"Yo! Everyone's here!"
Yang Zhen's voice rang out in the silent valley and echoed for a long time, leaving everyone stunned.
Yang the Skinflint's name was simply too notorious. There were over a hundred cultivators in the valley, and if he hadn't robbed more than half of them, he had robbed a fair number. Everyone had assumed that, in these circumstances, Yang Zhen would try to flee for his life. Who would have thought he would swagger right into the valley and greet them all as though they were old friends?
He was far too arrogant. Everyone's eyes twitched. He was even greeting them? Who here didn't want to skin him alive?
Yang Zhen's sudden greeting left everyone dumbstruck for a moment. How were they supposed to respond? Would cursing him back make them seem a little uncouth? But if they didn't curse him, were they supposed to greet him back?
Everyone shuddered involuntarily. Was this some kind of joke? At a life-or-death moment like this, who would dare greet Yang Zhen? If they were mistaken for his companions, they would surely die without even knowing how.
Princess Changyang stared at Yang Zhen. She simply couldn't understand how he could remain so calm and composed in such circumstances, as though the people before him were his friends rather than his enemies.
At that moment, Princess Changyang also guessed Yang Zhen's name. He was probably the much-talked-about "Yang the Skinflint," but... Yang Zhen didn't seem as shameless as the rumors claimed.
In the crowd, Duan Langcai sneered and said to the people beside him, "Keep your cool. Yang Zhen is courting death himself, so he can't blame me for borrowing a knife to kill him. Just don't let these angry people actually kill him. I still need to interrogate him about the Three Origins Ghost Shadow Sword."
"Yes!"
The atmosphere in the valley was tense. Everyone stared at Yang Zhen as he slowly walked forward.
Yang Zhen, oh, Yang Zhen, your day has finally come?
At that moment, Duan Langcai really wanted to change to laughing out loud to vent his delight.
"Duan Langcai, you dare show your face again? I'll kill you!"
The sudden, sharp shout from a woman startled Duan Langcai. He hastily looked toward the source and assumed a defensive stance. The longsword in his hand, glowing icy blue, abruptly sprang from its sheath, tracing a beautiful flourish.
But the deadly blow he had imagined never came. A young woman with a hot figure leaped out of the crowd, her long whip glowing dark cyan as she lashed it straight at Yang Zhen.
Boom!
The long whip unleashed a terrifying blast of air, like a great river rushing forward, shocking everyone.
"Little girl, don't think I wouldn't dare kill you!"
Yang Zhen met her attack with his longsword and knocked the whip aside with a boom. He knew Zhen Ping'er's martial skill all too well and naturally knew how to counter it. No matter how tricky her whip strikes were, she couldn't break through his defense.
Zhen Ping'er sneered repeatedly. "Duan Langcai, you despicable, shameless bastard! If I don't kill you today, I don't deserve the title of Little Witch."
The people around them gaped at Zhen Ping'er and Yang Zhen, then looked at Duan Langcai, whose face had turned livid with anger. Suddenly, they felt their brains couldn't keep up.
Yang Zhen burst out laughing. "I, Duan Langcai, have roamed the martial world for years, and whether walking or sitting, I've never changed my name. If you want to kill me, you'd better go back and cultivate for another hundred years!"
"Pah!" Zhen Ping'er said disdainfully. "The one who never changes his name whether walking or sitting is Yang Zhen. How could a treacherous, despicable villain like you compare to him? You're not even fit to be compared to one of Yang Zhen's fingers!"
Duan Langcai, who was just about to explain himself, staggered and nearly fell flat on his face.
Who am I?
What am I doing?
Who is Duan Langcai?
What's going on? When did Duan Langcai become a treacherous, despicable, shameless, and vile villain, not even... not even fit to be compared to one of Yang Zhen's fingers?
Yang Zhen dodged Zhen Ping'er's whip and winked at Duan Langcai, whose face alternated between ashen and red. He called out, "Pah! Although I, Duan Langcai, am treacherous, despicable, vile, and shameless, surely I'm not so bad that I can't compare to one finger of Yang Zhen, the Number One Handsome Man Under Heaven?"
Hearing Yang Zhen shamelessly declare himself the Number One Handsome Man Under Heaven, Princess Changyang, who had been wearing an odd expression, burst out laughing. The surrounding crowd, however, looked as sick as if they had swallowed flies.
How shameless! Simply too shameless!
Was there really someone who would call himself the Number One Handsome Man Under Heaven?
Zhen Ping'er had attacked for a long time without success, and her beautiful face had turned livid with anger. Pointing at Yang Zhen, she said, "Duan Langcai, you've admitted yourself that you're treacherous, despicable, shameless, and vile. If you had even a ten-thousandth of Yang Zhen's spirit, you wouldn't have done something so despicable."
At those words, everyone suddenly began looking at Duan Langcai strangely.
Duan Langcai was so angry he nearly spat blood. "Miss, I'm afraid you've mis-"
"Mis your big-headed ghost! What do the grudges between me, Duan Langcai, and Zhen Ping'er have to do with an outsider like you?" Yang Zhen glared at Duan Langcai, then turned to Zhen Ping'er.
"Aha! No matter how awful I, Duan Langcai, am, even if I'm a shameless bastard to the extreme, surely I can't be worse than one finger of Yang Zhen, whose good looks are so devastating they defy heaven and earth. You defend him so fiercely. Could it be that you like him?"
Zhen Ping'er stared at him, dumbstruck. For a moment, she even forgot to attack. Her pretty face flushed red with anger, and she pointed at Yang Zhen.
"So what if I like Yang Zhen? You despicable, shameless bastard, you actually put a bounty on his head. But what did he do? He stood alone against everyone at the Youzhou Grand Assembly. Ha! How could a villain like you compare to that kind of spirit? I mean, 'Everyone here is trash.' Could you say that?"
Yang Zhen froze and asked, eyes wide, "You really like him?"
Zhen Ping'er suddenly realized something was wrong with the atmosphere around her. She looked back in bewilderment and saw that Senior Sister Fang was so ashamed and indignant she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground. Senior Sister Fang whispered something in her ear.
After hearing Senior Sister Fang's explanation, Zhen Ping'er cried out in alarm. Her face turned as red as the evening clouds. She shot Yang Zhen a fierce glare, then turned and ran, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Yang Zhen stared blankly after Zhen Ping'er. What was all this? When had he somehow acquired a little fangirl?
"Yang! Zhen!"
A hysterical roar rang out. Duan Langcai's face was livid, and a terrifying blast of air suddenly erupted from the longsword in his hand as he charged at Yang Zhen like a raging flood or a ferocious beast.
"Foundation Establishment Realm Third Layer!"
The crowd cried out in alarm, staring in shock at Duan Langcai as he charged forward.
Yang Zhen was startled too. Could this fellow have a cheat?
Not long ago, Duan Langcai had still been at the Essence Condensation Stage Ninth Layer, yet now he was already at the Foundation Establishment Realm Third Layer. Even with his own off-the-charts aptitude, Yang Zhen had only cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Realm Third Layer by now. Although Yang Zhen had only been at the Essence Condensation Stage First Layer when Duan Langcai was at the Ninth Layer, he actually had a cheat.
It seemed that old fellow Wan Quan had spared no expense to help Duan Langcai recover the Three Origins Ghost Shadow Sword.
Princess Changyang had already regrouped with her people. Seeing this, she frowned slightly and said, "A three-star weapon?"
The middle-aged man in fine robes beside her nodded. "It should be a three-star weapon. Though they're both at the Foundation Establishment Realm Third Layer, Yang Zhen has almost no chance of winning."
"Then isn't Yang Zhen in danger?"
The middle-aged man in fine robes gave Princess Changyang an odd look. "Your Highness seems to care a great deal about this Yang Zhen?"
Princess Changyang shook her head. "He helped me just now."
As she spoke, Princess Changyang turned her face away, apparently reminded of something. A trace of unease flashed across her jade-smooth face.
"Then should I help him?" the middle-aged man asked in a low voice.
"No need..." Princess Changyang recalled Yang Zhen's words. "Let's wait and see."
(End of chapter)