The voice rumbled like a sudden thunderclap, leaving a buzzing in the ears of the people in the area. Ye Lingyun, who was stepping on Xia Liuhui, was startled when he felt the sensation of having two sharp blades framing his neck, forcing him to release Xia Liuhui by instinct.
As for Xia Liuhui, when he heard the voice, he trembled for a bit before he emotionally shouted, "I-it's boss!"
That's right. That voice belonged to none other than Xiang Shaoyun. Xia Liuhui strode through the crowd toward Xia Liuhui a step at a time, his heart filled with a sense of guilt. If he had shown himself earlier, Xia Liuhui wouldn't have been bullied so terribly. If he had given Xia Liuhui better battle techniques, Xia Liuhui wouldn't have been bullied so badly. It was all a result of his negligence.
"Impudent! Who are you to interfere with the affair of this young master?" Ye Lingyun shouted at Xiang Shaoyun who was striding over.
Xiang Shaoyun did not even spare Ye Lingyun a glance. He walked toward Xia Liuhui, crouched down, and said, "Can you still stand?"
"B-boss, it's really you?" Xia Liuhui asked with disbelief.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "Apart from me, who else will come save you?"
As he said that, he grabbed Xia Liuhui's shoulder and helped him back on his feet. The movement triggered Xia Liuhui's injuries, causing him to clench his teeth in pain. However, he did not so much as groan. He couldn't embarrass his boss any more than he had.
"This is a healing pill. And here, take these two stalks of spirit medicines as well. Heal up first," Xiang Shaoyun said as he nonchalantly gave Xia Liuhui some items.
Around them, someone with a pair of sharp eyes immediately cried out in alarm, "That is a mid-grade spirit medicine, moonwater flower, and the other's a low-grade spirit medicine, rejoining grass!"
"That rejoining grass is only worth a few low-grade spirit crystals, so it's nothing special. As for the moonwater flower, it is quite a special item. It is one of the best mid-grade spirit medicines and is worth a few dozen low-grade spirit crystals. It is a very good medicine for internal injuries, and it's also very helpful to cultivators who cultivate the power of water," said a different person.
When the other disciples heard that, they started stirring. Yes, they were outer disciples of the prestigious Cloud Margin Pavilion. However, it still wasn't easy for them to get even one spirit medicine, especially mid-grade spirit medicines. They could only get one if they had a backer. Otherwise, they would have to reach the Transformation Realm before they could rely on themselves to get one.
In their eyes, this youngster here was incredibly generous and wealthy for him to so casually give something this valuable to his follower. At the same time, they wondered who this young man was, as they did not recall seeing him before.
"I don't care who you are. Get on your knees and kowtow right this moment. Also, hand over everything on you. Otherwise, you will suffer the same fate as that cheap dog," said Ye Lingyun with an expression of greed.
Ye Lingyun did not think very highly of Xiang Shaoyun. In his eyes, Xiang Shaoyun was the same as Xia Liuhui—someone from a small town. How strong could a person like that be?
Xia Liuhui pulled Xiang Shaoyun's arm and said, "B-boss, l-let's leave! Ignore him!"
Xia Liuhui had only been in the Cloud Margin Pavilion for a short period of time. Nevertheless, he still knew something about this place. Although this Ye Lingyun might not be a match for his boss, he was the cousin of an inner disciple. That cousin was a Transformation Realm expert.
Xia Liuhui was afraid that his boss would provoke big trouble. That was why he persuaded his boss to leave, but his action caused Ye Lingyun to further underestimate Xiang Shaoyun's strength.
"Leaving? Have you asked for my permission?" Ye Lingyun sneered before waving his hand, sending a few young men to surround the two.
These young men were Ye Lingyun's henchmen, and they were all slightly weaker than Ye Lingyun. Even so, getting surrounded by a group of people like this was enough to frighten many ordinary disciples.
"Ye Lingyun, don't push it!" Xia Liuhui shouted furiously.
"Haha, I am going to push it even more, just wait till you see what I'm going to do next. Everyone, step on this kid!" Ye Lingyun roared with laughter. At his command, his henchmen charged Xiang Shaoyun.
"Boss..." Xia Liuhui looked at Xiang Shaoyun helplessly.
Xiang Shaoyun waved his hand and said, "You don't have to say anything anymore. Just wait."
"Eat your grandpa's fist, kid!" shouted the first young man to arrive as he punched Xiang Shaoyun.
This young man was only 15 years old, yet he was already an eighth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. He was far more talented at cultivation than the so-called geniuses of the town academies. However, this strength was nothing before the current Xiang Shaoyun. Xiang Shaoyun kicked him without even bothering to spare him another glance.
Bang!
The kick landed on the young man's stomach, instantly sending him flying far away while coughing up blood. Everyone's eyes widened in astonishment. None of them could believe what they were seeing. The other attackers all stopped in their tracks; the sight of what happened to the first attacker caused them to shiver.
Bang! Bang!
In the blink of an eye, these young men also suffered the same fate as the first young man: all of them were sent flying away and coughing up blood. If Xiang Shaoyun hadn't been holding back on purpose, he could have easily killed them all on the spot. He then ignored the young men who hadn't even realized what was going on and dashed toward Ye Lingyun.
"W-what are you trying to do? I-I'll have you know that my cousin is..." Ye Lingyun shivered and started speaking while retreating. But before he could finish his words, Xiang Shaoyun slapped him on the face.
Pa!
The slap sent the shocked Ye Lingyun flying, and he crashed heavily on the ground. Two teeth flew out of his mouth, making him look extremely sorry.
"You dare bully the little brother of this young master? Are you tired of living?" Xiang Shaoyun immediately reappeared before Ye Lingyun again before stomping his foot down.
Ka!
The stomp pushed Ye Lingyun's body into the ground. He coughed blood repeatedly, feeling as if he was going to soon die. The crowd that had been watching on around them were all greatly frightened. They quickly ran away, with someone even shouting, "Murder! Murder!"
Private battles were allowed at the outer pavilion, as they would stimulate competition and allow the disciples to grow stronger. But killing a fellow disciple was taboo. As the crowd shouted, the outer pavilion enforcers arrived.
"Boss, he's still alive, right?" asked Xia Liuhui as he looked at Ye Lingyun nervously.
"If you want him dead, I can kill him right now," said Xiang Shaoyun indifferently.
"No, not at all. Boss, this is enough. Please don't kill him, or we will be in great trouble," Xia Liuhui quickly said.