First Appearance on the Grand Stage

After a brief silence, the scene erupted into a fierce brawl, just as expected.

Xue Mu realized that no big shots from the Righteous Path had come. Perhaps none of them were in the Capital City? That was interesting too—the Righteous Path actually had no major figures stationed in the capital... Come to think of it, neither did the Star Moon Sect. Xue Qingqiu and her disciple had only arrived a day ago themselves.

It made sense. The capital's formations suppressed fifty percent of one's cultivation, and big shots generally had no desire to set foot lightly in a place where they could not display their full strength. This was probably one of the ways the Imperial Court kept control of the capital.

So-called fierce brawl, my ass. Yue Xiaochan was simply humiliating the Righteous Path all by herself. Not even Qingqing, Meng Lan, or the others from the Star Moon Sect stepped in, lest they steal their young sect mistress's fun.

Yue Xiaochan giggled as she darted through the crowd like a butterfly flitting among blossoms. Her delicate hand brushed past one person after another, and each one collapsed. The sight truly matched those scenes in television dramas where a demoness ran rampant. The contrast with the little loli who had blushed to her ears and neck at every turn these past two days was so great that even Xue Mu felt a chill run through his ass.

Yue Xiaochan knocked down a female disciple of the Sword Inquiry Sect, then casually tossed her to Meng Lan. "Another set of clothes. Strip her first."

All right, so in her eyes, these people had come to deliver uniforms.

A young Daoist shouted in grief and fury, "Demoness! You will suffer retribu—ugh..." Before he could finish, Yue Xiaochan casually kicked him flying. He spun three and a half times through the air before landing with a bang... right in front of Xue Mu.

Xue Mu blinked.

With a mouthful of blood, the Daoist struggled to raise his head and met Xue Mu's newbie gaze.

"Die, demon!" God knew where the Daoist found the strength. He struggled to his feet. His sword had long since fallen away, so he raised his palm and struck down.

"Fuck..." Xue Mu turned and ran. The Daoist hobbled after him.

Two feminine cries rang out at once. "How dare you!" "Young Master, watch out!"

Yue Xiaochan had not expected that one casual kick would send someone right before Xue Mu. She suddenly remembered that Xue Mu was an ordinary person without the slightest cultivation, and blurted, "How dare you!" With a flick of her hand, she shot a silver hairpin straight at the Daoist's skull.

At the same time, Meng Lan flew over in alarm. From far away, the gale of her palm strike was already rushing toward the Daoist's back.

Everyone in the hall stopped moving and looked toward Xue Mu. The scene seemed to enter slow motion. No one knew whether the Daoist would kill Xue Mu with his palm first, or whether the Daoist would have his brain pierced and heart shattered first.

The outcome exceeded everyone's expectations. The Daoist's outstretched palm was about to hit Xue Mu's back when it suddenly withdrew. He clutched his throat in agony, and blood abruptly streamed from all seven orifices. At that moment, Yue Xiaochan's silver hairpin and Meng Lan's palm wind arrived simultaneously. The Daoist was blasted into a puddle of flesh.

Still shaken, Yue Xiaochan panted heavily a few times, then suddenly laughed and pointed at Xue Mu. "You didn't take your medicine today."

Xue Mu came to his senses as well. "So my poison is poisonous?"

Meng Lan, who had already reached Xue Mu's side, also changed expression slightly. She took half a step back and said quietly, "Young Master's poison arts are truly vicious."

Xue Mu gave an awkward smile. Looking at the Daoist's corpse on the floor, he felt somewhat strange. It was not guilt, since the other man had tried to kill him without a word. But how should he put it... he had killed someone, after all. A modern person raised in a civilized society would ultimately have some psychological barrier toward such things. Fortunately, the man had been passively poisoned to death rather than beaten to death by Xue Mu's own hands, so the shock was not quite so intense. He could barely suppress that strange feeling.

That was right. Twelve hours had passed since the medicine suppressing Xue Mu's toxicity had taken effect. Xue Mu had not taken medicine today... The Daoist had been invaded by all sorts of mutated viruses intermingled and emanating from Xue Mu's body. Already grievously wounded, he was clearly powerless to resist and had been poisoned alive.

The few remaining disciples of the Righteous Path all retreated in unison. Only now did they realize they could gain nothing here. Yue Xiaochan alone could toy with every one of them, while Qingqing and Meng Lan had not even made a move. And behind them was apparently a monster who looked uncultivated but possessed unfathomably profound poison arts...

Yue Xiaochan was in a good mood now. Smiling sweetly, she said, "Did I say you could leave?"

Someone snapped, "Demoness! Do you intend to wipe us all out?"

Yue Xiaochan curled her lips. "None of your sects have any elders stationed in the capital. With nothing but these shrimp soldiers and crab generals, you still dared to come seeking an explanation? What a pack of pig-brained idiots."

That person angrily said, "If you hadn't ambushed Uncle Dongfeng..."

Yue Xiaochan stuck out her tongue and scraped her cheek.

"Would he have survived if he fought me fairly?"

The man was left speechless. Anyone could see that this demoness possessed extremely high cultivation; they could not even discern her realm. In other words, they were not even qualified to force out her trump card. Even more interestingly, seeing Yue Xiaochan's smiling, charming, adorable appearance, he found himself unwilling to speak too harshly.

Laughter suddenly came from outside. "Clearly just a little girl, yet she already has the potential to enchant all under heaven. The young mistress of the Star Moon Sect truly is extraordinary."

As the voice fell, a man and a woman stepped in from outside. The man was an old fellow in a green robe, his white beard flowing, with the bearing of an immortal sage. He was the one who had spoken just now.

The woman appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. She wore the typical attire of a Six Fan Gates constable: a dark red padded uniform jacket, with close-fitting black battle garments showing beneath the red. Black and red intertwined around her, making her look heroic without losing her solemn air.

As she strode forward, the long, straight legs wrapped in her fitted outfit stole the eye, brimming with the athletic beauty of a leopard. A scarlet cloak draped over her shoulders and billowed behind her with every step, making her look incomparably cool. She wore no hat, merely tying her hair into a high ponytail. A startling sharpness gleamed in her cold eyes. Though her features were not especially delicate, her dashing and valiant aura gave her an exceptionally unique charm.

Xue Mu's gaze was instantly drawn to her. Could this be the "crazy woman" Xiahou Di they had mentioned? She was such a healthy, heroic beauty—not some old spinster at all!

Tilting her head, Yue Xiaochan propped her cheek with one finger. She looked left, then right, before grinning with a gossiping expression. "Chief Constable Xiahou, old grandpa, the two of you came in together so intimately. Could you be courting each other?"

The two had entered with the stride of dragons and tigers, their momentum imposing. Yet those words nearly made them both stumble in unison. Awkwardly, they moved two feet apart. Xiahou Di sneered. "Cut out that demonic affectation. Beneath the Son of Heaven's feet, you openly murdered people. Has your Star Moon Sect completely stopped taking the Six Fan Gates seriously?"

With a face full of mock horror, Yue Xiaochan said, "Constable Xiahou, you must stand up for this humble woman... Look at these people, barging into a brothel with blades and swords. The girls of our Hundred Flowers Garden are all weak women too feeble to truss a chicken. If Xiao Chan had not happened to know a few martial moves, the girls would already have suffered misfortune. Wuwuwuwu..."

Xue Mu nearly burst out laughing. Seeing the expressions of the Righteous Path people as though they had eaten shit, he knew there was no issue with this matter under the law. No wonder Yue Xiaochan had killed so cleanly and decisively...

Xiahou Di opened her mouth, then closed it again. Under Imperial Court law, Yue Xiaochan had killed a group of jianghu people who barged into her establishment armed with swords and blades while defending her own property. She was entirely within the law. If Yue Xiaochan seized on this and demanded that Xiahou Di punish these Righteous Path people, Xiahou Di would not even know what to say.

The old man took over. "This old man is Miao Yue of the Heart Intent Sect."

Yue Xiaochan blinked. "So it is Uncle Miao of the Heart Intent Sect. But your sect follows the heart's intent and has no standardized clothing. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with your sect."

Miao Yue said mildly, "The sects of the Righteous Path share one honor and one disgrace, and naturally stand united as branches of the same qi. Besides, even leaving aside your clothing incident, Junior Niece Yue slaughtered so many disciples of the Righteous Path. How could my Heart Intent Sect stand aside?"

Xue Mu had been watching Xiahou Di. He suddenly noticed that the moment Miao Yue said "branches of the same qi," Xiahou Di frowned slightly, clearly displeased to hear it. Xue Mu's thoughts raced. This seemed interesting... The Imperial Court did not actually like the so-called Righteous Path sects being too united, did it?

Yue Xiaochan still smiled merrily. "What does Uncle Miao intend to do? Are you planning to bully the young and offer Xiao Chan a little guidance?"

Miao Yue had a great beard, and challenging a thirteen-year-old girl under everyone's watchful eyes was indeed something he could not bring himself to do. Stroking his beard, he thought for a moment before his gaze suddenly fell on Xue Mu. He smiled faintly. "This young hero is likely not a disciple of the Star Moon Sect. You poisoned a member of the Mysterious Heaven Sect to death. Should you not give this old man an explanation?"

Xue Mu rolled his eyes. The Daoist was the one who tried to kill me first, so why don't you mention that? You old bastard think the Star Moon Sect will not protect a man too fiercely, so you deliberately picked a soft persimmon to squeeze. That way, you can also give the Righteous Path disciples present an explanation, right?

Yue Xiaochan had clearly seen through his thoughts as well. She covered her mouth and smiled. "He truly is not a disciple of our Star Moon Sect, but Uncle Miao should take note—his surname is Xue."

Xue Mu smiled and cupped his hands. "Xue Mu greets everyone."

Xue... Miao Yue froze, and his expression suddenly changed drastically. All the Righteous Path disciples present erupted in an uproar. Even Xiahou Di's gaze toward Xue Mu became exceptionally grave.

The tiger-skin banner of Xue Qingqiu truly possessed no ordinary power of intimidation.