Chapter 118

Curiosity aside.

Chen Mu had no interest in meddling in the petty squabble between Hu Xiaopeng and Lu Tang over a woman.

Hearing Hu Xiaopeng approaching the inn, Chen Mu crouched low, silently retreated, pressed against the roof tiles, and slipped away from the inn.

Once far enough, he stood upright, his form flickering as he raced back toward his lodging.

In the night wind came Hu Xiaopeng's muffled shout.

"Where is he? Wasn't he supposed to be in the room? Why's he gone?"

"I… I don't know."

"You useless waste! He ran off and you didn't even notice! Useless!!"

…

…

The next day, Chen Mu rose early, washed up, stepped outside, bought some breakfast from a street vendor, and ate as he walked toward the city's edge.

Three days had passed since his last visit to the graveyard; he could go again.

Outside Wulong Fucheng, there were two graveyards.

One to the north, one to the south.

Chen Mu went first to the northern one, retrieving two Inner Strength cards, several Physical Strength cards, and Energy cards.

Then he hurried to the southern graveyard—no收获.

So he returned to the city.

Unbeknownst to him, barely a hundred meters past the city gate, a violent surge of True Qi roared and the sound of collapsing buildings rang out.

Boom!

Crash!

"Ahh~!"

"Scatter! Scatter!"

"Run fast~"

"…"

Shouts, screams, and wails mingled and drifted downwind.

'Someone fighting in the street?'

Chen Mu's eyes sharpened; his feet shifted slightly, and his form shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

He did not unleash his full Lightness Skill, only moving at a speed befitting his public identity—but even so, he was far faster than an ordinary martial artist.

In a few leaps, he reached the scene: a bustling street near the main thoroughfare.

The center of the street was in ruins. The blue stone pavement had been carved into deep furrows by sword qi and force. The shopfronts lining both sides had all their windows and doors shattered; a section of earthen wall had completely collapsed, dust swirling thickly.

In the midst, two figures collided, struck, and separated at blinding speed. Their overwhelming power surged, sending out streams of force that ricocheted wildly, forcing the crowd to flee in terror away from the battle's epicenter.

Chen Mu climbed onto the rooftops and observed from dozens of meters away.

One of the combatants wielded a broad-bladed longsword as wide as a door panel; as he swung it, thick crimson sword qi seared the air, cutting through everything, terrifying in its might.

This man was Du Gongxian, elder of the Golden Sun Sect, a Fifth Stage Innate expert.

His beard and hair stood on end, his face flushed red, his eyes blazing with fury—he was beyond enraged.

The other moved both palms in rapid succession, his palm force dense and heavy as Rushan, each strike producing a muffled explosion. Solid earth-yellow palm prints shattered every crimson sword qi, the residual waves spilling sideways, gouging deep craters into the ground and walls.

His frame was lean and powerful, his aura surging.

It was none other than Wang Zhongyi, the third uncle of the Wang family.

Both were renowned Fifth Stage Innate experts of Tai'an Fucheng, and now, disregarding their status, they were fighting recklessly in the street.

Chen Mu scanned the surroundings and noticed several martial artists had also climbed onto rooftops, watching with keen interest.

"Crash~"

"Boom—!"

Collisions and explosions continued without pause.

After observing the battle, Chen Mu realized Du Gongxian and Wang Zhongyi were evenly matched in cultivation; neither could gain the upper hand in a short time.

But if they kept destroying the street at this rate, the entire road would be ruined—and innocent bystanders would be caught in the crossfire.

As he pondered, a familiar figure pierced the air from afar, gliding swiftly toward them.

Before the man arrived, his voice came first.

"Stop! Du Gongxian, Wang Zhongyi! If you want to fight, take it outside the city! If you strike again within the city, come with me to the jail!"

Whoosh~!

His form flickered, forcibly inserting himself between Du Gongxian and Wang Zhongyi, delivering a punch to each.

Thud~

Boom!

The newcomer was Lu Tang.

He wore the crimson fire robe of the Town Martial Office, his expression solemn, his gaze cold as he swept over Du Gongxian and Wang Zhongyi.

Clearly, he had been drawn by the commotion.

In terms of realm, Lu Tang was inferior to both Du Gongxian and Wang Zhongyi, but his position as a Town Martial Office Guard granted him the authority to intervene.

Du Gongxian and Wang Zhongyi both halted, stepping back several paces, yet still glaring at each other, their True Qi surging—clearly not done.

"Guard Lu!"

Du Gongxian's face darkened, one hand gripping his sword, the other pointing at Wang Zhongyi. "You've come just in time! Arrest this old fool who spouts nonsense and slanders my reputation!"

"Hmph~"

Wang Zhongyi let out a cold laugh, brushed the dust from his sleeve—though the sleeve had long been shredded by blade Qi, that did not hinder his dashing gesture—and said coldly, "Du Laogui, you can't beat me so you want to borrow the power of the authorities? I spoke the truth—where is the wild talk?"

Lu Tang stepped between the two men, frowning. "You two are both prominent figures here in Tai'an Prefecture. Is there anything that can't be discussed sitting down? Why must you fight in the street, disturbing the common folk and wrecking buildings?"

Hearing this, Du Gongxian glared, his beard trembling, and roared, "Ask him! Ask him what outrageous things he just said!"

Wang Zhongyi, however, wore a strange, smug expression. He even tidied his disheveled hair and declared loudly, "What is there that I dare not say? I was merely drinking and chatting with Du Laogui just now, and when the topic turned to the Qi family's Miss Mengjun, I said that Miss Mengjun had once expressed her admiration for me, as if she had taken a fancy to me. This old ghost, like a stray dog with its tail stepped on, suddenly lashed out! Simply unreasonable!"

At these words, not only did Lu Tang freeze, but the common folk all around with ears pricked up listening, the martial artists standing on the rooftops watching, and the other Town Martial Bureau personnel who had rushed over—all of them were stunned, and then burst into an uproar!

"Qi Mengjun? That great beauty from the Qi family?"

"The number one beauty of Tai'an Prefecture!"

"Qi Mengjun favors Third Master Wang? That… if I remember right, Third Master Wang is almost sixty, isn't he?"

"Fake! Impossible! How could Miss Qi possibly favor Wang Zhongyi?"

"Well, uh, what if Qi Mengjun has… unique tastes?"

"What did you say!?"

"……"

The street exploded into chaos.

Arguing, jeering, laughing—a noisy mess.

With all those voices in his ears, Lu Tang's face went through a remarkable series of expressions. He opened his mouth, but for a moment didn't know how to respond.

He instinctively looked at Wang Zhongyi's face—flesh jiggling, crow's feet showing, yet wearing a self-satisfied look—and then thought of that peerlessly elegant Qi Mengjun, and felt the whole thing was absurd beyond words.

Even Chen Mu's eye couldn't help but twitch slightly.

Only last night he had learned that Hu Xiaopeng and Lu Tang had grown jealous over Qi Mengjun, and now today he saw two Innate experts old enough to be Qi Mengjun's grandfathers brawling in the street over a single word "favor," nearly tearing down half the street…

Just what manner of femme fatale is this Qi Mengjun?

Just how stunning must she be, to make old hands who have seen everything lose their wits like this?

Or is there some other hidden story behind it?