The evil cultivator

Only after Si Chen disappeared beyond the auction hall's doors did the suppressed whispers inside erupt into a buzz, as though a seal had been lifted.

Countless gazes, some open and others furtive, swept toward the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's private room on the second floor, mingling surprise, amusement, and a trace of excitement from those who never minded a spectacle getting out of hand.

Lü Yan's face was livid. It felt as though a red-hot branding iron had lodged in his chest, impossible to swallow or spit out.

In his hundreds of years of life, he had never lost face so thoroughly before a Foundation Establishment junior-and in front of practically every person of standing in Ancient Gaze City!

Three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones!

That was almost half a lifetime's savings, and all he had gained in exchange was a scorching-hot Scarlet Yang Fruit and a hall full of ridicule.

He gripped the cold jade box containing the fruit, fury threatening to burn its way out of him.

"Congratulations, Elder Lü. Three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones for that Scarlet Yang Fruit. What an... extravagant purchase."

A woman's voice, carrying a languid hint of laughter, drifted over from the opposite private room.

Her words sounded congratulatory, but she could not hide the mockery in her eyes.

Only a handful of cultivators in Ancient Gaze City had the confidence to offend the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect without fear, and she was one of them.

Lü Yan whipped his head around and fixed her with a sinister glare, but the woman merely covered her mouth and chuckled, utterly unafraid.

He snorted heavily and turned with a sweep of his sleeves, unwilling to stay and be gawked at like a performing monkey. "We're leaving!"

Zhao Qinghe and the others hurried after him with their heads lowered, their faces ashen. They had never felt so humiliated in their lives.

Their eldest senior brother's feelings were even more tangled. Ever since they had encountered Si Chen, almost nothing had gone their way. At that moment, a little regret crept in. If only he had not meddled back then...

The whispers among the general seats grew louder.

"Where did that kid come from? He actually dared to tug the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's tiger whiskers?"

"He may be young, but he certainly repays even the slightest grudge."

"Still, he was willing to spend three thousand low-grade spirit stones on a Spirit-Nurturing Mushroom earlier, and then he bid against Elder Lü without batting an eye. With wealth like that..."

Quite a few minds began to stir, greed quietly taking root in the shadows.

Naturally, those remarks reached Lü Yan's ears as well.

He strode out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. The icy night wind actually cooled his head a little. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his roiling blood, and an even more vicious idea rose in his mind.

Since you've flaunted your wealth and made yourself everyone's target, don't blame me for killing you with a borrowed blade...

He secretly swore that he would kill this boy! The secrets the boy carried, and the enormous price he had forced Lü Yan to pay today-he would recover it all, principal and interest!

In a shadowy corner of the auction hall, Steward Qian took everything in.

His face betrayed nothing, but his estimation of the boy named Si Chen rose another notch.

Talent, courage, and a ruthless streak that disregarded all consequences. If he really could survive Lü Yan's coming wrath...

Steward Qian felt that, when the time came, it would be well worth the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower's while to invest in a friendly connection with him.

As for Si Chen, he had already reached the dessert shop he had been thinking about all day and begun eating almond pudding.

As its gentle sweetness melted over his tongue, he felt much of the displeasure the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had stirred in his heart finally dissipate.

He was very focused when he ate, with few stray thoughts in his mind.

As for the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's retaliation? He was not worried in the slightest.

Not because he was arrogant, but because, to him, the logic of the matter was simple.

That Elder Lü and his disciples had gone from "trouble encountered by chance" to "trouble that kept coming."

They had tried to kill him in the mountains, blocked his way at the restaurant, and even interfered when he was buying something for his mother.

What was the most reasonable way to handle a source of trouble that repeatedly appeared before him, showed malice in both word and deed, and would very likely continue causing trouble in the future?

Si Chen set down the porcelain bowl he had emptied completely. He already had his answer.

Cut down the weeds and pull out the roots.

Although Lü Yan was an entire major realm above him, Si Chen did not think he was particularly strong. At the very least, he was far weaker than Second Uncle and Third Uncle.

Yet before Si Chen could act, the winds in Ancient Gaze City began to shift.

At first, there were only vague rumors claiming that a youth in blue-green robes used vicious methods and did not seem to belong to the righteous path.

Soon, however, those rumors acquired convincing details.

"Have you heard? A little while ago, several children over in Green Mulberry Town mysteriously fell ill. Their vitality was draining away, and none of the physicians could find the cause..."

"I heard that too! Apparently, an unfamiliar youth wearing blue-green robes appeared in town around that time. His movements were very suspicious!"

"What youth? He's a fiend who practices evil arts! He specifically drains children's vitality to cultivate!"

"Yes, that's him! I think his name is... Si Chen!"

"Si Chen, the evil cultivator!"

No one knew who first called that name out clearly, but it immediately seemed to sprout wings and fly through every street and alley of Ancient Gaze City.

The rumors were embellished with oil and vinegar, growing more outrageous with every telling.

Devouring children's vital energy to cultivate, murdering people and extracting their souls to refine magic treasures...

For a time, the name "Si Chen, the evil cultivator" truly rang throughout Ancient Gaze City.

Naturally, it was anything but a good reputation.

Lü Yan had, of course, played no small part in fanning the flames.

He did not even need to appear in person. A few hints to rogue cultivators and minor lineages dependent on the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, along with a few spirit stones, were enough to find people willing to spread these half-true, half-false stories.

The city had no shortage of clever people. Some with good sources of information could connect the rumors to the spectacle at the auction and make a fair guess at who was pulling the strings.

"That Elder Lü of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect is playing hard this time," someone said quietly in a private room at a teahouse.

"Killing with a borrowed blade. An old trick. That kid's a reckless fool too. Offending a Golden Core cultivator like that-isn't he asking to die?"

"Still, there really is something uncanny about Si Chen. So young, with impressive cultivation and that much wealth... perhaps something really is wrong."

"Even if something's wrong, it's not our concern. Just watch. Lü Yan won't let this end here."

Everyone took the attitude that it was none of their business and happily watched the show.

No one would offend the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, the local tyrant, for a boy of unknown origins. Nor would anyone be foolish enough to charge in first and become the blade in Lü Yan's hand.

Who could survive and prosper in the cultivation world without a little cunning and discernment?

They all understood that the bird that stuck its head out got shot. If Si Chen dared to be so brazen, he was either hopelessly stupid or had something to rely on.

Until they understood his background, the best choice was to watch the fire from across the river.

Naturally, those filthy slanders reached Si Chen's ears as well.

He was sitting at a noodle stall, eating a steaming bowl of beef noodles. The broth was rich, the beef stewed until tender. It was the best stall he had tried these past few days.

But the gazes around him were no longer merely curious as they had been before. Now they held appraisal and scrutiny.

He heard people whisper things like "that's him" and "evil cultivator," then lower their heads in panic when his gaze swept toward them.

These people had never met him, yet they feared him.

Was it because of that Elder Lü?

Evil cultivator?

Si Chen slowly ate his noodles, his heart undisturbed.

To him, the label was no different from "genius" or "good man," so there was naturally no question of anger.

He quietly finished the last mouthful, drank every drop of the delicious broth, then set down his bowl and chopsticks and placed a few spirit stones on the table.

It was time to leave Ancient Gaze City.

He had sampled most of the food here, found no leads on Yang Thunder, and acquired a swarm of noisy flies besides.

But before leaving, there were a few things he ought to clean up.

All that constant buzzing was rather annoying.

He rose, his blue-green cloth robes looking particularly clean amid the bustling streets. The moment he stood, all the prying gazes around him shifted away in unison, pretending to look elsewhere.

Si Chen did not look at them. His gaze turned toward the general direction of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's compound.

The weather was nice. A suitable day for... killing.