Ji Yunzhao thought of the free-range chicken that had been tampered with and could no longer be eaten, and his heart was filled with grief. He unconsciously exerted force with his hand, accidentally snapping a small section of a peach branch, and inadvertently shaking down quite a few peach blossoms from the fully bloomed tree.
“Stop picking them, we won’t eat the peach blossom pastries for now.”
Yan Fulang raised his eyes to look at him, with not much surprise in his gaze, though his flower-picking actions obediently and slowly ground to a halt.
“Senior, do you want to eat something else instead?”
“Not really,” Ji Yunzhao sneered, “I just want to go kill someone first.”
Hearing this, Yan Fulang glanced in the direction of the courtyard wall.
Deep inside his sleeve, a very small, folded talisman paper was glowing with a faint red light.
Yan Fulang arranged the peach blossoms that Ji Yunzhao had picked, naturally throwing away the ones that didn’t bloom well.
It was as if Ji Yunzhao hadn’t mentioned anything involving bloodshed to him at all; his expression didn’t fluctuate in the slightest as he simply asked, “Understood. Senior, do you need my help?”
Ji Yunzhao gave a soft snort, plucked another peach blossom, and tossed it into the small basket in Yan Fulang’s hand.
“Of course I do. Come on, I’ll take you to farm some experience points.”
Inside the kitchen.
The guard was doing his duty responsibly, scattering the poison over everything that could possibly be ingested.
This poison was very expensive, and cultivators at or below the Qianyuan Realm would drop one after another upon taking it. In truth, he felt that putting just a little bit would have been enough, but who told his master to order that all of it must be used up.
The drug powder scattered into the water jar for storing drinking water was the most abundant, followed by the fresh, just-slaughtered free-range chicken, and a large amount was also placed into the rice currently steaming in the pot.
As he scattered it, he couldn’t help but think to himself that a rogue cultivator and an ordinary person with damaged spiritual roots, who shared that kind of ambiguous relationship, were truly easy targets to strike.
If it weren’t for the fact that these two had nothing better to do than go to the courtyard to pick peach blossoms, he would still have had to think of a way to lure them out before he could administer the poison.
This worked out perfectly, saving him the trouble.
The He family was accustomed to acting tyrannically in the Eastern Continent and had never encountered any tricky situations. This time, since the targets were rogue cultivators without a sect, the guard was inevitably a bit careless. When the powder was nearly all scattered, a little bit was still left at the bottom, so after a brief thought, he simply tucked it into his robes, planning to find an opportunity to sell it in the future.
The guard was happily calculating in his heart how many spiritual stones he could sell it for, and just as he was preparing to return and report back-
A flash of sword light appeared.
The sharp blade pressed against the fragile skin of his neck, and a chill wrapped around him, bringing a wave of terror that surged through his entire body. The guard instantly froze on the spot, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“You-”
“Guard big brother, I’m in a hurry, so I won’t exchange pleasantries with you.”
The exquisitely beautiful youth leaned down slightly, smiling very sweetly, his tone gentle, “Everyone is just a working man, so I won’t make things difficult for you. Now that the poison is finished, it’s time to invite your master over to inspect the results.”
The guard bit his lips and remained silent.
Ji Yunzhao’s hand holding the sword was very steady, and the blade pressed against the neck moved a fraction closer, his gaze landing on the guard’s flank.
He blinked very lightly, “You can try and see if the hand you use to take out the transmission talisman is faster, or if my sword is faster.”
A moment later.
The guard walked out of the kitchen, pulling at his collar with lingering fear – there was a very thin wound there that was oozing beads of blood, left behind when he had attempted to struggle.
Only after ensuring that the abnormality on his neck would not be discovered did the guard wipe away his cold sweat and notify He Wenhua to come over.
The bamboo house was very quiet, the courtyard was covered with fallen peach blossoms, and the room doors were wide open, allowing a white-clothed silhouette to be vaguely seen slumped over the table.
He Wenhua smiled triumphantly, as if victory was assured, and strode into the room with his hands behind his back.
On the table sat two cups of tea that had been drunk from, and the white-clothed rogue cultivator had his back turned to him, having long since fallen unconscious. Opposite the rogue cultivator was the Yan Fulang he had been searching for for a long time.
The youth wore black clothes of excellent texture, and the half of his face that was exposed showed not the slightest hint of haggardness; his facial features had grown increasingly handsome and profound, and the skin exposed outside his clothes bore no scars whatsoever, as if his past tribulations had never existed.
He Wenhua’s face suddenly darkened.
Yan Fulang was actually living so well; didn’t that mean all his previous efforts had been in vain?
After going around in circles, the real jade pendant hadn’t been found, and he had to kill the person all over again, which was truly an utter nuisance.
But a useless person with damaged spiritual roots…
He Wenhua quickened his steps, rushing forward almost fiercely until he reached the front of Yan Fulang. Just as his hand was raised, the light inside the room abruptly dimmed.
“Bang!”
A loud crash echoed, and at the exact moment the main doors slammed shut, He Wenhua felt a sudden, violent kick to his back.
“Thud!”
“Ah-!”
He Wenhua could not control himself and pitched forward, his forehead slamming heavily against the table.
A buzzing sound filled his ears, leaving him completely dizzy. Before he could react, his head was grabbed and slammed down heavily once more.
This time, it wasn’t just his forehead that got hit; his nose bridge, which wasn’t high to begin with, was crushed against the hard tabletop. An intense sourness and pain assailed him all at once, making him grimace and bare his teeth from the impact.
It took He Wenhua a good while to recover before he realized – he had been fooled! This rogue cultivator and Yan Fulang hadn’t been poisoned at all!
“Tsk, what’s going on, it didn’t even crack open?”
The male voice coming from behind him was clear and pleasant to the ear, but He Wenhua was in no mood to appreciate it at this moment. His face was filled with terror and alarm as he turned his face with great difficulty.
“You, you, you! You actually dare to hit me, what audacity! I am a member of the He family, and the Sect Master of the Biyun Sect, He Tiancheng, is my uncle! Offending me is equivalent to offending the Biyun Sect! Just wait until I return home…” Halfway through his words, He Wenhua suddenly turned toward the guards and shrieked, “What are you all standing there dazed for! Hurry up and come save me!”
However, with a glance from the corner of his eye, he saw that one of the guards was standing by the door with his head hung low, silent. The other wanted to step forward to help, but before his sword could even be drawn, he suddenly flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the wall and failing to get up for a long time.
“Thud!”
Ji Yunzhao once again pressed He Wenhua’s head onto the table, his brow entirely filled with impatience.
“Why do you have so much nonsense to say? I don’t care if you’re from the He family, the Wang family, or the Li family. You ruined my free-range chicken and not only failed to apologize, but you even dare to boast wildly before me?”
He Wenhua: “???”
What on earth? A free-range chicken? He was beaten into this state by this rogue cultivator over a single chicken?!
A terrifying spiritual pressure suddenly swept over, and He Wenhua sensed something from this immense feeling of oppression.
This rogue cultivator was probably not at the Huiyang Realm as he had assumed, but an even higher realm.
He himself was at the Tengyun Realm, but he was only a Tengyun Realm forced up by consuming medicinal pills, barely reaching the passing mark, so he could not precisely perceive the rogue cultivator’s specific realm. However, the feeling the rogue cultivator gave him was actually even more intimidating than his uncle He Tiancheng.
How could this be? A rogue cultivator at the Huiyang Realm was already surprising enough, but to think this rogue cultivator was actually beyond the Huiyang Realm, and grew to be so beautiful, yet he had never heard of this person’s name?
It must be an illusion; it must be because he was beaten too badly that he produced such an illusion.
“You motherf-”
Despite knowing he couldn’t win, He Wenhua, who had always looked down on others due to his family’s protection – especially non-sect rogue cultivators – still gritted his teeth tightly, “Just you wait-”
He attempted to resist, but the moment the spiritual energy around his body began to gather, it was instantly completely dispersed, and he was pressed back onto the table once more.
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
This time, when He Wenhua raised his head again, the tabletop was already stained with a bit of blood.
There was blood flowing from his nose, and there was also blood he spat out because his attempt to gather strength had been forcefully interrupted.
Ji Yunzhao was too lazy to listen to his nonsense, giving him three fierce impacts that left He Wenhua utterly unable to utter a single word, groaning and whimpering as he lay on the table.
“Young Master He’s body tempering techniques aren’t practiced very well either, it seems.” Ji Yunzhao smiled nonchalantly, his almond eyes curving into a very beautiful arc, “To be this weak, yet you still dare to come looking for trouble?”
Of course, violently beating He Wenhua was not just because the free-range chicken he had personally caught had been poisoned and could no longer be eaten; what truly angered Ji Yunzhao was what he had forced out of the guard’s mouth regarding He Wenhua’s intentions.
Truly, the weaker the person, the grander the audacity.
Utterly mediocre yet utterly confident, he actually dared to harbor such filthy thoughts toward him.
[System, do you think it’s better if I slaughter him, or slaughter him, or slaughter him?]
Using “slaughter him” three times in a row showed that he was indeed very angry.
The system calmly advised: [Host, don’t be impulsive. The minor antagonist still needs to be left for the male lead to farm experience points and progress the plot. If you kill him, what will the male lead farm when the time comes?]
[Mm, you’re right.]
Ji Yunzhao gave He Wenhua another kick, [There’s still the grudge of throwing my cheap disciple off the cliff to settle… Mm, it’s better to let my retirement insurance do it himself.]
The system cooperatively praised: [Wow, Host, you truly are a protective and good master!]
Yan Fulang had been standing by Ji Yunzhao’s side the whole time, lowering his eyes to quietly look at He Wenhua, whose face was beaten black and blue. There was no extra expression on his face, nor did he seem to feel any gratification over his enemy’s miserable state.
Very calmly, he handed a moistened handkerchief to Ji Yunzhao, who had temporarily stopped his hands.
“Senior, your hands are dirty, wipe them.”
Ji Yunzhao took the wet handkerchief.
Not only did he take it, but he also yielded his position to Yan Fulang, encouraging him, “Come, hit him however you want. Master has already held the person down for you.”
The black-clothed youth glanced at the wretched He Wenhua, his peach blossom eyes suddenly curving slightly as he brought up a completely unrelated question.
“Senior, what was the gift you mentioned earlier to celebrate my breakthrough to the Qinxin Realm?”
Ji Yunzhao raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Not bad, you’ve even learned to ask for gifts.”
With those words, a longsword that looked entirely as if it were flowing with moonlight appeared in his hand.
This was something Ji Yunzhao had taken the time to buy from the system mall at a huge expense; according to the grading system of the cultivation world, it should be of the Heaven grade. The sword had no name, which was typical for high-grade weapons, as they required the user to name them.
“Here, Master selected and bought this with great care.” Ji Yunzhao tossed the sword to Yan Fulang, “Perfect timing, let Master check how your sword techniques have been progressing.”
The underlying meaning was that it wouldn’t matter even if Yan Fulang chopped He Wenhua into pieces.
He Wenhua’s eyes widened in shock, not expecting these two people to be so insane, ready to chop a member of the He family just like that. He struggled forcefully, wanting to shout curses, but a rag was stuffed into his mouth.
Ji Yunzhao clapped his hands and looked at Yan Fulang encouragingly.
At this moment, the fingers of the guard lying on the ground twitched slightly.
Seeing this, He Wenhua felt a lot more settled in his heart. He had no time to manage the other useless piece of trash who was either unconscious or turned traitor. In the next second, the ring on his index finger suddenly burst forth with a brilliant light.
Purple smoke suddenly began to permeate the room. Yan Fulang was closest to him, and as the purple mist was inhaled into his nose and mouth, he couldn’t stop coughing.
The moment Ji Yunzhao saw it, he knew the mist was toxic. Holding his breath, he pulled Yan Fulang over and stuffed a few medicinal pills into his mouth.
He Wenhua took the opportunity to flee.
But he didn’t bring the two guards along.
Ji Yunzhao raised his eyelids and said very emotionlessly, “Oh, he ran away.”
Running away was good, running away was wonderful; his only fear had been that He Wenhua wouldn’t run.
The guard still lying on the ground was knocked unconscious once again by Ji Yunzhao. The remaining one standing by the door shook with fear, guaranteeing multiple times that he would absolutely never leak a single word of today’s events.
“I really want to believe you, but,” Ji Yunzhao shook his head regretfully, “It’s too much trouble.”
The two guards were knocked unconscious together and tied back-to-back.
Ji Yunzhao didn’t say directly how he would handle them, and Yan Fulang didn’t ask either.
He coughed quietly twice, successfully drawing Ji Yunzhao’s attention back.
“You inhaled toxic gas; although you took the detoxification medicine, you still need to rest well for a period of time.” Ji Yunzhao said, “Go lie down for a bit first.”
Yan Fulang nodded very obediently and complied, walking very sluggishly as if he were extremely uncomfortable.
Ji Yunzhao accompanied him back to his room, and only after seeing him lying down properly on the bed did he feel reassured enough to head out.
He held the Mingque sword in his hand. The moment he turned around, Yan Fulang’s gaze swept over, silently inquiring.
“Going out to catch the guy.” Ji Yunzhao explained, “Don’t be afraid, he won’t run far. Master will catch him back to vent your anger.”
Concealed by the bed curtains, Yan Fulang’s thin lips curved soundlessly, slowly forming a smile, “Alright.”
The moment the bedroom door closed, he quickly got out of bed, showing not a single trace of being poisoned.
The black-clothed youth stood quietly in front of the window. Seeing Ji Yunzhao walk far away, he then opened the room door and also left the bamboo house.
The system crouching at the main entrance licked its paws and snitched, [Host, the male lead has gone out.]
In the forest, Ji Yunzhao leaned leisurely against a giant tree, chatting casually with the little birds in the tree with random “chirping” sounds.
[Understood. Oh, right, System, erase the memories of those two guards and dump them somewhere.]
The system: [Host doesn’t plan to directly eliminate them?]
Ji Yunzhao said indifferently: [They’re just working men. Killing them gives no experience points and doesn’t increase points.]
The system probed: [Then, what if the erasure fails?]
[If even this can fail, then you shouldn’t be working here anymore.] Ji Yunzhao took a handful of millet from his pocket to feed the birds, [However, it doesn’t matter even if it fails. Someone has to pass the news out, otherwise how is my retirement insurance supposed to farm larger bosses to level up?]
He Wenhua clutched his face as he staggered through the mountains.
He actually wanted to run, but he truly couldn’t run any further.
That rogue cultivator’s strikes were extremely vicious; not only did he beat his face to the point of near disfigurement, but his legs were also kicked several times, nearly crippling him. His body tempering techniques were completely inadequate in front of the rogue cultivator, being dismantled with ease, and he had even suffered internal injuries, leaving very little spiritual energy behind.
The spirit replenishment pills on his person were also insufficient, all used up without being able to drive his spirit boat.
Fortunately, he had escaped in time.
He Wenhua sat down beneath a large tree and pulled out a transmission talisman from his storage ring. Just as he was about to contact the He family –
“Whoosh!”
The transmission talisman was pinned to the tree by a flying longsword, its silver blade vibrating slightly before being removed by a cold, fair, and slender hand.
“What a coincidence, we meet again.”
Yan Fulang looked down from above at He Wenhua, his peach blossom eyes filled entirely with indifference, as if he were looking at a dead object.
A formation that had been laid down beneath the tree at some unknown time suddenly activated, and countless chains erupted from the ground, binding He Wenhua tightly.
“Although I don’t follow the rule of the son paying the father’s debts, for certain matters, exceptions can be made. And you shouldn’t have harbored those kinds of thoughts toward my master.”
Thinking of He Wenhua’s intentions, Yan Fulang’s brow furrowed, casting a look of disgust at him, not wishing to speak further.
The longsword pierced through He Wenhua’s hands, feet, and the spiritual roots at his dantian without a shred of mercy.
“Ah!!!”
The wretched scream stopped abruptly, forcefully stuffed back into He Wenhua’s mouth by the chains.
Yan Fulang raised his hand, and the chains dragged He Wenhua to the edge of the cliff – it was only at this moment that He Wenhua discovered he had actually run by accident to the exact place where he had pushed Yan Fulang down that day.
Waves of intense pain radiated from his hands and feet, but the most painful part was his spiritual root that had been pierced through by the sword, his cultivation rapidly collapsing. He Wenhua nearly fainted, only to widen his eyes in the next second.
His body was suspended in mid-air. Guessing Yan Fulang’s intention, he struggled with all his might, but unfortunately, the chains remained completely motionless.
Driving such a formation did not appear to take any effort on Yan Fulang’s part either.
Logically speaking, it was very difficult for the Qinxin Realm to defeat the Tengyun Realm, but who told He Wenhua to be an absolute blockhead. Relying on his status as a He family member, even though he loved bullying men and dominating women, he never thought about improving his own cultivation, relying entirely on his family to back him up. His spiritual roots were mediocre and completely devoid of talent, and his realm was forcefully piled up.
The chains retracted into the formation one by one, and a sudden sensation of falling came violently. Under extreme terror, He Wenhua’s face grew increasingly pale.
Yan Fulang looked calmly at the boundless cliff before him and took back the final chain supporting He Wenhua’s body.
“You pushed me once, and I push you once. Isn’t that very fair.”
Upon receiving the notification of the plot’s progression and Yan Fulang’s experience points increasing, Ji Yunzhao tossed the millet, leaving all of it for the little birds that gathered around. He patted each of their small heads before standing up to leave.
And he returned home one step ahead of Yan Fulang.
When the black-clothed youth pushed the door open and entered while carrying the sword, Ji Yunzhao was sitting by the stone table in the courtyard, resting his chin on one hand, looking toward him with a beaming smile.
“Where did you go to play? Why aren’t you resting well in bed?”
As he spoke, he even let out a sigh, “Master didn’t find He Wenhua; perhaps that blockhead got lost in the mountains. What a shame.”
Yan Fulang’s hand opening the door paused, and he turned around to shut the courtyard gate, walking toward Ji Yunzhao with a natural expression as the hand he had been hiding behind his back reached out.
What he was carrying in his hand was impressively the rudimentary form of a birdcage woven from bamboo.
“Thanks to Senior’s medicinal pills, I am already fine.”
“I didn’t go out to play; I just thought that the sword Senior gifted me was too valuable, and I wanted to return a gift to Senior. After thinking it over, everything on my body belongs to Senior, so I could only catch that little bird that wanted to build a nest at home to give to Senior.”
Yan Fulang tilted his head very slightly, a pair of peach blossom eyes flickering with light, filled entirely with a youth’s innocence, “Senior hasn’t seen it yet, right? It’s red and white, with bright red tail feathers, and it looks very beautiful.”
The passing wind blew down a tree full of peach blossoms. Ji Yunzhao looked quietly at Yan Fulang across the shower of flowers, and suddenly hooked his lips into a smile.
“Is that so,” he blinked, his voice very soft, sounding like he was acting spoiled, “And here I thought you had nothing better to do and went off to kill someone.”