Lu Yurong furrowed her brows as she looked around.
Nearly a hundred martial artists surrounded the gazebo with knives and swords in hand. They stood in a tight formation. Some glared at Chu Li menacingly while others stared at Lu Yurong with indecent thoughts in mind.
Her expression, however, remained unchanged. After sweeping a glance at them, she continued to look at Chu Li.
Chu Li likewise remained calm. He smiled at Lu Yurong as he raised his cup before taking a gentle sip from it.
Finally, Lu Yurong heaved a sigh and remarked, “Sir Du, it’s a pity that we cannot chat in peace any further.”
Chu Li shook his head while smiling, “No matter. In that case, let us part ways for now – I shall take my leave now, farewell!”
He placed his cup down and clasped his hands into a fist. With one swift jump, he soared to the tip of a nearby pole, taking the surrounding martial art masters by surprise as he leaped past them and into the dense foliage. They watched with their mouths open as he disappeared into the treetops.
“Follow him — !” A brute amongst them loudly shouted, signaling the others to chase after him like a swarm of bees.
“Mistress, why didn’t Sir Duke just kill them all? Why did he instead escape with his tail between his legs?” Xi Wu glanced at the pursuing mob and asked curiously.
Lu Yurong shook her head as she smiled.
“Could it be that he did not wish to kill in front of the mistress?” Xi Wu chuckled as he raised his eyebrow in amusement.
“He couldn’t be bothered to kill them.” Lu Yurong rolled her eyes at the joke, “They are worth his time; those bastards were only seeking revenge and to act on personal grudges. Unlike those who are genuinely filled with evil intents, he had no desire to kill them.”
“But these troubles will just keep piling one.” Xi Wu shook his head, “If he does not end them, then the size of the vengeful mob will only keep growing.”
“Perhaps he does not mind.” Lu Yurong shrugged, “Which was why he could not stay in the city any longer, otherwise, Green Hill City would enter a state of chaos.”
“He truly does bear a heavy burden.” Xi Wu beamed at the thought, “It seems he had taken a fancy towards you, mistress.”
“Xi Wu, do not speak such nonsense.” Lu Yurong smiled and shook her head, “If he truly did care, he wouldn’t have left so swiftly. Du Xia of the Snow Lunar Pavilion must be fairer than myself – I would like to see her myself someday.”
“As fair as Du Xia may be, how can she compare to you, young mistress!”
“That Siao Shi is much more beautiful than I.” Lu Yurong shook her head.
Xi Wu frowned at the comment. He quickly did his best to argue his point and boost his mistress’ mood, “From my point of view, she does not even hold a candle to you, young mistress.”
Lu Yurong rolled her eyes and this obviously inflated compliment, “Old man Xi, you certainly excel in showering me people with pretty praise.”
Xi Wu chuckled.
“Let us go.” Lu Yurong gracefully stood up and glanced at the direction in which Chu Li had run off to, “He never hesitates, huh? This Du Feng is a true man.”
Xi Wu grinned as he shook his head to himself. He was always seeking trouble, thought about every step, had a soft heart – there was nothing manly about this Du Feng!
—
Chu Li soared as he ran along at extremely high speeds.
The mob tirelessly chased after him with their head down. They did not even bother to curse as they kept their mouths shut while they pursued him.
After a brief, but intense, pursuit, they were totally exhausted as they desperately gasped for air.
Chu Li busted into laughter and suddenly increased his speed. He disappeared from view in the blink of an eye.
“Bloody hell, he’s toying with us!”
“How despicable!”
“You named Du, stop running if you’ve got the guts!”
“We will definitely pursue you, you ball-less man!”
“We will hunt you all the way to the Snow Lunar Pavilion!”
The moment they heard this declaration, the mob fell in silence; they cocked their head towards the one who spouted it.
It was a strong-headed young man, with bushy brows and wide-set eyes. He huffed and puffed as he ran, face flushed red with blood.
Even after he noticed everyone’s eyes fall on him, he still stared blankly ahead, unaware of his wrongdoing.
“Sigh… young lad, it’s impossible to hunt him until the reaches of the Snow Lunar Pavilion.”
“Why?” The strong-headed young man replied in frustration, “He must be running to the Snow Lunar Pavilion right now. His wife is there as well, let’s just kill both of them together!”
“Sigh…”
“Such an empty-minded lad.”
“Young lad, the Snow Lunar Pavilion is not to be trifled with.” A bare-chested man shook his head as he replied, “Our numbers here aren’t enough to even leave a mark on the Snow Lunar Pavilion.”
“Aren’t they small in number?”
“Small, but they’re still a faction.”
“Are we just gonna let it be, then?” The strong-headed young man could not understand everyone’s fear. He was getting increasingly frustrated at their attitude, “Are we just forsaking our thirst to claim vengeance?”
“He’ll have to pop out eventually. The moment the news reaches our ears, we’ll come rushing out again once more!” The middle-aged man chuckled, “He can’t possibly be like a turtle hiding within its shell his entire life, yes?”
“Indeed!” The rest of the mob nodded in agreement.
“The strong-headed young man scanned the surrounding mob and fell silent.
Then, he finally understood the situation. Despite this ragtag group’s aspiration for revenge, they were all actually very afraid.
None of seem them seemed to be a worthy opponent for Du Feng, hence his immense boldness, and stronger presence. If Du Feng truly intended to fight, the mob would most likely end up running away like a scared alley cat.
—
Chu Li did not go far. He stopped in an empty area of the woods and buried his long blade under a humongous tree.
Then, he down with his legs crossed on top a soft bed of crinkled leaves. He allowed his mind to drift so that his empty subconscious could seek the giant within it.
This giant represented his Heavenly Demon. Because demons reside in the hearts of every man, they can likewise be converted into a Heavenly Demon.
This Heavenly Demon bore a close resemblance to his current self.
While he was observing it, the face of the Heavenly Demon quickly morphed into that of another man’s as it dashed wildly all around.
As it had always been trapped within his mind, the aura of the Heavenly Demon’s pulsing existence immediately enveloped his entire body, glad to finally be given a chance to escape.
After the Heavenly Demon’s aura spread about, his body gradually extended, making him tall yet slender; he started to look as though a strong gust of wind could blow him away.
All of his features became sharp and his attractiveness increased many-fold; by the end of it, he had a face reflecting that of a jaded crown.
Clad in a robe of white, he became the spitting image of a noble young master.
Since his current level of demonic power was low and without much practice, he could only morph between two people, miles off from what someone with a thousand morphing techniques could do.
To take many other forms, the Heavenly Demon aura within him needed to be nurtured more. This second transformation seemed to have drained almost all of this aura, so further training was definitely needed.
However, although he inherited the Heavenly Demon, he did not know its limits. He would only dare to train it after thoroughly researching it. Rushing was not an option.
He couldn’t help but think, however, that this Heavenly Demon within him would be the crucial factor if he wanted to break through the boundaries of God.
But finding the historical origins of the Heavenly Demon took priority. Who knew what kind of nasty side effects it would bring if he were to go all out and practice it without understanding it properly.
Not a single one of the scriptures he had read until now had mentioned the Heavenly Demon Power.
Yet, in the one time when it was mentioned, barely anything was written about it. It was definitely strange for such a bizarre power to not be recorded properly, which made him suspicious and cautious about this strange power.
The name Heavenly Demon alone was intimidating enough, he wouldn’t dare practice it if he was going to undergo any mysterious side-effects.
If he could make his way to the Imperial Residence of Prince An and flip through the hidden scriptures of the imperial residence, perhaps then he could find historical records of the Heavenly Demon – hopefully leading up to traces of its origins.
After thinking of this, he disappeared from the woods. With just a few leaps, he reemerged at the city gates.
His white robes fluttered against the wind as he strolled with both hands behind his back. He viewed his surroundings like a tourist would; at first glance, he looked like a noble young master who was traveling the world to seek knowledge.
Because of this, the two city guards stepped aside and casually ignored him.
After Chu Li entered the city, he bought himself a white hand fan, waving it every once in a while, to make him look even more like a wealthy scholar.
He stepped into the Ren Public House as he waved his fan and found himself a seat on the second floor. He helped himself to a few drinks while listening in to the surrounding discussions.
“Sigh… such a pity!”
“Haha, it was a pity indeed, the third young mistress rarely exits the House, and you missed it!”
“Don’t you all get cheeky with me now; didn’t the third young mistress have a veil over her face? None of you caught a glimpse, either!”
“That’s not the same!” Someone quickly retorted and chuckled as he spoke, “The beauty of the third young mistress was not necessarily found in her face, but rather the curves of her body and her posture. One glance at it was all it took to send me spinning, blessed be my life!”
“If the curves of her body alone could affect you as this much, then wouldn’t this mean that Du Feng was barely able to control himself?”
“This White-Robed Chief was truly impressive that he managed to resist the third mistress’s invitation,” Someone slammed the table and praised aloud, “If it was me, I wouldn’t be able to resist – Isn’t joining the House of Duke supposed to be a huge honor!?”
“If you were Du Feng, we would have cut you down in a heartbeat.”
“Sigh… the flair of the third young mistress… those breasts are like heaven on earth.”
Chu Li shook his head as he smiled, it seemed that Lu Yurong was still a mystery in their eyes.
The purpose of his immediate return was to observe Lu Yurong as clearly as he could, to learn of any secrets he held and what sort of heart techniques she had mastered.
Though he was aware that he could easily defeat many others, he couldn’t lay a hand on Lu Yurong. And yet, he couldn’t walk away without knowing her secrets.