Chapter 331

Not clear.

Not understand.

However, the current situation is not something one can understand.

In the desolate forest, the mist hung heavy; Fu Zou Zi's pleading posture was extremely low, his heart only hoping to lose wealth to avert disaster and escape safely.

However, his soft surrender and retreat not only failed to intimidate this group of masked bandits, but completely fueled their arrogance.

More than a dozen ragged ruffians halted their encircling steps, paired off and glared at each other, as their wild laughter burst out in waves, shaking the leaves to rustle.

Among the crowd, a somewhat bolder, sturdy man stepped forward, his gaze unscrupulously locked onto Fu Zou Zi, sizing him up from head to toe.

Fu Zou Zi had a soft, fair baby face, clean and delicate brows and eyes, smooth white skin; having shed the deliberate solemnity of a Celestial Master he usually affected, his now slightly tense appearance made his slender, frail frame stand in stark contrast to the usual hardy youth.

Though the man's face was covered with cloth, hiding his expression, one could see the light in his eyes growing brighter, and his voice was exceedingly frivolous:

"You little Daoist are quite sensible, very obedient, and moreover you look delicate and tender, lacking any rough air of a martial practitioner......"

"I often heard storytellers say that in troubled times, many pretty young ladies, for safety on the road, love to dress as men and venture out. Looking at your appearance and figure, could you not be a woman disguised as a Daoist?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding laughter grew even wilder, layer upon layer pressing down on Fu Zou Zi.

That man stepped closer and closer, continuing to jeer:

"If it's true, you needn't be shy. Just obediently keep us brothers company, serve us to our satisfaction, and we won't harm your lives—indeed we could directly let you two leave; isn't that better than needlessly throwing away your lives?"

The offensive teasing, sentence after sentence, pierced the heart and humiliated.

Fu Zou Zi was already tense; being publicly subjected to such frivolous speculation, though he barely kept some composure, his blood surged to his head, nearly making smoke rise from his seven orifices——

This world, after all, is still in chaos.

Earlier years, no, even last year, when he traveled about he never encountered such things, but now only a short time has passed and yet......

Fu Zou Zi clenched his fists tightly, his face grim beyond words, yet for a moment he did not know how to extricate himself.

The opposition was many and strong; if he could see their faces and expose someone's past, it might deter them, but alas, ill-fated as it is, this group happened to wear masks.

He surely couldn't say something foolish like, 'Gentlemen, if you remove your masks and let me look, I'll think of a way to escape,' could he?

Now there are definitely more than ten people before him; if he acts rashly and tough, he will only end up in a more miserable fate.....

Fu Zou Zi's thoughts raced, he stood stiffly in place; momentarily inattentive, that man had almost closed in right before him.

The man smirked, his gaze sticky and lewd upon Fu Zou Zi's face, slowly raising his rough palm, heading straight for Fu Zou Zi's cheek.

Fu Zou Zi gritted his teeth, about to scrutinize this man's palm lines, seeking a chance to shock the crowd and escape safely......

However, however.

Just as that dirty hand was about to touch his cheek, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept in from his side, so fast only an afterimage remained.

Without any warning, accompanied by a muffled bone‑cracking boom mixed with a shrill scream, the reaching hand—and the man who threw it—were blasted away by a tremendous force.

Fu Zou Zi instinctively widened his eyes; all his shame and tension froze instantly, and he let out a sound of astonishment he himself didn't notice:

"Guā? (? □?; )???"

He lifted his gaze; at the far end of his sight was indeed Xuan Feixing's face, frozen for ten thousand years, icy and bone‑piercing.

The youth stood in the mist, posture tall and fierce, brows and eyes veiled with a layer of frost, his aura of hostility surging, so cold that none dared approach.

Xuan Feixing lowered his eyes, glanced at the stunned Fu Zou Zi, the corner of his mouth curling into an extremely faint, extremely mocking cold smile; his voice was hard and icy, each word laced with impatience:

"What are you wasting words on this scum? Begging in a low voice—do you really intend to humble yourself and obey them, letting them humiliate you?"

Fu Zou Zi's throat tightened at those words; he was about to retort, but before he could speak, the situation suddenly changed again——

The remaining masked ruffians, seeing their companion severely wounded and fallen, instantly grew ashamed and enraged; taking advantage of the gap in their conversation, one silently circled behind Fu Zou Zi, clenched his concealed dagger, and launched a sneak attack.

A cold light flashed; killing intent closed in, danger descended in an instant.

At the critical moment, Xuan Feixing moved with leopard‑like agility, took a few strides forward, his arm shooting out to precisely encircle Fu Zou Zi's waist, and with force tucked him under his arm.

At this moment the scene seemed to suddenly slow; the forest's wind and the bandits' footsteps faded away, as if the world held only this instant.

Fu Zou Zi's body lightened; he suddenly left the ground, falling into a tight, cold embrace.

Xuan Feixing's arms were hard and strong, bearing a biting chill toward strangers, yet they steadfastly shielded him within a small space.

At the moment of close contact, a clear, strong heartbeat transmitted faintly through the clothing, steady and powerful.

Fu Zou Zi's whole body stiffened; he fell into a sudden panic.

Immediately, Xuan Feixing, holding the person in his arms, spun half a turn in the air, his posture clean and fierce, perfectly evading the dagger thrust from behind.

The icy blade swept past his clothing, slashing through empty air before landing on the ground—dangerously close.

Just as he steadied his stance, Fu Zouzi exhaled, holding back the unusual tremor in his chest and about to speak, when his peripheral vision caught the person beside him strike again suddenly.

However, this time it differed from what Fu Zouzi had expected; Xuan Feixing didn't even charge at the group of men ahead, but casually tossed him to an empty spot nearby.

Bang!

Fu Zouzi landed, the intense pain from his buttocks barely concealing the bewilderment on his face:

Gua gua gua? (???;)???

Wow! If we're gonna fight, then fight!

What are you throwing him for!!!

Fu Zouzi felt wronged, but Xuan Feixing didn't hesitate in the slightest.

Before the masked thugs could regroup, he darted out, his figure twisting and turning through the crowd, his techniques fierce and his assault swift.

The whip wind howled, forceful and strong; each strike hit its mark precisely, and within just three or five rounds, the dozen or so thugs who had just been arrogant were screaming in pain, collapsing in groans, utterly routed, completely beaten down.

These bandits were merely scattered forest outlaws who bullied the weak and feared the strong; seeing Xuan Feixing's fierce and ruthless skill, they were instantly filled with fear and dared not fight any further.

The remaining thugs, gritting their teeth, painfully got up, ignoring their companions, only thinking of fleeing in all directions, rushing wildly into various parts of the dense forest; in the blink of an eye, most of them had scattered.

The chaos in the woods gradually subsided, leaving only a mess on the ground and intermittent groans of pain.

Fu Zouzi snapped out of his earlier daze, seeing most of the bandits had fled, except for the last one whose injuries were relatively light, who was about to break free and escape; he quickly came to, raised a hand to block, stepped forward swiftly, and shouted:

"Brother, brother! Quickly grab him! Don't let him get away! I still want to find someone to interrogate!"

Xuan Feixing finished the whole match, face not flushed, breath not labored; only upon hearing him shout like that did a barely noticeable blue vein pop up on his temple:

"How old are you this year?"

Fu Couzi was still rubbing his butt as he climbed to his feet; hearing this, he blinked, not understanding how the topic had shifted so quickly, but he answered honestly:

"People who have entered the Dao don't ask about age... All right, don't be angry, actually I turned nineteen at the start of the year."

Xuan Feixing kicked the last man trying to run over with one foot, gritted his teeth, and said each word deliberately:

"I'm only seventeen, so you call me Chicken Hair Brother...."

Fu Couzi understood at once:

"Good, good, good! Thanks, Chicken Hair Brother! In that case, hang this guy upside down on the cart, give him a few lashes, and he'll spill everything!"

Man: "......!!!"

Xuan Feixing: "......???"

What's there to interrogate? Might as well just kill them all.

?? fan group's big plot might still need a few chapters...... Hope you guys won't get bored QAQ

? This story has several groups of men classified by temperament——

? The Poison Husband Group's Chinu and Afang.

? (Shasha's) Fanatical Fans Group's Fu Couzi and Xuan Feixing.

? And the Innocent and Cheerful Group's Yu Baobao...... plus one unaired guest.

? In short, there are still many combos!