Chapter 220: The Big Fish

The two who had just been about to sigh in relief died without ever understanding why.

At that moment, Li Muxian turned his gaze to the two courtesans in the hall with the highest martial skill and suddenly spoke:

“One of you must go immediately to Bailian Peak and tell their Patriarch that I killed his son. If he has the courage to seek revenge, let him come to Baixiang Pavilion to find me.”

“The other must go to that Ninth Peak—same words, just tell them the truth.”

As he spoke, Li Muxian pointed at the corpses of Zheng Zi and the other.

The courtesans, who had remained frozen in the corner without daring to move, now wore expressions of sheer terror on their beautiful faces.

The two courtesans Li Muxian had singled out paled, glanced around the hall, then forced themselves to look at him and asked:

“Young Master, are you truly willing to let us two go?”

Li Muxian waved his hand and said:

“There are too many grudges in this martial world—who has sinned how much? Who truly deserves to die? It’s impossible to sort out in a moment. But if you do as I say, I’ll have no interest in you.”

Hearing this, the two courtesans exchanged glances, then carefully rose from the ground and said:

“We dare not defy your orders—we will deliver your message exactly.”

With that, they forced back their fear, cast one last glance at Li Muxian, and slowly walked toward the hall’s exit.

Not long after, they stepped out of the hall into the corridor and immediately turned to examine each other’s heads—was there a hole now?

Fortunately, both were unharmed, nothing had happened.

“What should we do now?”

One woman asked in a hushed, trembling voice; the other scanned the surroundings warily, her expression shifting rapidly before replying:

“Follow the young master’s instructions first—someone might be watching us.”

Upon hearing this, the other woman thought for a moment, then nodded. For them, getting as far away from Baixiang Pavilion as possible was now the only priority.

Without another word, they hurried away.

The hidden martial experts of Baixiang Pavilion dared not spy on or interfere with what Zheng Zi and the others had done inside the hall.

Thus, even as they saw the two courtesans leave, none dared to stop or question them.

Meanwhile, Li Muxian glanced toward the direction the courtesans had taken and nodded in satisfaction.

Then he turned to the remaining courtesans, stroked his chin, and said:

“Though persuading courtesans to leave the trade is hardly respectable, Baixiang Pavilion is doomed tonight. If you wish to escape, you may go now.”

Hearing this, the six remaining courtesans froze, seemingly unable to grasp his meaning.

They had always been playthings of the Luoshen Peak disciples; though called courtesans and seemingly granted choice in clients, they were bound to the madam’s orders.

They had long accepted this fate, never daring to resist or complain, clinging to life only by their beauty.

They had never dared hope to escape such a life of being used and controlled, nor had they ever imagined Baixiang Pavilion—protected by the mighty Luoshen Peak—could vanish.

They had only hoped that when they grew old and faded, discarded like worn-out shoes, they might finally have a sliver of chance to leave Baixiang Pavilion.

Thus, deep down, they did not believe Li Muxian’s words—even though he had killed Zheng Zi and others, and though his martial strength was formidable enough to end their lives at will.

Yet they did not believe Li Muxian could possibly survive a confrontation with Luoshen Peak.

This was the awe instilled by Luoshen Peak’s centuries-long dominance, a belief etched into their bones.

Li Muxian did not know their thoughts, nor did he care. After uttering those words, his body blurred into a lingering shadow and vanished from the hall.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared atop the sixth and highest floor of Baixiang Pavilion, sitting alone on the roof ridge, gazing down over the entire Bailian City.

Inside the third-floor hall, the courtesans, after a stunned pause, finally realized Li Muxian had left.

Filled with shock and joy, they dared not linger a moment—each scrambled desperately toward the exit.

Only then did the people of Baixiang Pavilion realize something was wrong. After grabbing a few courtesans and learning the truth, they rushed into the hall.

Upon seeing the corpses of Zheng Zi and the others, they turned pale with terror, their souls nearly fleeing their bodies; Baixiang Pavilion erupted into chaos.

Meanwhile, Li Muxian sat atop the pavilion, utterly indifferent to the turmoil below. He had no interest in small fish or shrimp—he was waiting for the big fish to swim into Bailian City.

……

Meanwhile, the robed elder, carrying the girl in pink, moved like a fading shadow, speeding forward.

Behind them, two elders from Luoshen Peak pursued relentlessly.

“This is a disaster—why did both of them come after us? Leaving that hateful bastard to face a bunch of lackeys must be so much easier.”

The girl in pink, dangling in the elder’s grip, faced the rushing wind, squinting her tiny eyes in furious annoyance.

The robed elder sighed—whether in agreement with the girl or mourning the soft, warm hands of the courtesans, no one could tell.

At that moment, the girl in pink seemed to remember something and suddenly turned to glare at her grandfather:

“And you—you’re old and shameless. We came to Luoshen Peak to avenge our family—this journey is almost certainly death. How could you still have the nerve to visit brothels…?”

But before she finished, the robed elder coughed heavily to cut her off:

“Now is not the time to speak of this. Quickly take out the ‘Hundred Poisons Pill’—I’ll find an opening to spread poison mist and block them.”

Hearing this, the girl snorted, but knew now was not the time to be angry.

She reached into the small pouch at her waist, fished out a pill of startlingly vivid color,

then hurled it viciously toward the two elders behind them.

“Now is not yet the best moment… Ah… never mind.”

Seeing this, the robed elder helplessly turned and shoved one palm outward.

In an instant, the darkness behind them seemed torn apart by invisible hands; torrents of heavenly and earthly Qi surged from all directions toward the rear.

The air within ten zhang above the street solidified; bricks and stones around them lifted into the air and exploded into dust, the entire space seeming to collapse inward under crushing pressure.

Under the elder’s palm, the pill the girl had thrown exploded violently, unleashing a poisonous mist that seeped through every crevice, corroding the street into a thousand holes and engulfing the entire space above.

The two elders behind saw this and had planned to charge through with martial Qi shielding their bodies.

But the elder’s palm strike was overwhelmingly powerful, and the poison mist could corrode martial Qi as well—forcing them to hastily defend themselves.

(End of Chapter)