Calamity of Beauty!

"Insolence!"

"Utterly rebellious! Drag him away and execute him!"

If this had been on New Star, if this had been in the Phoenix Empire, anyone who dared speak to her with such frivolous, disrespectful, vulgar words would have been dragged out and beheaded long ago.

The Phoenix Empire's sense of hierarchy was exceptionally strict and deeply ingrained.

Unfortunately, she was now on Old Earth, amid the ruins.

Endure!

Nothing mattered more than staying alive.

Phoenix put on an indignant expression and looked at the Old Man. "I have no intention of interfering in your family affairs. I'm merely explaining the dangers of early marriage and early childbirth from a scientific perspective. I can show you authoritative reports on the matter. This is how things are done on New Star."

"Of course, this is only my personal suggestion. If you aren't willing to accept it, then pretend I never said anything."

"Authoritative reports? Are the reports from your New Star experts more authoritative, or is our real-life experience more authoritative?" The Old Man dismissed Phoenix's words with disdain.

"Look up at the sky. Look around you. What part of this resembles your New Star? It isn't easy for anyone to survive. Plenty of strong young men die in their thirties. If he doesn't hurry and leave behind a child while he's alive, won't our old Tang family die out? Are you going to take responsibility for that?"

"Old Man, aren't you surnamed Lu? When did it become our old Tang family?" Tang Fei deliberately picked at his words.

He actually wanted to change the subject. He did not want the Old Man and Phoenix discussing this.

The feeling was strange, like the Old Man holding a stalk of foxtail grass and asking a gleaming golden vase whether he could put this thing inside it.

It put others in an awkward position.

Put it in? Their statuses did not match.

Don't put it in? He might offend her.

Tang Fei felt ashamed, and his youthful pride was at work as well.

One was a refugee among the ruins, while the other was a pampered guest from New Star. How could the two possibly have such a deep connection?

No matter how brilliantly a foxtail flower bloomed, it was still only a handful of foxtail grass. The mountains were full of it. Who cared?

The Old Man glared at Tang Fei and said angrily, "I'm asking on behalf of your dead parents. They left you in my care. How could I not worry?"

"Phoenix, tell me. If you won't let him marry An Ning, will you become his wife instead?"

The Old Man seemed not to have understood Tang Fei's words and stubbornly pressed Phoenix for an answer.

Phoenix knew she had no choice but to face the issue head-on. She glanced at Tang Fei, her long lashes fluttering, then quickly shifted her gaze and looked solemnly at the Old Man. "Uncle, Tang Fei is my lifesaver, and someone I will certainly repay in the future. I'm deeply grateful for everything he has done for me, and for saving my life time and again."

"However, feelings are complicated. We only just met, and under circumstances like these, I don't know what sort of relationship we will have in the future. But if you insist on an answer, then I truly cannot agree right now."

She gritted her teeth and said harshly, "I can't agree to become his wife."

Quick and decisive!

Love was love, and not loving was not loving. This sort of thing could not be handled perfunctorily, much less with deception. It had to be dealt with cleanly and decisively.

Besides, who became someone's wife after knowing him for two days?

If her parents found out about this, they would be so furious they would chop off their heads.

"You truly aren't willing?" The Old Man still refused to give up.

"I'm not willing." Phoenix's attitude was resolute.

"Can't you think of a way?"

"I tried. I can't think of any way to make myself accept this."

"Then forget it." The Old Man waved his hand casually. "This brat really isn't worthy of you. I was only saying it casually. You don't need to take it to heart."

"..." Phoenix.

"..." Little Fatty.

"&^%$#@*&%$b" Tang Fei.

The Old Man did not care about their reactions at all. He had truly achieved reconciliation with himself. What he liked was the best way to live.

He grinned at Phoenix and asked, "You said just now that you were very grateful to Tang Fei, that he saved your life several times. Other than carrying you back, when else did he save you?"

Phoenix's heart suddenly clenched. As expected, none of these people were easy to deal with.

She looked at Tang Fei, hoping he would give her some hint and let her know whether the Old Man should be told about that matter.

Tang Fei understood Phoenix's meaning. He motioned for Little Fatty to go shut the courtyard gate and stand guard there before looking at the Old Man. "We killed a group of Gray Robes."

"Gray Robes?" The Old Man's gaze sharpened slightly. After pausing a moment, he said, "Then you killed them. The Flame Shrine has committed countless evils. They are no different from those Predators outside. You must have had no choice but to kill them."

"There was also a Black Robe," Tang Fei said.

"Hiss—"

The Old Man sucked in a cold breath and snapped, "How did you kill a Black Robe too? Do you know what a Black Robe represents? They're upper management of the Flame Shrine, leaders of an entire region! The one you killed must have been the Black Robe of Hate Mountain District, right? The entire Hate Mountain District will suffer because of this!"

"Did you clean up everything properly? If they trace it back to our home, we'll be in trouble. The Flame Shrine is powerful and arrogant beyond reason. There's no reasoning with them. Tell me quickly—what happened that made you kill even a Black Robe?"

So Tang Fei told him how they had been carrying a rabbit home when they encountered members of the Flame Shrine led by Bian Zhenxin at the edge of Hate Mountain. Bian Zhenxin had been captivated by Phoenix's beauty and ordered his men to beat Tang Fei and Little Fatty to the ground before forcibly taking Phoenix.

After hearing this, the Old Man swept an ominous gaze toward Phoenix.

Phoenix's nerves instantly tightened, as though she had been locked onto by a dangerous beast.

Phoenix found it strange. She was a Cultivator, and a Master of the Qi Control Realm. How could this ordinary-looking, thin, lecherous old man with a wrinkled face exert such overwhelming pressure on her?

Was this what those ancient books in the royal library meant by "one had no choice but to bow beneath another's eaves"? Because she was on someone else's territory, even though she was stronger than everyone here, she still had to bow to reality and her surroundings?

Yes, that had to be it!

When Tang Fei saw the Old Man's expression, he understood that he had developed the intention to silence her forever.

Killing a Black Robe had consequences that were both extremely severe and terrifying. Therefore, he wanted to keep everything within his control.

He and Little Fatty were naturally controllable. The only unstable factor was Phoenix.

If they killed her, then no one would know about this.

"I killed them," Tang Fei said.

The moment Tang Fei spoke, the deathly silence was immediately shattered.

Phoenix also felt her entire body relax. The force that had locked onto her vanished without a trace. She gently exhaled a breath of stale air and returned the Phoenix Whip in her hand to its original place.

The Old Man knew Tang Fei was trying to take all responsibility upon himself. He glared fiercely at him and said angrily, "The old saying is right: a beautiful woman brings disaster, a beautiful woman brings disaster. What do we do now? You've already killed them, yet you refuse to eliminate the unstable factor."

Phoenix understood that the Old Man still did not trust her and immediately promised, "Sir, Tang Fei wasn't the only one who killed them. I had a part in it too. Tang Fei said on the road that we are truly on the same side now. If they come looking for us, none of us will survive."

"So, if there is anything I can do, I will definitely cooperate fully. And I promise you all that no matter when or under what circumstances, I will never betray you."

The Old Man snorted disdainfully and mocked, "At your age, what do you know about betrayal? Do you think this is children playing house?"

Seeing that Phoenix wanted to argue further, the Old Man waved his hand. "Enough, enough. Things have already come to this. There's nothing more for me to say. We just need to be prepared."

The Old Man let out a heavy sigh. "Prepared for the worst outcome."

"Understood." Tang Fei and Little Fatty nodded. They had grown up in this kind of environment.

No matter what happened, they could never entrust their lives to fate.

Never underestimate other people's intelligence, and never overestimate human nature.

The Old Man glanced at Phoenix again, baring his teeth as he said, "A beautiful woman brings disaster. Change your clothes, and make yourself look uglier too. You're far too conspicuous."

"Alright." Phoenix agreed readily.

She understood that the Old Man's suggestion was reasonable. In such a harsh environment, beauty was also a valuable resource, something others would seek to plunder.

Besides, even if it was unreasonable, she still had to accept it.

What right did she have to bargain with anyone?

The Old Man looked at Tang Fei, then Phoenix, then pointed at Little Fatty. "Come smash rocks with me. We've got work."

"..." Little Fatty.

Tang Fei looked at Phoenix. "Come on. I'll take you to change clothes."

"Oh." Phoenix nodded, then asked curiously, "You have women's clothes too?"

"..."

Hate Mountain. Eagle Beak Cliff.

Large numbers of Gray Robes had gathered around the dense forest. Encircled in the middle were Flame Army soldiers in uniform, flame totems set into their chests. The Flame Army was the Flame Shrine's Regular Army, responsible for safeguarding the Flame God and the shrine's authority, maintaining peace within their jurisdiction, and protecting important figures when they traveled.

At the center of the crowd stood an old man in a White Robe. He was short, with a white beard and white hair, and looked kind and benevolent.

However, only a very small number of people knew that this old man, Bian Feng, had an extremely terrifying nickname: The Butcher.

He liked hanging people high in the air and burning them until the scent of roasted meat emerged.

He even called it "punishing you on behalf of the Flame God."

It was childish and cruel.

It was said that because of his outstanding achievements, his exceptional work in purging heretics, and his loud slogans, he had won the trust of several upper-ranking officials.

White Robes were mid-to-high-ranking administrators within the Flame Shrine, responsible for all affairs in a major district. Above them were only the more esteemed Red Robes and Gold Robes. Of course, Gold Robe was a color only each generation's Flame God could use.

At the old man's feet lay Bian Zhenxin, already thoroughly dead.

Bian Zhenxin was his son, his only son.

He had placed Bian Zhenxin in Hate Mountain District to temper him. After several years of hardening, Bian Zhenxin would have been able to take over his position. Bian Feng had already discussed matters with the higher council of elders. Once Lingyang District had completely stabilized, he would go to the main shrine and become a Red Robe.

But his son had died, in such an undignified manner.

His hopes and his future had been cut off completely.

"Sir, we examined him carefully. The deceased showed no signs of having engaged in intense combat before death. The fatal wound was on the top of his head," the shrine's coroner reported quietly.

The old man's face was grim, but he did not respond.

Another soldier came to report that all the surrounding bodies had been examined. There were no survivors.

"Chen Hu!" Bian Feng shouted.

"Divine Envoy, sir." A burly man strode over and deeply bowed to the White Robe elder.

The old man stared at the burly man and rasped, "I sent you here as an adjutant and told you to protect your Divine Envoy properly. Is this how you protected him?"

Thud!

Chen Hu dropped to his knees and knocked his head repeatedly against the ground as he explained, "Sir, when the Divine Envoy was going out, I asked to accompany him. But the Divine Envoy would not let me come. He said there was still much work in the shrine that needed handling."

Bian Feng knew Chen Hu was telling the truth. Based on his understanding of his son, Bian Zhenxin had never liked dealing with trivial affairs. He had sent Chen Hu to serve as Bian Zhenxin's adjutant partly because Chen Hu was loyal and dependable, one of his own core confidants whom he had personally promoted.

Furthermore, though he looked rough and rugged, his mind was exceptionally meticulous. He was highly capable at handling administrative affairs.

This matter truly could not be blamed on him.

"Get up and speak," Bian Feng said.

Chen Hu raised his head and looked up at Bian Feng. "Sir, this subordinate is at fault. Please let me remain kneeling as I speak. It will make me feel better."

Whether Chen Hu felt better or not was unknown, but Bian Feng indeed felt somewhat better.

He looked down at Chen Hu and asked, "You have been in Hate Mountain District for three years. You should know this place fairly well. Who do you think did it?"

Chen Hu shook his head. "Sir, this subordinate does not know."

"You don't know?" Bian Feng was clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

"Sir, this subordinate truly cannot guess. The ordinary people in the district would not dare provoke our Flame Shrine. As for those Predators who commit every evil... they should not dare take the initiative to provoke us either. Do they not understand the consequences of killing a Black Robe? Are they not afraid of the shrine's retaliation?"

Bian Feng kicked Chen Hu to the ground and berated him, "So many brothers died before your eyes, yet you say this one wouldn't and that one wouldn't. Did they kill themselves, then?"

"Sir, that is not what I mean." Chen Hu climbed back to his feet and explained, "I think something is suspicious. By all logic, they should not dare provoke our shrine, much less casually kill one of our Black Robe Divine Envoys. Whoever did this, we will investigate thoroughly and give you a satisfactory answer."

"A satisfactory answer? Will killing them all make me satisfied?" Bian Feng said bitterly.

Just then, a Gray Robe searching the scene found a Skull Lighter deep within the grass and shouted, "I found it! I found evidence!"