The Despicable Ones!

Tang Fei immediately closed the sturdy courtyard gate after returning home.

He ran to the room where Phoenix was hiding and knocked, but there was no answer.

Then he pushed the door open, and a sharp dagger was pressed against his throat.

"Sister, it's one of us."

"Hmph, who's your sister?" Phoenix withdrew the dagger.

Tang Fei touched his neck and asked, "Where were you hiding just now? Those Gray Robes came looking for someone, but they didn't find anything."

Phoenix's face was full of disdain. "They thought they could find me? I was right on his head, and that idiot didn't even see me."

Tang Fei gave a wry smile. "Those Gray Robes are just ordinary people. At most, they know a few parlor tricks. They're fine bullying ordinary citizens, but they're no match for cultivators, especially since you're a Qi Control Realm expert. How could they possibly find you?"

If Phoenix didn't even have this much skill, Tang Fei would have dealt with them all in the courtyard.

Phoenix looked at Tang Fei thoughtfully and said, "They're looking for a Qi Control Realm expert. They said he also killed a group of Predators before. But the Predators weren't killed by me. Why do they say a Qi Control Realm expert killed the Predators?"

Clearly, she had overheard the Gray Robes' conversation while hiding in the house.

Tang Fei's face didn't even flush as he calmly explained, "Perhaps Qi Control Realm experts are just too eye-catching. Think about it, there are so few cultivators on Old Earth, and those who reach the Qi Control Realm are one in a million. If such an expert suddenly appears in Hate Mountain District, wouldn't Flame Shrine be nervous?"

"Even though you didn't kill the Predators, you killed most of the other Gray Robes. One whip, one kill. They naturally focused all their attention on you. So, the Qi Control Realm expert they're looking for is you."

Phoenix found Tang Fei's explanation reasonable. "You just sent them away like that?"

Tang Fei looked pained. "What do you mean 'sent them away like that'? It sounds so easy. I sacrificed half a rabbit and a pheasant, fed those scoundrels until they were full, and only then did I send them off."

"And they want to take you as a subordinate?" Phoenix looked at Tang Fei with a half-smile, wondering if only shameless guys like him could live so well in a place like this.

If that Brother Long knew that the Qi Control Realm expert he was searching for was right under his nose, that the killer of Flame Shrine's Black Robes was making him skewers, and that he was forcefully trying to recruit him, even sticking a Flame Shrine protective charm on his door when leaving...

He would probably hug his pillow and cry his eyes out, right?

It was all a mistake in the end!

"Their hospitality was too great. If their reputation wasn't so terrible, I would have joined them long ago. But they're too numerous. If anyone bullies me, I'll go back and call my big brother."

Tang Fei said with a chuckle, "Refusing them is very dangerous. They can do without you, but you can't do without them. Besides, with this Flame Charm, Flame Shrine won't be knocking on our door anymore. You can safely wait for the person picking you up."

Phoenix looked at Tang Fei and asked, "What if the person picking me up never comes?"

Tang Fei's eyes widened. "Impossible, right? Did you do something so heinous that even your own parents abandoned you?"

"You're the one who was abandoned by your parents," Phoenix said irritably. "The escape pod can't send coordinates, and I have no way to contact New Star. How will they find me? What if they never find me?"

"That's impossible," Tang Fei shook his head. "Although I don't understand that high-tech stuff very well, you flew here from such a long distance. There must be flight traces. Your family will definitely find you."

Phoenix sighed softly. "I hope so."

"Are you still hungry?" Tang Fei looked at Phoenix. "I roasted more rabbits and pheasants. Do you want some of the leftovers?"

"Okay," Phoenix nodded. "I've never eaten roasted rabbit or chicken from Old Earth before. I heard that when Blue Star was still glorious, Zibo's barbecue was very famous."

"Of course!" Tang Fei agreed with a firm expression. "Back then... everything was good."

"Yes, everything was good," Phoenix nodded. "It would be great if Blue Star could return to that era."

"It's impossible now," Tang Fei shook his head. "When humanity on Blue Star goes extinct, and all the usable resources are scraped clean by the people on New Star, perhaps this place will become a garbage planet, a waste disposal site for New Star."

Tang Fei went to reheat the unfinished skewers, and Phoenix began her second meal. Little Fatty and the Old Man, who hadn't gotten any meat earlier, also ate with gusto.

Tang Fei roasted and ate, feeling that life was wonderful.

Just then, the courtyard gate was knocked on again.

The small courtyard instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at each other. Had the people from Flame Shrine discovered something was wrong and doubled back?

Tang Fei walked to the courtyard entrance and listened to the movement outside the door.

"Who is it?" Tang Fei asked.

Suddenly, his nerves tightened, and his hair stood on end.

As he turned around, he found two Black Robes wearing ghost masks already in the courtyard.

Eastern demons, one black and one red, emitted a strange glow in the darkness.

The black-faced mask's ghost-like eyes stared at Tang Fei and asked, "Is there any more? I want to eat too."

"Me too," said the red-faced mask.

"Who are you?" Tang Fei asked in a deep voice.

The visitors were not friendly.

The fact that these two could appear in the small courtyard silently indicated their considerable strength.

Even worse, why were they in his small courtyard?

He was just the unremarkable number one hunter of Hate Mountain, the barbecue master of the human settlement, the most handsome man in Lingyang District. Oh, this shameless self-praise was learned from the Old Man.

He was the Blue Star Spokesperson for the Empire's Twin Pillars. Compared to him, Tang Fei was still too shy and reserved.

It couldn't be that they were drawn by the aroma, simply wanting to eat barbecue, could it?

"I am Shadowless," the black-faced mask said.

"I am Wufeng," said the red-faced mask.

Hearing them state their names, Phoenix's expression grew solemn, and the Old Man looked thoughtful, while Little Fatty...

Little Fatty was choking on a skewer and looking for water.

Little Fatty felt this was the worst night of his limited life, when it should have been the happiest.

Big Brother had roasted field mice, rabbits, and pheasants. So many delicious skewers, and everyone could eat to their heart's content. Plus, Phoenix had come; she was their new friend.

Children loved it when guests came over; it made things livelier.

But his wonderful evening had been interrupted time and again. First, people from the Flame Shrine came and stole his roasted field mice. After he finally sent them away, two masked figures with grotesque faces arrived, demanding barbecue the moment they opened their mouths. When would he ever get to eat his fill?

As everyone knew, if you didn't want someone to snatch the candy from your hand, you had to put it in your own mouth first.

Little Fatty worried that Big Brother would snatch the barbecue from his hand again, just like before, to try and appease other Big Brothers...

Little Fatty had only eaten a little too quickly, and then he was choking so hard he was rolling his eyes.

"Water," Little Fatty croaked.

The Old Man cursed Little Fatty as a glutton, but he still handed over the large enamel mug he had nearby.

Little Fatty clutched it and gulped it down, finally managing to swallow the large piece of meat stuck in his throat.

Tang Fei was very displeased with the red-faced mask's name. "Why are you called Wufeng?" he asked.

"Then what should I be called?"

"You should be called Wuzong," Tang Fei said. "Wuying Wuzong (shadowless and traceless). That way, the CP (coupling) will be much stronger."

"A name is just a designation."

"Is it? Then why don't you call yourself 'Dog Shit'?"

"..." Wufeng felt he couldn't communicate with Tang Fei.

Wuying looked at Tang Fei and said, "We just wanted a bite of meat. Why the need for hurtful words?"

"Eat and leave?" Tang Fei asked.

"Eat and leave," Wuying replied.

"And we're taking someone with us," Wufeng added.

"What did the Old Man ever do to you? Why are you taking him?" Tang Fei exclaimed in exasperation. "Look at him, he's already so old, can't carry anything, can't lift anything, and he has syphilis. Aren't you afraid of getting infected?"

"You little brat..." The Old Man was so enraged his face contorted. Forgetting that "guests" were present, he grabbed the meat-cutting knife from the table and lunged at Tang Fei. "I'm going to butcher you!"

Unfortunately, his steps were unsteady, his movements sluggish, and the knife in his hand seemed limp, posing no real threat.

Just as he was about to reach Tang Fei, his steps suddenly became firm and agile, and his body accelerated, and accelerated again...

Then he plunged the knife towards Wuying's back.

Tang Fei wasn't idle either. The red willow branch he had been using to roast meat had transformed into a sharp dagger.

He lunged forward, his movements ungraceful, like a vicious dog pouncing on its prey.

The red willow skewer in his hand gleamed with oil under the moonlight, still threaded with several strings of rabbit meat. He then fiercely thrust it towards Wuying's head.

Even if his head were made of solid steel, it would have a massive hole poked through it by Tang Fei's powerful thrust.

When paths cross, the despicable win.