It turns out that Lian Qiao had always thought this foul odor was body odor. Because of this, she never mentioned it, fearing it would hurt Zhou Jiannan’s feelings.
Not only did she refrain from mentioning it herself, but she also forbade others from doing so, showing utmost consideration.
It wasn’t until today that she finally understood what this foul odor really was.
The long-standing stench was mixed with a hint of sweetness—a sickly sweet stench that made all her efforts feel utterly wasted!
Yet Zhou Jiannan not only didn’t find it foul but seemed to think it had a certain charm. He took a deep sniff, his face filled with rapture.
Lian Qiao couldn’t hold back: “Ugh.”
Yan Wushuang bent over: “Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh…”
The two of them couldn’t stop retching.
Lian Qiao felt like killing him: “Zhou—Jian—Nan, throw that thing away, don’t make me do it myself!”
Yan Wushuang also pointed at Zhou Jiannan and said, “I get it now. You’re keeping this thing to use as poison, aren’t you? I never would’ve guessed, you scoundrel, how vicious you are! While I can beat you in every other aspect, I admit I can’t match you in terms of sheer malice.”
Zhou Jiannan: “…”
He quickly wrapped the handkerchief layer by layer, protecting it like a precious child, and retreated behind a tree.
“You have no taste! What do you know? This is a symbol of the friendship between His Highness and me. You shallow people!”
Lian Qiao: “Uh, friendship? That happened ten years ago. Why don’t you go ask Lu Wujiu if he even remembers you?”
Zhou Jiannan instantly deflated, his eyes darting nervously as he glanced toward the distant Lu Wujiu: “N-no… maybe not?”
Lian Qiao: “Coward!”
Yan Wushuang: “Spineless!”
Zhou Jiannan’s cheeks flushed red, but his voice was full of righteous indignation: “What do you know? This is called consideration. Countless people admire His Highness, too many to count. If everyone went to him to pour out their feelings, he’d be endlessly annoyed. It’s better to silently stand by his side like me, cherishing our shared beautiful memories. I could never do something as vulgar as rushing up to disturb His Highness.”
Lian Qiao: “…”
What, are there levels to being a sycophant now? A hierarchy, a sense of superiority?
Lian Qiao pinched her nose and stepped away, saying to Yan Wushuang, “Another one whose brain’s been addled by Lu Wujiu! Thankfully, there’s still you, always hating Lu Wujiu with me.”
Yan Wushuang hesitated for a moment: “Well, you see, actually… people’s tastes can change…”
Lian Qiao was shocked: “Aren’t you only into tall, imposing, muscular hunks? Lu Wujiu is tall, sure, but where’s the muscle?”
Yan Wushuang scratched her head: “It’s true I like hunks, and while Lu Wujiu might not look that imposing, I saw him personally trample a hulk underfoot during a fight. That seems… even more imposing!”
Lian Qiao: “…Huh?”
Yan Wushuang then looked up and down at the tall, elegant figure in the distance, clicking her tongue and shaking her head: “But even though he’s fierce enough, he’s just not muscular enough. It’s still lacking something. What a waste of that face! If only that face were paired with our eldest senior brother’s physique!”
Yan Wushuang’s expression was dreamy and infatuated.
However, their eldest senior brother was a Body Cultivator and originally a blacksmith.
Lian Qiao slowly imagined the scene: a fair, aloof face paired with a dark, gleaming, muscular body.
The image was simply too beautiful… Lian Qiao shuddered, goosebumps covering her skin. Sometimes she really couldn’t help but wonder whether her aesthetic sense was abnormal or if the two of them had highly questionable tastes.
While the three of them were bickering noisily over there, Lu Wujiu in the distance had already grown impatient.
He turned and shot them a glare cold enough to freeze a person to death, his thin lips parting slightly: "Are we leaving or not?"
Zhou Jiannan was the first to jump out excitedly, his face flushed: "Yes! Please wait a moment, Your Highness."
With that, he turned back to urge Lian Qiao, as if afraid the other party would grow impatient.
Lian Qiao held her forehead and sighed deeply: Embarrassing, so embarrassing!
But soon, something even more embarrassing happened. Just as they were about to use Sword Flight, Lu Wujiu took an unconventional approach and produced something resembling a Nuclear Boat. With a touch of Spiritual Power, the miniature boat, originally only the size of a chicken egg, suddenly expanded a hundredfold. A magnificent, grand vessel floated in the air.
Then, Lu Wujiu calmly flicked his sleeve and boarded the enlarged Nuclear Boat.
Lian Qiao stared wide-eyed. Was it really necessary to be so extravagant just for a trip out?
The other two, lacking in experience, were also stunned. Rubbing their hands together, they looked at Lian Qiao with envy: "Do we get a boat like this too?"
Lian Qiao coughed twice and said seriously, "What are you thinking! This journey is to slay demons, vanquish evil, and save the common people. How can we indulge in luxury? Sword Flight!"
Yan Wushuang, having grown up as a mountain bandit, was accustomed to hardship and simplicity. He clicked his tongue a couple of times but didn't complain.
Zhou Jiannan still refused to give up: "If we don't have one, can we hitch a ride with His Highness? His dragon boat looks spacious and bright, and you can even gather around a stove to brew tea. It should have plenty of room for four people, right?"
Lian Qiao crossed her arms and smiled: "Sure, go ask him. If he agrees, we'll board."
Zhou Jiannan immediately shrank back: "…Never mind."
So, after much dawdling, the three finally decided to use Sword Flight.
Meanwhile, Lu Wujiu, sitting on the boat, idly tapped the table with his fingers. He glanced up slightly and saw Lian Qiao lift her chin, glare at him, and then speed past his window on her sword.
Lu Wujiu paused his fingers, then expressionlessly drove his Spirit Boat away as well.
Thus, standing on her sword, Lian Qiao watched helplessly as Lu Wujiu's grand vessel swept past her without a hint of mercy.
"…"
Lian Qiao was furious. Not only did he refuse to give her a ride, but he was also competing with her over speed? She stomped her foot hard, causing her sword to tremble, and with a whoosh, she chased after him at full speed.
Fortunately, their destination this time was Buxiao Town, where the disturbance had occurred, which wasn't too far from Wuxiang Zong.
So even though Lian Qiao was using Sword Flight, she didn't endure too much hardship.
Speaking of which, the name Buxiao Town was rather strange.
It was said to have originally been called Xile Town, but for some reason, people outside started calling it Buxiao Town.
Yan Wushuang, standing on his sword, curled his lip: "What other reason could there be? Where I come from, towns with many pig butchers are called Butcher Towns, towns with many blacksmiths are called Blacksmith Towns. Buxiao Town must just have a lot of unfilial people!"
Zhou Jiannan frowned: "Not so, not so. Your perspective is too simplistic. By your logic, if a town had many murders, would it be called Murder Town?"
Yan Wushuang: "…What's wrong with that?"
"Vulgar! Utterly lacking in sophistication." Zhou Jiannan straightened his collar and said seriously, "Based on my extensive reading, I suspect this 'Unfilial Town' is likely a corruption. For example, the 'Xiamaling' we just passed was originally called 'Xiamaling'—the burial site of a great Confucian scholar. Hence, passersby would dismount from their horses as a sign of respect, which is why it was named Xiamaling. But through oral transmission over time, the pronunciation was mistaken, and villagers corrupted it into 'Xiamaling.' If what you said were true, that place should be full of toads. Did you see any when we passed by?"
His reasoning was sound, and Lian Qiao vaguely recalled something similar. Yan Wushuang widened his eyes: "Jiannan, I didn’t expect you to have some knowledge after all."
"Of course!" Zhou Jiannan smiled smugly. "I come from the Qiaoming Zhou Clan. Heritage—do you know what heritage means?"
However, before he could finish boasting, a loud shout suddenly erupted from the town below—
"Unfilial? So what if I’m unfilial? When disaster strikes, how many people still care about filial piety? Even if you were my own mother, not just my mother-in-law, you wouldn’t be allowed through this door today!"
Zhou Jiannan lost his balance and nearly fell off his sword.
He adjusted the crown on his head: "It must be a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…"
The group looked down and saw two groups of people arguing with hoes under the town’s archway at the entrance of Unfilial Town. The most heated argument seemed to be between an old woman and a young couple.
The old woman, being shoved, trembled and pointed to the sky, cursing: "You’re the one who corrupted the morals, you… you venomous woman! Sooner or later, you’ll be struck by lightning!"
Lian Qiao and Yan Wushuang exchanged glances and both snorted coldly.
Zhou Jiannan: "…"
He silently sealed his lips.
Then, they decided to go down and see just how unfilial this Unfilial Town really was.
By the time they descended, Lu Wujiu ahead had already stopped, likely having heard the commotion below.
The magnificent dragon boat instantly shrank into a Nuclear Boat, and then Lu Wujiu descended from the sky without a speck of dust, accompanied by a fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked child with hair tied in two buns.
Lian Qiao: How pretentious!
She quickly sheathed her sword and landed before him.
Dressed in flowing white robes, exuding an immortal aura, and each more handsome than the last, the group slowly descended from the sky. The two arguing parties were instantly dumbfounded, hurriedly hiding their hoes behind their backs, and exclaimed in disbelief, "Are they immortals?"
Another stammered, "They can fly, carry swords, and look like the statues in temples. They must be."
In recent years, as major clans widely recruited disciples, ordinary people had also begun seeking immortality and enlightenment. Thus, Cultivators were not uncommon, but those who could perform Sword Flight and looked so ethereal were still extremely rare.
Immediately, the crowd bowed respectfully with clasped hands.
Lu Wujiu calmly told them there was no need for formalities. In contrast, Lian Qiao was much more enthusiastic, personally helping them up.
However, in reality, the crowd’s gaze toward Lu Wujiu was clearly more reverent.
Nevertheless, the old woman was exceptionally enthusiastic. Standing beside Lian Qiao, she trembled and pointed at a woman with slicked-back hair across from her, cursing, "You unfilial wretch! Even the immortals can’t stand you and have come to punish you. Heaven has finally opened its eyes!"
The woman opposite had an utterly fearless demeanor. "Pah! Who knows if they're real immortals or not. And even if they are, who's to say they're here to deal with me or you cursed lot? If I still didn't consider you my mother-in-law, I'd have beaten you to death with a stick long ago instead of politely telling you to leave!"
The old woman trembled with rage, then turned her gaze to a farmer-looking man among the crowd who had remained silent.
The farmer's lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but when the woman glared at him, he immediately shrank back.
The old woman instantly scrambled to her feet again, pointing at the woman's nose and cursing, "You venomous shrew! You're just watching me go to my death! It's all your doing, turning my son against me—look how you've cowed him into silence!"
At these words, murmurs instantly spread through the crowd.
"My doing?" The woman's face flushed and paled in turns. "Fine, I won't interfere. Ask him yourself whose idea it was not to take you back home!"
Then she pinched her husband and pushed him forward, all the way until he stood before the old woman. But the moment he was pushed out, he immediately tried to retreat again.
The old woman's lips quivered as she stepped forward to grab her son's arm. "My son, I'm your mother, you…"
Her son wore a mournful expression but kept peeling her hands off as if avoiding something filthy.
"Mother, why did you have to go to that place and encounter that thing! That thing rips out people's hearts—look how many it's killed these past days. Now it's not just killing in this town—even those who flee get hunted down. It's not that I don't want to take you home, but I'm terrified that thing will follow. I'm scared…"
The old woman was instantly rendered speechless.
Seeing this, the woman finally sneered coldly. "See? Was it my doing? Clearly, your own son doesn't want you back. Talk about unfilial—who's really the unfilial one here?"
The old woman's face immediately turned ashen. "You're blaming me for wandering off? But who was I working dawn till dusk here for? You heartless creatures!"
The crowd's gazes turned accusatorily toward the son.
As if bearing a thousand-pound weight on his head, the son finally couldn't endure it any longer. With a thud, he knelt and pulled his mother's hand to slap his own face.
Though he wept and made a scene, the son never let his mother cross the town's archway.
Thus, the two groups began arguing again.
The townspeople inside the archway, carrying bundles on their backs, loudly denounced the son as inhuman—to avoid being implicated, he wouldn't even care for his own mother!
The outsiders beyond the archway all sided with the son, hoisting their hoists defensively.
Both sides argued until spittle flew, and dog's blood was splashed on the boundary marker.
Lian Qiao and her companions had never witnessed such fervent, impassioned scenes, much less a mother and son turning against each other like this. For a moment, they were both astonished and shocked.
Yan Wushuang rubbed his aching head. "That son is truly inhuman. But what's wrong with the old woman? I don't understand."
Ever since he saw Lu Wujiu appear, Zhou Jiannan's eyes had lit up. Eager to impress but finding no opportunity, he finally seized his chance. Clearing his throat, he interjected, "I understand. Let me explain!"
"This mother and son, along with the daughter-in-law, originally lived in the neighboring town. The old woman often went to Buxiao Town to sell vegetables to help support the family. Unfortunately, a demon that gouged out human hearts suddenly appeared in this town. The old woman wanted to flee back home, but all those who had previously escaped back for refuge were tracked down by the demon. Not only did they die themselves, but their family members also had their hearts gouged out. As a result, panic spread through the neighboring town, and they refused to allow anyone from this town to seek refuge there. That’s why they grabbed their hoes and blocked the town entrance together!"
"The son was likely one of them. Unfortunately, he encountered his own mother, who was trapped in this town. When mother and son met, each had their own hardships. The mother wanted to return home, but the son feared that her return would attract the demon to gouge out their hearts. They were deadlocked, which led to the scene we just witnessed."
By the end of his explanation, he felt a pang of sorrow—what a tragic human affair. He stole a glance and saw Lu Wujiu looking indifferent, so he coughed and pretended to be mature as well.
Lian Qiao’s guess was similar to Zhou Jiannan’s, and she felt quite pleased with herself—her judgment of people was still quite accurate.
Just then, the two groups grew more agitated in their argument. With a swing of their hoes, they were about to start fighting.
Seeing the situation turn bad, Lian Qiao hurried forward to intervene. She cast a Freezing Spell, barely managing to calm both sides down.
"Everyone, rest assured. We are here to capture the demon. We will definitely eliminate it and ensure your safety."
But magic could only address the symptoms, not the root cause.
The woman with slickly combed hair, her body still stiff, said, "Safety? That demon is extremely powerful. If you let these people through, we’ll have no choice but to flee even farther. Who knows how many more people will be affected then? Immortal, you can’t just care about them and ignore our lives!"
Her words instantly reignited the fury of the people from the neighboring town, who began cursing and shouting all at once.
Lian Qiao was caught in a dilemma. As she pondered a solution that would satisfy both sides, a voice reached her ears—
"Then seal off the town."
It was Lu Wujiu.
Lian Qiao was stunned. Listen to that—was that even human speech?
He simply didn’t care about the lives of everyone in the town!
Sure enough, the people of Buxiao Town instantly changed their expressions. Even those who had been respectful toward Lu Wujiu earlier now regarded him with hostility.
"What about us? Are our lives worthless?"
"Exactly! What kind of immortal says something like that?"
"An immortal? I think he might be that demon in disguise, trying to wipe us all out in one go!"
For a moment, discussions erupted everywhere. Zhou Jiannan, flushed with anger, stepped forward to defend him: "Don’t talk nonsense! What demon? We traveled thousands of miles to help you eliminate it. If we leave, you’ll truly fall into the demon’s trap! Senior… Senior Brother Lu wouldn’t have said this without a plan. He’s incredibly powerful. Even if the town is sealed, he’ll definitely ensure everyone’s safety. If you don’t believe me, look at his robes—they’re embroidered with the Three-Legged Golden Crow pattern!"
The crowd looked closely and indeed noticed the subtle Three-Legged Golden Crow pattern embroidered on the hem of his moon-white robes with some special thread.
Even if they lacked knowledge, they knew that the current sage, the Tianyu Lu Clan’s totem, was the Three-Legged Golden Crow. Aside from members of the royal family, no one else would dare wear such a pattern. It seemed this person was not only an immortal but likely a royal one as well.
The townspeople finally quieted down a bit, though they were still far from convinced.
While both sides were still sizing each other up, Lu Wujiu finally spoke: "Seven days. Within seven days, I will surely eliminate this demon. If I fail by then, I will no longer restrain you."
Upon hearing this, the crowd's clamor gradually subsided as they began to ponder seriously.
Just seven days, right? After all, the neighboring town had been guarding against them day and night, and escaping within seven days might not be easy. Why not give it a try?
The people of Buxiao Town exchanged glances and felt the idea wasn't so bad after all. So, half-convinced and half-doubting, they nodded in agreement.
In an instant, a rainbow-like sword aura flashed across the sky. Immediately after, a wall resembling a curtain of light rose out of thin air at the border between the two towns. Then, the wall rapidly soared upward as if piercing the clouds and spread out in all directions. In no time, the entire Buxiao Town was completely enveloped by a circle of walls emitting a faint glow.
The onlookers rubbed their eyes in disbelief. A bold one reached out to touch it but quickly withdrew their hand, exclaiming in amazement, "It's soft!"
Though soft, the wall was impossible to pierce no matter how hard they tried. At most, one could press a finger's length into it before being pushed back.
Witnessing such a feat with their own eyes, the townspeople were utterly convinced.
Lian Qiao also glanced sideways.
The Barrier Technique was originally not an advanced spell, commonly used for self-protection. Typically, it could only protect oneself or at most one other person. But creating a towering barrier wall that enveloped an entire town—Lian Qiao had never seen anything like it.
Zhou Jiannan widened his eyes even further: "This… this is actually the simplest Barrier Technique?"
Taotie crossed his arms and boasted proudly: "Impressed, aren'tt you? I told you long ago, my master is incredibly powerful!"
Lian Qiao snorted coldly: "A mere trifling skill."
Taotie retorted indignantly: "A trifling skill? Can you do it? If you can, why don't you use it?"
Of course, Lian Qiao could do it—she had just never tried before. Frowning, she looked at Lu Wujiu, annoyed about something else. Sealing off the town without permission was one thing, but setting such a short deadline for capturing the demon was another!
"Hey, who said you could set it at seven days? This demon might possess Kongtong Seal fragments. It's not to be underestimated. Why didn't you discuss it with me?"
Lu Wujiu replied indifferently: "Since I said it, I naturally have a way."
"A way?" Lian Qiao was puzzled. "How long does it usually take you to capture a demon?"
Lu Wujiu: "Also seven days."
Lian Qiao's eyes widened slightly: "How many?"
Then Taotie chimed in, his voice grating as ever: "That's the longest it takes! For minor demons like flood dragons, my master can catch them in a single day. In seven days, he'd have already caught and dried them into dragon jerky!"
Lian Qiao: "…"
First, she had never heard of a great demon like a flood dragon being referred to as a "minor demon";
Second, did she hear correctly? Seven days at most—what kind of terrifying speed was that!
Lu Wujiu glanced at her: "Why do you seem so surprised? Do you usually take much longer?"
Lian Qiao was instantly provoked by his competitive tone and blurted out without thinking: "Of course not! I'm just surprised you're so slow. Besides, this demon might possess the Kongtong Seal. That artifact is unfathomable—how can you afford to delay like this?"
"Oh? So you think I'm slow." Lu Wujiu remained surprisingly calm. "In that case, in your opinion, how many days should it take you this time?"
"Five days, at most five days." Lian Qiao lifted her chin, boasting extravagantly, "Hah, just you wait and see, I'll definitely be faster than you!"
Yan Wushuang: ?
Zhou Jiannan: ??
Hey, hey, this is the heart-ripping monster that has killed dozens of people—I mean, even when boasting, you shouldn’t go this far, right?
Lu Wujiu glanced at the tightly clenched fist hidden by Lian Qiao’s skirt and raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. "Alright, then let it be as you wish."