Beisi gently pinched Little Qiqi’s hand. There wasn’t a single trace of injury on it, and looking at the little fellow’s pitiful little expression, it certainly played the part convincingly.
Little Qiqi wrapped his arms around Beisi’s index finger and refused to let go.
With this commotion, Yu Fengyao’s anger was choked right back down her throat, leaving her unable to swallow it or spit it out.
From their initial exchange, she had already gained a sense of their opponent’s strength. Although her chances of winning were slim, she had still harbored thoughts of mutual destruction. Yet the current situation forced her to reconsider.
She still tightly gripped those books. Even knowing she couldn’t defeat them, she showed not a shred of fear as she said, “Offend the Fengling Sect, and you won’t have an easy time in this territory.”
Without even lifting his eyes, Beisi asked coldly in return, “Is that so?” Yet his actions toward Little Qiqi remained exceptionally tender.
“You’re rushing to clear your names, so it must be because of that wanted poster,” Yu Fengyao suppressed her provoked temper and said with disdain, “If you know what’s good for you, leave on your own, and I’ll have the wanted poster revoked.”
At the same time, the five disciples secretly adjusted their positions, imperceptibly enclosing Beisi and the other two in the center. Such stealthy maneuvers could not escape Beisi’s notice.
“These books belong to us, you… you are outright robbing them!” The storyteller collapsed onto the ground, pointing at Yu Fengyao and rebuking her furiously.
Without needing a signal from Yu Fengyao, the man standing next to the storyteller pressed his sword closer, leaving a faint bloody scratch on his neck that radiated a tingling, stinging pain.
Yu Fengyao swept a contemptuous glance over the storyteller. Calm and composed, she said, “And what identities do the two of you hold? Even if you hand the evidence over to the commoners… will they believe it?”
Suddenly, the young boy’s small voice rang out abruptly from the floor. Chi Qiqi murmured, “So the righteous path can actually shield evildoers…”
Even though this was the absolute truth, Yu Fengyao and her group found it difficult to maintain their composure. Yu Fengyao grew even more incensed with anger, flicking her soft sword out as her gaze locked onto Chi Qiqi.
Seeing how fiercely threatening Yu Fengyao looked, Chi Qiqi hid behind Beisi as if frightened, accidentally pressing his back against the decorative potted plant in the room. He simply peeked out at Yu Fengyao with a pair of beautiful eyes.
Observing how delicate and spineless this mortal was, Yu Fengyao felt an even greater sense of contempt, which naturally showed on her face. However, the moment she clearly saw what Chi Qiqi was holding up, her pupils dilated in shock.
This was… a withered leaf.
It looked utterly unremarkable, yet this mortal actually dared to pull it out at a time like this.
Just think about it: how could an ordinary, run-of-the-mill mortal possess such fortune and opportunity?
A mortal possessing a primordial soul? She simply refused to believe it.
Suddenly, the two disconnected threads in her mind snapped together.
Fire flared in her eyes, which widened a fraction as she barked, “The Ai You grass! Did you steal it?!”
This miraculous herb was priceless and exceptionally rare; even for her, a doted-upon eldest daughter, it was difficult for her father to procure one, which was precisely why she had traveled here.
And the result? This Ai You grass had actually been consumed by a mere mortal—it was practically a monstrous waste of a heavenly treasure!
And this fellow actually had the nerve to pull out the leaf!
Chi Qiqi’s body gave a slight shiver as he small-voicedly accused, “So people of the righteous path can also fabricate facts out of thin air…”
Though it sounded like talking to oneself, everyone present heard every single word crystal clear.
Yu Fengyao’s face turned livid, and the surrounding disciples were also burning with rage. Did this mortal not know that cultivators possessed acute hearing? How dare he spout such utter nonsense right to their faces!
“This is just an isolated case.” Not seeing Chi Qiqi’s expression from behind, Beisi’s first instinct was worry.
He worried that simply because of these few bad examples, Chi Qiqi would develop a disgust for the righteous path. He hadn’t yet revealed his true identity to Chi Qiqi, and he couldn’t let these few individuals ruin his standing in Chi Qiqi’s heart.
Neither of the two men made any effort to keep their words from others.
Hiding behind, Chi Qiqi’s eyes curved into crescents as he watched Yu Fengyao and her group with a smile. There was not a trace of the timidity he had just displayed in front of Beisi, instantly stoking Yu Fengyao’s fury even higher!
Her anger was already blazing, and this was like pouring oil on the fire! The disciples were similarly incensed with wrath.
A battle was on the verge of breaking out.
Taking advantage of the moment, Chi Qiqi lowered his voice to the utmost limit, speaking rapidly into Beisi’s ear: “The wind, the mass grave.”
Beisi felt a tickle in his ear. First to register was the warm breath exhaled by Chi Qiqi, accompanied by a faint, lingering trace of clean body fragrance that caused his heartstrings to flutter. But he quickly refocused his thoughts entirely on Chi Qiqi’s message.
Between husbands and wives, no extra words are needed; Chi Qiqi’s strategy was instantly grasped by Beisi.
“Since you refuse to take the path of survival, then hand over your lives!” Yu Fengyao had never been subjected to such treatment; her mind held only a single thought: kill these two to vent her spleen!
With six people trapping Beisi and Chi Qiqi, a complete encirclement had already formed. There was nowhere left to retreat, and nowhere left to run.
Could the people following the eldest miss be mediocre? If Yu Fengyao suffered even the slightest injury, none of the remaining five would escape unscathed.
One-on-one, Yu Fengyao might not hold the advantage against Beisi, but six-on-one was a different story.
The positioning of these six individuals was meticulously calculated: blocking the wind currents, sealing off all exits, six acting as one. Besieged from all four directions, the two in the middle were like lambs awaiting slaughter.
Yu Fengyao channeled the essence of the formation, instantly multiplying her magical power. Vital energy surged through her limbs and bones, and her combat strength swelled more than twofold.
This formed an invisible barrier that completely separated the guest room from the rest of the inn. The chaotic noises downstairs continued unabated, while all movement within the room was thoroughly muffled, having zero impact on the outside world.
“Silence the witnesses?” Beisi remained completely composed, devoid of any fear that his life was being threatened.
“Hmph, you toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.” Yu Fengyao moved abruptly, swirling the soft sword in her hand. The surrounding air whipped up into a raging gale, whistling noisily as she condensed the air into swords. Thousands of wind blades formed an enclosing sphere, sealing Beisi and Chi Qiqi inside like an adamantine bell.
Chi Qiqi didn’t spare a single glance at the six individuals, instead locking eyes with the storyteller before shifting his gaze upward to the wind swords hovering above.
The six had to stand precisely at their fixed positions to maintain this formation. They functioned as the pillars supporting the ridge and the rafters supporting the beam; not a single one could be missing. At this moment, their combined weight felt like thousands of pounds, impossible to shake by even a fraction.
The storyteller was still being held by the neck by a single guard. Tilting his head back in a wretched posture, the moment his gaze met Chi Qiqi’s, he didn’t initially understand what Chi Qiqi meant, assuming it was just a casual glance.
A sense of exasperation welled up in Chi Qiqi. If it were Beisi, he would certainly have grasped his meaning instantly no wonder ancient wisdom held that husbands and wives share a single mind.
“The wind,” Chi Qiqi could only mouth the word silently.
The storyteller mirrored the movement with his own lips, pondered for a second, and comprehension dawned upon him instantly. The look he cast toward Chi Qiqi burned with brilliance. Why didn’t I think of that? Brilliant, simply too brilliant.
These two husbands and wives truly were a matched pair.
Gazing intently at them, Yu Fengyao channeled spiritual energy into the soft sword until it vibrated slightly. She then released her grip, letting the soft sword float into the air as if endowed with its own consciousness.
The dense swarm of wind swords filling the air began to move in unison. Looking outward through the transparent blades, space itself appeared warped and twisted. With the soft sword leading the pack, thousands of swords across the sky plunged straight toward the two figures in the center! The overwhelming pressure weighed down like Mount Tai, capable of literally snapping a person’s spine!
Beisi scooped Chi Qiqi into his arms and dodged with a flash, the flurry of wind swords biting closely at their heels.
A barrier existed between the two individuals and the six forming the formation; any contact with the barrier resulted in an immediate rebound.
This frantic, scurrying escape finally cooled Yu Fengyao’s temper slightly, prompting her to sneer derisively, “A pair of cowards clinging to life.”
These words failed to stir even the slightest ripple within the hearts of the two men.
Instead, they charged straight toward a single individual!
That person was none other than the guard holding the sword against the storyteller’s neck.
Frozen in place and unable to move so much as an inch, the guard stared straight at Beisi and Chi Qiqi as they rushed toward him. The fearless composure they exhibited sent a chill running down his spine.
Since this formation had been deployed, no one had ever managed to breach this barrier. Yet looking into their eyes, his soul quivered deeply, as if… as if this barrier could genuinely be shattered!
His muscles tensed up physiologically, his entire focus consumed by the unfolding scene—terror, panic, apprehension.
Before you could blink, when the two figures were only a finger-breadth away from the barrier, they suddenly leaped vertically into the air!
Such precise distance and timing this person possessed supreme lightness skills; he was definitely no ordinary secular rogue cultivator!
The tens of thousands of swords following right behind failed to react in time. Thud, thud, thud! They crashed blindly against the barrier in a chaotic barrage, generating a grating friction that nearly pierced the eardrums.
In that split second, the guard’s pupils dilated violently, his heart threatening to leap out of his throat, yet he remained rooted in place, unable to shift his feet even half a step.
When he finally snapped out of his daze, the person whose neck his sword had been holding was already gone! The storyteller had seized the opportunity of his distraction to slip away!
Swishing his sleeve, the storyteller caught something that fell into his palm. He blinked and looked down.
A folding fan.
It was a fan!
What was this guy planning to do?!
Very soon, they would find out.
Carrying Chi Qiqi, Beisi charged directly toward Yu Fengyao with unreserved, full-throttle speed. Having no leisure to spare for the storyteller, Yu Fengyao watched them march to their own doom and curved her lips into a satisfied, smug smile, declaring, “Your time of death has come.”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The air churned frantically, resembling a desert sandstorm that whipped up dust across the ground, intercepted a wave of air, and shattered the surrounding tranquility.
Those wind swords began to lose their stable form, showing signs of outward dispersion. The spiritual energy inside Yu Fengyao’s body began to riot erratically, and her blood raced with a profound, unsettling premonition.
Using the wind as a medium to form a thousand-sword momentum.
Yu Fengyao immediately locked her gaze on the primary culprit. The storyteller had already snapped open his fan and was fanning it with every ounce of strength he possessed. The spiritual energy integrated with every gust of wind he generated, merging seamlessly into the surrounding air currents. The raging gale whipped up fiercely, violently disrupting the atmospheric flow!
Yu Fengyao gritted her teeth in pure hatred. This fellow actually knows how to use a fan! I let my guard down! She wished she could tear him into ten thousand pieces, but precisely because this formation was complete, none of them could move their bodies.
The storyteller dared not stop. Gritting his pearly white teeth, the taste of blood surged straight to his crown no, I cannot stop!
The formation was visibly losing its stability. Beisi and Chi Qiqi drew ever closer, while the torrential swarm of swords chased close behind with an unstoppable momentum.
Could this barrier possibly hold out any longer?
Yu Fengyao’s fingers trembled uncontrollably, while her body remained utterly paralyzed.
She closed her eyes.