Chapter 36: At the City Gates, Turmoil Arises

Yang Hun stepped down from the flood dragon beast carriage and walked up to Xia Jiuxuan. Liu Weiyu and Ayao remained inside, making no move to intervene.

"Sis, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Only then did Liu Weiyu realize what had happened.

"Hehe, I wanted to see who’s tougher, that lapdog or Xia Jiuxuan," Ayao stuck out her tongue mischievously.

"You’re something else. Even I thought you just let it slip by accident," Liu Weiyu said.

"Hmph, it's all for your own good, sis. Xia Jiuxuan is indeed a bit too arrogant, so I sent the lapdog to take him down a peg and help you vent your anger," Ayao replied coquettishly.

"Hehe, you’re the best." Liu Weiyu hugged Ayao tightly, the two pressing close together. "But Yang Hun isn’t to be trifled with. He’s at the eighth level of Palace Entry. If he accidentally kills Xia Jiuxuan, how would we ever explain to our master?"

Ayao gently pushed Liu Weiyu away, pouting with an innocent look. "What’s it got to do with me? I don’t know anything. Boo hoo."

Liu Weiyu stared, stunned. "What a sly little vixen. You play innocent so well, even I feel sorry for you."

"Haha, it’s a skill, isn’t it, sis?" Ayao grinned proudly, then continued, "Actually, I was joking. Who would dare kill someone in front of the imperial capital’s gates? Not even a prince, let alone Yang Hun, that lapdog."

"That’s true. Xia Jiuxuan, hmph, let’s see him try to act tough after being beaten to tears," Liu Weiyu crossed her arms, waiting for the show.

The three with Xia Jiuxuan stood quietly aside, waiting to enter the city gates.

"Friend, what matters most to you in this life?" Yang Hun approached Xia Jiuxuan, asking abruptly and without preamble.

Xia Jiuxuan ignored him completely and didn’t utter a word.

"Hey, our young master is talking to you!" barked a guard at the fifth level of Palace Entry, glaring coldly at Xia Jiuxuan.

"Uncle, Second Dad cares about me most," Xia Ran, frightened by the shout, answered honestly, as only a child could.

"Heh, very well." Yang Hun sneered, his expression turning grim as he addressed Xia Jiuxuan, "Boy, I order you to keep your distance from my junior sister Ayao from now on. If you so much as approach her again, you may never see this little one again."

Yang Hun was not the type to play fair, and he knew exactly how to threaten someone.

"Get lost."

Xia Jiuxuan kept his silence, but Li Luoyan, standing beside him, snapped coldly.

If her young master hadn’t told her not to act recklessly in the capital, she would have killed this man with a single palm strike.

This was the emperor’s domain, where all the top experts of the Immortal Martial Empire gathered. Who would dare commit murder in the streets?

Xia Jiuxuan was arrogant, but not to the point of being foolish, so he chose not to respond.

"Heh, you lowborn wretch, bringing a maid with you too—quite the enjoyment. Let me see what this little girl looks like." Yang Hun released a surge of true force, blowing away the veil covering Li Luoyan’s face.

He did this only to provoke Xia Jiuxuan, to force him to strike first.

Normally, what man could bear seeing his own woman being teased?

But the moment he saw Li Luoyan’s face, Yang Hun froze.

What a face—stunning, breathtaking. With just one glance, her peerless beauty was forever etched into his mind.

And that tall, graceful figure—Yang Hun truly believed that such a woman belonged only in heaven.

How could such beauty exist in this world?

I must have her! Yang Hun vowed silently.

"Let’s go."

Throughout it all, Xia Jiuxuan’s expression never changed, betraying neither joy nor anger. Without a single harsh word, he simply called for Li Luoyan to follow him.

Seeing this, Liu Weiyu and Ayao were both perplexed. This was nothing like Xia Jiuxuan’s usual style.

Could it be that he lost his nerve in the capital?

"Sis, go stir things up a bit, or he’s really going to leave," Liu Weiyu urged Ayao anxiously.

"He’s quite good at holding back. Watch me," Ayao said, then immediately jumped down from the carriage and walked over to Yang Hun.

She covered her mouth in mock astonishment. "Jiuxuan, it really is you! I thought I was mistaken. Senior Brother Yang, it’s all a misunderstanding—we’re all friends, hehe."

With that, she gazed at Xia Jiuxuan with tender eyes, strolling up and naturally taking his arm, pressing her chest deliberately against him.

Yang Hun nearly exploded in rage.

Junior Sister Ayao, so intimate with this wretch?

Damn it. Damn it!

"Get lost," Xia Jiuxuan said, eyes straight ahead, unleashing a surge of inner force that sent Ayao stumbling back.

No one had expected this outcome.

"Jiuxuan, what’s wrong? How did I upset you? Boo hoo," Ayao stomped her foot, looking pitifully on the verge of tears.

"Wretch," Li Luoyan remarked icily, instantly seeing through Ayao’s act.

"How mean! Who are you calling a wretch? I didn’t do anything to you. Senior Brother Yang, look at them, boo hoo." Ayao continued her tried-and-true routine.

But Yang Hun, his mind still on Li Luoyan, couldn’t bear to be angry with her. He turned to Xia Jiuxuan. "Ungrateful cur, how dare you lay a hand on Junior Sister Ayao in front of me? Within three days, I’ll have your corpse lying in the street unless you kneel and apologize to her."

"Let it go, Senior Brother Yang. Jiuxuan didn’t mean it. I just don’t know what I did wrong, boo hoo," Ayao pitifully clung to Yang Hun’s arm, pressing herself even closer, making his entire body tingle with pleasure.

"Don’t worry, Ayao, I—"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Before Yang Hun could finish, a series of crisp slaps rang out.

When he came to, he saw several clear palm prints on Ayao’s face.

Murderous intent flickered in Xia Jiuxuan’s eyes as he stepped closer, his face nearly touching Ayao’s, and whispered, "I warn you—stop playing your little game of stirring up trouble before me. I kill without blinking."

Ayao was dumbstruck, her mind blank.

This guy—he didn’t hit Yang Hun, but slapped me instead?

No one had ever dared hit her before!

"You!" This time, real tears fell. Ayao had always thought herself unrivaled in beauty, able to toy with any man she pleased, but now she’d been utterly humiliated before this boy—she couldn’t accept it.

"Xia Jiuxuan, what right do you have to hit me!" Ayao clutched her face, feeling truly wronged for the first time.

Even Liu Weiyu, who’d been waiting for the show, jumped down from the carriage, glaring at Xia Jiuxuan. "You’ve gone too far! My sister came over to greet you out of kindness, and you not only ignored her, you hit her? What gives you that right?"

Xia Jiuxuan glanced at the pair with contempt. "Why? This wretch, with all her sly tricks, is just trying to use that guy to kill me. Who do you think you’re fooling?"

"You—you’re making things up! I didn’t," Ayao sobbed, leaning on Yang Hun’s shoulder, stamping her feet.

"Didn’t you? I know exactly what kind of person you are," Xia Jiuxuan said, looking at Liu Weiyu. "Let me warn you—this wretch is not to be trusted. The poison in your dantian, there’s an eighty or ninety percent chance she planted it. The Red Scorpion Severing Spirit Powder clashes with your fire cultivation method. It may seem harmless now, but once you reach a certain level and ignite the fire within your dantian, the poison will flare up—at best, your dantian will be crippled; at worst, you’ll die with no grave to receive you. Take heed."

"That’s nonsense!" Before Ayao could defend herself, Liu Weiyu flared up.

Her dearest friend—how could she possibly try to harm her? This was just a despicable attempt to sow discord.

"I had no intention of interfering in your life, but now I want you to see your sister’s true face." Xia Jiuxuan moved suddenly, sending a surge of true force from his fingertips straight into Liu Weiyu’s abdomen.

Instantly, a wave of heat surged in Liu Weiyu’s dantian.

"My—my dantian fire has finally awakened!" She had intended to strike back, but to her surprise, the internal fire she’d struggled for so long to ignite suddenly appeared.

Her joy was short-lived, however, as a wave of agony shot through her abdomen, as though her intestines were being wrenched apart.

"Ahh!" Liu Weiyu collapsed in pain.

"Senior Brother Yang, look! He’s so wicked—he hurt Weiyu like this. I don’t care, you must kill him for me!" Ayao was beginning to panic, desperately clinging to Yang Hun, hoping to provoke him into action.

"You brat! I don’t care what anyone says—today I’ll kill you, even at the gates of the capital!" Yang Hun, unable to resist the sweet, urgent pleas, was about to strike at Xia Jiuxuan.

"Wait, young master!"

An old man stepped forward to stop him.

This was the array master Yang Hun had brought to the Sword Saint’s tomb.

Array masters are not only versed in formations, but their medical skills are also formidable.

The old man released his spiritual sense, examining Liu Weiyu’s dantian.

"Young master, Miss Liu is indeed poisoned with Red Scorpion Severing Spirit Powder. The awakening of her internal fire has triggered the toxin," the old man said in astonishment.

"What?" Yang Hun’s expression darkened. "That boy must have just poisoned her!"

"Impossible," the old man replied, shaking his head. "In my opinion, the poison has been in her body for three years already. It works very slowly, only taking effect after accumulating to a certain degree, at which point it destroys the dantian."

At these words, the suffering Liu Weiyu struggled to her feet.

She looked at Ayao, trembling. "Ayao, tell me—is this true? Why did you harm me?"

"What’s it got to do with me? I don’t know anything, boo hoo," Ayao swayed her body with an innocent face.

Hearing this, Liu Weiyu felt as if her heart would burst from pain.

Only she knew what that look meant—it was Ayao’s tacit admission.

Others couldn’t see it, but she could.

In that moment, Liu Weiyu felt her world collapse. Xia Jiuxuan had been trying to warn her all along, yet she had only tried to make things harder for him...

Regret and despair overwhelmed her. She broke down, sobbing, and knelt before the old man. "Please, sir, save me. If you do, I will repay you with my life."

The old man shook his head, sighing. "I’m sorry, Miss Liu. The poison has taken deep root. Even if my cultivation were ten times greater, I could not save you."

"No! I don’t want to die, please..." Liu Weiyu crawled to him, clutching his ankle in desperation, but the old man shook her off.

"Don’t pester me. I said I am powerless. Enough!" he said sternly.

In a daze, on the edge of despair, Liu Weiyu looked up at Xia Jiuxuan.

Only then did she remember—Xia Jiuxuan was the first to tell her about the poison. He’d even said he could save her, for a price!

Could he really save me?

"Jiuxuan, help me, just this once," Liu Weiyu pleaded through the pain, crawling to Xia Jiuxuan.

Xia Jiuxuan ignored her, calling to Li Luoyan, "Take the young lady. We’re leaving."

Liu Weiyu saw Xia Jiuxuan’s cold indifference and felt as if she’d fallen into an icy abyss. She fainted on the spot, her final thoughts filled with regret.

"Leaving? Did I say you could leave?" Yang Hun tried to block Xia Jiuxuan’s path.

But the old man stepped in, shaking his head. "Young master, don’t stir up trouble."

Yang Hun frowned. He had never seen Master Mo so serious, and stopped at once.

The old man spoke quietly, "Ayao is vicious at heart. Be careful not to get yourself into trouble over her, young master."

Only then did Yang Hun hesitate. He was lustful, yes, but not to the point of risking everything for a woman.

Besides, now he had a new target in his sights. Whether he could have Ayao didn’t seem so important anymore.

Wouldn’t it be better to impress that peerless beauty?

"Master Mo, treat Liu Weiyu for now. Once I’ve found out the truth and reported to our teacher, we’ll decide what to do."

Yang Hun abandoned his attempt to stop Xia Jiuxuan, his main purpose now to show off in front of Li Luoyan.

But his hatred for Xia Jiuxuan did not lessen one bit. Just that boy’s attitude was enough to make Yang Hun want him dead.

"Yes, young master," the old man replied.

"Senior Brother Yang, why won’t you help me? Boo hoo, you’d rather believe that scoundrel than me," Ayao continued, using her favorite tactic.

To her surprise, the old man shoved her aside, saying coldly, "Miss Ayao, please conduct yourself with dignity. Don’t pester my young master, or else..."

His killing intent was unmistakable.

Ayao froze in humiliation, her eyes fixed on Xia Jiuxuan’s departing figure, her gaze so venomous it seemed she might devour him alive.

"I want you dead. I want you to die a miserable death!" Never before had Ayao hated anyone so much.

She deeply regretted not killing him sooner.

Now, if their master learned she had harmed a fellow disciple, she’d be finished.

"The Nirvana Institute, the top of the Butcher’s List! Yes, he’s always wanted something from me—let’s see him try. As soon as he makes a move, not even ten Xia Jiuxuans will survive!"

Ayao already had a plan—a plan to kill Xia Jiuxuan openly and without consequence.