down Zheng Fei's nape. He knew very well that if he hadn't dodged and taken that blow, he'd likely be in grave danger.
Qian Xun had truly meant to kill him.
Surging Wave Palm.
Chen Yan recognized the technique. In his first life, he had once gone on a mission with disciples from Yuanhua Mountain. Their task had been to clear the Demonic Beasts prowling near a town.
The Yuanhua Mountain disciple had used this move. It was said that the technique was required training for Yuanhua Mountain cultivators, and could only be performed after learning the version of Empty Mountain Art modified by Yuanhua Mountain.
The method of circulating qi for Surging Wave Palm was extremely unusual. Its power was astonishing, but it could also easily injure the meridians.
"What's there to be arrogant about, you Outer Court ant? You're a good-for-nothing who'll never break through to the Martial Spring Realm in your entire life!"
Qian Xun raised his foot and kicked toward Zheng Fei again.
Zheng Fei hurriedly dodged once more, rolling twice across the ground before scrambling to his feet.
It wasn't that he didn't want to fight back. He simply couldn't win.
Although both of them were in the Qi Condensation Realm Early-stage, Qian Xun was an Inner Sect Disciple. The techniques he practiced and the way he trained were vastly different from Zheng Fei's.
When an Outer Court Disciple really faced an Inner Sect Disciple, the disadvantage was even greater than one might imagine.
Chen Yan was utterly stunned. Since crossing into this world, through all his countless Reincarnations, this was the first time he'd discovered—
Could there really be someone this brain-dead in the world?
"Senior Brother Chen!" Li Xiuxiu looked at the scene, growing anxious.
She couldn't even beat Zheng Fei, let alone Qian Xun.
"I'll go get Instructor Lu!"
"Don't," Chen Yan said. "I'll take care of it."
In the next instant, Chen Yan's Spiritual Sense stirred, and a black thread merged into the shadow beneath his feet.
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