Stirring Up Trouble

While walking through a narrow alley, two people were confronted by five sturdy youths, all appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. The group subtly maneuvered to force them deeper into the alleyway.

Xia Xue initially wanted to call for help, but Chu Xiaotian stopped her. He knew exactly what these five were after, yet he felt no fear. Despite their bull-like builds, they were nothing compared to the dozens of giant wolves he had faced.

"Miss Xia Xue, the strength of us five brothers is among the best of the younger generation in this town. When we first offered to follow and protect you, you said it wasn't necessary. Now that you've brought this wild brat along, we truly aren't convinced. We want you to give us an explanation," the leader said, tilting his head to eye Chu Xiaotian with a gloomy, cold expression.

"Why should I have to explain to you who I bring with me?" The group's demeanor was so grating that even someone with Xia Xue's temperament couldn't stand it, and she couldn't help but snap at them.

"Oh, right, our mistake. Why should we concern ourselves with what Miss Xia Xue does? Actually, we only had good intentions. Just think, a jade-like beauty as stunning as you—wouldn't it be dangerous to have a piece of trash following you around? So, we just wanted to test whether this kid actually has the strength to protect you," the youth feigned a sudden realization as he apologized to Xia Xue, though neither his tone nor his expression held a shred of sincerity. As soon as he finished speaking, he signaled with his eyes, and the four men beside him surrounded Chu Xiaotian without a word.

"What do you want? If you don't let us leave, I'm going to call for help!" Fearing Chu Xiaotian might get hurt, Xia Xue glared at the youth.

"Go ahead, call! Let's see if your help arrives faster than we can finish off this brat," the leader chuckled, unbothered. He waved his hand to signal the others to move, and he himself lunged toward Chu Xiaotian. Teaching Chu Xiaotian a lesson was a thought shared by many men in Greenwood Town; they simply hadn't acted on it yet. Therefore, he wasn't worried about anyone meddling.

Xia Xue didn't call out, because the fight was entirely one-sided.

Chu Xiaotian grabbed a brick he had spotted in the corner. Just as the five were about to strike, he smashed the brick into the face of the weakest one, leaving him a bloody mess, and followed up with a kick to the groin that sent the fellow to the ground, howling in agony. One was already down before the other four even reacted. They roared in anger and lunged at him, but by then, Chu Xiaotian had already burst through their encirclement. He sprinted forward a few steps to string them out into a line, then spun around and floored the leader with another brick. Before the man could react, Chu Xiaotian grabbed him and tossed him into the other three like a bag of trash.

The three scattered to avoid the collision. Before they could regain their footing, Chu Xiaotian rushed the nearest one and smashed a fist into his nose, leaving him teary-eyed. By the time the man could see clearly, he realized he was airborne, followed by a piercing, agonizing pain in his stomach. In the blink of an eye, Chu Xiaotian had taken down three of the five. The remaining two were of no concern; he let them land a couple of blows on him before using brute force to fling them against the wall, where they collapsed and rolled in pain.

"If you want to fight, just fight. Why stand around acting cool and wasting breath? Isn't that just asking for a beating? I didn't kill you only because I'm in a good mood today. If you lack the skill, don't go looking for trouble—people actually die that way," Chu Xiaotian said with a cold smirk as he looked down at the five men on the ground. He then walked out of the alley with Xia Xue. As he passed the leader lying at the entrance, he couldn't resist giving him a few more vicious kicks, turning the man into a pig-headed mess his own mother wouldn't recognize, before huffing and walking away.

"Miss Xia Xue, it's been a while! We've kept quite a few of the herbs you need in stock, just waiting for you to come by," the two had barely forgotten the earlier incident as they strolled through the streets of Greenwood Town. When they passed a two-story shop with a sign reading 'Hundred Herb Pavilion,' a man about sixty years old—as round as a ball and sporting a pair of thin, rat-like whiskers—hurried out to block their path. He looked at Xia Xue with a fawning smile. As he spoke, his small, round eyes scanned her up and down repeatedly. From where Chu Xiaotian stood, he could see the man's Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

"Hmph, what an old lecher," Chu Xiaotian muttered under his breath. While he himself harbored a few improper thoughts about Xia Xue, he had never let such a nakedly lecherous gaze appear in his own eyes. Seeing an old man with one foot in the grave ogle her like this made Chu Xiaotian want to stomp the man's face into the dirt or gouge out those lecherous eyes and crush them like eggs.

"Heh heh, young man, don't say that. Everyone appreciates beauty. I'm a man, after all, and Miss Xia Xue is so moving—it's only natural for me to look at her a few more times." Chu Xiaotian hadn't spoken quietly; at the very least, all three of them had heard him. He had hoped his comment would shame the old man into backing off, but he had severely underestimated the thickness of the man's skin. Not only did the old man not retreat, but he also responded with even more shamelessness.

Chu Xiaotian was speechless. He had seen thick-skinned people before, but he was certain he had never seen one like this. He figured the old man's face could stop bullets; if it were made into a shoe sole, it would probably last thirty years without wearing out.

"Manager Pi, we have other business to attend to today, so we won't look at those herbs just yet. We'll come back later," Xia Xue had heard the exchange between Chu Xiaotian and the spherical manager clearly. She didn't say much about the man's lecherous gaze, merely glancing at him before speaking calmly. After finishing, she nodded slightly to Chu Xiaotian, and the two walked toward the center of town.

"Very well, Miss Xia Xue. Since you have business, I shall wait for your arrival at the shop," the manager's lecherous laughter followed them for quite a distance.

"Xia Xue, who is that guy? How dare he be so disrespectful to you? Why didn't you let me slap him to death just now?" Chu Xiaotian had wanted to teach the ball-shaped man a lesson earlier, but Xia Xue's eyes had stopped him.

"Forget it. That man is a notorious lecher in Greenwood Town; he's the same with every woman he meets. Besides, he's one of the most powerful figures in town. He has plenty of money, and he's a cultivator at the Pulse-Opening Realm himself, with two guards at the same level. If you hurt him, we might not be able to leave Greenwood Town alive. Of course, the most important thing is that you couldn't defeat him. However, I am an alchemist, so he can't do much to me—he can only run his mouth," Xia Xue said with a sigh, smiling at Chu Xiaotian's frustration.

Chu Xiaotian fell silent. He knew that whether in his previous world or this one, money was king. This old lecher was despised by everyone, but because of his wealth and strength, no one could touch him. He continued to dominate Greenwood Town, while they were forced to endure his arrogance with no way to retaliate. Chu Xiaotian looked back at the shop, silently swearing to himself that he would gain the power to look down upon this entire world, so he would never have to bow to anyone again. In his previous life, he had been forced to live at the mercy of others, but fate had given him a second chance in this world. He would not allow history to repeat itself. He had to find a cultivation technique and become a powerhouse who could look down upon all living things.

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Chu Xiaotian and Xia Xue soon arrived in front of a large compound in the center of town. It was enclosed by a wall ten feet high and, from where they stood, appeared to be at least a hundred feet long. In the center of the wall stood a gatehouse fifteen feet tall, with two massive, dark-red doors tightly shut. Above the gate, the words "Mad Blade Martial Hall" were written in bold, sweeping calligraphy.

"This is the other major power in Greenwood Town, the Mad Blade Martial Hall. If you can be accepted as a disciple here, you won't have to worry about cultivation techniques," Xia Xue said, pointing at the characters as she turned to Chu Xiaotian.

There were only two major powers in Greenwood Town. One was the Hundred Herb Pavilion owned by Manager Pi; they relied on buying and selling herbs and pills, possessed immense wealth, and had three Pulse-Opening Realm experts guarding them. The other was the Mad Blade Martial Hall. They only had one Pulse-Opening Realm expert, the Hall Master Ba Dao, but his strength at the peak of the Pulse-Opening Realm made him invincible within the town.

Chu Xiaotian took a deep breath and walked toward the gate. Xia Xue smiled and followed.

"You two, this is the training ground of the Mad Blade Martial Hall. Please do not trespass. If you have business, we can report it for you," just a few steps from the gate, two young men in blue uniforms, looking like guards, stepped forward to block their path. As they spoke, their eyes naturally lingered on Xia Xue, though they were far more subtle than Manager Pi had been.

This time, Chu Xiaotian could only roll his eyes without saying a word. He understood now that without strength, nothing you said mattered. He was currently one of those people.

"Are you both new here? Please go and report to Hall Master Ba Dao that Xia Xue is here to visit," Xia Xue was momentarily stunned by the guards blocking her, but then she smiled and spoke softly. She was a regular at the hall, and everyone inside knew her; she had never needed to report her arrival before. The fact that these two had stopped her was proof enough that they were newcomers.

"Oh, so it is Miss Xia! Please, come in. The Hall Master has instructed that if Miss Xia arrives, there is no need to report. We were just recruited by the Hall Master and didn't recognize you; please forgive us," the two youths realized their mistake and bowed apologetically. One of them immediately turned to open the gates and led Chu Xiaotian and Xia Xue inside.

"Heh, I didn't realize you were so famous, Xia Xue," Chu Xiaotian said with a hint of envy, noting the reaction of the guards. He hoped to reach that level one day, and he believed that day wouldn't be far off.

"Well, most of the pills I refine, aside from what I trade for herbs at the Hundred Herb Pavilion, are sold to the Mad Blade Martial Hall. That's why Hall Master Ba Dao granted me this privilege," Xia Xue replied with a faint smile, following the guard into the hall.

"Hah... hup... hah..." There had been no sound from outside, but once inside, they were met with a chorus of shouts. On a training ground a hundred feet long and fifty feet wide, at least two hundred shirtless young men were practicing. They weren't practicing anything fancy—just raw strength. They tossed massive stone locks around like toys or held them at arm's length while in a horse stance, all looking remarkably at ease. These men were at the Body-Refining Realm; at this stage, aside from strengthening through cultivation techniques, such physical training was a vital method.

Of course, there were those among them drenched in sweat and trembling, but regardless of how easy or difficult they found it, they all stopped to call out, "Greetings, Miss Xia," before continuing their training.

Xia Xue acknowledged them one by one, leaving Chu Xiaotian speechless once again. Led by the guard, they entered the Hall Master's quarters. In the center of the room, a man in black sat cross-legged on the floor, his back to the door, meditating.

"Hahahaha! Miss Xia, you've come at just the right time. I was just saying that if you didn't show up soon, I'd have to come and find you for those pills myself!" Hearing the announcement of their arrival, the man stood up, turned to face them, and let out a hearty laugh.