After earnestly lecturing and guiding the two brothers surnamed Jia, Mu Bai let them go. The two also showed a desire to mend their ways and, after expressing their profound gratitude, supported each other as they stepped onto their soul swords and flew toward the Spirit Taming Sect.
Mu Bai still had business in Spirit Command City. Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy were not concerned about how much time it took, so they went along with him. After spending time with Mu Bai on several occasions, they had come to sincerely admire this young elder who had landed his position so easily. He was not only loyal and willing to take responsibility, but resourceful and strategic too-just a little fond of lecturing.
After flying for most of the day, the bustling, prosperous Spirit Command City appeared before them. Places with many women always shared one trait: liveliness! Chattering and murmuring rose from every corner of the city, a bustle brimming with vitality that lifted the spirits and set the heart soaring.
Taking in the lively atmosphere, the three chatted and looked around as they made their way to the Blue Flower Pavilion. They climbed the steps amid an endless stream of brothel patrons of every description. Now and then, men coming downstairs toward them, belching wine and pleasantly tipsy, gave Mu Bai, Xi Bazì, and Sweet Potato Boy smiles of fellow understanding, as much as to say, "Young brothers, you may be young, but you know your way around. You've come to the right place."
Naturally, Mu Bai did not go around striking up conversations and making acquaintances. He merely smiled and cupped his fists in response without saying anything, then went straight into the Blue Flower Pavilion and found a table by the window, where the three sat down.
The young serving girl was sharp-eyed and quick-handed. Before they could ask, she covered their table with fruit and brought out fine wine. Most guests at the Blue Flower Pavilion waited in the main hall only briefly; the real spending happened in the girls' rooms.
"Sorry for the trouble, miss. Please ask Sister Mu Lan to come out and see me."
"Please wait a moment, young master. Sister Mu Lan will come once she has finished her makeup."
"Well, where did this yellow-beaked brat come from? Instead of staying home nursing, he's come to learn how to drink with women."
"And he even dares compete with our Third Master Liu for Miss Mu Lan. He must not want to leave this Blue Flower Pavilion alive!"
Mu Bai looked up. Five middle-aged men sat at the next table. Their leader, his face covered in savage-looking flesh, looked over contemptuously, while the other four wore expressions of righteous indignation, looking ready to teach them a lesson.
With a bang, Sweet Potato Boy slapped the table and rose, though only half his head emerged above the tabletop.
"Ha ha..."
"Ha ha, is this potato trying to get onto the table?"
"He really thinks he's a dish worth serving..."
Mocked, Sweet Potato Boy sprang up with a whoosh and knocked one man to the floor with a palm strike. The wind stirred his red robe, giving the little sweet potato a fluttering air of imposing might. He looked quite fierce.
"Brothers, get them!"
Seeing his companion fall, the burly leader's face twisted in anger, and he radiated fierce killing intent.
Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy were close brothers, so naturally he would not stand idly by. He immediately rose and stood beside Sweet Potato Boy as though perched on stilts. Together, the two brothers had no fear of the others' bluster.
"Young Master Mu, sorry for the wait. Mu Lan..."
Just as the two sides stood with swords drawn and bows bent, Mu Lan approached gracefully. In her plain-colored long dress, she resembled a swaying white orchid.
"Sister Mu Lan, my greetings."
Mu Bai went to meet her, paying no heed whatsoever to the four or five men provoking him and asking for trouble. He could tell that all five were merely at the Second Level. This was Spirit Taming Sect territory; however much trouble arose, Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy would not come out the worse for it.
"Miss Mu Lan, our Third Master Liu has been waiting here since early this morning. Why don't you hurry and invite him into your room for some pleasure?"
"Oh, then I can only ask Third Master Liu's forgiveness. I already have an appointment with Young Master Mu."
"What blasted Young Master Mu? His hair hasn't even grown in yet. Might as well call him Eunuch Hair..."
Before the coarse brute known as Third Master Liu could finish, a gray blur lunged at his face. Before he could defend himself, pain struck his chest. A Golden Roc over ten feet long screeched shrilly and tore a chunk of flesh straight from his chest.
"You feathered beast! Die!"
Pain drove Third Master Liu into a rage. A green ox Soul Spirit appeared, thrusting its horns viciously at the Golden Roc. The Golden Roc gave a bold, raucous cry, then twisted sideways. Its enormous wing came whistling down, slamming into Third Master Liu and sending his huge body flying far away with a bang.
Seeing this, the other four brought out their Soul Weapons and attacked the Golden Roc together. Unable to dodge in time, the Golden Roc took a blow to its feathered body from a man wielding a metal truncheon. It staggered and fell, shedding quite a few feathers as it flapped.
"Five men bullying one bird. How very impressive!"
Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy flashed in front of the Golden Roc, swinging their long swords together to slash at the four men.
"You insulted me first, then injured my beast companion. Do you truly think I'm a spineless child?"
Mu Bai grew angry, a trace of killing intent flashing through his eyes. Though he had never killed anyone, he did not mind having his first taste here. He had been bottling up his anger for some time. His figure flashed as he lunged at Third Master Liu and drove out a fist. With a boom, he knocked the man back another several dozen feet and onto the floor.
At this point, Mu Bai's physical body was his greatest strength. His sinews and bones were like bronze and iron, extraordinarily dense, and both his Soul Power and mental power had broken through to the Second Level. With all three powers combined, his explosive combat strength was no weaker than that of a cultivator at the peak of the Second Level. If he also used the methods he had cultivated from the Flying Immortal Scripture, Mu Bai was confident he could pit himself against a Third Level expert.
This was the aura of the strong: daring to fight, daring to kill!
Shaken by Mu Bai's sudden burst of imposing force, Third Master Liu and his companions retreated, thinking of escape. They understood that although their side had one more person, they still could not withstand a single blow in the face of such powerful combat strength.
"I am the son of Ancestor Liu Zhen of Spirit Command City! You dare hurt me!"
"Forget hurting you-what if I kill you?"
Mu Bai was never a coward. His constant forbearance within the Spirit Taming Sect was merely because he wanted peace and stability, and the chance to grow stronger in secret, so he kept a low profile. Outside the sect, he was likewise cautious and humble, yielding first, but that did not mean anyone could bully and humiliate him at will. The Golden Roc was Mu Bai's beast companion. Injuring it meant touching his dragon's reverse scale.
Since it's mine, if you hurt it, there can only be a fight!
With that, Mu Bai charged like a fierce tiger, his momentum like a roaming dragon. Before even a few dozen breaths had passed, he had knocked all five opponents to the floor, where they lay begging without cease.
"Young hero, we can talk this over. This lowly Liu San had eyes but failed to see. I've offended you greatly today. Here are two hundred Soul Crystals. Please let us go..."
The savage-faced Third Master Liu had long since lost his swagger. He was now nothing but a heap of fat sprawled on the floor.
"Brother Xiao Bai, the Ancestor Liu Zhen he mentioned really does exist in Spirit Command City. He's a Third-Level Peak Soul Cultivator, fiercely protective of his own, and one of the few such powerful experts in this city. Why not let them go..."
Xi Bazì worried that Mu Bai might truly act on impulse and beat Liu San and the others to death. If he killed them, dealing with it would be quite troublesome even as a member of the Spirit Taming Sect.
But Mu Bai was not someone who acted on impulse. Though he had indeed felt killing intent, after teaching the five a lesson, he had not truly intended to kill them.
Just as Xi Bazì stopped Mu Bai to whisper to him, Liu San had already brought out a voice transmission talisman and sent a pitiful plea for help to his Ancestor Liu Zhen. With Liu San's arrogant, domineering nature, how could he swallow such a crushing loss in Spirit Command City?
Mu Bai's Divine Sense was exceptionally powerful. Naturally, Liu San's actions did not escape his notice.
"Brother Bazì, there's something you don't know. I'm afraid it's already too late even if we want to settle this peacefully. That Ancestor Liu Zhen or whatever he's called is probably on his way already."
"Oh dear, this is a bit troublesome..."
Xi Bazì knitted his brows and gave a quiet sigh.
Seeing signs of fear in Mu Bai and the others, Liu San and his companions grew arrogant again. "You brats, and that big bird too! Spirit Command City is no place for country bumpkins like you to run wild!"
Before you continue