The two men mocked and sneered, and the disciples of the two households watching around them joined in the jeering.
Xu Lingxue was about to stand, but Liu Wuxie pressed her back down, giving her a reassuring look.
"Trash, this isn't a place for you. A brothel would suit you better."
Tian Hong jumped out and stood a short distance from Liu Wuxie. He was the one who had hired Scarred Tiger to cause trouble at the weapons workshop. Scarred Tiger and his men had failed, earning him a harsh scolding from the household head for failing to handle even such a small matter.
"Trash, why aren't you talking? Have you gone mute?" Tian Yequan sneered.
Only the Song Household remained quietly seated, unwilling to get involved.
"These bastards are bullying him too much. I can't stand watching this." A chubby boy from the Song Household stood up. "You little shits, so many of you ganging up on one person-what kind of heroes does that make you?"
The chubby boy had a baby face and a booming voice that gave everyone a fright. The other Song Household disciples were too late to stop him.
"Song Ling, are you planning to stick your nose into this?"
Tian Yequan's gaze turned cold. Of Canglan City's four great lineages, the Song Household ranked first and was close to the Li Household of Imperial Capital City. Song Ling was not afraid of Xue Yu, which was why he dared to step forward and stand up for Liu Wuxie.
"If you have any guts, fight me one at a time. What the hell is impressive about bullying someone weak?"
Song Ling strode over and stood behind Liu Wuxie, taking him aback. This chubby boy was rather interesting.
The Wan Household and Tian Household disciples hated him so much their teeth itched, but they could not afford to offend the Song Household, especially this chubby boy. He was the Song Household head's only son, a treasure cradled in their palms, doted on by the entire household.
"You trash, do you think having someone stand up for you means you can escape this? Young Master Xue gave you face, but you refused it. Don't blame us for getting rough."
Tian Yequan could only vent his anger on Liu Wuxie, preparing to attack him and throw him out.
"Oh? And how exactly do you plan to get rough with me?"
Liu Wuxie smiled, his smile wickedly captivating. Two people approached from the other end of the covered bridge and entered the area under an old man's guidance.
The conversation here had been loud enough to carry throughout the beast-fighting arena.
"I'll cripple your hands and feet and throw you out of here. Trash like you shouldn't even come here."
Tian Yequan struck as soon as he finished speaking, swinging a slap at Liu Wuxie. Xu Lingxue was about to intervene, but Liu Wuxie still held her down.
Just as the palm was about to land on Liu Wuxie's face, a figure appeared eerily beside him and extended a hand, moving over ten times faster than Tian Yequan.
Smack...
Tian Yequan flew backward and crashed into the crowd. It happened so abruptly that no one had expected anyone to actually strike.
"What happened?"
Everyone was stunned. Shouldn't Liu Wuxie have been the one sent flying? Why was he still sitting there completely unharmed, with a burly man now standing behind him?
Xu Lingxue froze. She had already summoned her Innate Spirit, yet someone had moved faster than her and slapped Tian Yequan away before she could act.
Only Liu Wuxie remained quietly seated, his expression unchanged. His right hand was already pressed against his saber's hilt. Had Lei Tao not stepped forward, he would have severed Tian Yequan's right hand with one slash.
"Young Master Liu, what happened?"
Master Huo hurried over. The Pill Treasure Pavilion had also been invited to today's Hundred Demon Gathering. They had arrived rather late and happened to witness this scene.
The sight of the dignified chief Alchemist of the Pill Treasure Pavilion fawning over a piece of trash struck everyone present like a muffled thunderclap, leaving them scorched outside and raw within.
"Just a few clowns jumping about."
Liu Wuxie's tone was calm and indifferent. In his eyes, these people were less than clowns. Most shocking of all, even with Master Huo standing behind him, he showed no intention of rising.
It was a great deal to take in, and many felt their minds could no longer keep up. How had the Xu Household's trash become involved with the Pill Treasure Pavilion?
"Would you like me to teach them a lesson?"
Others feared the four great lineages, but in Master Huo's eyes, they were merely a swarm of ants. The Pill Treasure Pavilion answered to no power. Even the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty had to treat it with deference. Canglan City's Pill Treasure Pavilion was only a branch; the Pill Treasure Pavilion in Imperial Capital City stood above imperial authority.
"There's no hurry. I have a pill here. This is a good opportunity to ask for your guidance, Master Huo."
He took a porcelain bottle from his robe and, before everyone's eyes, poured a pill into his palm.
Master Huo's eyes locked onto it. A rich fragrance assailed his nose, and he reached to snatch the pill, only for Liu Wuxie to put it away. That fleeting glimpse drove Master Huo frantic.
"Lei Tao, give them all a beating. Help Young Master Liu vent his anger."
How could Master Huo fail to see that Liu Wuxie was mocking him? If he wanted to see the pill, he had to give something in return. His life was still in Liu Wuxie's hands. Thanks to his treatment, the pain at his Shanzhong acupoint had eased considerably over the past two days.
Lei Tao had also seen that pill clearly. Outsiders knew nothing of their collaboration, but Lei Tao knew it perfectly well. Once the Heavenly Spirit Pill appeared, the standing of Canglan City's Pill Treasure Pavilion would rise like a boat on swelling waters, and their own positions would rise accordingly.
"Blame your own bad luck. Of all the people you could offend, you had to offend Young Master Liu."
Lei Tao vanished from his spot like a phantom, delivering slap after slap.
Wan Butong was the first to crash into the crowd, blood spurting from his mouth and nose. Everything happened too quickly. None of the surrounding Tian Household and Wan Household disciples escaped. Only Xue Yu remained standing quietly in place.
"Stop!"
Xue Yu finally spoke. So many people had been injured right before his eyes, stripping him of all face. Every shred of his superiority vanished at that moment.
It was already too late. Everyone had been thrown out, and quiet finally returned.
"Young Master Xue, you must uphold justice for us!"
Wan Butong scrambled to his feet. They were today's hosts, yet they had been slapped in the face. This was a humiliation they could never wash away.
"The Pill Treasure Pavilion is far too insolent. You have no regard for my Xue Household at all."
Xue Yu stared coldly at Master Huo, the killing intent in his eyes growing ever more apparent.
"You're a disciple of the Xue Household?"
A trace of difficulty appeared on Master Huo's face. He was somewhat wary of the Xue Household, but it was merely a trace of wariness, not fear.
"That's right. Xue Dingtian is my grandfather."
Xue Yu held himself arrogantly, his face filled with pride as he mentioned his grandfather. Master Huo's expression grew increasingly grim. He had long heard of Xue Dingtian, the current head of the Xue Household, who was fiercely protective of his own.
"Young Master Liu, this is a little troublesome."
Master Huo bent down and spoke quietly beside Liu Wuxie's ear. He could slap a whole bunch of the Wan Household and Tian Household members to death, but the Xue Household was different. Its standing was exalted, and even Imperial Capital City's Pill Treasure Pavilion had to give it some face. The two sides kept to their own wells without disturbing the other's river. Offending the Xue Household for one Liu Wuxie was not worth it.
"Don't worry. I won't implicate your Pill Treasure Pavilion."
Liu Wuxie waved a hand, telling him not to worry. If it truly came to that, he could unleash all his talent and break through to the Xiantian Realm in one stroke. Then he could employ some Immortal Emperor methods. A mere Xue Household truly meant nothing to him.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would not do so. His foundation mattered greatly. Affecting a lifetime of cultivation for a moment's anger was not worth it.
With Liu Wuxie's assurance, Master Huo relaxed. The disciples of the two households who had been slapped away stood up, blood still at the corners of their mouths and several teeth knocked out.
"You filthy bitch! I gave you face, and you refused it. No woman I, Xue Yu, take a fancy to can refuse me."
Xue Yu completely tore away his mask of pretense. His ragged voice rang out above the entire beast-fighting arena, and Xu Lingxue's delicate body trembled with anger.
Clap, clap, clap...
Liu Wuxie suddenly clapped his hands. There was not a trace of anger on his face; instead, he wore a harmless smile. He had worn that same smile when he severed Scarred Tiger's arm.
"For those words alone, your Xue Household will soon be erased from the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty."
There was no imposing presence behind the utterly ordinary words, yet they made everyone's hair stand on end. The Xue Household was a mighty lineage with a five-hundred-year legacy. Xue Yu looked as though he had heard an extraordinarily funny joke.
"Hahaha! Are you trying to make me laugh myself to death, you trash?"
He was not the only one laughing. Everyone laughed. The Xue Household was like the bright moon in the sky, while Liu Wuxie did not even amount to a firefly's glow. An ant trying to shake a tree-he did not know his own limits.
"This trash has gone mad with delusions. Even the Pill Treasure Pavilion can't protect you today."
Wan Butong did not know why Master Huo stood on Liu Wuxie's side, but as long as Xue Yu was here, this piece of trash was certain to die today.
"Young Master Xue, please kill this trash."
Tian Yequan's eyes bulged as though their corners would split. Lei Tao's slap had sent him flying and left him the most severely injured, with half his face swollen. Only killing Liu Wuxie could dispel the hatred in his heart.
Everyone's eyes gathered on Xue Yu. His Innate Spirit surged out, and powerful Qi force pressed straight toward Liu Wuxie. Master Huo was terribly anxious. If Liu Wuxie died, what would become of his own life? Who would treat him?
Wan Butong sneered, staring at Liu Wuxie as though he were already dead, waiting to see how he would die.
"Young Master Xue, could you give this old man some face and let today's matter end here?"
Master Huo stepped forward after all, shielding Liu Wuxie. If Liu Wuxie died, he himself would not survive another three months. Even if it meant offending the Xue Household, he would spare no cost.
"A mere second-grade Alchemist like you dares to stop me?"
Xue Yu was enraged. His Innate Spirit grew stronger and stronger, his gaze filled with mockery. A mere second-grade Alchemist was low-grade stock in Imperial Capital City and only enjoyed some standing in a place like Canglan City.
Swords were drawn, bows bent!
A great battle could erupt at any moment, and Liu Wuxie would certainly be the one to suffer.
Xue Yu advanced step by step, killing intent chillingly sharp. Once he killed Liu Wuxie, Xu Lingxue would be his.
"There's too much to take in today. The Pill Treasure Pavilion inexplicably stepped forward to stand up for Liu Wuxie, and now this Xue Yu has appeared. He seems quite formidable. Even the Pill Treasure Pavilion is very wary of him."
Several heads of minor lineages gathered together and discussed in low voices. Their seats were relatively close, so they could hear some of what was said here.
"He seems to be from the Xue Household of Imperial Capital City. Now there's a good show to watch. After offending the Xue Household, the Xu Household won't have easy days ahead!"
These minor lineages were far weaker than the four great lineages. With the Xu Household destroyed, they could seize the moment to raise their banners, divide its territory, grab its share, rise rapidly, and take its place.
"What surprises me most is Liu Wuxie. Everyone says he's trash, but nothing about his behavior today fits that description. Could the rumors outside be untrue?"
Discussions rose from every side. Xue Yu had already closed in. Liu Wuxie drew a deep breath and pressed his right hand against his saber's hilt again.
"Xue Yu, I am a disciple of Teacher Baili Qing of the Imperial Academy. Just try laying a hand on me."
Xu Lingxue suddenly stood, took a token from her robe, and slapped it onto the table.