First Meeting with Xiao Yi Xian

Lu Heng grumbled inwardly, but he ignored those stares and continued deeper into town, planning to visit the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

Yet sometimes, trouble was like chewing gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe—the harder you tried to shake it off, the tighter it clung.

"Yo, which family's young master got himself lost?" a mocking voice suddenly called from ahead.

Lu Heng did not stop walking or even raise his head. He merely shifted slightly, intending to go around.

"Hey! I'm talking to you. Are you deaf?"

The owner of that voice clearly had no intention of letting this "fat sheep" go so easily.

A large, callused hand shot out and directly blocked Lu Heng's path.

Lu Heng stopped and slowly raised his head.

Blocking his way was a man in his thirties, dressed in worn leather armor. A centipede-like scar crawled from his left brow bone to the corner of his mouth. With a crooked grin, he looked at Lu Heng mockingly.

"Lai San, your hand is reaching a little too far. The kid's obviously a greenhorn from out of town. You can really bring yourself to prey on him?"

A mercenary squatting against the wall and basking in the sun egged him on.

Scarface, called Lai San, chuckled without taking offense. He merely rubbed his fingers together at Lu Heng.

"Green Mountain Town may only have one street, but not just anyone gets to stroll around it. Little brother, you look unfamiliar. Don't know the rules here? Toll fee, fifty gold coins."

Fifty gold coins?

Several mercenaries watching the show could not help whistling.

Lai San was really asking for the moon. Usually, he only demanded a few coins as a token. Today, seeing that this boy was bundled up tightly and that the black robe was made of decent material, he had decided to slaughter Lu Heng as some fat sheep who had run away from home.

Lu Heng looked at the filthy hand extended before his eyes and frowned slightly.

He was now a six-star Dou Zhe.

As for Lai San, his aura was unsteady. Though he was a seven-star Dou Zhe, the Dou Qi in his body was as murky as muddy water mixed with sand. He had probably forced his way up through sheer age, and would spend the rest of his life stalled at the threshold of Dou Master.

Old hands like this were the most troublesome—and the most likely to bully the weak while fearing the strong.

"Get lost."

Lu Heng spat out the single word. His voice was not loud, but it carried unmistakable impatience.

The air suddenly fell silent for a moment.

The mercenaries who had been laughing and joking froze on the spot.

In Green Mountain Town, any outsider who dared speak to Lai San like that was either out of his mind or truly had something to rely on.

But this kid's voice had barely finished changing, hadn't it?

The smile on Lai San's face stiffened.

In front of so many peers, being told to "get lost" by a brat whose feathers had not even grown in—where was he supposed to put his old face?

"You little bastard, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"

Lai San flew into a rage from humiliation. The hand that had merely blocked the path instantly changed from a palm into a claw, lunging for Lu Heng's shoulder with a foul gust of wind.

A faint yellow-brown Dou Qi glimmered at his fingertips. If that grip landed, even a stone would be crushed, let alone this boy's delicate flesh.

"Lai San's getting serious!"

"This kid's finished."

A wave of gleeful whispers arose from the crowd.

Lu Heng stood where he was, his figure beneath the black robe completely motionless. Only when that claw, carrying a fierce wind, came within half a foot of his shoulder did he abruptly raise his right hand.

The movement was as fast as lightning.

His sleeve billowed as a long, pale hand emerged. Brilliant azure light flared in his palm.

Low-grade Xuan-class Dou Technique, Azure Wood Seal!

Bang!

A dull sound of flesh striking flesh exploded.

Lai San's fierce claw had not even touched the corner of Lu Heng's robe when his chest felt as though it had been smashed by an iron hammer.

In that instant, Lai San felt a strange force bore into his body.

It was not mere impact. It was a domineering energy, like the roots of an ancient tree winding through the earth. It instantly scattered the earth-attributed Dou Qi protecting his body and even frantically drew something from within his meridians.

Pfft!

Lai San's eyes bulged as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Like a kite with its string snapped, he flew straight backward five or six meters.

The scene instantly froze.

The mercenaries who had just been jeering looked as though their jaws were about to hit the ground.

Every one of them stared wide-eyed at the black-robed youth, who still held the pose of having struck with his palm.

One move?

No, it did not even count as one move!

That was Lai San!

A seven-star Dou Zhe! A seasoned old hand who had been scraping by in Green Mountain Town for nearly ten years, yet he could not even withstand a single strike from this kid?

Lu Heng slowly withdrew his hand and walked over to Lai San, who was crying out in pain. Looking down from above, Lu Heng stared at him.

Lai San's face was filled with terror. His chest burned with pain, while that strange azure Dou Qi still rampaged through his body, leaving him unable to gather any Dou Qi at all.

"If you don't want to die, stay far away from me."

Lu Heng's voice remained calm, without any discernible emotion. Yet the eyes beneath his hood's brim made Lai San feel as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.

"Y-yes... I'll get lost right away..."

Lai San scrambled out from the bamboo basket, not even daring to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Clutching his chest, he staggered into the crowd without daring to look back.

However, Lai San's eyes burned with venomous hatred.

Lu Heng swept his gaze across the surroundings.

The mercenaries who had looked at him with mockery and greed now all wore wary expressions. Some even unconsciously took two steps back, clearing a broad path for him.

That was how the world worked. A hard fist was the only real law.

Lu Heng tugged down the brim of his hood, ignored the group, and headed toward the end of the street.

After crossing two streets, a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs drifted into Lu Heng's nose.

Before him stood an ancient-looking building.

Above its entrance hung a plaque bearing the three words: "Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion."

Though it could not compare to the lavish grandeur of the Miteer Auction House, the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was already a rare refined sight in a rough place like Green Mountain Town.

At that moment, a long line stretched outside the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

Most of them were mercenaries who had just returned from the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Every one of them was wounded. Some had blood-soaked bandages around their arms, while others limped along, cursing and crying out in pain. But the moment they reached the front of the line, their voices immediately became gentle, with some even speaking in a deliberately soft, affected tone.

"Miss Xiao Yi Xian, be gentle, hehe. It doesn't hurt. It really doesn't."

"Move it, move it! Hurry up in front, don't waste Miss Xiao Yi Xian's time!"

Lu Heng stood at the street corner and looked through a gap in the crowd.

At the entrance of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, there were no consultation tables or chairs. Instead, several sturdy wooden medicine chests had been placed there.

A young girl in a pale white dress stood prettily atop one of the medicine chests.

She did not look very old, perhaps even younger than Lu Heng. Her figure was slender and slight.

Amid the mercenaries covered in blood and mud, that white dress was so clean that it seemed out of place, like a lotus blooming among a pile of jagged stones.

Because she was not tall enough, she had to stand on the medicine chest to conveniently examine the wounds of the tall mercenaries.