Chu Xun never had the same scruples that hindered Yan Wushuang. Being usually high-handed, cold, and insensitive to spilling blood, hardly anything stood in his way.
No matter what Tower it was—Bloody Moon, Stars, Sun, or Earth, it hardly mattered to Chu Xun. Not when they angered him.
Kneel they say? In all his life, Chu Xun had never bent his knees to anyone except to his own parents.
“You lot of the Bloody Moon Tower...” he hissed, the air reeking thick with undisguised malice. “You brought this upon yourself, wouldn’t you say?”
The feud began the moment they tried to force him.
And with bad blood between them, there was zero reason for Chu Xun to maintain any scruples. The Tower would never let this matter rest lightly even if he would try to negotiate with them.
There was hardly anyone who was not shocked at the savagery. Chu Xun not only crippled his quarry, he even wanted to kill him!
Whoever he was, he definitely behaved just like the legendary Devil.
“You insolent pup! We’re from the Bloody Moon Tower, you’d never...”
Crack!
An ear-splitting crack of bones resounded. Chu Xun had plowed his foot through the throat of the Fourth-grade Human King before he could finish uttering his threats.
“Fool. Seriously, now? Hurling threats at me?! From whence did that foolhardy courage came from?” muttered Chu Xun with disdain. He might have spared the man’s life, if only he had the wits to keep his trap shut.
No one dared to speak with every pair of eyes filled with shock, homing in on Chu Xun. From where did this insolent brat came from?! That was a member of the Tower he had just killed?!
The surviving Human Kings felt their skins tingling numb with fear, their eyes swirling with horror.
“W-W-Wait... This is the part of the Yan Family territory. Y-Y-You can’t...”
Crack!
With one stomp, the man’s neck snapped with barely an anguished croak.
“I can’t?! So I am not to kill you, but I should wait like a pig to be slaughtered until you lot come swinging your swords at me, eh?” yelled Chu Xun derisively. Who did he think he is? That the lives of others are nothing compared to his?! That it was right for him to bully and force his will upon others?!
Were these people thinking it was right when they defiled and killed the commonfolk woman? Was she not human like everyone, to have a father and a mother of her own?!
Chu Xun remembered how he had been sentenced to jail for nothing and tragically died inside. How similar was his fate to the commonfolk woman who died being raped and defiled. If not for his accidental passage into foreign dimensions, he would be nothing more than a dead man wrongfully killed for nothing. Would there be anyone who would strive to prove his innocence?
“M-M-Master Yan, help...”
Terrified out of their wits, the remaining members of the Tower could not believe this was happening. Never had the name of the Bloody Moon Tower failed to inspire respect and fear.
Yet this stranger from nowhere clearly paid no heed to whatever name they could pelt at him with. For once in their lives, they felt only regret. Regret for angering a monster which they should not have.
Crack!
With another sickening crack, another man died at his neck snapped by Chu Xun.
“That Master Zhuang is right,” Chu Xun pointed at Zang Fengling, intentionally mistaking his name for what he said earlier, “There’s no way we should expect Master Yan to busy himself with all the trivial matters of us lowly serfs, eh?”
Chu Xun never believed it right that those who antagonized or even annoyed him should go on happily without suffering any consequences or reprisals. Why should I endure unhappiness when he should feel pleased and contented, said he. Hence, there was no way he would let the matter of Zang Fengling speaking up in favor of the members of the Tower earlier go to rest.
But it was so obvious that everyone knew full well that it was an intentional mistake to call Zang Fengling as “Zhuang”, as the articulations of both words sounded nearly identical. Bracing with their breaths held, they reeled with trepidation at Chu Xun’s recklessness to anger Zang Fengling.
The difference being, the Human Kings of the Bloody Moon Tower relied on the horrible and bloody reputation of their order to terrorize ordinary people. But on the other hand, Zang Fengling possessed true powers of his own.
Many stole furtive glances and saw Zang Fengling remaining still and calm as if he failed to catch the gist of Chu Xun’s sarcastic gibes.
Nevertheless, it was apparent he was putting up a facade. A still facade which could potentially disguise a brewing storm.
Yan Wushuang remained as placid as ever, with zero signs that he meant to stop Chu Xun.
Yao Baiyue only watched Chu Xun curiosity, the look in her beautiful set of eyes as if wondering what Chu Xun could be hiding that made him so smug and arrogant.
Meanwhile, the Fifth-grade Human King was the only still-living member of the four-man party who came to this meeting, his eyes flashing with horror and panic through the disfigured and contorted face.
“P-P-Please! Have mercy...”
Crack!
Chu Xun’s foot came down again with just as much inhumanity as trampling an ant to its death and the last man was gone.
“Mercy?! Come on, your buddies are all dead! It’s dishonorable for you to remain living. Instead, I’d be doing the favor of uniting all four of you for a game of mahjong by sending you down as well!” scowled Chu Xun.
That struck a chill through everyone’s hearts. Whoever he was, he really did have no qualms in spilling blood and breaking bones.
A deathly silence pervaded the hall that one could even hear a pin drop.
Chu Xun returned his focus to his fellow occupants at the table and said to them, “Well, it appears that I cannot join your order now, I’m afraid. But thank you so much for the offer though.”
His words were obvious: he had only met these four men by chance and by no means were they close.
The four men were quick enough to understand Chu Xun’s intention and they looked up at him gratefully. One of them got up and clasped his hands in salute, “Don’t be. We have been blind, so blind to take you as a common nonpartisan independent. Pray forgive our rudeness and ignorance.”
It would seem to others that the four men had been trying to recruit Chu Xun into their order, without knowing that this stranger’s power could have easily matched even the leader of their order.
“Remarkable strength, my friend,” Zang Fengling said, finally breaking his silence.
Everyone felt their hearts taking a skip. Was Zang Fengling going to start a fight for that remark earlier?
Chu Xun glanced cursorily at him and muttered flatly, “You’re welcome.”
That left everyone speechless. What kind of reply was that supposed to be?! It sounded completely apathetic!
For all his life, Zang Fengling was an honored guest wherever he went. No one had dared to show him any discourtesy, save for today, and that stunned him.
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“If I may ask, from which order or sect do you belong to, my friend?” asked Zang Fengling with hardly any difficulty in masking his thoughts and emotions.
“Nope, nothing. I don’t belong to anyone. I am an independent,” said Chu Xun loudly.
Erm... The corners of Zang Fengling’s lips jerked, grimacing quietly at Chu Xun’s aptitude in stifling conversations.
Yan Wushuang motioned for servants to deal with the bodies of the dead men before he looked at Chu Xun, clasping his hands together in salute and said, “I am Yan Wushuang.”
“You’ve got a nice name!” praised Chu Xun.
Derived from a saying praising a young lady’s beauty and her match’s unparalleled stature and presence, Yan Wushuang’s name was indeed a very nice one.
Erm...
Even Yan Wushuang felt himself hitting a dead end. By usual customs, Chu Xun should be announcing his own name as well. One should respond and answer in conversations to prolong them. Yet here was Chu Xun, giving remarks about his name instead.
But that filled Zang Fengling with more ease. “So this fool really doesn’t know how to talk, he mused. He really was not trying to anger me at all,” thought Zang Fengling.
“Have a seat, please, my friend,” he said, gesturing for Chu Xun join them, eager to find out more about him.
“Nope, I’ll not,” refused Chu Xun abruptly.
“Huh?! Why?!” exclaimed Zang Fengling, nearly mad. It was the first time he had ever been refused and it struck him as unbearable as a thorn in his eye.
“Why should I? You might attack me if I come near,” said Chu Xun.
“Why would I?!” Zang Fengling bellowed, his eyes as wide as the saucer on the table, almost swearing that the thought never struck him.
“I have just killed some members of the Bloody Moon Tower. Aren’t you going to kill me to avenge them?”
“I, I...” Exasperated to the point of boiling madness, Zang Fengling could have sworn that he never once met anyone with such abysmal incapacity for making conversation.
Moreover, he would not have to be a complete fool to launch an attack on Chu Xun before finding out more about him. Resisting the urge to swat at his face like he was a fly, he managed a smile, “You misunderstand me, my friend. I don’t know those men at all. What’s more, surely there’s no way I’d succeed – not with that prowess and powers of yours?”
“You’re right!” cried Chu Xun, satisfied, and he trotted over to the table.
“Good Heaven Almighty...” Zang Fengling nearly cursed under his breath. Did this bumbling fool really fail to notice that he was only trying to be polite?!
All around them, the crowd also felt as if something inside them was going to burst. Whoever this stranger was, he was rude. It was plain as day that Zang Fengling was only trying to be courteous and yet buffoon took it seriously.
Chu Xun moved and sat down unabashedly beside Zang Fengling, as if to everyone else, he was hardly afraid at all that Zang Fengling might attack him.
It was all Zang Fengling could do to prevent the corners of his lips twitching. Still, it did. Then again. And again – like a jig. One could almost see that he really was on the verge of becoming hysterical.
“Hello to you, Lady of the Moon,” Chu Xun brazenly greeted Yao Baiyue.
That stupefied her for seconds before she could return the greeting with all her grace and gentleness, “My respects to you!”
A rush of excitement ran through the crowd. So after Zang Fengling, was it Yao Baiyue’s turn this time?
It was no secret that Yan Wushuang was Yao Baiyue’s beau, and by coquetting with her, was he trying to antagonize Yan Wushuang this time?
“Well, I hope you did not misunderstand me, Lady. I’m not competing with Master Yan for your hand! That was only a greeting!” exclaimed Chu Xun with an earnest look on his face.
“Cough... Cough...” Startled by those words, Zang Fengling choked, the gulp of wine in his throat stuck in his throat, unable to go down or up.
Erm...
Even the ever-so genteel and reserved Yao Baiyue could hardly refrain from wanting to give Chu Xun a slap on the face after listening to him.
“This fellow is really a complete imbecile in making small talk,” she thought quietly.
The crowd was reeling with even more glee and anticipation. “This idiot really does not know how to govern his tongue,” some mused. Stealing glances at Yan Wushuang, some began wondering if he would draw his sword and start trying to cut him down.
Yan Wushuang looked as serene as a cucumber on the outside, but the faint jiggle of his eyes betrayed his restlessness.
Feigning ignorance, Yao Baiyue stole a glance at Yan Wushuang and saw through the facade of his exterior serenity and knew he was nowhere near calm, and she blushed furiously.
That did not go unnoticed by both Chu Xun and Zang Fengling. It was true that Yao Baiyue had feelings for Yan Wushuang.
“Master Yan, I swear that I have zero intention of competing against you for the Lady’s hand,” said Chu Xun to Yan Wushuang.
That made Yan Wushuang’s eyes jerked again as his grip on the hilt of his sword tightened. One might wonder if he was indeed suppressing the urge to draw his weapon and spill blood.
Singed by Chu Xun’s audacious words, the rest of the crowd were feverish with tumult. “Compete?! What a disgrace for the fair Lady of the Moon! What are you thinking, that you are both hoodlums fighting for women?!”
Yan Wushuang lapsed into a fit of taciturnity and that spurred Chu Xun to speak again. “Do you not trust my words, Master Yan?”
“...” That left Yan Wushuang in a pinch – one that was driving him mad! How was he supposed to respond to that!? Surely not with a “Thank you for not competing against me for the Lady’s hand”!
Yet all eyes were on him – Chu Xun, and everyone else. Stay silent any longer and Heaven knows what piffle this dumb fool might sprout again! Biting hard, he snapped, stewing in quiet indignation, “I know.”
Pfft!
The gulp of wine stuck in Zang Fengling’s throat finally came belching out of his mouth and a rush of comfort returned to him, although not without wanting to explain that he did not belch his wine because of Yan Wushuang’s silly response.
“I’d say you should be thanking me, shouldn’t you, Master Yan?” Chu Xun piped in again.
“What do you mean?” It came blurting out of Yan Wushuang’s lips before he knew it.
Only after speaking, he began to feel regret and the urge to draw his sword never felt stronger. Whatever his intentions were, his inadvertent response had sounded as if it was Chu Xun who had surrendered the chance to win Yao Baiyue’s hand to him. “As if I need anyone to surrender me the chance at all!” thought Yan Wushuang.
Before the crowd could exclaim, Chu Xun said quickly, “I’d ask for nothing substantial. But I’ve heard so much about how the Soul-nourishing Lotuses of the Yan Family could cure spiritual damages. How about eight to ten of them? I’d not ask for more; I’d be too embarrassed to take more than that amount anyway.”
Yao Baiyue’s large dewy eyes shot wide instantly.
Zang Fengling felt himself caught in a storm.
“...” Yan Wushuang was completely beyond words and he thought, “Eight to ten of them?! What do you take the Lotuses for?! Chinese cabbage in a farm?! Even in the Yan Family, they have but that precious last one.”
Meanwhile, the crowds were all dumbstruck with silence, with curses and expletives roaring in their minds.
So after all that charade, his true intention had been the Lotus all along.