Chapter 26: You

"How do you feel seeing so many Foundation Establishment elders?"

Wang Xianmao walked ahead with his hands behind his back, asking the youths behind him.

"The spirit goose was delicious, the spirit tea was genuine eighth-rank spirit tea—I'd never drunk it before, and it truly lives up to its reputation."

Yu Lou's summary left Yu An puzzled.

Brother, did you catch it from me?

Sorry, I didn't mean to—I really didn't intend it.

"Hahaha, good! Not a waste bringing you here!"

What surprised Yu An even more was that Yu Lou's nonsense answer had actually pleased the clan chief.

Yu An was certain that if Wang Rongyuan had been the one asked, and he'd answered he'd just been eating, Rongyuan's uncle would've given him a ten-hit love combo.

As they passed the temporary stall area added to Qing Xi Fang, Gao Jian's shouting rang out.

"It's you we're after! Let me tell you, I've been watching you for a long time."

You walk from stall to stall holding something, pretending to buy, but actually selling.

You dare sneak-sell without paying the stall fee?

Who gave you the nerve?

What do you think Qing Xi Fang's Peacekeeping Squad is?

Do you think we can't tell?

Gao Jian and his few subordinates all wore the standard robes of Hong Deng Zhao's outer-disciples, pinning down a wandering cultivator of around Qi Refinement mid-stage and beating him mercilessly.

The scoundrel reached out to snatch the bag from the wandering cultivator's arms, but the cultivator rolled on the ground, clutching the bag tightly.

"I didn't! You're framing me!"

Seeing the man refused to pay to make the trouble go away, Gao Jian cursed.

"Get out of my way!"

At this, his subordinates quickly released their grip on the wandering cultivator.

They were afraid—Gao Jian didn't care who he beat.

One of Jiang Biaobian's disciples drew his Spirit-Binding Rope from his waist and lashed it hard against the wandering cultivator's body.

"You're thieves!"

The wandering cultivator activated his Stone Armor Talisman and shouted loudly.

He hoped some being, somewhere, would know his suffering and rescue him from this ordeal.

Called a thief, Gao Jian wasn't fazed—he sneered and barked.

"Fine! You dare slander Hong Deng Zhao's Peacekeeping Squad? You're clearly a bandit cultivator with evil intentions!"

"Bandit cultivator" was a catch-all label—anything could be shoved into it; Gao Jian understood how to maintain order.

Catching more "bandit cultivators" meant both profit and boosted performance.

The wandering cultivators around the stalls watched the brutal conflict in frozen silence, teeth gritted in rage, yet dared not speak or move.

Gao Jian's cultivation was nothing special, but behind him stood Jiang Biaobian, stood Hong Deng Zhao!

Wang Xianmao, noticing the conflict, halted his steps; Yu Lou saw the clan chief gaze toward the distant crowd.

Following the clan chief's gaze, he too saw the group of Xian Alliance envoys in white robes, black rhino-horn belts at their waists.

They were Xian Alliance envoys who had come with True Person Dan Ri; the Xian Alliance's duty was to govern all cultivators under heaven.

Even Hong Deng Zhao's Purple Mansion and Jin Dan elders had to, in some dimension, obey the Xian Alliance's order.

"Watch closely—you'll soon learn what the Xian Alliance is."

Using magic power to draw the two boys to his side, Wang Xianmao whispered to them.

Yu An watched expectantly as the Xian Alliance cultivators approached the direction of Gao Jian and the wandering cultivator's dispute—he still didn't understand the clan chief's meaning.

But Yu Lou already understood.

He looked at the wandering cultivator, who was screaming in agony, his gaze complex.

From this wandering cultivator, Yu Lou saw Wang Shi under Hong Deng Zhao's oppression.

Gao Jian exploited and crushed wandering cultivators to the bone.

Hong Deng Zhao exploited and squeezed its vassal forces to the bone.

The difference was merely one was direct and obvious, the other more subtle and respectable.

In essence, they were the same.

The Xian Alliance envoys gradually neared the scene of the dispute; the crowd gathered to watch naturally parted to form a path.

When the Xian Alliance envoys arrived, did justice return?

Seeing the Xian Alliance envoys approach, the wandering cultivator seized him like a lifeline, crawling toward them.

"Xian Alliance elders, save me! Xian Alliance elders, save me! He's framing me! He's framing me!"

Gao Jian sheathed his Spirit-Binding Rope and feigned a respectful bow, explaining to the Xian Alliance envoys.

"Fellow cultivators, this is a bandit cultivator with evil intent. Our Qing Xi Fang Peacekeeping Squad discovered his crimes and are apprehending him!"

The wandering cultivator immediately panicked—he crawled to the Xian Alliance cultivator's feet, grabbing the hem of a female cultivator's robe, begging for help.

But the high-level Qi Refinement Xian Alliance female cultivator merely flipped her hand and hurled a seal-shaped magical artifact straight at the wandering cultivator's head.

"How dare you soil my robe?"

Seeing the Xian Alliance envoys refused to defend a wandering cultivator, Gao Jian's panic vanished completely.

"Fellow cultivators, I'll handle this myself—I'll handle this myself."

He channeled spiritual energy and delivered a whip lash directly to the wandering cultivator's spine.

One strike, and the wandering cultivator collapsed to the ground.

The lone cultivator lay on the ground, spitting out gobs of blood, his pupils dilated and vacant, his life hanging by a thread.

"It's all, it's all, you're all..."

He mumbled, trying to say something, but Gao Jian swung another whip at his head, cutting off his rage and resentment.

"Snap!"

Red and white fluids splattered across the ground; the lone cultivator could no longer utter any defiant words.

The female cultivator whose robe the lone cultivator had grabbed earlier now had blood spatters on her clothes; she glared at Gao Jian and spoke.

"Blind fool!"

Saying this, the female cultivator raised her seal-shaped artifact to strike Gao Jian.

Seeing the flying seal, Gao Jian suddenly felt as if he had swapped places with the lone cultivator just now.

Shit, I'm going to be bullied too!

He had always known Xian Alliance cultivators were arrogant, but he never imagined they could be this arrogant.

Even though Jiang Jiang Baobian was truly his master, Gao Jian dared not truly clash with Xian Alliance cultivators.

Faced with the furious female cultivator, he could only summon his Qi to maneuver, trying to buy himself some time.

At that moment, Wang Xianmao finally acted.

But Yulou hadn't expected that Wang Xianmao would side with Gao Jian!

Azure Qi, like flowing silk, shot across dozens of meters and caught the artifact seal.

The slightest hint of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's aura instantly drew the attention of all nearby Qi Condensation cultivators to Wang Xianmao.

This was a Foundation Establishment cultivator—usually seen only in glimpses, and many of the Qi Condensation cultivators present had never laid eyes on a Foundation Establishment elder in their entire lives.

The clan chief took a few steps forward and rebuked Gao Jian with mild disapproval.

"Enough. That's enough, young Gao. I just had dinner with your master—he's looking for you. Go see him."

Yulou understood this was meant for the Xian Alliance envoys.

I'm Foundation Establishment. The man you beat has a master who is also Foundation Establishment.

Almost all Foundation Establishment cultivators in Wunan are part of the Xian Alliance system—we see each other often enough. Let it go.

Gao Jian glanced at Wang Xianmao, then quickly scanned the direction of the Xian Alliance cultivators, and finally said:

"Yes!"

He signaled his subordinates to drag away the lone cultivator's corpse, then bowed to both Wang Xianmao and the Xian Alliance cultivators before leaving in disgrace.