"Wonderful. Talk about running into an old enemy."
Flender let out a cold laugh, a sinister look appearing on his shoehorn-shaped face.
"I didn't expect to run into you right after arriving in Heaven Dou City."
"Xiaogang, since this brat came right to our door, I'll collect a little interest for you today!"
At Flender's words, Yu Xiaogang shuddered. A flash of satisfaction crossed his eyes, but it quickly gave way to worry.
"Flender, don't be reckless! This is Heaven Dou City, after all, and he's with Spirit Hall..."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Flender cut him off, waving a hand dismissively.
"This is the Heaven Dou Empire, not Spirit City! I refuse to believe he'd dare summon Spirit Hall's forces in broad daylight."
"Besides, I'm not going to kill him."
"Speaking as a senior, I'm simply going to give a junior a few pointers on cultivation. How could that be bullying?"
Before he had even finished speaking, Flender pushed off the ground with his toes and soared into the air like a great bird.
After a few bounds, he had cleared the crowd and landed in front of Lin Qiu's horse.
"Whoa—"
The surrounding townsfolk cried out in alarm and hurriedly backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
Lin Qiu was thinking about where to go for a good meal when a shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight before him.
He frowned slightly, lowered his hands from behind his head, and glanced over with a calm expression.
The man blocking his path was middle-aged.
He had an unusual appearance, with a protruding chin and a pair of black-framed crystal glasses. His old robe had been washed until it was faded, and he exuded an air that was both shrewd and mercenary, yet fierce.
By the roadside not