Chapter 187

The room was burning sandalwood incense, the smoke thin and wavering; Gou Dan squatted on the windowsill, watching with interest as the insects on the outside flowers fought.

Heng Xian sat cross-legged on a wooden stool, sipping tea.

The room door was open.

Hao Gou and Sun Liuzi suddenly came running from afar.

He rushed into the room, and Hao Gou lowered his voice: "Sure enough, just as the eldest master predicted, they stood outside the main gate, hesitating to enter, then left, but someone is watching from all around!"

Sun Liuzi wiped his cold sweat and laughed along: "Eldest master, you're truly divine! These disciples of the great sects are noble and lofty, unafraid of anything, yet today you have them completely under your thumb, playing them like pawns in your palm!"

Heng Xian showed no sign of pride, set down his tea cup, and said: "Noble status doesn't mean one isn't afraid of death. Do you know which two kinds of people in the world are the hardest to deal with?"

Hao Gou and Sun Liuzi exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and said: "We don't understand!"

Heng Xian said: "The extremely wise and the simple-minded— the wise can analyze your strengths and weaknesses and devise countermeasures, while the simple-minded don't bother with all your tricks and just charge straight in."

Only these mediocre outsiders—I simply don't even notice them!

"The eldest master is right!" Hao Gou and Sun Liuzi broke out in cold sweat again, "You don't even notice them, but we do—any one of them could easily crush us!"

Heng Xian waved his hand: "Get out!"

Hao Gou and Sun Liuzi hastily bowed and retreated.

……

The next day, the sky was overcast.

All the residents of Liu Shu Town hid in their homes, trembling and afraid to go out.

Because starting early in the morning, terrifying figures began flying in on swords from all around the town.

Some came in groups of three or five, others in groups of ten or twenty, men and women, old and young alike.

What they all had in common was that they wore magnificent, uniform wide robes with large sleeves, each more imposing than the last!

Normally, a single martial master would be more than enough for everyone to handle, but now hundreds of martial-master-like figures have arrived—how could anyone cope?

Fortunately, these people did not harm ordinary folk in the slightest.

By noon, the town was overflowing with people.

Finally, the elders and disciples from all sects had arrived!

The town, already small, instantly became extremely crowded.

In the rear quarters of the Li family grain store, Xu Wei, Ye Ling'er, and Heng Ying'er burst into Xie Lingyu's room: "Senior Sister Xie, stop meditating—all the sects' uncles, senior brothers, and senior sisters have arrived!"

Xie Lingyu, who was meditating cross-legged on the bed, opened her eyes and asked: "How many people have come?"

Ye Ling'er said: "At least nearly two thousand, I'd say!"

A hint of worry appeared on Xie Lingyu's face as she asked: "What's the situation now?"

Xu Wei said: "For now they haven't attacked the Hao family, but the town is completely sealed off around the Hao family as center— not even a fly could get out!"

Now we're just waiting for the big shots to make up their minds, then the attack will begin!

"Which big shots?" Xie Lingyu asked curiously.

Ye Ling'er clasped her fingers, eyes shining, and said: "Our Tianyuan Sect's third in the Earth Ranking, Senior Brother Huo Yuanqing; Lingtai Mountain's Xuanwu Institute's second, Senior Sister Yuan Miao; the Divine Blade Palace's second in the Earth Ranking, Ye Hongxue; and the Eastern Emperor Palace's second in the Earth Ranking, Huangfu Taiqing…"

Xu Wei continued: "Plus the first in the Earth Ranking of the Da Luo Holy Sect, Si Tu Nan Fei; the second of the Ba Wang Sect, Jiang Ruoyan; the second of the Luo Xia Valley, Shen Qiong; the first of the Da Yan Sect, Zhou Xuan Yi; and the chief of the Water and Land Institute of the Mituo Temple, Tianming Heshang!"

Senior Brother Sun He and Senior Brother Tian Cong had already gone to pay their respects earlier!

They are all Primordial Dan Realm cultivators, possessing ancient sacred bodies and divine beast bloodlines—far more formidable than the people from Sang Guo's capital last time!

Xie Lingyu's face changed dramatically as she looked at Heng Ying'er and asked: "Who has come from our Lingjian Sect?"

Heng Ying'er replied: "The Earth Ranking's first, Senior Brother Wu Guangyi, and fourth, Senior Sister Du Qiyue, plus Uncle Master Li and Uncle Master Wang from the Cangjian Peak—altogether over a hundred true disciples and elders have come!"

Xie Lingyu's face paled slightly, she rose and said: "Let's go see the uncles and senior brothers and sisters!"

"We'll come see you!"

Just then, two people appeared outside without a sound,

one man and one woman.

The man had a little mustache, peach-blossom eyes, looked very cheerful, yet his face was stern.

The woman had a round face, a smile at the corners of her mouth, and a somewhat bewitching air.

They were precisely the Lingjian Sect's true disciples Wu Guangyi and Du Qiyue, both at the Yuan Dan Initial Realm cultivation, first and fourth in the Lingjian Sect's Earth Ranking—elite among elites, every move exuding unmatched aura.

Xie Lingyu and the three others hurriedly bowed and greeted: "Greetings, Senior Brother Wu and Senior Sister Du."

Wu Guangyi gave a faint nod, glancing at Xu Wei and the two.

Xu Wei hastily said: "We'll go see the senior brothers and elders, then take our leave."

Together with Ye Ling'er, they turned and hurried away.

Du Qiyue casually waved her hand; the room door shut on its own, and she then sat beside Wu Guangyi to one side.

Xie Lingyu and Heng Ying'er felt a bit nervous and uneasy, as they rarely saw these two in the sect normally.

"No need to be nervous, junior sisters!" Wu Guangyi smiled gently, "I've heard that you two are Heng Xian's cousin and clan sister, respectively—is that true?"

Heng Ying'er's face turned pale, she dared not speak; she originally had no qualification to come out, but out of concern for her brother Heng Xian, she sneaked out unwilling to stay behind.

Xie Lingyu nodded: "Yes!"

Wu Guangyi tapped the table and said: "It's said that yesterday, Heng Xian came to see you; they claimed he held you hostage, using your life to threaten them, forcing them to watch helplessly as he left,"

I don't believe that—tell me the truth, Senior Brother: why did he come to see you, and what is he plotting while hiding in the Hao family courtyard?"

Xie Lingyu answered without hesitation, earnestly: "Heng Xian is someone with particularly strong ideas; I truly don't know what he intends to do!"

Wu Guangyi and Du Qiyue exchanged a glance, suddenly rose, enveloping Xie Lingyu and Heng Ying'er, and in a flash they were out the door; after a few leaps, they arrived in the middle of town, right next to the Hao family elders' residence!

The elders' residence was extremely luxurious, and at this moment disciples from all sects thronged the surroundings.

In the residence's largest hall, dozens of people sat in several rows, silent and speechless.

Wu Guangyi and Du Qiyue flashed in, setting down Xie Lingyu and Heng Ying'er.

Wu Guang rushed into the crowd and clasped his fists: "Seniors and fellow brothers, please excuse me; these two junior sisters of mine are Heng Xian's cousin and paternal cousin."

However, Heng Xian is extremely opinionated; even if he sees them, he won't communicate anything with them!

"How do you know? Heng Xian is surrounded on all sides; upon seeing his relatives, could it be merely catching up, without revealing any purpose at all?"

Jiang Ruoyan, second in the Baowang Sect's earth ranking, is under thirty and extremely beautiful; however, because of the deaths of Hou Zhenfang and three others within the sect, she finds it hard to save face, and at this moment she asks with a hint of anger.

"I agree with Junior Sister Jiang's statement." Ye Hongxue, second in the Baowang Sect's earth ranking, echoed in a low voice.

"Amitabha!"

Tianming Heshang, chief disciple of the Shuilu Courtyard of Mituo Temple, is a handsome young monk; at this moment he rose, palms together, and said: "Please, the two junior sisters of the Spirit Sword Sect, repeat verbatim what Heng Xian said when he saw you yesterday!"

Heng Ying'er opened her mouth, then obediently closed it; she simply hadn't seen Heng Xian at all.

Xie Lingyu faced a large group of Golden Core masters and elite disciples from various sects, and suddenly realized that no matter how she explained, it sounded feeble and couldn't withstand scrutiny; it seemed that Heng Xian's visit to her was truly just catching up and provoking Sun He and the others.

She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said in a low voice: "I can't repeat it; he has always liked me; upon seeing me, he merely hugged me, kissed my cheek, and then was discovered by Senior Brother Sun He and Senior Brother Tian Cong!"

(End of chapter)