“Who’s there?” Chu Qingcheng and Qin Caiqing shouted.
“Ha-ha-ha, girls, did you already forget this old man after a few years?”
It was an old man in yellow, blind in one eye. A crow laid on his shoulder yet had eyes flickered with purple lightning.
He was Veiled Dragon Pavilion’s Godeye Long Jiu, and his spirit animal, Soul Devouring Crow. The pair behind him were in Bone Tempering Stage, Long Kui and Long Jie.
Zhuo Fan was startled. He didn’t think he’d meet familiar faces all the way over here.
“Uncle Jiu?” Chu Qingcheng and Qin Caiqing cried in joy. Vicious Pill King was frowning, despite his cold tone, “Didn’t expect you to get your eye back, Godeye Long Jiu.”
Long Jiu laughed, “Ha-ha-ha, it’s all thanks to my little brother. I have regained my title and won’t cower from the likes of you, Vicious Pill King.”
Vicious Pill King’s face twitched but his heart cursed to high heavens.
Godeye Long Jiu’s recovery of his Purple Lightning Gold Eye was akin to meeting his archenemy. The Rainbow Cloud Palm had always been ineffective against Long Jiu.
After losing his eye, Long Jiu was downcast. So Yan Song didn’t pay him any attention. But now, he was back.
Vicious Pill King squinted, his heart was in panic as his hand held the gourd tighter, “Long Jiu are you going to join the ladies against me?”
The ladies in question turned their expecting gazes at Long Jiu.
Long Jiu cast a furtive glance on Vicious Pill King’s gourd then shook his head, “Yan Song, don’t misunderstand. I came here to mediate. We are all guests in Drifting Flowers Edifice and should act like one.”
“Ha-ha-ha, I admire your reasoning Elder Jiu. I will forgo the ladies’ unreasonable act today. But they might not do the same.”
Vicious Pill King rested easy knowing Long Jiu was out of this fight. His smile now turned to the ladies.
Chu Qingcheng gnashed her teeth and looked at Long Jiu with hope, but the latter only shook his head. She could only give up, “Humph, Yan Song, I’ll let you off now, but don’t you dare make trouble in Drifting Flowers City.”
“He-he-he, that depends on how Lord Chu receives guests.” Vicious Pill King snickered and flew away.
They all breathed easier seeing him leave. Even the ladies. They may have been shouting kill and attack but against an opponent like Yan Song, they were extremely tense.
“Uncle Jiu, why did you stop us? Did you forget Grandmother’s revenge?” Qin Caiqing complained, but Chu Qingcheng grabbed her shoulder, “Senior sister, you misunderstood Uncle Jiu. He saved us.”
Long Jiu sighed, his voice dignified, “Girls, I am the one who knows Vicious Pill King Yan Song the best. He is worse than You Guiqi. Fighting him would only end in you dying for nothing.”
“But didn’t I hurt him?” Qin Caiqing retorted.
Long Jiu spoke gravely, “Qing’er, did you notice his gourd?”
Qin Caiqing shook her head.
“We have met countless times but never saw him carry one until now. He must be carrying it for some ulterior motive. Vicious Pill King is rampant and arrogant, but his heart is so spiteful that not even You Guiqi dared mess with him. You were at grave risk today!”
“But Uncle Jiu, is there no way we can deal with that old dog?” Qin Caiqing wasn’t willing to give up.
Long Jiu smoothened his beard, “Hard to say, unless… My little brother was here. He is sure to have a way.”
“Your little brother?” Chu Qingcheng and Qin Caiqing asked.
Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow, [He can’t mean me, right?]
Long Kui’s mood was foul at Long Jiu’s words, “Uncle Jiu, why bring that brat again? He only killed You Guiqi and yet, you brag about him on and on for the past few months! Many from Veiled Dragon Pavilion are starting to think you aren’t just brothers!”
“He-he-he, little Kui, are you jealous? Who in your generation could have accomplished the feat of killing that rotten bastard? Even taking him as my ancestor wouldn’t be an exaggeration. What’s more, we became brothers.”
“Uncle Jiu, are you talking about that rumored… vile spawn, Zhuo Fan?” Chu Qingcheng raised an eyebrow.
Long Jiu nodded, “Chuchu, you are an exceptional genius, rarest of rare. But my little brother is no weaker than you!”
“Humph, what genius, he only knows violence. Killing wherever he goes!” Long Kui spoke in a sour tone.
Long Jie shook his head, “Little Kui, you are wrong. Whether you want to or not, you have to admit that Zhuo Fan is better than us in every way. He may be a bit unhinged, true, but his talent matches the seven houses’ six dragons. And when it comes to killing, no one of our generations can compare.”
“Uh, little Jie got it right!” Long Jiu praised. But Long Kui came before Chu Qingcheng, not at all pleased, “Humph, what are you talking about? There’s no way that brat can compare with sister Qingcheng!”
[Yep, not right at all. Yours truly has always been keeping low! I’ve been in Drifting Flowers City for days and have I run amok even once? No!]
Zhuo Fan was dissatisfied, [Aren’t I always low-key? I normally kill without stating my name?]
Yet it perplexed him how, even with that, his name was known in the entire Tianyu Empire as a demon spawn! [The only one that I am known to have killed was You Guiqi, which happened as though it was on a grand display, so of course everyone knew about me from that incident. But the rest should not be tied to my name.]
He thought of himself as a rational and calm person but to others, his every move, every gesture, was filled with arrogance!
Chu Qingcheng held Long Kui’s hand then looked at Long Jiu in hope, “Uncle Jiu, Zhuo Fan truly has the power to kill Vicious Pill King?”
Long Jiu shook his head, “I am not sure, but from what I can guess, Vicious Pill King’s ending would only come at the hands of my little brother Zhuo Fan.”
“I’m starting to get curious about this matchless genius.” Chu Qingcheng’s eyes roamed around in thought.
Next, Chu Qingcheng settled Long Jiu’s party in the Drifting Flowers Edifice. Zhuo Fan wanted to use the chance to bail but before he could do anything, Chu Qingcheng grabbed him by the neck and dragged him back to Drifting Flowers Edifice like a chicken.
The moon hung above in the quiet night. Many guests were resting, except for a lamp still burning in a small room.
Five people were gathered, Chu Qingcheng, Peony Overseer, Iris Overseer, Xiao Dandan, and Zhuo Fan. In other words, Zhuo Fan was the only outsider here.
[I’m finished, kaput!]
Zhuo Fan lamented. One wrong move and three Profound Heaven experts would jump him.
Peony Overseer was watching Zhuo Fan with suspicion, [Why has the Edifice Lord brought a nobody to Drifting Flowers Edifice?] While Xiao Dandan’s eyes rested on Zhuo Fan for a long long time.
Zhuo Fan humiliated her once, but for some odd reason, she didn’t hold it against him.
“What are you looking at? Never seen a man before?” Zhuo Fan was annoyed and snapped. Xiao Dandan shivered and stepped back.
“Impudent!”
Peony Overseer’s fiery temper broke out as she cursed him. “You rude brat, where do you come from that allows you to speak like that in my Drifting Flowers Edifice? Don’t you know where you are?”
“Who cares, just don’t let that crafty and arrogant lass have such a hot gaze for this handsome man.”
“W-what hot gaze?” Peony Overseer was startled.
Pointing at Xiao Dandan, Zhuo Fan stuck out his chin and cursed, “Look at her eyes, they are clearly undressing me. Can’t you see me wearing clothes? If that’s not a hot gaze I don’t know what is!”
The three ladies spat, finally knowing what hot gaze meant, their faces turn red. Xiao Dandan was even more so, lowering her head in shame.
[This brat is too vulgar. What hot gaze? I only looked at you twice!]
But as Xiao Dandan was getting redder by the second, and was close to burning up.
Chu Qingcheng glared, “Song Yu, stop being rude!”
“Yes, sister Chuchu!”
Zhuo Fan changed into an obedient child next to Chu Qingcheng. He knew her weakness, that she couldn’t stand to reprimand him like this.
“At last I found you Song Yu! You were the one who picked on my disciple!”
But Peony Overseer’s temper flared once again at the name. Zhuo Fan was fearless now that Chu Qingcheng was there to hold his hand as he shouted, “So what if did? Who told her to pick on my woman? Can’t you see how rotten her morals are?”
Peony Overseer shivered. Of course she knew the truth, but she didn’t think this brat was so pigheaded that he dared argue with her in the Drifting Flowers Edifice.
She knew she was wrong. She was willing to let the matter slide, with just a small payback. However, she was humiliated instead.
“Damn rotten punk, see if I don’t beat you to death!”
Peony Overseer was ready to strike but the one to stop her wasn’t Chu Qingcheng. She watched the hand, stunned.
It belonged to none other than Xiao Dandan.
She was pleading with her eyes, to let the rotten punk go! Peony Overseer was perplexed.
“My dear disciple, didn’t he humiliate you, twice? Why are you defending him?”