Yan Chihuo hurriedly said, "Many thanks, Manor Lord. I truly don't deserve any credit. Without your support, how could I have gotten where I am today? Once I reach the Cloud Soaring Sect, I'll live up to your trust and follow the young master's arrangements with all my heart."
Though he said this, he still had some doubts. As he hesitated, Ping Fei said, "Take it now. Yun'er knows what symptoms appear after someone eats this immortal fruit. Otherwise, if you take it alone, you might get suspicious and imagine all sorts of things."
Hearing the words "imagine all sorts of things," Yan Chihuo knew he couldn't refuse. He took the fruit, put it in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed. It was exceedingly sweet, more delicious than anything he had ever tasted. After eating it, he felt a warm glow in his belly, and he didn't want to move a muscle.
At that moment, he spotted a plume of multicolored smoke rising outside the manor and was about to tell Ping Fei. But then he realized he couldn't utter a single word. The world spun around him, and he fell to the ground. Just before he lost consciousness, he heard Ping Yun sigh. "This Demon Immortal Fruit really is poisonous."
Seeing Yan Chihuo lying on the ground, Ping Fei shook his head and said, "Give him a proper burial. What a waste." He looked up and froze. Most of Tiger Roar Manor was shrouded in five-colored smoke. "What's that?"
Ping Yun looked up as well, his expression changing drastically. "The Five Poison Cloud Smoke Cover! Which elder of the Great Dharma Gate is this?" He muttered an incantation and formed a hand seal. A streak of blue light rose from his body, soon covering him from head to toe. He was about to pull Ping Fei over when the five-colored smoke swept in at astonishing speed, shrouding all of Tiger Roar Manor. Ping Fei swayed, then fell to the ground.
Ping Yun was horrified. He knew just how deadly the Five Poison Cloud Smoke Cover was and tried to run outside the manor. But after he had taken only a dozen or so steps, the blue light around him had dimmed considerably, and he had already expended more than a third of his internal magical energy.
Meanwhile, at Cloud Sun Manor, Zhou Fang was resting in his room when he heard a commotion outside. "What's going on?" he shouted. Just then, with a crash, four burly men flew into the hall and hit the ground. Blood poured from each of their throats. An old man in yellow, holding a long sword, strolled in right behind them.
At the sight of him, Zhou Fang somehow immediately thought of Gao Kun. This man gave him an even more formidable impression than Gao Kun had. Zhou Fang flicked both hands, sending more than ten Flying Daggers shooting toward him. The man in yellow made no obvious move, yet his body shot backward so quickly that the daggers couldn't catch him. He swung his long sword and cut down three more men.
Zhou Fang was horrified and turned to flee, but a streak of golden light flashed by, and he knew nothing more. After killing Zhou Fang, the man in yellow went on a killing spree through Cloud Sun Manor. Not a single person could withstand one move from him. A moment later, he broke into a secret chamber. It was a prison, but only one cell was occupied, by a woman. The other cells were empty.
The woman's clothes were in disarray, and a burly man had pinned her to the ground. When he saw the man in yellow, he froze. Before he could speak, the man in yellow cut him down with a single stroke.
The man in yellow glanced at the woman. She was no longer young, but she still had her charms and remained a rare beauty. He asked, "Who are you?"
The woman was Hua Ling. After she had led Zhou Fang to collect the silver that day, Zhou Fang had coveted her beauty and enjoyed her for a few days before throwing her in this cell, where he left her at the mercy of the manor guards.
Hua Ling covered herself with her clothes and wept. "I'm Hua Ling. The people of Cloud Sun Manor imprisoned me and humiliated me in every way. I thought I'd never escape death, but thankfully, the immortal master saved me."
The man in yellow was taken aback. "How did you know I was a cultivator?"
Hua Ling replied, "A few days ago, the young master of the Golden Sword Gang came here. He was just like you, immortal master. I saw him then, so I recognized you."
The man in yellow nodded. "I've killed everyone in Cloud Sun Manor. You should leave quickly."
Hua Ling got dressed, thanked the man in yellow, and hurried away. But as she passed him, he caught sight of a red mole beside her ear and suddenly called out, "Your name is Hua Ling. Could you be a descendant of the Southern Capital Hua Family, famous for the Falling Flower Sword Art? What relation is Hua Sheng to you?"
Hua Ling paused. "Hua Sheng was my father, but the Hua Family was expelled from the martial world long ago. He has also passed away."
The man in yellow said, "Then it seems fate brought me here to save you. Forty years ago, I nearly froze to death on the road, but your father saved me. You were still an infant then, and you already had that red mole beside your ear."
Hua Ling had never expected to have a connection with this man. Yet he looked no more than thirty. By his account, he had to be at least fifty. It seemed immortals knew how to preserve their youth.
She sank to her knees and pleaded, "Please, immortal master, take me as your disciple and teach me immortal arts so I can avenge myself."
The man in yellow shook his head. "I've killed everyone in Cloud Sun Manor. My senior brother went to Tiger Roar Manor, so I expect it suffered the same fate. As for taking disciples, I haven't even graduated from my master's tutelage. How could I dare take one? Besides, you're already old, so you have little hope of cultivating."
Hua Ling refused to give up. She kowtowed and begged bitterly, "Please, immortal master, grant my wish. Even if you can't take me as your disciple, you can take me as a servant. I can endure any hardship."
The man in yellow shook his head again, then suddenly thought of something. "I can't keep you, but it's not impossible for you to learn the Dao. At your age and with your aptitude, I can only recommend you to Red Glow Manor. The manor's Lady Red Glow and I have only a slight acquaintance, so I can't promise she'll take you in. Besides, her Daoist arts follow their own path. Many people call them unorthodox, and her methods of cultivation are somewhat disreputable. Are you willing?"
Hua Ling hurriedly replied, "I am. If I can learn the Dao, I'll do anything."
The man in yellow sighed. "Come with me. Pick out some treasures from Cloud Sun Manor. They'll serve as a gift when you meet Lady Red Glow. And you don't have a penny on you, so how could you travel to Red Glow Manor?"
They left the prison. The man in yellow selected some treasures and silver from Cloud Sun Manor. Somehow, he had a bag that could hold tens of thousands of taels of silver. He gave Hua Ling just over a hundred taels in silver and several banknotes worth tens of thousands of taels, along with rare gems and coral. He also took a jade slip and said, "When you meet Lady Red Glow, give her this jade slip. If she still remembers our old friendship, she'll take you in. But her cultivation is now profound, and I can't be sure she'll remember what happened back then."
Then he pointed out the road to Red Glow Manor and sent Hua Ling on her way. Afterward, he set a great fire and burned Cloud Sun Manor to the ground.
Before you continue